"Did you put yourself in jeopardy just to see whether I'd come to your rescue?"
A sight she'd least expect in a rural hospital. Gojo wearing a pair of oval shades in some tacky patterned button up shirt. His gangly limbs made it obvious the chair next to her hospital bed was too short for him.
Reina frowned, "I'm pretty sure the innkeep called the paramedics."
"So what happened?"
"Sepsis. I guess." She replied curtly.
"What happened in the mountain?"
"Took a hike, got a nasty cut on my forehead, got sepsis. How'd you find me?"
"Hospital called Copa, Copa called me."
Her brow furrowed in confusion, "Since when-? Nevermind. I thought you were abroad." Gojo and Copa were probably on more friendly terms since he found out about the red string.
"Just got back. So you gonna tell me what actually happened?" Reina appeared tight-lipped. "I could just pull out the reports of high levels of cursed activity we've detected for decades." He playfully threatened.
"If Jujutsu tech knew, why not do anything about it?" She shot back.
"It wasn't high priority since it wasn't near dense populations. Well, it's gone now, and it wasn't particularly hostile."
She tightened her fists, thinking about the sorcerer-induced massacre of her kind, "you're wrong." The heartbroken expression of the young priestess plastered in her mind. The forced-
"Reina, you can hike, but hunting season isn't for another month." He mused. It wasn't a good joke.
She shut down. "Whatever. I'm okay now, gotta finish these antibiotics and get my fever down, and I'll be healthy again."
"Oh?"
"I didn't come here to die, Gojo. You should go. I don't want to see you anymore." She rolled over, back facing him.
"You're cute to think that pretending the string doesn't exist will bring things back to what they were." Gojo sighed, "you were near death from that nasty infection and I felt it. Do you know how much it takes for me to feel pain?"
"I won't do anything stupid again so just go."
"Copa said you've been having a rough month."
"None of your business. Just go. The more time you spend with me, more chances an adversary will find out."
His lowered his voice, "just stay with me." He said it as though a demand, as though he made the decision without her.
"You don't listen! I don't want anything to do with you! Just leave!" The tenseness of her voice tightened. He could see her jaw clench more.
"Reina, there are special grades out there that even I have trouble tracking down, at least one of them knows you're a priestess and wants something bad to come of you." He explained as calmly as he could.
She didn't respond, her back still turned to her. She was ignoring him. He frowned, slumping over, and sighed, "...Okay." There was no playfulness, no frivolity.
She shut her eyes tightly and listened to the sound of his footsteps go further until the slide of the door slammed shut.
She resolved shutting him out was the right thing to do. Sorcerers had no business in Priestly matters. Should they mesh, it would end in bloodbath. Her mind flooded with memories of the bodies, the skeleton's filled with their respective flesh, and the horizontal lacerations on their abdomens. Their dread, hopelessness, pride, filled her spirit.
Her body still weak from the infection, there was no energy for a physical reaction. It just... felt horrible, and numbing. Numb.
How could Gojo understand something like this? He was always on top.
But his intentions were noble.
Her reality was much different from that priestess' from hundreds of years ago. She realized that girl's feelings meshed with her own. As she isolated them from her own reality regret flooded through her as she reflected on her outburst.
She still felt Gojo's presence, she couldn't tell if he left the building, but it was still there. Wincing over the pain of moving her stiff joints, she managed to wrangle her tangle of blankets off her scuffed limbs. She grabbed the IV pole, rushing out the room, hoping to catch Gojo.
Right outside the hallway, Gojo was standing in front of a vending machine, grabbing something sweet to nurse his own aching heart.
She began, "I'm sorry." The apology hung in the air as his mouth curled downward to process, "I need you to do something with me. When I get out of the hospital, that is." She was breathless, weakened, dizzy. She clung onto the pole.
He smiled in relief, "Okay," he held her free hand watching her knees wobble slightly, "let's get you back to bed."
Reina slowly lowered herself back to the bed. A quick wave of body aches awash. "Ugh," she felt her aching joints burn, "are you gonna be here for a while? What's going on with your teaching?"
"Well, we just had a robbery. All the fingers we painstakingly collected were stolen by high level curses. As well as some other special grade cursed objects."
"Holy shit, you should be over there, what if one of them swallowed them all? What if Itadori got kidnapped and is force-fed all of them?"
"I can't do anything if I'm dead. The kids are strong, they can handle themselves. I've nominated my first years to be grade one sorcerers. All thanks to my teaching you critique so harshly."
"Then, I'm sure my years of experience must give you some trust in me handling myself."
He groaned, "It's not that Reina," he quipped back, "What is the survival rate with sepsis?"
She rolled her eyes, "fair enough."
"So what is it you want to do?"
"We're performing a burial. And maybe some arson." Gojo perked his ears as she continued, "I haven't made my mind up yet. Do you have a place to stay?"
"Arson! Here I was impressed with your upstanding citizenship. Count me in, and I'm not picky, a barn near that farm seems cozy."
