Gojo was wondering how he would get the girl to talk… Thinking about what he could use against her, her family? No, she obviously didn't care what they thought.. Suguru maybe, but he couldn't be sure of what her affiliation with him is.. Or even how they may have crossed paths in the first place. She was fascinating though, that's for sure. In more ways than her affiliations and motives, in the way that she soothed herself when she knew she would be prone to react… In the way that she bit her tongue instead of her lip, the way she controlled her breath and tone of voice..
She was trying to get the upper hand, for sure, and Gojo knew that he could probably get whatever information he wanted out of her fairly quickly, in whatever way he wanted, and have the mission over and done with. But there was something about dragging the entire thing out that sparked a mischievous fire inside him… It would be two birds with one stone… play with the girl for as long as I like, pretending that she won't crack, and piss off the higher ups, its a win win! He cracked a smile, mulling over the different ways of getting her to talk in his head while he finished up the classes progress reports that he knew he didn't need to do. But if keeping the higher ups happy in some ways that he usually wouldn't lent him more time to see what the Saotomi girl was really about, then it would be worth it.
Gojo Satoru tapped his pen against his desk, he was alone in the room, otherwise he would be relishing in how the sound ever so subtly annoyed his students. Shame.
So how does she feel about being trapped? About failing her mission?
That would be a good start, the sorcerer decided. To bring up the hurt and sense of failure and create weakness.. If it really was Suguru who sent her here she is surely feeling like he left her by the wayside, betrayed her even, sent her somewhere she was out of her depth even potentially knowing she would fail…
Why? To get to me?
There were so many layers to the situation, Gojo couldn't wrap it all up neatly in one sitting, and he had to figure out why she was there. His classes had finished and he knew he had to go down and see the poor girl. The suspicion that Geto had sent her in to get caught almost made him feel sorry for her, and Satoru had to remind himself that she had still chosen this path. She had chosen to become a curse user, when she could easily have asserted her evident strength within her own family, within the world of jujutsu and made herself an asset to the fight against curses and curse users. But she didn't. Gojo could see the darkness in her heart, the anger, bitterness. It showed when she tensed and relaxed, hoping that the Six Eyes wouldn't notice. Gojo could sense her heartbeat, he could probably even feel into her neuro chemistry if he really applied his ability and its domain over the physical world, if he really wanted to.
Gojo knew that he could get her to confess to being a spy for Geto, intuitively he just knew that was the case anyway. But the deeper parts of him were far too fascinated by the story, why Mio left her family, joined Geto, and ended up here.. There had to be something more to it. He needed there to be something more to it.. A reason to keep her alive for longer, a reason to keep her alive at all. Though the strongest sorcerer had very little sympathy for those who easily stray to the darkness, he had experienced it, fought against it, himself. He had to know why she lost herself. The more he thought into it the more he couldn't deny the feeling…
He didn't want Mio to be executed.
He didn't want her to die needlessly, her evident talent wasted.
And he also needed a rat, someone Geto trusted.
Gojo realised something in that moment, the longer he kept her here, the less Geto would trust her if and when she did return. He needed to get her on his side, and quickly, but he needed a plan, to know where to start, a weakness to exploit…
It had to be Geto.
The sooner he convinced her that her anger, her sense of betrayal was justified, there may be a chance she would see the danger in what Suguru was really doing… That was his only way, really, to make her angry at him.. But at the same time he had to do it in a way that makes Mio trust him, favour him… desire him?
He had noticed how there was a brief moment where she opened herself up, like how a puppy rolls over in a bid to not be attacked. Mio knew that at this point making Gojo want her enough to keep her alive was her only option. She had betrayed her family, and then been betrayed by her master. It was nearly enough to make Gojo feel sorry for her, but he couldn't let himself do that. He had to make her crack, he had to be direct, and he had to act quickly. They seemed to have one thing in common at least, being betrayed by Suguru… but he needed something else.
