p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif;" Mara felt like she'd been run over by a bus. Her body ached with a ferocity she hadn't felt in years, and she groaned as she rolled onto her back. She rubbed her face tiredly and eased herself up onto her elbows before sitting up at the edge of her bed. She heaved herself up and stumbled into her attached bathroom, stripping her clothes off as she went. She felt…gross. Mara turned the water of the shower on and waited a moment for it to heat before she stepped into the warm stream. She breathed deeply, letting the water soothe her screaming muscles. Her little sparring match with Nanami hadn't done her any favors, but the curse energy had put her through the ringer. She hadn't realized how atrophied she'd let her abilities become, she should have been able to handle a curse like that. Mara sighed as she shampooed her hair and washed her body, her bathroom filling with the scents of coconut and sand, the last remnants of her summer haul of soaps. She'd have to start looking for her favorite fall scents soon. /span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif;"span style="mso-tab-count: 1;" /spanTurning off the water she groped around for her towel on the rack and wrapped it around herself. Feeling a little closer to human after having showered, she rummaged through her tiny closet for something to wear. She settled on a worn t-shirt and leggings, having no intention of leaving her apartment today, and walked out of her bedroom to assess the damage. Her eyes narrowed in suspicion at the lack of mess. She distinctly remembered exorcising that demon on her hallway floor and the mess it made in her kitchen/dining space, but everything was put back in its place. She exited the hallway to inspect the living room and froze in her tracks. Nanami was stretched out on her couch, face slack with sleep. She cocked her head to the side, didn't he leave last night? Or did she just tell him to? Mara crept closer to him, the soft carpet muffling her steps. She took a folded blanket off the back of her plush chair and fluffed it in the air to spread over him. Just as the blanket landed on his legs, Mara suddenly found herself pinned to the floor with his blade at her throat. /span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif;"span style="mso-tab-count: 1;" /span"Dude, what the FUCK?" She struggled under his grasp as he blinked the sleep from his eyes, focusing on her. Nanami quickly sat up, pulling Mara with him./span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif;"span style="mso-tab-count: 1;" /span"Sorry, I…sorry." He shook his head. Mara scowled at him. /span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif;"span style="mso-tab-count: 1;" /span"I thought you left." She couldn't help the accusatory tone in her voice. Nanami rubbed his face, leaning back against the couch from the floor. /span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif;"span style="mso-tab-count: 1;" /span"Why would you think that?" He asked distractedly. /span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif;"span style="mso-tab-count: 1;" /span"Because I know I asked you to?" Nanami hid a yawn behind his hand./span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif;"span style="mso-tab-count: 1;" /span"There was absolutely no way I was going to leave you alone after a reaction like that and the fact that there was a grade 3 curse waiting for you in your apartment." His voice still had the gravelly notes of sleep in it, and Mara found her gaze roaming over him as he stretched. She shook herself slightly. /span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif;"span style="mso-tab-count: 1;" /span"Ok, well, I think the danger has passed…" Mara trailed off, waiting for Nanami to take the hint. He smiled ruefully at her. /span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif;"span style="mso-tab-count: 1;" /span"We need to talk about your registration." Mara threw her hands up, falling back against the seat of the chair behind her. /span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif;"span style="mso-tab-count: 1;" /span"You're worse than the extended warranty for your car guys," she muttered. /span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif;"span style="mso-tab-count: 1;" /span"I was willing to let it go last night, but after witnessing your encounter with the curse I think there's more to your ability that either you're unaware of or you're not telling me." He leveled her with an even stare as he spoke. Her cheeks pinked at the accusation, but she ignored it. /span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif;"span style="mso-tab-count: 1;" /span"That was a fluke," she began uneasily, "I haven't dealt with anything higher than a 4 in a while, I'm just out of practice." She hugged her knees to her chest. /span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif;"span style="mso-tab-count: 1;" /span"Be that as it may," Nanami rose from his seat on the floor, folding the blanket she had tried to cover him with, "I'm to bring you in for registration and evaluation." Mara stiffened./span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif;"span style="mso-tab-count: 1;" /span"You called them." She shot to her feet. "Did you let them in here? How many people know where I live?" She was practically shouting, but she didn't care. Nanami laid the folded blanket down on the couch and faced Mara. /span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif;"span style="mso-tab-count: 1;" /span"I called one other sorcerer, he didn't come to your apartment." It didn't matter, Mara was seeing red. /span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif;"span style="mso-tab-count: 1;" /span"I told you," she said through clenched teeth, "that I had it." /span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif;"span style="mso-tab-count: 1;" /span"You clearly didn't." /span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif;"span style="mso-tab-count: 1;" /span"Because I didn't want to blast through my APARTMENT!" She cried, "I told you I either metabolize the energy or reflect it back, and I couldn't reflect it here!" Mara ran her hands through her still wet hair. She couldn't fucking believe the audacity of this man. She squeezed her eyes shut against the images of the faces rising unbidden in her minds eye, faces of people she'd been dispatched to neutralize with…No. She absolutely was not going to cry in front of this pain in her ass of a man. Mara scrubbed her eyes roughly and stalked back to her bedroom. She found her book bag and opened a drawer at the top of her dresser, quickly dumping the contents into it. She opened another drawer, shoving aside the folded clothes to access the false bottom and removed a stack of cash with a few folded documents. She shoved everything in the bag, and stalked back out of her bedroom. Nanami was sitting calmly at her dining table, but she made to walk right past him,/span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif;"span style="mso-tab-count: 1;" /span"I have to go to work," she said vaguely, avoiding his eye contact. He caught her by the wrist and stood as she spun around to jerk her wrist free, but he held fast./span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif;"span style="mso-tab-count: 1;" /span"What is your problem, Mara?" Her eyes narrowed at the use of her name, but he did have all night in her apartment to figure it out. /span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif;"span style="mso-tab-count: 1;" /span"Nothing," she said shortly, "I just have to go to work, you can find me there." She pulled at her arm once more, but his grip only tightened. /span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif;"span style="mso-tab-count: 1;" /span"I think this takes precedence over your job." He said flatly, "And that bag looks rather full." He eyed her book bag for a split second before returning his focus to her. /span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif;"span style="mso-tab-count: 1;" /span"Then just eliminate me if you think I'm such a threat to your institution," she hissed, fury dripping on every word. Nanami searched her face./span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif;"span style="mso-tab-count: 1;" /span"What happened to you to make you hate other Jujutsu sorcerers so much that you'd rather die than come to an institution?" She reared back, on the verge of raging at him and telling him every horrible thing she'd done at her master's behest, what she'd helped them accomplish. Nanami stood unflinching, waiting for the dam to break and finally discover the root of what was clearly fear for her, but she merely deflated. Indifference enveloped her like a balm as she sank into one of the dining chairs. /span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif;"span style="mso-tab-count: 1;" /span"Do what you want, I don't care." She intoned. "Let's go to your stupid institution." She stared blankly at the surface of her dining table, her arm limp in Nanami's grasp as he gently let go. A muscle feathered in his jaw as if with some internal debate before he slid into the chair next to hers, taking her hand in both of his. /span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif;"span style="mso-tab-count: 1;" /span"Whatever it is you're afraid of, Mara, you won't find it at Jujutsu Tech." She leveled dead eyes at him, leaning back against her seat but keeping her hand in his. She couldn't bring herself to pull away from the soft warmth that radiated through his fingers, as if he were trying to push it onto her somehow. /span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif;"span style="mso-tab-count: 1;" /span"I know I won't find it there," she whispered. Nanami's brows furrowed in confusion and she took a deep breath, sighing "It'll find me." She rubbed tiredly at her face with her other hand. Nanami dropped his eyes to their hands, slowly stroking the back of hers with a thumb./span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif;"span style="mso-tab-count: 1;" /span"I won't leave you," he promised, "we'll just get in, get out, and you can go back to doing whatever it is you want to do." Mara watched his hands on hers, relishing the comfort she found in the simple touch. It had been years before she'd mastered her curse ability well enough to even allow people to touch her, and then after she ran from her institution, she'd still sequestered herself off from as much human interaction as possible to avoid attracting attention to herself. She smiled sadly, squeezing Nanami's hand once before pulling away from his touch. She couldn't break down now, not after everything she'd worked for, and certainly not because some man held her hand and made her a promise. She closed her eyes rolled her neck, squashing down her fear and vulnerability until she once again had an iron grip on it. She was walking a fine line now and there'd be no room for error, she had to let Nanami think she would come willingly and then make an escape. If she registered with his institution, they'd find her as soon as the information was published. /span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif;"span style="mso-tab-count: 1;" /span"Thank you," she said softly, eyes clear and bright once more, "but when do we go? Because I really do have to work." She rose from her seat, leaving her bag slumped on the floor. "I can get someone to cover for me today, but the rest of the week might be a little tricky." Mara opened a cupboard in her kitchen, pots and pans clanking slightly as she pulled a small pan out. She flipped it easily in her hand, holding it up by the handle as she turned to look at