"I still have a room at this onsen, stay there until I'm discharged."
"Eh... wouldn't be worth it without having the lady of the hour by my side." He grinned flirtatiously.
Her emotions were on the apex that day, and she just needed some fucking clarification.
"I'm confused as to whether you actually like me or it's the bias of the string. Or like someone dropped you as a child when you were vulnerable."
Go Reina.
Gojo grinned, he adored the honesty.
"Reina, you're hard to dislike. I've had my fair share of girlfriends, those transient relationships are fun and all, but it's more fun being tied to some emotionally unavailable death trap who's quite literally, spiritually opposite to me."
She acknowledged the compliment, "Right. Thank you." She took a shaky breath, "I think you have power. Too much compared to me. And the living in my apartment thing was way too intrusive. That's just not the way to start anything respectful and healthy between us. You'd get bored, like your transient girlfriends once you've figured everything out about the priests, and then leave." She paused again to carefully choose her next line. "I do have feelings for you, but I can't tell if it's genuine or Stockholm syndrome."
He sucked air through his teeth, "this is all very complex, so let's just go with the flow. I be me, but respectfully, and you be you."
"Okay," she reached for her purse, "these are the details of the onsen, don't sleep in a barn, please."
"Are there any private baths?"
She let out a hearty laugh, "not in this village. And don't even think to say 'bathe with me'," she deepened her voice to try to imitate Gojo, then switched back, "I'm at risk for more serious complications with all my other cuts."
"Hey hey, I knew that. Basic first aid knowledge. But that doesn't mean I can't help scrub your back-"
She threw a pillow at him, "too far!"
"In like a platonic, towel covered way!"
"Absolutely not!"
His voice turned seductive, "You know just as well as I that anything can be done absolutely right," he pointed to his blindfold, referring to his limitless technique. This meant he explored the more... lecherous options with his screwed-up oracle powers.
Reina turned her head away playfully to hide her glowing, heated cheeks and shook her head in refusal.
The room door slid open and the doctor walked in, pausing the playful interaction. "Well I see you've livened up, Miss Aoshima." The middle aged man chirped.
Gojo slumped back into his chair, mourning the death of the buzz.
...
Reina's fever subsided and she finished her course of antibiotics. She had to extend her leave from work by a few days. By then, her wallet started showing signs of malnutrition. For a minute, she thought of claiming the bounty on Little Girl Goner.
She walked out of the hospital, thinking of the irony- being on vacation frombeing a nurse only to end up in their care.
Gojo visited her in hospital a few more times out of boredom, he decided on not doing a solo preliminary hike. The mountain felt free of cursed energy. But why did Reina come here in the first place? This was an odd vacation spot.
Gojo lazed about on a futon in Reina's room, his blindfold off. The lock of the room's door turned, he felt like an excited puppy, wagging it's tail. He stood up to greet her.
She opened the door, their eyes met. She sighed in relief, taking off her shoes. The flush on her cheeks returned- Gojo thought it lovely. He kept distance from her, hyper-aware of her confession.
"Welcome back," he said with sincerity, "so what are we burning down?"
"I haven't decided on the arson part yet. The innkeep gave me some shovels, though." She said, unabashed. "We'll hike early morning tomorrow."
He gave a brief chuckle before silence, "...How are you feeling?"
Reina could tell that it was unusual for him to sincerely ask that question. She could tell he felt fear for his life for the first time in this way. She could feel his relief.
She gave a sweet smile, "I'm okay, thanks for asking."
It was quiet for a while, Gojo returned to lazing on the futon while Reina drank tea on the balcony.
She thought back to the assailants of the temple, they were a mix of sorcerers and non curse users. In the trauma, they mentioned doing this to keep the star and our kind pure. What deranged mind thought killing priests would lead to purification?
"Hey Gojo, do you know what The Star is?"
"And here I thought you knew everything." He quipped.
"I don't know everything, Gojo. You are king of all things. Lest we forget." She quipped back, dripping in sarcasm.
"Okay, so TheStar refers to Tengen. Apparently he 'discovered' Buddhism or something like that." Gojo used air quotes. "There was this crazy religious, zealot-group obsessed with him."
"Who is Tengen?"
"The oldest living Jujutsu sorcerer, he's like- thousands of years old. His body looks like mush though, apparently he has to fuse with some compatible human being or he'll turn completely into a cursed spirit. He is credited with the finding of Sorcery. Though he doesn't remember much since he's not found another body for hundreds of years. Apparently turning into a curse makes you forget."
Reina thought back to Grandmother, was it him she fought? "How did he get his powers?"
"Don't know. Why're you so curious about that weakening sack of sacks anyway?"
"It's hard to explain."
"My guess is it's related to why we're here!"
"Guess all you want, just cause I apologized doesn't mean you're privy to all my business. You're still here because we're burying a few bodies."
"Are they fresh?" He asked. Reina shook her head 'no'. "I take it I'll get a better explanation soon?"
"If you're good, maybe."
