Author's Note:
Sorry, it's been a while since I last updated. New job, quarantine and what not happened so yeah.
I was so happy that I outlined this a long time ago so I had the time I was stuck in prison realm to finish it. Originally the cursed children arc was supposed to be one part but it's too long for that and I might murder your eyes haha.
Special thanks to my bestie VampireSiren for helping me with this chapter, a lot of the dialogues and ideas sprung from her own. ILYSM. I have dragged her with me in my ficverse hahaha.
Shoutout to all of my readers and friends! Thank you for your patience and for staying with me.
Anyway, hope you enjoy!
Content warning: violence, profanity, mentions of depression, past trauma and abuse, sex/intimacy
CURSED CHILDREN PART 1
KARMIC FRUITS
Summary:
Sometimes, it is in the process that one is forced to choose-to be free or to be imprisoned by one's depth of thinking, no matter how dark the days have brought.
Suguru has very big plans for his group and for Sachiko's wicked aunt.
Ieiri struggles with missing items from the pharmacy.
Satoru meets a dangerous young man with a special grade cursed spirit attached to him.
Sachiko attends a PTA meeting at Saitama middle school.
There is this ancient belief in Buddhism and Hinduism centering on the premise that actions driven by intention will always bear karmic fruits. Each deed done, willfully, through body, soul and wit will ultimately lead to repercussions depending on the nature of all the elements.
Buddhists also teach that everyone is responsible for their own actions. Individual conducts lead to individual consequences and should not be tied to the fate of the parents, siblings, friends and the like. Each decision an individual makes weaves his or her own destiny.
Should one experience sorrow, it can only root from one's choices.
If happiness fills one's life, then, ultimately, it stemmed from the steps one took.
The ideals do indeed make sense in line with the events each of them has experienced and will experience in the future however, they must also learn to remember that an individual's path sometimes carries along with them companions who walk in parallel with their fates.
Those who defy the natural tide and intertwine their own destiny with others seem to have piqued the interest of the heavens and had themselves highlighted in their stride.
But others, despite living accordingly, seem to have fortune plucked out from them or at least kept minimal in their lives.
If only paths were clearly defined, instructions handed to them in black and white, then things would've turned out better.
But where would living be part of that venture if human beings were robotically programmed?
How would one ever learn the real value of emotions if they do not experience them all?
Joy, pain, hope, regret, so many things to feel, so many things to learn.
Sometimes, it is in the process that one is forced to choose-to be free or to be imprisoned by one's depth of thinking, no matter how dark the days have brought.
….
End of February 2015
Kitakami Springs
Sometimes I wonder if the springs would still reflect the boy who grew up surrounded by bodies of water. The crystalline and healing liquid that soothed tired bodies of sorcerers and regular citizens alike. The legacy of my family.
The same boy who would offer towels or refreshments to some visitors, in rare occasions even conversed with them and gifted them portraits I drew by hand.
The same boy who would sometimes house a guest from Miyagi who'd serve as my playmate and companion and eventual classmate and close friend-one I could confidently call as my family.
Tucked in the mountains, I didn't think life would ever get so complicated.
Now, I feel more like a stranger in my own home.
Five years had gone by since he had taken a two-hour train from Tokyo to Iwate. The outskirts still lay pretty with flowers though already hanging by a thread on their branches, colors fading with the wind sweeping the last of the freshness as sakuras now came to say goodbye.
Still, the air was fresh and light and the sound of the majestic spring water flowing speedily between the rocks continued. The sound that served as the welcoming chimes of the familiar ground he grew up in.
The sound of home.
He paced by foot as he traced his memories on each pavement that he once played upon and have spent hours sharing the space with his friends.
But the springs, once made famous for their healing capabilities and reviewed upon by deities as a powerful elixir was now tainted with the blood of his own lifeline.
He still remembered the encounter vividly, the moment before his defection which he only wished to say goodbye one last time but what awaited him was an ambush.
He should've planned better. If only he took the train earlier and took a detour to visit them before heading to the village then, maybe, his return would've been less eventful.
His father had been expecting him and had brought along some sorcerers for an entrapment for whatever primary reason, he wasn't really sure, but he had the look of determination. The eyes that barred his entrance.
His father wore their colors, the purple over silver and black hunter's kimono he paired with their ebony bow and arrow. The heirloom he was promised one day as their clan head and yet his father stood in a careful stance with the string taut and arrow balanced in hands, purple eyes darting the mirror of his own with much contempt.