Well, he thought, the pace of his thoughts quickening with the tapping of his pen, she looked like she was willing to do anything to gain my trust… she actually very openly invited me, in reality. Surely it would be a wasted opportunity not to play it her way, let her think she has control, maybe…
Deep in Gojo's gut, the idea felt wrong, letting her think she had the upper hand. If they did play it that way, it would have to be a delicate balance. He knew the Saotomi girl wouldn't be stupid, he had to trust her as much as she had to trust him, or for each to make the other believe that was the case. Could it really be that simple… as simple as give and take…
He checked his watch, 4:30. The girl wouldn't have eaten all day, but Gojo was sure that Mio could handle it. Still, he'd better get going or the higher ups would be after him, and he'd much rather avoid that. So he packed up his small briefcase, set it inside the locked drawer in his classroom, since he wouldn't be needing it anyway and could pick it up later, and set off to see Saotomi Mio. He was almost excited, like a child knowing he's going on a surprise trip and not knowing where. He wanted to contain it, but decided against it. He was practically skipping down the corridors of the Jujutsu Tech High School, towards the secret vaults and underground confines in which she waited for him.
When she arrived she was fairly heavily armoured, for a curse user, it was determined (with a heavy amount of Satoru's influence) that any of her own clothing was a potential threat. They had no way of proving if it was imbued with cursed energy that could be used against him at any point. The higher ups, of course, could tell that there was a perversion element to it, you hardly had to look beneath the surface of the man to tell he was a freak.
So he left her there in the bare minimum.
The undercloth of her shirt, barely covering down past her stomach, and her underwear. Restraining her after knocking her out was the most fun he'd had in months, aside from his little skirmish with Sukuna and that irritating special grade. Of course he was excited at the opportunity to do practically whatever he liked to her. He could torture her for information if he wanted, but Gojo wasn't a cruel man, he could see that somewhere her light had been dimmed, by someone, he saw past her stubbornness and her attempts to subtly seduce him. He would show her real power, eventually, power even Suguru didn't possess. But first he would be kind, because he knew the girl was probably hurting.
He walked slowly down the steps, breathing in that familiar smell of forgotten knowledge and dust. He didn't mind this part of the building, it was in the same area as he brought Yuji-kun to, but deeper. He had set up his own barrier so that only he could come in and out, and anyone else who attempted to approach the area would lose their short term memory and forget why they were there, turning around and going back up the stairs. He smiled to himself and put his hands in his pockets.
The door was in front of him, and he decided how he was going to make his entrance.. He then realised loudly inside his racing mind,
Shit, I forgot to bring her any food.
He thought about it for a second, and decided that this was a good opportunity to test whether she wanted him to be around her or not. To test her priorities, he supposed. So he opened the door and openly admitted his mistake as a greeting.
"Hey Mio"
Addressing her informally, it was just a gut feeling, she had already told him who she was herself and it was evident that even if he didn't know who she was before, he could easily research her and find out her first name.
"So, uh, I totally fudged it and forgot to bring you anything to eat… I promise it wasn't on purpose."
She smiled.
She had been starving all day, and of course, of course the only thing she wanted, something he can barter with, the fucking idiot had genuinely forgotten it.
Mio knew from this that he wasn't as calculated as she had known him to be in other circumstances, in battle, in the school and within the Clan structure. She took a moment to think why this would have happened, wondering if he did actually mean to starve her as some form of torture.. That would make far more sense, so why the apology?
"I can make it up to you, what would you like to eat the next time I come down? I mean I could leave now and go get it even.."
What the fuck is this? Mio was shocked.. She was expecting this harsh, psychological warfare, or some kind of physical torture at the very least.. But Satoru was literally asking her what she wanted to eat.. He was definitely trying to gain her trust as much as she was his. But.. Mio couldn't place it, there was a genuineness to it that she just didn't understand, he was genuinely sorry for forgetting to bring her food… why? She would test it anyway, and then see what it was the sorcerer had really come to talk to her about.
"I like katsu."
Gojo smiled.. even more honesty.. He was once again genuinely surprised, she may have become a curse user and an ally to his only real sworn enemy, but Mio sure wasn't lacking in integrity. He leaned against the door frame with crossed arms and took in her figure once more, allowing his gaze to drift from her slender feet, up past her toned legs, quickly moving past her midsection for fear of lingering too long and causing suspicion.. Or worse.. More intrigue. He had deliberately left the blindfold on, he didn't really have to, but he thought that it may have allowed Mio to think more clearly.
He chuckled lowly to himself, walking over to her without any delay, once again placing his hands in his pockets. He leaned over her near naked body to speak softly, directly into her ear, grinning like a Cheshire cat.
"I like katsu, too."
His breath was hot on her neck, deliberately close enough to send shivers down her spine. She had had some experience with Geto using this kind of psychological manipulation on her, though Mio had to admit to herself that she had a weakness for the man.. Apparently the same weakness was manifesting here. The electricity in Gojo's voice was magnetic, she almost felt her heart beat twice, and she had to calm herself down or he would know straight away that he had the upper hand.
