SIX-EYES, SUGURU AND THE KITSUNE SLUMBER


Summary: Sachiko falls into a coma as a repercussion for expanding her domain. Her friends finally gather at her side and await for her to rise from her slumber.

Something unexpected happens upon awakening.


August 2007, a year after the merger, training grounds

"Here we go!" Shouko was stretching her shoulders, liberally doing inward rotations as she balanced the sharp pen on her fingertips.

Suguru stood casually as he rolled the eraser through his knuckles, bracing himself to stretch his arm muscles as he waited for Satoru's signal.

In the next minute, the two had thrown the small items in their bespectacled friend's direction. The light-eyed boy didn't flinch, instead, he remained standing erect, mouth curving up as he widened his eyes to freeze the pen in front of him and willed the other object, the eraser to bounce off before they both made impact on his skin.

Catching both tools in his hands, he smirked, "It's working!"

Ieiri and Suguru gave each other confused glances, tensing at how laid-back Gojo remained at his display of advanced technique.

"What the heck was that?" Shouko said, creating a crease on her forehead as she turned to the boy beside her for some sort of explanation.

Getou could only stay surprised himself, disbelief and awe making him still his movements as he muttered out a reply, "The targets for the technique were selected automatically?"

Balancing the eraser and pen on his fingers, he lifted his chin and began to explain, "What I was doing manually before, is automatic now. I was able to sort the objects according to danger levels by the amount of cursed energy," he grinned, looking through his dark-glasses, satisfied and proud of his achievement, "But now, I can also sort them by mass, speed and shape,"

Suguru's eye twitched. His statement may have explained why he could share his domain with their Kitsune friend. By correctly identifying her level of cursed energy, momentarily making her a target and then matching her energy with his, they could technically use their techniques in synch if he could release his hold on her at the correct moment and labeling her as part of his energy source made it possible. This made him feel both proud and a little intimated by Suguru.

Satoru positioned the pen's knocker on his chin, lightly tapping it as he pondered, "I'd like it if I could also pick up on poisonous things," he groaned, "But, that's way too hard…" he dropped his shoulders for a few seconds before sighing, "With this though, I'll be able to leave the infinity technique basically always active with minimal resources,"

Shouko was startled by his statement that she couldn't help but double back and intertwine her brows tighter, "You're going to fry your brain if you keep it that way!"

Getou gritted his teeth as Gojo shook his head nonchalantly. Using the pen to drive a point, he continued, "I'm simultaneously running a self-recovery reverse jujutsu technique. This way, my brain will always stay fresh." He put on an even smugger expression, not because he wanted to show off (well maybe a little) but to impose on them that he had been working hard to make himself stronger, "What's next is creating my own territory and close-range teleportation, I guess."

Getou knew of this of course. As his frequent sparring partner, he even helped him identify lapses on his Red and Blue techniques. A year after the events that would haunt them daily, Satoru had made it his business to perfect himself event though, at present, he was practically, the most experienced and important weapon the Pillars have. For the most part, he was glad he could help and Satoru even offered to help him with his own improvements, bringing over their other special grade friend so they could improve themselves.

Lately though, those meetings were the only opportunity that they were complete.

Suguru's eyes diverted to his side as he stuffed his hand inside his pockets and replied calmly, "I think you could do that on college grounds without any trouble," it was his way of telling him that he should take it easy. Usually, it would be the perfect time to make some smart-ass quip to rebut against the boy with the six-eyes, but he just wasn't in any mood to jest. Lately, he had just been so tired. He continued, "Shouko, lend him some lab rats to experiment with."

"Eh?" Gojo's head jerked to the side.

Satoru has become the strongest.

Pushing the small items he just caught inside his pockets, Satoru went to face his brooding best friend, "Suguru," he squinted at him and took a second look to confirm his observations. No doubt that something bothered him but despite his nagging, Suguru would always brush it off. His health was declining, and even his lack of humor set off an alarm inside his friend's head, "Did you lose weight? Are you okay?"

He didn't reply at once. His attention was still on himself and his thoughts that he didn't notice that his eyes began to drift to the ground with a blank expression.

He can complete any mission himself, Suguru contemplated, Shouko usually doesn't go out on dangerous missions anyway. And Sachi…is gone most of the time…He paused for a moment as he thought about their absentee friend, I miss her…I've been spending more time alone. It can't be helped.

He robotically shook his head and massaged his temple to melt away some of the stress imprinted on his face, "It's just the summer stress," it was a fine way to describe it. Summer after all was the busiest season for sorcerers, "I'm fine," he concluded.

He had excused himself as soon as Satoru received another call to go on a separate mission. Suguru politely rejected Shouko's offer to smoke outside of the school grounds making her worry more seeing as that one disgusting habit that never failed to calm him down didn't seem to work anymore.

"Hey, Suguru, you sure you're alright?" Shouko said, one hand on his shoulder.

Suguru gave her a small smile, "Yes, I just wanna rest, I'll go to my dorm now,"

Shouko was unconvinced. She always noticed how the three of them came back as slightly different people after their mission but as the year passed, it was only Suguru who remained out of it.

She removed the cig that was hanging on her lips then placed a hand on her waist, "Look, Sachi's been worrying about you too, if you want, you can always talk to her, she's a good listener,"

She's the last person I want to worry.

Suguru retained his calm demeanor, "Oh don't worry, we talk,"

She tilted her head to the side, narrowing her eyes at him then looking at the distance to catch a glimpse of the other boy's shrinking image, lifting her chin to point to his direction, "Yeah? 'Cause he has, it seems to be doing him some good,"

Suguru frowned at her statement. Catching him in his lie and learning that the two of them had only gotten closer over the past few months didn't improve his mood, "I'll try harder then,"

Ieiri smacked his back two times before moving the opposite direction as she waved goodbye, "You better, or else, you'll lose,"

I hate losing. I won't allow that.

Suguru was once again left alone to roam back to his room. Solitude allowing him more time to review his thoughts and plans. It wasn't a great feeling but he knew that the only way he could feel better is to confront them head on.

It's been a busy summer. There must've been an influence of the constant calamities we had last year. Cursed spirits are crawling around like bugs.

Suguru found himself tracing back the images of himself for the past few months. A lone sorcerer, clad in his uniform secured by the vortex buttons, with nothing equipped except his hands and his fleeting resolve.

It was like he was floating on water. Working endlessly in the loop of his routine.

I just exorcised and ingested, again and again.

Exorcised…

Ingested…

Creating black orbs that encased my victory and sealing them in the confines of my hollow core…

The taste of a cursed spirit that no-one else knows…

Well someone does, 'cause she's the only one who asked.

The only one who concerned herself with my well-being.

The taste,

Like swallowing a whole cloth that was used to wipe up vomit…

Not even the build-up of strength was able to compensate that sour taste that lingered as I added another monster in my personal gallery.

He let out a deep breath.

Suguru undressed slowly and absentmindedly. Garments falling on the floor in front of his bathroom like he had just plucked-out petals from a flower. Fingers raking through the tie on his hair, allowing his long locks to drop its weight on his shoulders, his eyes drooped on his feet, shadows creating their own imprint as he stepped inside the cold, tiled floor of the shower.

Not minding the erratic temperature of the water, shifting from the glacier like cold to the steaming heat that now soaked his body, he stood still under the hood..

The droplets pierced his skin like melting ice, the tapping slowly awakening the receptors all over his body to would eventually wake him from his walking slumber.

Exorcised.

Ingested.

He turned the knob to increase the droplets that rained over him, water dripping and creating transparent lines over his stern features, unable to wash away his resentful expression reflected on the glass doors of his bathroom.

Exorcised.

Ingested.

Feeling nothing after.

"And for who?" he spoke, allowing a cloud of his breath to form under the temperate box. His right hand was now pressed on the tiles in front of him, gripping at the gaps with his fingers tracing the square outlines to release some of his frustration as another set of images, not from a distant past this time, memories of the failed mission, flashing in front of his eyes like he was actually back in the room filled with those clapping strangers-those damn fanatics, unfeeling and unfazed at the dead body-the dead girl-in front of them. The proof of their maniacal victory over them…

Ever since that day…I've kept asking myself…What I saw then wasn't unusual at all.

I was well aware of that ugliness, Suguru heaved in his reverie. Teeth chattering at his own self-hatred that he shared with those demons.

I already knew that…and I made the decision to be a shaman despite it…

He closed his eyes now, taking a moment to remember and rekindle the voices that brought him solace during those difficult times.

A loud cackle, the smell of tobacco and a gentle touch…three things that kept his sane all these years.

Three things that he feared was losing their effect to keep him grounded.

Don't falter, he reminded himself. Saying it now audibly to make himself believe his own words.

As one who is strong, you must fulfill your obligation.

Then another sound brought his peaceful lamentation into a halt. The ferocious banging of palm against palm then distorted images of emotionless figures, glorifying their murder.

And for who? He asked once more.

Both hands now on the tiled wall kept him from sliding down to the puddle that formed under his feet. The steam had opened his pores, releasing the heat that overcame him that was only strengthened by the pool of his own anger.

He bent his head forward, beads of water and sweat dripping from the ends of his disheveled hair, snapping his eyes open, lilac pupils constricting at his sudden surge of disgust at the reflection on the water that didn't display his own features but his own mirrored desire for vengeance, he spoke through gritted teeth, "FUCKING MONKEYS!"


The Six-tailed Kitsune had spent the past few months as the Tokyo Institute's envoy which meant that she was their lap-dog for classified missions that would require a special grade's skills. A little part of her knew she could only blame herself for giving them the impression that she was volunteering out of her own sense of duty and loyalty to the all shamans. The only reason she went along with it is to give her friends a little more time to recover.

Sure, a number of them were clan related, forcing the Inari-shifter, her cousin, to also get deployments that would allow them to cross paths. But, it has only been a few hours since she's landed back in Tokyo and Yaga had already asked her to drop by his office that afternoon.

She was still on her train back from the Metro Dojo, impatiently waiting for the other people to finally settle in their seats. No one greeted her back in Kyoto, everyone was busy with clan matters so she was just as adamant as the people waiting for her in Tokyo to reunite.

Her phone had been oddly silent for the past few days but she just surmised that they were probably giving her some space to concentrate on her mission, plus their timeline was different though that didn't seem like much of an obstacle for that cyan-eyed weirdo to shoot her texts or ring her up randomly. Not that she was complaining about it, talking to him-well any of them, made her less homesick.

So when she felt her gadget vibrate inside her bag, she quickly unzipped the front compartment and flipped it open. Her brows shot up in surprise of a different caller, still, she couldn't help but relax on her seat as she pushed the button to answer, lips curling up in pleasant surprise,

"Hello, Suguru?"

On the other end of the line, just with her voice, Suguru found himself in a state of weightlessness. Negative emotions from a few hours ago slowly being shoved at the back of his mind, urging himself to just focus on his on-going conversation, "Hey, Sachi, thanks for picking up, are you busy?"

His voice sounded like he was in a good mood, that she could only match his demeanor. It had been quite a while since he sounded like himself, so she had to make an effort to let him stay that way, "Mm-mm. I'm on my way back there actually,"

He let out a snicker, "How fortuitous then, I had a feeling that something good was going to happen today," God knows, I wanted it.

She giggled, "Really? Why, did-" her voice trailed off, she was working on fixing her habit of overly worrying about her friends, it proved a little difficult though, "Sorry, anyway, anything on your mind? We can talk, this train doesn't seem like it's gonna move anytime soon,"

He laughed now, a little chuckle that was enough to secure her interest, "Then we can talk for a while then,"

"We can talk anytime, but yes, that's true. I'm gonna apologize in advance though if I fall asleep, you know me," she said, pertaining to her impediment.

"Of course I do, and no worries. Just wanted to check in anyways," he leaned back on his chair, hair still damp from staying too long under the shower. He hadn't had the chance to dry himself properly as his first instinct was to grab his phone after wrapping himself with his robe as he squatted on the floor.

Ieiri had suggested earlier on that if he wasn't comfortable speaking to her or to his bestfriend about what was bothering, perhaps he'd consider talking to the girl he liked.

