Disclaimer: I do not own Jujutsu Kaisen. It is property of Gege Akutami. I do however own any original characters appearing in this story.

Special Curse

A Child of My Own

私自身の子供

watashi jishin no kodomo

(Sato Kiku POV)

Hospitals hold traumatic memories for me. Cold and sterile. White sheets. White walls. And although you could hear people talking in the distance, the clatter of activity and the odd phone ringing, that day, for me, there was a deafening silence in the air.

I looked on, exhausted and with a growing uneasy feeling in my gut as the maternity nurses frantically tried to warm her up and resuscitate her for what felt like an eternity.

But no matter what they tried my baby didn't make a single sound.

The faces of the nurses when they finally turned around to face me with pained expressions made my throat slowly close up, and I gulped painfully.

"My baby… is she…?" I trailed off, afraid of their answer.

The younger nurse turned away, unable to face me any longer, and choked back a sob.

The elder nurse winced in sympathy, stepping towards me with her small, cold body covered in pink blankets, "I'm terribly sorry, Sato-san… I'm afraid that no matter what we tried, it was hopeless. Because she was born far too early, she was never going to make it." She bit her lip, "My apologies…! If you would prefer not to see her, we can—"

It was starting to feel suffocating, and I felt my eyes welling up, but in spite of that I reached out with frantic hands for my baby.

"Please…! I-I need to… I need to know she existed, if nothing else! My b-baby…" It was becoming harder and harder to speak, but the elder nurse nodded in understanding, stepping closer.

She lowered my daughter into my waiting arms and I pulled her icy skin flush to my chest, lowering my head to kiss her thin whisps of brown hair. She was…so pale.

No… it wasn't meant to be like this. I'd wished for her to be bright and full of life just like he was! But now…. Both of them are gone…!

"No… Why did the both of you…!" I uttered, and with that, I couldn't hold it back any longer.

I wailed and wailed for hours, as if to fill the silence left by her…my precious sunflower who never had the chance to bloom.

And with that, it felt like all colour slipped away from me in one day.

In the following months, I hadn't returned to work at the daycare once. During the maternity leave I'd taken for my baby, which now turned into paid leave in order to grieve, I just holed myself up in my apartment, feeling closed inside a cage of my own making, only stepping outside to buy groceries and remove my trash and recyclables. I had nobody to hold me when the nights felt unbearably lonely and cold.

I'd been without my parents for years now, so I didn't have them to comfort me in my darkest time. Nobody to ask what I should do, and how could I come back from this?

My only friend, Hana, had moved back to Hokkaido to look after her grandparents who were getting older. And the last I heard from her she had opened up a flower shop over there. So, she surely didn't need me burdening her with my troubles.

Eventually, my neighbor had convinced me to seek counselling for my grief, and the counselor had suggested finding a hobby or a new job to fill the void.

They said that they understood that returning to a place with lots of small children may just bring up bad memories, but that perhaps it could also heal me. That showing myself that I could look after a child would prove to me that it wasn't my fault that my Himawari died.

Maybe they're right… but maybe it would just cause me to spiral further.

I didn't know what to do. I felt lost, and trapped.

And then, I saw the advert on the job bulletin in Shibuya station.

'Help wanted for a private Nanny for our soon to be born daughter… female, between the age of 25 and 40… must be willing to be loyal to our family for 12 years… experience in raising small children… must remain professional and ensure the child develops properly…' I skimmed through the advert in my mind, after picking up the flyer and standing up straight.

I stood there for a while, just staring at the words printed on it.

The pay was ridiculous… the family must be rich beyond belief.

And I had all the qualifications they needed, even though I was only barely in the age range since I turned 25 this month.

They wanted someone who could commit to raising a little girl for 12 years…

I bit my lip and stifled any noise that might slip out, my hand gripping the paper and crinkling it a little.

'If things had gone to plan… I would have raised Himawari-chan with all of my heart and soul for not just 12 years, but for the rest of my life…! But I didn't get that chance!'

I understand the need for a nanny for a few hours a day if you have to work a full-time job, but if this family can afford to splash out this much for 12 whole years, surely they have enough time to love and raise their child themselves, right?!

