FUSHIGURO GUARDIANSHIP


Author's Note: Hello and welcome back!

This chapter will finally show little Megumi ^^

Shoutouts go to my buddy VampireSiren, Juju, fushi9urou, ryla, elia, sexykatsudon, MaxOliver and simperella! Would love to hear all of your thoughts either here or twt. Sending love to everyone!

Hope you guys enjoy reading!

Additional note: This chapter will contain some Heian Era (Golden Age of Sorcerers) factoids and mentions. I will place a guide and outline which you can check out at the end of the chapter.


SUMMARY:

Gojo Satoru finally confronts one of his demons and locates Toji Fushiguro's son.

He enlists the help of the Miuras and find themselves trapped in a heated discussion with the Zenins.

Meanwhile, a few months before the end of their junior year, Suguru Getou goes on a life changing solo mission.


Miura Metro Dojo, Tokyo

~Under the shadows of his long dark lashes, his hooded eyes colored of viridian.

The light betrayed his sight however, as the reflection of the afternoon glow that was partially blocked by the surrounding nature, decorated the doorway, allowed her to catch a glimpse of its true color-

Shamrock.

A four leafed clover.

Green.

Those gems kept on leering at her like he was looking through her very core. It only lasted a few seconds as the little boy turned his rather unreadable expression to the large fox statues that stood on his side and then she winced. His head was mimicking the movements of the Inari tilting its head in observance of the boy and that was when she realized it. The boy could see beyond the realms of the mundane.

He could actually meet the creature's stare, he reached out to pet the fox-shikigami but the creature had decided to jump over his unruly bed of blue black hair and make its exit.

Her crimson eyes once again locked with his. Those eyes, those piercing green eyes, which she knew very well she had met before.

Except, that time, those same set of oculars branded her with the intent to kill but then quickly shifted to a sliver of mercy.

It's the same as him…but-not quite.

Besides his smile, something else was absent in his face. Perhaps it was the lack of color? Or the lack of flesh from improper feeding? No. Her eyes widened. She realized that despite the same blood that coursed through his veins, it wasn't what he lacked that made him look the opposite of his father. It was,

Innocence?

No.

Perhaps not.

Maybe, just maybe-

Hope.

A part of her felt like she was about to experience an impending flashback from their time in Okinawa but the boy's presence didn't equip himself with that sort of vibe that warranted that kind of reaction.

Still, she couldn't bring her feet to move and greet her guest. Her hand was still clenched on the side of the door and the beating of her heart sped.

The boy wasn't at all threatening and yet, she still felt nervous about his sudden intrusion that afternoon.

The boy tilted his head to the side and turned once more towards her direction. Adjusting the weight of his backpack before taking a step forward as he blinked towards her, he found himself stopping mid-step as his own shadow was covered by the tall figure beside him.

Satoru quickly made his presence known to Sachiko, the worried crease quickly leaving her brows as he took careful steps towards the little kid and gave him a nudge from behind making him almost stumble as they drew closer to the raven-haired girl in the blue dress.

Sachiko shifted her eyes from the annoyed kid to the overly grinning older boy with the shades.

Satoru loved surprising her with a variety of things but this-bringing home a kid, was something she didn't expect.

At all.

Satoru immediately felt the need to hasten an explanation but kept his teeth exposed and jaw relaxed as he made eye-contact with her. She was about to mouth something to him but he could see by the slight twitch of the angle of her mouth that she was already trying to make conclusions on her own.

Satoru lifted his right hand and greeted her shakily, "Heeeeyyyyy Chi-chan! Sorry I'm late,"

"No, it's alright," she responded, half-paying attention him and to the little boy staring at her. She found herself picking on the side of her dress just to keep some of her disquiet hidden from the two. Still, her words had betrayed her as she couldn't help but speak rhetorically,

"I-I can see that you were quite, uhm, occupied,"

Sachiko wasn't really minding the fact that they were supposed to meet after breakfast and didn't even receive a message until noon that he was on his way. It didn't even anger her that he didn't say that he was bringing a plus one at the Metro Dojo. What she really wanted to know was why the kid, who looked exactly like the sorcerer killer was casually standing beside him.

Small hands began tugging on the side of his sleeve, hooded, leafy eyes filled with wonder and a bit of confusion that mirrored the lady of the dojo's expression, pierced through his own blue making the older boy shoot his brows upwards.

"Hey, who is she Gojo-san?" his small, monotonous voice finally came out from his tight lips. His sudden, short animation finally giving Sachiko enough recluse to smile at him.

Her change in expression seem to make the boy a little flustered. She wondered if it was the short distance that allowed him to really see how different she looked-fiery eyes whose pupils would change shape if you looked close enough, two-toned hair, long, darker than night locks cascading down her shoulders, tangled with stray strings of pale ones that scattered on her scalp.

She felt like she was being seen. Like her natural, normal form, was being stripped off as the little boy's green eyes traced her entirety that even the Kitsune markings that remained invisible except to Satoru's Six-eyes were surfacing on their own. And yet-

-he wasn't at all shaken-up by what he was seeing.

Despite his young age of 6, Sachiko could already sense his cursed energy which was more than was expected at his age. But, knowing that his blood belonged to one of the three big sorcerer families, it wasn't a long shot that he would display such raw potential at his age.

He asked once more as he jerked his head sidewards, "Gojo-san, who is she? Why are we here?"

Satoru smirked at the boy as he folded his leg to a crouch. He rested his palms on his shin and tilted his head towards Sachiko, "Oh her? Well she's-"

"Is she your girlfriend?" the little boy interjected.

Satoru chuckled and pursed his lips, a little amused by the kid's accurate insinuation,

"Why do you say so?" he pointed towards Sachiko and then back to his rather prude expression and chimed, "Do you think we look good together?"

Sachiko snarled at him as she was growing impatient with his introductions and musings but didn't bother to say anything that would make the boy uneasy.

Satoru's awkward cackle was enough to do that on its own. The kid pouted at his rather unnerving look of enthusiasm backed by thought that someone was actually acknowledging that he was in a relationship. Not that she could blame him. They have been keeping it a secret for months-almost a year now so, it was nice for Satoru to actually have the opportunity to blurt it out openly.

"Satoru-" Sachiko took a step forward which gave the pale haired boy a cue to proceed with the delayed introductions. Satoru gave Sachiko a torrid wink before he continued,

"She's my Chi-chan, the lady of this dojo,"

"Chi-chan?" the boy echoed awkwardly.

Satoru cleared his throat, "Oh, I call her Chi-chan. That's my special name for which I can only use. Okay? But her full name is-"

Sachiko went closer to the little boy now and nodded at him in greeting to save herself from further mortification, "I'm Miura Sachiko, hello. You can call me Sachi or Sachiko if you'd like,"

It took the boy a few seconds to respond. He had never seen such a peculiar beauty before and it was strange. She looked extremely harmless at first glance but she was giving off a very powerful aura that made him doubt his safety for a split second. But then, when he finally saw her soften her expression, he stood still and allowed her to approach without much fretfulness.

The kid managed to walk a few paces forward and curved his trunk as he introduced himself like a proper young man that for a moment she had forgotten that this kid was orphaned early,

"I'm Fushiguro Megumi,"

Sachiko went down to the boy's level and gave him an even bigger smile, "Nice to meet you Megumi-kun. I hope you don't mind if I call you that,"

The boy shook his head and couldn't help but stare at her pale yet slightly flushed face. She was quite captivating and something about her presence actually made him feel calm. He gripped his bag a little tighter and turned towards the tall guy who was oddly taking photos of the two of them. He bore with him a smile that exposed his gums making Megumi take a few rushed steps closer towards the older girl who seemed more normal than his new guardian.

Sachiko gestured for them to follow her inside, "Come on in Megumi and make yourself comfortable,"

Satoru took Megumi's backpack from him and swung it over his shoulder, startling the kid even more as Satoru had ruffled his hair and patted his head while telling him how he did such a good job and how he was such a well-mannered boy who made him look good in front of his lady.

The kid puffed his cheek on one side, unenthused by the older boy's compliments and quickly went on his way, disappearing quickly behind Satoru's Chi-chan.

The raven-haired girl looked over her shoulder as Megumi began to properly align his shoes on the rack, a smile creeping at her face at the sight of the young boy acting so proper and a little wary that it was comforting that he didn't show any trace of his father's mannerisms.

Satoru was quick to notice her affectionate demeanor towards the kid that he perched beside her and allowed his chin to rest on the crown of her hair and laughed. But before he could get any words out, Sachiko pinched the side of his cheek and squinted at him,

"Care to explain, my Satoru?"


1 Week Ago

It took a long while for Satoru to locate that man with the lip scar's family. Even though he had zero cursed energy, he was pretty good with utilizing whatever means to hide his family in plain sight. Satoru's family operatives managed to find the location and told him that they were located in a small village right smack in Miyagi's capital of Sendai.

Toji chose a rather sub-urban housing street where stray animals and small vendors decorated the plains and where, to his relief, very few and harmless curses were scattered. It was rather peaceful; the noise mostly came from the bike bells and exchange of words from transactions. It wasn't a popular place to live in yet most of the apartment buildings seemed to be occupied. It gave off the vibe that the cost of living as compared to the city was reasonable and more importantly, it seemed like a safe place to build a home.

Despite deciding to wear his school uniform and ridiculously exaggerated pair of circular lenses, Gojo Satoru still seemed like an odd fellow compared to the inhabitants of the village. He had a lot of curious eyes following his movement as he made his way to one of the houses near the end of the street where the lamp posts remained lit but flickering.

As he narrowed in his vision of the street, he finally saw very minute yet distinct residuals. The pattern looked like small animal imprints that it was enough for him to conclude that a shikigami may have been involved.

It was almost sunset. An orange glow blanketed the small area a few minutes after he arrived few steps away from the Fushiguro residence when at last, a small figure emerged from the other end.

A small, brooding boy with a backpack was making his way inside his home.

So, that's him.

Satoru clasped his hands together and took a few steps closer. One deep breath after, he commenced his speech,

"Megumi…Fushiguro, right?"

The little boy shifted his stance robotically, as if Gojo's voice made him so disconcerted that he had to stop at a safe distance from the stranger, "Who're you? And…"

Upon visualizing the face of the boy in detail, Gojo was caught aghast by the way he looked. As the exact replica of his father, Gojo's snarl exposed not only his gums but the back of his throat that made the kid flinch at his grotesque expression.

Surprisingly, the kid knew how to click his tongue making Satoru swallow painfully hard at the realization that this kid wasn't ordinary.

"Why are you looking at me like that?" the kid grumbled, hooding his eyes with the shadow of his sharp and umbrella-like lashes.

Gojo could feel the air leave his pursed lips as he tried to contain his scoff but after clearing the field of his vision a few times in between blinking, he finally managed to steady his tone to reply, "Well, it's just, you look exactly, like him,"

"Eh?"

The older boy waved his hand to dismiss his observation and compartmentalized his own uneasiness alongside the boy's discontent to shift to another topic.

He crooked a brow, "So, your dad is actually from the reputable Zenin sorcerer family," he paused to edit. Leaving out very crucial yet very graphic elements about his father and his former allegiance to avoid the alarm that might raise if he spoke too much.

Satoru lifted his shoulders, "Even I think he's just a big loser, then again, he left the family and had you."

He hoped that the kid would understand what he meant with his last statement. Toji actually did good by him when he left the crooked clutches of the clan. Personally, he thought that Toji actually just wanted out and be his own man, but he needed to work to care for his family (both of 'em).

He just chose the wrong occupation and the wrong side.

The kid's gaze remained impassive which made Gojo want to test how calm he would still remain after pointing out that he knew he was special. Satoru raised both of his index fingers and pointed behind him repeatedly at some corners where non-sorcerers wouldn't see anything out of the ordinary.