Nanami. "Eggs?" She raised her brows expectantly. Nanami watched her, expression unreadable, just long enough for Mara to start suspecting he had seen through her when he graced her with a rare smile. /span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif;"span style="mso-tab-count: 1;" /span"Sure, thank you," he reached in his back pocket for his phone, typing out a message, "I'll arrange for someone to pick us up shortly." Mara turned to her stove, setting the pan down on it. Shit, she was hoping to use the crowds of public transport to slip away from him. /span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif;"span style="mso-tab-count: 1;" /span"It's no big deal if they're busy," she drawled, "we can just take the train." She threw an innocent glance over her shoulder before cracking eggs into a bowl. /span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif;"span style="mso-tab-count: 1;" /span"It's no trouble, Kiyotaka will be around after running another errand for the institute." Mara made a noncommittal sound of acknowledgement, opening her refrigerator once more./span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif;"span style="mso-tab-count: 1;" /span"Do you like cheese on your eggs?" she called from behind the door. /span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif;"span style="mso-tab-count: 1;" /span"That would be lovely, thank you," Mara popped up at the nearness of his voice, he'd moved from the table and was now standing behind the open refrigerator door, "would you like some help?" /span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif;"span style="mso-tab-count: 1;" /span"Oh, um, sure," she stuttered, handing him a bag of cheese. His fingers brushed hers as he took it from her and she switched him places as she shut the fridge door, grabbing a bag of bread and queuing a few slices up in the toaster. She snuck a glance at him from the corner of her eye, he was still wearing the same button up shirt and dress pants from yesterday, suspenders hanging undone from his waist and his top buttons open enough to reveal his undershirt. His normally perfectly coiffed hair was tousled in the way that only comes from sleep, a shock of blond dancing along the side of his forehead as he mixed the eggs and cheese. /span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif;"span style="mso-tab-count: 1;" /span"Am I doing it wrong?" He asked mildly, eyes never leaving his work. Shit, she was staring. /span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif;"span style="mso-tab-count: 1;" /span"No, not at all," she rushed, "I just felt bad because you didn't get to take a shower yet." She mentally rolled her eyes at herself. Smooth, Mara, smooth. Nanami bumped his hip against hers to herd her away from the front of the stove. "Did you…did you just hip check me?" Her eyes flicked from his face to his hip and back again in mock indignation. /span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif;"span style="mso-tab-count: 1;" /span"Maybe," the side of his mouth quirked up in a grin, "but you were in the way." He spared a quick glance down at her, his smile lighting his eyes, before returning his attention to the pan. /span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif;"span style="mso-tab-count: 1;" /span"You're lucky I'm on toast duty," she grumbled, sliding her hand across his lower back as she moved around him to push down the toast. It was a shamelessly unnecessary touch, she knew that and surely he did as well, but she couldn't help it. She could still feel the small circles his thumb had turned on the back of her hand, she'd allow herself to crave the contact for just a little longer, just until she finally had to break away from this newfound…friend? The word was foreign and awkward in her mind, she shook her head against it. "Do you like to butter your toast while it's hot or are you one of those who waits until it cools?" A loaded question, Mara felt she could fairly judge a person by how they buttered toast. She pulled two plates down and set them on the counter./span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif;"span style="mso-tab-count: 1;" /span"Who likes cold butter on toast?" He asked, perplexed. Mara snapped her fingers as the toast popped up. /span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif;"span style="mso-tab-count: 1;" /span"Right answer." She smoothed butter over the toast and cut the pieces into neat diagonals, dividing them between the plates as Nanami slid the eggs next to them. Mara grabbed a jug of orange juice from the fridge and two glasses, following Nanami back to the dining table. He set her plate before her as she poured them juice./span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif;"span style="mso-tab-count: 1;" /span"Is that how some people take their toast?" He asked lightly, "With chunks of butter sitting on it?" Mara grinned. /span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif;"span style="mso-tab-count: 1;" /span"Exactly. Who wants cold butter when you can have warm, melty, toasty goodness?" She bit into a triangle of toast. "Their reasoning was that melted butter made the toast soggy, but I say that's just a poor butter to toast ratio problem." Nanami puffed a breath of laughter before taking a bite of his food. /span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif;"span style="mso-tab-count: 1;" /span"I can appreciate good ratios," /span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif;"span style="mso-tab-count: 1;" /span"Oh yeah?" She took a bite of her eggs, maybe it was just because she was hungry, but they were some of the best she'd had in a long while. She made an appreciative sound and Nanami looked up as she dug her fork in for another bite./span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif;"span style="mso-tab-count: 1;" /span"Do you like them?" The quiet hopefulness in the question alone would have been enough to earn her praise./span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif;"span style="mso-tab-count: 1;" /span"Yes!" She enthused, "These are so good." She took another bite for emphasis. He dipped his head in response, but not before she caught the small smile. They finished eating in companionable conversation. She marveled at how easy it was to talk with Nanami, a person who she'd seen intermittently for almost the entire time she'd worked at the bakery but had never actually spoken to. His serious demeanor hid his sense of humor well, and as they continued talking Mara found herself laughing often. She knew it would only hurt later, but she let her inhibition go as she listened to Nanami tell her stories and anecdotes, soaking up every word and committing it to a memory she could return to later when she was alone again. Nanami's phone vibrated with a message alert, and his smile slowly faded from his eyes./span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif;"span style="mso-tab-count: 1;" /span"Kiyotaka is here," he said, rising and taking their plates. Mara followed him to the sink with the juice glasses, setting them on the counter as he rinsed the dishes before taking the soap and sponge and dutifully washing them. Mara nibbled her lower lip as she watched him, the glimpse of domestic partnership being dangled in front of her pulled on something within, but she only shook her head to herself and made to pick up her bookbag. Nanami gently caught her arm before she could pass by him, his hand sliding down to hers as he pulled her closer. "It will be quick, I promise, and I'll bring you right back here." Her heart twisted at the sincerity of his words, he really knew how much she didn't want to do this and he was trying to make it as painless as possible. She angled herself so she was facing him, and her other hand moved of its own volition, tenderly stroking his cheek. His eyes widened in surprise before he leaned his head into the touch, pulling her fully against him. Mara slid her hand down his chest as he intertwined their fingers of the hand he was still holding, her heartbeat was a wild, rattling thing in her chest as Nanami hesitantly closed the little distance between them, his lips brushing over hers. She gripped the front of his shirt as she deepened the kiss, his lips parting for her. Mara made a small sound of surprise as Nanami released her hand and lifted her up on the counter, running his hands up her thighs as he continued to kiss her. Mara snaked her arms around his neck, and he groaned softly as she pressed herself against him, wrapping a leg around his waist. He broke their kiss, trailing softer, gentler kisses along her jaw, and down the side of her neck. She craned her head back, a small gasp escaping her as he licked the hollow of her throat. She felt him grin against her skin, his hands roving over her thighs to her ass, pulling her into his hips. /span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif;"span style="mso-tab-count: 1;" /spanThe factory set ring tone of his phone went off, and he paused. He let out a deep breath against her neck and she shivered against him. He laid a chaste kiss first on her neck, and then her lips./span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif;"span style="mso-tab-count: 1;" /span"That will be Kiyotaka," he murmured, his lips brushing hers as he spoke. Mara's head was swimming. /span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif;"span style="mso-tab-count: 1;" /span"We should go then," she breathed, sliding her hands from around his neck and down his chest. His eyes fluttered briefly at the touch. She pressed her lips against his once more, memorizing the soft feel of them on hers as she unhooked her leg from his waist. "You're going to have to move," she whispered. A small grin fought its way onto his face./span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif;"span style="mso-tab-count: 1;" /span"I know," He reluctantly pulled himself back, lifting her back down off the counter as he did. He squeezed her hips once and fully stepped aside, reaching for his now silent phone. Mara scooped her bag up and onto her shoulder as Nanami brought his phone up to his ear, calling Kiyotaka back to tell him they'd be right down. Mara watched as he put himself back together in a matter of seconds, buttoning his shirt, tying his tie, sliding his suspenders back in place along with his jacket. You'd never know he had spent the night doing anything other than relaxing in his own home. "Are you ready?" he asked. Mara nodded and followed him out the door, locking it behind them. Not that it much mattered, she wouldn't be returning here. They rode the elevator down, stepping out into the bright midmorning sun where a nondescript black car waited at the curb for them. Nanami opened the back seat door for her, taking her bag and placing it in the trunk of the car. Maybe she didn't have him completely fooled. She exchanged pleasantries with Kiyotaka as Nanami slid into the seat next to her, and she took a deep breath as they pulled away from the curb. /span/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;"span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif;"She watched her street disappear out the window, contemplating how she was going to get herself out of this one. She never should have gotten in the damn car. She shouldn't have kissed Nanami, that was probably the bigger mistake, but it had just felt so nice to be with someone again like that. Her hand was resting on the seat between them, and she felt a feather light touch against her pinky finger. She looked down out of the corner of her eye to see Nanami's hand next to hers. She smiled softly and curled her finger around his. He was looking out his window, chin resting against his