"So, what have you guys been up to? Heard you three were getting some local assignments. Hope you guys aren't being dragged around too much,"

"Yes well, it's not that much of a bother, we don't get jet-lag like you do so, it's manageable. And you?" his tone was a little musical, but his genuine curiosity for the treatment she has been receiving abroad was something he wanted to get unpiqued.

She let out an exasperated tone, the raspiness of her sigh emanated through their phone line, "It's been quite an adventure travelling abroad and all but, I don't think I'll ever get used to all these foreign places and people,"

"Was it lonely" he sounded concerned now, lilac eyes lifting through the ceiling, imagining the expression of the girl on the train, "Did they treat you okay?"

His question startled her a little as if he read her mind through her the phone lines but at the same time, she was thankful that he was familiar with her way of thinking already, "Yes, it was kind of lonely. Hmmm, Yahiko and I did have some assignments together but most of the time, I was partnered up with local sorcerers. It made me miss our group a lot," she giggled.

"Really? That's good then," his lips quivered to the side, hands raking in the side of his ear to tuck his hair in before dropping his head on the bedside, "'Cause we missed you a lot back here,"

Another soft chuckle, "Thank God for that, I was beginning to think you guys had kicked me out of my absence," she cleared her throat, "Anyway, what about you?"

Me? Interesting. She's really asking about me now.

He scrunched up a large clump of hair, agitation creeping in, making him lift the phone to create some distance from his ear to let out a grunt that wouldn't be heard before returning it, "I'm just in a bit of slump I guess, must be the summer stress or something…remember when we talked about the higher-ups?"

"Mm-hm,"

"Yes well, I guess you could say, I am more bothered than ever. They're really treating us like robots, and also," he made sure to collect his thoughts first, taking a few seconds to rehearse the words that he would spill out, "I'm also thinking about those worshippers…I can't seem to forget them,"

Sachiko was frowning now, painting her face with much worry that she was glad that he couldn't examine her expression, "Are you still having nightmares?"

He had told her before that he had trouble sleeping, his circadian rhythm was too off-beat since they had returned from Tengen's ordeal that he had to seek medical advice from her aunt, "Waking ones, I'm afraid,"

"Are you taking your medicine?"

He laughed. The first week of his prescription, Sachiko had made sure that he had labeled the pills and arranged them neatly in the box according to time and day of his medication. He appreciated it of course, the bantering that only got him special treatment from her, "I am,"

"Have you tried talking to Satoru and Ieiri about it? Catharsis worked wonders for me, just saying,"

Of course, he'd probably discussed his own issues with her. Perhaps she had confided in him as well. Maybe that was my problem, I was too private.

"I'm starting now, with you," he stated.

"Is it working?" her voice rose, making him grin at her bickering.

"Yes, hearing your voice lecturing me over the phone is making me feel like you're actually here, punching my gut or arm, and that helps me calm down,"

She snorted, "Okay, okay. But seriously, if it gets worse, let me know if there's something I could do to help. Sorry I can't make those images disappear,"

It was funny how, a trauma victim, was the one giving him some steep advise causing his insecurity and guilt to further itself on his hierarchy of worries. He massaged his temple now, eager to say something, or make up a few words just so he could dispel the worry hidden behind her light-hearted tone, but before he could speak, Sachiko continued,

"Suguru? It gets better, I promise you,"

She spoke from a place of experience. Horrid events had been plaguing her all her life but if there's anything she had proven, was that, she continued fighting, despite stumbling sometimes, she just pressed on.

I wish I was as brave as you.

"Suguru?" her voice hinted of worry.

"Sorry," he said, holding back his own disappointment at his reaction. He was too overwhelmed by their exchange but it was the kind of comfort he needed, "Thank you for saying that. I feel much better now."

She let out a more enthusiastic laugh, "You're welcome,"

"I miss you more now, you know," he blurted out, unhinged by his own crassness thinking about how much time he had let slip because of expending it on his own twisted thoughts. Though temporarily rendering the girl he admired voiceless, he stayed on the line, patiently waiting for her response.

"Me too," she said.

Suguru's mouth opened slightly. He didn't expect that she'd reciprocate. If anything, he was ready for whatever platonic words that would ring in his ear. She probably didn't mean it in the exact same way that he did but, at least, it was enough for him to get some solace.

"Come home safe," he uttered, earning him a small echo of her excitement.

"Yes, dear," she teased, making the boy with the long black hair smile wider on the other line, "Oh, Suguru? Just, if there was something else, you can tell me, even if it's not on the phone and-" her tone was quite hesitant, as if she wanted to confess something that would require his absolution, "I'm sorry I lost your ribbon, the purple laced one that you gave me when you tied my hair?"

Instead of getting mad, he was actually surprised that she noticed how he would sometimes dart his attention on her hair, his question on whether or not she didn't wear it because she felt uncomfortable and didn't want to give him the wrong impression that she was leading him on. But he knew Sachiko better than that. For what it's worth, she was the sentimental type. Careful and thoughtful enough to treasure whatever they had lent or given her in even the smallest of things.

"Yes, I remember that of course, and don't worry about it. I'm not mad," he replied.

"I lost it in Okinawa, I'm really sorry and sad about it since it was my favorite one," she was sincere in her statement. She wasn't particularly fixated on its color but rather its functionality. Suguru had earned an irritated side-eye or two from Satoru because of it but he never really said anything that would dissuade her.

He smirked, "I can always get you another one,"

"You spoil me so," she said, sarcastically.

"It is my pleasure, always," he laughed again.

There was another short pause from Sachiko, making Suguru mentally brace himself for her next statement.

"Just tell me if you want to talk about something else,"

Of course she'd see-hear-through my ruse. But I don't think I can ever talk to her about my darkness. At least, I have an option now.

"Suguru?"

No reply.

This made Sachiko hold her tongue and allow a few moments for her friend to give his reply a thought. He was always so good at evading serious topics when it came to his personal struggles but unfairly giving his all to help those around him experiencing the same. Sometimes, she wondered if he still talked to Satoru about these things. Somehow, she felt that they had become a little distant though she couldn't really figure out why.

"Doesn't have to be now, but keep that in mind," she cleared her throat to extend some time for Suguru, however, the other line, remained static, "See you soon then?" she asked.

Suguru stood up now, impatient as she had taking a few steps towards the window to open up the blinds that covered the afternoon glow. Silently wishing that she was already outside of the dorm waving up towards him in greeting, "Yes, see you soon,"


Yaga had already had already sent the files to her dorm by the time she arrived. Their meeting had been cancelled only because they had booked an earlier flight to leave for Singapore after getting an SOS from their window.

She didn't see anyone on her way to her dorm. Usually, she'd appreciate the non-disturbance but being away from the school for quite a while, she just wished to see her friends. Satoru had texted her earlier on urging her to wait for him before she left.

She was hoping that he'd already be waiting inside, seeing the absence of a boy's shoes in the rack, she felt a little bit disappointed that her white-haired, overly enthusiastic friend wasn't prancing around and doing his rounds with the apprehensive dolls.

"Not here yet, huh?" she said under her breath, steadily scanning her lounging area for any trace of her friend. She missed that weirdo, much like how she missed the other two but particularly now, after spending months on end jumping from one plane to another.

He always made her feel at home.

Shaking her head to break from her melancholy, she went back near the entrance to grab the rest of her stuff but her earlier relaxed state quickly shifted to a disturbing kind of alarm. Her eyes grazed from the feet that intruded her entry way, scarlet eyes lifting slowly from a pair of light colored hakama bottoms, to his dark colored kimono that covered his high-necked shirt. Leaning on one side of the door, arms crossed and grin increasing in width as his eerily identical green eyes, like that of the sorcerer killer's, gave her a sharp and malicious stare.

"Mind if I intrude, Lady Miura?" he said, continuously fixating on the girl in front of him.

"Naoya Zenin," she cocked a brow, pursing her mouth and reading into his next move, "What are you doing here?" she asked.

Naoya straightened and tucked his hands behind his back. Not changing his expression and leaving the door open, she took a few steps forward so that they could speak face to face, "Urgent business actually," he blinked once, trying to elicit more of a panicked reaction from her but she remained composed, to his amusement, "I believe you're on your way to recover the cursed object right?"

She nodded, eyeing the boarding pass she placed near the key-hooks.

"Well, you won't be needing that ticket anymore,"

She waited for him to continue. Naoya wasn't part of the mission, so why did he suddenly get involved?

He lifted his right palm and smirked, "Let me get straight to the point doll-face," his use of an unwelcome pet-name made her wince, "The window's here in Kyoto but looks like we got set-up. They attempted to get rid of 'ya Tokyo people by diverting 'ya to another country, lucky for 'ya, some Zennins are part of the recovery team,"

She sighed, "Where is this going Zenin?" she spoke with more urgency now, the feeling of dread began to expand, making the air around the room tight, "Where is Mr. Yaga?"

Naoya tilted his chin upwards, "Impatient aren't 'ya?"

"If people are in danger, I'm entitled to make haste," she hissed.

He cackled at her but only continued to diminish their distance so that he cast his shadow over her face, "Let me take 'ya there then, after all, we're gon' need to work together on this one, special grade,"

He turned his back now, flexing his fingers as if to urge her to follow him out. Noticing no movement from his newly recruited partner, he looked over his shoulder with his leafy, sharp eyes, "Shall we? Your aunt is waiting,"

There it was, the reason he'd looking forward to use to taunt her to join him. Of course they'd involve a clan member. There was a clear disconnect between his clan and Yaga's mission but it did seem like a good excuse for them to put on all airs just to have a semblance of partnership.

Some things never change.

Sachiko dropped her bags and returned her phone inside her pocket, forgetting to send messages to the three people about her situation. Not minding the mess left behind, she ran to catch-up to the Zenin boy whose men had already opened a portal for them to join the rest in Kyoto.

Naoya rejoiced in his small albeit important victory. He knew she never liked his guts, but her weaknesses were easy to identify. As if by some luck that her aunt and her mentor were being used as bait, the Zenins took the opportunity to recruit her and allow her to do their dirty work.

They needed assistance to get their men out, after all, who better to pit against a special grade cursed spirit than a special grade sorcerer?


Satoru had been leisurely jogging towards Sachiko's dorm after he got off from training. He was already balancing a plastic bag of ice-cream he got form the convenience store-strawberry and chocolate for him and green tea and red bean for his Chi-chan.

He paused for a moment, assessing his qualification to freely use possessive nouns when he thought about her. Sure, he was the only person he allowed to use her pet-name he had christened but, they were exactly a couple-yet.

Ruffling his own set of messy pale-hair, he tucked one hand inside his pocket and continued pacing. He hadn't received a reply from her from the last time he texted but he just assumed that she was probably busy settling in, so he just didn't mind her non-response.

To ease in some looming tension, he did drop by at Getou's room to invite him to join them but even if he was the one who informed him that she was already on her way home, he didn't find any trace of him around school. Calling him had only resulted in failed connections so he proceeded to his visit.

Satoru could already see the garden in front of her dorm, as expected her dolls were scattered all over the entryway, probably sensing his presence draw forth but they didn't look like they were happy nor calm. They were scrambling.

Satoru increased his footing, cyan eyes probing the scene as the cursed dolls animated themselves as if they were giving him some clue as to what had happened. The door was wide open, her luggage and small bags were left in disarray, Gojo tensed up, gritting his teeth as he abandoned the cold desert on the table. His attention was caught by the boxing bear doll that was pointing at the key-holder.

She left her keys and the boarding pass? What the hell happened here?

He crouched down trying to find any remnant of a curse only to find the place clean. He began to dig through his pocket to get his phone out. It was relatively easy to dial in her number as she was one of his frequent patches but she couldn't be reached. He cursed as he plunged his fingers to send SOS messages to his two other friends. He was about to drop his phone inside his breast pocket when he remembered that there was another way to call on her.