The kid followed the direction of the older boy's hands and a flicker of surprise danced in his lenses as he saw small creatures, morphed insects and even oddly shaped shadows seemingly disturbed by the older boy's presence alone. Gojo was right. The residuals did belong to the little one.

This kid really is an exceptional one.

Gojo's lips curved upwards as his head tilted towards his chin, making his spectacles dance down to the tip of his nose. The Fushiguro boy's attention shifted from the minor curses to the haunting blue crystals that were the older boy's eyes. It gave him a chill that was even more disturbing than his Cheshire smile but despite his balled hand, the kid remained composed.

"You have powers, and you can see them, right?" Satoru's playful tone made him blink, "I bet you've already manifested your cursed technique too,"

The kid thought about what he had said. He didn't have a clue about what those things meant, but it wasn't the first time that he was able to see strange things that Tsumiki could never find lurking around them. And the deal with the cursed technique bothered him. He wondered if the things he could do was something the weird teen could explain.

The little boy was about to ask him, but he was offput by the cracking and wriggling of Gojo's fingers that was paired with his twitching grimace.

The young Megumi Fushiguro wondered if this was just some tactic adults used to kidnap children nowadays.

Gojo's cerulean eyes was eclipsed by his pitch-black shades and yet Megumi couldn't help but feel like he was being exposed.

What's wrong with this guy, he thought, heeding the older boy to continue talking about his none-sense.

"The Zenin family loves sorcerers blessed with quality cursed power!" His voice turned a little excited as he pinched his thumb and index finger to signify a transaction, "A cursed technique manifests between the ages of four and six. A ripe time to sell!"

The kid was already the latter and the sorcerer killer had recommended a tradeoff for him in exchange for a lump sum of money that rounded off to at least five digits.

Naobito Zenin was thrilled that Toji was willing to hand over his son with such a petty exchange like the kid was a weapon he was harboring for a special occasion. He wasn't entirely wrong but what he did miss out was that Toji primarily intended for the kid to be treated better as a sorcerer unlike him.

Of course, his irrefutable plan took a massive revision when he met his second wife and failed to return from his last mission.

Megumi wouldn't know any of the details until he was of age, but already, he knew, whatever proposition would come after Gojo's ridiculous narrative would come with a price.

His footsteps were light as he approached but his tone sounded rather sinister, "Your dad kept you hidden from the Zenin family. His trump card," stopping to a crouch in front of the boy, his perfectly aligned teeth once again came to surface, "Sucks, doesn't it?"

Megumi remained mute as he tried to take in the complicated information he was given. Still, despite the sudden change of the older boy's expression into a cautious one, he said nothing.

Gojo took a deep breath, "Your dad," he clenched his left wrist tightly. Feeling a bit hesitant and even guilty that he had to spit another truth towards the first grader. He found himself expanding his chest as he took in an air of courage to blurt out his next set of words, "I ki-"

"So what?" the boy interjected sharply. His face turning dark and unamused at the older one's jibber that snapped Gojo's eyes wide open, "I don't care where he is or what he's doing,"

This kid. He thought, He's got a better grip of reality than I thought.

Megumi was upset. The way that he snapped, allowed the image of his father to creep in Gojo's thoughts for a few seconds that he couldn't even see how the boy had clenched his teeth and was gripping the hem of his shirt so tight that even as he let go, the crumpled markings remained.

Unable to say anything that would disperse a bit of his irritation, Gojo just let the boy rant.

"I haven't seen him in years. I don't even remember what he looks like," he said, matter-of-factly.

His light-colored lashes fawned over mid-way in his eyes as he responded in his thoughts.

Just look in the mirror kid. Sans the lip scar, you two are by no mistake, father and son.

"Huh," he mouthed, making the boy wince at his strange retort.

Though, there's something different about him…He shifted his glasses so that Megumi wouldn't be able to see him squint through his spectacles, maybe its because he doesn't have murder written in his eyes.

The smug little kid continued, "But I get the gist of what you're talking about. Tsumiki's mom hasn't returned in a while either," he adjusted his backpack and lifted his chin to point at his step-sister who was waving towards him on the balcony.

Then his sullen eyes returned to the stranger with the weird golden buttons in his uniform, "So that means they're done taking care of us and are living happily together,"

There was no sorrow in in the way he spoke. Just factual condescension without a speck of remorse for what he just said. Still, his small, emerald eyes could not hide what was encased in glass-defeat.

No.

Acceptance.

Gojo's head drooped to the side and his mouth made a straight line. He felt a little troubled that a six-year-old boy bore such thoughts. Still, knowing how tough it must've been to keep him and his sister afloat despite being abandoned, he couldn't help but let out a shaky laugh as his fingers raked through his pale hair, "Are you really a first grader?"

The little boy's chin lifted upwards, following the length of the older guy in the uniform. He watched as he heaved, carefully trying to decipher what the person with the crystalline eyes would say next. His words seemed to disturb him albeit casually but as Gojo Satoru had always handled tough situations extensively well, an awkward talk with an assassin's son was something he'd just check off his list of to-dos.

"Well, if you ever get curious about your dad, just ask. I think you might find it interesting. Now then, let's get down to business,"

He tilted his head downward allowing his dark shades to fall on the tip of his nose as clasped his palms together, "What do you want to do? Do you want to go to the Zenin family?"

He thought that giving freedom to the kid to choose his fate might give him a little bit of hope and authority. His father believed that a gifted son would amount to more if he joined the clan but if Gojo was right, he'd be dealing with the next big troublemaker if he allowed the clan to simply sweep the boy from his clutches.

Still, nothing could have prepared him for the kid's answer.

"What'll happen to Tsumiki? If we go there, will Tsumiki be happy? My answer depends on that,"

For a little kid, Megumi Fushiguro was awfully intuitive. Satoru smirked. His foul attitude needed work, but it was funny to think that his crassness reminded him of his own conduct.

He glanced upon the older kid, the brunette girl with the high ponytail who was observing them rather intently yet retained kind eyes towards him. Perhaps it wasn't a rare occurrence for adults to come by from time to time. Which made him realize that perhaps it had been quite a while since they were abandoned and forced them both to hasten growing up and dealing with adult matters.

How many of us are out there?

Gojo leaned forward and looked directly in Megumi's green eyes as he spoke, making him step back and scowl at his intrusion of space. Satoru knew that sugar-coating would only make the kid distrust him even more so, he went to the point,

"No. There's absolutely no way. I guarantee that," his words were edged with steel, but it wasn't meant to intimidate the kid, in fact it was meant to ease him in for the transition outside of the clan.

It didn't take a genius to piece together how ruthless the Zenin clan was. Even if the kid did inherit a technique worth recognition, he'd live miserably especially if the little girl couldn't even see curses. There was an even slimmer chance that she'd get taken in or be made into their slave.

Gojo Satoru wasn't at all ready to take in a kid and his sister but fortunately, being surrounded by a good set of friends actually equipped him with a rather humane conscience.

Megumi furrowed his brows, eyeing Gojo ferociously as he swallowed the foul words from coming out of his mouth, words he would bark that would spark a debate on whether or not the white-haired sorcerer was a friend or foe. Megumi stilled in his stance, his mouth kept sealed by the teeth that bit his upper lip, deeper, and deeper as his frustration grew.

He had thought that this man was going to give him a way out of their miserable situation. But all he was making him was angry. And confused. But mostly, angry.

Gojo's cackle diffused a small portion of the tension that cradled their space. The short exchange between the six-year-old gave him the boost he needed to see his plan through. The kid was stubborn and outspoken, but his spirit was pure. If he allowed the Zenins to corrupt his soul, he would never forgive himself. After all, Toji's legacy wouldn't have to be his son's.

I won't allow such a thing to happen.

There's too much of that already.

A kid, even if he was born with God-given talent should still be allowed to live as normally as any kid would.

It's simple.

He went to stand in front of the kid now and gently ruffled his hair, making the kid's pout deepen at his lack of regard for his uneasiness towards the stranger. The kid's hands quickly went to his hair as he tried to push him away but the Tokyo Jujutsu student had already turned to make his leave, "Gotcha," he said, peering over his shoulder one last time, he continued,

"I'll take care of things," he declared.

He halted his footing at a distance where his voice would remain audible and snorted, "But, you're gonna have to work extra hard. I'm countin' on ya!" he sung.

Gojo finally etched a calmer, more determined smile as he set his eyes forward. He felt a little optimistic for the young boy whose eyes were laced with a kind of strength that was rare to see in his youth.

The kind of aura that only a strong person who knows what it's like to have everything taken away from you, to be nothing and to live with nothing could remain incredibly motivated to find a solution for his misfortune.

Perhaps, this kid might be part of the bright future of Jujutsu.

"You better get strong. Don't fall behind,"


"So…basically, I'm sort of his guardian for now, and, you're guess is right, he's Toji's kid,"

He searched her eyes to see if there was any hesitation regarding granting the kid entrance to the Metro Dojo. Toji had fatally wounded the head of her clan, her grandfather. He almost killed her and her friends and had ruined their mission. She had good reason to make him leave but Gojo knew her well. He wouldn't have brought the kid to her place if she'd shun him.

Pity occupied her thoughts almost instantly. The kid, was rather skinny and the fact that he didn't smile a lot already spoke volumes. Still, watching him from a distance, she was a little relieved that he wasn't erratic. What did bother Sachiko more was the conflict she knew Satoru had stirring within himself.

His encounter with this little boy's father couldn't have been easy and now, he had a daily, living reminder of what he had to take away from this innocent boy. Gojo never spoke about it but she knew how hard it must have been for him to do the right thing.

He wasn't at all obligated to take in the kid. Still, despite the tough and conceited airs he would project, he would never abandon someone innocent who got caught up in all this mess. He looked a little despondent as he stood in the corner that Sachiko took it upon herself to care for Megumi while he went out to sort out the terms of his guardianship before he had to go to and respond to a mission.

"I'll take care of him, don't worry, just-let me know how things go okay?"

Satoru tucked in his head on his shoulder and gave her an awkward smile, "Thank you Chi, sorry for this sudden request,"

Megumi was already nibbling on his snack when he overheard their conversation that he had to ask, "Am I going to stay here now?"

Gojo grabbed an unopened can of soda before patting the boy's head, "Just for today. I have some errands to do so 'Chi can watch you,"

Megumi narrowed his eyes at him, making him almost spit out the soda he was drinking,

"I don't think you asked permission yet," he turned to Sachiko now, "Can I stay here Miss?"

Sachiko snickered, "Of course. You're welcome here."

Satoru pounded his chest to keep the fluid in making the boy grimace at his display of questionable manners. His free hand went to the boy's shoulder and he gave him a small smile,

"Alright, Megumi-chan, be good boy while I'm gone!"

Satoru was about to ruffle his hair when the boy successfully evaded his grasp. Without changing his contemptuous look towards the older boy, he replied, "You can go. I'm okay here. Sachiko-san makes good food,"

Sachiko's face lit up instantly and she found herself coursing beside him,

"Aww, you like my food? I'm very happy!" gathering the assortment of snacks he had before him, Sachiko went on to refill his glass and placed the dishes closer to him and rested her elbows on the table so she could comfortably ogle at the kid.

Satoru couldn't help but feel a little lighter. It was comforting to him that Sachiko was delighted to have such an unexpected guest. Of course she'd be good with kids. He thought as he hid the light red flush that momentarily surfaced.

"Looks like you're gonna be in your element 'Chi," to which she responded by sticking out her tongue and shooing him away. Satoru however jerked his head sidewards to signal a side conversation while the kid was busy eating.

Chi-chan excused herself and walked Satoru out of the door. He was about to wave goodbye but Sachiko caught and pinched his cheek, "I deserve a heads-up next time, don't you think?"