I unfolded the paper, and took out my phone, dialing in the number.

After the call went through, I licked my chapped lips and spoke, "Hello, my name is Sato Kiku. I'm calling in response to the Nanny position that was advertised…"

If they were so busy, then I'll step in make sure that child has a safe, happy childhood! I'd put all my love and energy into this, and hopefully, wherever Himawari-chan is watching over me from, she'll be proud of her Mama!

I stared at my phone one week after my second interview, letting my groceries fall to the ground after slipping through my fingers, as I listened to the sound of the clock on the wall of my apartment.

I got the job… The Gojo family's baby isn't even born yet, but they're due sometime around the end of December, next month. I'm to move in and get settled 10 days before the due date and my duties would begin immediately after the baby arrives, as the mother was likely to be tired after the birth.

After that, for the next 12 years, I would be raising the Gojo's second child, who would be called Gojo Yukine.

I slumped down on my porch, letting out a deep sigh.

Would this be my second chance, to be a mother to someone?

…

'Agh, no but I shouldn't get ahead of myself. She's not really my child…' I thought, feeling sad again at the thought of it. I glanced to my sunflower phone charm, touching it gently.

I miss her, even today, a little over a year later. Even though I never saw her eyes, I'll bet they were just like his eyes.

'Ayumu-kun… Himawari-chan… Please cheer me on… I'm about to finally take a step forward…!'

The Gojo's baby was born on New Years' Day. I'd already moved into a room next to the child's nursery with modest decoration, and proceeded with my duties pretty much immediately after birth.

I'd expected it to be difficult to cope, but was surprised at how easily I slipped into the role. The hours were long, and it was tiring, but also very fulfilling. She was an easy baby to take care of and barely even cried. She was small, cute even despite her albinism, and it felt like she fit perfectly in my arms as I held her to soothe her on the odd occasions she did start crying.

Almost like she was made to fit in my arms.

She was never fussy about drinking her milk, and was very well behaved when I had to change her, all the while looking up at me with wide eyes, which was very endearing.

She was very loveable.

When there wasn't anyone around us, I found myself overcome by her cuteness, and would press her close to my chest, nuzzling her soft, fluffy hair. She looked like a fairy! I'd coo at her, and find myself smiling like I never thought I could again, not after what happened with Himawari.

But at the same time, I felt so sorry for this adorable baby, as her situation and the kind of family she'd been born into became more and more apparent to me.

Apparently, the Gojo family are a family of Shamans. Now ordinarily, a religious family is fine as long as it doesn't teeter on being a cult. But the Gojo family seemed respectable and it didn't feel too cult-y, to me, at least, not at first.

But I would often hear about their work in more detail, especially when her older brother, Young Master Satoru, would visit us in her room, immediately commandeering all of his little sister's attention.

If I were deaf I would have found it adorable, seeing the twelve-year old sitting with his baby sister tucked into his arms, chattering away to her regardless of her not being able to answer back with a bright grin on his face and excitement gleaming in his strangely beautiful eyes.

It felt strange to describe a child's eyes like that…but it was certainly true.

But at the end of the day, I wasn't deaf, and the boy wasn't exactly whispering to the child.

And the things I overheard were extremely concerning. He would talk to the baby in length about creatures known as curses, things I'd heard mentioned before among my fellow staff of the Gojo household.

As Shamans, the Gojo largely went into work in slaying these invisible monsters made of negative energy with their 'cursed energy'. Apparently, the Gojo were quite a famous family amongst those who took up this profession.

It all sounded made-up, if I'm being honest, and I didn't want to pay it mind since I'd never seen a 'curse' myself before, but there can't be that many people who could consistently tell the same made-up story. Especially when even a child was talking about it like it was common-place.

I was forced to believe it even though I couldn't see it.

And I was terrified.

Young Master Satoru would say to his little sister that he was currently in training to become a Sorcerer and he was going to be the strongest in the entire world one day. It was 'his destiny'. He said that sometimes people got killed but she didn't need to worry about him because no curse would ever be able to touch him…and…

…He would always talk to her about how he would help train her for when it became time for her to start fighting these curses…!

As if it was a given! As if he was really expecting this innocent little baby girl to go out and fight monsters!

