Warning: The next couple scenes are a bit graphic and in my opinion could be triggering for anyone who is sensitive to blood and/or trauma description! Please read with caution! The "/" marks where such descriptions begin and end. There's also a scene that depicts an attempted robbery later on, so I will be marking that as well, as it can also be quite triggering.

Home.

Chapter Sixteen.

/

"You are a monster."

Asami hears the faucet in front of her quietly leak, small droplets of water splashing onto her bath water as she blankly stares at her hands, convinced that she still had some of the woman's blood under her fingernails, despite it being two weeks since the …. incident.

Sinking further into the bathtub, Asami closes her eyes as she feels the warm water soothe her muscles, not caring for the fact that her fingers were beginning to prune. For now, all she cared about was being clean.

Clean from the putrid smelling blood. Clean from the tiny chunks of bone that had been all over her body. Clean from the rotting flesh that had been in the strands of her hair. And most importantly …. clean from her sin.

"You are a monster."

Inhale. Exhale. Inhale. Exhale.

Asami tries to forget. No, she wants to forget.

But it seemed like it was impossible, for everytime she closed her eyes it all came back. Each and every second of it. From the strangulation to the knife which pierced the woman's heart, all of it was just too much.

At the age of fifteen, Asami Okada had killed her first human being. Not a curse user, a human. A human who had her own fears and nightmares. Something which Asami selfishly exploited for the sake of living.

"You are a monster," is what the woman's last words were, and Asami couldn't help but think that maybe she was...

1 Week Ago.

"EARTHQUAKE HITS SHIODOME DISTRICT, RESULTING IN A DEATH TOLL OF AT LEAST 15."

"Seismologists find themselves completely baffled by the reports, as they claim such a grandiose earthquake should've been felt by the whole city. Tonight we have Arata Suzuki, a seismologist with over 10 years of experience, to discuss—"

"There you go sweetheart, you're all stitched up," the kind hospital nurse says, giving the quiet girl in front of her a small smile.

"Can you believe that? An earthquake which only occured in a certain area," a voice is heard from behind the curtain, presumably a different nurse talking to one of his colleagues.

"Poor folks at the top of Acty Shiodome didn't stand a chance, I'm surprised the whole building didn't come collapsing down," his colleague adds, "Based on how everyone here is dressed, I assume they were throwing a—"

The curtain suddenly opens, revealing a woman with an intense glare.

Faces flushing, the two men glance at the red headed girl beside the nurse, gulping when they see the bloody pink dress she has on, "S-Sorry," they apologize to their coworker, quickly scurrying off to God knows where.

"I'm sorry about that," the brown-haired nurse named, Kaya, says.

Asami remains silent.

'If only they knew…' she thinks to herself.

If only they knew that none of it was some tragic accident. Absolutely none of it.

Noticing the girl's trembling fingers, Kaya gives the girl a reassuring squeeze to the hand, "Come on, let me show you where the restroom is so we can get you out of this dress," she whispers to the young girl, grabbing the patient gown on the bed beside her.

Turning on the lights to the restroom, Kaya motions Asami to step in, placing the hospital gown on some rack, "Change into these while I go and prep your bed, okay?" she says, gently closing the door behind her as she makes her way out.

Silently walking towards the sink, Asami closes her eyes, taking a deep breath in.

Two hours. It had only been a mere two hours since the incident. Two hours since she had taken someone's life. Honestly, as of now it was a big blur. One moment she was yelling at Satoru and the next she found herself here at the local hospital, getting her wounds treated like she was some mere civilian, almost as if she was some kind of …. victim.

Splashing cold water onto her face, the restroom lights begin to flicker, and the sound of water dripping onto the sink of the restroom then fills the air. Slowly blinking, Asami watches the dried blood that had been on her hair slowly fall down the drain, a result of the water touching her hair.

Tracing the outer bridge of her nose, Asami is unsure if the small droplets of liquid rolling down her face is in fact water, blood, her tears, or a mixture of all three. All she knew was that it was sticky.

Sticky and gross, just like her dress. Slowly placing a hand onto the sleeve of the gown, she stares into the mirror as she tries to remove the bloody piece of clothing.

'Just take it off Asami,' she tries to tell herself, her hands currently shaking as she touches the frail piece of cloth, 'Just take it off,' she begins to remove the dress inch by inch, lips quivering as she focuses on the other sleeve.

Biting her lip in an effort to suppress her cries, Asami stares at her reflection in the mirror, feeling her breath hitch at the pitiful sight, everything suddenly beginning to hit her all at once.

How was it that a night that had started off so well had ended up like this? Where exactly did everything go wrong? Could any of this have been prevented?

Whatever the answers to her questions were, at this point none of it mattered. At the end of the day, she had killed someone, and the blood on the dress she wore symbolized the inhumane death she had given them.

'Take off the dress, Asami.'

A dress she had been spinning in a mere few hours ago, feeling as if she were some kind of princess. She even had her very own prince charming…. at least she thought she did.

"How foolish was I…" she whispers to herself, placing her thumb and index finger onto the zipper of the dress.

'Take off the dress.'

Her lips continue to quiver as she tries to pull down the zipper, her mind being flooded with the memories of the dress.

"K-Kill her."

"W-What?"

"You need to kill her."

Asami tightly grips onto the counter of the sink, feeling as if the walls were closing in on her, the poor girl's lungs screaming for oxygen as her airways become compressed. Desperately trying to unknot the corset under her dress, Asami frantically stares into the mirror, convinced that the room was now spinning.

'Take off the stupid fucking dress!' her fingers begin to sweat as she constantly switches from pulling down the zipper to trying to remove the corset, the stench of the blood on her becoming more prominent as she continues to panic.

With salty tears now rapidly falling down from her eyes, Asami chokes back a sob, hearing the sound of the restroom door suddenly slam open. Looking up, she sees a shocked Kaya.

Gasping over and over, Asami hysterically taps on her stomach, "Get this," she heaves, "Get this off of me!" she cries, lifting her dress up in an attempt to get it off.

Quickly running towards the girl, Kaya immediately pulls out her small pair of scissors from the breast pocket of her scrubs, cutting the small pieces of ribbon that clinched the young girl's waist.

Feeling the air return to her lungs, Asami vomits into the sink, her hair then being pulled back by the kind nurse.

"You're going to be okay," Kaya tries to comfort the young girl, unaware of the traumatizing situation the girl had been put through. Softly running a hand through her red locks of hair, Kaya feels a chill run down her spine when she senses a sudden shift in the girl's energy, her silent sobs having come to a halt.

Emptily staring down at the sink below her, Asami feels a buzzing sensation spread throughout her body, the woman's words echoing through her mind.

Silence fills the air.

Looking up at the mirror, Asami finally sees it.

She sees the missing glimmer in her eyes, the one that once symbolized her purity and naive nature.

"It's gone," she quietly whispers, her voice shaking as she watches that light in her eye begin to dim, "It's really gone."

A final tear falls down from the corner of her eye.

A tear which represented the loss of innocence.

/

Present Day.

Hugging her knees, Asami sits on one of the many hills of the school, noticeable bags under her eyes as she stares at the overlooking view of the campus. Sensing a familiar energetic presence, Asami's gaze remains fixated on the view in front of her, not caring for the person standing behind her.

"What do you want, Masamichi-sensei?" she quietly asks despite already knowing why he was here.

Not only had she been missing from class for the past two weeks, but she had also been keeping herself cooped up in her room, only stepping out for absolute necessities. In fact, this was her first time since the incident that she had actually stepped outside of the dorm building. But most importantly….

"You didn't go to today's funeral," Masamichi stands next to her, watching a number of sorcerers exit the campus altar from his position. Today was the memorial service for the fallen sorcerers from the night at the ball, and despite the caskets being completely empty, the higher ups still felt like it was right to honor them and their "sacrifice".

If anything, they were lucky. Not often was it that sorcerers received such grandiose ceremonies. Most of the time, if not all, sorcerer bodies would immediately be cremated and forgotten, the higher ups not wanting to add emotional turmoil to deaths. That's because if they did, sorcerers would begin to question the system, they'd begin to ask themselves if it was all worth it in the end.

Looking up, Asami takes note of her sensei's black suit, "I…" she pauses, spotting her group of friends from afar, "... didn't really feel like it," she simply states.

'I don't deserve to…' she solemnly thinks to herself, having come to the conclusion that none of this would've happened had she never gone to the ball. Had she not gone and the hired assassin would've found some other day to try and kill her, meaning less sorcerers would've been caught in the crossfire.

Noticing Asami's fixated gaze on her friends, Masamichi is reminded of his students' changes in demeanor from the past two weeks. Ever since the incident, the loud class Masamichi would usually walk into, had now become a room full of tense silence.

Even now, while looking at the group of three, Masamichi could tell that there was a missing puzzle piece. That's because like in any other friend group, once one member goes missing, the whole dynamic of the group collapses, no matter who it is you take out.

"They're worried about you…." Masamichi begins, eyeing a certain student of his, "Especially…"

Asami becomes tense, her gaze landing on the infamous Six-Eyes user. Remaining silent, Asami visibly frowns as she observes the boy's serious demeanor, "He shouldn't be," she apathetically whispers.

Not caring for the dirt below him, Masamichi silently takes a seat next to the girl, her gaze unwavering as she continues to stare off into the distance.

"Do you remember?" she asks out of the blue, turning her attention to her sensei, "Do you remember the first life you took?" she reiterates, carefully observing his reaction to the question.