His fingers trailed down on his right wrist, folding the end of his sleeve so that more of his arm could be exposed. The red string had faded. As instructed by the six-tailed Kitsune, its visibility would only last for 3 days, then after, it would be embedded into the wielder's skin until such time that the wielder wishes to activate it. To others, the markings would remain invisible but to him and Getou, the hold and form would remain in detail.

He begun to release some of his cursed energy towards his arm to reveal the strings. Ever since the failed mission, he couldn't help but be a little more of cautious and err on the worst case scenario when it came to his friends, so it was adventitious when finally, her name popped up on his small screen.

I'm fine. See you soon.

But it would be hours until they would reunite, in the worse way possible.


The Zenin boy had warped them inside a ruined building, Around it, streams of talismans and bells wrung around the whole vicinity. A heavy smog had encased what was left of the place that she had to manipulate some of the wind to provide them a clearing.

It didn't take long for them to rendezvous with the Zenin men. Some of them were beginning to retreat, the others for the most part were ordered by the young boy to stand their ground and continue fighting the curses. She joined in of course, exorcising whatever monster she crossed paths with, activating her Kitsune sight to find any trace of her aunt and the vice-principal.

"What happened here? I thought you said the window had the cursed object?" she raised her voice towards the dagger-bearing boy with the blonde-hair and black tips, "Why does it seem like it unleashed it?"

Naoya clenched his jaw after evading the dying curse that Sachiko had set aflame, "I think you can draw your own conclusions when you see the medium," he slashed through another of the curses that went in his direction before tilting his head to signal her to follow, "He was stupid enough to remove the enchantments and look what he did,"

As the smog cleared up, the swarm of humanoid curses that were molded from the rubble and mud began to animate and attack them and his men, from across, Sachiko could already sense an even ominous surge of cursed energy spread, making him and the green-eyed boy stop and pierce through the cloud surrounding the source.

Naoya weaved his brows together and shifted his stance, "There's your target," he said, a half-smile creeping up his sides, "When I left to fetch you, Yaga and your aunt were already trailing that possessed idiot,"

Sachiko had her eyes locked on the presence before her. The possessed man didn't look human at all. Except for his chin-length hair, there was nothing that could have told them that it was one of their windows. For starters, its mouth looked like it had been cut open by a saw, the lip-line extending 'til it reached its ears, when opened revealed several layers of sharp, canine-like teeth and an overly extended thin, curled tongue. It's skin was the hue of a stripped off vein, decorated by sharp patches of scales around its limbs and for its eyes, a singular encasement of a white floating objecting with lashes, leaving the core, where the pupil should be, open enough that something short and sharp was sticking out.

It was acting maniacally, sending waves of its own energy to activate more curses, its hoarse and thunderous laugh making the Zenin men draw back out of the dismay of the young leader beside her.

"I'm going after it, are you coming?" she looked at him now, crimson eyes ablaze as she turned them into crescents, her mouth downturned into a snarl as he waited expectantly for her uncanny alliance with Naoya to commence. She knew instantly that he was only after the Zenin's safety and didn't concern himself with the cursed object himself. Not that it mattered that much now, as long she couldn't pin-point where her two rescuees were, she could use their help.

He snorted now, "I brought 'ya here didn't I princess?" Inwardly, Naoya was cackling. This was what he wanted, an easy retreat for him and his men in the guise of aiding the special grade's retrieval mission. They had given up attempts at recovering the cursed object ever since it turned the man into a special grade cursed spirit, at least, with her, they would have a chance to escape.

Sacrificing one of my men for the portal may be worth it afterall, he thought.

Sachiko was already dashing towards the spirit, sending a few of her flames in its direction and although it was successful in diverting its attention from the injured men to her, it didn't do much to damage him.

Naoya had intended on using his own technique to buy her some time to kill it but seeing as how even her own technique didn't do much damage, he decided to play it safe, "Got any ideas fox?"

Sachiko didn't respond to his quip and instead covered her hands with the white pyre she concocted to use her flash technique but in order to test its effects, she would need to close in on it.

The cursed spirit was an intelligent entity, it was quick to read into her attempt to attack and quickly sent some of his shockwaves in their direction, knocking them both on their backs, barely having enough time to roll to the side to evade the second hit. The remnants it had left didn't have any trace of a technique embedded on it, which meant that it was using pure cursed energy.

"What was that cursed object it unleashed?" she demanded an answer from the boy across her but he merely kept his mouth shut and continued to press on.

Sachiko had concluded that Naoya didn't really intend to provide her with back-up and so she leapt over him to commence another set of attacks. She used her air manipulation to gather up some of the smog to skew its vision before lunging her fox-fire embedded punch unto its head, sending a blow that was enough to have some of its blood drip from the side and momentarily lose its balance. When she landed on a crouch, she saw from behind it, the unconscious bodies of both Yaga and her aunt. Without waiting for it to recover, she continued hitting the wailing spirit inwards then sidewards to mark a path for her.

But before she could go any further, the cursed spirit's tongue wound around her neck, sending her aghast and inching her way further from the two sorcerers. Her hands were already holding unto the fast tightening moist rope around her neck and was only freed when she covered her hands with her flames. Naoya was already behind the cursed spirit, poised to land its cursed dagger unto its nape when it turned to face him, screeching as if warning him that any other abrupt move would end his breathing.

His green eyes dilated at the detailed picture before him, his once arrogant look was replaced by a fear that could not be hidden under the controlled twitch of his brows and opening of his mouth.

Sachiko had to entrust the creature to him as she was already trying to sprint her way towards the injured mentors. When she looked over her shoulder, she saw immediately how Naoya had activated his technique. For a moment, she was relieved that he would use his 24 frames to grant them reprieve from the cursed spirit but one voracious sound and claw across his chest sent him crashing on the debris.

"Naoya!" she yelled, earning her nothing but a malicious tilting of the slobbering creature's head. It's padded foot now pressed on his injured torso, making him yelp out from the pain, the cursed spirit was already gathering a huge amount of cursed energy over his palm, hovering over a dazed Naoya, seemingly bracing for the attack that would end him.

Sachiko bit her tongue and changed the direction of her footing, increasing her speed with such feral aura, cloaking herself with the white fox-fire as she collided with the cursed spirit that dug its nails on the ground to keep him from fumbling backwards.

Naoya was still sweating and trembling on all fours, looking up at the Kitsune standing to his side, he was turned idle by his own shame and show of fear, reluctant to allow his knees to unbuckle as he stood beside her.

"We have to finish him off," she looked at him through her periphery now, voice agitated but also adamant to instruct him to use his technique to allow her the chance to deliver a fatal blow. He had nodded, making her lift some of her worries aside from within her as the both of them met with the cackling spirit clawing in their direction. She was the first to deliver a strong punch to its side, giving Naoya an opening to make contact with the thing at a safe angle. Naoya crouched down, grabbing unto the scaly part of its shin before activating his technique. But instead of using 24 frames to weaken the cursed spirit, Naoya had retreated, freezing the creature in place for that one second, directly turning its attention towards the girl with the skin markings.

Fucking coward. She cursed. For the first time at a fellow sorcerer. Hatred and dismay fueling her desire to deal with him after she had successfully overthrown the curse.

The door had shut heavily. After dispelling Naoya's technique, Sachiko did her best to evade the ball of its attack by enveloping her arms with her own elemental manipulation. It was enough to dampen the blow but it did give her some cuts and bruises all over her body. The reverberations were catastrophic, causing her to limp for a few seconds before she could regain her balance.

The cursed spirit had shifted its stance, its arms had been outstretched to the sides and he bucked his head backward after letting out a horrid scream. Soon, its whole body was cloaked in the same smog that had imbued itself with a sparkling kind of cursed energy, increasing its intensity as the last of its human-locks fell and disintegrated. Her surroundings began to change, the rubble forming a bubble that extended towards the two people fighting for their lives behind her. It was turning dark and the air turned cold. The ground was shaking from the deformation that Sachiko found some difficulty to keep afloat.

The sharp talon-like object that peeped through the whole of his would-be eye began to glow red as it expanded its domain and instantly Sachiko felt the pool of her own energy leave her as he continued to unleash its prowess upon her.

That must be the cursed object. If I can destroy it then, I can kill it.

Kodansha and Yaga finally opened their eyes, struggling from the loop and pull of the entrapment the cursed spirit had made. It was purposefully taunting the Kitsune. It wouldn't surprise Sachiko if it knew who and what she was. Perhaps he was using them to challenge her and it was working. She had two very important lives to protect.

If only she knew how.

Within its domain, the cursed spirit seem to be vulnerable to her attacks despite limiting the elements that she could manipulate using her technique, the only problem was, every blow would reverberate towards the two tailed fox or her teacher.

It seemed that without their conscious knowledge, the cursed had imposed on them a binding vow of some sort, limiting Sachiko's choices.

Surely, she could pierce through its head and detach the cursed object. It would take great effort but it could work.

But if I do that under its domain, I could end up killing them both. Unless…I could take their place and bring it down with me.

She studied that pale faces of the two adults who were barely aware of what was happening. The two tailed fox was overpowered by the cursed-spirits draining sphere and Mr. Yaga was bleeding so harshly that he couldn't even let out a whimper.

The cursed spirit merely flapped its hands side to side, waiting on the Kitsune to make her next move. It knew that she had very few choices and in all of those, she could still fail.

She lowered her fists to take a deep breath. Slowly, containing the flow of her own cursed energy as she slowly dimmed the flames that covered her. Then she heard a whistle, a signal perhaps indicating that the others had safely retreated.

This made her laugh inside her mind. She wasn't the least bit relieved that the Zenins, especially Naoya, would leave unscathed. Looking at the situation before her, she was reminded of her time in Okinawa. That perilous time that had eaten away hours of her conscientiousness and driven her to a dark place of regret. Again, lives were at stake and she was the only one who could determine how their mission would end. This time, she had to be sure of what to do.

And so, she looked inward for answers. Clasping her hands into a prayer position as she prepared to shuttle her cursed energy within her core.

I hope, I won't let you down.

A musical voice suddenly lingered in her thoughts, chirping those words of affirmation to trust in herself to help gather some courage she had forgotten she had.

Trust in yourself.

The voice said, sending her back in time to retrace and recall a grandiose speech whose lessons she wished she channeled earlier on.


1 Year Ago

"I think you don't know how to bring out your best," Satoru quipped, taking a few steps forward to offer his hand to his sparring partner who slipped on her side as she received his attack.

Hesitantly taking his hand to straighten, she whined, "I assure you, I don't give anything less than I am capable of," Sachiko was a little irked by his words. It wasn't like she wasn't used to his no-holds-barred attitude when they trained but mostly because, despite everything, he still doubted her. She jerked her head sideways then crossed her arms she made her way to the benches to take a sip of water. She allowed herself to drop to a sit as Satoru rubbed the back of his neck when he approached.

He sighed, with one pocket inside his hand, he blinked towards her to catch her gaze, "See, I don't believe that," cocking a brow that signified a little bit of his frustration, his tone rose to drive a point, "You seem to be taking too much concern for others when you're not alone and that's good and all," he shrugged.

She bobbed her head and widened her scarlet eyes at him, calculating and discerning where edge from his rebuttal was coming from, "Well, that's what expected in a team right?"

He shrugged once more then furrowed his brows at her, increasing the tension between them with the weight of his contorted look. He drove his hand from his temple to his chin before raising his index finger, "Sure. But no matter how many allies you have around you, in the end, the only person you can rely on is yourself,"

Her brows unweaved at his words but she clenched her jaw tight to keep herself from spilling something over her rage. He was right. It was just hard for her to process because she believed that she was practicing as expected of her.

Satoru squared his shoulders as he continued, "The problem with you is you can't imagine a stronger future version of yourself because you fear about losing control. Maybe it's because in your assured victory, you could end up hurting not just yourself but others," his tone became more serious now as he flicked his dark-shades upward,

"You believe that when it comes to a tight situation, you'd willingly sacrifice yourself just to obtain a means for victory. But that's where you're wrong. If you think that way then you shouldn't be a special grade."

She scoffed at him, afterwards struggling to fill in the gap she created with her mouth as she searched his sky-colored eyes for a better explanation, "Why are you telling me this?"