He laughed nervously, "Sorry Chi, you're the best and only person I could ask of this."

She crossed her arms and let out an incensed sigh, "Fine," looking at the clock that hung on the wall, she asked if they would be expecting him to be back for dinner.

Gojo fixed his shades and shook his head, "I'll do my best to come back early to join you two. But if you leave me dessert, I'll appreciate it!"

"What am I? Your caretaker?"

Gojo put up one finger and grinned suspiciously, "Actually, you're kinda like my -wife I guess!"

Sachiko was taken aback but Gojo was already rushing out, "H-hey!" the blood rushed to her head at his stark statement. Jokes like that often made her a little antsy but Satoru wasn't about to hold back from them anything soon.

"I'm kidding!" He took one last look and waved, "Take care of our practice kid!" he winked, sending another wave of jitters up her spine but before she could retaliate her beau had dashed away.

Silly as it may sound, albeit uncharacteristic of the world's strongest sorcerer-labeled as a womanizer, a pompous prick and self-righteous heathen, he had such a mundane yet selfish desire to settle down someday, that a small part of him actually meant to give the raven-haired girl an idea that could affect them for the rest of their life.


Noon had passed by quickly. The afternoon light that was slowly welcoming the dark sky was mid-way through its disappearance.

Megumi hardly troubled the Miura heir. He had very good behavior, even offering to clean the dishes after he ate. When Sachiko had to attend to her own studies or to reply to messages, Megumi would sit quietly or find something to do around the dojo without straying too far from his new friend. Unlike his original caretaker, he was very tame.

The older student had a few members from the main estate visit her that day. Some affairs concerning their clan needed attending to. While her grandfather was away, the tasks were passed on to her, so for an hour she had to leave Megumi in the garden to play as she spoke with the elders in her living room.

The meeting didn't take long but she did worry that her absence would cause him discomfort.

He wasn't fond of speaking with some of the staff and had spent the day practically following her around or sitting next to her. Giving the granny caretaker the impression that the kid actually imprinted on Sachiko.

It made her a happy that he wasn't intimidated by her. Having the Kitsune markings surface from her recent mission and her shocking ruby eyes laid out in the open for other kids could be quite daunting. The fact that he felt rather comfortable about her presence made her watch

easy.

"Megumi-kun?" she called out. Her feet quickly molded into her shoes as she stepped out towards the garden. She heard Megumi's voice, the tiniest yet very heart-fluttering tune of a little boy's laugh come from the middle of the orchid-filled area where the grass had just been cut clean and neat where Satoru would always take her for a picnic.

She then heard a soft howl followed by a few barks, soon, a pitter-patter of feet followed that made her even more curious. Her blood quickened and her eyes sharpened towards the direction of the little boy. She felt a presence, no, two new entities emerge and immediately she knew that it couldn't have been an Inari for she had memorized each registry and residual that foxes left behind.

When she caught sight of the adorable shrub of his spiky hair, she was astounded by the activity at play. Megumi was running and playing with two canine shikigami pups. A black and white one, happily and harmlessly licking Megumi's face and wagging their tails.

It was the first time that day that she ever saw him smile. And that small smile breached her core.

It was one she recognized.

A smile that bore pain for far too long that forced itself to stay hidden to focus on just animating daily to keep one's self sane.

A smile that often had a price, too expensive to afford by such little hands.

She once bore the same broken face and shattered heart that for a good part of her childhood, she learned how to feign the creasing of the corners of her mouth just to project the kind of authentic happiness she couldn't feel. All because she never felt like smiling until she left her foster's prison.

She wondered if Megumi was finally freed from a kind of hell that was his former home, or if he just preferred to keep his smiles reserved to the people he trusted. Whatever the reason, she wanted to make sure that he'd keep it this time.

"Megumi? Are they, yours?"

He nodded as if it were an everyday thing, "They're my dogs, this is Kuro," he pointed at the black one then turned to the white one, "This is Shiro,"

So, he's a shikigami summoner. Very impressive. Her brows shot upwards, the Zenin line's Ten Shadows technique was inherited by this boy. No wonder Satoru brought him here.

The pups sensed her cursed energy from afar that they tensed up as she approached. Canines were of the same species as foxes but in the golden age, their ability to recognize foxes came in handy for hunters.

An Inari came in between her and Megumi's shikigami and one of the Miura wardens, came in to check on them. She kindly dismissed her guard and instead asked the Inari to relax as she went to Megumi's side and greeted his shikigamis.

The white dog stood beside Megumi while the black dog barked at Sachiko.

Megumi grabbed the black dog's tail and shook his head, "No, she's my friend." Kuro then relaxed and sat beside Shiro making the Inari take a few steps backward. Sachiko pet the Inari and directed it to bow to her guests in greeting before it left. The dogs then approached her, motioning for her to sit so that they could rest on her thighs.

She beamed widely at them, rubbing their bellies and combing their fur until they went back to their master. Megumi was surprised at how fast they warmed up to the Six-tailed Kitsune. The little boy couldn't help but sit close to her and urge the dogs to play with them both.

She had a reassuring presence for an adult. Her eyes, though the same shade of blood reflected only genuine kindness towards him that he felt a small tug in his chest that perhaps she could be a person who could help him and his sister.

"They're lovely, your shikigamis," she quipped, patting the dogs's heads. Her voice disturbed his trance, making him turn his eyes away from the kind stranger beside him.

He pointed towards the colorful fox resting on top of a tree,

"Shikigami?"

She nodded, explaining in the simplest terms for the little boy about Inaris and finally making introductions as to who she was. It did take some editing in her thoughts to give him just enough information to understand the world he was about to enter. Despite his advanced skills, he wasn't too familiar with the world of the shamans.

Much like she was when they were the same age.

Slowly their shadows positioned themselves below their feet, creating a halo that signaled the late afternoon would turn into sundown. She felt a buzz in her pocket. A message had lit up in the screen of her device, "Looks like Satoru's gonna be late. Guess you'll have to stick with me a little longer. Is that okay?"

Megumi bobbed his head but his jaw lifted a little which halted Sachiko from standing,

"I'm okay staying here but, Tsumiki, she'll get worried if I don't return home soon," he pointed towards the clock, "She comes home at around 5PM,"

"Tsumiki?" Sachiko blinked at the mention of a girl's name.

"My sister,"


Of all the things Gojo Satoru had forgotten, it was the tiny detail that Megumi wasn't an only child. To be fair, the kid said that Tsumiki was his older step-sister who was left with the responsibility of taking care of the both of 'em after her mother had disappeared. This was enough for the Miura heir to quickly arrange for transportation to fetch the little girl. It was a good thing that little Megumi was very smart and concise when he gave them very detailed directions to his home.

He was very adamant to tag along despite Sachiko promising him that she'd bring Tsumiki to the Dojo but it wasn't a half hour later that they were already in front of their doorstep.

Megumi hurried to open the door with his spare key. Sachiko had ordered her guards to stay behind with the vehicle ready to move in case they needed to rush out but she couldn't sense any other remnants of cursed energy besides Megumi. The first few steps inside their house, there didn't seem to be anything amiss. Everything was kept relatively tidy but there was an eerie calm within the four corners of the Fushiguro household. The phone was ringing non-stop. On one of the countertops were neatly piled but thick layers of envelopes and notices which she presumed were accumulated bills.

Megumi had gone on ahead to search for his sister while Sachiko took precedence of checking for any trace of their mother. The bedroom meant for their parents was very neat, perhaps it wasn't so before, still, she tried to look over the items made available to her.

There wasn't much.

A few pieces of clothing, some pairs of jewelry, books and other irrelevant items.

She looked through drawer after drawer and found a lot of them to be empty. One of which required a key and a keen eye to discover a hidden compartment that had an imprint of where a gun used to be placed made her uneasy. There weren't any bullets left but there was a stub for a plane ticket to which the destination had been burned off. There was a passport holder but no passport. A wallet with a few bills left housed itself on the bedside drawer but none of the credit cards remained. There was however a huge jar filled with coins that had been half-emptied.

The other stuff was left untouched.

She found herself grinding her teeth at the horrid truth these kids had to deny daily. The rage that was building within her almost made her break the picture frame she had in her hand, the other fisted a large clump of her dress.

She cursed under her breath but even with that sliver of a vent, she was still filled with wrath.

These kids, they're-orphans.

Her heart sunk. Head tilted upwards to contain the fluid building up behind her eyes from falling out of her ire. Their father, because of his ill choice of partnership and his desperation for money ended up dying in the hands of sorcerers and their mother, her guess was as good as any, probably ran away from her responsibility.

A soft knock came from behind, Megumi had called on her to meet his sister. She had given him a forced a smile as she looked over her shoulder and took another minute to take a deep breath to release some of her frustrations.

Why must children suffer at the expense of irresponsible adults?

He had directed her to their kitchen and a little girl with long brown hair tied in a high ponytail, a few inches taller than Megumi, stood on a stool and was rinsing rice. Beside the girl was a pot filled with a variety of vegetables and silk tofu soaked with some condiments that she would soon set into a boil.

Megumi called unto her, making the older of the two children greet their guest properly,

"Hello miss! I'm Fushiguro Tsumiki…" she leaned to whisper towards her brother, "Who is she Megumi-kun?"

Sachiko went down to her level and gave her a small smile before offering her hand, "I'm Miura Sachiko, I'm a friend of Megumi's,"

Megumi nodded. Tsumiki's little hands went to reach out for the jujutsu sorcerer and with that short contact in between them, Sachiko was able to feel how rough and overworked her tiny fingers were from all of the work she had to cover at home. The dress that she wore was quite loose which meant that she had probably lost weight from lack of proper nutrition, much like Megumi.

The way they stood beside each other formed a depressing photograph. These kids had their life turn around for the worse almost instantly and it showed in their pale skin, tired eyes and roughed up palms that they had to make do with what they had.

What little security she had was their outstanding resilience.

The kind that shouldn't even be asked of for children.

Tsumiki placed her hands behind her and stooped forward, "Um, Ms. Miura, may I ask why you're here? Our parents don't usually allow strangers in our home without their consent,"

Megumi placed a hand on her shoulder as you would expect of a boy who was beyond his current age, "Tsumiki, she's here to help us, right?"

Sachiko nodded.

"Help us?"

Megumi bobbed his head, "Not just Sachiko-san, but there's also this weird man with the weird white hair,"


Satoru had returned to the Metro Dojo a quarter past eight in the evening. His stomach was grumbling and he felt so tired after spending the day traveling from the school to his ancestral home to discuss matters regarding his guardianship. To define that it was tedious was actually the kindest way he could describe the taunts and warnings of the elders of his clan.

As clan head, he didn't really need their permission with anything, it's just that the technicality of harboring a possible rival would create inner conflict should he not have at least informed them of his plan. Standing inside a hall of portals with the older members felt like he was being swallowed into a black hole, except in this one, despite their indignant tone, he was well respected as their liege.

They knew how to twist their words that was seemingly coherent with Satoru's but clearly had an edge of dissent. It was one thing to openly display affections towards a person labeled as a rogue but another to take in a boy from the Zenins.

It was intense despite the absence of shouting. Satoru stood in the center of the room, his frosted eyes scanning the doting ones, silently demanding that they step aside in his personal affairs.

"But how does the girl matter in this situation? Will the Miuras even consent to this?"

One of the elders spoke. Confusion making the old woman drum her fingers on the desk at Satoru's mention of the Metro Dojo. He would never allow the Fushiguro boy to be kept in one of their temples. He wouldn't be cared for. As he was still a student and had no concrete idea on how to raise a child, he thought of the best sort of help he could get in the hands of his beloved Kitsune.

"Miura Sachiko equates to the guardianship as much as I. We may not be betrothed or of age to care for the boy alone but with her family connection, the boy will be raised in a proper household where I could also serve as his protector,"

"And the Zenins? What of their thoughts?"