fist, but he gently stroked her finger with his. This could have been something, she thought ruefully. What, she didn't know or even dare to think too hard on, but she already regretted that she'd never find out. /span/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;"span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif;"The city fell behind them and the road gave way to more trees and space. Mara hadn't said a word since the beginning of the trip, but Nanami and Kiyotaka had briefly discussed institute matters. It sounded like Kiyotaka had escorted a student Nanami was involved with into the city earlier today and was lamenting the amount of trips he'd have to make back and forth between the city and the institute. Nanami had only stared at him in the rearview mirror until Kiyotaka had stuttered out that it wasn't a burden and he'd be happy, of course, to ferry the students and staff. Mara kind of felt bad for the man, she'd be annoyed at this much driving as well. She had hoped they would need to stop for gas somewhere, it would have been a sloppy option but effective had she played her cards right to escape, but luck was not on her side today it seemed. She became more anxious the closer they got, pulling her hand away from Nanami's as the institute came into view, partially hidden by all the trees surrounding them. She leaned forward in her seat to get a better view, wild thoughts of trying to jump out of the car flashing through her mind as panic started to swell. They came to a stop in the yard of the institute, and Nanami smoothly exited the vehicle, retrieving her book bag from the trunk before opening her door for her. She hadn't waited for him to do it, she just couldn't bring herself to voluntarily open the door. He held out a steady hand for her, and she moved her leaden feet, allowing him to pull her up from her seat. He squeezed her hand once before letting it go. /span/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;"span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif;""It will be alright," he murmured, leading her toward the institute. "My partner sent word he would be a little late," a note of irritation floated through his tone, "so if it's alright with you I'd like to clean up, I have a room here." She nodded her consent as she followed him. Perfect, whoever the partner was wasn't here and he was going to take a moment to freshen up, and a moment was all she really needed. Her panic eased its grip on her as her loose plan fell into formation, she'd wait until Nanami was showering, changing, whatever it was he had to do, and she'd make a run for it. They were pretty far out from the city but she'd have to go somewhere new anyway, she couldn't return to the same place. Nanami led them up the stone stairway that let into a courtyard with buildings on either side, veering to the left he opened the door of a barracks style building. /span/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;"span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif;"It turned out his dormitory room was near the front of the building, and he opened his door to an efficiently appropriated room. They walked into a living area with a small couch and television, and Mara could see the only other door in the room led to what appeared to be a spartan bedroom. Nanami closed the door behind them and removed his suit jacket, loosening his tie. He hung the jacket in the small closet by the door, and casually walked closer to her./span/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;"span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif;""I'm going to take a shower, if you'd like to make yourself comfortable." He gestured to the couch behind her, "Or, as comfortable as you could be on that thing." He added with a grimace. Mara gave him a small smile./span/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;"span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif;""It'll be fine, I'm sure." She said, sitting uneasily on the edge of the seat. Nanami eyed her, fingers slowing as he was unbuttoning his dress shirt./span/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;"span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif;""You can just set your bag anywhere," Mara forced a laugh. /span/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;"span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif;""Oh, yeah, thanks." She slid the bag off her shoulders and set it on the floor next to the couch. His eyes lingered on the bag for just a fraction of a moment./span/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;"span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif;""I'll be right out, don't go anywhere," the humor in his voice didn't quite reach his eyes, and she made a show of settling back into the couch. He cast one last look over his shoulder as he disappeared into the bedroom. Mara closed her eyes as she waited for the sound of the water running, and sprang from the couch the instant she heard it. /span/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;"span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif;"Surprisingly, she didn't encounter a single soul as she fled the manicured grounds of the institute. She ran alongside a rough trail, probably one that was created by animals rather than people, ducking under branches or pushing them out of her way as she ran. Mara was briefly thankful for the years spent cultivating running as a habit as she raced along faster than most people would be able to. Her heart squeezed, not from effort but from the mental image of Nanami asking her not to go anywhere and her lying to his face. He knew. She knew he knew, but he had trusted her anyway and here she was, spitting in his face. Mara scrubbed at her eyes with an arm, gritting her teeth in anger. Nanami was a good person and he deserved someone better than her, he'd likely forget about her within a few days. Mara pushed herself to run as fast as she possibly could, as if by running she could somehow outrun everything behind her, always lurking. Mara skidded to a halt as she suddenly broke through a line of trees onto the dirt beach of a large lake. She looked around confused, she must have gotten her directions turned around in her hurry to flee, she had expected to hit a road. /span/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;"span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif;""Hm?" Her head snapped around at the small sound just behind and to the right of her. A tall, lanky man with short white hair looked up in surprise at her. Or she assumed it was surprise, he was wearing a bandana over his eyes. He was facing her, but she wondered how he could even see. /span/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;"span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif;""Pardon me," she muttered, turning around. She'd have to backtrack a bit, she must have overshot the road or something. /span/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;"span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif;""Are you lost?" The man called out. Mara absently waved a hand without stopping. /span/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;"span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif;""No, just hiking, the path is over here." /span/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;"span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif;""Hiking?" The hairs on the back of her neck stood up at the proximity of the man's voice, and she whirled around. "I thought this was school property?" He mused. /span/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;"span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif;""Is it?" Seriously, how could he see anything? "My mistake, I'll leave." She continued walking, but backwards so as to keep the man in her sights. He smiled broadly, hands in his pockets as he easily kept up with her with his long strides. /span/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;"span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif;""Allow me to escort you, I'm familiar with these grounds." Fuck, he's a sorcerer. /span/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;"span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif;""That's quite unnecessary, I assure you." She stopped walking before she tripped into the line of trees, and the man stopped as well, the smile never leaving his face. /span/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;"span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif;""Oh, I think it is," Mara let her book bag slide off her shoulders, setting it next to her. Clearly, she was going to have to fight her way out of this. "You see, I have a few students living on campus as the moment, and there's been a lot of curse activity popping up…And you're giving off an interesting energy." The smile morphed from friendly to feral as he raised one side of his bandana with a finger, an ice blue eye peering out at her, "But you wouldn't know anything about that, would you?" /span/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;"span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif;""I mean you no harm," she said calmly, "or your students. I'm just leaving." The bandana slipped back into place./span/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;"span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif;""Then you won't mind if I escort you back, there's only more woods for miles this way." He started to walk past her. /span/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;"span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif;""I'll find my own way, thank you." The man halted, head tilting up to the sky as he let out a breath. /span/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;"span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif;""Well, I'm afraid we're going to have a problem then." Mara jumped as he was suddenly right next to her ear, "But I have a meeting to get to, so could we make this quick?" She swung around on instinct, but he was suddenly on her other side. "Wrong side!" He called merrily, and Mara found herself again looking at empty space where she expected him to be. This didn't bode well, he was incredibly fast, even for a Jujutsu sorcerer. Mara growled in frustration and took off running, if she showed aggression he'd just assume he was correct in thinking she was a threat. "Oi, oi, oi!" he was running next to her, keeping perfect time, and the bastard still had his hands in his pockets. "You're going the wrong way," he grinned right before he slammed into her, knocking her off her feet. Mara rolled and jumped back up, barely getting her arms up in time to block his incoming fist as he landed. The purple aura of her cursed energy flared to life along her skin as she threw an upper cut into his ribs. Mara blinked at the odd, static feeling on her knuckles. The man tsked. "That's not very nice." Mara threw her arm up next to her head to block the punch sailing for her, and she was blasted back several feet into the tree line by the energy he threw behind it. Mara let it wash over her, absorbing it. The cursed energy sang through her. What the hell was this guy? She balled it up within her own energy and blindly sent it sailing back toward the man, hoping it would be enough of a distraction to put some distance between them. Branches tore at her as she sprinted back through the trees, and she darted to the side just as the trees where she had been splintered into pieces. Holy shit, he was going to kill her. /span/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;"span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif;"Mara's lungs burned as she continued running. Even