chapter 12: the monkey who doesn't know mercy

cw: adult sexual content, unhealthy relationship, gaslighting, offscreen murders

Toji's favorite time of day is sunset and its subsequent hours, when his apartment floods with blood-orange light that dissipates like a gentle exhalation as twilight settles and the stars, to his sharp eyes, burst into the night sky. He's a man who was forced into darkness as a child, so it is ironic that he finds comfort in its onset, but he realizes that the few things he's held precious in his life were secrets in nighttime. Shizuka, in the Zen'in inner gardens, nursing a wounded rabbit. His son, born as the sun's rays slipped away, cooing in the shadows from which his shikigami will be born.

Toji found Yuna in the middle of the day (or perhaps Yuna found him, she organized the date, in a cat café in Akibahara, at his request), and ever since he'd found her, he'd dragged her into twilight and night, and he's found her—precious? Beautiful?—in early moonlight. Is he allowed to think these things, when she belongs in the sun no matter how much she insists she doesn't? It won't last. It can't last. When Yuna says things that startle Toji—Am I in love with you?—he knows it must end, that he cannot keep this hummingbird in his cage, even if she does not try to fly.

She asks for nothing, and Toji offers nothing, and it feels terribly wrong because it cannot last, but also so wholesomely right because neither of them wants it to end.

It begins to end the morning Toji receives a text message from someone he hasn't spoken to in months.

From: Unknown

[06:13] This number still belong to Zen'in Toji?

The number is unsaved in Toji's phone, but Toji rarely saves the numbers of those he works with. It's an early Saturday morning, and Yuna stayed over the night before. They'd fucked, as always, and Toji must have annoyed her the night before when he'd made the comment that she was too small to really take him, because he'd woken up to her stroking him and now she's taking him in her mouth like she has a point to prove. At the sound of his ringtone and his choice to answer the phone, Yuna glares at him, though it is hardly a menacing look with her mouth stretched wide over his cock, her cheeks deeply flushed, her lashes tinged with tears.

"Pay attention to what you're doing, hummingbird." He buries a hand in her hair and pulls her gently toward him. Her throat spasms around him and Toji groans, lazy waves of pleasure jolting through him as his blood slowly wakes up and redirects south. Yuna resists his direction and moves on her own, her tongue tracing the underside of his dick and adding a focused friction as she bobs her head up and down his length. Toji, invested in making this last because he wants to see Yuna choke and cry because she's stubborn and he's sick, distracts himself by replying the text.

[06:20] Who the fuck is this?

[06:21] You always have a way with words, Zen'in. It's Kong Shiu.
[06:22] You should be nicer to me.
[06:22] I did you a favor only a few months ago.

Toji remembers. Kong is an ex-Tokyo detective who'd helped Toji find the buried police records detailing a certain case of double homicide in Ogawa, Saitama in 2001. Said accused murderer was currently nose deep in the hairs of Toji's groin, but that's a detail Kong doesn't need to know.

[06:24] Oh, right. What do you want?

[06:25] I have a job for you. We should meet in person.

He sends an address south of Shibuya.

[06:25] I think you'll be interested.
[06:26] 3 billion yen. You'll get to kill lots of sorcerers.
[06:26] I'm flying in tomorrow morning. We can meet at noon.

Below him, clearly irritated, Yuna hums and at the same time scrapes her teeth against his skin. Pain and pleasure shoot up Toji's spine and he swears, dropping his phone to the side so he can use both hands to control Yuna's head as he uses her, hard and fast, until he's coming hot down her throat. When she finally pulls away with a filthy wet schlick, she hovers over Toji, her eyes reddened and teary but her swollen lips curved into a self-satisfied smile as she wipes remnants of his release off the back of her hand.

"Fucking minx," he rasps.

She just hums, looking pleased with herself. He pulls her down to kiss her properly, tasting his own bitter aftertaste but enjoying the way Yuna nips at him. All things considered, it's a pretty good way to wake up.

"I should shower," Yuna says when she breaks away. Her voice is hoarse. "Do we have food?"

"I got it."

She climbs over him and heads out of the bedroom. Yuna does most of the cooking when they're together, except for weekend breakfasts, which she particularly enjoys Toji making. He waits until the shower starts running until he finds his phone to text Kong Shiu back.

[06:35] I'll be there.

Toji gets out of bed, (he has a bedframe now and a new mattress, thanks to Yuna) and goes to the kitchen to start the rice cooker. As it steams, he joins Yuna in the shower and fucks her against the wall so hard she needs helping stepping out of the tub afterward. He dresses her in one of his old T-shirts and sits her in the living room while he finishes making breakfast. They sit together on the couch, eating in silence as she leans against him to pour him tea and he absentmindedly traces the imprints he'd left on her skin before. The morning sun streams in, the television is silent, the river rumbles outside.

Yuna looks at him and even her blind eye seems to shine. She kisses his scar like it's her favorite thing about him.

"This is my favorite part of the day," she murmurs against his mouth.

Toji knows. It's starting to become his, too.

"Utahime-san and Mei-san have been missing now for two days."

Yuna glances over the mission report that her two kouhai had been sent on earlier in the week. Multiple Grade Ones and Twos expected in an old, reportedly haunted mansion in Hamamatsu City. The number and grade of curses had been enough to deploy both of their fourth-years together, though thankfully the early spring months have been relatively calm enough for them to go as a pair. It doesn't bode well that all connection with the two women had been lost, especially with Mei's comfortable status as a Grade One.