A smile played on the young clan leader's lips now, sending an intense message to the elders that Satoru was well prepared to shut down any of his obstacles the moment they were brought up, "Well," he flicked his glasses upwards, "That's where my Chi-chan comes in,"

"The Zenins will definitely make a fuss over it if it'll be just me who's going to take care of him. But if get another person under the same clan to partner with me, maybe they'll be a little more lenient,"

"You managed to find a partner from the Zenins?"

Satoru cackled, "Not a Zenin. But she comes from a line of the same banners as them during the golden age. She's a Taira,"

"Eh?"

Gojo had brought along some of the shrine guards to the Fushiguro household. After settling with a deal with the elders, he figured that it was high time for him to clear their crumby residence and have them move temporarily to a safer place.

What he didn't expect was that there were already movers and a truck half-filled with furniture and other assortments that once belonged to the Toji and his second wife. Some of the people who came to passively greet Gojo wore robes and pins with the red torii symbol indicating that they were from the Miuras.

His companions who wore identical plum embroidered haoris had informed them that even the lease and whatever debt was due was already paid for by the Kitsune's clan and had ordered them to keep the items in storage. This was a little unprecedented move on Sachiko's part since he hadn't even told her about her involuntary role in this mess but, he couldn't help but grin.

She's in it. Definitely.

"Hey mister!" One of the Miura men handling the kids' stuff turned to face him. One look at him and he knew instantly that this young man was Gojo Satoru, "I'm gonna need that backpack and few sets of clothes for the kids that live here, the rest of their stuff send to the Metro Dojo," he gave him a thumb's up, "Thanks! I'm counting on 'ya!"

An Inari came to the follower's side and eyed the boy with the Six-Eyes with caution. Perhaps it sensed how uncomfortable his master was that it couldn't help but be a little guarded. Gojo took that as his cue to leave. Slinging the backpack on one side of his arm, he whistled all the way home to his new instant family.


"Chi-chan, I'm back," Satoru was already known by the Metro Dojo staff and thanks to the old caretaker, he was given a spare key despite Hideo Miura's apprehensions. The old gran was the sole person from Sachiko's side who didn't need confirmation to know that she was in a romantic relationship with the sweet tooth. Thanks to the young man, her job was made easier.

She had let him in the Dojo at once and directed him to the main quarters. Sachiko was already tucking them in, brother and sister sleeping soundly beside each other, a content smile surfaced on the little girls' face. After spending restless nights in their abandoned home, finally, she was able to get some decent sleep.

The crimson eyed girl placed her right index finger in between her pinkish lips and stealthily stepped out of the room to greet him.

"Hey, welcome back,"

Satoru was brimming in awe as he stood with one hand on his chin in front of the girl. Sachiko's brow lifted into a crooked angle as she waited for him to respond but instead, he leaned down to meet her gaze and gave her a proud look after patting her head. With pursed lips and a nasal tone under his belt, he spoke, "You did well my Chi-chan! Thank you for taking care of the kids," he pressed his lips on her left cheek as a gesture of his appreciation. A flash of red where his mouth touched her skin appeared immediately after his release.

A surprised yet very visible shy beam surfaced as rolled her eyes to suppress her glee, "Kids, that's plural Satoru," she said in between touching her cheek.

He gave her an uneven chuckle, "Sorry, I didn't expect that you'd go to their home all of a sudden,"

"Well, Megumi-kun was worried about Tsumiki so, here we are," she shrugged, "Anyway, have you eaten? We left you some food, Tsumiki even helped with the preparations," she smiled, indicating how much fun she had with the children despite ditching her responsibilities to her clan and to the school, she didn't seem fazed.

Satoru bit his lip. Sachiko had taken the responsibility of watching over Megumi and Tsumiki the whole day, had arranged for their transfer to the Metro Dojo and even prepared dinner for him and all he had as a souvenir, (Damn! I forgot to buy souvenirs!) was a crapload of information he was about to dump on her.

His stomach grumbled, making him glide his hand over his belly as the lady beside him giggled and grabbed his hand. She dragged him to the dining area and directed him to sit as she heated up his meal.

As she leaned on the counter and waited for the microwave to sound off. She tucked her arms together and drummed her fingers against her skin and that's when Satoru realized that she was already on to him, "Looks like you have a lot of things you want to tell me,"

Satoru's mouth gaped but before he could speak, the girl's attention shifted to the buzzing appliance. She grabbed the plate and set it down slowly in front of her beau whose sweat dripped down from his chin as he said grace.

Sachiko rested her chin in between her laced fingers and gave him a curious smile, "Don't worry dummy, finish your dinner first and then we'll talk about your day,"

"So yeah, I kinda…already told them that, you and I are on the same page," he said the last statement with a grunt as he flung his arms to shield his face to brace for any impact that Sachiko's tiny palms would inflict.

Of course it never came.

Instead, it was her deafening silence and starless eyes that looked in the far distance as she took in the information that disturbed him. Her mouth quivered open and close for a few times and her long dark lashes fluttered open and closed as she slumped on the chair.

She took a sharp breath and lifted a finger, "So, let me get this straight, you told your clan that you'd take guardianship over Megumi, a Zenin, the rival of your clan and that you told them that they would agree to it since I will be sharing guardianship with you?"

He nodded profusely.

"And they agreed since I'm a Miura?"

He mirrored her fingers and aligned his to hers, "A Miura who just happens to be part of the same ancient branch as the Zenins,"

She shook her head, "Satoru, how'd you even know?"

"That you're a Taira? It would be a crime for me not to do my homework! I studied about your family of course! I have to be ten steps ahead if I want to overtake whatever the old people will throw in my way,"

She sighed but was actually pleasantly surprised at his effort to know about her family's history, "Of course you did…but Satoru, we're not exactly relatives with the Zenins. Our family just descends from the clan that they also branched from. We're a branch that allied with the Imperials and they're-"

Satoru waved his hand, "You don't have to worry about the specifics, leave all of that to me. Bottomline, if you agree, we can get custody for the kid by technicality. I mean, his father is an ass, but he didn't tell me about the kid for nothing,"

"As much as I want to help, I'm not the clan head like you-yet, so-we're gonna need permission from my grandfather if we're going to come into an agreement with the Zenins,"

Satoru ruffled his hair, "Well I was thinking, maybe now's the right time to assume your boss status like me so there would be no questions asked,"

She snarled, "Right, let me just transform into my Kitsune self and demand them to bend the knee or whatever, besides," she looked over her shoulder and towards the room where the two slept, "Is this even what they want? A bunch of almost 19 year-olds serving as their guardians?"

Satoru snorted and rested his elbows on the table, "Correction, that's two special grade almost 19 year-olds who come from very influential families and actually, yeah, I think it is,"

"Well, I know we can't allow them to go back in that state but even if my grandfather agrees, how on earth will the Zenins agree to it? Won't they want him? Our Taira status might not even be enough to serve as insurance that they'll allow such an arrangement,"

"I already have a plan regarding that, don't worry about it. All you have to do is help me get a meeting with your grandfather and protect me from his wrath,"

Sachiko pinched his cheek making him jerk sideways, "How long have you been planning this? How come you never mentioned Toji's kid to me before?"

Satoru scratched the side of his face, "Trust me, I meant to but, I wasn't even sure when I'd find him and I had no idea his family life was this complicated and also-"

She folded her lips, the look on his face was a mixture of trepidation and remorse.

Of course, as the man whose hands had slain the father of two innocent children, how could he ever make casual talk about something that was probably eating him away?

It also pained her that despite their time together Satoru hadn't confided in her about it until now.

But how could he?

Still, mustering enough courage to speak about it, her hand twined with his and she rubbed her thumb against his knuckles making him turn to her in response to her gesture,

"Satoru, I know this must be hard for you as well and if what you're really asking me is to be your support, then you have it,"

Satoru took her hands and placed them in between his cheeks providing him the warmth he needed from the cold draft that he walked through earlier. It was comforting to him, not just the hold, but the level of understanding she had even for the things he didn't speak of.

"I don't know what the kid will think of me once he learns who I am but, I just know this is the right thing to do," he rested his head on her shoulder now, sharing the weight not of his body but his mind as she covered him with the warmth from her arms, reassuring him that she was on his side.

"He'll understand. In time he will and if you need me, I'll be with you when you tell him,"

Satoru gave her a chaste kiss on lips as she moved closer to his face, fiddling with her hair as she rested her chin on his crown, tightening her hold as if she sensed that the more she gripped tightly, the more the knots on his back loosened. She molded her lips against his and she felt him smile into the kiss as he tried to catch more of her sweet taste as she began to shy away from deepening their contact.

"I'm counting on it," he said, light brushing his mouth over hers as he spoke breathlessly, eyes adoring the kind face and keeping his hold on her, finally allowing himself to rest and call it a day,

"I missed you today," he whispered against her ear.

To which she replied, "I'm glad your home,"


Hideo Miura was summoned to the Metro Dojo by request of his beloved granddaughter. The call preceding his visit was brief and yet it was enough to pique a curiosity as to how, after all these years, she had finally taken an interest in clan matters. Nothing could have made him any prouder and more excited to cancel all of his plans that day to spend time with Sachiko.

The head of the Miura household even wore a very comfortable Haori to be prepared for whatever bonding experience they would have whether it be a spar, a jarring game of Suguroku or even a spirited conversation over tea. But instead of being greeted by his granddaughter at the entrance, he was given a rather, remarkable surprise.

"Who are you sir?" a pair of small green eyes blinked in his direction. His inquiring look as his small hands barred the door to keep the 'stranger,' from coming in sent a chill down Hideo's spine. The child had unruly raven hair and was wearing a shirt embroidered from the tailors of their clan.

Hideo felt a lump in his throat but had enough composure to reply to the boy shakily,

"Well, hello young man, I am Hideo Miura, lord of this Dojo, and who might you be?"

Sweat trickled down the side of his temple. He forced a grin despite his twitching brow as he anticipated the kid's answer.

The kid bowed, "I'm Megumi," he said,

"Megumi-kun, what brings you to our dojo?"

"I live here ojisan,"

Hideo's eyes widened, "You. Live. Here.?"

"Megumi-kun, who's at the door?" Tsumiki hurriedly went to her brother's side, sending Hideo a few paces backward that his guards had to keep him from falling backwards.

"Miura-ojisan and his friends,"

The brown-haired little girl greeted Hideo and his assistants who were already whispering among themselves regarding the situation. Their names did not ring any bells and as to why the caretaker of the Metro Dojo didn't feel obligated to report on its new inhabitants irked the clan leader.

"Megumi-kun, Tsumiki-chan," Hideo cleared his throat, "Who lives here with you? Who brought to you our residence?"

Tsumiki beamed widely and skipped forward, "Our new parents!" she cheered, breeding questions inside the clan head of the Miuras.

Hideo and his posse spoke in unison, "New parents? Who?"

Megumi nodded, "Yes. Miura Sachiko and Gojo Satoru,"


Hideo's world turned dark after ten seconds had passed since the boy released his statement. His words echoed in his mind even as an hour fleeted of him rousing and sitting with a blank stare on the children, waiting for his granddaughter to come home.

Sachiko was ushered hurriedly to the empty training area where Hideo had stood unmoving and in silence. The hair on skin rose as she approached. It was rather sunny that day but the cloud that hung over her grandfather's head looked like hale was going to sprinkle any minute.

He had his back towards her and spoke half-heartedly, bottling up his panic and easing into the possible answer she could reveal, Hideo dared to ask, "Is there something you wish to tell me my child?"