He had a heated discussion with him, mostly about his supposed warnings about the Kitsune.
"She's just seducing you! Misfortune falls upon those who ally with the Kitsune, you know our family history!"
His father would never fail to remind him about their legacy as hunters. Centuries ago, communing with them would've been unfathomable. As aides to the omnyodo, they were sworn to rid of anyone who deviated from the norm and yet, some twist in their code, history buried in ash, was carefully rewritten to be more open to the evolution of sorcerers.
Kitsunes had factions, admittedly, not all were considered allies. They were treacherous, cunning, ruthless and even promiscuous. They didn't shy away from using their allure to delude the minds of vulnerable men and women for the most minute reasons and that was how they were considered as dangerous.
But stories of the past were immediately erased by the camaraderie of his own grandfather and the Miura clan head. Still, the olden teachings were embodied on him too much and he couldn't blame his father. He just wished he was more understanding.
"She isn't like the others! Her lineage is proof! Kai, the nine-tailed Golden Fox was our ally! She is not here to cast misfortune on us, in fact she-"
His father's eyes were downcast with disappointment in him. His expression painted the fear he had for Suguru's fall into affection and that made him less attune to their strict upbringing but despite all of that he tried his best to more respectful with his son's modern ideologies. What he couldn't bear was the thought of him losing sight of the prime law that lay true and absolute even for mundanes,
To never kill innocents.
Suguru could see his father emulate the sorrow in his eyes. How both of them, trapped by walls of their own hope could ever feel so foreign as the air they breathed.
He had no choice but to cease his claim on the land that was his to inherit because, his home, would soon be desecrated ground.
But for the sake of his family's name, he would bear the burden of its taint.
There wasn't much he could do as one without cursed energy and yet it's what he concentrated on instead of the sorcerers bracing for his attack.
"I was hoping I could have a word with you alone father," he spoke calmly but no syllable was worth him earning back his trust. He didn't mean them any harm at all.
All he wanted to do was say goodbye. He had forgiven his father for his prejudice against the Miuras, for belittling Shouko and her non-status in society, for comparing him to Satoru in every aspect and discarding every bit of his efforts to raise their name. All of those he had found treacherous and cold about the man who brought him to life he easily erased the moment he had given him freedom to leave and stay with the institution. And yet, it was unaccountably clear that the hatred and segregative feelings he had towards a select few may have lay as his foundation for his new philosophy.
Perhaps, he didn't just want to say goodbye then, maybe, a part of him wanted to thank his old man for allowing him to free himself from the old dictates of his studies.
He was there, one last time to thank him for seeing truths he had never seen before.
Suguru's father sharpened his eyes, his mouth tensed at his singular footing,
"We have nothing else to discuss son," he echoed back, "Surrender," his next move surprised the young man. His father's eyes had moistened, and he saw how his hands began to tremble that soon he found himself lowering his target.
"Please son, surrender," he pleaded. For the first time, his father showed that he had been the one to bow to him, to beg and to look at him through sad eyes. The same man, who, for years he never did cower for anyone and yet there he was, kneeling in front of him like a lowly man, excluding the rest of his comrades whom he now realized had forced him to confront his own son, "Please," he said once more.
The detainers finally apprehended his father, and this did nothing but make Suguru less impatient. He kept his eyes locked on his father, but it only took him a quick sec to remember that his mother was nowhere to be found. They were hostages. Used as bait to lure him in.
The young sorcerer scoffed and took another step, the blaze of the detainers threatening to fire, "I'm grateful, you still call me your son," he lifted his chin from his chest and frowned, "But, it seems to me, treatment as family is lost at this moment,"
"Suguru Getou, surrender under the accords or-"
He raised his hands to show off his non-aggression and quickly allowed his eyes to scan his surroundings. It was hard to make out what the others were saying against the trickling water around the springs, but one thing was for sure, they wouldn't let him escape, "-Or?"
One of the sorcerers forced his father to stand while he had his hands tied and before he knew it, they were beating him up.
Suguru gritted his teeth and summoned his Nogitsune, the large, black fox with white out eyes, alarmed the people surrounding him but his father wouldn't stop shaking his head to stop him from furthering his attack, but the men were growing impatient, and the Nogitsune had begun to attack on its own, using his master's raw emotions to read on how he should react to hostility.