Whether I believed it was true or not, this family was a bunch of lunatics. I was sure of it!

And she's trapped with them. She has no choice but to get sucked into something that might end up killing her. She's been doomed by her own family. It's horrible!

I couldn't take it. My heart broke for her every day after I came to that conclusion, and maybe at the time I was probably falling into a state of depression.

But I didn't let it stop me from doing my job. I came here to give this child a proper childhood, as best as I could.

In order to make hers a happy childhood. In order to prove to myself that I could have been a great mother, just like Ayumu-kun thought I would be.

For the sake of this little girl in my care, I decided to push on regardless of my doubts and make her happy.

At least, that was the plan. But on her first birthday, that all changed.

"Hmm… Still no signs of the Six Eyes." Mrs Gojo said as she looked down at her baby lying in her crib, the woman's arms folded in front of her and letting the sleeves of her traditional kimono hang down in front of her.

She kept a distance as she looked down on her child, and to me, her eyes look icily cold as she did.

I nervously watched her from the side, "Um, but she seems to be growing quite well, and is very healthy. She always looks like she's so aware of her surroundings, and recognizes voices and faces quite well…! She even smiled when she recognized her older brother, the young master, during his visit two days ago, and I think very soon she may start crawling as she is able to coordinate her arms and legs quite well—" I nervously babbled, and Mrs Gojo looked away from her child to face me.

"You pay good attention to the child," she cut in and I flinched, she gave a faint flicker of a smile, "That's good. It's what we hired you to do. But you needn't report every small thing to us. Only inform us if something seems seriously wrong with the child. If her eyes happen to seem different, in particular." Mrs Gojo explained, as she began shuffling towards the door to leave.

I watched her as she went, trying not to let my feelings show on the surface until she left.

Mrs Gojo gave me one last look, and gave me her parting words, "After all, my husband and I have better things to do with our day."

And with that, she was gone.

I heard her footsteps become quieter and quieter, and as soon as I couldn't hear them anymore, I sighed out.

That was… only the second time that Mrs Gojo has paid her daughter a visit. And just like in the previous visit, she didn't even hold her daughter. The first time, she only looked down at her, said something about her not having six eyes and left looking disappointed.

I didn't understand. Humans only have two eyes. If she had six of them I would be concerned, not pleased.

Perhaps this was another side to being a Shaman that I didn't understand as an outsider… and yet, I couldn't help but let it colour my perception of this family.

It felt like the Gojo couple didn't have children because they wanted to be parents. I hear of the young master doing nothing but studying and training, or going on 'missions.' He used his free time solely on visiting his little sister.

At least he visited every week at least once.

In nine whole months, Mrs Gojo had only looked at her child three times. Mr Gojo hadn't visited at all.

My lips twisted in discomfort, and I moved over to the baby's crib when she started making fussy noises. Picking her up, I held her close to me, embracing her gently.

If they weren't interested in being parents, then what is the purpose of young master Satoru and this little one?

It all feels really cold, and clinical. And if it weren't for me, and the young master's visits, she would be the loneliest baby in all of Japan.

This poor, innocent little girl who never asked for this kind of neglect.

If I could take her away from all of this… I'd fill her days with happiness, warmth and love. Just like I would have for my darling Himawari.

It's the Young Miss' first birthday. She turned one-year-old this day, January 1st, and even today, Mr and Mrs Gojo are nowhere to be found. Thankfully, she did receive one visitor, who burst into the room bearing presents after his morning visit to the shrine to ring in the new year.

Young Master Satoru slammed the door open, causing me to nearly yelp out in surprise as I fed the Young Miss her bottled formula milk in a chair. Like I said, he came bearing gifts for his little sister with a bright smile and glittering eyes, and his attention was completely on his sister only. I felt a little more like a decoration or furniture than a human being as he didn't spare me a single glance, put down the gifts nearby and plucked her from my arms while chattering away his greetings and new year wishes to her.

I sighed out quietly, folding my arms over my lap, near empty bottle still in hand.

It was a miracle she didn't start crying at suddenly being manhandled like that before she was finished drinking. She was always like that though.

Always quietly listening to her brother and going along with his whims with more maturity than I thought possible for an infant.