The mission brief says only one Special Grade is needed to verify the situation, but the prospect of potentially losing two fourth-year students makes Yuna uneasy. The work load has otherwise been manageable, and a day trip may be fun for the students.

"You three will go to Hamamatsu to assess the situation and rescue Utahime-san and Mei-san if needed," says Yuna.

"Eh?" Satoru sips at his cola. "All three of us?"

"Yes."

"Is that necessary?" says Suguru, dubious. "Satoru and I aren't really sent on missions together anymore, and Shouko—"

"Hates traveling," finishes Shouko for him.

"It will be a short train ride, and you can spend the rest of the day exploring once you ascertain your senpai's safety. It should be a lovely time for ume blossom viewing." Yuna hands the mission details over to Suguru, including train tickets and a generous stipend.

"Oh." Suguru takes the envelope, understanding Yuna's intentions. "Thanks, sensei."

"Yay," chirps Satoru. "Haven't you missed having me on missions, Suguru?"

"No, my paperwork gets done more reliably without you."

"What! I wrote so many reports last year!"

"You wrote literally two and they were done wrong."

"Speaking of, you're overdue for your last three mission reports, Gojou-kun," remarks Yuna. "Make sure you get them in or Yaga-sensei will give me trouble."

"Sensei," whines Satoru, "don't you think second-years shouldn't have to do reports anymore? Like we've graduated beyond it! I can get Nanami to do it for me, he's so good at them!"

"He is very good at them," she muses. "Better than you are, Gojou-kun."

"Sensei!"

"Maybe Suguru and I can go find Uta and Mei, and Satoru can stay here with you to work on his reports," offers Shouko.

Satoru whirls around and leans so far into Shouko's space that he's teetering on the very edge of his chair's back legs. Shouko looks entirely unimpressed.

"Don't you dare leave me behind."

She yawns in his face.

Suguru pulls Satoru back by his uniform. "We're not leaving you, dumbass, stop being so dramatic. Just bring your reports and we'll work on them on the train."

"Be careful, you three," says Yuna. "It will likely be fine, but it's unlike Mei to have trouble on missions. Stay alert."

"Don't worry, sensei," grins Satoru brazenly. "It's Suguru and me. We're the strongest."

Suguru rolls his eyes but smiles at the affirmation.

"I hate that you've started doing that," Shouko sighs. "It's so annoying."

"What? It's so cool! We're like superheroes!"

Yuna lets the students bicker while she cleans up the front of the classroom and checks her phone. She has no new messages. She checks to make sure her phone has service. Full bars. She frowns slightly. Toji is a responsive texter; if anything, he is the one who gets annoyed if she doesn't reply immediately when she's in class. It's Monday, they're not meeting for a training session tonight, and she'd just gotten back from his place late the night before. There is no reason for Toji to text her, other than that she normally finishes class to find a plethora of messages from him, ranging from expletive-filled irritation at random subway riders to confirmation that he'd disposed of a bounty hunter to once, an image of a stray cat. To receive nothing oddly disappoints her.

To: Reason You're Blind

[12:43] Everything okay?

"You all right, sensei?"

Suguru has left his classmates to argue about the newest superhero movie from America and now stands in front of Yuna, his long hair tied in a low, messy bun, his hands tucked in his pockets. He's grown taller in the last year, and despite how tumultuous it had been, he has grown well into his second-year. He's more sarcastic than before and certainly more disillusioned with the jujutsu world, but in a way that Yuna finds appropriate and honestly for the best. It confers a higher chance of survival.

Yuna closes her phone. "Yes, I'm well, Getou-kun. Thank you for asking. How about you?"

"I'm good. Thanks for giving us the time together."

"You don't need to thank me for that. I'm still sending you to do work, and it could be dangerous."

Suguru shrugs. "It'll be fine."

"Because you're the strongest?"

Suguru's cheeks tinge. "It sounds stupid when you say it out loud."

"But it's true. I have full confidence in you both, but please make sure your senpai are safe, and take care of Ieiri-san too."

"We will, and when we're back, I'll help out with Satoru's paperwork. I know he's not going to do it."

"You don't need to do that. You should spend your free time with the others. I know it's been an adjustment not being sent on missions with Gojou-kun anymore."

"You make us sound co-dependent, sensei."

Yuna hums, and Suguru looks even more embarrassed.

"We're not that bad!"

"I'm teasing, Getou-kun. I appreciate your offer, but you should spend your free time enjoying your youth instead of cooped up doing paperwork with me."

"I guess. I just feel like we don't see you much anymore, now that there are new first-years. I kind of miss going on missions with you."

It's Yuna's turn to feel embarrassed, though she doesn't show it. With her Cursed Object status, Yaga has sent her on minimal missions unless they're in a surge, in the event that there are eager bounty hunters in the wings. She obviously has not told him that she has found her own solution to the problem, but Toji has mentioned that the number of people after her has dwindled.

"I do, too. I'll take you three out to dinner after you get back from Hamamatsu, okay? We'll try to make up for the time."

"Ah, I didn't want to give you more work, sensei, that's not—"

"It's not work, Getou-kun. I would love to. Think about a place you want to go, all right? No price limit."

"You don't need to do that, sensei," he says, though he seems excited.

"I'm happy to." She collects her scrolls and pockets her phone. "Just make sure one of you puts up a Curtain in Hamamatsu, all right? Gojou-kun's last mission was very difficult to cover up."

"The one in Yokohama?"

"No, the one in Chiba."

"Oh, I forgot about that one."

Yuna wishes she could.