now, she refused to turn the full extent of her abilities on another sorcerer. She'd rather let this man end it here and now, but she'd still at least try to protect herself. She felt another blast right on her back that sent her flying into the air again, her absorption of the energy being the only thing that saved her from being blown apart like the trees around her. The raw power behind his attacks was truly a marvel, she doubted she'd be able to even metabolize it if she tried, it would probably just burn her from the inside out. She immediately released another blind shot of the energy she'd absorbed to avoid finding out whether she'd burn or not. Blood oozed from her nose and she swiped at it, never daring to stop running. She had a feeling the man was just toying with her now, fucking psychopath. His attacks increased in energy with every shot, and she knew the final one had to be coming soon. She'd successfully ricocheted everything back so far, but she could tell her limit was approaching. Pathetic, really, considering what she used to be capable of when she'd kept her skills sharp. She felt the man gearing up for another blast, and she considered dropping her energy aura. /span/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;"span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif;""Gojo, STOP!" Mara cried out at the familiar voice, Nanami crashing through the trees toward her. She slid to a halt, holding up a hand to try to tell him not to come any closer, but she saw the glow of the man's attack behind her, and Nanami wasn't stopping. He was going to be right in front of her by the time the blast reached her, and she couldn't allow him to take this hit. Nanami landed directly in front of her, blade raised in defense, and she shoved in front of him at the very last second. She had been rolling bits of his energy around within her each time he struck, studying it. It was actually the perfect defense for a curse user, nothing could touch him. His curse technique manipulated the very atoms around him, he had a constant barrier surrounding him, nothing would touch him unless he allowed it. She could take his energy and use his own technique to protect them, he likely wouldn't recognize the power as his own, most sorcerers didn't when she used her technique to mimic theirs. /span/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;"span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif;"The blast still felt like fire against her skin, even as she absorbed and manipulated the energy to protect herself and Nanami, using the blueprint of the man's own cursed energy. The complexity of it was enormous, how did he maintain his sanity? Warmth slid from her ears and down the sides of her face, but she didn't dare let the blood detract from her focus. An eternity passed, and the blast finally ended. The man somehow managed a shocked expression without revealing his eyes. /span/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;"span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif;""Mara! What did you…" Nanami's words cut off as he caught her before her knees gave out. Mara weakly shoved away from him, landing on her hands and knees as she vomited more blood, coughing. "Gojo, what the hell!" Nanami addressed the man. So, his name was Gojo. She supposed it was only right that she knew it before she died, which she very much felt was likely at the moment. Her cursed energy was depleted, but she groped for the thread of it anyway to try to accelerate her healing. Ghostly brown eyes, as deep as the dirt that now covered them, floated through her mind…It hardly felt right using her stolen curse technique to try to heal herself…But she tried, nonetheless. The arguing around her was so loud, but all she could see were those sweet brown eyes, and the flesh that shriveled around them as she took every ounce of life and the curse energy that came with it. Tears leaked from Mara's eyes as the pain gradually lessened. She didn't deserve the relief the healing cursed energy brought, she deserved to suffer. She had been so close to the end, to finally paying back everything she'd wrongfully taken, but Nanami had gotten in the way. She wouldn't have his blood on her hands as well. Mara rolled on her back, avoiding the pool of vomited blood, and waited for her breathing to return to normal. Nanami's worried face appeared above her as he cradled her head./span/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;"span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif;""I'll be fine," she croaked. /span/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;"span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif;""I feel like I'm going to be putting that on your tombstone, 'she said she was fine'," Mara cracked a smile./span/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;"span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif;""I take it you two know each other?" Gojo appeared behind Nanami's head./span/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;"span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif;""Unfortunately." Nanami cut him a glare as he gently lifted her in his arms./span/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;"span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif;""I'm gonna get blood all over your suit," she protested weakly. /span/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;"span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif;""That's hardly on my list of concerns at the moment." His gaze flashed over her face, no doubt a bloody mess. "He could have killed you." His lips thinned into a hard line as he stared ahead, walking back the way he had come from. /span/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;"span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif;""Your curse ability doesn't feel right," Gojo chimed in from behind them, "you don't feel like a sorcerer." Mara sighed. Enough was enough. /span/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;"span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif;""I wouldn't," she said tiredly, "I imagine I feel like several sorcerers." Nanami's brow furrowed as he looked at her. /span/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;"span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif;""What do you mean?" Mara swallowed, and closed her eyes. She didn't want to see the expression on Nanami's face after this. /span/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;"span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif;""My curse ability is absorption. I absorb cursed energy attacks and I can either use the energy to amplify another sorcerer's ability, rebound an attack, or if I…kill the curse user, their technique becomes part of my own." She waited for Nanami to just drop her as if she were a hot iron. She certainly would have. /span/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;"span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif;""You didn't want us to know you'd killed other sorcerers." More a statement than a question. /span/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;"span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif;""No." She said simply. /span/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;"span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif;""Is there more?" Her heart fractured. How could he even consider giving her a shred of the benefit of the doubt. She nodded as she struggled to gain control over her trembling lip. Nanami waited patiently, and Mara took a deep breath. /span/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;"span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif;""My clan abandoned me as a child, I couldn't control my curse ability and I was draining people unwittingly, never enough to kill but enough for them to want to leave me. My mother left me at a small institute in Wakkanai," Nanami and Gojo both snapped their heads toward her at the mention of Wakkanai, a group of sorcerers who defected to work with curses against humanity. Their institute was disbanded and their sorcerers scattered when they were labeled enemies of Jujutsu. "They're not nice people," she huffed a sad laugh around the tears she couldn't stop, burying her face in her hands. "If they find me, they'll take me, they know I can't fight them all at once. That's why I fought you so hard on coming here. I would rather die than give them any idea where I am, I'll never work for them again." Her spine shuddered with sobs she was desperately trying to hold back, and Nanami tightened his grip on her. It only made her cry harder. "Please put me down," she begged, "stop being so kind to me." She struggled out of Nanami's arms./span/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;"span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif;""Mara, wait," he started, gently setting her down. /span/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;"span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif;""How can you even stand to look at me? I'm a Wakkanai sorcerer, you can't even call me a Jujutsu practitioner, by all rights you should kill me where I stand because I'm a murderer." She swiped at the tears flowing down her cheeks with a trembling hand, their salt a welcome sting in the cuts on her face. span style="mso-spacerun: yes;" /span/span/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;"span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif;""You were a child, indoctrinated," Mara made an ugly snort of disgust, cutting him off. /span/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;"span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif;""Don't make excuses for me," she opened her hands, staring at her palms, "I'm older now than the sorcerer I took the innate healing ability from will ever be. Haruki wanted me to be his killer so I could be their healer, and she'll never know what it's like to be this old." Soft, brown eyes, so full of fear… Mara squeezed her eyes shut, choking on the memory. /span/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;"span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif;""She's right." Nanami whipped his head around to Gojo. "By law she should be put to death." Mara dropped to her knees./span/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;"span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif;""Just do it, I won't fight you." She focused on the ground before her, maybe the worms would feast on her, too. Maybe she'd be able to serve some small purpose, in the end. Nanami let out an exasperated sigh, stepping in front of her./span/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;"span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif;""Do we not think there might be a little bit of an extenuating circumstance? Does she strike you as a Wakkanai sorcerer?" His eyes glittered with anger behind his glasses. Gojo rubbed his jaw./span/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;"span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif;""It's not our decision to make, the counsel would have to rule on it, but…" Gojo trailed off, considering. "Maybe she could help us with these special grades first, atone for the sins of the Wakkanai." Mara grimaced, slowly heaving herself to her feet. As if it were possible to atone for the lives she'd taken, let alone for the immeasurable sins of the Wakkanai. She idly wondered if the brown eyed sorcerer watched over her, ensuring whenever death was close that she'd somehow avoid it to carry the weight of her deeds another day. It would be fitting, honestly. Nanami turned, raising his hands to grasp her upper arms, but slowly dropped