His sly expression softened, "I'll try my best," He said sincerely, sending a little pang in her chest.
...
Gojo only ever slept when Reina was around. He felt more at ease with blessed energy around, forgetting the walls he put up.
At the crack of dawn, he woke up craving a drink. The only drinks were available at the Inn's lobby. Getting up, he caught Reina in the middle of some twisty yoga pose on the balcony. She looked peaceful.
But the twisty-ness made his mind wander. Shaking it off, he tip-toed away from his futon and quietly shut the door.
The dimly lit common area had a few continental items. He picked some tea, threw the kettle on and sat back. He heard the sounds of footsteps.
"Ah, blondie," the innkeep chirped, "you an early riser?"
"I guess so." Gojo motioned to the innkeep, inviting her to sit across from him. The innkeep obliges.
"Remind your little girlfriend that checkout's tomorrow. Hospitals make you lose touch with reality. Though I'm not sure if her screws were on right when she first checked in."
"She's peculiar."
"And so are you." The innkeep let out a hearty laugh, "Ah well," she continued, "I swear bringing her to the hospital changed a shit ton of things around here. Like the water in the baths are clearer and they don't smell as bad. My trees are suddenly fruiting for the first time in a while. Weird fairy magic type shit."
"Fascinating."
"My one good deed for this year. I'm glad she made it out the forest."
"Thank you for what you did, wouldn't know what to do if you didn't find her."
"I'm glad too, my persimmons are coming out beautifully. I'll give some to you guys at checkout. One day- absolutely nothing, the next, nearly ripe. So strange."
"Strange indeed."
"But you know something, blondie?"
"What is it?"
"I know this place ain't shit these days. But, generations ago, my family moved here. We fucking prospered at almost a mythical capacity. The way things grew here was on mystical proportions. Things sprouted outta the ground like nobody's business." Her eyes sparkled with wonderment.
"Well, I'd love to try one of your miracle persimmons!"
"Haha, I'll pack some up for your trip home tomorrow!"
...
The aftereffects of the purification lingered in Reina's mind. Snuff-like scenes flashed in her mind. Yoga and deep breathing could only go so far.
Reina stood out the door of the room, leaning on both shovels. She was early to the agreed time they would head out.
"Yo."
Reina perked up to the sound of his greeting.
He was munching on a persimmon, the innkeep couldn't wait for the two to try her goods, "want a persimmon?" He slid one out of his pocket.
"They're in season?"
"A miracle or two may have gotten the innkeep's trees to fruit within a day. One of the best things I've ever put in my mouth." He beamed, mouth half full.
"Sure." He threw one over, and she put it in her pocket for later. Reina held out a shovel for Gojo, "ready?"
Gojo took the shovel without hesitation, "I'll take the rest too," he threw her over his shoulder before she could even process it, and teleported them to the approximate location.
He scanned the area, noting the bones exposed and uncovered, as well as the rusty blades beside them.
"You arrogant ass."
"Oh! Sorry, just wanted to be quick." He leaned backwards, dumping her on the ground face first, but she landed on her palm and flipped to standing, doing a vault with her shovel.
"You couldn't let me down on my feet?"
"Couldn't risk an accidental kiss."
The very thought sent a wave of warmth throughout her, the reason behind the thought kept her mind from wandering further, "I have no further inquiries. Let's just bury these bones."
"And the temple?" He asked, referring to whether that was the target of arson.
"Not sure yet."
"It would be a shame to tear down something so well preserved, this architecture looks so old." He sighed, "So these bodies, anything special you think, and the temple? Was it here when you purified the curse?"
"It was hidden by its veil." Reina replied, "I didn't know of it until after." She lied.
"What's so special about these bodies anyway?"
"I relived their lives when I purified the curses, and for improved absolution from my mind, having a wake makes it easier."
"I thought you just got flowers."
"Not when I know where the dead lie, especially unburied. I've found a ton of missing bodies, usually report them to the police if there's a documented or active case. In this case, no one would remember them but me, so no one else to bury them and give a proper farewell."
"Who were they?"
"Villagers, mostly depressed ones. I think they formed a pact with some made up god and ended their lives together." She lied yet again.
He felt her tense at the time, and decided to no longer pry, "Explains the temple."
"Yeah." She said quietly, feeling the metal scrape against the rock laden dirt.
"So the curse was from this event then?"
"It must be. The flashbacks were unbearable when I purified them."
"Well, it would make sense to burn the temple too, a group of suicides next to a building makes the building itself uninhabitable or unusable."
"I purified the wood too," Reina then lamented, "but I guess I got too caught up in the emotions of the curse. We should probably leave this place alone."
In the palm of one of the Skeleton's hands, Gojo found a star shaped pendent. It was too familiar to be something ignored. He slipped it in his pocket. Breaking from the shovelling, he took a step away from the site. From the positions and state of all the skeletons, it felt more like a battle scene than a suicide pact. Reina was keeping something from him. That was alright, he'd find out anyway.
...