"I do," he answers, not hesitating for a second in his response, "It was back in '88, back when curse users were still running rampant and freely. I had just graduated from the school and though I had exorcised a number of grade one curses, I still didn't have much experience on the field, nor did I have any in fighting curse users…"

Asami looks away, already knowing where the story is going.

"Just like today, back then we also had a shortage of sorcerers, meaning we were often thrown into missions that were way beyond our expertise. One day, the higher ups had sent me to investigate a series of bank robberies. When I arrived, I was met with an infamous curse-user that we've talked about in class before... "

"The Blues Bandit," Asami whispers in slight disbelief, recalling Masamichi's lesson on the man, "...also known as Aoi Kurosawa," she adds, also remembering that the man had an emotional-based cursed technique. No wonder Masamichi seemed so stiff that day in class. It's because he was the "foolish sorcerer" who took the job that day.

"So you do pay attention in class," Masamichi mumbles before continuing, "Long story short, I was put in a life or death situation, just like you. And for a small second I hesitated…"

"But you ended up doing it," she says, looking at him for confirmation.

Masamichi nods, "I'm here, aren't I?" he says, "And though I was shaken up by it, I knew that it was the nature of the job. Months later another curse user appeared, and they had to meet the same fate as the last. And then another one appeared and another…"

Asami looks down at the ground.

"That's not to say I'm desensitized to killing because trust me I'm not, but when it comes to situations like the one you were put in, it's either kill or get killed," he states the harsh reality.

"I know Masamichi-sensei. I know that death and killing is a part of the job, but..." she whispers, continuing to hug her knees, "But it still feels so …. wrong," she gulps down the forming lump in her throat, taking a deep breath in.

Silence fills the air.

"You've taken your first life Asami, and I can't promise you that it'll be your last, but…." Masamichi sighs, hesitating to continue, "I am giving you the chance to walk away."

Asami turns to her sensei, clearly confused by his statement, "W-What?"

"I was the one who recruited you into this school, so I think it's only right I give you the chance to walk away from it," he says, shocking Asami.

"But what exactly do you mean by walk away?" she asks, eyebrows completely furrowed.

"I mean to go back home and live in pure ignorance. You're skilled enough now to exorcise the curses back at the circus, so it's not like you'll be in danger any more," he explains, "and I'm sure your parents would be more than happy to have you back," he adds, Asami blinking in surprise.

"Of course this is all up to you," he glances back at his three other students, "It's either that or…" he pauses, "...you stay here and fight."

Asami feels her breath hitch, understanding the connotation to his words.

"Fight …. And kill," are the unspoken words.

Clenching her jaw, she stubbornly fights the tears that are forming in the corners of her eyes, "I…" she watches her friends walk back to the dorms, wanting nothing more than to forget the night at the ball and run back to them, wishing things could go back to how they once were.

Staring at Asami, Masamichi knows what's coming. He knows the decision she's about to make.

"I want to go back home," she weakly whispers, a tear rolling down her cheek.

Void of emotion, Masamichi nods while getting up from the ground, "I'll have one of the auxiliary managers book your ticket back home," he says, "The most I can have you miss is another two weeks, after that if you're not back then…" he frowns to himself, "...then I'll know what final decision you've made."

And with that he walks away, leaving Asami to herself once more.

Quietly closing the door to her dorm room, Asami sighs as she pulls the handle to her luggage, feeling as if she had a massive weight on her shoulders. Staring at Shoko's door, she finds herself tempted to knock on it, knowing this could possibly be her last chance to ever see her friend.

Bringing a closed fist to the door, Asami prepares to knock on the wooden door, 'No, it's five in the morning,' Asami quickly pulls her hand away, cowardly talking herself out of it.

Tonight she was going home. Home as in Okayama, Japan, the place where she and her parents would reside during the circus' off season. It was where most of her … conventional … childhood memories came from.

[5:20 AM] Train leaves in 40! Please hurry!

Shutting her flip phone, Asami grabs onto the handle of her luggage and makes her way down the hallway, ultimately deciding that it was best to leave without saying anything. Walking down the stairs, she struggles in pulling down her luggage, grunting when she tries to lift it up.

"Maybe I could've packed a little lighter," she mutters to herself, regretting packing so many clothes. Attempting to lift it again, she prepares to use her cursed energy in order to boost her strength, "Come on—"

"Need help?" a sudden voice asks.

Slightly jolting in surprise, Asami turns around to see Suguru, the black-haired boy offering her a small, kind smile.

Staring at him, Asami awkwardly nods, realizing that the last time she'd properly seen him was the night of the ball, suddenly remembering that he was the one who pulled her away from a certain someone, while leading her to the ambulance truck.

The two then silently make their way down the stairs, Asami mentally debating whether she should try and strike up a conversation. Gulping, she bites her lip before deciding to say something, "Why are you up so early?" she asks in a timid tone.

He casually shrugs, "Couldn't sleep," he answers, "Well that and I also needed to study for an upcoming math exam, something you need to help me on when you come back from your trip," he begins to ramble, unaware that this so called "trip" was potentially a permanent move.

"Thanks to you, Satoru's been passing science with flying colors now," Suguru says, "This new science teacher of ours has also been pretty lenient in terms of school work, but—"

"They've already found a replacement for Tanaka-sensei?" Asami interrupts him, a mixture of both sadness and shock now on her face. She didn't think the school would replace him so quickly…. then again, it wasn't like they could go the whole school year without a science teacher…

"Oh um yeah…" he nervously laughs, gulping when he realizes he's touched the topic that he was desperately trying to avoid …. The night at the ball.

"I see," Asami quietly hums, looking down at the ground as she continues to go down the stairs.

Feeling bad, Suguru tries to say something, but ultimately finds himself unable to do so… not without remembering the image of a hysterical Asami hitting Satoru.

'Damn it,' he curses to himself, still upset with himself for allowing that woman to exorcise the flying curse he'd been using, thus allowing her to successfully attack him and render him useless for the remainder of the fight. Had he avoided her attack, and maybe Asami wouldn't have had to...

The sound of the door opening brings him back to reality. Blinking in surprise, he sees that Asami was now ahead of him, having opened the door for him.

Gently placing the heavy bag of luggage onto the cement floor, Asami latches onto the handle once more, avoiding eye contact as she tries to think of what to say.

"I hear Okayama has amazing fruit," Suguru says, recalling that the city was known for its favorable weather conditions and mild climate, resulting in a number of fruit farms to be spread across the land. The region even had the nickname of the"Land of Sunshine", for rain was quite rare.

"Make sure you bring back some peaches for us," Suguru adds, Okayama's most popular produce being peaches.

"Yeah, I will," she feigns a soft laugh, "Well I should get going," she says, knowing that if she didn't start walking soon, she'd miss her train.

"Enjoy your trip back home Asami," he says, gently waving goodbye to her.

"Thank you Suguru…." she pauses,"...for everything," she adds, "I mean it."

Softly chuckling, Suguru shakes his head, "You're speaking as if you're never coming back," he jokes around, not noticing the girl's reaction to the comment.

"Well, like I said, I should get going," she quietly says, waving her hand goodbye one last time, before beginning to make her way to the front of the school.

[5:30AM] Please hurry Asami!

Asami rolls her eyes as she sees the auxiliary manager's text, spotting the black car from not too far. Quickly walking to the car, a look of relief appears on the auxiliary manager's face when they spot the red haired sorceress.

"There you are," the silver-haired woman anxiously runs a hand through her hair before opening the trunk to the car, knowing she was going to drive well over the speed limit if she wanted to make it on time for the train.

"Come on, we gotta get going," the woman says, motioning to Asami that she needed to place her luggage into the trunk of the car.

"R-Right," Asami stutters, sensing a … familiar … cursed energy.

'Don't do it Asami,' she tells herself, 'Just put the luggage into the trunk and leave,' she gulps, feeling her heart begin to race.

Going against her own commands, she hesitantly looks up, feeling her heart stop when she sees a sweaty Satoru standing near the entrance of the school field, for this was the first time since the incident that they'd actually seen each other.

Gazing into each other's eyes, it's only then that Asami notices that the boy wasn't wearing his sunglasses. Slowly taking note of his appearance, she also sees the clothing he's dressed in….

Had he been working out? Asami furrows her brows, immediately wondering why he would be training at such an early hour. Gulping, she looks back at him, noticing that no longer was he staring at her, but at the luggage beside her.

And though Satoru could occasionally act dense, he was by no means an idiot. In fact, he had quite a keen intellect. It was for that reason that it didn't take much for him to put two and two together.

Watching the auxiliary manager lift the heavy luggage into the trunk, Satoru finds himself unable to move, his throat beginning to feel dry as he looks back at Asami, no words needing to be exchanged in order for them to understand what was running through their minds.

Taking a step forward, Satoru sees Asami quickly take a step back, almost as if it was a natural reaction, something which makes his heart drop to his stomach. With the car engine now running, Asami glances behind herself, knowing it was time to leave.

Forcing herself to turn around, she begins to walk to the passenger door.

"Asami," he says under his breath, a mixture of both disbelief and betrayal in his voice.

Stopping in her tracks, she closes her eyes and winces, tightening her fist in an effort of fighting every bone in her body.

"Just leave everything to me."

...

"S-Satoru …. W-What are you waiting for? You have to—"

…

"I-I couldn't do it,"

...