Satoru crouched in front of her now. Balancing his elbows on his knees, he leaned in to drive his squinted and focused eyes on her own. But before he spoke, he erased the look of agitation that made his companion uneasy.

Blinking three times, he pinched the bridge of his nose and exhaled,

"Because, as you said, we don't know what's gonna happen in 48 hours. So, in the event that we don't return, you have to be prepared and step up. I know you treat your life as expendable because of your restriction but I cannot accept that," slowly sliding in a hand over to the small fingers that rested on her lap, he leaned a little further so that his temple was resting on hers.

His voice softened as he created a safe space for her to feel how concerned he was about her not just through his touch but through his words,

"You see, dying to win and risking death to win, are complete different, Chi-chan,"


He's right. I have always done things the former way…I have been looking at things through the wrong perspective and that will cause my failure. It's about time I change that…

Sure, I don't know if it'll work, and knowing my restriction, I might not make it but, there's an even bigger chance of me succeeding than dying. I can do it. Without sacrificing anything.

She placed one foot in front of the other, leaning slightly forward as she lifted her hands, feeling its weightlessness as it then descended towards her chest. Her right hand rested in front of her chest, palms facing outwards, thumb apposed the index finger, her left covering the right, hand facing inwards, fingers slightly curved as she brought them forward.

The two-tailed Kitsune, watched as her cursed energy was balancing itself within Sachiko's core leaving her voiceless as the sight of her display of power. Yaga followed the darting of Kodansha's attention, watching as his student now raised her left middle and little finger to fold into the other fingers, covering her whole form with a bright, burning light that was slowly dispelling the darkness of the cursed spirit's domain.

Sachiko remained still, allowing the natural flow of her power to emanate in front of her foe. Then with one breath, she snapped her eyes open to reveal the glowing orbs of red that physically made her presence intolerable to the wailing creature before her.

In the next breath, she lifted her left index finger and spoke in a demanding yet airy light, allowing the pulsations of her cursed energy to flow through her fingertips, shadow reshaping into the void she was erasing with her won beacon of light. Then finally, she spoke in controlled breaths, enunciating each syllable as she unleashed her prismed territory,

"Ryoiki Tenkai…"

The light from her white flames aligned with the torrential cloak of the cursed-spirit darkness, obscuring the rest of its vision into a large sphere that engulfed the creature's prism, "Nisshouku (Eclipse)," she yelled, her voice echoing within her domain, crumbling whatever was left of the creature's prison, making it shriek in panic.

The cursed spirit had already released Kodansha and Yaga from its ensnarement and began to pool his cursed energy in its entire form, readying itself to attack the special grade Kitsune. Sachiko had successfully created her own barrier, though imperfect, it was enough to shroud over the cursed spirit's limitation. Finally, she could move without having to think about harming anyone.

In the next second, she redirected her pool of energy shaped into a black-out sun towards the cursed spirit and moved with such speed that it didn't get a chance to squeal as she ripped out its head causing the rest of the curses outside to die with it.

Naoya witnessed her display of power. Before he left he saw her holding the cursed object in her hand, a detached finger with a talon-like nail that had black engravings on its petrified skin.

Sachiko stood there, still cloaked in her own burning cursed energy, her locks transforming slowly into a sea of silver dancing in the wind, her eyes, shifting into a paler shade of crimson as her whole body covered itself in swirls of glowing Kitsune markings.

Naoya trembled in fear as she gave him a deadly glare but instead of cowering as he placed one foot outside of the portal they had just conjured, he bent back and released a loud cackle of lunacy which he could stop resulting in a slobbering mouth that even as he exited the portal, barely evading the flames she sent in his direction, "Hell hath no fury indeed," he grimaced.


The aftermath was a blur. After annihilating the special grade cursed spirit, Sachiko was doing relatively fine until she grasped unto the cursed object. She felt like her whole body was set in flames, images of flashing lights and noises similar to clashing of swords and a forboding cackle that made hear ears ring. It wasn't long until she collapsed and soon, she found herself stuck in suspended animation.

It was a strange feeling…being sucked in your own thoughts yet feeling like you were an uninvited guest. It was probably the first time that her Kitsune spirit had taken over her consciousness. Still, she was lucky that the spirit only forced her to descend in slumber, it might've been worse if the Kitsune resurfaced on her own and took over her body in the waking state.

All she felt inside of that abyss was buoyancy and sometimes, pain. The same sensation that you would get when you pass your hand over a lit candle, playing with the cinders and smoke until your skin gets incinerated slowly by the dancing light. That's how it felt. Again and again, in her floating state, she couldn't do anything but internalize it.

Until, the spirit had allowed her to finally black-out of her own trance.

I just want to go home.


"Are you going there again?" Shouko had followed Satoru out of the building, still in her lab-coat and surgical cap, she used her fingers to tear off her gloves and throw them hurriedly to catch up to her whitehaired friend.

Gojo didn't turn around completely and instead kept on walking with his hands tucked inside his pockets, "Of course,"

"You want me to come with you?" Shouko asked, placing one hand on his shoulder to make him stop walking, "Or you could wait and we can all go there together tomorrow,"

He shrugged as he turned to her, "I'll go there tomorrow too,"

Ever since Shouko had told him about what happened to Sachiko, Gojo had been fixated on finishing missions and schoolwork early just so he could travel to Kyoto to spend a few minutes checking in on their friend.

He was a nervous wreck even though he was trying so hard to be casual about the news. It didn't help that Suguru was the same.

The first week of their visit, they were hardly allowed inside the Miura's Main Estate. If it weren't for Kodansha's persuading, they wouldn't have had a chance to get to visit her. They were given an hour to stay inside her recovery room.

The room she was transferred in was large enough to fit three beds. Around it were fox-sigils and lanterns that were believed to be embedded with healing rooms. Three people, a white coat and two traditional healers had exited the room before they were allowed to approach.

They lightened their footsteps as they focused on the sleeping figure on the bed before taking cautious glances at each other seemingly looking for confirmation if the frail, unconscious girl with the silver locks and bright red markings was the same friend they wanted to visit.

"Why does she look different?" Shouko whispered, turning to the boys with a baffled look. While Satoru couldn't look away, Suguru averted his eyes to the side, both shaken by the sight that Shouko was verbalizing.

"Sachi?" she said, "Can you hear me? It's Ieiri," she winced at her non-response. Clenching her jaw out of agitation, she begun to shake her shoulder, making the other two take a step forward.

Ieiri didn't mind them and instead pointed out the non-existence of oxygen support and cardiac monitors, raising her voice out of the her suspicion of the Miuras having no sense of urgency and leaving her to just lie on her back. She proceeded to use her knuckles to rub against her sternum to try and illicit a response like she was taught by the doctors in the University, but all she got was a small twitch from Sachiko's forehead,

"Wake up Sachi!" she yelled now, gripping her friend's shoulders tightly to shake her and bring her to consciousness.

"Oi! Shouko! Stop it!" Gojo and Getou were already pulling her away from the six-tailed Kitsune but despite their commotion, she wouldn't rouse.

Suguru frowned but gently urged the reverse-jujutsu trainee to take a breather and sit down, "Please calm down Ieiri, she's just tired, but she's breathing," he reassured.

Gojo was already tucking Sachiko back on her pillow, carefully covering her with the thick blanket over her chest before taking a step back to hide his sad eyes, "She's just resting…" he told the brunette, but secretly, he was also trying to convince himself that that was it.

Kodansha came in not long after and quickly studied their faces. These were her niece's most treasured people so it hurt her pride that they had to witness her in that state,

"He's right," her sudden presence made the three students turn to her, "She really is just resting. I assure you," she turned to her student now with kind eyes, "The Kitsune slumber is a way to help her recover. Since it was the first time that she had used a large amount of her cursed energy, her body had to adjust to its reverberations. But don't be too worried, it won't happen every time,"

Satoru leaned forward and rested his mouth on his hand, "But it can still happen,"

Kodansha decided not to expound on his quip and instead continued to reassure them, "Thank you all for coming, I'm sure she's feeling better already knowing that you're here."

Suguru wanted to ask if their friend could even hear them, if he caught anything from Shouko's tantrum, it was that she was very distant from consciousness.

Another operative came knocking on Sachiko's door and his mere presence was enough to signal Kodansha to politely ask them to come by another time.

The three were disappointed that their visit was cut short but there was a part of them that was relieved that they didn't have to stay with an inanimate Sachiko.


Days passed by slowly and Sachiko was still looking for herself inside her consciousness.

Swimming inside the lake of her own dreamless mind, she couldn't distinguish too well the things she heard from her surroundings, like the soft sound of the strings of the violin, being bowed together to form a peaceful melody.

No one in the Miura household played that instrument but it was nice that the song she heard was very calming even if it was just her imagination. Sometimes, she could swear she smelled something. A familiar scent that most of the time she was unable to tolerate but now, gave her a semblance of comfort as if it was a trademark of someone she cared about.

Little things that like that, even if it were just part of her illusions and hallucinations were what slowly brought her back to her own being. And it showed in her clearing features-the color of her skin returned to a healthy shade, her locks slowly reverting back to the dark hues that complimented her ruby-esque eyes, resurfaced.

She felt something warm trickle down the side of her face but she couldn't do anything to confirm if it was real. It felt real and she wasn't sure if they were happy tears or not but at least, it was closer to the normal feeling she had before.

Now, all she had to do was wake up.

I'm here, I want to see all of you.


Suguru found himself frequenting the library of his school and the Miura registry. Spending a large amount of his time researching about heavenly restrictions and Kitsune history. There wasn't much that he found helpful. Most of the available material was already taught to him. He had even asked permission from his senior, Yahiko, to access the records of the Miuras but he had cautioned him that Lady Kodansha already went through them and was also left moot.

It was frustrating. He didn't know where to go next. So, he settled to stay beside his ailing friend. An hour had passed with him just silently watching from across the room in silence. Contemplating on talking about his concern with his two other friends. But a part of him wanted to go through it on his own, as if it was a test of his character and it was his burden to bear. Perhaps it was even his greatest distraction from answering an even bigger question that his inner voice had been screaming inside his head.

Purpose. For now, this-she is mine.

"Mm…" a soft, incoherent sound made him quicken. He leered towards the bed and caught sight of Sachiko's twitching fingers. She was coming to.

Suguru scrambled to move near her, lifting the chair to avoid unnecessary noise and patiently waited to confirm improvement of her status. Her face began to contort, mouth slowly opening but producing no sound, hands lifting as if she was reaching out for something-someone.

Then finally, the slits of her eyes began to separate, slowly revealing the peculiar color that was hidden beneath her lids. Suguru gasped and felt his heart race from her sudden movement but he was quick to assist her as she attempted to sit-up. She was still finding her balance, eyes strained from the sudden exposure to the bright light, trunk swaying from weakness and confusion from her long slumber.

"S-suguru?" she said weakly.

For a moment, he had stopped breathing. Her voice made him very emotional. She had recognized him. The worry and anxiety he had been experiencing was slowly being replaced by relief. It had been too long since he has seen her well. Their last full conversation was on the phone when she was on the train that thinking back, he still had so many things he wanted to tell her, so many things he wanted to experience with her.

She was his greatest comfort especially in these troubling times where his greatest enemy was himself.

"Yes," he hushed, "It's me, I'm here…" his hand was still on her back drawing circles to make her relax, the other, holding on to her arm, to help steady her as she still curved from her lack of strength. Her eyes were still drooping, that even as Suguru had brushed away some of the stray locks that covered half of her face, she still couldn't focus.

"I'm glad you're okay now," he exclaimed softly.

Sachiko was still rubbing her eyes when she responded, "Sorry…" she yawned, "I worried you guys,"

Suguru noticed that she still felt cold under his touch, her ivory skin didn't even rouge up enough despite making movements to help with her blood flow properly and her energy registry was still dampened. He hated seeing her like this because it was the total opposite of whom she truly was.

Overwhelmed by his sense of protection, Suguru wrapped his arms around the recovering girl, this time, truly holding her tight enough so that he carried her fatigue with him. His left hand left her back and transferred it to the back of her head, slowly smoothening her hair in his attempt to remind her that he was present.