He propped her up in his lap, supporting her back against his chest as he went through each of her presents.

A stuffed toy twice the size of the Young Miss herself which I think I've seen before. I think it was a mascot from Sanrio… a white bunny with blue eyes that reminded me of the two of them, actually.

A larger baby's onesie with some sort of orange dinosaur character as its design.

And an omamori charm from the shrine, which he must have just gotten just this morning. Judging from the colouring and embroidery that I could discern, it may have been for either Good Fortune or a Healthy Childhood.

I found myself smiling a little.

At least there was someone here besides me who seemed to love this child genuinely. He picked out wonderful, thoughtful gifts for his little sister.

I wished I could say the same for their parents' approach.

And I wished that I could have been satisfied with just the young master's actions. But as far as I'm concerned… every child needs a mother. They need a father too… they need to be nurtured, taught, and loved by a present parental figure and shouldn't have to survive on only the care of a nanny who isn't blood related, and a sibling who is still too young to offer what a parent should, properly.

This child… needs a real mother.

….Now that I think of it… I could be her mother, couldn't I?

I mean, for a full year now, I've been doing everything that a mother should, for her.

It has been me who has changed her when she needed it.

It has been me who comforted her whenever she was upset.

It has been me who fed her, burped her, rocked her to sleep, played with her when the young master was busy (which was often), sang her lullabies, bathed her, loved her as if she were my own child.

Even now, a little over two years since the loss of my one and only child, and the fatal traffic accident of my fiancé, I still dreamt of what it could have been like.

I can't bring Ayumu or Himawari back to life.

But maybe, just maybe, I could consider the Young Miss my second chance at having a child of my own.

I shook my head violently, trying to shake away the giddy feeling bubbling up in my chest at the thought of that.

I surely couldn't do that. I'm just hired help. I couldn't be her real mom.

"What're you doing, weirdo?" the young master suddenly spoke and my eyes popped open in surprise. I looked over at him to see him looking at me as if I were a fool, as if he were looking down on me while actually being positioned lower than me himself. The young miss also looked up at me, while sucking on her finger with wide innocent lavender eyes.

I gulped, "A-Ah, you knew I was here…" I mumbled, still surprised that he acknowledged me.

"Of course, I did. Anyone could notice your gloomy aura. Either cheer up or leave me and Yukine alone. You're gonna ruin the mood of her birthday party with your gloominess!" he said, making a shooing motion at me with his free hand.

I frowned a bit, but he was my employer's son. Even though I didn't like his attitude, by extension of his parents, he was technically also allowed to give me orders.

And so, I dutifully stood up, ignoring the negative feeling swelling up inside me, and made my way out of the nursery.

As I shut the door behind me, I heard him launch into another tale of a curse he defeated the other day.

And this time, he mentioned that he had to 'rescue another sorcerer's corpse, cause he got killed by the curse he took out' and brought up again that one day the two of them were 'gonna fight a bunch of super strong curses together as the ultimate tag-team sibling duo'.

I gritted my teeth, stationing myself outside their room for when I would be allowed to return and recommence my duties.

I still hated that. I hated it so much how this child spoke as if it was the natural progression of things that both he, and this innocent, sweet, adorable little baby girl would be sent out to fight these Curses.

At this point, I'm no longer ignorant. It's not just delusion painting fictional, invisible enemies as reality.

I've already seen some of these sorcerers; from other clans in the same business as the Gojo; as they came to speak with members of the family. They came adorned with several gruesome injuries and old scars from years or even decades fighting what are apparently REAL monsters, hidden within our society and only visible to people like the Gojo or the Kamo clans.

Young Master Satoru is already fighting them. And it's expected that his sister will as well, as soon as she shows an ability to see these creatures.

No….

I can't let them do that to her. I can't let them pull her further into such a dangerous world.

I have to save her before it's too late…!

Only I can do this… right?

Only I, someone who isn't a part of that world, can make sure that she grows up without ever having to worry about risking her life fighting monsters that most people cannot see; a great risk that she'll never be thanked for taking.

…Yeah…

That's what I could do.

I'm going to save this girl's life.