"A-Asami, I'm so sorry,"

Asami bites her quivering lip, grimacing as she remembers the night at the ball. With tears now welling up in the corners of her eyes, she sucks in a deep breath of air before pushing herself to continue walking. She wasn't sure why, but she just couldn't face him. Not now at least.

Entering the black car in front of her, she motions to the auxiliary manager that she's ready to go, but not before looking out the window once more, brown eyes meeting blue for what felt like the final time.

"Ladies and gentlemen, we are now approaching Okayama station. If this is your stop, please remember to take all of your belongings, and thank you for riding with JR Central!"

Grabbing her luggage, Asami carefully makes her way to the exit as the bullet train slowly comes to its stop. Stepping out of the train, she yawns while looking for….

"Mom! Dad!" a smile immediately appears on Asami's face when she spots her loving parents, quickly letting go of her luggage and running into their arms.

Laughing when they get a hold of their daughter, Asami's parents squeeze her into a hug, having missed their daughter.

Picking her off the ground, Asami's dad practically sucks the life out of her as he tightens his squeeze, "D-Dad!" Asami comically goes blue, causing him to let go.

Chuckling, he ruffles her hair, "My bad kiddo, we've just really missed you, that's all," he nervously smiles.

Understanding his excitement, she laughs, "It's fine, I've missed you two as well," she says, wincing when her mother grabs at her arm.

"What happened here?" Misaki inspects the stitches on her arms, a concerned look now on her face.

Shaking her head, Asami pulls her right arm back, "It's nothing serious mom," she feigns a chuckle, "I had injured myself while playing a game of soccer with my classmates," she lies, her mom then narrowing her eyes at her.

"Hmm," Misaki hums, not exactly believing her little story.

"No need to baby her Misaki," Asami's dad jumps in, noticing his daughter's discomfort, "Come on you two," he walks over to Asami's luggage, pulling at its handle, "Let's get going," he flashes his infamous grin at them, leading them back to the car.

Smiling from ear to ear, Asami feels as if a weight has been lifted off her shoulders, genuinely happy to be home.

Meanwhile, back in Tokyo….

"You're going to die of exhaustion if you keep overworking yourself like this," Suguru leans against the pole of the field, watching his best friend do his set of crunches while not caring for the sweat he was currently drenched in.

"I," Satoru comes up, "Don't," he goes back down, completing his final crunch, "Care," he pants out, wiping the sweat off his forehead.

"I get that you're feeling guilty for what happened with Asami, but working out like some musclehead isn't going to change anything," Suguru says, only irritating Satoru.

Scowling at his best friend, Satoru rudely snatches the white towel in his hands, patting down his moist neck, "Tch, like you know anything," he harshly mutters.

Suguru scoffs, "You're right, I don't, but like I said, pushing yourself like this isn't going to make you any stronger. If anything what happened that night wasn't—"

"Here you go," Satoru rolls his eyes, clearly in a bad mood.

"What?" Suguru prepares to go on the defensive, eyebrows now furrowed.

"Here you go spewing that stupid morality bullshit," Satoru crosses his arms, coming closer to Suguru's personal space, "You know, it's because of you and your self-righteous bullshit that I hesitated."

Clenching his jaw, Suguru returns Satoru's glare, "Hey, don't go blaming me for your cowardice," he hisses, knowing what exact buttons to push despite not genuinely meaning his words.

"Shut it," Satoru growls, rarely ever giving a reaction to Suguru's comments. If anything, it was always Satoru being the one to evoke a reaction out of Suguru, having once declared himself a master at taunting the curse-manipulation user. But right now….

Well right now Satoru was still feeling sensitive over what had happened, finding that it was easier to put the blame on someone else rather than accept that he had made a mistake. Especially because making mistakes was something that he rarely ever did.

"And if I don't?" Suguru makes his cursed energy presence known, purposely amplifying it.

Satoru does the same, the two now seconds from throwing punches at each other. That is until….

"Will you two cut it out?" Shoko sighs, usually running away whenever this kind of stuff happens, or simply letting Asami handle things. But because the red-headed girl was now missing, it meant that Shoko would now have to step in her place.

Stepping back from each other, the two special grade sorcerer's childishly glare at each other while crossing their arms, huffing a frustrated blow of air.

"He started it," they both mumble, the aura of their cursed energy beginning to settle down.

Taking a puff out of her cigarette, Shoko sighs once more, "I'm just counting the days for Asami to come back," she says to herself, but still loud enough for the two boys to hear.

Face twisting, Satoru bitterly frowns, "She's not coming back," he mutters, confusing his two classmates.

"Huh?" they raise a brow, Shoko immediately looking at Suguru, for he was the one who told her that Asami was going on a small vacation as a way to clear her head.

"You heard me," Satoru says, "She decided to go back home …. for good."

"No she didn't," Suguru scowls, remembering his conversation with the girl just this morning, "She only went to go visit her parents and come back. She even said she'd bring back peaches for us," he adds.

Satoru rolls his eyes, "And you believed her? Did you not see how big her luggage was?" he looks at Suguru as if he's an idiot.

"So?" Suguru squints, "The only thing that means is that she's a heavy packer."

"Just trust me, okay?" Satoru recalls the pained expression on Asami's face, "She's not coming back," he whispers, sighing in the process.

"But Asami wouldn't just leave without saying goodbye," Shoko frowns, visibly hurt at the idea of Asami's sudden departure.

"Yeah, well she did," Satoru harshly states while shrugging, deciding that if he was hurt, then he was going to bring everyone else down with him.

Suguru glances at Shoko, noticing her bummed expression before glaring at Satoru, "You don't know what the hell you're talking about," he says, having reached his limit with his best friend's rude attitude.

"But I do…"

And from there, all three first-year students begin to bicker, going back and forth as they argue about Asami's whereabouts and her potential departure, their cursed energy levels spiking up.

"That's enough you three," a voice interrupts them.

Turning around, the students are unsurprised to see a frowning Masamichi, accustomed to the sight at this point. Closing their mouths shut, they secretly glare at each other as the buff man makes his way towards them.

Standing in front of them, he exhales deeply before speaking, "Asami is currently on a two week vacation and has not officially left the school…."

Suguru and Shoko give Satoru a knowing look. A look that said, "We told you so."

"But," Masamichi makes sure to emphasize the word, "It also doesn't mean that she's definitely coming back as well," he says, Satoru returning the exact same look to his classmates.

"What do you mean Masamichi-sensei?" Suguru asks.

"I've given Asami the option to leave the school," he states, shocking all three students.

Satoru immediately goes on the offensive, "Why would you—"

"If she decides that moving back home is what's best for her, after everything that's happened to her, then that is for us to respect," he says, not wanting to remind his students of the incident, for he knew a certain someone was still feeling guilty about it, but in this case he knew he had to.

"I've given her two weeks to decide. If those two weeks run out and she's still not here, then we will know her decision," he puts it into simple terms, taking note of Satoru's nervous gulp.

"In the meanwhile, I've decided that in these two weeks, we need to prepare for the possibility of Asami's return. That means we have to start looking into who ordered the hit on—"

"But we already know who ordered it," Satoru quickly interrupts him, "Clearly it was the higher ups."

Masamichi remains silent, deep down knowing that Satoru was indeed correct.

"Who else could gather that many curses all at once! Not to mention they'd already been eyeing her for execution," Satoru continues to make his case stronger, ranting about the lack of big three sorcerers during the incident.

Processing the boy's words, Masamichi sighs, "Even if the higher ups did put in the hit, it's not like we can go pointing fingers at them," he says, ultimately stating facts, "They hid their tracks well enough that we have no proof of the order, and even if we did, it's not like we can do anything about it."

Satoru begrudgingly pouts, wishing for those old pruny raisins to die out already, despite already knowing that they had successors waiting in line to take their places.

"In order for Asami's life to no longer be in danger, we have to show the higher ups that Asami has control of her powers. It's either that or we somehow find a way to force them into a corner where they have no choice, but to leave Asami alone," Masamichi states, trying to formulate some kind of plan. Cursing to himself, he shakes his head, unable to think of anything.

"Damn," Suguru mumbles, his mind being nothing but blank, "Any ideas Shoko?"

The healer shakes her head, just as stumped as the rest of them.

"Tch," Satoru huffs, his head spinning with a number of ideas, none of them actually standing out to him as good, solid plans.

"Well like I said, we have two weeks to think of something," Masamichi reminds them of their time frame.

Taking a deep breath in, Satoru closes his eyes, knowing it was up to him to do something, for this was going to be his way of proving himself to Asami...

Okayama, Japan.

Messily slurping on her noodles, Asami closes her eyes as she relishes the taste of homemade food, "Mm how I've missed this," she says with a mouthful of food, resulting in her receiving a glare from her mother.

"How many times do I have to tell you not to speak with your mouth full," Misaki scolds her, shaking her head.

Right now, the family of three were currently eating dinner, tonight's meal consisting of fried rice, miso soup, deep-fried Tofu with grounded ginger, steamed chicken with salty Japanese leek sauce, and stir fried udon noodles.

"Sorry," Asami wipes her mouth with a cloth before taking a sip of water.

Softly chuckling, Asami's father can't help but smile at the sight of his soon-to-be sixteen year old daughter, who in his heart would always be his little girl.

"You know your mother, always with her proper dinner etiquette," Tsuyoshi mocks his wife, now on the receiving end of the woman's glare, "I'm just teasing you Misaki," he says, making her roll her eyes.