"We'll put up the Curtain, sensei."

"Thank you, Getou-kun." She pats him on the shoulder. "Reliable, as always."

Suguru looks pleased. She shouldn't have favorites, but she does, she always has.

Kong Shiu's meeting place is in an empty conference room on the forty-seventh floor of some tall business skyscraper in Shibuya. Toji feels like he should be dressed in a suit and tie instead of his usual black athletic wear, but he doesn't have the money for a custom-made suit and he never knows if these meetings will end in a fight, so he doesn't bother wearing something that will hamper his mobility. As far as trust in business associates go, Toji has none, but he and Kong Shiu have a decent working relationship and haven't screwed each other over yet, which is more than can be said about most others.

Kong Shiu is already there by the time Toji arrives. He looks out the floor-to-ceiling windows and turns away from the view to greet Toji when he enters. Kong is dressed like he belongs, in a business suit, no tie, and looks like he hasn't aged a day since Toji last saw him.

"Looking good, Zen'in," remarks Kong.

Toji snorts. "What's with the get-up, man?"

"I'm moving my way up in the world."

"You're a beat cop."

"I was a detective," corrects Kong.

"Either way, not this fancy."

"True," he admits. "Now, though, I am a formal business liaison on behalf of the Time Vessel Association."

"Those nutjobs?!" cackles Toji. "Damn, you saw the light, huh? That's fucking hilarious."

"Yes, I saw the light, the one that brightly shines over their coffers."

"Bunch of rich pricks, huh?"

"You have no idea," says Kong mildly. "They would like to offer you a job. Three billion yen to kill Amanai Riko."

"Who's that?"

"Oh?" Kong arches an eyebrow. "You've gone soft on me, Zen'in. Before, you would've just asked where and when."

"Three billion's only good if I stay alive, and somethin' tells me this ain't straight forward if they're offerin' that much."

"True. Amanai Riko is a fourteen-year-old girl in middle school and happens to be the perfect match for Master Tenge. He is merging bodies with this Star Plasma Vessel for the first time in five hundred years."

All of this rings a faint bell in Toji's memories, something about Tengen being the source of most barriers in the jujutsu world because he has the Cursed Technique of immortality. The details blur out because really, Toji has a shit memory and it's all boring, but he recognizes the significance of this merger.

"Right," he says slowly. "And your Vessel Association doesn't want that to happen."

"Precisely. They…we," corrects Kong, as if he needs to prove his loyalty to some unseen listener in control of his paycheck, "believe in a pure Master Tengen, and that he should ascend to his next stage of evolution unencumbered by the constraints of the physical body."

"You sound batshit, you know that, right?"

Kong ignores him. "The jujutsu society, especially the Institution, will be devoted to ensuring the merger happens. They will likely send their strongest to escort the Vessel to safety. Additionally, there's the group of Curse Users called the Soldiers of Q who just want to overturn all of the jujutsu world and who will likely try to assassinate her as well."

"Why don't we just let 'em?"

"They will not be successful, most likely."

"You know who the Institution is sending?"

Toji knows the answer even before he asks the question.

"It's not confirmed yet, but it will likely be the famous Gojou Satoru and his classmate, Getou Suguru."

Something in Toji's stomach stirs. It's not regret or dread—no, the curse stored in his gut reacts to Toji's bloodlust. He's excited.

"I remember that look," Kong notes. "Jobs haven't been good without me, Zen'in?

"I don't go by that last name anymore," says Toji. "I got married. It's Fushiguro now."

Kong looks amused. "Seriously?"

"Got divorced right after," admits Toji.

Kong laughs. "That's more like it. Never thought you could be tied down."

"Kept the name, though. Don't need all the Zen'in baggage."

"You can call yourself whatever you want, as long as you're still the Sorcerer Killer I need. You want the job or not?"

Toji remembers the first time he'd ever seen the Gojou heir, possessor of the Six Eyes and Limitless. The opposite of Toji, gifted with not just one rare Technique but two, the first of his kind to be born in centuries. Toji was the first of his kind to be born in centuries, too. Born with nothing, cursed with no Curses, the invisible man, except to the Gojou boy, who could see him, could sense him.

But only that one time.

Toji has followed him countless times at this point, and he's never been seen.

He grins. "Yeah. I'll take it."

"Excellent," says Kong. "I'll let the bosses know. Keep your phone on. We'll be in touch once we confirm her location."

Toji gives a mock salute as Kong leaves. His phone beeps.

From: Hummingbird

[12:43] Everything okay?

Toji reads the message over again, even though it's just two words. It's innocuous and there's no way Yuna knows what's about to happen. In his entire exchange with Kong, the thought of Yuna hadn't even crossed his mind.

This is it, realizes Toji. He's going to kill her precious students, and then this will be over. The curse in his belly has gone still.

[12:45] Yeah. Takin' care of some shit.

[12:46] Okay. Stay safe.

Shit. Yuna's soft smile in sunlight. She kisses his scar on his mouth. Her fingers trace the one on his chest, the one she'd left herself. Stay safe, as if the most recent time Toji had almost died hadn't been at her hands.

This is over.

He's not sad. This was bound to happen. He'd been prepared for this since the start—what was he doing in the first place, fucking with a sorcerer, much less one who teaches at the School, one who laughs when reading Gojou Satoru's term papers? It's going to end because he is choosing to end it. It's worth three billion yen, more than Yuna is worth dead, plus if Toji plays this right, he's going to kill Gojou Satoru, who's priceless.

[12:48] You free this evening?