them as she flinched away from him. /span/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;"span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif;""We should go." He said. Mara turned, wrapping her arms around herself as she trudged back toward the institute. Gojo was right, of course. It was only right that she attempt to serve the Jujutsu institute here and help exorcise the curses gathering. And should she fall in that cause, so much the better. Perhaps she could finally earn the brown eyed sorcerer's forgiveness then./span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif;"span style="mso-tab-count: 1;" /spanTurning off the water she groped around for her towel on the rack and wrapped it around herself. Feeling a little closer to human after having showered, she rummaged through her tiny closet for something to wear. She settled on a worn t-shirt and leggings, having no intention of leaving her apartment today, and walked out of her bedroom to assess the damage. Her eyes narrowed in suspicion at the lack of mess. She distinctly remembered exorcising that demon on her hallway floor and the mess it made in her kitchen/dining space, but everything was put back in its place. She exited the hallway to inspect the living room and froze in her tracks. Nanami was stretched out on her couch, face slack with sleep. She cocked her head to the side, didn't he leave last night? Or did she just tell him to? Mara crept closer to him, the soft carpet muffling her steps. She took a folded blanket off the back of her plush chair and fluffed it in the air to spread over him. Just as the blanket landed on his legs, Mara suddenly found herself pinned to the floor with his blade at her throat. /span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif;"span style="mso-tab-count: 1;" /span"Dude, what the FUCK?" She struggled under his grasp as he blinked the sleep from his eyes, focusing on her. Nanami quickly sat up, pulling Mara with him./span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif;"span style="mso-tab-count: 1;" /span"Sorry, I…sorry." He shook his head. Mara scowled at him. /span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif;"span style="mso-tab-count: 1;" /span"I thought you left." She couldn't help the accusatory tone in her voice. Nanami rubbed his face, leaning back against the couch from the floor. /span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif;"span style="mso-tab-count: 1;" /span"Why would you think that?" He asked distractedly. /span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif;"span style="mso-tab-count: 1;" /span"Because I know I asked you to?" Nanami hid a yawn behind his hand./span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif;"span style="mso-tab-count: 1;" /span"There was absolutely no way I was going to leave you alone after a reaction like that and the fact that there was a grade 3 curse waiting for you in your apartment." His voice still had the gravelly notes of sleep in it, and Mara found her gaze roaming over him as he stretched. She shook herself slightly. /span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif;"span style="mso-tab-count: 1;" /span"Ok, well, I think the danger has passed…" Mara trailed off, waiting for Nanami to take the hint. He smiled ruefully at her. /span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif;"span style="mso-tab-count: 1;" /span"We need to talk about your registration." Mara threw her hands up, falling back against the seat of the chair behind her. /span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif;"span style="mso-tab-count: 1;" /span"You're worse than the extended warranty for your car guys," she muttered. /span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif;"span style="mso-tab-count: 1;" /span"I was willing to let it go last night, but after witnessing your encounter with the curse I think there's more to your ability that either you're unaware of or you're not telling me." He leveled her with an even stare as he spoke. Her cheeks pinked at the accusation, but she ignored it. /span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif;"span style="mso-tab-count: 1;" /span"That was a fluke," she began uneasily, "I haven't dealt with anything higher than a 4 in a while, I'm just out of practice." She hugged her knees to her chest. /span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif;"span style="mso-tab-count: 1;" /span"Be that as it may," Nanami rose from his seat on the floor, folding the blanket she had tried to cover him with, "I'm to bring you in for registration and evaluation." Mara stiffened./span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif;"span style="mso-tab-count: 1;" /span"You called them." She shot to her feet. "Did you let them in here? How many people know where I live?" She was practically shouting, but she didn't care. Nanami laid the folded blanket down on the couch and faced Mara. /span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif;"span style="mso-tab-count: 1;" /span"I called one other sorcerer, he didn't come to your apartment." It didn't matter, Mara was seeing red. /span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif;"span style="mso-tab-count: 1;" /span"I told you," she said through clenched teeth, "that I had it." /span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif;"span style="mso-tab-count: 1;" /span"You clearly didn't." /span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif;"span style="mso-tab-count: 1;" /span"Because I didn't want to blast through my APARTMENT!" She cried, "I told you I either metabolize the energy or reflect it back, and I couldn't reflect it here!" Mara ran her hands through her still wet hair. She couldn't fucking believe the audacity of this man. She squeezed her eyes shut against the images of the faces rising unbidden in her minds eye, faces of people she'd been dispatched to neutralize with…No. She absolutely was not going to cry in front of this pain in her ass of a man. Mara scrubbed her eyes roughly and stalked back to her bedroom. She found her book bag and opened a drawer at the top of her dresser, quickly dumping the contents into it. She opened another drawer, shoving aside the folded clothes to access the false bottom and removed a stack of cash with a few folded documents. She shoved everything in the bag, and stalked back out of her bedroom. Nanami was sitting calmly at her dining table, but she made to walk right past him,/span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif;"span style="mso-tab-count: 1;" /span"I have to go to work," she said vaguely, avoiding his eye contact. He caught her by the wrist and stood as she spun around to jerk her wrist free, but he held fast./span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif;"span style="mso-tab-count: 1;" /span"What is your problem, Mara?" Her eyes narrowed at the use of her name, but he did have all night in her apartment to figure it out. /span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif;"span style="mso-tab-count: 1;" /span"Nothing," she said shortly, "I just have to go to work, you can find me there." She pulled at her arm once more, but his grip only tightened. /span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif;"span style="mso-tab-count: 1;" /span"I think this takes precedence over your job." He said flatly, "And that bag looks rather full." He eyed her book bag for a split second before returning his focus to her. /span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif;"span style="mso-tab-count: 1;" /span"Then just eliminate me if you think I'm such a threat to your institution," she hissed, fury dripping on every word. Nanami searched her face./span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif;"span style="mso-tab-count: 1;" /span"What happened to you to make you hate other Jujutsu sorcerers so much that you'd rather die than come to an institution?" She reared back, on the verge of raging at him and telling him every horrible thing she'd done at her master's behest, what she'd helped them accomplish. Nanami stood unflinching, waiting for the dam to break and finally discover the root of what was clearly fear for her, but she merely deflated. Indifference enveloped her like a balm as she sank into one of the dining chairs. /span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif;"span style="mso-tab-count: 1;" /span"Do what you want, I don't care." She intoned. "Let's go to your stupid institution." She stared blankly at the surface of her dining table, her arm limp in Nanami's grasp as he gently let go. A muscle feathered in his jaw as if with some internal debate before he slid into the chair next to hers, taking her hand in both of his. /span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif;"span style="mso-tab-count: 1;" /span"Whatever it is you're afraid of, Mara, you won't find it at Jujutsu Tech." She leveled dead eyes at him, leaning back against her seat but keeping her hand in his. She couldn't bring herself to pull away from the soft warmth that radiated through his fingers, as if he were trying to push it onto her somehow. /span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif;"span style="mso-tab-count: 1;" /span"I know I won't find it there," she whispered. Nanami's brows furrowed in confusion and she took a deep breath, sighing "It'll find me." She rubbed tiredly at her face with her other hand. Nanami dropped his eyes to their hands, slowly stroking the back of hers with a thumb./span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif;"span style="mso-tab-count: 1;" /span"I won't leave you," he promised, "we'll just get in, get out, and you can go back to doing whatever it is you want to do." Mara watched his hands on hers, relishing the comfort she found in the simple touch. It had been years before she'd mastered her curse ability well enough to even allow people to touch her, and then after she ran from her institution, she'd still sequestered herself off from as much human interaction as possible to avoid attracting attention to herself. She smiled sadly, squeezing Nanami's hand once before pulling away from his touch. She couldn't break down now, not after everything she'd worked for, and certainly not because some man held her hand and made her a promise. She closed her eyes rolled her neck, squashing down her fear and vulnerability until she once again had an iron grip on it. She was walking a fine line now and there'd be no room for error, she had to let Nanami think she would come willingly and then make an escape. If she registered with his institution, they'd find her as soon as the information was published. /span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif;"span style="mso-tab-count: 1;" /span"Thank you," she said softly, eyes clear and bright once more, "but when do we go? Because I really do have to work." She rose from her seat, leaving her bag slumped on the floor. "I can get someone to cover for me today, but the rest of the week might be a little tricky." Mara opened a cupboard in her kitchen, pots and pans clanking slightly as she pulled a small pan out. She flipped it easily in her hand, holding it up by the handle as she turned to look at Nanami. "Eggs?" She raised her brows expectantly. Nanami watched her, expression unreadable, just long enough for Mara to start suspecting he had seen through her when he graced her with a rare smile. /span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif;"span style="mso-tab-count: 1;" /span"Sure, thank you," he reached in his back pocket for his phone, typing out a message, "I'll arrange for someone to pick us up shortly." Mara turned to her stove, setting the pan down on it. Shit, she was hoping to use the crowds of public transport