Laughing, Asami watches her parents playfully bicker, the two once again being a prime example of what pure love was. Honestly, she had forgotten the exact details of how they had met, but if she remembered correctly, her dad was always talking about how it was something straight out of a romance movie. Something about her mother appearing out of nowhere and...

"Asami," Misaki's voice brings the young girl back to reality, unaware that her mother had been calling out to her for quite a while.

Embarrassed, Asami is quick to apologize.

Misaki shakes her head as a way to say that it was fine, "We just wanted to know how school has been coming along for you," she says, Asami then tensing at the question.

"Oh…" Asami awkwardly plays with her food, "It's been going…."

"Horrible," is what she wants to say, but instead she says…

"Good," she feigns a small smile, "I've um…."

"...learned that there's these things called curses that practically feed off our negative feelings. I've also come to learn that I have these powers that are a result of having cursed energy, and now I have a duty to exorcise these so-called curses."

"...I've really been enjoying the city," she gulps, biting her lip in an effort to appease her nerves.

"And what about your friends? You hardly ever mention them whenever we're on the phone," Misaki chuckles, curious to know who these friends of Asami's were. Especially because these days, Asami was picking up the phone less frequently, Misaki assuming that it must've meant she was having the time of her life with them.

"They're um... "

"...not the kind of friends you'd want me to have, but at the end of the day they're still…"

"...good people," is all Asami says, deciding to keep her answer short and concise, trying her best to suppress her memories from the night at the ball, for that was her last memory with them.

"That's great," Misaki smiles, beginning to grab Asami's empty plates.

"I'm glad you're enjoying your time over there," she says before softly chuckling, "If I'm being honest I was a little skeptical about having you complete your studies in Tokyo. I remember the night before you left, I kept telling your dad about how scared I was that something bad was going to happen to you, but I guess that was the maternal instinct in me speaking…"

Asami fights back her tears as her mother's rambles become nothing but background noise, 'Tell her Asami,' the tiny voice in her head begins to taunt her, 'Tell her of the horrible thing you've done!'

Clenching her fist, Asami's heart begins to pound out of her chest as her fingers become clammy, a feeling of impending doom beginning to close in on her.

'Murderer. Murderer. Murderer. That's what you are!' Asami's stomach begins to churn, nothing but nausea spreading throughout her body, 'Tell her how you killed that woman!'

Abruptly getting up from her seat, Asami's parents stare at her with curious eyes, the teenage girl suddenly clearing her throat out of nowhere, "I um… I have a bit of a stomach ache. I think it's because I was eating too fast," she announces, a worrisome look then appearing on Misaki's face.

"I can prepare you some tea if you'd like," she offers, getting up from her seat as well.

Asami is quick to step back and shake her head, "No it's fine, I think I just need to go to sleep already," she says, avoiding eye contact.

"But—" Tsuyoshi notices that his daughter's ears are getting red, something that would only happen whenever she was lying.

"Goodnight," Asami interrupts him before he can question her, practically running to her room. Shutting the door behind her, she pants for breath, the tight feeling in her throat beginning to temporarily subside.

Running a hand through her hair, she throws her head back before gently pressing it against the wall, muttering small curses to herself as sweat begins to form on the edges of her forehead. Regaining control of her breathing, she lets out a deep exhale before plopping herself onto her bed.

"Damn it," she whispers, staring at the ceiling above her. How foolish was she to think that coming home was going to change anything.

Kicking a rock beside him, Satoru sits down on the swinging bench of the school garden, letting out a frustrated huff of air as he continues trying to think of a plan. Sighing, he runs a hand through his white locks of hair, making a mental note to get a haircut soon.

"Meow."

Satoru looks down, immediately rolling his eyes, "I don't have any food for you Agumon," he mutters quite harshly, taking out his frustrations on the orange cat.

"Meow."

Satoru pouts, realizing he was being an asshole, "I'm sorry, okay?" he sighs, "I'm in a bit of a tough situation and well….. I'm currently stumped for ideas."

"Meow."

"What's wrong? Tch, everything," Satoru crosses his arms, "Asami's on the verge of leaving the school, all because of me," Satoru begins to rant, "All because I was too…"

He closes his eyes, refusing to say the word out loud, "I just messed up, alright?" he instead says, "Big time," he adds.

"Meow."

"No it's not okay," Satoru shakes his head, "I need to make it up to her, and the only way I can do that is by getting the higher ups to finally hop off her back. Like that, she can stay at the school and no longer have to worry about some crazed assassin trying to kill her."

"Meow."

"How is that selfish of me?" Satoru scowls at the cat.

"Meow."

"Oh…" Satoru frowns, "Yeah, you're right, there's a chance she's not even coming back," he sighs, pinching the bridge of his nose, "Either way, I can't just let the higher ups get away with what they've done," he says, getting into a slouched position.

"Meow."

"I don't have any concrete evidence," Satoru says, "And like Masamichi said, even if I did, there's not much I can do with it. It's almost like taking a corrupt judge to trial with another corrupt judge," he groans, still out of ideas.

"See if I could, I'd just go barging into those elders' doors and beat the living shit out of them but noooo!" he sings dramatically.

"Meow."

"I know, I know. I have to find a way to hit them where it hurts…"

"Meow."

"Politics, huh? Eh I'm not really a fan of politics," he chuckles, "It's why I'm not my clan's head. I let those old creeps do all of the…"

Ding!

A light bulb goes off in Satoru's head.

"Meow…."

Eagerly picking up the orange haired cat, Satoru lifts it above his head and twirls it in excitement, "Agumon, you're a genius!" Satoru hugs him before giving him playful rubs under his chin.

"Purrr," the cat seems to smile, having done absolutely nothing, but somehow getting rewarded for his simple one-word language.

Grinning from ear to ear, Satoru finally knows what he must do.

1 Week Later.

"Peaches! Peaches! Get your fresh peaches here!" The street vendor, Kawamura Yasu, attempts to sell her produce to passing villagers, holding a ripe peach in her hands as she tries to lure people in.

Frowning, she lowers her gaze when she hears someone mutter an insult, only then noticing the number of people who were rolling their eyes at her.

Walking back to her post, she wants nothing more than to close and call it a day, but sadly, peach season was coming to its end, and soon her produce would go bad, meaning she had to sell everything as soon as possible. Especially because her family's monthly rent was going to be due soon, and if they didn't pay it this time around, there was no doubt in her mind that they'd get evicted.

Bitterly kicking her small sign, Yasu pouts as she glances at the stand across from her, jealous at the fact they had a practical mile-long line, "Tch, strawberries? They're not even that—"

"Mind selling me some peaches?"

Yasu's eyes widen when she recognizes the voice behind her. Turning around, she smiles when she sees her childhood friend, "Asami!"

Asami softly waves to the purple-haired girl, squirming when she's pulled into an unexpected hug.

"Where have you been?! Wait! Don't answer that! Your parents told me you were in Tokyo!" Yasu eagerly studies the girl up and down, surprised at the fact that not much had changed in the girl's appearance.

Then again it'd only been a couple of months since she'd last seen her, but still! From what Yasu's heard, living in the city tends to change people, both appearance and personality wise.

Tucking her hair behind her ear, Asami nods while chuckling, forgetting how … overbearing… Yasu's personality could be sometimes. Then again, maybe it was Asami who had changed….

Either way, Yasu's personality was honestly quite refreshing. There was just something childlike about the girl that Asami couldn't help but appreciate. It was an innocence that you didn't quite often find in people these days. But what made it even more amazing? The purple-haired girl was cursed...

"So, what's it like living over there?! It must be so different from visiting! I can only imagine what it's like! I haven't been there since…"

And as Yasu continues to ramble, Asami subtly eyes the small curse behind her, wondering how long the creature had been haunting her for…. and just how long she'd been faking a smile…

"Yasu," Asami interrupts the girl, "So about those peaches…"

"Oh right!" Yasu laughs, walking back over to her stand and crouching down, "Call me selfish, but I usually keep my best produce down here," she laughs while beginning to pick out the peaches, unaware of the exorcism Asami was about to execute.

Closing a single eye, Asami grabs a tiny dart from her bag and makes the underhand throw, the stiletto-like needle landing on the wooden post.

Hearing a faint "Swoosh!" sound, Yasu quickly lifts her head up, wondering where the hell it came from, "What the—"

Yasu's movements come to a sudden halt.

Staring at Yasu, Asami inwardly begins to panic, worried that the girl had perhaps seen her. And so when Asami sees the girl wipe the forming tears in her eyes, she prepares to give an outrageous excuse, "It's not what it—"

Yasu lets out a loud exhale, placing her hand to her chest, feeling as if she was taking a breath of fresh air for the first time in months. The first time since...

"Thank you Asami," Yasu gives Asami a close-eyed smile, revealing the infamous gap between her teeth.

Grabbing the bag of peaches, Asami places the owed amount onto the counter, "No need to thank me Yasu," she gives her friend a small smile, for the first time in three weeks feeling as if being a jujutsu sorcerer wasn't some kind of burden, but a tiny blessing in disguise.

Beginning to walk away, Asami sighs as the temporary feeling quickly washes away, telling herself that small actions like these would never be enough to atone for her sin.

"You're a monster."

Asami shakes her head, preparing to hum a small tune as she makes her way home. That is until…

"Wait!"