[12:48] ? We just spent the weekend together.

Toji grits his teeth. What the fuck is he doing.

He's just about to type out a caustic reply when his phone beeps again.

[12:49] I'll be there around seven.
[12:49] What do you want for dinner?

[12:51] I'll cook.

[12:52] That's generous of you.
[12:52] Are you sure everything's okay?

[12:53] Fuck off.

[12:54] That's more like it.
[12:54] 3

[12:55] Are you doing math?

[12:55] A student showed it to me today.
[12:56] It's a heart. If you look sideways.

Toji just stares at it. Minutes tick by.

[13:00] Sorry. I didn't mean to make it awkward.
[13:03] I didn't mean anything serious by it.
[13:03] I just thought it was cute.

[13:05] Lost signal, hummingbird.
[13:06] You apologize too much.
[13:06] See you at seven. Come earlier if you can.

[13:07] Okay.
[13:10] 3

"An explosion in Hamamatsu! An old building suddenly collapsed on itself this afternoon. No fatalities have been reported, but serious property damage is obviously visible. Can this be blamed on old pipes?"

From: Getou Suguru

[16:43] So…sorry…sensei…

From: Ieiri Shouko

[16:44] I TOLD SUGURU NOT TO GIVE SATORU THE CURTAIN JOB.

From: Gojou Satoru

[16:44] Utahime and Mei have been gallantly rescued! Call me Superman!
[16:44] Nothing else important happened!

From: Yaga Masamichi

[16:50] Did they not even take an auxiliary manager?!

To: Yaga Masamichi

[16:51] I am deeply sorry and will handle the PR.
[16:51] Most importantly, Utahime-san and Mei-san are safe.

To: Getou Suguru, Ieiri Shouko, Gojou Satoru

[16:52] Thank you for your hard work.
[16:53] Please get dinner in Hamamatsu while I take care of the media and Yaga-sensei.
[16:53] As long as Utahime-san and Mei-san are well enough to do so.
[16:55] Gojou-kun, we will have lessons on proper Curtain casting when you are back.
[16:56] You will be joining the first-years in remedial lessons.
[16:56] You will also be doing the entire mission report.

Yuna arrives at Toij's home late, apologizing profusely about some kind of public relations fire that she had to put out. She is exhausted and thankful for the meal that he'd prepared: cold soba with dipping sauce and different types of tempura, agedashi tofu, and nigiri bought from the nearest fresh seafood market. They retire to his bedroom after dinner. The late summer heat has dissipated for once; instead, it's raining heavily outside, and the air that wafts through the cracked window is wet but cool. The pitter-patter against the reinforced tiles and steel drains would be soothing to anyone but Toji, who finds the constant noise as grating as guns firing in an open field. He lets Yuna do most of the work tonight, lying on his back and just enjoying the view as she rides him to completion.

Now, she curls against him and wraps her arm around his waist, or what she can of it. He closes his eyes, trying to dull his senses and decrease the constant overstimulation. He focuses not on the rain but on Yuna's heartbeat, which over time has slowed around him, and has become less annoying. Yuna does not know what is going on in Toji's head; he's done a good job pretending like he's not been irritated since agreeing to Kong's offer this afternoon.

"Do you think about Megumi-kun?"

He cracks an eye open at her. "Who?"

Yuna leans her chin on Toji's chest and squints down at him.

"Are you joking right now, Toji-san?"

"I'm shit with names. Got hit in the head too many times as a kid."

She realizes that he really isn't kidding, then squints harder. "He's your son."

"Oh."

"Did you really forget your son's name?"

"Honestly, hummingbird, I usually don't remember yours."

"I feel like your son should be more important to you, given he's worth ten billion yen."

"You're right." His fingers trace up and down her bare spine, underneath her (his) T-shirt. "You need to be worth at least five billion yen for me to remember your name."

"I am worth five billion."

"Not anymore."

"Ah. Have I depreciated that much?"

"You should be keeping tabs on that, y'know."

"I trust you to do that for me," she says simply.

"Don't be stupid. What'd I tell you? Trust no one."

"Except for in writing and blood," she quotes back at him, "and I think we have that in blood."

"We do," he admits.

Fuck. He needs to think of a way to get around the binding vow. Yuna cannot be anywhere near the Gojou kid when Toji attacks. If he accidentally hurts her, who knows what the repercussions of the binding vow would be.

"So?" Yuna peers at him. "Do you think about your son?"

"Nah. Not really. Why?"

"Nothing in particular. He just…looks a lot like you."

"Most Zen'ins do."

Yuna looks at him like she expects him to ask more about him, but Toji has no interest. His kid is safe, he trusts Yuna is taking care of that.

"He started elementary school," she says after a long pause. "He's going to the same school as his sister."

"Cool."

"She's very sweet. I bought them both new backpacks for the school year."

Toji glances at her. "You talk with them?"

"No, of course not. I have the obaa-chan at their local konbini give them the things I buy. All their goods have my seals sewn into them." Yuna thinks a bit. "I've even made them snacks with a little bit of my blood baked in."

"That's disgusting."

"It's not a lot. It's just so I can keep track of them. Besides, you do way more disgusting things."

Toji can't deny that, so he just grunts.

"Toji-san?"

"You're real talkative tonight. I thought we'd fucked hard enough for you to fall asleep."

She ignores him. "Why did you leave Megumi-kun?"

"Because I'm a shit person, hummingbird, you know that. I didn't even remember his name."