I waited a week before carrying out my plan. I wanted to make sure I had everything planned out perfectly. What time I would take her, which route I would take to avoid running into any other servants or the guards out front, where I would hide out until I could take the train and how to disguise her very unique features, and where I would go. I'd also reached out to a close friend who was living in the direction I was going.

As for where I was going to take her… I had decided on my hometown of Tobetsu. Hana-chan lived there too. I heard she was trying to open a flower shop.

I smiled at the thought. It'd been her dream since we were in middle school. She'd finished her degree in Botany, completed her apprenticeship in Akita and had returned to Tobetsu for nearly a full year, now.

When I'd called her to catch up, I'd ended up lying to her though.

Hana-chan was a moral person… unlike me. If she knew what I'd really done to get this child, she wouldn't abide by it. She might even turn me in to the police.

And then I wouldn't be able to protect my baby anymore…

My baby….

Instead, I'd told Hana-chan that I'd had another child after I lost my first one, with another man by accident. The man I'd 'had this child with' had been abusive, and so in fear for both of our safety I was fleeing back to Tobetsu.

When I told her about how 'that man beat me and threatened to beat our child' she'd been full of sympathy and said I was welcome to stay with her until I found a house of my own, since my parents' old house had already been on the market and had been sold.

The fact that Hana-chan accepted my story without question left a bitter taste in my mouth.

But this was all for the sake of protecting this child from a more dangerous and unstable life.

So, in a way, this lie was a good thing. It would ensure she could live a safe and peaceful life away from all of that…!

Reminding myself of that really helped me swallow that bitter taste in my mouth.

And so, at midnight, one week exactly from her birthday, I packed up my few belongings into a rucksack, alongside the baby's essentials in a shoulder bag, and swaddled her up in her pink blanket. I was dressed in all black, in order to blend in with the shadows as I snuck out.

Clutching her close to my chest, but gently so as to not disturb her, I began on my way through my preplanned route through the Gojo estate, trying my best to avoid the parts of the floor that would creak.

For the first few minutes, it was going rather well. I managed to dodge the creaky floorboards and moved silently through the night.

And then I came to the part of my journey out of the house I was most afraid of. Walking past the young master's and Mr and Mrs Gojo's bedrooms.

I managed to clear the door to the young master's room with little problems, trembling as I went. I didn't want to imagine the expression on that boy's face when he found out what I'd done.

Out of everyone here, I felt bad for him. But not enough to stop what I was doing.

But it was when I passed the parents' door that it felt as though my entire plan shattered in a single second.

Right as I was passing the sliding door in the traditional half of the house, it slid open smoothly and I froze in my steps, my heart falling into the pit of my stomach.

I looked over my shoulder to the doorway like a deer caught in the headlights. I thought it was the end for me, as Mr Gojo stood there with an empty glass in his hand.

His cold eyes ran over me, calculating, as he noted my bags, and his baby pressed to my chest, before returning his gaze to meet my eyes again.

He stepped out from his room and slid the door shut behind him, still staring at me.

And then, as I flinched under his gaze, his eyes left mine and I felt stupefied as he turned and walked away from me, heading towards the washroom as if he hadn't just seen me obviously trying to run away with his daughter.

What do I do?!

I've obviously been caught. Is he actually going to the phone to call the cops on me? Am I going to jail? Obviously, I must be going to jail.

I felt tears forming in the corner of my eyes as I trembled, biting my lip so tightly it hurt.

"Well?" Mr Gojo's voice called, making me jump.

"Y-y-yes….?" I stuttered, quaking as I looked back over my shoulder.

"Get going. While I'm the only one awake." He said only loud enough for me to hear, standing a few feet away from me. I stared at him, shocked. Noting my silence, he continued, "I have no need for a child who has inherited neither the Six Eyes nor Limitless. Now go. Before I change my mind about not reporting you." He said so coldly, and yet it filled my veins with a fiery rage.

I clenched my teeth, and without sparing that man another moment of my time, I turned and hurried on my way, fully convinced that what I was doing was the best possible thing for my child now.

I disappeared into the night and never looked back.

Our future would be brighter than the dark one in store for this so-called Gojo 'family'!

And I will love this child, as if she were my very own Himawari.