to slip away from him. /span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif;"span style="mso-tab-count: 1;" /span"It's no big deal if they're busy," she drawled, "we can just take the train." She threw an innocent glance over her shoulder before cracking eggs into a bowl. /span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif;"span style="mso-tab-count: 1;" /span"It's no trouble, Kiyotaka will be around after running another errand for the institute." Mara made a noncommittal sound of acknowledgement, opening her refrigerator once more./span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif;"span style="mso-tab-count: 1;" /span"Do you like cheese on your eggs?" she called from behind the door. /span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif;"span style="mso-tab-count: 1;" /span"That would be lovely, thank you," Mara popped up at the nearness of his voice, he'd moved from the table and was now standing behind the open refrigerator door, "would you like some help?" /span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif;"span style="mso-tab-count: 1;" /span"Oh, um, sure," she stuttered, handing him a bag of cheese. His fingers brushed hers as he took it from her and she switched him places as she shut the fridge door, grabbing a bag of bread and queuing a few slices up in the toaster. She snuck a glance at him from the corner of her eye, he was still wearing the same button up shirt and dress pants from yesterday, suspenders hanging undone from his waist and his top buttons open enough to reveal his undershirt. His normally perfectly coiffed hair was tousled in the way that only comes from sleep, a shock of blond dancing along the side of his forehead as he mixed the eggs and cheese. /span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif;"span style="mso-tab-count: 1;" /span"Am I doing it wrong?" He asked mildly, eyes never leaving his work. Shit, she was staring. /span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif;"span style="mso-tab-count: 1;" /span"No, not at all," she rushed, "I just felt bad because you didn't get to take a shower yet." She mentally rolled her eyes at herself. Smooth, Mara, smooth. Nanami bumped his hip against hers to herd her away from the front of the stove. "Did you…did you just hip check me?" Her eyes flicked from his face to his hip and back again in mock indignation. /span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif;"span style="mso-tab-count: 1;" /span"Maybe," the side of his mouth quirked up in a grin, "but you were in the way." He spared a quick glance down at her, his smile lighting his eyes, before returning his attention to the pan. /span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif;"span style="mso-tab-count: 1;" /span"You're lucky I'm on toast duty," she grumbled, sliding her hand across his lower back as she moved around him to push down the toast. It was a shamelessly unnecessary touch, she knew that and surely he did as well, but she couldn't help it. She could still feel the small circles his thumb had turned on the back of her hand, she'd allow herself to crave the contact for just a little longer, just until she finally had to break away from this newfound…friend? The word was foreign and awkward in her mind, she shook her head against it. "Do you like to butter your toast while it's hot or are you one of those who waits until it cools?" A loaded question, Mara felt she could fairly judge a person by how they buttered toast. She pulled two plates down and set them on the counter./span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif;"span style="mso-tab-count: 1;" /span"Who likes cold butter on toast?" He asked, perplexed. Mara snapped her fingers as the toast popped up. /span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif;"span style="mso-tab-count: 1;" /span"Right answer." She smoothed butter over the toast and cut the pieces into neat diagonals, dividing them between the plates as Nanami slid the eggs next to them. Mara grabbed a jug of orange juice from the fridge and two glasses, following Nanami back to the dining table. He set her plate before her as she poured them juice./span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif;"span style="mso-tab-count: 1;" /span"Is that how some people take their toast?" He asked lightly, "With chunks of butter sitting on it?" Mara grinned. /span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif;"span style="mso-tab-count: 1;" /span"Exactly. Who wants cold butter when you can have warm, melty, toasty goodness?" She bit into a triangle of toast. "Their reasoning was that melted butter made the toast soggy, but I say that's just a poor butter to toast ratio problem." Nanami puffed a breath of laughter before taking a bite of his food. /span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif;"span style="mso-tab-count: 1;" /span"I can appreciate good ratios," /span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif;"span style="mso-tab-count: 1;" /span"Oh yeah?" She took a bite of her eggs, maybe it was just because she was hungry, but they were some of the best she'd had in a long while. She made an appreciative sound and Nanami looked up as she dug her fork in for another bite./span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif;"span style="mso-tab-count: 1;" /span"Do you like them?" The quiet hopefulness in the question alone would have been enough to earn her praise./span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif;"span style="mso-tab-count: 1;" /span"Yes!" She enthused, "These are so good." She took another bite for emphasis. He dipped his head in response, but not before she caught the small smile. They finished eating in companionable conversation. She marveled at how easy it was to talk with Nanami, a person who she'd seen intermittently for almost the entire time she'd worked at the bakery but had never actually spoken to. His serious demeanor hid his sense of humor well, and as they continued talking Mara found herself laughing often. She knew it would only hurt later, but she let her inhibition go as she listened to Nanami tell her stories and anecdotes, soaking up every word and committing it to a memory she could return to later when she was alone again. Nanami's phone vibrated with a message alert, and his smile slowly faded from his eyes./span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif;"span style="mso-tab-count: 1;" /span"Kiyotaka is here," he said, rising and taking their plates. Mara followed him to the sink with the juice glasses, setting them on the counter as he rinsed the dishes before taking the soap and sponge and dutifully washing them. Mara nibbled her lower lip as she watched him, the glimpse of domestic partnership being dangled in front of her pulled on something within, but she only shook her head to herself and made to pick up her bookbag. Nanami gently caught her arm before she could pass by him, his hand sliding down to hers as he pulled her closer. "It will be quick, I promise, and I'll bring you right back here." Her heart twisted at the sincerity of his words, he really knew how much she didn't want to do this and he was trying to make it as painless as possible. She angled herself so she was facing him, and her other hand moved of its own volition, tenderly stroking his cheek. His eyes widened in surprise before he leaned his head into the touch, pulling her fully against him. Mara slid her hand down his chest as he intertwined their fingers of the hand he was still holding, her heartbeat was a wild, rattling thing in her chest as Nanami hesitantly closed the little distance between them, his lips brushing over hers. She gripped the front of his shirt as she deepened the kiss, his lips parting for her. Mara made a small sound of surprise as Nanami released her hand and lifted her up on the counter, running his hands up her thighs as he continued to kiss her. Mara snaked her arms around his neck, and he groaned softly as she pressed herself against him, wrapping a leg around his waist. He broke their kiss, trailing softer, gentler kisses along her jaw, and down the side of her neck. She craned her head back, a small gasp escaping her as he licked the hollow of her throat. She felt him grin against her skin, his hands roving over her thighs to her ass, pulling her into his hips. /span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif;"span style="mso-tab-count: 1;" /spanThe factory set ring tone of his phone went off, and he paused. He let out a deep breath against her neck and she shivered against him. He laid a chaste kiss first on her neck, and then her lips./span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif;"span style="mso-tab-count: 1;" /span"That will be Kiyotaka," he murmured, his lips brushing hers as he spoke. Mara's head was swimming. /span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif;"span style="mso-tab-count: 1;" /span"We should go then," she breathed, sliding her hands from around his neck and down his chest. His eyes fluttered briefly at the touch. She pressed her lips against his once more, memorizing the soft feel of them on hers as she unhooked her leg from his waist. "You're going to have to move," she whispered. A small grin fought its way onto his face./span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif;"span style="mso-tab-count: 1;" /span"I know," He reluctantly pulled himself back, lifting her back down off the counter as he did. He squeezed her hips once and fully stepped aside, reaching for his now silent phone. Mara scooped her bag up and onto her shoulder as Nanami brought his phone up to his ear, calling Kiyotaka back to tell him they'd be right down. Mara watched as he put himself back together in a matter of seconds, buttoning his shirt, tying his tie, sliding his suspenders back in place along with his jacket. You'd never know he had spent the night doing anything other than relaxing in his own home. "Are you ready?" he asked. Mara nodded and followed him out the door, locking it behind them. Not that it much mattered, she wouldn't be returning here. They rode the elevator down, stepping out into the bright midmorning sun where a nondescript black car waited at the curb for them. Nanami opened the back seat door for her, taking her bag and placing it in the trunk of the car. Maybe she didn't have him completely fooled. She exchanged pleasantries with Kiyotaka as Nanami slid into the seat next to her, and she took a deep breath as they pulled away from the curb. /span/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;"span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif;"She watched her street disappear out the window, contemplating how she was going to get herself out of this one. She never should have gotten in the damn car. She shouldn't have kissed Nanami, that was probably the bigger mistake, but it had just felt so nice to be with someone again like that. Her hand was resting on the seat between them, and she felt a feather light touch against her pinky finger. She looked down out of the corner of her eye to see Nanami's hand next to hers. She smiled softly and curled her finger around his. He was looking out his window, chin resting against his fist, but he gently stroked her finger with his. This could have been something, she thought ruefully. What, she didn't know or even dare to think too hard on, but she already regretted that she'd never find out. /span/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;"span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif;"The city fell behind them and the road gave way to more trees and space. Mara hadn't said a word since the beginning of the trip, but Nanami and Kiyotaka had briefly discussed institute matters. It sounded like