Yuna hums, and it's her disappointed hum. But she's a smart woman, and she knows when Toji is being difficult, and knows when she can or can't push him. The rain is giving Toji a headache. She has seen this pattern before.

She kisses him gently and slips out of the bed. "You should sleep, Toji-san. It'll help with the headache."

"Where are you going?"

"I have to talk with some lawyers. It won't be long. It seems I'm bothering you more than helping, anyway."

She stands up, but Toji tugs her wrist and pulls her back in bed. He wraps an arm around her waist and holds her from behind, trapping her in place by slotting a leg between her thighs. He brushes against her core and doesn't miss the way she shudders but immediately grinds down against his leg.

"You're helping," he mutters. "Just stop askin' dumb questions."

"Okay."

She wraps her arms around his. The character for Barrier on her arm glows green, and Toji feels something overcome the two of them, blunting the sound of the deluge. The air smells sweeter, and he relaxes and buries his nose between her neck and shoulder.

"You're goin' to Saitama this weekend?" he asks. It's about that time of month.

He feels her nod.

"Thanks." He means for the Barrier for him. Maybe for his kid, too.

"You're welcome."

"The Barriers around my kid, they're the same as the ones around the school?"

"Yes, essentially."

"Does that mean…" Toji thinks of how to phrase this in a way that arouses the least suspicion. "Does that mean if I wanted to see him, I couldn't?"

Yuna takes a moment to respond. "You could. You have no Cursed Energy. I couldn't create a Barrier around your son that prevented non-sorcerers from being near him. If I had, he couldn't go to school, or be around his sister. To my Barrier, you'd be a normal person."

"A monkey."

"Toji-san, I really hate that term."

Yuna has never expressed that she hates anything. Toji holds her tighter.

"Same for your School, then?"

"Yes. Many auxiliary managers don't have high amounts of Cursed Energy or Techniques. Many of our suppliers are non-sorcerers. It wouldn't be feasible to prevent them from entering the grounds."

That's good for Toji to know. He's beginning to form a plan.

A heartbeat passes, then two.

"Do you want to see Megumi-kun?"

Their minds are on two different tracks, in what feels like two different universes.

"I dunno."

Suddenly, in a rush of words like Yuna has been holding them back but cannot resist any longer, she says, "Toji-san, you know I'd hide Megumi-kun even without the binding vow, right? I'd do it if you just asked me to."

He knows what she's really offering. In this moment, Toji truly feels the gap in their years. In this moment, Yuna is not the tortured, fucked-up woman well-versed in the cruelties of the sorcery world; she is a naïve, pure thing who still can believe in a pipedream of possibly having a future with him, having a family with him, all because Toji had let her fall in love with him. In this moment, while he thinks of how to topple the jujutsu world—prevent a merger, destabilize the structure of Japan's jujutsu society, kill its Messiah—she thinks of monkeys and how they're normal, how she can hide them away, how they could leave.

Are you in love with me? Is the question she hadn't asked, because they both know the answer, because if Toji were in love with Yuna, he wouldn't have let this happen.

"I know," he says into her ear. "Because you're a fuckin' good person. So no matter what happens, you'll take care of him, right?"

"Yes."

"Good girl," he murmurs. He pushes her on her back and presses her knees up to her chest. "You don't have to get to work early tomorrow?"

"I do, Toji-san, I have to take care of some media coverage, we should just sleep—"

Her sentence breaks off into a small cry as he slides a finger inside her. She's still wet from before, a mix of their releases, so he easily pushes in two fingers, then his tongue, and then he can't hear the rain anymore because all he can hear is the pleasure he pulls from her, breath after breath, until she comes apart in his arms. It's his name on her lips, the cry of his hummingbird, heart beating like it will burst, and he knows that at last, it is time to let her go.

Satoru must know he's done something wrong, because he lets Yaga discipline him with a swift punch to the head (not truly damaging, more out of frustration than real punishment). Yuna, exhausted from being up far too late at Toji's and far too early at the School handling the School's lawyers and media relations, lets Yaga do most of the scolding while she rests at the head of the classroom. Shouko has snuck off somewhere while Satoru and Suguru were arguing (as always), but Yaga has stated that he only needs the two boys for the next mission.

"This mission is critical for the safety of our society!" says Yaga. "You must guard the Star Plasma Vessel with your lives. You will escort her and erase her. That is your mission."

Yuna had not realized that it was time for Tengen's merger until Yaga had told her this morning. Most details surrounding Tengen's transition are understandably kept under tight wraps, even from trusted jujutsu sorcerers, as compromising the merger means destabilizing the entire Japanese jujutsu world. With the location of the Star Plasma Vessel leaked the night before, fringe organizations have begun to mobilize, and the immortal Tengen has requested that the strongest jujutsu sorcerers be deployed to protect his Vessel.

Even if the strongest jujutsu sorcerers aren't even of age.

"I don't like this," murmurs Yuna. "This has as much bearing on the Three Great Clans as it does on the School. Why aren't the Families sending their own Special Grade Ones?"

"Because they're not the strongest, sensei," says Satoru brightly. "It's fine, Suguru and I got this."

She knows this, but it doesn't make her feel any better. "You'll head immediately back to the School afterward, all right? I've redone the Barriers and they should be in good shape. You should be protected the moment you're back on campus."

"Morimoto and I will both be guiding you through this mission," says Yaga sternly. "I don't want any shit from either of you. Follow protocol. That means you, Satoru."

Satoru opens his mouth to protest, but looks at how tired Yuna is, and closes it.

"Fine," he mumbles.