We didn't go straight to Tobetsu. We hopped from one town to another, and avoided places with a lot of surveillance cameras like large train stations and shopping malls, hopefully in a pattern that seemed random enough to throw off any suspicion.

The way Mr Gojo treated catching me mid-escape left me to believe that he probably wouldn't call the police on me, but I couldn't just rely on that idea.

I had to act as though he might change his mind and want her back.

I couldn't trust anyone.

As we travelled, I gathered supplies and things I could disguise her with. After all, her colouring was not only unique, but very different from mine.

I'd managed to secure a realistic enough looking wig at a cosplay shop, but changing her eyes would prove difficult, since you weren't supposed to put contact lenses on such a small child. They could end up injuring their eyes permanently if they rubbed it to much, not having enough awareness to know they were wearing it.

I'd have to come up with another excuse for her eyes, until she was old enough to explain the reason for needing to hide them to her and have her understand.

After resting the final night in Akita, nearly a week after leaving the Gojo household, the two of us finally boarded a bus that would take us up into Hokkaido, and began our journey towards my hometown.

It felt a little unnerving that it had gone so well, so far.

I'd been able to explain away her unusual eyes and eyelashes as a genetic thing inherited from her 'foreign father', an old classmate from university.

We arrived in Tobetsu on our 8th day, and Hana-chan was there to welcome us into her home with a large smile.

Seeing Hana-chan again… it made me tear up.

I hoped that I could build a safe, warm and happy home for Himawari-chan and I, here.

For the first few years we spent together, it was difficult, but rewarding. I felt like I'd done a good job, and Himawari-chan had grown into a sweet, curious and intelligent little girl. We lived in relative bliss for just under four years.

But it was strange…

Ever since Golden Week when Himawari-chan was four, and we went to visit the Sunflower Farm, it felt as though she'd suddenly changed, ever so slightly.

And as the weeks and months went on and she returned to daycare, it only felt more and more apparent.

It started feeling like she was keeping secrets from me. She'd spend a lot of time outside of the house, or hidden away in her room watching cartoons… well… one time I'd actually found her watching something she really shouldn't have. A western horror that would've given even a teenager nightmares, I would say.

It was just a leftover reminder of Ayumu's. He'd been a big fan of horror films, and though they scared me, I'd always indulged him and watched them with them.

I'd spend the rest of the night on edge.

But it certainly wasn't something I wanted Himawari-chan exposing herself to, so young! She might be too young to understand it, but still…!

I made sure to hide away Ayumu's collection from that point onwards.

But one day, I found her acting strange on the patio leading out onto our small garden, and I couldn't ignore the strange things she did that day, even though… I really, really wanted it to have been a nightmare instead of reality.

I approached her from behind, noting that she was holding her hand out to something and concentrating on whatever it was.

But the garden didn't have anything suspicious in it.

I'd thought that maybe she was just playing.

"Himawari-chan? What have you been doing over there, sweetie?" I asked her curiously while drying my hands with a dishcloth and moving closer to her.

She moved her eyes towards me, the false hazel colour flashing slightly in the sunlight as she did, and stared at me blankly for a moment. Her hand was still stretched out towards the same spot as she did so.

After a few moments of silence, she finally spoke to answer me.

"I'm killing a curse, mom." She said and I gasped, widening my eyes.

'No… Surely she couldn't be…' Is what I thought to myself, stunned. I thought that I'd surely pulled her away from that environment before she could truly understand what her brother was telling her, and before she could remember things properly.

Infantile amnesia would have removed any traces of that kind of information.

'No, wait… The word curse doesn't relate solely to the Gojo's line of work. I'm getting ahead of myself. Calm down, Kiku…!' I told myself, trying to will my heartrate to return to normal.

Himawari-chan continued, lifting her other arm and moving it as if she were pulling on something invisible.

"Look, see? I'm grabbing it by its right arm and left leg, and then I'll pull them apart, like this. If I do that, it goes away forever." She said, starting to pull her arms further apart from each other as she did.

She gave a final jerk, before releasing her grip in her hands and lowering her hands onto her lap again.

She stared up at me as if waiting for a response of some kind.

But I couldn't acknowledge it. I didn't want to acknowledge it. Because acknowledging it means I failed to save her from that world.