Sachiko bit her lip, she didn't exactly prepare her explanation but since the sudden appearance of two kids who claim to be hers had shocked her grandfather close to death, she just went with the situation and took a deep breath to contain her nerves, "I'm sorry I wasn't able to inform you before but-"

Hideo was hardly listening to his granddaughter. In his mind, he had already figured out a way to ambush the weird sugar-high boy with the stupid glasses. He was always suspicious of him. Casually speaking to and of her with the most ridiculous endearments, stalking her wherever she went and even sneaking off campus whenever they were sent on missions or had days off.

All of his guilt and doubt into ordering a few stealthy men to watch over her every move was finally bearing fruit.

Gojo Satoru was trouble.

"Grandfather?" her voice squeaked at his statuesque turning. His eyes turned dark, stretched out of his sockets where a pool of tears was mere seconds from dripping to the side of his face. His neck was flushed and the veins turned prominent on his jaw and his arms as he began stretching.

And then he howled, sending a strong gust of wind towards Sachiko's that she fell off-balance. Hideo's large brown Inari materialized beside Sachiko, mimicking Hideo's crazed out gestures as he spoke,

"SO IT'S TRUE! HE'S YOURS?! THE DARK SPIKY HAIR and THE COLD EYES! HAS TO BE HIM! THAT GIRL'S DOE-LIKE EYES AND KIND FACE! NO DOUBT!" he clapped making Sachiko mouth a sharp Eh? as he continued mumbling.

Hideo's fingers began cracking, his teeth chattered with each word as he blinded himself with visions of killing the boy he claimed had tainted his precious grandchild,

"I AM GOING TO KILL HIM!"

Sachiko furrowed her brows and quickly went up her feet. Her voice rose in panic at the misunderstanding that was unfolding,

"Wait! Grandpa, do you think he's my child? That Tsumiki is also mine?"

Hideo's arms fell to his sides and his chin crashed on his chest, false realizations making him fall into a pit of despair that it was becoming harder and harder to hold back his tears as his granddaughter inched towards him to try and calm him down.

Instead of feeling her presence, he continued his rambling, "I tried so hard to-but that Gojo boy-" he suddenly projected forward almost bumping Sachiko on the head. His gray eyes transformed into crescents and his energy was pulsing through him that even his Inari was fired up and growled as he spat out his next set of words,

"I'll kill him!"

Sachi shook her head aggressively dismissing him from his angered trance, "You're mistaken! He's not mine! Nor is he Satoru's! He's uhm, Toji-san's child."

Hideo's attitude shifted quickly to relief that the Inari miniaturized and sat quietly beside his master. The cloud disappeared and so did the flames in his eyes. His tone softened and the color in his face returned, "Oh…okay, good. Wait-Toji-?"

"Yes, him,"

Hideo wasn't too keen on establishing a new connection towards the sorcerer killer but after Sachiko's explanation of their situation, he didn't have the heart to deny two kids from starting their life anew in a safe environment.

The details of Satoru's proposal took the Miura clan head by surprise. He was a little impressed at the preparation and a little bit agitated at his blatant use of his clan's name. But all he could think about was how willing the future of their clan, the Six-tailed Kitsune, his granddaughter was set in her decision to provide assistance to the Gojo clan.

His eyes narrowed at her, suspicion arising as many rumors he chose to play deaf to were finally making sense. He decided to test her temperament, "That boy…he is starting to get on my nerves. Don't let him take advantage of your kindness. He may have ulterior motives!" he empahsized

She groaned, "I'm not doing it for him. It's for Megumi and Tsumiki,"

"That boy…what kind of hold does he have on you?"

"Grandpa, Satoru isn't the kind of person you're painting out to be in your head. He's a good guy,"

"Fine. But, that stupid boy aside, even if we take them in, we have to bring the home eventually,"

There was a thud from the other side of the door and a muffled sound, like, crying could be heard by two Miuras. Upon sliding the door open, Sachiko found a frowning Megumi and a whimpering Tsumiki on all fours, devastated at what they had overheard.

Tsumiki broke down as she rubbed her eyes, "I'm sorry-its bad to listen to adults-when they-speak-but-I can't come and stay here anymore-Sachiko-san?"

Sachi's eyes grew wide, their cries made her mouth quiver in sadness that she rushed to wrap her arms around the two to give them solace, "Awww, of course you can stay!" she shifted her eyes towards her grandfather who flinched at her glare and continued to soothe them, "You can both stay here for as long as you'd like, grandpa over there is just a little shy around people he hasn't met yet. He'd be happy to let you stay here, right?"

"Really?" Megumi clung unto Sachiko's side, gripping her shirt like he was afraid that letting go would mean his dismissal while Tsumiki buried her face in the crimson-eyed girl's chest and took a peek at the old man with water eyes.

Hideo was quick to defend himself and clumsily went to close in the distance in between them.

He huffed out his apology and reassured the children that they would be welcome in his home.

One look from their big, moistened eyes was enough to move the Miura clan head into accepting them as part of his family.

In a way, he was reminded of the time he had rescued the lady who was now tasked as one of their guardians. Like her, they had a house but they were far from having a real home. He could see in Sachiko's eyes and her soul that this was something that she personally wanted to see through.

He brought her up to be kind and compassionate, just like her mother and to be firm and rational, just like her father. Despite the atrocities she had faced, Miura Sachiko remained benevolent.

Every child needs a home. Our clan will be their new family. Hideo thought, judiciously accepting the change that would affect their whole clan and how the addition of a certain boy with a unique set of eyes and a smile that showed too much of his teeth, had started his invasion.

As the children set out for their rooms, Hideo had asked his granddaughter to take a stroll on the garden. There was a palpable glee that covered her aura. Her whole face lit up and caused a positive effect on their surroundings. The flowers blossomed, the leaves regained their color and the grass grew. The small creatures and even the Inaris sensed the positive wave of energy pulse from her that the Metro Dojo was soon covered in her warmth.

Hideo gave his granddaughter a nod as they continued their stroll, finally getting a chance to catch up on mundane matters and even sharing a laugh or two. It seemed that Sachiko had a radical change. For starters, she smiled more. Sincerely.

There was a time that the girl was so unreadable that even if she was pained, no one would know. Beaming was no longer a chore or a force of habit. She spoke more freely, delightfully and most of all, hopefully. Since she started going to the institution she had improved and developed into a very well rounded person. A fitting heir to their clan.

Sans the academic and professional achievements up her sleeve, her societal and personal developments were also becoming a relevant topic among the adults. Sachiko was no longer a lonely, orphaned girl forced to live among the world of the sorcerers with a curse she had been born with.

She was now a young, respected sorcerer in their community and though it came as a bittersweet realization, Hideo had realized that she was no longer his little girl.

Hideko took a deep breath and turned his careful gaze at her,

"Sachiko-chan, that boy, he really is your-"

She tucked her hair behind her reddened ear and nodded. The incompletion of her statement was brought about by small, relaxed chuckle coming from the old man. He already knew the answer. For quite a while now. And it was finally time to acknowledge it.

Sachiko laced her hand over her grandfather's arm and clung unto him like when she first arrived at the Taisha. She'd use his long and sturdy arms as a shield to hide from the staff because she was so shy and nervous. It felt similar to that day and Hideo felt a little emotional at how grown up she was now. Not just physically but she had matured so much in character.

Sachiko's fingers wound around his arm tightly and she gave him a worried look, "Are you mad?" she asked, her voice trailing off instantly as she folded her lips, anticipating his reaction to her affirmation.

But Hideo's gray eyes remained tranquil, "Not at all. In fact," he folded his hands together, "I am more surprised at his boldness to come and request for an audience with me just to ask permission to see you…among other things,"

Her hold quickly released out of shock that he went behind her back to ask for his blessing with regard to relationship when she specifically asked for time to prepare for such a meeting. She could only imagine what he had to go through but seeing as how relaxed her grandfather was, she realized that she may have been overthinking things.

"So, you knew?! Then why did-"

Hideo shrugged, "I waited for you to tell me…besides I didn't know that it would last or if he was serious," he gave a rather hoarse cackle now, "I was honestly waiting for him to mess up since I knew I could trust you with serving him the appropriate punishment if he ever did anything that would force me to intervene, I guess, I was wrong,"

He sighed and placed his hands on each side of her cheek, "Forgive me for testing him. I had to be sure but I am relieved that I was wrong. Though, my dear Sachiko," he leaned his temple unto hers, allowing her to view the visible creases on his face that came with his age and the widening grin that came from his bearded smile, "Please, still be careful. I will protect you from any harm but I shall leave the task of protecting your heart, in your own hands,"

She laced her hands around her grandfather now. She missed hugging him very much. Before she left for the academy, not a day would go by that she wouldn't hug him. He was her savior and her first real family and she was his everything. His beloved child.

"I promise,"

He nodded, "It will just take some time for us to get used to his presence around you becoming more frequent," he ruffled his long gray hair, "Yahiko in particular is still coming into terms with your relationship especially since you have not told him yourself. He's not too fond of him yet,"

"He's a good person, I promise. He's just-"

"Rough around the edges? Loud, a little full of himself? Creepy? Obsessed with you? Which one is it?" he teased.

She pouted, "He's just-different! But, he's a good guy and I-like him a lot…" a scarlet band was forming across her cheeks that her eyes traveled downwards. Hideo had never seen her react that way before and even if he would never admit that it made him happy that she found not only a good set of friends but a potential partner, he was content with the idea that he let Sachiko know that he was okay with her choices.

Of course, he'd also not tell her that he would still push his own prospect on the pedestal.

"Grandpa? Don't be mean to him okay?"

"Hm?"

"He's really doing this for the sake of those kids and it's just fortunate that he has me and now the support of our clan but please don't be so hard on him regarding my personal relationship with him, okay?"

"Forgive me but, I can't make promises. You're my little girl and he's gonna take you away from me soon so," he whimpered.

"Grandpa, he's my boyfriend! Not my kidnapper!"

Hideo covered his ears rapidly and his eyes began to water once more, "NO! Don't say stuff like that! You're still on the dating stage! Anything can happen!"

Sachiko stomped her foot, "I knew you'd still have doubts!"

"I'm your grandfather and he's Gojo Satoru! You piece together the rest!"

Sachiko narrowed her eyes at him, "I know who he is grandpa, I am dating him…so please stop with the slander," she puffed her cheeks, "You have to give him a chance and get to know him better!"

Hideo massaged his temples "I need to meditate for a while, wait, my dear, I take it back, I don't accept this,"


The meeting with the Zenins occurred exactly a week after the Miuras involvement with Toji Zenin's kids.

They had chosen neutral ground to avoid biases or possible environmental influence that would work in favor of any of the three clans.

The set-up was direct and required only one representative from each family. The Zenins were given a short briefing via a formal letter than came from the Miura and the Gojo clan and within the same day, the invitation was accepted by none-other than the 26th head of the clan, Naobito Zenin.

They chose a place in the middle of the city. A private traditional Japanese restaurant that was rented out for the day.

The aging man with the mid-length gray hair that was slicked back was already in his third filled gourd of sake by the time Gojo and Hideo had arrived. His black eyes and long brows still remained sharp despite his massive alcohol intake. He sat on the floor, with his legs casually stretched as he balanced his head with the arm that had left the sleeves of his brown yukata.

Hideo had donned his black and gold robes that day with sigils of the Miura's torii and the Taira's red swallow butterfly was embroidered on his back. He was actually relieved that the Gojo boy wore decent clothing that day. Like him, his yukata was also adorned in their plum flower crest that floated on the blue tapestry he wore.

When the door slid open, Naobito lazily fixed his posture but didn't let his grip loosen on his liquor. Gojo and Hideo exchanged quick glances but wasn't surprised at the Zenin man's rude behavior. He stood behind the head of the Miura clan out of respect for hierarchy that came with age. Despite being the oldest in the room, Hideo was still fit and had commanded the most presence among the three of them. Satoru took a seat beside him, across Naobito who was too occupied with taking swigs as his black eyes began scanning his two companions from head to toe.