"Do you need Miracles?" Yuna unravels her scrolls. "These terrorist groups hire freelancers all the time. I'm worried there will be a Curse User with some odd Technique or—"

"Sensei, maybe you should get some rest," says Suguru gently.

"Yeah, I told you I'm never gonna use that again," frowns Satoru. "We're not gonna need it. Promise."

"You'll be careful? You'll come right back?"

"We got it," reassures Suguru.

"All right, head out, you two," says Yaga. "Call us with updates."

The two second-years leave the classroom, joking with each other, relaxed, as if this is another routine mission. In a way, it is. They have both faced Special Grade curses on their own and emerged from the encounters fairly unscathed. Suguru hadn't been able to absorb the Special Grade, but the fact he'd managed to exorcise it without losing most of his repository by relying mostly on close-quarters combat was impressive in and of itself. Satoru was…Satoru. He had still not managed to master Red, but his precision with Blue has improved, and he states he has learned a Maximum version of Blue, though Yuna has yet to witness it and shudders to think if she ever will. She prays desperately that Satoru will put up a Curtain when he does.

Yuna reads over the highly classified mission request that Yaga brought. Amanai Riko is a fourteen-year-old girl, a second-year at Renchoku Girls' Junior High. She is an orphan, her parents having died in a car accident when she was an infant.

"You all right, Yuna? Thanks for figuring things out with the Hamamatsu local news. You must've been up all night."

"It's no problem." She stares at Amanai's picture. "She's young."

"Yeah."

"I was fourteen," she says, tone a touch wry, "when someone gave me to an older man too."

Yaga looks uncomfortable. "It's not quite the same, Yuna."

"I know. I just can't see this girl willingly consenting to this when she has her whole life ahead of her." She closes the folder. "We're sending two teenage boys to protect her so Tengen-sama can merge with a fourteen-year-old. You'd think we'd have a better system by now instead of relying on children."

"I know. It's shitty."

"I don't mean to blame you, Yaga-sensei."

"I know. I agree with you. If it makes you feel any better, Tengen-sama's orders are to let Amanai do what she wants until the day of the merger."

Yuna looks at him sharply. "What do you mean?"

"As in, we still have a couple days, and if she wants to live her school life for those days—"

"Yaga-sensei, that's not safe."

Yaga smirks at her. "Since when have you ever interrupted me?"

Yuna blinks. "I mean, I just…for Gojou and Getou-kun, I…I'm sorry. I didn't mean to."

"No, it's good. Just noticing." Yaga pats her back. "They'll be okay, Yuna. Even if they're kidding around, they are the strongest the jujutsu world has to offer."

"That's pathetic."

He chuckles. "This year really changed you, huh?"

"I'm sorry."

"It's good," he repeats. "They're lucky to have you."

Yaga leaves Yuna to her own devices, which normally is fine, but she's antsy and on edge and if she's being honest with herself, slightly heartbroken that Toji had not reciprocated her feelings but she's not dwelling on that on the moment because she had expected it, and it's her fault for having feelings in the first place.

To: Gojou Satoru, Getou Suguru.

[15:23] Stay safe, you two.

From: Getou Suguru

[15:26] Thanks, sensei. We'll be fine.

From: Gojou Satoru

[15:27] Suguru is responsible for the Curtain, this time!

Yuna smiles. It will be fine.

It is not fine.

"You should come back."

In the confines of her office, a place Yuna rarely spends time in nowadays, she scrolls through the jujutsu underworld website, where Amanai Riko's bounty is posted in blaring white text on the front page. Thirty million yen to kill a teenager who holds the fate of the jujutsu world in her hands, though that point in obviously not advertised. She thinks the reward is stingy.

"I know," sighs Suguru on the other line, "but it's just…it's her last few days of really living, and I feel bad, and Satoru…"

Yuna understands. Who would have thought Satoru, of all people, would have any semblance of empathy for a stranger he'd met only days ago? It's childish, but not in the way Satoru typically misbehaves. Satoru was the one who'd called Yaga "soft" for letting Amanai go back to school after the soldiers of Q tried to assassinate her. Something must have changed. They're now all in Okinawa after a failed kidnapping, with an underworld bounty circulating the web, and yet, Suguru and Satoru refuse to get on the next flight back to Tokyo.

"It's not safe, Getou-kun. The bounty is still up." There's a timer in the corner of her screen, indicating there are still thirty hours left. "People will come after you. The sooner you're back within the School's Barriers, the safer you'll be."

She does not add that she has personal motives—she needs to get to Saitama on Friday to re-do Megumi's seals, but she does not want to leave campus until ensuring her students are back safely.

"I know Gojou-kun is feeling a kinship with Amanai-san at this moment. I imagine…" she swallows. "I imagine he's projecting some of his own desires for freedom onto her. But we cannot afford a mistake right now, Getou-kun. Whoever put up this bounty is still at large, and—"

"Is that sensei?" Satoru's muffled voice appears in the background. Suguru gives a noise of assent. "Here, let me talk with her. Sensei?" Satoru's voice becomes clear. "We're gonna stay in Okinawa until the bounty lifts."

"Gojou-kun." Yuna presses her palm to her forehead. "That makes no sense, it's not safe."

"It makes plenty of sense. The Curse Users will have a hard time getting to us here, it's a smaller airport, there's less negativity here anywhere compared to Tokyo so less Curse burden as a whole. We'll stay here tonight and get on the first plane tomorrow. We'll be back at the School by the time the deadline expires."