Asami stops in her tracks, turning around to see Yasu running up the hill she was standing on, panting for breath as she wipes the sweat trickling down her forehead.

Furrowing her brows, Asami tilts her head in confusion, "Yes?" she asks, her voice laced with genuine concern.

Still trying to catch her breath, Yasu places her hands to her hips, "Wow, are you a fast walker!" she laughs, running a hand through her hair, "I wanted to invite you to dinner over at my place!" Yasu quickly gets to the point, realizing that it was getting dark.

"I don't know Yasu… it's getting pretty late, and my mom doesn't really like it when I inform her of plans at the last minute…" Asami attempts to talk her way out of the plans, but Yasu refuses to relent.

"Come on! I'll have my mom call yours! It's just been so long since I've seen you and well this will be our chance to catch up! Before you go back to Tokyo at least!" Yasu continues to plead, but Asami stands her ground.

"I'm sorry Yasu, but I can't," Asami ultimately says, watching her friend frown in response.

"Okay," Yasu sighs, "Well if you change your mind, I'll be at my stand till 9!" Yasu exclaims, making Asami chuckle. Again, there was just something about Yasu that was so childlike and innocent. For a girl who'd been cursed for who knows how long, to still be gleaming was honestly quite admirable.

Asami nods, "I'll see you around Yasu," she waves goodbye, unaware of the trouble her childhood friend would be in soon…

"Mom, I'm home!" Asami announces from the entrance of her tiny cottage home, quickly taking off her shoes as she walks into the kitchen, only to be met with her dad chopping some onions.

Asami immediately gives him a questioning look.

"Your mom had to run some errands of her own, so I'm the one who's doing the cooking today," Tsuyoshi says, lifting up the lid to the pot, revealing a …. unique … meal.

Gulping, Asami tries not to give too much of a reaction, only making her father laugh.

"Maybe I should've taken Yasu's offer," she mumbles to herself, grimacing at the idea of eating her father's food.

"Yasu?" Tsuyoshi raises a brow, "I feel like I haven't seen her in forever!" he chuckles, the image of two five year old girls running around and wrecking havoc inside the house making him smile, "What did she offer?" he asks in curiosity.

Asami sighs, "Just if I wanted to eat dinner at her place, but I declined the offer," she says, setting her bags down onto the chair next to her.

"Why?" Tsuyoshi frowns.

The redhead nonchalantly shrugs, "I didn't really feel like it," she rummages through her bags, placing the drink she had bought into the fridge.

"Hm," Tsuyoshi hums, having noticed his daughter's dejected behavior since her return from Tokyo, something as a parent, he of course didn't like, "I'm sure Mrs. Kawamura's food will be a lot better than my own," he tries to lightheartedly joke, but Asami simply remains silent.

"I'll just eat some of the leftovers from yesterday," she says, preparing to make her way to her room.

"You sure?" he asks, staring at her with a concerned look on his face, "I say you go. You'll only regret it if you don't. Besides, it'll give you the opportunity to catch up with her, you know?"

Internally groaning, Asami knows that her dad wasn't going to relent, sighing before nodding her head yes, "Fine, I'll go right now," she says, her father immediately smiling, "But let me just shower and rest for a little bit before I get going," she adds, her feet still tired from the long walk to the market and back.

Glancing at the wall clock, she remembers Yuna saying she'd be closing up at 9.

"I'll head out at like 8:30," Asami says, Tsuyoshi only nodding in response, the clock ticking.

/

"Hmmhmmhmmm," Yasu hums as she begins to pack her things into her bag, still in disbelief at how much business had boomed once Asami left. It was almost as if the red-head had lifted some kind of curse off of her!

Counting the bills in her hands, Yasu grins, no longer worried about the month's income. If things continued at this rate, her mother would be able to close the other stand they had on the other side of town. It also meant that Yasu could return to solely focusing on school, no longer having to work at the peach stand during off-school hours.

Excitedly squealing to herself, Yasu dumps the number of bills into her bag, and locks everything in place, knowing she needed to get home as soon as possible. All of the other stores around her had already closed up hours ago, today's rise in business causing her to stay a little later than usual.

Securing the tie to her backpack, Yasu begins to walk down the market street, the sound of crickets adding to the eeriness of her pitch black surroundings. Humming a small tune to herself, Yasu decides to take her usual route home, cutting through one of the main streets by taking an alley.

Tap. Tap.

Yasu stops before entering, feeling as if someone was following her. Quickly turning around, she's met with absolutely nothing, 'Must be my imagination,' she thinks to herself, the street lamp then flickering. Almost as if it was trying to warn her of the danger that was itching to get her.

Shrugging, Yasu continues to hum to herself.

Tap. Tap. Tap.

The footsteps quicken, and this time Yasu feels her heart stop, the sound of a gun clicking immediately bringing her to a halt.

"Open the bag, and give me the money," a voice says from behind, and Yasu's blood runs cold. Breathing heavily, she finds herself unable to do or say anything, completely frozen in place.

"Don't make me repeat myself," the man growls, Yasu catching a glimpse of his black mask through her peripheral vision. Eyes watering, she feels the muzzle of the gun get pressed onto her back.

Fingers shaking, she feels the man's breath on her neck, "I-I can't," she cries out, the image of an eviction notice appearing in her mind as she recalls her widowed mother's wretched expression, knowing that she and her family needed this money if they were going to make it another month.

"And why is that, huh?" the man pushed his gun further into her back, unaware that the girl was beginning to reach for a knife she carried in the smaller pocket.

"B-Because my dad died two months ago," she stutters, tears beginning to roll down her cheeks as she grips onto the knife, knowing that if she timed it right, she could kill the man. But if she didn't, it'd only result in her death…

She had to try right? She had to do something...

"My family needs the money," Yasu's voice shakes as she bites her lip, realizing she was too much of a coward to do anything. Maybe she could talk her way out of this.

"So please let me go," she sobs, "Please," she repeats, wishing this was all some kind of nightmare.

"Sorry," the man chuckles before cocking the gun back one last time, "But you're not getting any sympathy from—"

/

BAM!

The man is thrown to the wall across, his gun immediately falling to the floor as his skull meets the brick wall.

"W-What the—" the petty thief tries to get up, but is only met with a hard kick to the face, blood then coming out of his mouth.

Staring at the scene in front of her in shock, Yasu watches her childhood friend beat the living hell out of the unmasked man, hearing several small cracking sounds as Asami repeatedly kicks him, unsure if the sound was coming from the wall behind them or the bones' of the man breaking…

All she knew was that the man was now screaming in pain and clutching onto his stomach, his blood splattering onto the cement floor.

Left punch. Right punch. Double kick.

"You are a monster."

'I don't care,' Asami grinds her teeth together as she places her foot onto the man's neck, hearing the man wheeze for breath as he looks up at the girl, nothing but fear in his eyes as he pleads for life.

"P-Please—" he begs her, trying to push her leg off, but it only makes her compress down further, "P-Please I have a family—"

Asami scoffs, "Tch, and you think my friend doesn't?" she growls, "Sorry, but you're not getting any sympathy from me," she shoots his words back at him. And as the man's breathing becomes fainter, Asami's becomes heavier. She was going to kill him. Just like she had killed that—

"Asami, I-I think that's enough."

Asami puts a sudden halt to her actions, for a moment forgetting that she wasn't by herself in this alleyway. Slowly looking back at her childhood friend, Asami feels her heart drop when she sees the look on her face.

It was the look of someone losing their innocence.

Taking her foot off the man's neck, Asami refrains from doing anything further. That's because if she killed this man now, she'd only force her friend to stoop to her level. She'd take away her innocence.

Hearing the man heave for breath, Asami walks over to the gun that had been thrown onto the floor in the throw, picking it up before making her way back to him. Crouching down to him, she stares at the half-empty clip, wondering just how often the gun has been used.

Placing the muzzle onto the side of his head, she hears the man grimace, cowardice whimpers coming out his bloody mouth.

"If I ever see you again around here," she cocks the pistol back, "I'll kill you," she whispers into his ear, meaning each and every word.

"Your legs are in perfect working condition, so I suggest you run and never come back," she tucks the gun into her back pocket, forcefully lifting the man up and kicking him from behind, treating him like a mule.

Groaning with every step, the man quickly runs away, lucky to have escaped with his life.

Exhaling deeply, Asami turns back to her friend, "You okay?" she asks, concern immediately washing over her as she looks for any wounds on the girl.

Frantically nodding her head, Yasu stares at Asami wide-eyed, "T-Thank you Asami," she stutters, still processing everything that had happened, "I-I m-mean seriously, if you hadn't—"

"Don't mention it," Asami says, a small smile appearing on her lips when she notices the small light reappear in Yasu's eyes.

"Where did you learn how to do that?! Seriously! You were like batwoman, or batgirl, I don't know what she's called!"

Asami chuckles, surprised at how fast Yasu was to return to normal despite her almost near-death experience, "Come on, let's worry on getting you home," she says, listening to Yasu's rambles as she walks the purple-haired girl home, making a mental note to have the young girl's mother send her to some self-defense classes.

Meanwhile, at the Gojou Clan Household…

"The Zenin clan have agreed to give us ten million yen in exchange for 2 ancient scrolls from the archives…"

"The Kamo heir has begun his training recently, it seems that the kid has indeed inherited their blood manipulation technique…"

"We've been running low on cursed tools—"

Swoosh.

The shoji-style door slides open.