For a while he just allowed her to get used to his hold, speaking no words out of fear that she would create distance between them but she didn't do anything to push him away. Despite her weakness, she didn't think about letting him go, she was glad that he was there.

Her hand patted his back twice before it slipped down to her lap, eyes continuously growing heavy as her head bobbed in his embrace, "Suguru…you're warm,"

This made Suguru feel at ease that he couldn't help but smile and relish the fact that she allowed him to hold her, "You can go back to sleep, adorable girl," he whispered.

She immediately slumped in his arms, steadying her breathing as she closed her eyes to return to her slumber. Suguru slowly anchored her down back on her pillow, tracing over her now calmer and healthier features as she lay asleep but before he let her go, he leaned in once more to give her a kiss on the forehead, the brushing of his lips on her temple making her wince then turn to her side.

"I'm going to find a way…" he spoke under his breath, determined to fulfill the words he had released unto her like a spell was being cast. He allowed his fingers trail on top of hers for a few more seconds before lifting her hand and clasping it in between his hands, caressing it with one side of his cheek, "I'll do my best…because," he couldn't bring himself to finish his sentence out loud. If she heard him, it might change the way they would interact especially since he already knew that his defeat in that area was inevitable.

Still, he needed to try. Even if he would regret not telling her upfront, as long as he could spend more time with her, it was enough.

Suguru tucked in her hand back under the covers and stood. Taking one last look at her, peacefully resting, his mouth quirked upward, then, he left.

He may not have been sure about many of his personal issues but with her he was at least certain about one thing,

I won't choose myself and you might not choose me but,

I'll choose you.

Because…you're the person I love.


After receiving the message from Suguru that Sachiko had awakened, Satoru and Shouko made it their personal mission to miss school and meet him in Kyoto but that only spearheaded their daily visits for about three days until their schedules couldn't allow it anymore.

On their fifth day back from their visit, Shouko had lectured Gojo about being too clingy that even Suguru had to agree that he should take a breather and go home. He had been spending every day after school travelling to and from Kyoto just to have a few minutes to check on Sachiko.

When she finally got transferred to the Metro Dojo, Satoru didn't even give it a second thought to go off on his own. Since she was already back in Tokyo, it would be easier for him to visit without having those two tell him to keep it cool.

Most of the time, whenever he came, she was still sleeping. His desire to talk to her still drained him as the days passed by.

The four-tailed half-Inari found it a little tedious how Gojo would casually enter her quarters and sit absurdly close to her bed. Telling her stories, bringing her things he thought she might like hoping that she'd respond and thank him for them one day.

Yahiko had protested to his aunt that he was being a little too intrusive but Kodansha merely shrugged it off and had even offered for the boy to stay the night since it was the weekend.

This irked Hiko more, he already had one brat pining over his little sister-cousin but to have the nosiest of the two stay over was something he wasn't a fan of.

"Hey, Gojo," his deep voice halted Satoru's chat with his unconscious cousin. He jerked his head to the side and motioned for him to follow him out of her room, "Let's go,"

Gojo nodded and left but not before he could fluff the pillow behind her head, making Yahiko flinch, "Where are we going senpai?"

Yahiko looked over his shoulder with examining eyes, "To your room," this made Gojo's light brows quirk upwards, "Don't read too much in it. She just feels bad for you," he sighed as he opened the door to last room of the hallway, "I put some extra clothes on the closet of you to use. You can give your uniform to old gran so she can press it for you for tomorrow. But after breakfast, you go back to your routine, got it?"

Gojo slumped forward and pouted, "Hai-hai senpai…"

Hiko's heterchromatic eyes squinted at him as he used his thumb to point to the room across from Gojo's, "Don't get any ideas Gojo, I'll be watching you from across,"

He was clearly warning him. It was understandable but also a little bit disconcerting but at least he had increased the odds of catching her awake.

As soon as Yahiko was sure that Gojo had dozed off, what with his incessant snoring keeping him from getting some rest, he decided to go out for a before the sun rose. The two special grades had been asking a lot of questions from the members of their households. He was quite concerned at how Getou was becoming borderline obsessed over finding a cure not that it was too out of character, he had declared his interest in Sachiko after all, but it was difficult to suggest that he could also be a suitable partner for his cousin. Problem was, she might not probably allow it.


The blonde lowerclassman and his wide-eyed buddy came to visit next the following day but to his surprise, they already found her in the company of someone else.

Gojo raised his hands to a wave, "Yo! Nanami, Haibara!"

Haibara waved back immediately with a wide smile but Nanami merely nodded and stepped closer to avoid raising his voice. It bothered him how casually his senior acted inside the room but seeing as he was wearing a borrowed haori with the clan sigil, he was taken aback by the realization that he had been a guest for quite some time, "I think its best if we lowered our voices senpai," he suggested.

Gojo raised his hand and shrugged, "Right, my bad," he turned to shift glances at the both of them, including a now slightly saddened Yu, "It's nice of you both to drop by,"

Nanami crossed his arms and cocked a brow, "I am a familiar prospect, of course I should be here to check on the lady,"

Gojo snarled at his bluntness but let it go.

Yu took a seat beside Nanami then furrowed his brows as he looked at Sachiko, "Is Miura-senpai going to be okay?"

Nanami straightened, "Without a doubt," his opal eyes merely drifted from the sleeping girl then to his sides, as if to prompt Satoru into a silent alarm, "Well then," he began, gesturing for Yu to join him as he stood, "It seems like Miura-senpai still needs time to recover, I believe its best if we take our leave,"

Satoru scoffed but instead of taking his hint, he merely said goodbye.

So that's how it is, eh, Nanami?

There was a hushed discussion down the hall where Hideo, the clan head, Kodansha and Yahiko had gathered after all of Sachiko's visitors left.


"Besides your protegee, Yahiko's girlfriend and the crow-girl, most of her visitors are boys. Are they really just her friends?" Suspicion grazed over his voice, his eyes covered in a dark shadow.

Kodansha giggled, "Yes, you are correct, but as you can already tell, some of them may be off to change that,"

Yahiko clicked his tongue, "They're quite bothersome, seriously,"

Kodansha tilted her head at her nephew, "Is that so? You don't seem to think that way about the young man with the long hair,"

"Eh? Suguru? He's fine I guess but-" he paused to omit his real thoughts regarding his overwhelming concern about her restriction but he did honestly think that he was decent enough, "I'm sort of like his mentor and well, I can depend on him when it comes to looking after Chibi,"

Hideo's mouth tightened but it was Kodansha who commented, "Ah, so he is your nominee then? The Getou boy?"

Yahiko shrugged.

Hideo pursed his lips, "You will pit him up against my own?"

"Nanami Kento isn't that exemplary in my opinion," Yahiko scoffed, "But he's well mannered, I'll give him that. But Suguru? He's a special grade. He might be more compatible in terms of energy control,"

Kodansha nodded and took a sip from her tea, "All very good points, however," she set her cup down and covered her mouth as she chuckled, "I hope you two would consider my suggestion,"

The two tailed Kitsune elder looked rather too excited, no, mischievous as she sat on her chair, sending a cold shiver on the spine of the youngest Miura present.

Hideo gritted his teeth, "You mean that boy? The stalker?" he said, frown deepening.

She laughed, "Oh come now, don't be rude, he's just very attached to her, that's all and anyway," her grey eyes shifted from one Miura to another, "Ultimately, it won't be up to us to decide,"


It had taken a few days of parading around the Metro Dojo until finally, Sachiko had broken her slumber. Gojo couldn't help but jump up out of his seat to fling his arms around in an attempt to hug her but was stopped when Yahiko had pulled him forcibly his collar and dragged him out of the room to allow the doctors to check on her.

It took another few hours until she was allowed to receive visitors. Kodansha had gone through lengths to allow them some time alone so as soon as she escorted him inside the room, she shut the door.

Sachiko sat on her bed and stretched as she covered her mouth to muffle her yawning and as soon as she heard him enter the room, she rested her back against the headboard and smiled,

"Ohayou, Satoru,"

Satoru was ecstatic to hear her call out to him that he didn't even hesitate to jump on the bed and grab unto her with his long arms wrapping tightly, squishing his cheek against her own making her blush awake,

"YOU'RE FINALLY AWAKE CHI!" his greeting actually hurt her ears and even though she was still on the fence as to how she would perceive his sudden gesture, like her hazy recollection of Suguru's visit, she just lightly patted his back which made him create a more comfortable distance. He wanted to continue talking but not a few seconds later, Shouko came barging in and tackled her into another tearful hug.

Getou closed the door to announce his entry to Satoru, making the white-haired boy, smirk, and nod at him.

"Glad you two are he-" Satoru's greeting was cut-off as Getou sped to Sachiko and Shouko's side to pat the raven-haired girl's head and surprised Shouko by looping his arm around Sachiko, causing her to budge.

"Thank goodness you're alright," he whispered in her ear as she remained motionless by her two friends' weight pressing on her.

Gojo sharpened his glare and began pulling Getou's collar to ease in some space in between him and Sachiko that they soon ended up pressing both of their palms on each other's faces as they displaced Shouko, flipping their fingers behind each other in between their tantrums.

Shouko was quick to tug them both by their ears and smack their heads.

This earned them a rather cheerful, loud and energic laugh from Sachiko. The echoing of her joy was enough to stop their bickering and shift into a more sentimental and calmer demeanor.

She wiped her tears from her eyes and took a deep breath, "God, I missed you guys,"


Shouko pouted, "We almost died from worrying! No matter how many times I used my technique, you wouldn't wake up! And you looked really different! Glad you're back to your old self,"

"I apologize, really,"

The short-haired girl sighed, "Anyway, so, how does it feel to be called the strongest special grade to date?"

Sachiko's brows shot upwards as she let out a shaky laugh, "I don't think the strongest ends up in a coma for, uh, 2 weeks-"

"It's three actually," Suguru interrupted, "Three nerve-wracking weeks,"

"I'm really sorry you guys,"

Satoru laughed but then relaxed his face, "It's alright! You're awake so our pride could mend a little better now," he flicked his glasses upwards before jerking his head upwards, "Though I am quite curious as to how you were able to get that special grade cursed object back,"

She looked at her palms now, examining how the torrent of her cursed energy had shifted since that day, "I-expanded my domain,"

The three exchanged stupefied glances but it was Getou who first spoke, "None of us are able to do that yet,"

"I'm just as surprised as you are," she placed a hand towards her chest and lifted her shoulders, "It was probably my Kitsune spirit that activated it. I was in a state of trance then, the last thing I remembered was catching that infernal object on my hand,"

"What was it?" Shouko asked, "That object?"

"It was a dismembered finger with dark engravings, its cursed energy was very prominent,"

Sukuna's finger, the two boys thought, exchanging looks whilst reserving that information for another time.

"Where is it now?" Suguru asked.

Kodansha had entered the room and placed her hands behind her back, "The school has possession of it, and it will be sealed accordingly,"

Shouko groaned, "Nooooo, time's up already?"

Kodansha laughed, "I'm afraid so. Don't worry, she'll be going back to the school soon, you can see her then,"


Before the boy with the six-eyes left for his train, Kodansha asked for a minute of his time.

They walked slowly outside of the garden that lead to the exit, mostly talking about how he was and asking about how things were at school but really the two-tailed Kitsune was more concerned about his progress with her niece.

It didn't take long for her patience to run out that she just asked him directly, "Satoru-san, so tell me, what have you and my niece been talking about when you're alone? Have you asked her out yet?"

Gojo almost lost his balance upon hearing the Miura elder ask him a very direct question. It wasn't exactly a secret that he was interested in her niece. The very reason he first approached her to ask about her restriction was because of that, of course he did tell her that he just didn't want her to die so young.

It was a good enough and very blunt reason for her to answer his question, but Kodansha knew better than to take it as it is.

Satoru slowly turned to the middle-aged woman and pointed towards himself, "Ehehehe, is it that obvious?"