"Getou-kun said you didn't sleep at all last night and you've had your Technique activated the entire time—"

"Please, sensei."

If the last year has changed Yuna, it's changed Satoru more. Since when did Satoru say please, much less on behalf of someone else?

"My priority is your safety," she says, "and the integrity of this merger."

"Really? I think your priority is the wellbeing of a fourteen-year-old girl who hasn't ever gotten the chance to say no to a life someone else told her to live. Sound familiar?"

"Satoru," chides Suguru in the background.

"What, it's true. She should understand, this whole thing is bullshit—"

"Gojou-kun. I'm going to talk to Yaga-sensei. If he says no, you're coming back."

They both know Yaga won't say no.

"Deal."

"Both of you," she stresses, "you need to be careful. Don't let your guards down until you're back, all right?"

"Got it." Satoru pauses. "Thanks, sensei. We'll bring you back something nice from Okinawa."

"Just yourselves, in one piece, please."

After Yuna updates Yaga, who says that they should send her first-years to Okinawa as extra support (Yuna protests vehemently at this but is overruled), she returns to her bedroom and collapses on the mattress. She has ignored a sinking feeling of dread in her stomach all day. She and Toji have been texting, perhaps a bit more sparsely throughout the week, but it is because Yuna is so preoccupied with this mission that she is the one who has been slow to respond. Toji replies with his normal speed and candor, but something hasn't settled well with her since she saw Amanai's bounty.

She has to ask.

Yuna makes sure the seals around her room are in place before she calls him. Toji picks up on the second ring.

"Hummingbird?"

"Hi."

"Somethin' wrong? We don't normally call."

She can hear whistles and cheers filter through his side, and if she listens closely, horses neigh. The sounds relax her.

"Are you at the races?"

"Yeah. Just lost fifty thousand, so not in the best mood."

She decides not to chastise him about his gambling at this time.

"What's goin' on?"

"I…I know we don't normally talk about this, but I have to ask. Are you pursuing the bounty on Amanai Riko?"

Toji doesn't answer for a moment. "I saw that one. Thirty mill for a girl, right?"

"Yes."

"Nah. I'm not."

"Why?"

"You want me to?"

"No," she says swiftly. "I don't."

"Then what bounties I don't take shouldn't matter, right?"

"Just…" She swallows the lump in her throat. "I just wanted to make sure."

Toji is silent for a long time again. "I told you, hummingbird. It'd cost more."

"Okay. Sorry to bother."

"It's fine."

There's a long pause. Yuna feels so anxious, her teeth chatter. It's barely audible, but Toji hears.

"You wanna meet up tonight?"

"Yes," she answers immediately, relief rushing over her at the prospect, because she'll be able to see him, and can also ensure he won't sneak off to Okinawa in the middle of the night. She really should go to Saitama tonight, if Satoru and Suguru won't be back until tomorrow, but this is more important.

"All right. We can train first. You sound like you need it."

"Okay."

She thinks she hears someone call, "Zen'in" in the background, but can't be sure.

"I gotta go, hummingbird. See you at the gym."

Before Yuna can say anything, Toji hangs up. Yuna's insides gnaw at her, but she ignores it. Instead, she goes to Toji, because she loves him, because she pretends that he loves her, because she is a fool.

She never makes the same mistake again.

To: Morimoto Yuna

[14:52] We're back on campus!

[14:53] I'm so glad.
[14:53] I'm about twenty minutes away. The train was delayed.
[14:53] Are you all okay?

[14:55] Yes. We dropped the first-years back at the dorms first.
[14:56] Satoru and I are taking Amanai to Mount Mushiro.

[14:58] Okay. I will meet you there.
[15:00] I'm sending Ieiri-san your way too once she gets back.
[15:00] How is Amanai-san?

[15:05] Getou-kun?

[15:08] Getou-kun, is everything okay?

"Getou-kun!"

Someone shakes his shoulder.

"Getou-kun!"

Everything hurts badly. His torso is on fire, his Cursed Energy gone, and there's a terrifying vice grip on his insides, but he doesn't remember his internal organs being injured, maybe that man's weapon had cut deeper than flesh wounds, maybe—

"Suguru!"

Someone slaps him across the face, and Suguru's eyes snap open. Yuna appears in his line of vision, covered in sweat, her breath coming short. Her eyes are wide like a doe's, and when Suguru blinks, he could convince himself that some beads of her sweat are tears.

"Thank the gods." Yuna holds him tightly. She does not seem to care that Suguru's blood drenches through her white blouse; she looks like a shrine maiden ready to be sacrificed.

Sacrifice.

His stomach contracts.

"Amanai," he croaks.

"She's not here," Yuna leans back but keeps his face tight in her hold. "It's just you, Getou-kun, there was so much blood, but you were the only one I could find. Where's Gojou-kun? And Amanai-san?"

Satoru. Where is Satoru? Suguru blinks again, and the grip on his insides intensifies, it's coming back to him now, the fight with the man who had no Cursed Energy, who'd shot Amanai through the head with a single bullet, right when she'd chosen to live, and he remembers now what he'd said—

"Satoru's dead," he hears himself say.

Yuna just stares at him. "That's not possible."

"Amanai's dead, too. He shot her in front of me. He found us here," Suguru looks around, at the entrance to Tengen's gate, they were so close, they were steps away. "Satoru was fighting him at the front gate, and he told me to prioritize bringing Amanai here. He found us because he killed Satoru."