It means that perhaps this was a fate she couldn't escape from, and it broke my heart.

"Ah, I see. An imaginary monster?" I chuckled, nervous.

'M-Maybe if I can just ignore this even more? But would that truly solve anything? Playing dumb in a situation like this is a little… but what else can I do?' I bit my lip, keeping my eyes resolutely on her tiny, delicate hands.

Himawari-chan shook her head, refusing my answer, "It's a curse. It's gone now. So don't be scared anymore, Mom," she said to me sweetly, grabbing my apron.

Hadn't I done enough right by her? Why was this still happening…?

Ah… but I couldn't cry in front of her.

Sorry, sweetie, but even if you say not to be afraid, I'm terrified, you see? But not of that curse I couldn't even see. I'm terrified for you.

"I-I see… Well, I think it's fine to kill imaginary monsters. As long as you don't go around killing real animals, or hurting the other children, then I'll allow it, okay?" I said, though my chest was hurting I hid it under a gentle smile as I took her hand from my apron, "You're such a brave girl. Thank you…for keeping your mom safe, okay?" I told her, cocking my head slightly while fighting to keep my smile in place.

"I will! None of the monsters will get Mom – not on my watch!" Himawari-chan told me with a smile as bright as her namesake.

I nodded, "Yes. Thank you." I said, getting up and letting go of her hand, "I'm making some onigiri. What kind of filling would you like?" I asked her.

"Tuna Mayo, please!" she cheered, and I nodded, mustering up a laugh as I turned and retreated back inside.

"I thought so…" I said as I parted with her, heading back into the shade of the kitchen to prepare them.

Once my back was turned from her, my smile slipped away and I felt my shoulders slump a little. I sighed out, feeling defeated already.

Perhaps… it's only a matter of time before this illusion of peace and normality is shattered, even though I worked so hard to build it in the first place for her.

Maybe… it was impossible after all, to separate that little girl from that world all along. Would she be dragged back to Tokyo regardless of my own selfish wishes?

I… wouldn't let her go easily. I couldn't.

At this point her original identity was buried so deeply in my memories that I barely thought of it anymore. It felt like she truly was my little Himawari, even though I knew she wasn't the same baby.

It was more like… the soul of my baby was placed into her body. Like a second chance given to both Himawari and I.

I loved her. I loved her so very much.

I'm sure Ayumu would have loved her too.

If…

If Jujutsu Sorcerers were to show up in Tobetsu, what would I do? Maybe… it'd be a good idea to make plans for that occasion. Maybe I could flee further north, or travel a route that would let me dodge them somehow…?

I didn't like the idea of getting closer to Tokyo and Kyoto, though. That's too dangerous.

Well… it's something important to consider.

I won't let them take her away from me without a fight. I will protect her innocence as best I can, for as long as I can, no matter what.

And then, I got sick one day. It felt as though my insides were cooking, my head was pounding, and it felt like I was constantly gulping down water and pocari sweat to replace what I lost through sweating. My clothes stuck to me uncomfortably, and it was impossible to sleep with a cover over me.

Standing up was a task in itself as I would be hit with dizzy spells.

It felt like someone was sitting on my back, my body heavy with exhaustion.

I didn't get a wink of sleep over the weekend and it must've showed to Himawari. She was so worried about leaving me this morning that I could only get her out of the door by promising to call Hana-chan and have her check in with me at 12 o'clock.

I spent the morning until Hana-chan came in a daze. It didn't even feel like four hours had passed when she came in.

As she checked my temperature and fed me a homemade porridge, she commented on how unusual my fever was.

Of course, I too thought it was strange.

I couldn't remember ever feeling this ill in my entire life…

Unfortunately, Hana-chan couldn't stay with me for long. She had a business to run, and quite a few bouquet orders to complete, so she left with an apologetic look, leaving me alone again.

Around 2pm, I'd finally had enough of my clothes sticking so much to my body that it felt like they were fusing with my skin.

I decided to try taking a shower, and went to my drawers to pick out some new underwear to replace my soiled ones.