"Should I go and get some now, and come back later?"
What the fuck is that supposed to mean? Mio wondered, what kind of answer is he looking for?
He was looking for a weakness, she knew that much, but what was the weakness he was after? Food? Or him… I mean, its a pretty hard choice, to be quite honest. She needed food to think straight, and Satoru knew that too. Would she choose to try and manipulate him while at a disadvantage as a display of confidence? The wait for Mio's response hung thick in the air, and before he had time to fully be able to anticipate her answer, Mio's stomach answered on her behalf.
The rumbling echoed across the room, they both tried not to laugh but the timing was too impeccable. Mio let out a soft chuckle, which sounded genuine to the sorcerer, she sounded relatively relaxed considering the situation she was in. A shame really, he had rather wanted to toy with her under stress to see how she would respond. When the chuckling between them stopped, there was a warmness in the room. Gojo decided that there was no need to torture the poor girl today, and that he would just go and get her the katsu she had asked for. That would get her on side, he thought, a show of care for her in asking her what she actually wanted, and getting it, rather than just bringing down any old garbage. That would make her resent me, I'm not that stupid.
"Alright then, unless you have anything you'd like to say, I'll be off now.." Gojo said with a smile, and turned on his heel towards the door.
"W-wait.." Mio muttered quietly, almost hoping Gojo wouldn't hear her.
"Ya-huh?"
Mio smiled and softly chewed at her lower lip for a moment. If he was being nice to her to get her to like him, she may as well milk it..
"Could you get me a packet of strawberry Pocky too? Please?"
Gojo laughed again, even louder this time.. Mio thought for a second that he was going to say no and tell her where to stick them, but he just opened the door, and looked back at her for a moment. She was doing that steady breathing she does when she's trying to control her actions, but Satoru noticed that she was softly running her thumb up and down the length of her forefinger. It was blatantly intentional, though Gojo had to admit it was pretty cute. He was going to think about how to react, to choose the best possible option of how to respond, but again decided against it. He responded instinctively..
"Of course I can.. If you're a good girl."
All Mio heard following his words was the soft sound of the door knob sliding shut, and Gojo's footsteps walking away.
She could hardly say she was surprised, of course he's going to give her what she wants, make her pliable, but he really just straight up asked her… He's good at this, she'd be lying to herself if she tried to deny his natural charm, how she could tell when he was smiling. There was a heat in her stomach that she couldn't shift, and she mulled over the sound of the sorcerers voice and the words he used..
Good girl…
Mio let out a long sigh, and relaxed again onto the table.. They had to wrap this up quickly, she knew that much. She knew that Geto wasn't going to trust her at all, having been captured.. But she had a feeling that Gojo would try and send her back to him anyway, what would be the point? Geto would probably kill her.. Or at best heavily punish her for being a failure. Mio thought about it for a little while, would it really be worth it for her to try and be on his side following this? She stood no chance against him, and she had to fend for herself. The only reason they ever met was by total chance… unless Geto-sama had some bigger picture in mind? Was she a pawn in some bigger game? Made to believe she was more important than she really is.. More powerful..
The pang of betrayal stang in Mio's eyes, and one lonely tear fell from her eye and into her blindfold.. How had she managed to end up here? Was she just some naive, pissed off girl with a sense of entitlement.. Or was there a reason that Geto-sama had taken her from her home, right at the moment she had decided to leave, and trained her… She couldn't decide, and she knew that the more she thought about it, the less prepared she would be for when Gojo returned.. Mio decided to forget about it as best she could for the time being, and occupied herself thinking about the katsu curry that was on its way for her.
Her stomach growled angrily, and Mio smiled again..
I will be alright, keep my wits about me and don't go catching feelings.. You've already experienced what happens when you let yourself fall for your master. It fucking hurts, don't do it.
Mio internally scolded herself for a moment, before relaxing again. This time, she would come out on top, she didn't know how yet, but Mio was determined to not be at the mercy of strong men for the rest of her life. She would find a way to manipulate the both of them so that she could get everything she wanted..
All she needed to do right now was wait for Satoru to come back, then she could test the waters..
All she needed to do was wait…
Thanks to everyone for reading, and don't worry, things will ramp up very very shortly, just hold onto your socks :3