"Thank you accepting our invitation Naobito," Hideo began, "We apologize for the sudden request to meet but the matter is of importance,"

Naobito Zenin moved his wrist in circular motions making the fluid inside the gourd bottle dance around as he gave them an enthused grin, "Of course, old friend, although I had hoped that you'd bring your granddaughter too, my son would've come. Naoya had hoped to see her,"

Gojo's jaw clenched at his statement. Naoya was the prick who had left her to die when they faced the finger-bearer. He had absolutely no respect for women or non-sorcerers. His interest in Sachiko only sprung from a place of ambition and nothing more.

Hideo cleared his throat, "Let's begin with our agenda, shall we?"

The Zenin clan head gave Gojo a languid stare before blinking away to direct his attention to Hideo, "Of course,"

"You've read the file and our proposition, tell us what you think,"

They waited until Naobito had finished drinking the last drop of his wine. Swiping the back of his hand under his chin to contain the fluid from dripping, he burped then set the gourd down,

"You," he pointed towards Hideo and then Gojo, "And the kid made such a compelling proposition however, you should know that I have received another offer prior to your letter,"

Gojo winced, "From who?"

Naobito grinned, "The kid's father himself,"

His narration of the exchange with Toji was pretty direct. Basically the sorcerer killer enumerated his pricelist depending on the kid's technique but as to the specifics of his stay with the clan, only his potential to be the head was declared.

"With that said, I'm not sure I should disregard my nephew's wishes just because other clans, our rivals no less, have taken an interest in an orphan. The boy is of Zenin blood, I see no reason as to why he should go and live under a different clan,"

Gojo interjected, "Toji Fushiguro's proposal was only verbal, custody has to be placed in writing. The agreement is basically null and void," his voice was commanding and his eyes, the sky-blue intensely flowing behind his dark glasses, never cowered. Naobito was testing them and he was growing impatient.

The fact that the Gojo boy, the murderer of Toji Zenin, spoke with much authority amused the head of the Zenins. It wasn't that he wanted to plot revenge against him since to him, Toji didn't really amount to much except for siring a son who inherited the Ten Shadows. It was just that he was proving himself worthy to be among clan heads.

Hideo agreed with Gojo's statement. He recalled seeing the poor boy and learning about their sorry state as vividly described by Sachiko and he knew right then there, the Zenins were only after a potential weapon. He would not allow such an animalistic exchange to occur under his watch.

Hideo straightened, "It is true that he is born of your blood but since it is of the boy's best interest, then perhaps it is time I invoke my right as a Miura to remind you that we are both under the same banners of the Taira,"

The mention of the shogun clan where the Miuras and the Zenins sprung from in the Heian age was enough to erase the smug expression on Naobito Zenin's face.

Hideo incurs under their banners that under Taira law, those whose blood remain in the same faction are entitled to equal privileges given by any of their bannermen. Thus, by technicality, they can also claim custody of the child.

Naobito cackled in between drinking, "How interesting. Invoking the Taira law at this very moment. Yes, I do acknowledge that fact but might I remind you dear friend, that despite being under the same umbrella of a clan, the Zenins and the Miuras had different allegiances. While you Miuras sided with the Imperials, we, the Zenins sided with the Fujiwaras,"

"The Minamotos were also subdivided into the Imperials and the Rebels and yet they followed the same tradition under the banners, so by virtue, we must also remain obedient to the law,"

Hideo turned to the youngest in the room to speak. Gojo raised his chin,

"As the mediating clan, I have to propose a compromise. The only way we can meet halfway is to have our clan become a partial guardian of the kid. We are not affiliated with the Miuras and we are practically your greatest adversaries. The Kamo family will likely side with you if they are brought into our contract so, this way, we will be more objective, and-"

Naobito banged his gourd on the floor, "You expect me to believe that? From you? The Six-tailed Kitsune's prospect?"

"While that is a fact, with all due respect before I was interrupted, I was about to say that the only way we would find a resolution is to give the boy the freedom to choose when he comes of age. Either he chooses the Taira-Zenins or the Taira-Miuras. And in the meantime, I will personally serve as his protector to avoid internal conflict among the umbrella clans,"

"What say you to this child, Hideo?"

"I agree with him. We can revisit the terms once Megumi is of age. But since he will be our mediator, at any point in time Gojo Satoru, becomes incapacitated before he is able to stake claim, then his succession of the Zenin clan must proceed without question,"

His bold proposition literally put his name on the line but with it came his confidence that chances of that ever happening was steep. If the boy did decide to go to the Zenins then, that was that.

Naobito laughed, "And? What would we benefit out of you snatching the boy born with an inherited technique? Why would he hand over our blood to you? To any of you?"

Hideo took a step forward, "The Ten Shadows technique is an element-based technique and as you know we are experts of Shikigamis, with the blessing of the Six-tailed Kitsune, we'd be more than willing to train the boy,"

Naobito smirked, "So you want to free us from all responsibility until the boy is of age in terms of his education, housing and training and when the time comes and he chooses to turn his back on all of you, we'll reap your hard work, just like that?"

Gojo snorted, "Just like that,"

Naobito grimaced, "Very well." He stood to align himself to Hideo and the boy, "To date, that boy isn't worth much except for his potential but if you and that little girl want to play house so bad, then do as you will,"


They had taken a private vehicle back to the Miura Estate. The hard part was over at last.

Gojo rested his back on the cushioned chair and let out some air of relief and whipped his head forward to face the older Miura, "That went better than I thought," he commented.

"Indeed. Naobito would rather have us do the dirty work and put the blame on us should the child cause trouble or should he not reach their expectations. It was better for them to save face and pass the responsibility on either of our clans. I must admit, it was a good suggestion to leave out the girl from the Zenins,"

"I can't have them think they have some leverage over the kid. They'll find out soon enough but I figured that we can at least buy her some time and the Miuras can provide her protection,"

Hideo lurched forward and turned serious, "Listen, boy, I do hope you know what you just got yourself and my whole clan into,"

"I do, sir. I won't do anything I can't see through. I promise you that sir,"

Hideo nodded. His large brawny hands raked through the side of his face as he contemplated before speaking. His neck was turning scarlet and the bulge of his veins on the side of his temples made Satoru gulp. The intensity of his aura pressed unto him that he felt like he needed to get some air by jumping out of the vehicle. But not an ounce of his strength could be found, no will to wriggle himself away from the clutches of the one person he has to get along with if wanted a peaceful relationship that would last.

His face turned grim. Shadows danced beneath his eyes and despite the AC dialed down to the the minimum, it grew cold that Satoru couldn't help but shudder,

"My granddaughter, asked this of me because she was once in a similar circumstance," Hideo began, gnarling his teeth in between words, "-but the fact," his pace increased as he spoke, smoke coming out of his nose like a raging bull stunned the young man, but Hideo was far from done,

"-that you will 'co-parent' two children with her infuriates me!" His index finger landed an inch away from Gojo's nose as he continued to bark, "Don't go getting any ideas! This is a guardianship! Not a bridge to a proposal!"

Gojo shrunk in his seat, his ears ringing from all the yelling that he could only answer dejectedly, "Yes sir, of course, I understand,"

Hideo cocked a brow but this time spoke more calmly, "How in the world did you get your clan to agree with your plan? I know you are technically the clan leader but surely your elders weren't too keen in forming allegiances with ours,"

Gojo scratched the side of his face, "Well, I reassured them that you'd cooperate since-"

Hideo squinted his grey eyes at him, "Since what?" his voice was stern.

Satoru's eyes flickered away from the Miura elder's and he stammered for his next set of words, "Well, Chi-chan and I-"

Hideo's brow twitched, "Chi-chan?!"

Gojo cleared his throat and waved his hand to retract. His endearment made the old man uncomfortable, "I mean, Sachiko and I are-"

"Are?"

Gojo mumbled, "Uh-good friends…"

Hideo half expected him to blurt his real status with Sachiko. He had been very bold in the past but the fact that he was nervous actually gave the old man a little amusement that matters of the heart seemed to off-put the proud lad.

"Don't lie to me boy,"

To which Gojo Satoru, newly appointed co-guardian of two young children with Miura Sachiko, had almost passed out after he blurted the truth towards Hideo Miura.


When they went back to the Estate, Hideo had allowed the boy to use the portal to the Metro Dojo. After a whole day of being prim and proper, he couldn't wait to see his Sachiko and finally relax, of course, he had been hit by the sudden realization that now, he had two additional people to greet when he arrives.

The children were busy with their schoolwork, so Satoru had only taken a minute to greet them before rushing out of room to join his girl, lounging in the foyer with a book in hand. Impatient as he was, he quickly took to her side and allowed gravity to take its course as his back slowly crashed on her lap, making her set her book to the side and focus her eyes on the face that looked up at her, "Well hello to you too," she said.

"Hey," Satoru smirked. His long fingers reached out to touch the side of her face but was only allowed to run his hands on the ends of her braids as Sachiko placed one hand on his chest.

"I take it, things went well?"

Satoru folded his knees and closed his eyes but shifted to the side so that his back was towards the afternoon light, "Yeah, surprisingly so, but I'm sure your gramps is gonna tell you all about that,"

She giggled, "Yeah, he will, hope you two didn't argue," she wrinkled her nose making Satoru relax more under her hold.

"How was your day?" he asked, making her lean back and balance herself with her palms on the wooden floor of the polished dojo.

She gazed towards the garden where the kids had run off too. One of the Inaris had had made itself known and began to play alongside Megumi's shikigamis which Tsumiki could not visualize. She began chasing Megumi anyway, happily playing tag unknowingly with three magical creatures.

"I had a great day. Looks like they did too," her smile grew, "They'll be staying in the dojo for now so we can visit them anytime,"

Satoru lifted his weight off Sachiko's lap but rested his head on her shoulder, "That's great, I think they'll really like it here, I know I do," he grinned.

"Still, I feel bad for them Satoru," her mouth downturned, "These kids, were abandoned, Megumi-kun, twice over and now, they are forced to live with strangers and be immersed in a world they hardly understand,"

Satoru soothed the back of her head which did very little to appease her.

Her fingers crumpled the clothing that the covered her legs, "I just can't understand how-these things still happen,"

"It's unfortunate, I know," his voice sounded comforting. Satoru placed both hands on her shoulders and allowed his thumbs to rub circles to ease her posture. Her angered eyes flocked down towards her tense fingers, her fury acted as a magnet which drew the white-haired boy to wrap his arms around her to keep from shaking,

"Chi, don't worry about anything. I know of at least two people who grew up with a messy childhood and turned out absolutely fine,"

Sachiko immediately loosened her grip on her hem and drove her head into the crook of his neck, "I'm sorry, I just-don't want anyone else to-" she took a deep breath, taking with her the scent of her partner continuously stroking her hair and cradling her in his arms as she pressed unto him with eyes directed towards the children, "I hope the two of them, will have a better one…they deserve to live like-"

"Like the children they are now? I get it," he kissed the crown of her head and created space in between them but soon found themselves trading positions of support. He continued, "Maybe, we can do something about that. What do you say?"

Sachiko nodded and finally managed a smile, "Let's do our best,"

Satoru pressed his lips upon her temple making her flush at the quick contact that made his heart quicken at the sight of her coyness, "Thanks Chi,"

Sachiko's palms covered majority of her face, the spaces on her fingers only allowed a section of her eyes to remain visible under her scarlet skin, "Damn you Gojo Satoru, you know my weaknesses so well," she hissed.

Satoru cackled loudly, catching the attention of the younger ones from the other end. They both exchanged curious glances before setting to approach the teenagers.

The tall boy pointed towards himself and smiled with his teeth, "This weakness of yours, wears his smile well, doesn't he, Miura Sachiko?"