But when I started going for my underwear I noticed a strange box tucked in with my socks, that I didn't remember seeing there before. Furrowing my brow in confusion, I lifted the box and tentatively slid open the lid of the wooden box to see what was inside.

Inside, was some sort of small cylindrical object, wrapped in what looked like bandages. The bandages seemed delicate and ancient, and were inscribed with old kanji. I couldn't read a lot of it because it was so worn but it seemed like a talisman of some sort.

"What on earth is this thing…?" I wearily wondered out loud, only for my thoughts to be abruptly cut off when I heard some sort of explosion or crashing sound coming from outside my room. It seemed like it was coming from the front of the house.

Shakily, I tucked away the mysterious object in its box, putting it back in my sock drawer for now and closed my dresser's doors, turning towards the door of my room.

I was scared. Who wouldn't be?

Someone may be breaking into my house, and in the state I was in right now I couldn't exactly fight back. And the phone was in the kitchen so I couldn't call the police for help from here.

I swallowed, but my throat was still dry from my dehydration.

I nervously shuffled towards my door, steadying myself on the wall with my hand as I moved.

I grabbed the handle of the door, noticing that my hand was trembling as I clutched it. Swallowing painfully again, I slowly turned it, and opened the door only slightly, peeking out through the crack it formed, looking towards the entrance.

What I saw caused my eyes to widen in fear.

The front door had been practically smashed in two, pulled partially off its hinges and the glass pane of the window next to it had shattered so that you couldn't see through it anymore.

The plant pot on the table next to the door had been knocked to the ground, spilling soil onto the genkan.

And there were slight footprints leading from it, that I could only barely make out from over here.

But…

There was nobody there. I couldn't see any…thing.

And then, suddenly, I could see something. Something right in front of me, crawling along the wall as if it were a certain Marvel superhero. But this was nothing heroic.

It was more horrific.

A monster was peering at me from about 30 centimetres away from me with a large maw containing human like teeth, wide, dead eyes staring from underneath knotted black hair. It opened its jaws to speak.

"Not… saaaaafffeee….!" It groaned at me.

"Myyyy baaabbbbyyy…" another voice said, shocking me out of my frozen state. There's more than one…!

I screamed out, slamming the door shut and staggering towards the patio door in my bedroom, but I slipped and fell, landing in a heap near my futon. I scrambled towards the patio on all fours, trying to keep moving, but the door to my room burst open behind me.

"No! Stay away from me, p-please! Monster! Help!" I screamed hoarsely, hoping someone would hear my cries.

Is this… Are these Curses?

Why was I suddenly able to see them like this?! What did it mean…?

"My baaaabbby….."

"Keeep heeerrrr saaafffee…"

"From thaaaat wo-wooorld…. Not saaaaffee…"

One of them grabbed my ankle, and started dragging me. I kept pleading with it to let me go and just leave me alone but all my words fell on what felt like deaf ears. It pulled me closer, as another one closed in and grabbed my head with its large hands.

"N-No… p-please stop…! I-I need to look aa…fter…!" I felt something break on my head as the hand tightened around it. My skull… "Hima…wari…my…baby…" I garbled out through blood lapping at my lips.

And then, it suddenly went dark. I couldn't feel anything anymore, so I felt strangely at peace.

Did I do enough for her…? After this… I won't see Hima… Gojo Yukine again.

Ah…. But maybe… I'll be able to see my Himawari again… Will Ayumu greet me in the afterlife as well…?

Will all of this have been worth it?

Whatever happens from now on, I hope that Yukine will become happy…

It's all I ever wanted for her.

onigiriri: I'm so sorry it took me so long to update this! I've been struggling with my mental health all through March, but hopefully the fact that this chapter is extra long will make up for it.

Some notes - the orange dinosaur onesie is a Digimon reference. It's been said that Satoru is a fan of Digimon. Also, just because Mr Gojo said that she didn't inherit Limitless or Six Eyes, doesn't mean it's set in stone. She definitely won't have six eyes, but it is possible that she could use Limitless (I have a way to work it in), but it depends on whether you readers would like to see that, or if you want her to stick to just having Magnetism.

Please share your opinion. :)

I don't think it turned out perfect, but I think it's alright. Let me know what you thought, please! It's the reviews that keep me going~ .