"P-Pardon the interruption," one of the many Gojou clan servants enter the room, timidly avoiding eye contact with the number of clan officials as they knew it was against clan rules to interrupt any clan meetings, "It seems that you all have a guest waiting to speak to you," they gulp.

"Who?" one of the many men asks, clearly annoyed by the interruption.

Their eyes widen when they sense the immense prowess of the person behind the screen, recognizing it as none other than ….

"Me," Satoru enters the room, not bothering to bow to anyone as he makes his way to the center, still dressed in his school uniform rather than the traditional kimono he was supposed to wear on clan grounds.

Cracking his knuckles, Satoru moves his neck from side to side, deciding he was going to make this quick, "I don't know whose idea it was to cooperate and assist with the higher up's little execution plan, nor do I really care. I'm just here to tell you that such decisions won't ever be made again."

Satoru pauses, scanning the different faces in the room as a way to make his presence known.

"That's because, from this day forward, I'm officially declaring myself to be the head of the Gojou clan," he drops the bomb on them, smirking when he hears the number of disapproving yells.

"Are you crazy?!"

"What the hell are you talking about?!"

"No way!"

"I don't recall asking for anyone's input," he says, softly chuckling in the process, "At the end of the day, you people need me."

Satoru receives hateful glares from each and every corner of the room. Honestly, he couldn't help but feel a little smug about it. These people he had to call family now had to force themselves to look up to him, no matter how they felt about him, for he was the key to their political power.

"It's either that, or I officially defect from the Gojou clan," Satoru adds, making sure he got his point across. Without him, the Gojou clan would immediately drop down in the totem pole that was the big three clans. Fact is, they just couldn't afford to lose the infamous Six Eyes.

"You brat…" one of the members mutters under their breath.

Satoru shrugs, "Why are you people acting like I wasn't already supposed to become clan head?" he tauntingly laughs, knowing that his clan never expected him to enter their political world. If it was up to them, he wouldn't have become clan head till he was old and pruny, just like them.

Stretching his arms over his head, Satoru fakes a yawn before smiling, "So where do I start signing?"

Okayama, Japan.

Breathe Asami, breathe,' Asami walks up and down her room, glancing at the digital clock on her bed stand.

12:06 AM.

3 hours. It had been 3 hours since she had come back home, and yet she was still in the same frantic state she had been in when she first arrived. Originally, she tried to go to sleep, wanting nothing more than to forget that this night ever happened. But after an hour of thrashing and jerking in bed, she knew she was attempting the impossible.

"You are a monster."

"Shut up," Asami hisses to herself, wiping the sweat off her forehead as her headache begins to throb, feeling as if someone was bashing her head against a concrete wall. She'd done something good. She had saved someone. Just because she was willing to kill that man didn't mean she was a monster. Right?

"You are a monster."

"Just shut up already," Asami shakes her head, trying to regain control over her breathing.

"You are a monster."

"Shut up. Shut up. Shut up," Asami clutches onto her throat, feeling as if she was being suffocated by the air of the room. With her face becoming red, Asami quickly rushes out of her room, frantically going down the stairs.

Quietly turning the knob of the door, Asami slithers her way through the crack, closing her eyes when she feels the cold breeze of the night, gently shutting the door behind her as she walks over to the porch's rocking chair.

Looking around, she hears the sound of crickets chirping, running a hand through her hair as she continues to feel her heart rapidly beat, telling herself that this was just something she was going to have to get used to. That is until ….

Picking up the cigarette box on the small table beside her, Asami studies the tiny box in wonder, immediately being reminded of her next door neighbor back in Tokyo. Casually flipping the box, the mental image of Shoko taking a puff out of her cigarette appears in the young girl's mind.

'I have to say, she does look cool when doing it,' Asami stares at the box in her hands, wondering if the product inside really did give people an immediate relaxing sensation, 'I mean, she must like them for a reason right….'

Biting her lip, Asami notices the lighter on the table, gulping as she finds herself tempted to pull one of the small rolls of tobacco out. Becoming fidgety, Asami shakes her head, reminding herself that cigarettes were bad for her health, while reading the large warning label.

"SURGEON'S GENERAL WARNING: Smoking Causes Lung Cancer, Heart Disease, Emphysema, And May Complicate Pregnancy."

'Exactly…' Asami gulps, slowly tipping open the crease of the box.

"Maybe one wouldn't—"

"Asami?"

The redhead jumps in surprise, dropping the box of cigarettes in her hands. Frantically looking up, she sees her father with a worried expression on his face.

Panicking, Asami quickly goes on the defensive, "I-I thought you quit smoking years ago," she stutters, realizing how hypocritical it was of her to scold her dad while always lighting Shoko's cigarettes up for her. Then again, they were two completely different people. One was at the peak of their youth while the other was gradually aging. One was Asami's close friend, and the other was her literal father. The father she loved with all of her heart.

Sighing, Tsuyoshi shamefully picks up the box of cigarettes from the floor, "My bad kiddo, I know I shouldn't be leaving em around like that," he tucks them into his pockets, unaware of what his daughter had been planning to do with them, "Old habits die hard."

"Well they're bad for you," Asami says, having recooperted from the scare her dad had given her.

Taking a seat next to Asami, Tsuyoshi nods, "I know, I know. I've been trying to quit again, but like I said…"

"It's hard?" Asami completes for him, making her father nod once more.

"Very," he adds before following with a question of his own, "Now that we've gotten that out the way, mind telling me what you're doing up so late?" he sees his daughter tense at the question.

"I could ask you the same thing," she counters, wanting to avoid answering his question for as long as she could.

"I was practicing," he points to the side of the house, reminding Asami of the trapeze bars they had set up, something Asami and her family would often use during the circus off season, a way of making sure they wouldn't return too rusty.

"Your turn," Tsuyoshi gives Asami a knowing look, the girl understanding that she now had no choice but to answer.

Remaining silent for a moment, Asami hesitates to speak before ultimately doing so, "I just…" she pauses, "I just couldn't sleep, that's all," she says, emptily staring at the view in front of her.

"Asami…" Tsuyoshi frowns, deciding to reveal something he'd recently learned, "I called your sensei earlier," he says, taking Asami by surprise.

Remaining silent, Asami stares at her father as he continues to speak.

"I called him because I noticed that you've been acting … different, lately. It's as if you've been putting on a fake smile for us, thinking we won't notice," he sees the way her eyes water, knowing he's hit the nail on its head, "He told me that you've been struggling in school lately, that you're here because you're thinking of moving back…"

Asami bites her lip, stubbornly trying to fight the tears that were forming in her eyes and threatening to fall down with every passing second.

Feeling his heart twist, Tsuyoshi's eyes begin to water themselves. That's because as a parent, to see your child silently hurt, was like stepping on several glass shards, "Asami, I don't know what it is that's been hurting you, nor do I want you to feel like you need to tell me, but tell me Asami…"

He pauses, knowing that there was only one question he needed to ask.

"Are you…. okay?"

Lips quivering, Asami begins to shake her head, quiet muffled sobs escaping her lips as she leans onto her father's shoulder, for he had been the first person to ask her that since the incident.

"Hey, hey, hey," he runs a hand through her hair, trying his best to soothe her, "It's okay."

Continuing to sob, Asami no longer feels as if she was suffocating with every breath she took, finally letting go of every aching emotion she'd been clinging onto the past three weeks, "I'm so sorry, I'm so so sorry," she cries out.

"For what?" her father furrows his brows, pushing the loose strands away from her face.

Wiping her tears, Asami's voice breaks, "For everything," she sniffles, "And…"

Asami recalls the gleaming smile on her parents' faces when she had arrived. Smiles which symbolized nothing but pure love. A love which stemmed from the image of innocence they had of her. An innocence that she knew she no longer had.

"And because I've changed... " Asami's voice breaks, "I'm not the little girl you and mom know—"

"And love?" Tsuyoshi frowns, "Of course you are! I mean look! You still have the same red hair, the same brown eyes, and you're still ticklish from…" he presses on the left side of her stomach, making her burst in giggles, "Right here," he says, grabbing her hands.

"But even then Asami, it's okay to change. You're a different person now, and it's nothing to be ashamed of. As people we grow, and it's something we just have to accept. And the same goes for whatever it is you've felt like you've done wrong. You don't have to forgive yourself for it, but you do have to accept it," he pauses, noticing the certain light that returns to her eyes.

"But just know, you will always have your mom and I by your side, no matter what," he squeezes her hands, "That I can promise you."

Waiting for Asami to say something, Tsuyoshi smiles when he's pulled into a tight hug, "There's my girl," he chuckles, and Asami only laughs.

It was true.

As long as Asami had her parents' love, then everything would always be okay.

That she was sure of.

Tsuyoshi pulls away from the hug, "Now about you moving back…" he sighs, "If it were up to me, you wouldn't return to that school," he chuckles, noticing the way Asami's eyes cast downard, "But I can't force you to do anything you don't want to… so tell me Asami… what's your decision?"

"Gojou Satoru, you may now enter," a voice from above says, the path to the center of the room then beginning to glow.

Taking a deep breath in, Satoru walks down the lighted pathway, rolling his eyes at the dramatic procedures of the higher ups. They truly did believe themselves to be some kind of divine beings.

'Tch, they're in for a reality check,' Satoru thinks to himself, now standing at the center of the room.