Sachiko covered her mouth as she giggled. They were too engrossed with each other's' company that they had forgotten that the younger ones were already just a few feet away.

"LOOK! They're being lovey-dovey!" Tsumiki had begun pointing towards the couple and cheering loudly and happily that their mood quickly shifted as the little girl startled them.

Tsumiki was giggling and tugging on her brother who refused to look directly at the young couple, "Lovey-dovey!" Sachiko covered her red face with one hand and used the other to scoot a few inches away from her beau.

Satoru merely laughed and ran his fingers over the side of Sachiko's face before signaling Tsumiki to keep quiet. She mirrored placing one finder over her lips and nodded.

Megumi however etched a sour look and stomped until he was aligned in front of Satoru. He felt taken aback by the kid's glare, it was like he had just offended him personally.

Satoru's eyes grew wide, "Something wrong kid?"

He clicked his tongue making him snarl. Hesitantly raising his hand over the little boy's head, he gave him a singular pat which earned him a scowl.

Megumi shook his head and quickly kicked off his shoes and proceeded to climb over the steps and sat in between the two teens. He side-eyed Satoru as if he was one of those kids who were being overprotective of their mother.

Satoru laughed which made Megumi more agitated before looking towards his sister.

He turned his attention towards the crimson eyed girl in the blue dress and relaxed his face. Noticing his stare, Sachiko directed towards him and smiled, "Are you tired Megumi-kun?"

Megumi nodded.

"Um, Sachiko-san, Satoru-san, can I please go with granny to the market?"

Satoru nodded, "Sure! Just make sure not to stray away from gran' okay?"

She gave each of them a quick hug before running to prepare for their short outing. Upon his sister's leave, Megumi had summoned his shikigami's who were quick to prance around the boy making him a little more spirited as he sat in between his two new guardians.

As if they could read each other's mind, their eyes interlocked, a focused stare that only emanated hope and adoration.

Satoru slid his hand towards hers, his long-calloused fingers inching his way to twine with the delicate ones she yielded. The simple gesture was enough to make the naturally verbose young man tongue-tied and the young lady's heart swelled up and beat in fondness that was humming with a joyful tune.

She thought about how differently her life may have turned had she not taken a leap of faith with leaving her abusive home, entering the world of Jujutsu sorcerers, building friendships, and finding someone to trust completely and even allow her vulnerabilities to surface without fear of judgment.

And the sentiment was mutual. Habitually so, in whatever they did.

We'll make a good team, she said with her eyes, fervently sending her message of reassurance across.

Satoru beamed widely, Of course, we're the strongest.


News about the Fushiguro boy spread like wildfire throughout the pillars. Megumi was the son of a criminal and the higher-ups had difficulty separating the innocent kid from his father. With the support of three clans, the tension quickly diffused once the papers were served however, the Kyoto Institute refused any involvement as Gakuganji wished for their faction to remain neutral.

Yaga told Gojo that the school will aid the boy but only when the time comes for Megumi to enroll. The financial support will be limited to their education.

This made Gojo belligerent. Limiting the resources promised to young sorcerers seeking refuge under any of the pillars was a foul move. If it weren't for Sachiko finding a loophole, Megumi and Tsumiki would be forced to live off on the non-existent funds allocated to them by their parents. As clan-guardians they were allowed to provide assistance of any form as they deem fit for their needs. Of course, the restrictions only applied for Megumi as Tsumiki's was filed secretly and separately.

"Good thinking Chi,"

"Hey, I'm clan boss too you know," she winked, "Well, in the future anyway,"

Satoru grinned and placed his arm over her shoulder, poking his finger into the plump skin on her scarlet cheeks, "That's my girl. Look at us, we're practically perfect for each other," he said confidently, making his girl snarl.

"Mm-hm,"

"So," his voice trailed off a little, "How do you think we should tell our friends?"

There was a momentary silence between them, Sachiko weaved her dark brows together and breathed apprehensively. She didn't want to disappoint him by burdening him with another secret they would have to keep but seeing as the circumstances would complicate a myriad of things, she reluctantly spoke,

"Satoru," she whispered.

"Yeah?" his light brows arched upwards as he searched her hesitant eyes,

"About that…"


1 Month Post-Guardianship Talks

The sheet covered steel examination tables lined up neatly inside the morgue. For a while and to everyone's relief, the room had remained unused, so the smell of formalin and antiseptic was non-existent. The floors had been scrubbed clean, the tiles retained the white of its original state and there was no item that needed to be replenished in the stockroom.

But today was different.

The air inside the room was heavy. A singular bed was occupied by a previously healthy, dark -haired boy in a tattered purple uniform.

A white cloth was being pulled over him, beginning with cloaking his muddy shoes, then his dirtied pants and torn off pockets. Suguru's grip tightened on the heavy cloth as he reached his upper body. Looking at the bloodied and bruised face, reminded him of the last time they spoke casually.

There was nothing but shapeless emotions stirring inside the morgue and yet he was plagued with memories he'd rather forget.

He remembered his bright eyes and his naïve yet pure intentions on why he wanted to become a sorcerer. He had always been one of his favored juniors. Despite the disparity in some of their beliefs, the younger boy had always treated him with respect.

Perhaps the last person who ever saw him for who he was.

But he wasn't the same person back then as he was now. He wished he could tell him that perhaps he was right in his motivation. That perhaps, he sparked some sort of optimism in him upon reflecting on his callous words that day.

He regretted asking him to leave when he spoke to Yuki Tsukumo. Perhaps, if he had stayed, his purity may have rubbed off on the two special grades and he may have contributed vital insight.

You got it.

Yu Haibara said, generously offering to bring home a token from the very mission that brought him back as a corpse.

When will this marathon end? Suguru pondered, continuing to drag the roll of white to cascade over his face as he awaited his transfer to his final resting place.

What if all that's at the end of that road...

is a mountain of our fellow sorcerer's corpses?

"Damn it! It was supposed to be a simple mission!" an equally injured (though not fatally) Nanami Kento sat on one of the cold stools a few feet from where Suguru and Haibara was positioned. He had covered his eyes with a towel he moistened with his own tears and continued to aggressively lament, "The curse was a subject of the guardian deity's religion and was way stronger than profiled. It wasn't a second-grade spirit! It was a first grade!"

Suguru didn't turn. He was also devastated by the sight his of upset junior that would only drive him over the edge. He had to be the one who acted rationally,

"Get some rest Nanami," he glanced over his shoulder before withdrawing his hands from the cold steel, "Satoru will take over the mission,"

Nanami banged his fist on the rolling table beside him, spreading the contents on the floor as he gritted his teeth, "He should take on every mission from now on!" he yelled.

If only it were that simple.

Suguru dragged Nanami to the infirmary. Against his wish to be left alone, Shouko had patched him up and gave him instructions regarding his wound care. He merely nodded as his eyes darted far away from anyone's face. Shame and self-resentment flowing through him with the blood that coursed through his veins.

He was devastated, which pushed the special grade to contact their common friend and confidante before he left to assist Gojo Satoru.

Shouko had received the message the Sachiko was already on her way to the infirmary but when she returned to tell Nanami, he was gone.


"Kento-kun? Are you alright?"

Her voice was usually very calming to Nanami. Being within her presence and acting casually while still keeping his manners used to be second nature to him but this time, he didn't even have the energy to greet her or stand.

He couldn't remember what brought him to the college rooftop. Perhaps it was the gloomy skies that matched his mood. The grey clouds protecting the sun seemed to be so inviting for one who had just experienced loss.

There was hardly any grip to his reality. His thoughts were occupied by the traumatic event that caused the demise of his friend. Replaying the exact scene and thinking of ways he could have done better and possibly saved Haibara.

But no matter how many times he saw the loop within his thoughts, the scenario would most likely play out the same.

Because of his non-response, Sachiko had brought it upon herself to sit next to him until he was ready to communicate or until he had cooled down enough. She watched as he haplessly buried his face in between his flexed knees, his hands scrunching up the blond hair that was covered in what seemed like soot and debris.

Nanami craned his neck and directed his gaze towards the skyline, blankly staring into the stray energies that cascaded the whole campus. His lips parted and he took a deep breath and in the next second, his deep voice echoed beyond the roof as he let out an exasperated scream.

Crimson eyes opened wide as the girl beside him was startled at his sudden outburst. Her hand reached out for his shoulder, her touch sending a jolt that momentarily brought him back from his daze. It was at that moment that he realized that he wasn't alone, and that Sachiko was probably waiting for him to take notice of her presence for the past few minutes.

Still, Nanami was still unable to verbalize anything that could make him feel better or his companion feel more at ease.

She recognized that look, she's seen it many times, from Satoru and Suguru when they came back from Okinawa, from Shouko back at the plagued village and from her own mirror whenever she remembered her parents.

Through time, she had come to accept the most difficult part of it all.

"It's not your fault," Sachiko said, squeezing the side of his arm, taking with her clasp a part of his worries that only a dear friend would bear for Nanami Kento.

She had never seen him so unguarded. The way he looked at her, his amber eyes, so childlike and blurry from the ocean that gathered at the rim, his strong jaw quivering as he struggled to find his voice. He only managed to move via instinct, crashing his body against hers into a tightened hug, longing for any affection or contact or even just a sturdy object to hold unto as he bawled and yelled and broke down.

"Shh…" she soothed his disheveled hair, "Everything's going to be okay Kento-kun, for now, don't hold back your tears. Don't worry about anyone seeing, it's just the two of us,"

For what god was smiling unto him that very moment, he thanked in the wind. All of his unspoken concerns, she quickly provided with a positive response.

And for the first time in his existence as part of the Jujutsu realm, he had felt what it was like to hold someone and realized that after that day, he would not allow himself to let another person go.

Even if, that means, I would have to remove myself from the system.


There wasn't really a need for Suguru to provide assistance for the mission Satoru had to take over from Nanami but the thought of losing his close friend wasn't something he would allow to ever unfold.

He was glad he came. Despite the smug look he was awarded by his best friend upon his arrival, with his help, they were able to breeze through with a huge portion of the rescue.

It had been quite a while since their tandem fought side by side. Their movements very much the twin of the other, calculative, minimally aggressive but powerful, nonetheless. The other more flamboyant with his retorts while Suguru remained composed and focused on eliminating curses with his technique.

It was like old times, fighting at ease knowing their backs were covered. Confident in each other's strengths and keeping them from showing their weaknesses. The perfect pair in battle.

The shrine guard who had unleashed the grade 1 curse found himself at the mercy of the young sorcerers. He was a frail looking middle-aged man who had been taunting the village sect with the curse to fulfill his every bidding. He knew from the sight of him that this man had no remorse whatsoever for killing the younger sorcerer.

Suguru lifted a cloud of black energy from his palm and cast a shadow over the old man, "He's a curse user now,"

Satoru dusted his palms and squatted, "Yep,"

Lilac eyes directed towards the cowering old man, and he gave him a snide stare, "Satoru, would you mind if I finished him? For Haibara…"

Satoru crooked a brow; it wasn't that what he was asking was against their rules of conduct, but it was strange to see him so fixated on revenge. One that was not his own,

"The oldies might want to question him though; think you can hold off 'til Yaga talks to him before you execute him?"

Suguru lowered his hand as he sighed. What Satoru was saying was for him not to blatantly annihilate the man around civilians. He recounted the time when Satoru was in a similar situation, asking for permission to destroy the star plasma's sect once and for all but he had cautioned him and even lectured him on purposeful action.

Perhaps, it was about time he followed his own advice.

He turned his back on the old man who was now being apprehended by other nearby sorcerers but before he and Satoru could take one step away, the old curse user began laughing maniacally.

Suguru whipped his head towards the man who killed Yuu and felt extremely disgusted by the disfigured, drooling face of the crazed man. He was about to lunge forward when Satoru caught his arm and stopped him from attacking him, but it proved incredibly difficult to contain himself especially since,

He started clapping.