Kodansha squealed in delight at his admission, "A-ha! So, you really want her to choose you not just because of her restriction!" Her grey eyes glinted with so much hope and anticipation that she couldn't help but clap her hands.

Satoru shied away and covered half of his face before responding, "I-I don't know what to say,"

"You don't have to say anything, but I should remind you that ultimately, the choice would be up to the both of you," she referred to two things, building a romantic relationship and creating an even stronger bond by Jujutsu. But she didn't need to explain anything to him. He knew what she meant.

Satoru stuffed his hands inside his pockets and sighed, "I just hope she'd give me a chance,"

Kodansha gave him a meaningful and very encouraging look making him etch a look of curiosity, "I don't wanna say much, but you have my vote," Kodansha said.

"Vote?"

She laughed once, preempting the young boy's departure as she started her own, "It's nothing…but uh, just so you know, some people here have their own prospects to offer up, so if I were you, I'd get a move on," she winked.


It took another two days for Satoru to muster up enough courage to face Sachiko after his pep talk with her aunt. Of course he knew he had competition but if there was something he learned from the past year, it was that, he shouldn't waste any more time overthinking things.

If he wanted to save her, he needed to start with confronting his own fears.

To him, it could end up two ways.

His feelings could remain unreciprocated but that didn't mean that he still wouldn't offer her a different kind of partnership. Bottomline, he really just wanted to stay beside her no matter what happened.

He didn't like losing.

He didn't intend to.

But no matter what, he had to remain hopeful.

I'm not losing her.

But if I fail, I want her to know that she's not alone.

No.

I'm

Not

Going

To

Fail.

Satoru had received an invitation from Sachiko herself to visit. Her invitation was simple, "Are you busy?," she said in her text and immediately the boy found himself hopping in a cab. It took him half the ride there to remember to reply that he couldn't help but laugh at himself for his carelessness.

This time though, he decided that it would only be him who would see her.

All eyes were on the six-tailed special grade after her successful retrieval. Hailed as the top-ranking young sorcerer, he knew the long line of portfolios she would be forced to review, the number of hours and even days she would have to spend away from her home, her friends and from him.

It was all too familiar. As someone who held that rank for quite a while, he never wished that kind of torment, no, burden on someone else.

Especially her.

It wasn't a matter of his pride anymore but he would rather retain his title if it meant that he would take up the load. Even he didn't like the idea of handing the title to his best friend,not for any other selfish reason but just so he wouldn't be burdened, especially since Getou had been acting oddly lately.

People may see Gojo Satoru as a pompous, self-entitled prick but all he wanted was to create a safe space for all of them. He was tired of the higher-ups. He was tired of sorcery and exorcising but he would willingly do it if it meant their security.

All those thoughts seemed so distant the moment he laid eyes on her in that dark colored dress, leisurely strolling in their garden entryway. Her fingers were tracing over the flowers that decorated the empty spaces where she walked, he watched as her ebony, long locks danced with the soft breeze under the afternoon light. She was finally reflecting a healthy color on her skin and best of all her eyes, the scarlet crescents that bore the aura of ferocity took its absence. All he saw was the flame-like shade that lit up with a hopeful flare that matched the gentle smile that she wore.

It was breathtaking to finally see her so happy. So, clearly happy.

When he first saw her, there was nothing but a mask and a thick cloud of her cursed energy. All she was, was a distinct and heavy presence-not now, she was just her, a person he admired.

She finally spotted him and waved to greet him cheerfully, "Satoru, you're here!"

He scratched the side of his face and waved back, he always had a special effect on him whenever she called out his name, "Of course, I was worried that you were missing me terribly, so, here I am,"

Sachiko rolled her eyes but jerked her head to side to invite him to walk beside her. The first few moments were silent enough to hear their feet making contact on the cobblestones. His stared at her much adoration, keeping his lips curved whenever she would look at him. Sachiko seemed to just relax at the mere thought of having company which made him conclude that there was no one else around but the two of them.

This allowed Satoru to breathe freely. He had so desperately wanted a moment alone with her. He didn't go through months of looking for the small girl in line at their cafeteria only to be reminded that she was abroad and he especially didn't go through weeks of watching her lie still with her eyes closed without saying a peep only to waste the day.

Satoru had wiped the sweat that formed in his palms against his black sweater before he aligned himself towards her and in the next moment, he had slid his hand under hers, slowly separating her fingers so he could fit in his own before he clasped them tight enough that she could feel how warm he was against her skin. He delighted in the thought that his touch was being welcomed.

Sachiko immediately felt herself flush from the sensation, but even if she glanced at his calm expression, she couldn't help but hold unto him as well. She was getting used to his hold by now. Though his hands were rough from all of the fighting, he held her in such a way that made her feel so secure.

She missed him as well, His jokes, his laugh, his incessant need to take in sugar every half an hour, his impulsive quests, his sudden requests for her to even out his unruly hair and the way he held her hand.

She missed him, so much.

She felt lonely, without him.

Even if she didn't verbalize it, she did.

"Chi-chan, I was really worried about you," his voice sounded a bit solemn that she couldn't help but peer at him as he spoke, "I hated seeing you like that," he was struggling to find the correct tone and words to use but, in the end, he chose to keep veracity, "Don't go off on your own again," he warned.

Sachiko gently shook his arm and looked remorsefully at him, "I know, I'm really sorry I made you worry, but I'm okay now,"

"Are you?" he snapped at her making her jerk back. Satoru didn't allow her to remove her hand from his, so he took a deep breath before he continued and apologized for his crassness.

"Chi-chan, I know, you're strong," his free hand began to ball into a fist as his head dropped to his chest, "But, don't forget that you're not alone, you have me, take care of yourself," he sounded stern. It was the first time that he sounded mildly upset with her.

It felt like he was breaking down and it physically hurt her that she had caused him so much distress that she felt her lips quiver, "Satoru I-,"

He lifted his head now and blinked to clear the water that was pooling behind his cyan eyes. His worry was evident, and it pierced through her like a dagger. She stepped back, he didn't intend to scare her, he just wanted her really listen, "Chi-chan, you're important to me. You have no idea, how much I care about you," he reached out to touch her face now, "So much, it's so disabling,"

Gojo Satoru actually trembled in his speech, his tone weakened as he pressed on that Sachiko's crimson eyes widened at his confession. His icy stare froze her whole being making her core flutter and twist word that he spat and each time his skin grazed hers that all she could do was look and listen to him intently.

"You understand what I'm saying don't you?" his brows weaved together as he took in a breath before continuing. He lifted the hand that entwined in his and placed it over the left side of his chest making her gasp at the strong reverberations of his fast beating heart that suddenly it became audible enough for her to hear his hushed profession that she felt like bawling in his arms would be the only appropriate response.

Satoru pulled her closer to his chest so that she could hear him better when he spoke, "Don't shut me out now that you know…I don't really understand this-whatever this is-but I'm sure, I need you so-"

Before another minute had passed, Sachiko had pulled him into a tight embrace. She pressed her head against his chest and clung unto him to state her confirmation that she felt the same way. She felt tears trail down her cheeks as Satoru swiftly softened her hair and soothed her back as he waited for her to reply. He felt incredibly blissful that she was finally allowing herself to be vulnerable with her feelings. His heart was swelling and beating in fondness as they held each other tenderly.

He had won his first quest.

The most important one yet.

"You're important to me too," she looked up with water twinkling at the side of her cheeks becoming more detailed as it made contact with the light that peeked through the clouds and concentrated on the sky that painted itself permanently in his eyes, "I need you too and I'm sorry, I was so scared that I wouldn't wake up but hearing your voice, it brought me back so I-"

Satoru felt like pinching himself at that very moment. His head was still processing her words. The silent affirmations that were now said loud and clear. The mutual feelings now making itself known made him crumble inside in relief that all he could do was keep holding her, "You heard my voice?" she nodded unto his chest, face still buried in it as it soaked in her tears.

He smiled now as he brushed his mouth over her temple, "I'll always bring you back, I'll always come and save you even if you don't need any saving," he let out a small laugh as he lifted her chin and gently wiped away the tears that scattered under her eyes, "I know you're strong but sometimes, I just wish that you'd ask for it-ask for me to come and save you, even if you don't need it,"

She shook her head and placed both of her hands on his shoulders to create a small distance between them, "Satoru, you're gravely mistaken. You did save me when I needed it, you just didn't know it then. You keep on saving me in fact,"

"When? What are you talking about?"

Her lips widened into a smile as she cupped his face to focus on his eyes, "Since the beginning," her fingers grasped on his shirt now, "When you walked up to me that day and brought me into your circle,"

Satoru felt his lips part but didn't make any sound.

Sachiko ruffled his hair and stopped to rest her hands behind his nape, "Because of you, I didn't give up on people. You saved me that day from completely falling apart. You-kept me from feeling empty…many times, including my recent mission, your voice, your words…your kindness…"

Another tear danced on the side of her cheek as she widened her beam, "You always save me, Satoru,"

Satoru had never felt so unguarded. She had left him speechless and close to bursting from all of the emotions that built in his whole form. He was happy. Extremely comforted that he had done something right. That he had made her feel that she was a part of something. That he had made her feel so safe even if he wasn't physically with her.

He was so attached to her that it was physically impossible to sever any tie no matter what would happen between them.

"Then," he finally spoke, lifting her chin with his knuckle so that it could align with his. His blue eyes shifting attention from her own to the soft pink breaches of her lips,

"Let's make it count."

Sachiko was struck by the silly memory of their time at the bridge where their almost first intimate moment occurred and immediately, she knew she had to brace herself for the real thing.

It took him a split second to remind himself that Sachiko had almost everything taken away from her without any warnings so he decided that this time at least, she would have a say. She deserved to have a choice. This moment was too important for him to be selfish about it.

He tucked a strand of her hair behind her ear before swiping his thumb to just beside her lips,

"May I kiss you?" he asked softly.

Sachiko gave him the smile that was particularly vibrant whenever he looked at her and finally, she answered, "Yes,"

Unlike his dream, their first kiss was short, but it was tender.

His lips had perfectly molded unto hers instantly bringing him into a state of unexplained euphoria. She tasted sweet, as he had expected, sweeter than anything he had tasted and her lips, felt so smooth and soft was it pressed against his that made his heart quicken in mixed excitement and joy. The shape of her mouth made it easier for him to plant firm kisses on them, locking his feelings each time they made contact.

Satoru couldn't help but wonder if she felt as content and as blissful as he did and yet a part of him wished for more. His hand steadied at the back of her nape, and she was still standing on her tiptoes as he nuzzled his nose and rested his temple on hers when they finally broke to breathe. The heat rushed up from their back to their ears that even with the small space they had created, they still reached out for one more short peck on the lips.

When she finally opened her eyes, she was met with his crystalline stare. She was caught in the trance of his expression. She had never seen him look at her with such longingness and gratitude for the moment they had just shared.

It was evident that Satoru was exultant, that looking at him felt like her heart was set ablaze, fire escalating when he pulled her into a tight embrace. His usually crass behavior towards her shifted into a more careful, affectionate almost painstakingly stripped version of himself and it reflected in his eyes. His mirror-like sky pair of eyes, "I'll keep saving you even if you don't need me to. I need you and I'll never leave your side,"

His fingers carefully brushed against the occipital part of her hair as he drew in closer to her, "A lot of things are happening right now but be the one thing that doesn't change…a lot of people will demand more of you and me and command our presence, but I ask, please, be the one thing that can only be mine,"

His words scared her more than it was meant to touch her. She was afraid that it would come to this. It took a lot of her effort not to intwine him in her endeavor only to realize at that moment that it was too late. They were already too attached and too unwilling to cut their bond.

Her answer as an astounding yes. The moment that he had proclaimed himself fallen for her, she knew she couldn't hide from the truth that she locked inside her for so long.

She was delighted but, she was also devastated.

Devasted for feeling this kind of happiness that overwhelmed all rationality. In that moment, she believed every word she was told. She just wished that she could live long enough to savor what was left of her happiness. Again, there was that fear of disappearing. The fear that there was an uncertainty that she had to face but she had to tuck all of those doubts away because in that moment, they were the only ones that mattered.