"And how may we help you today, Gojou Satoru…" one of them says with a subtle tone of wariness. It was enough to tell him that they knew why he was here. What they really wanted to see was how he was going to come about it. If he played his cards carefully, then the chances of him leaving here victorious would increase a tenfold.

"I'm here to talk about the night of the ball," he decides to take an upfront approach, reminding himself that these folks couldn't do anything to him, even if they wanted to.

"What about it?"

"I know better than to waste my time pointing fingers at people who will never admit to their own faults," he hears the sound of a chair slightly creaking, signalling a tense change in posture, "So I'm not going to stand here and list all of the evidence I have stacked up upon you old prunes…"

"Remember who you're speaking to, young man."

"I could say the same to you. After all, you are speaking to the new head of the Gojou clan.…"

Silence fills the room.

"...What do you want?"

Satoru smirks, grateful that they understood the implications of his words, as he wasn't in the mood to listen to their yells. You see, the Gojou clan was one of, if not the, biggest donors for the higher-ups, thus funding a number of their things. Now that Satoru was clan head, it meant all financial assets were under his name. This of course meant that if they still wanted to receive their hefty checks, they were going to have to compromise with him just this once.

"I want you to leave my friends and I alone," he states, his voice void of any emotion, "More specifically, Asami."

"Tch, that brat will be nothing but a menace in the future. Until she gets her powers controlled then—"

"Then what? Are you going to send another assassin after her?" Satoru's voice begins to rise, "Because that's what you did the night of the ball, correct? You hired that woman in an effort to execute Asami."

"..."

"If control over Asami is what you wanted, then guess what? You've gotten it. Because of you, she's scared to death to use her techniques," Satoru recalls the frightened look on Asami's face, slightly squirming at the memory before regaining his composure, "Asami's not like me. She still respects and looks up to you people. So all I ask is that you let us be."

"Control and fear aren't the same thing, young man. You can be scared and still lose control. Our question is, are you willing to take responsibility if she does?" one of them asks, realizing that the boy's feelings for the girl went far beyond friendship…. meaning they could kill two birds with one stone….

"Would you risk your life for her?"

Satorou doesn't hesitate to answer.

"….I would."

Behind their screens, the higher ups smile.

"So then we've reached a consensus. Asami Okada is free to stay at Jujutsu High without the worry of future execution, unless she loses control of her powers. If that's to happen, both you and Asami will be subjected to execution and/or exile from the Jujutsu Society. Do we have a deal?"

Satoru remains silent, thinking of the potential situations that could lead to such a result, deeming there to be none, "Fine, we have ourselves a deal," he says before making his way out, slumping his shoulders once he's out of sight.

"Curse those hags," he mutters, realizing things hadn't completely gone his way. Shaking his head, he decides not to dwell on it too much, instead choosing to celebrate his small victory. Asami was going to come back soon, and he still needed to go buy her a gift, something which was going to be quite special.

Anxiously tapping his foot on the floor, Masamichi watches passengers exit from their trains before glancing at his watch.

'Asami should've been here by now,' he sighs, recalling that the auxiliary manager had booked her return ticket for this day and time.

"Train #2365 from Okayama will now be arriving on platform number 6. I repeat, Train #2365 from Okayama will now be arriving on platform number 6. If this is your train then please begin to make your way onto the platform and remember to stay behind the yellow line!" the speaker announces.

Walking towards the stated platform, Masamichi sees that the train has already stationed itself, a number of different passengers exiting as they carry their luggage behind them.

'No. No. No.' Masamichi studies each exiting passenger, none of them being his acrobatic student. Waiting a couple of more minutes, he continues to stare at the door.

'Perhaps she's still stuck trying to get her luggage,' he sighs, beginning to regret letting Satoru walk into his office and look at his personal calendar. Because of that, his three other first-year students were now waiting for him back at the campus, expecting to see a red-headed girl beside him.

"Train #2365 is now making its final call for Sendai Station in Miyagi, I repeat, Train #2365 is now making its final call for Sendai Station in Miyagi."

Hesitantly turning around, he sighs once more, thinking of what he was going to tell his students and how he was going to handle a certain someone's reaction, 'Damn it,' he frowns, having genuinely believed that Asami was going to ultimately choose to stay.

'She was a good student...' he begins to walk away while recalling the first day of class after her arrival, remembering how eager and nervous she was to begin her new studies, pulling out a number of fancy school utensils in order to write down every single word he spoke.

Shaking his head, Masamichi couldn't lie and say he wasn't disappointed, but he also couldn't say that he didn't understand her decision. Being a sorcerer was a tough job, and not everyone was built for it.

It's why he always believed that to be a sorcerer, one needed to be motivated and a little crazy.

'But I guess she just wasn't cut out for—'

"Masamichi-sensei! Where are you going?! I need help here!"

Masamichi's eyes slightly widen as he turns around to see a struggling Asami pulling her heavy luggage by the handle. And for a small second, a tiny smile could be seen on his face before quickly returning to its usual serious expression.

"So you've decided to stay after all," Masamichi greets a softly smiling Asami. An Asami who no longer seemed as sad as she did when she first left. An Asami who in fact seemed quite happy. But most importantly, an Asami who had come to accept what she had done.

"So I have," she says, handing her luggage over to her sensei. Patting her skirt, Asami looks up at him.

"And your trip? How was it?" Masamichi asks.

Exhaling deeply, Asami lets out a tiny chuckle, "It was um…." she remembers the events from the week before, trying to think of the right words for everything, as "Good" just wouldn't suffice.

"...eye-opening," she settles for, noticing her sensei's raise in brow. And for a tiny moment she says nothing, choosing not to elaborate on her words.

Carefully observing the girl's demeanor, Masamichi begins to realize that there was something different about her. Even though she had greeted him with the same bright smile she always had, and spoke to him with the same enthusiastic tone she always would, it was clear that Asami now carried herself with the maturity of an adult.

"Masamichi-sensei," Asami calls out to him, bringing him back to reality.

Making a small nodding motion with his head, he signals to her that he was listening.

Gathering her thoughts, Asami tries to think of where to begin, deciding it was best to start from the beginning, "I killed that woman Masamichi-sensei," she states, her voice now void of any emotion, "I killed her because she was trying to kill me, that's just how it works. I didn't want to die, so I protected myself. And though I would've preferred not to have killed her using my technique, I still had every right to."

"You did," Masamichi says, agreeing with her statement.

"At first I thought it was wrong and felt guilty for my actions, but it wasn't until this trip that I realized something, and it's that…" Asami observes the people passing by them, watching as they go about their daily lives, "...Society needs people who are willing to pull the trigger..."

A chill runs down Masamichi's spine.

"Without people like us, who are willing to take the burden of killing for others, people would lose their innocence," Asami pauses, recalling the frightful look on Yasu's face, "As shamans, we agree to give up that innocence the moment we take our first mission. And the same goes for that woman. She chose to indulge in a life of killing and cruelty, and in the end she reaped what she sowed."

And though Masamichi agreed with her statements, He still didn't like what he was hearing, especially not from someone like Asami. Nor did he like the cold look in her eyes as for some reason it made him feel uneasy ..

"My friend almost had her innocence taken away from her this week because some petty thief tried robbing her. And though I didn't kill him, I threatened him that I would," she says, not at all regretting her words, "And I would've been more than willing to if it meant protecting my friend and her innocence. That's because at the end of the day, he was an adult, while my friend was a child."

"I killed that woman Masamichi-sensei," she repeats her words from before, "There's just no changing that. And though I don't wish to ever do it again, I know there'll be a day where I have to. As long as I don't kill those who are innocent, I'll have no problem doing it again, but tell me Masamichi-sensei…"

Masamichi prepares to tell her that maybe she wasn't ready to come back ... that maybe it was best she returned home…. That is until he hears her next choice of words…

"...Does that make me a monster?" her voice breaks while her eyes slightly water. And it's only then that Masamichi sees it. He sees the Asami everyone knew and loved.

Masamichi shakes his head, "No, it doesn't. If it did then it'd only mean you're in a world full of 'em," he says, beginning to understand what Asami's worries were.

Exhaling a deep breath of air, Asmai nods, "Then…" she looks up at the "Welcome to Tokyo." sign, a soft smile then gracing her lips, "...Let's go home."

Hearing the sound of a car pulling up, Shoko yells at Suguru and Satoru, who were currently still fixing the balloon decorations, "They're here!" she smiles, watching Masamichi and Asami step out of the car, a white bag in the girl's hand.

Gulping, Satoru tries to quickly tie the final balloon onto the pole, groaning to himself when he's unable to while watching Suguru make his way to the front with Shoko, thus leaving him behind.

"If it isn't the one and only Asami," Suguru says in a playful tone, giving the red head a side hug as she greets her friends with a warm smile.

"You guys didn't have to do all this," Asami looks at the decorated entrance of the school, wondering how the hell they got permission for it, or if they even had any to begin with.

"So, how was your trip?" Shoko asks, curious to know what Okayama was like, having never been there.

"It was good," Asami replies much more simplistic this time, opening the small bag in her hands, "And as per your request," she looks at Suguru, "I brought you two some peaches," she chuckles, handing them the infamous sweet fruit.

Taking a bite from their respective fruits, Shoko and Suguru's eyes immediately widen when they taste the sweet juiciness of the fruit, immediately understanding why the peaches from Okayama were so famous.

"Wow!" Shoko takes another bite of the peach, this time savoring the taste.