Kiyotaka had escorted a student Nanami was involved with into the city earlier today and was lamenting the amount of trips he'd have to make back and forth between the city and the institute. Nanami had only stared at him in the rearview mirror until Kiyotaka had stuttered out that it wasn't a burden and he'd be happy, of course, to ferry the students and staff. Mara kind of felt bad for the man, she'd be annoyed at this much driving as well. She had hoped they would need to stop for gas somewhere, it would have been a sloppy option but effective had she played her cards right to escape, but luck was not on her side today it seemed. She became more anxious the closer they got, pulling her hand away from Nanami's as the institute came into view, partially hidden by all the trees surrounding them. She leaned forward in her seat to get a better view, wild thoughts of trying to jump out of the car flashing through her mind as panic started to swell. They came to a stop in the yard of the institute, and Nanami smoothly exited the vehicle, retrieving her book bag from the trunk before opening her door for her. She hadn't waited for him to do it, she just couldn't bring herself to voluntarily open the door. He held out a steady hand for her, and she moved her leaden feet, allowing him to pull her up from her seat. He squeezed her hand once before letting it go. /span/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;"span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif;""It will be alright," he murmured, leading her toward the institute. "My partner sent word he would be a little late," a note of irritation floated through his tone, "so if it's alright with you I'd like to clean up, I have a room here." She nodded her consent as she followed him. Perfect, whoever the partner was wasn't here and he was going to take a moment to freshen up, and a moment was all she really needed. Her panic eased its grip on her as her loose plan fell into formation, she'd wait until Nanami was showering, changing, whatever it was he had to do, and she'd make a run for it. They were pretty far out from the city but she'd have to go somewhere new anyway, she couldn't return to the same place. Nanami led them up the stone stairway that let into a courtyard with buildings on either side, veering to the left he opened the door of a barracks style building. /span/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;"span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif;"It turned out his dormitory room was near the front of the building, and he opened his door to an efficiently appropriated room. They walked into a living area with a small couch and television, and Mara could see the only other door in the room led to what appeared to be a spartan bedroom. Nanami closed the door behind them and removed his suit jacket, loosening his tie. He hung the jacket in the small closet by the door, and casually walked closer to her./span/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;"span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif;""I'm going to take a shower, if you'd like to make yourself comfortable." He gestured to the couch behind her, "Or, as comfortable as you could be on that thing." He added with a grimace. Mara gave him a small smile./span/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;"span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif;""It'll be fine, I'm sure." She said, sitting uneasily on the edge of the seat. Nanami eyed her, fingers slowing as he was unbuttoning his dress shirt./span/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;"span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif;""You can just set your bag anywhere," Mara forced a laugh. /span/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;"span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif;""Oh, yeah, thanks." She slid the bag off her shoulders and set it on the floor next to the couch. His eyes lingered on the bag for just a fraction of a moment./span/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;"span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif;""I'll be right out, don't go anywhere," the humor in his voice didn't quite reach his eyes, and she made a show of settling back into the couch. He cast one last look over his shoulder as he disappeared into the bedroom. Mara closed her eyes as she waited for the sound of the water running, and sprang from the couch the instant she heard it. /span/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;"span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif;"Surprisingly, she didn't encounter a single soul as she fled the manicured grounds of the institute. She ran alongside a rough trail, probably one that was created by animals rather than people, ducking under branches or pushing them out of her way as she ran. Mara was briefly thankful for the years spent cultivating running as a habit as she raced along faster than most people would be able to. Her heart squeezed, not from effort but from the mental image of Nanami asking her not to go anywhere and her lying to his face. He knew. She knew he knew, but he had trusted her anyway and here she was, spitting in his face. Mara scrubbed at her eyes with an arm, gritting her teeth in anger. Nanami was a good person and he deserved someone better than her, he'd likely forget about her within a few days. Mara pushed herself to run as fast as she possibly could, as if by running she could somehow outrun everything behind her, always lurking. Mara skidded to a halt as she suddenly broke through a line of trees onto the dirt beach of a large lake. She looked around confused, she must have gotten her directions turned around in her hurry to flee, she had expected to hit a road. /span/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;"span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif;""Hm?" Her head snapped around at the small sound just behind and to the right of her. A tall, lanky man with short white hair looked up in surprise at her. Or she assumed it was surprise, he was wearing a bandana over his eyes. He was facing her, but she wondered how he could even see. /span/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;"span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif;""Pardon me," she muttered, turning around. She'd have to backtrack a bit, she must have overshot the road or something. /span/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;"span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif;""Are you lost?" The man called out. Mara absently waved a hand without stopping. /span/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;"span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif;""No, just hiking, the path is over here." /span/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;"span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif;""Hiking?" The hairs on the back of her neck stood up at the proximity of the man's voice, and she whirled around. "I thought this was school property?" He mused. /span/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;"span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif;""Is it?" Seriously, how could he see anything? "My mistake, I'll leave." She continued walking, but backwards so as to keep the man in her sights. He smiled broadly, hands in his pockets as he easily kept up with her with his long strides. /span/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;"span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif;""Allow me to escort you, I'm familiar with these grounds." Fuck, he's a sorcerer. /span/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;"span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif;""That's quite unnecessary, I assure you." She stopped walking before she tripped into the line of trees, and the man stopped as well, the smile never leaving his face. /span/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;"span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif;""Oh, I think it is," Mara let her book bag slide off her shoulders, setting it next to her. Clearly, she was going to have to fight her way out of this. "You see, I have a few students living on campus as the moment, and there's been a lot of curse activity popping up…And you're giving off an interesting energy." The smile morphed from friendly to feral as he raised one side of his bandana with a finger, an ice blue eye peering out at her, "But you wouldn't know anything about that, would you?" /span/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;"span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif;""I mean you no harm," she said calmly, "or your students. I'm just leaving." The bandana slipped back into place./span/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;"span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif;""Then you won't mind if I escort you back, there's only more woods for miles this way." He started to walk past her. /span/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;"span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif;""I'll find my own way, thank you." The man halted, head tilting up to the sky as he let out a breath. /span/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;"span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif;""Well, I'm afraid we're going to have a problem then." Mara jumped as he was suddenly right next to her ear, "But I have a meeting to get to, so could we make this quick?" She swung around on instinct, but he was suddenly on her other side. "Wrong side!" He called merrily, and Mara found herself again looking at empty space where she expected him to be. This didn't bode well, he was incredibly fast, even for a Jujutsu sorcerer. Mara growled in frustration and took off running, if she showed aggression he'd just assume he was correct in thinking she was a threat. "Oi, oi, oi!" he was running next to her, keeping perfect time, and the bastard still had his hands in his pockets. "You're going the wrong way," he grinned right before he slammed into her, knocking her off her feet. Mara rolled and jumped back up, barely getting her arms up in time to block his incoming fist as he landed. The purple aura of her cursed energy flared to life along her skin as she threw an upper cut into his ribs. Mara blinked at the odd, static feeling on her knuckles. The man tsked. "That's not very nice." Mara threw her arm up next to her head to block the punch sailing for her, and she was blasted back several feet into the tree line by the energy he threw behind it. Mara let it wash over her, absorbing it. The cursed energy sang through her. What the hell was this guy? She balled it up within her own energy and blindly sent it sailing back toward the man, hoping it would be enough of a distraction to put some distance between them. Branches tore at her as she sprinted back through the trees, and she darted to the side just as the trees where she had been splintered into pieces. Holy shit, he was going to kill her. /span/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;"span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif;"Mara's lungs burned as she continued running. Even now, she refused to turn the full extent of her abilities on another sorcerer. She'd rather let this man end it here and now, but she'd still at least try to protect herself. She felt another blast right on her back that sent her flying into the air again, her absorption of the energy being the only thing that saved her from being blown apart like the trees around her. The raw power behind his attacks was truly a marvel, she doubted she'd be able to even metabolize it if she tried, it would probably just burn her from the inside