The infernal sound made his ears ring, and his eyes turned black from rage that it took Satoru's fifth time of shaking him to come back to reason. Suguru's whole body began to tremble. The anger surging within him was stirring the monsters locked into his soul via his technique. He shrugged off his friend and turned his back.

Satoru couldn't fathom why he was so triggered but he felt that something had gone terribly wrong inside Suguru's thoughts. Mr. Yaga had come to approach his students and told Satoru to go on ahead and capture the sorcerer that injured Nanami.

Satoru gave one last thoughtful gaze through his glasses, but his best friend looked too distant. Through clenched teeth, he reluctantly left him under the supervision of their mentor,

"Oi! Don't do anything you'll regret!"

Regrets? Suguru lamented over the words Satoru had left in the wind.

I have so many already. Perhaps one would have been stopping you that day.

Why does death always surround itself with thunderous applause?

Why celebrate the end of life and the beginning of torment?

What is the purpose?

Is there really one to it all?

"Getou," Yaga called, "He is no longer of sane mind, we will carry out the execution,"

He clenched his energy filled fist, "Understood,"


Nanami had been brought to the Metro Dojo to rest after her grandfather had filed for him to take a leave from missions. The children were still in school when he and Sachiko arrived. Seeing as how he wasn't the least interested in anything else other than secluding himself, she reserved the topic for some other time. Before he was able to meet the children, he set off to return to his home.

It had been a few weeks of him staying with the Miuras but clan activities didn't seem to interest him anymore. He became more stoic and withdrawn from them and he had been declining most of the missions being assigned to him that made the elders of the clan question his position as a prospect.

When he would speak with Sachiko, it would be very brief but not cold. It was clear that he had a lot on his mind, but it wasn't something he wished to speak about with her. Except for one thing,

"Sachiko-senpai, I've been meaning to tell you something, do you have a moment to spare?"

She nodded, a little grateful that Nanami was finally speaking more energetically towards her, "What's on your mind?"

He paused to edit, the color of his eyes turning to shut some of the light off as he urged her to sit,

"I am very grateful for the opportunity that your family has given me. I hope I can repay you all someday, but," he took a deep breath, "After I graduate, I will officially withdraw my candidacy as your prospect,"

Sachiko's hands went towards her chest, sadness slowly raking through her at the thought of goodbye, "Kento-kun…" but she understood. The pressure, the solitude, the trauma from the past mission, it proved to be all too much for one young sorcerer.

Before she could speak, Nanami inhaled sharply and proclaimed, "I will also leave the clan,"


SEPTEMBER

"What is this?"

Suguru asked as he rolled the long white sleeves of his shirt. He was tasked to investigate spirit kidnappings and peculiar deaths at a small village. It was easy enough to exorcise the curse without having to make too much of a commotion among the villagers but something else felt disconcertingly wrong.

So, when he was brought to an abandoned area of the village to deal with the said source, what he was presented with made him furious.

A large, hand-crafted prison cell housed two very badly beaten little girls, cowering in each other's arms at the sight of the villagers behind the young, cursed spirit manipulator.

It seemed like from the pattern of their bruises and dried blood that they were being constantly tortured by the residents who guarded the prison.

Two people accompanied him, a stocky man who had a thick local accent and an old woman who looked disdainfully at the children before them.

"What do you mean? These two are responsible for the incident, right?!" the stocky man's voice rose.

Suguru shook his head, "No. They are not," he said coldly.

The stocky man shifted his stance and pointed towards the kids with his stubby fingers, "These two," he began, "—possess strange powers and often attack the villagers!"

Suguru groaned as he massaged his temple with his thumb, unbelieving the ridiculous assumption. Of course, they were non-sorcerers who understood nothing about curses.

How pathetic and disgraceful.

Even if the children were born with the affinity to be sorcerers, it was impossible to pose the blame on them as he had already eradicated the true source of the strange deaths.

Suguru crossed his arms and bit the side of his cheek, burying the anger that was quickly rising from his core, "I already dealt with the cause for the incident," he reiterated stiffly.

The old woman went to Suguru's side and knotted her face before spitting words at him, "My grandchildren nearly died because of these two…"

One of the little girls, the one with the lighter hair stuck her face in between the bars of the cell and cried out, "That was because they…!"

"SHUT UP YOU MONSTERS!" yelled the old woman, "Your parents were the same! I knew we should've killed you when you were born!"

Suguru spiraled within the depths of his darkest thoughts. Within his heart was a story he had locked away to keep him from acting out of out of moral bounds. But the story of his dear friend was repeating itself right before his eyes.

He could not close them. Not for a minute. The harsh judgment of the very people they were obligated to protect against their own kind did not make sense. How could he ever live with himself if another helpless child, born with gifts beyond the comprehension of normal men was subject to this illicit torture?

He wouldn't. Not ever.

This place. So much filth. So much deceit and injustice. For two little girls. Two young sorcerers. Two misunderstood individuals…

and those monkeys.

His vision blurred at the prison that he shut his eyes forcibly to recover his focus. He could feel his energy pulse through his toes and then up his spine until they awaited the release within the tips of his figures. Around him was a dark haze that waited for him to activate.

He washed the fierce look on his face as he gave the girls a reassuring smile, "It'll be okay," he whispered before turning to the two adults behind him. Anticipating, no beckoning him to discard of the children whom they label as nuisances.

These two…are just among many but they are all the same.

Filled with thoughts of contempt. Ugly images of torture and prejudice against two harmless beings…

Monkeys. All of them.

He took a step forward, his calm smile oddly making the villagers sweat through their head and palms, exchanging worried glances at the young man who approached.

Suguru lifted his index finger and widened the crease that his mouth created and spoke serenely in an attempt to disalarm the children who were already whimpering from the impending danger that was imposed on them.

He was reminded of Yuki Tsukumo's words. She had told him that whatever his true feeling was, whether or not he chooses the part of him that looks down on non-sorcerers or the part that tries to resist the feeling,

I have to decide.

As soon as the door behind them closed, Suguru's expression was quickly replaced by sheer derision. His eyes remained unblinking, lilac turning to black that mirrored the shadows that animated behind him as he summoned his captures, including his most recent one.

Then, he pierced through frightened eyes, one after the other with his tantalize stare,

They're unaware, but they are breeding the very creatures they can never defend against.

They are the root of all curses.

For everyone's sake.

For everyone's safety.

For the salvation of these two girls.

For those who suffer most from this cruel world.

There is only one solution.

They, must be eliminated.

"I have decided." Suguru Getou proclaimed.


5 days after the dispatch of the third year, Suguru Getou,

112 of the inhabitants of the village were found dead.


END OF CHAPTER


Author's notes:

Hi! I can't believe I managed to finish writing this within the deadline. It was by far one of the most difficult ones to write. If you've noticed, the timeline is a bit skewed as compared to the canon manga-verse but it's pretty much the same.

There's a lot of emotion here and believe me when I say that my heart was breaking the entire time, I wrote the second half of it. Which is why I wanted to make the Fushiguro transition a very positive one. Plus, Hideo is pretty funny haha.

I hope you enjoyed the chapter. The next few ones will be dealing with some very big transitions and time skips. We're almost done with this arc!

As a note, I might change the rating from T to M in the next few chapters as more mature themes and um…potential crossing of some lime territory might take place ^^

I look forward to interacting with you guys. Lemme know what you think here or twt ( MiuraChronicler) ^^

What do you guys think of GojoChiko being guardians? Of Nanami's exit from the Miura clan? And especially, how are you guys after reading that Suguru is becoming…someone else huhuhu

Art by my bestie: iwanttobeaseme on twt. The next 2 chapters will also feature their art! (You can view them on my AO3 or on twt)


NOTES

If you wish to learn more about the Heian terminology, history etc…I will place notes on my readings below.

P.S. For the eye colors, I have been referencing the Manga eye colors since they are more unique in my opinion. I use them particularly to describe Suguru's purple eyes (in the anime, they are black) and Toji and Megumi's are green in the manga (Megumi's eyes are light blue in the anime.

Shamrock-clover, believed to represent faith, hope and love in Christianity. Four leaves are rare and considered lucky. (Megumi's eye color here)

I chose Sendai as the location of Megumi's home based on where they went to middle school. Geographically, it would be easier for Gojo to check in on them if he needed to be in Tokyo.

Did you know that Yuta is also from Miyagi?

Residuals-unique patterns of cursed energy that can be used to identify a sorcerer's activity.

Megumi's divide dogs' names' come from the Japanese word for their corresponding colors.

Kuro-Black

Shiro-White

Ten Shadows- is a technique that originated from the Zenin family, which uses shadows to create shikigami, and is able to process ten at once.

Suguroku- Japanese board game similar to snakes and ladders, often related to gambling back in the Golden age.


Short Heian Terminology, History and Symbolism in my ficverse (based on readings):

Heian Era (from 794 to 1185)- considered the premiere age of literature, art, poetry and the peak of the Japanese imperial court.

In the JJK world, it is considered the Golden Age of Sorcerers.

There were 4 clans who ruled the Heian Era:]

Fujiwara. Tachibana. Taira. Minamoto.

Fujiwara- strongest and most influential clan of the Heian Era who controlled the Imperial court.

Taira- Warrior Clan who sided with the imperials

Minamoto-Rivals of the Taira Clan who sided with the Fujiwara during the Hogen Rebellion.

The Hogen Rebellion revolved around a succession dispute. The Emperor Shirakawa took care of Fujiwara no Shashi, when her biological father died and raised her until adulthood. His grandson, Toba succeeded Shirakawa and made Taikenmon-in Shoshi as a beautiful concubine. Shirakawa forced Toba to abdicate his throne and name the baby, Sutoku (believed to one of Japan's great vengeful ghosts which are said to be the basis of the Kamos) as Emperor.

Because of his sudden abdication, he didn't become fond of his son Sutoko especially since Sutoku was rumored to be the son of Shoshi and Shirakawa. He believed the rumor and made his son retired and give the throne to his brother, Go-Shirakawa.

Sutoku felt abandoned and sought revenge.

You can read more about the Hogen rebellion, but the Heian period had a lot of interesting stories and drama.

Basically, factions sprung from internal conflicts until such time rebellions occurred with which many of the main family's even split among themselves to pledge support to the imperials and the rebels.

Taira no Kiyomori was firm with their alliance with the imperial faction and Taira no Tadamasa (uncle of Kiyomori) sided with the Fujiwaras.

In my version of this story both the Miura and Zenin clan come from the Tairas. The Miuras however are not blood descendants. The Miuras are part of the warrior class and had a big rule with the formation of the shogunate. They were less interested in politics or hierarchy unlike their counterparts.

The Zenins sided with Fujiwaras more to advance political status. They didn't favor those who didn't share their blood even if they were under the same banners.

So in short:

Kiyomori Descendants and Followers- Miuras

Tadamasa and Masakado Descendants-Zenins


HAORI PATTERNS:

Taira: Red Swallow Butterfly

Miura: Torri Gate

Gojo (Sugawara): Plum Blossom


I plan to discuss more of these when we go some flashbacks and more clan politics in the next Arc and even possibly a past-life arc ^^

I would love to tell you all about my readings, but it will take aloooooot of time.

I read Suguwara Michizane's bio as well as several Heian texts including the Tale of Genji etc. And it's all very interesting ^^

I can see a lot of parallels with Gege's characters. Suguwara Michizane has a loooot of similarities with Gojo.

Anyway, I'm rambling. ^^


No Good Juju this week though sorry! By the way, any Good Juju requests? Some I've got are Shouko's birthday, Nanami's birthday and an UtaHiko moment, how about you guys? ^^


Update will be in two weeks ^^

NEXT CHAPTER: RESIDUALS

An emotional rollercoaster…