"I knew they'd be delicious, my parents once visited and came back talking about how good the fruit is over there," Suguru speaks with a full mouth, rambling about his parents' trip.

Meanwhile, Satoru was now walking towards his friends, feeling his heartbeat out of his chest when he spots a smiling Asami, who currently had her full attention in listening to Suguru.

Stopping for a moment, he grabs the tiny velvet box in his hand, looking at the ruby-red garnet earrings he had bought her as a welcome back gift. Originally he was going to get pearl earrings, but after getting some advice from Shoko, he realized that getting her birthstone would add an extra touch of intimacy, "Welcome Back" not being the only message he wanted to get across.

Inhaling deeply, he shuts and tucks the small box back into his pocket, 'You can give it to her later, for now you still need to apologize and get her forgiveness.' he tells himself, feeling his fingers get clammy.

Gulping, he plasters on his infamous smile before arriving at Suguru's side, "Asami," he says her name, and Shoko and Suguru immediately cut their conversation with the girl short, chuckling when they see Satoru's pink-tinged cheeks.

"You're back!" he fakes his confidence, knowing that on the inside he was panicking like crazy … something which was quite rare for the boy.

"Mmhmm," Asami glances at him before returning back to her original conversation with Suguru and Shoko, blatantly waving the boy off, "You guys should try the strawberries over there, they're really good and…"

Shoko and Suguru subtly glance at each other, confused as to what in the hell just happened.

Furrowing his brows, Satoru frowns before shaking his head, excusing the girl's actions as post-travel fatigue. That is until he tries to spark up conversation once more…

"So how was your trip Asami?" he interrupts her mid way through a sentence, Asami making her agitation quite clear through the look on her face.

"It was good," she says in a monotonous tone, rolling her eyes before continuing to talk about fruits.

Taken back by Asami's attitude, Satoru feels a sudden pang to the heart. Feeling his throat go dry, Satoru clenches his right fist, mustering the courage to speak once more, this time treading on the topic everyone was desperately trying to avoid, "Asami if this is about—"

"About what? The night at the ball?" she snaps at him, his third and final interruption being the straw that broke the camel's back.

Satoru remains silent, only giving her a tiny nod.

Scoffing, she shakes her head, "What do you want me to say Satoru?" she says his name with a venom-filled voice. Honestly, she wasn't sure why, but for some reason she was feeling an immense rush of anger. A part of her believed it was because she hadn't properly seen him in weeks, but deep down she knew it was because she was still hurt.

Yeah, she had accepted what she had done, but it also didn't mean she had forgiven herself for it. And it also didn't mean that she didn't get to feel angry over what had occurred. Satoru, the boy who always claimed to be the strongest, had betrayed her in a time where she was in need.

"Nope. Wouldn't even hesitate," is what he had responded with when asked if he'd kill a curse user.

What a liar! A complete fucking liar!

"Asami…" Satoru's voice is both quiet and weak as he stares at the look on her face. If he was being honest, he'd seen Asami angry before, but never to this extent. Never to a point where she was looking at him with such …. disgusted …. eyes.

Unable to say anything, Shoko and Suguru look at the scene in front of them in complete shock, feeling the spite in each and every one of Asami's words. This wasn't how this was supposed to go, they think to themselves. Never would they have imagined such a reaction from Asami.

"Look, I'm sorry," Satoru says with an apologetic look, "But something like that will never happen again, trust me! You see I'm the clan hea—"

"Like I haven't before? You know Satoru, for someone who likes to boast all the time about being stronger and better than everyone, I have to say I was quite surprised when you chickened out in doing something you kept bragging you'd be able to do," she bitterly scoffs, "I mean really? What's the point in having those eyes of yours if you can't bring yourself to finish the job."

Satoru stares at her with shocked eyes, unable to believe what he was hearing. This had to be some kind of nightmare … right? No way would Asami ever say this kind of stuff….

But she was.

"But you know what? It's fine. The only person I have to blame is myself," she pauses, a certain hollowness appearing in her brown eyes as she stares into his infamous blue ones, "You see Satoru … I realize now that relying on you was my mistake."

And it's at those words that Gojo Satoru feels his heart plummet down to his stomach. Though she didn't say the words too harshly, there was still a certain coldness to her voice, a coldness that told him that she no longer trusted him.

"None of this would've happened had I not chosen to trust in you. Had I not chosen to rely on someone…." she clenches her jaw, voiding her voice of any emotion, "... so weak."

And for a small tiny second he feels his heart shatter into tiny small pieces…

But as quickly as the feeling came, the faster it went…

For steel had engulfed his heart.

'How dare she…' he tightens his fist, remembering their conversation on the rooftop.

Clenching his own jaw, Satoru's mouth scornfully twists, "Look who's talking," he mutters in return, refusing to show that he was hurt.

Feeling a lump in her throat, Asami keeps a straight face, "You're right." she says, breaking eye contact, "It's for that reason that I think we should go back—"

"To being strangers? You read my mind," he states with an immense bitterness in his voice, words reeling out of his mouth faster than he could pull them back in, "Someone like me should've known better than to befriend someone like you."

"Satoru, that's enough," Suguru finally builds the courage to interrupt, but Asami shakes her head, wanting to hear what he had to say.

"So you regret it? You regret being my friend?" Asami's voice slightly shakes, her tough front slowly beginning to crumble as Satoru goes on the offense.

"Each and every second of it," he spits, "You know how many times I had to pretend to care for the stuff you'd talk about? I mean really, no one cares about your stupid little accident. So what? You fell, boo fucking—"

"Satoru!" Suguru yells, noticing that Asami's eyes were glossy. But before Suguru can intervene any further, Asami counters with her own spew of insults.

"Yeah, well guess what? I don't care!" her lips shake as tears threaten to fall from her eyes, "I don't care because…"

'Don't cry Asami, Don't cry. Not in front of him.'

"Because I hate you."

Everyone's breath hitches at the words.

"Asami…." Shoko whispers in disbelief, tugging at her hands as a way to signal that maybe she could leave.

Asami simply yanks her hand away.

"I hate you with all of my heart," Asami says with gritted teeth, not caring for the fact that her heart was in fact screaming "Liar!"

"Yeah well… I hate you too," Satoru whispers in return, clutching onto the small velvet box in his pocket. Closing her eyes, Asami turns away from him, finally wiping away the tears in her eyes.

Watching her walk away with Shoko, Satoru sees Asami bring a hand to her face, the steel that had engulfed his heart immediately melting away at the idea of Asami crying.

"Satoru…"

"Don't," Satoru doesn't bother to look at Suguru, "Just don't," Satoru stares at Asami's disappearing figure, realizing that he had hurt her once again….

A/N: (Warning …. Extremely long! Important-ish stuff starts at "/")

And I thought the last chapter was hard to write haha! My sincerest apologies for the extremely late chapter! Some unfortunate events happened in the past two weeks, involving an electric scooter, myself, and the pavement! LOL! Luckily, it wasn't anything too serious but I also couldn't write for a while as I needed to rest.

I also had major writer's block when it came to Asami's trip back home. In my outline, I had everything written out except for that part. I literally only had "Idk but Asami will get better" written down which I originally thought wasn't going to take me long to think of, but nope! Completely bit me in the ass!

To anyone who's curious, I will have excerpts of what this chapter was originally supposed to look like on my bio/profile. So feel free to go look and let me know what you think! I'd like to think I made the better choice lol!

Anyways! I guess since this chapter had to do more with the repercussions of last chapter as well as the small character shift in Asami, I was extremely picky as to how I was wanted to execute it, as I want it to make it clear that Asami hasn't shifted to some kind of emotionless/heartless/stoic being. She's still the playful Asami we've seen these past three chapters, just less naive and a tiny bit more serious. Like I said, when it comes to her, it's a slow change in character.

Now I know what you're all thinking … Asami is being a HYPOCRITE (AND AN ASSHOLE)! Yes, she is. Most definitely! Though the moment with her father was sweet n all, forgiving oneself is still a very important thing to do. Tsuyoshi's advice has sorta backfired in the way that Asami now shifts blame towards others. It's something we see even when Asami's older, and the victim is usually Gojo.

Even though she acknowledges he's human, she quite often forgets that he is, thus making her extremely hypocritical. But in the end, it's what makes her a flawed character.

(Spoiler: Her father has taught her to accept, Gojo will teach her to forgive. Question is … when?)

/

Lastly, I felt like it was important to remind you all that because JJK is still an ongoing series, I had to be completely vague about the Gojo clan members and purposely didn't mention anything of a prior clan head or parents as we don't even know if Satoru's parents are alive or not. There's even theories that Satoru may have an older sister, but I guess we'll see in the future.

This most recent chapter (152) has confirmed that the Gojo clan does exist, so I'm assuming they'll be touched upon soon considering Gojo is in the box and well … we're bound to see their reaction to that. But considering they're still continuing with business as usual, I assume they don't really care? Meaning they probably didn't like Gojo being the clan head, and just used his power for political gain?

Hmm, like I said we'll see. If what I've assumed in this chapter is completely wrong then my apologies! Luckily the clan doesn't play a big role in this story as this might be the only time we hear of them.

Also, I know Satoru doesn't do any technique training till his fight post-Toji which is why I'm making him make the mistake of working out physically rather than working out mentally like he does post-Toji.

Next chapter is all about resolving things between the two of them so do not worry! This won't be super stretched out! I also have a fun request for you all for the next chapter so please do look forward to it!