out. She immediately released another blind shot of the energy she'd absorbed to avoid finding out whether she'd burn or not. Blood oozed from her nose and she swiped at it, never daring to stop running. She had a feeling the man was just toying with her now, fucking psychopath. His attacks increased in energy with every shot, and she knew the final one had to be coming soon. She'd successfully ricocheted everything back so far, but she could tell her limit was approaching. Pathetic, really, considering what she used to be capable of when she'd kept her skills sharp. She felt the man gearing up for another blast, and she considered dropping her energy aura. /span/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;"span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif;""Gojo, STOP!" Mara cried out at the familiar voice, Nanami crashing through the trees toward her. She slid to a halt, holding up a hand to try to tell him not to come any closer, but she saw the glow of the man's attack behind her, and Nanami wasn't stopping. He was going to be right in front of her by the time the blast reached her, and she couldn't allow him to take this hit. Nanami landed directly in front of her, blade raised in defense, and she shoved in front of him at the very last second. She had been rolling bits of his energy around within her each time he struck, studying it. It was actually the perfect defense for a curse user, nothing could touch him. His curse technique manipulated the very atoms around him, he had a constant barrier surrounding him, nothing would touch him unless he allowed it. She could take his energy and use his own technique to protect them, he likely wouldn't recognize the power as his own, most sorcerers didn't when she used her technique to mimic theirs. /span/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;"span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif;"The blast still felt like fire against her skin, even as she absorbed and manipulated the energy to protect herself and Nanami, using the blueprint of the man's own cursed energy. The complexity of it was enormous, how did he maintain his sanity? Warmth slid from her ears and down the sides of her face, but she didn't dare let the blood detract from her focus. An eternity passed, and the blast finally ended. The man somehow managed a shocked expression without revealing his eyes. /span/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;"span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif;""Mara! What did you…" Nanami's words cut off as he caught her before her knees gave out. Mara weakly shoved away from him, landing on her hands and knees as she vomited more blood, coughing. "Gojo, what the hell!" Nanami addressed the man. So, his name was Gojo. She supposed it was only right that she knew it before she died, which she very much felt was likely at the moment. Her cursed energy was depleted, but she groped for the thread of it anyway to try to accelerate her healing. Ghostly brown eyes, as deep as the dirt that now covered them, floated through her mind…It hardly felt right using her stolen curse technique to try to heal herself…But she tried, nonetheless. The arguing around her was so loud, but all she could see were those sweet brown eyes, and the flesh that shriveled around them as she took every ounce of life and the curse energy that came with it. Tears leaked from Mara's eyes as the pain gradually lessened. She didn't deserve the relief the healing cursed energy brought, she deserved to suffer. She had been so close to the end, to finally paying back everything she'd wrongfully taken, but Nanami had gotten in the way. She wouldn't have his blood on her hands as well. Mara rolled on her back, avoiding the pool of vomited blood, and waited for her breathing to return to normal. Nanami's worried face appeared above her as he cradled her head./span/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;"span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif;""I'll be fine," she croaked. /span/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;"span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif;""I feel like I'm going to be putting that on your tombstone, 'she said she was fine'," Mara cracked a smile./span/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;"span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif;""I take it you two know each other?" Gojo appeared behind Nanami's head./span/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;"span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif;""Unfortunately." Nanami cut him a glare as he gently lifted her in his arms./span/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;"span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif;""I'm gonna get blood all over your suit," she protested weakly. /span/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;"span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif;""That's hardly on my list of concerns at the moment." His gaze flashed over her face, no doubt a bloody mess. "He could have killed you." His lips thinned into a hard line as he stared ahead, walking back the way he had come from. /span/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;"span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif;""Your curse ability doesn't feel right," Gojo chimed in from behind them, "you don't feel like a sorcerer." Mara sighed. Enough was enough. /span/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;"span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif;""I wouldn't," she said tiredly, "I imagine I feel like several sorcerers." Nanami's brow furrowed as he looked at her. /span/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;"span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif;""What do you mean?" Mara swallowed, and closed her eyes. She didn't want to see the expression on Nanami's face after this. /span/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;"span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif;""My curse ability is absorption. I absorb cursed energy attacks and I can either use the energy to amplify another sorcerer's ability, rebound an attack, or if I…kill the curse user, their technique becomes part of my own." She waited for Nanami to just drop her as if she were a hot iron. She certainly would have. /span/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;"span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif;""You didn't want us to know you'd killed other sorcerers." More a statement than a question. /span/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;"span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif;""No." She said simply. /span/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;"span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif;""Is there more?" Her heart fractured. How could he even consider giving her a shred of the benefit of the doubt. She nodded as she struggled to gain control over her trembling lip. Nanami waited patiently, and Mara took a deep breath. /span/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;"span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif;""My clan abandoned me as a child, I couldn't control my curse ability and I was draining people unwittingly, never enough to kill but enough for them to want to leave me. My mother left me at a small institute in Wakkanai," Nanami and Gojo both snapped their heads toward her at the mention of Wakkanai, a group of sorcerers who defected to work with curses against humanity. Their institute was disbanded and their sorcerers scattered when they were labeled enemies of Jujutsu. "They're not nice people," she huffed a sad laugh around the tears she couldn't stop, burying her face in her hands. "If they find me, they'll take me, they know I can't fight them all at once. That's why I fought you so hard on coming here. I would rather die than give them any idea where I am, I'll never work for them again." Her spine shuddered with sobs she was desperately trying to hold back, and Nanami tightened his grip on her. It only made her cry harder. "Please put me down," she begged, "stop being so kind to me." She struggled out of Nanami's arms./span/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;"span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif;""Mara, wait," he started, gently setting her down. /span/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;"span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif;""How can you even stand to look at me? I'm a Wakkanai sorcerer, you can't even call me a Jujutsu practitioner, by all rights you should kill me where I stand because I'm a murderer." She swiped at the tears flowing down her cheeks with a trembling hand, their salt a welcome sting in the cuts on her face. span style="mso-spacerun: yes;" /span/span/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;"span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif;""You were a child, indoctrinated," Mara made an ugly snort of disgust, cutting him off. /span/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;"span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif;""Don't make excuses for me," she opened her hands, staring at her palms, "I'm older now than the sorcerer I took the innate healing ability from will ever be. Haruki wanted me to be his killer so I could be their healer, and she'll never know what it's like to be this old." Soft, brown eyes, so full of fear… Mara squeezed her eyes shut, choking on the memory. /span/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;"span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif;""She's right." Nanami whipped his head around to Gojo. "By law she should be put to death." Mara dropped to her knees./span/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;"span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif;""Just do it, I won't fight you." She focused on the ground before her, maybe the worms would feast on her, too. Maybe she'd be able to serve some small purpose, in the end. Nanami let out an exasperated sigh, stepping in front of her./span/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;"span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif;""Do we not think there might be a little bit of an extenuating circumstance? Does she strike you as a Wakkanai sorcerer?" His eyes glittered with anger behind his glasses. Gojo rubbed his jaw./span/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;"span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif;""It's not our decision to make, the counsel would have to rule on it, but…" Gojo trailed off, considering. "Maybe she could help us with these special grades first, atone for the sins of the Wakkanai." Mara grimaced, slowly heaving herself to her feet. As if it were possible to atone for the lives she'd taken, let alone for the immeasurable sins of the Wakkanai. She idly wondered if the brown eyed sorcerer watched over her, ensuring whenever death was close that she'd somehow avoid it to carry the weight of her deeds another day. It would be fitting, honestly. Nanami turned, raising his hands to grasp her upper arms, but slowly dropped them as she flinched away from him. /span/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;"span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif;""We should go." He said. Mara turned, wrapping her arms around herself as she trudged back toward the institute. Gojo was right, of course. It was only right that she attempt to serve the Jujutsu institute here and help exorcise the curses gathering. And should she fall in that cause, so much the better. Perhaps she could finally earn the brown eyed sorcerer's forgiveness then./span/p