I like him.

I like her.

So much. It's paralyzing.

They continued to walk hand in hand back to the Metro Dojo, this time Sachiko had rested her head on his arm as they walked as she was still recovering. Gojo can't help but ogle at her, keeping his grin wide and visible for her to see, he was too overjoyed.

He asked her if she'll be okay alone in the dojo, but he had decided to stay with her anyway, at least until the caretaker returned.

Despite his reservations, Sachiko reminded him that the portal iwas literally outside of her house and that she could call on the Inaris anytime. This didn't do anything to convince him to leave.

He scanned the whole area briefly before leaning in to whisper a question, "You think they're watching right now? Do they have some sort of surveillance at this very moment?"

"Eh? Uh no, I don't think so, why?"

He looked at his watch then to her through the side of his eyes, etching a smirk as he spoke, "The old gran's probably coming home soon so, before I go…can I ask…for a goodnight…" he leaned over to whisper in her ear, "Kiss?"

She jumped at the mention of the word, blood rushing to her face and neck making Satoru cackle at her surprise.

He playfully nudged at her shoulder, "Ah, okay, sorry, was I pushing it?" He placed one hand under his chin then tilted his head towards Sachiko, "How about a hug? Or a pat in the head? Something?" his voice rose as he continued to plead, "Please? Just so…I could go home…feeling…uh…you know…?" he was too giddy for his own good.

Sachiko sighed, initially hesitating to give in to his requests but allows a soft giggle to leave her mouth before embracing him and patting his head, making him pink-up and grin owlishly at her gesture.

She then proceeded to places both hands on his flushed cheeks, and gazed at his cyan eyes with her rubies and smiled, "Oyasumi-" but before she could finish wishing him goodnight, Satoru gave her small, quick peck on the lips before caressing the side of her cheek with his thumb.

Though he looked like he was confident in his actions, Satoru was also startled at his brazeness but his heart was pumping too fast for him to be able to reassess what he had done, "Oyasu-" he was about to say something when Sachiko pressed his cheeks together much like that time he did when he visited her at the dorm.

"Satoru…you dummy! Stop making me feel like I-" she groaned, which the boy in front of her only laughed off as he placed his hands over hers. She was really cute in his eyes. The way she shied but didn't exactly evade his advances was quite reassuring, but he took it as a cue to take things slow.

How is she so beautiful in everything that she does?

"Sorry Chi, I couldn't help it," he lowered their hands into his lap and lifted her chin, "I promise I won't do that again without your permission," she pouted at him but only slightly. Her lashes hovered over her bright eyes as she looked down to evade his stare, her face still bright red. Gojo couldn't help but inwardly gush over how adorable she was when was being shy. He wondered if she was also having palpitations, 'cause if he was being honest, he was surprised that he was still keeping it together.

Her fingers twirled over his left sleeve, picking at it as if she was trying to calm herself and keep from saying something, "Okay,"

They heard the front gate creek, signaling the caretaker's arrival. Not wanting to raise any suspicions, Satoru slowly straightened himself but kept close to the girl beside him, balancing is hold on her hands as he slung his bag over his shoulders, "I'll see you tomorrow then, Chi,"

She finally looked up at him, gently raising her chin to show him her sincere smile, "See you tomorrow," she whispered, sweetly.

Before he left, he leaned over to one side of her ear, gently tucking in loose strands of her dark, soft locks, so that the sapphire gem on her ear could shine freely, "Sachiko-chan?"

She tilted her face towards him so that her cheek lightly brushed over his warm jaw, "Yes?"

He smiled under his breath before aligning his mouth over her ear so that when he spoke, it would only be Sachiko who would hear his confession,

"Tsuki da yo…"

And while the both of them were treading towards a clearer path, their closest friend slowly fleeted away from his own morals.

Dwindling into uncertainty which start shattering the glass around his principles he kept protected against the dire complexities of men.


3 months later, start of Winter

Suguru had been taking time off for himself since his last mission. Upon getting up, he took a quick shower just to allow the cold droplets to awaken his senses to get through the day. Again, he declined invitations from his close circle to meet up before everyone went home.

It wasn't for lack of interest; it was more for his peace of mind. There were several things he didn't want to acknowledge and hanging out with those three would make him forcibly confront a few things-his dwindling relationship with his best friend with their growing differences in opinion with Jujutsu politics, the endless nagging from his nicotine addicted confidante and then there was the other thing-the one he knew he couldn't let go.

He tucked his feet in his black sandals after fastening his baggy pants on his hips and grabbed the nearest jacket before heading for the door. The wind was beginning to shift into the cold of winter, making his long, hair sway to his sides as he continued to walk mindlessly to the spot where some of his juniors frequented.

The old off-campus cafeteria wasn't crowded that day, so it was a nice place to find some quiet. He slumped on one of the long benches beside the square windows, legs apart to keep himself balanced as he slouched, elbows digging at the side of his thighs. For a while, he was just sitting idly with his eyes closed, silencing the voices inside his head one by one.

"GETOU-SAN!"

Suguru's eyes snapped open at the sudden intrusion of his peace but recognizing the musical tone of Yu's voice, he was quick to lighten his mood. The younger boy had been a new addition to his circle, more so than the blonde-boy from the same year. The change in company was quite comforting and most of the time his playful and positive demeanor was something that Suguru wanted to rub off on him.

The wide-eyed brunette in the half-opened school uniform continued to greet him. Suguru nodded towards him, "Haibara,"

Yu waved his hand and smiled, "Goodwork out there!" he said as he quickly turned his attention to the cafeteria lady near him then back to his senior, "Want something to drink?"

Suguru's brows shot upwards at his unusual question, "Eh? You don't have to-"

Yu was already digging through his wallet as he turned to the cashier and raised two of his fingers, "Two colas please!"

The long-haired upperclassman sighed in small defeat as the younger boy took to his side and opened the drinks before he enthusiastically began narrating his schedule, "My mission tomorrow is going to be far out!"

Suguru lifted his trunk and lifted one side of his cheek, "Really? Do bring souvenirs," he quipped.

Yu raised his hands in excitement and swayed in his seat, "Got it! Do you prefer something sweet? Or salty?"

His second question made him think of his best-friend. It had been a while since they both talked about the same things. The girls in their group had often pointed out to him that Suguru, being the more mature one, should try and fix their estrangement to which he could only reply with, "I might share with Satoru, so, sweet I guess."

Haibara leaned back with a grin in his face as he nodded.

The young special grade of the two lifted his head now and spoke more seriously, making his junior face him with a curious expression.

"Haibara," Suguru began, "Do you think, you can keep being a shaman? Is it not rough for you?"

Yu cupped his chin and blinked a few times before answering, "Hm…let's see…I'm not really the type to think deeply about anything, you see," he lifted his shoulders up and down then snapped his fingers before grimacing and pointing his thumb towards himself making Suguru turn to listen more carefully at his statement, "It just feels nice to me! To do my best in the things that I can do!"

There was something quite rare in Yu's expression. That glint of hope and selflessness. The spark that was geared towards filial service. He and Satoru once had the same eyes. It was unfortunate that he couldn't find it anymore every time he looked in the mirror.

Suguru in half-lidded eyes took in a deep breath, "I see…"

The younger of the two felt a little concerned about the person beside him. Yu knew that Getou was a serious person, but he was never the brooding type. Before he could ask him if something else was on his mind, a new set of halted footsteps emerged.

A tall lady with pale hair draped on her dark turtleneck entered. She flipped her leather jacket over her shoulder and placed one hand on her waist before giving Suguru a capricious smile,

"Are you Getou-kun?"

The two boys' eyes came to meet with the strangers' own.

She continued increasing the length of her smile, "What's your type of girl?"

Getou squinted his eyes in an attempt to discern what the familiar-looking stranger meant, "Who are you?" he said, unsympathetically.

The girl raised her brow, "Hm?"

Yu moved his eyes from his side to the stranger and laughed nervously as he blurted out something to defuse the tension, "I like girls who eat a lot!"

This earned him a slight snicker from the girl, but Getou could only give him a sour look, "Haibara,"

Yu shrugged then gave another short cackle, "It's fine, she's not a bad person," he nudged Getou with his shoulder and grinned, "I'm sure of that since I have a good eye for people!" He exclaimed making Suguru scoff.

Without turning towards him, he spoke, "You say that while sitting right next to me?"

I don't even know if I'm still the person you knew from a year back.

Haibara nodded twice, "YES!"

Yuki Tsukumo giggled, so amused at Yu's innocence, "Boy, he was being sarcastic," this made Haibara voluntarily take his exit to save himself from further embarrassment.

The light-haired older female took Yu's place beside Getou, making him wince and pout at her sudden quips, "Is he a kouhai? He's so honest and cute!"

Getou continued facing forwards as Yuki proceeded with her speech, "But he needs to be more careful of people, since he's a shaman,"

She crossed her legs and snarled, "So, aren't you going to give me an answer Getou-kun?"

He clicked his tongue, "You, answer first. Who are you?"

She tilted her head to the side and spoke smugly, "Special grade shaman, Tsukumo Yuki, have you heard of me? Or rather, don't you remember me from the exchange event?"

Suguru looked at her through the side of his eye and lifted his brows, "You're the one?"

Tsukumo pointed to herself and interjected, "The special grade who never goes on any missions and just fucks around taking trips overseas,' her non-display of any remorse with her fickle mindedness offput Getou but not enough to cause him to show much surprise.

She slumped back to rest on her shoulders, making the younger boy witness her sulking, "I hate the college…" she snickered as she extended one hand, "I'm kidding…but it's true," she sighed, "My objectives don't align with the pillars. The people there want to treat symptoms. I on the other hand, I want to treat the cause."

Her statement intrigued the young curse manipulator. He didn't expect that she'd ever word out something that would require in-depth contemplation knowing her history, "Treat the cause?" he asked.

She nodded once, "I don't want to hunt cursed spirits. I want to create a world where they're non-existent."

Suguru quickly jerked his head to the side to face her, his purple eyes shifted on the special grade as if he was looking for her to give him some sort of hope and direction. Finally, he was going to give her a chance to say her peace.

Yuki Tsukumo crossed her arms and lifted her chin as her mouth creased open, "I'll give you a short lesson…"


Sachiko had spent a lot of sleepless nights thinking about what possessed her to just give in to Satoru's advances. Tossing and turning and hugging her pillow to release the giddiness and unequivocal longing for peace.

She never thought that she'd actually bring down her walls easily for someone but, a part of her thought that it was inevitable. He was her first friend. Her first companion. Her first sparring partner. The first person to show her a certain kind of kindness that looked beyond power and status.

He always just saw me as me…

She remembered joining her family in the dinner table that night that Satoru had confessed to her. She was too flustered by the memories and pent-up feelings she had for that day that her cousin and grandfather had thought that she had caught a fever.

Yahiko leaned in towards old gran, "Did something happen today?"

The old caretaker shrugged, "Oh, she had a visitor, but he left as soon as I arrived,"

The three other Miuras flinched at her statement thinking about their own candidates who possibly made her seem out of the loop, but in a good way. The blue-haired half-inari narrowed his eyes and continued his interrogation,

"Who was it gran? Was the guy tall?" he realized right away after she nodded that that question was too general, there were at least five people who fit that description, "Hm…was he loud?"

The old woman shook her head, making Yahiko and Hideo sigh in relief but then after exchanged glances as if they were wondering if they thought of the same person except that white-haired wiseass, "Okay, was he well mannered?"

Granny showed her toothless grin, "Ah, yes, he was a good boy!"

Yahiko snickered, clutching his chopsticks victoriously thinking about how proud he was of Getou only to be mimicked by his grandfather who was also smirking behind his teacup.

Does he think it's that Nanami guy?

Kodansha clasped her hands together and beamed, "I bet he brought her sweets, right?" she finally asked something very distinguishing of her own prospect making the two men edge on their seat.