The words fall out of Suguru's mouth, but he doesn't think he believes them. He's lost a lot of blood; it makes his mind hazy, he wants to throw up everything he'd had for lunch, and the curse he'd had before breakfast, and the contents of his heart and soul because now his insides feel like they are tearing apart, layer by layer. Suguru stares back at his teacher, wide-eyed, and his eyes flood.

"Sensei. Satoru's dead."

"That's not possible." Yuna clutches Suguru tightly. She is shaking. "That's not possible, Suguru."

"He said he killed him." Something wet falls down Suguru's cheeks. Everything hurts, so, so badly, not just the cuts carved in his body but something much deeper. His heart beats furiously in his throat, and that's the only reason why words don't come out right, why Suguru feels like he's swallowing his tongue. He should've stayed with Satoru, they were stronger together, but instead Suguru had left him alone and so Satoru had died alone. Suguru had failed, had failed Amanai, had failed Satoru, he was alive only by the whim of a murderer, by the luck of being born a Curse Manipulator, even though at this moment, Suguru wants nothing more than to die too.

"I'm sorry, sensei."

Yuna looks like he's just stabbed her through. "Suguru, please..." She brushes aside his tears. "Who attacked you?"

Suguru shakes his head. "I don't have a name. I've never seen him before. Satoru didn't recognize him either. He wasn't a sorcerer."

Yuna's hands go still. "What do you mean?"

"He didn't have any Cursed Energy."

Yuna's face matches the color of her blouse. Suguru thinks he probably looks the same way.

"He fought Gojou-kun at the front?"

"Yeah."

Yuna is a woman of few words, but she never struggles for them.

"Did he take his body?"

Suguru shakes his head. "I didn't see."

"There wasn't a body at the entrance. There was a lot of blood and remnants of Gojou-kun's Technique. But no body."

Suguru's heart stops. His breath catches. "Do you mean...?"

"It's Gojou-kun." Yuna presses her lips to Suguru's forehead, like a reassurance, before standing up. "Anything is possible. Ieiri-san should be here soon. She'll heal you quickly, then we need to find them."

Suguru staggers to his feet. Yuna offers him a shoulder for balance, which he gratefully takes.

"Do you think Satoru is alive?"

"I don't know." Yuna does not believe in white lies, even now, but she squeezes Suguru's hand tightly. "But I will only believe it if I see his body."

His heart is beating again, his gut has relaxed, he thinks he feels something dangerous, something he cannot let grow. Hope.

Ah, thinks Toji. Shit. I fucked up.

His arm is gone, so is most of his torso, actually. Who would've thought he'd ever get to see his own entrails roping onto the floor? Somehow, through all of that, his heart remains in tact, and it is the only reason that Toji is alive enough to answer this final question posed by the boy, child, man, monster, god who will get to claim his life.

"Any last words?"

Blood pours out of Toji's mouth and dribbles down his chin.

It's a stupidly sunny day, but he's quite cold. He's never cold. Shit. What a fuck-up. He knew. He'd felt it. Unease. When was the last time Toji had ever been uneasy about anything? He should've run. Job was done, he'd gotten paid. He could've made it out. He'd won round one. What else did he have left to prove? Stupid fucking shit.

"Nah."

Shizuka cradles their newborn in her arms. Toji has that picture somewhere in his apartment. He hasn't looked at it in a while. The baby is sleeping. Shizuka is happy. Toji thinks he was happy, too.

He'd given it all up: the chase, the respect, for them, for himself. He couldn't care to be happy.

Megumi. He remembers the last time he'd seen his son. Pouting, when Toji said he couldn't be back early enough to tuck him in bed. He'd met with Zen'in Naobito instead and sold his son, for ten billion yen, because Megumi meant blessings, and ten billion yen was a whole lotta blessings.

Because, maybe, Megumi could be happy, could be a blessing where Toji could not.

"In a couple years," says Toji to the lanky teenager floating in front of him, splattered with blood, eyes like foxfire, "my son will get sold to the Zen'in clan."

The Gojou kid frowns. "Why would I care?"

"Do whatever you want."

"Where is he?"

Toji laughs, and it causes everything to ache. "No idea. Ask your teacher."

The light fades from Toji's eyes. His heart slows down, blood oozes out of his gaping wounds, and coldness claims him. Maybe it's his Heavenly Restriction, maybe it's just his stubbornness, but for several minutes after Toji's body dies, his soul remains, and he is present, waiting, sensing, for something.

The Gojou heir leaves him. The sun beats brightly overhead. He can hear the birds chirping, and he wishes (he can still wish?) it were nighttime instead, in Edogawa, near the river, with frogs and crickets instead, with the gentle splash of waves, with cool moonlight illuminating, with...

A small pair of black flats appears in front of him. Toji's soul cannot move his dead body, and so he can only stare ahead. The shoes are familiar. Petite, pointed, worn. They are covered with blood. He knows these shoes. They've been stacked neatly at this doorway so many times before. His soul hums, and it begins to unravel, as if this is what it had been waiting for. He cannot move his head, cannot look upward toward the sun and see her face, but that is probably because he does not deserve it.

She does not kneel in front of him. She does not touch him. She merely stands here, feet rooted, centimeters away. He can hear her hummingbird heart beat, beat, beat, and it is painful, for him because he is dead, for her, because she is alive. He is glad she does not touch him. Nothing is greater than death, to remind him of what he never should have touched.

Raindrops fall onto the ground in front of him, in front of her shoes, but the sun beams bright overhead. There are no clouds.

Oh. He gets it.

I told you, hummingbird. You'd only disappoint yourself.