Chapter 34

Gojo took his time with the assignment, yet as he returned to the school, he found it rather… chaotic.

There were foxes everywhere, the councilmen and staff were all running around in a craze while they were stalked by at least five of these creatures. "We don't know! Quite following us!" one would shout.

Satoru merely smirked as he wondered onto the ground. "Wow, that's a lot of critters." He said offhandedly.

"GOJO! GET RID OF THEM!" the councilman shouted.

The foxes stopped and stared at Gojo, but he merely smirked. "What do you expect me to do about them?" he demanded. "They are only foxes,"

"They are following us EVERYWHERE!"

"So, do you have something of theirs?"

"What would we have that belongs to a fox?!"

Gojo merely shrugged. "Well, until you figure it out, let me take back Itadori." He said with his arms extended.

Suddenly, the council froze. "Itadori… the demon vessel? Oh… he… it… just went down for a nap!" they said in a befuddled tone.

"Huh? He doesn't have a nap for another twenty minutes! We have to keep him on routine, you throw him off it, God help you!" Gojo began to peer about. "Now, let's see, where is Itadori…"

He heard the foxes snickering until one gently pawed at him. It was a young looking fox and began to do a circle one way and then the other. "Oh? May I follow you then?" he asked gently.

The fox began to led the way, all the while the council tried to stop him. "Have you finished your mission already? It was only a few hours…"

"Hour and a half to get there, purge the curse, hour and a half to get back. Why?" Gojo asked.

"Well what about your students? What of their missions?" one asked as there appeared to be a glimmer of hope in his eyes.

"SENSEI! WE'RE BACK!" shouted Nobara as she returned with the second year students. "Huh?! What's with all the foxes?" she demanded.

"The councilmen said they put Itadori down for a nap. I have to wake him up if not, we are off routine,"

"Damn right, last time that happened, it took us a week to get Itadori back on a sleep schedule. Where is the little cinnamon roll?" she asked offhandedly.

"Cinnamon roll?" muttered the council.

"Funny you should ask, this fox appears to know where Itadori is, I am going to follow them. Wanna come?"

"Nah, I am going for a shower," Nobara muttered.

The council appeared relieved. "But I'll go with you, Satoru"

Gojo smirked as their faces drained of color. Suiryu returned as he looked about. "This… doesn't look good. Why are all these foxes here? You do know Kitsune protects my little bro right? There wouldn't be this many here… unless… something happened to my little bro…" he began to glare at the council. "Anything you wish to tell me?"

"Uh, it's just that, we weren't… aware of the vessel's nap regiment.."

"You put him down for a nap NOW?!" he demanded. "Shit, now he's going to go off schedule!"

"That's what I told them!" Gojo protested. "We better go wake him or we will have a very cranky Itadori…"

"No shit… ME!" Suiryu protested.

The two began to trail the fox, at the same time the council was trying to stop and block them from progressing. "Gentlemen, you just returned, perhaps you need a break…"

"Itadori comes first," Gojo said gently.

They ventured into the main building, there were councilmen cornered by foxes. "Ah, is… something wrong gentlemen?" Suiryu asked. "Because if it is, I'm not going to be happy… when I am not happen… stuff tends to happen… bad stuff…" he said in a warning tone.

The fox they were following began to paw at one of the doors. Gojo began to reach for the handle when the council shouted. "NO!"

He paused oddly. "No?" he asked curiously. "Why?"

They froze, caught between a rock and a hard place, they stammered yet couldn't speak anything coherently. Gojo shrugged as he opened the door, the council tried to beat him through, but it was the foxes that flooded the room. They sniffed about until one began to cackle aloud at a small bed and pawed at the snow suit Kitsune made. It kept pawing and pawing until the jacket opened.

There was no Itadori within it.

Suddenly, the glare of everyone in the room came upon the council. "Were you not tending to my brother?" Suiryu asked as his voice sounded gentle, but the tone of it, made everyone's skin crawl. Even Gojo's!

"We… we weren't aware of the… uh…"

"Weren't aware?" Gojo asked. "I told you in great detail before I left, that Itadori can't be outside for too long… how long was he outside for!?" he demanded.

They froze.

Suiryu's look darkened as he glared at the council. "I want to murder you… so badly right now… but I know it will work against me if I did… however… being torn apart by wild animals, now that's out of my jurisdiction…"

The foxes began to snarl and take aim. The councilmen went running in terror as they were chanced by at least a hundred foxes!

Gojo couldn't hold it in anymore, he burst out laughing, as did Suiryu. "Oh man, wait until they get outside…"

Now he HAD to see this himself.

Gojo went back outside, but was directed towards the student dorms. There was a small snow fort made and peering out over it was Yuuji and Choso. "Since when did you make this?" Gojo asked.

"Just before you got back. Not bad for a rush job…" he peered up. "Little bro having fun?" he called to Choso.

"Indeed, he feels as if he is flying without flapping his wings… you won't be flying in the cold like this, understood?" he gently said to Yuuji.

"Ump" Yuuji replied.

It was then the council was brought to the fort, surrounded by foxes that bared their fangs towards them. "Please… it was an honest mistake!" one lied.

"I doubt it was," Gojo muttered. "I told you he would die if he was left outside for too long… but I did forget to mention, that's only the case if he wasn't well protected."

PLOP

Suddenly, the council became covered in snow.

Yuuji chirp and clapped happily to see the old geezers covered in the white stuff, but as they peered up to see Yuuji looking down, their horrified looks turned to anger.

The foxes were cackling aloud, so was Suiryu as he snickered to their misfortune. "WHAT IS THE MEANING OF THIS!?" one councilman shouted.

"Simply put, we were testing you, and it's clear now more than ever, you will never be entrusted with Itadori. How fortunate for you that the thick snowsuit you were taking care of didn't have Yuuji in it. How unfortunate for you, we're no well aware of your… parent abilities when it comes to little Yuuji." Gojo announced. He peered up. "Choso, I do believe it's time for Itadori's nap!" he called.

"Indeed, come little brother. It's burrito time,"

Yuuji's eyes widened as he chirped happily to the notion of having 'burrito time'. Gojo is thrilled that Itadori loves the term. He does too!