Granny laughed, "Quite a lot actually,"

She was eating mindlessly, nibble by nibble, unable to taste her food each time she opened her mouth, she was reminded of Satoru's lips molding unto hers only a few hours earlier. Her ears turned scarlet every time her name was called, and she would jitter and fumble for a proper reply making Yahiko and Hideo more suspicious than ever that she had to excuse herself early to bury her face under the sheets.

She was so happy and so embarrassed to have spent that late afternoon with the boy with the curious eyes. It was something she had secretly yearned for ever since that day in Osaka but had spent most of her days resigning to the fact that it was something she may have to sacrifice.

But, with the way that he spoke, he made it seem that he was fighting for-with her. He wasn't oblivious to her circumstances so, she thought, if he could hope, maybe she could too.

I want to be selfish. But I'm scared. I don't want to hurt him.

I'll keep on saving you, even if you don't want me to, he said making her heave a deep sigh at the remnants of his steady voice that rung in her ear.

Maybe, I should do the same…I don't want to lose him…

It was crazy. They had only been apart for a few hours and she found herself missing him terribly.

She tugged on her own hair and groaned, "Damn it Satoru!"

Why did I have to fall for him?


The weekend rolled in fast, and he hadn't noticed that it was already the middle of the week, most of it, he spent at the Metro Dojo that he felt kind of guilty for leaving the other two behind. It wasn't that he wanted to tell them right away about it, he and Sachiko haven't even properly discussed how they would go about it so, he decided to just hang out with them like old times, especially with his best friend.

I gotta tell him sometime. But, for now, I'll just be a good friend before he murders me.

Satoru knocked on Suguru's room twice before turning the knob which to his surprise was unlocked, "Yo! 'Ya in here? Let's go out!" he yelled, kicking off his shoes and proceeding to casually stroll inside, "Suguru? Did 'ya here me?"

He pushed his bedroom door open and found no one inside. Everything was in order, from the made-up bed, to the properly aligned textbooks and steam-prepped uniform.

He scratched the back of his head as he scanned his table, trying to find any clues to his whereabouts. He hadn't been answering his texts for over a day now, not even Sachiko's.

He sent a quick text to Ieiri to inquire about him but only got an IDK from her reply.

"Where the hell is he?" he muttered.

Just before he could exit Suguru's room, he noticed that one of sketches he had made was missing on one of the frames that hung near the door, but he couldn't exactly point out what it was. It couldn't have been related to Sachiko as her portrait was in pristine condition.

He clicked his tongue as he locked the door to a close, but his steps were halted when Yaga's name popped up on his phone, "Gojo?"

"Yes VP?" he said, unenthused by the familiar tone of an impeding deployment.

"Come to my office as soon as you can, it's an emergency. I've already called on Ms. Miura to assist," there was wariness in the way that he spoke. Bringing Sachiko back from her rest meant that the matter was of importance.

Yaga continued, "It's about your friend, he's been missing for almost a week now since he got deployed, we need you two to investigate,"

Satoru clutched his phone tightly and began running, "I understand," he said dropping the call.

Kuso!

Where the hell are you?


END OF CHAPTER


GOOD JUJU

Nanami hated traditions but also loved consistency, so this duality was often tested whenever he was summoned at the Miura estate.

It was an odd message to receive from the head of the Miura household himself. The blonde second year was still in his school uniform when he arrived, and he was directly escorted to the tailor's room.

He was left by his escort at the large entryway where different tapestries were neatly organized according to color and texture and around him were three people busy hand-weaving different types of clothing, all bearing with it of course the family crest.

Nanami was quite confused as to why Hideo Miura had wanted to meet him there, but he obliged him anyway.

The Miura head stood tall in the middle of the tailor's shop and motioned for him to approach where he was greeted by a bow as Nanami drew near, "Ah, thank you for coming dear boy, I was hoping I could introduce you to the staff today,"

The employees quickly greeted him before returning to their posts, leaving the head, an old man, to stay by Hideo's side, "Have you seen my granddaughter today?" he asked, wrinkling his eyes.

Nanami could only nod slightly, his visit was brief because she was already being cared for by his senior, the one with the bright-sky eyes. His disappointment was hard to cover-up, but Hideo saw through it easily. He felt bad that his own candidate was stepping to the side to give way for another he didn't approve of.

"I did Master Miura, however, I only stayed for a little while. I didn't want to intrude when she was resting,"

"Hm…I see. It must've been hard for you, as her personal warden, to see her in such state,"

Nanami folded his lips, "I was told that she was recovering well, so I'm not too worried. Sachiko-senpai is strong,"

Hideo stifled a grin, "Indeed. In any case, I thought that today would be a good day to reward you,"

The blonde boy's brows shot up, "Reward me?"

Hideo shrugged, "Of course, your efforts are never unnoticed. Miuras have excellent eyes," he turned to the master tailor and nodded as he brought out his measuring tape and began to measure Nanami Kento's form.

He didn't have it in him to question his master, but he was a little bit uncomfortable with being forced into situations he didn't understand.

Hideo then ushered him inside the gallery connected to the shop where ancestral robes and warrior uniforms were showcased, different styles signifying different eras and people who wore those garbs proudly. The very intricate and unique patters lit up the plain background that the young boy couldn't help but admire each one he passed by.

He was then directed into an area where different colors of paint, different sizes of brushes and parchment were laid out on a table with a fresh cup of steaming hot water.

"Take a seat son,"

He peered at the materials closely now was he sat, the paint was made up of an assortment of ground tea leaves making him wonder what he Hideo was going to instruct next, "What shall I do?" he asked.

"You are going to choose your own pattern; every high-ranking follower should have a personal sigil. Now, you shall create your own,"

His hand went to the brush nearest him, and he looked back at the master.

"Here's what you will do, while you hold the brush, I want you to close your eyes and think about what you want your pattern to represent. Think only of that and allow your hands to take control. Once you feel that you are ready to start, dip the first brush into the hot water and begin, once you are done, cleanse the brushes with the same cup and drink your tea,"

"I should think about what I want my clothes to represent?"

Hideo shook his head and crossed his arms, "No, think about what you want to represent. Let the process take over you," the elder turned to make his leave, "I will be outside waiting,"

Nanami Kento stared at the blank parchment. The instructions were clear enough but following them didn't really seem to make sense. He wasn't an artistic type of person, and he had no idea which brush to use, which color to pick let alone what he wanted his output to represent.

So, taking a cue from his master, he took a deep breath and closed his eyes, allowing himself to empty his mind before lifting the brush to dip it in the teacup.

Random images flashed through his mind, inwardly scanning for patterns and clues to guide him through this important ordeal but all he could see were people and places, disconnected in meaning and purpose.

He didn't notice but his hands were already busy moving his fingers, smearing the canvass with blots of black and hints of sun-colored streaks, repeating the same pattern over and over again. The pressure underneath his wrist increasing in intensity as he repeatedly wet the brushes in front of him until, his hand gave out from fatigue.

His opal eyes snapped open, he hunched over the table as he stood, beads of sweat dripping from the side of his face as he caught his breath. His messy fingers went to rub at his eyes before he shifted his attention on the parchment in front of him. His face softened at the sight of his work as he reached down to smoothen its edges. Feeling the hoarseness itch at his throat, he took the cup and finished the tea as directed before setting it down aside.

Hideo was already at his side before he could turn and welcome him back and was quite surprised at the pattern Nanami had chosen. His grey eyes looked over every detail, from the very subtle blue background, to the yellow-overlay that was splattered with different variations of dotted patterns drawn on by different brush tips.

He turned to Nanami now, "What is it that you wish to represent?"

Nanami lifted his chin, "Myself. I wanted to represent what I wanted the most,"

"Which is?"

He clenched his fist now and focused on his pattern, "My desire to make connections. My desire to create a path for myself,"

Hideo nodded and placed one hand over his shoulder making the young boy face him now, "Excellent choice," the Miura clan head said.


NEXT CHAPTER: SPECIAL GRADES AND THE COMMISSIONERS OF GINZA


Author's notes: Thank you so much for taking the time to read this chapter! I initially wanted to split it into two (much like the others) ,but I thought it was too important to cut. So, forgive me again for the length.

Hope I gave you enough fluff and angst content hehe.

Reminding you guys that this is a Canon-divergent fic, so the manga events are depicted closely to this fic but not exactly. I added my own twist such as letting Yu Haibara live longer lol. And a lot of the events are made completely from my own imagination based on my research and interests. The timeline is not exact but I felt like omitting some of the parts leading up to the drift between Satoru and Suguru wouldn't be advisable.

JJK © Gege Akutami

FOR THOSE WHO WISH TO SEE THE AMAZING ART THAT I SPAZZED FOR WEEKS ABOUT BY MY ART BESTIE JINX!: Follow her work on _jinx on twt! AAHHHHH! She and I have collaborated a number of times now so you can actually see some spoilers on twitter hahaha. The artwork is also on my AO3 post :)


Nanami's Haori pattern: Yup, if you caught it, I based it off on his signature tie and polo. Kinda poetic if I do say so myself that he wants to 'connect the dots' when his cursed technique makes a straight line to find weaknesses and strong points. The pollock-like pattern is pretty amazing, some look like perfect circles while others look like commas, and commas usually indicate a continuing story.

Yellow apparently represents happiness and optimism. Blue represents trustworthiness, persistence and calm while black represents power, control and strength. Anywho do with it, what you will ^^

Translations:

Tsuki da yo- I like you (masculine)

Ryoiki Tenkai-Domain expansion

Nisshouku-Eclipse

Kouhai- lower classman

Senpai- upperclassman

Kuso- Shit/Damn it! (slang)

Miura family tree:

Hideo Miura- clan head, grandfather of Sachiko and Yahiko. 3-tailed Inari Shikigami summoner.

Kodansha Miura-great aunt of Sachiko and Yahiko, 2-tailed Kitsune

Yahiko 'Hiko' Miura-older cousin of Sachiko, 4-tailed Inari Shikigami summoner, half-Inari (Heavenly restriction)

Some Miura JJK explanations:

Sachiko, her Six Tails and Heavenly Restriction

Sachiko was born as a Kitsune (You can read the Chapter 0: Cursed Clan for more detailed explanation). She is born as a shaman with 2 halves of one soul-a human and a cursed spirit. As such, she was born as a special grade sorcerer with a heavenly restriction that consumes her energy when she sleeps.

All Kitsunes have tails (not literal) which represents Six areas of Jujutsu expertise. To date, it is known that she can control three elements, fire, air and water. She has also limited reversal techniques specializing in poison control. She is a master at cursed weaponry. Another technique unique to her is called Red String, in which she can use a strand of her air to embed her cursed energy to form spiritual connections and protection to those she gifts them to.

Domain expansion. The English translation means "Eclipse." I based it off a significant celestial event like the Solar eclipse since she is an elemental. Since she is able to produce white flames, I made it look like she was creating her own sun. She uses her enemy's own cursed energy as a the shadow she can use to dispel any domains present. The cosmic energy encased in her domain allows her to incinerate spirits with ease as long as her light reaches their area. It is potentially more powerful if she uses her domain outside as she can extend the reach of her cursed energy by borrowing powers directly from the soon or moon.

Kitsune Slumber. Similar to hibernation, when she uses too much of her cursed energy (like in this chapter when she first uses her domain), she falls into a deep slumber where her consumption results to physical deterioration. No one exactly knows how long it will take for her to wake up but she usually recovers completely. Though, others are known to not wake from it.

Human familiars. Loyal creed members that enter into a bond with the Kitsune. It is hinted that those who enter into a binding vow with the Kitsune acquires access to her powers if he/she swears filial protection. Specifics are not yet laid out though

Inari- fox shikigami that can only be summoned by male Miura family members

Did Satoru's training speech seem oddly familiar to you? He gave a similar one to one of his students in the present arc.

Who played the VI-O-LIN?

Wondering who guys are still rooting for

Also, I received suggestions for pairing names- GojoChiko and SuguChiko/ SachiJo and SachiGuru, which I thought were cute haha, my friend also suggested NanaChi and KenChi lol

P.S. Yes, Yahiko is in a relationship with Utahime here hehe. I will make a separate one-shot for them ^^

THANK YOU FOR READING! 3