Suguru hesitated to retaliate especially with his parents stuck in the middle of it but when one of the men had grabbed the bow and arrow and pointed it in his direction. He watched as his father tried to knock the man down with his forceful budging, prodding Suguru to make his way to him with haste. But before he could, the man confronting his father had bludgeoned his head with the heavy bow, knocking him unconscious as his head hit the ground. His blood had begun to smear into the springs and the light of his rage increased.
"Father!" Suguru had ordered his Nogitsune to clear a path for him, unthinking of the consequences that the hunter had for him, the cursed arrow propped and directed at his chest wouldn't be enough to impale the anger and the dejection he felt. Seeing his father reach out to him in tears, mouthing words with blood spurting out of his mouth, he pleaded for him to stop and save himself, but he chose to neglect his request. His parents were innocent, and he felt so guilty that they had to involve them.
This was unacceptable and he already knew that one more wrong move from them, he'd snap.
He was closing in, the first two arrows had missed him but the third, would surely result to an unavoidable injury. The archer was skilled and was using his cursed energy to increase the impact he would have to endure. He released his arrow, Suguru moved slowly to the side to evade but was attacked behind forcing him to stop his footing and deflect. The arrow was sure to pierce through his gut and defeat was becoming apparent because he chose not to display the full extent of this power and then there was a sound-
-the sound that narrated the ivory tip of the arrow plunging slowly into flesh. The grewsome ripping of layer through layer until the end had made it to the other side to paint red on Suguru's clothes.
But the blood did not come from his own body. His eyes could not leave the sight of the bloodied arrow that went through a dark purple kimono and obi. The saving wall that stood between him and his death came from the small frame of his mother, Getou Sara.
He had caught her before she fell on the ground, one hand cradling her head, the other placing pressure on her wound. Normally that injury would be survivable, but the arrow was enchanted and made to take down powerful sorcerers such as him and for one frail window, death was inevitable.
"I'm sorry," she mouthed, her eyes began to lull back, light fading the more the red from her blood oozed out of her body. Her eyes searched for her husband, "We both are…"
The amount of Suguru's tears that trailed down his cheeks would be enough to power their whole ryokan and his howls were potent enough to shake up the whole estate, compelling their intruders to stop their advances. His nogitsune grew in size as his hatred, sizing out the sorcerers that stood in his path as he carried his lifeless mother to reunite with his father who had breathed his last a few minutes before. As his beast continued to buy time for him. He was able to affix the bodies of his parents to lie next to each other. He ripped his own clothes to wipe their faces. His tears helped with his cleansing as the water continued to flow down. He wondered how much they had to endure while they were away, and it was clear that those monkeys didn't intend to spare any of his family.
He closed the eyes of his father and bowed and turned then to his mother, the kindest woman who supported everything and loved every bit of him until her last waking moment. He closed his eyes as he gave her one last embrace, temple resting on the cold skin of her forehead before slowly setting her down.
Suguru surrounded his whole body with his cursed energy now and with one flicker, he had summoned twenty of his captures to surround the whole estate, "You will pay," he spoke through his teeth, "With your life,"
He blinked. The last he remembered of his time there were crimson waters. The rest he had repressed in his memory. He was sure however able to bury his parents' remains properly. He cleaned their bodies, changed their clothes and he dug on the murky ground with his own bare hands until every bit of them were carefully covered. He said a little prayer for them, but his thoughts were more apologetic than the actual words he spoke.
He didn't think that he'd have anything to come home to when he returned and yet the whole area, including the springs were still flourishing and kept pristine.
At the entrance was a simple tamaya of his parents. The pictures chosen were the ones he left beside them, the rest he discarded. His fingers traced the outline of their frames, and his eyes caught the numerous incense and candles lit and unlit that decorated their altar. He noticed the foxgloves and the plum blossoms that were kept fresh in the vases and three packs of his father's favorite tobacco were placed as offerings.
Of course. Those three would do this.
He knelt in front of the tamaya and clapped his hands together and sighed,
"Absolution is not for me, but I hope at least, you two would still hear my apology," he rested his right palm on the tapestry that covered the table. The silk of the indigo, embroidered with their family seal was freshly pressed and placed and he couldn't help but let his mouth agape. It was Sara Getou's yukata, the same one she had lent to his doe-eyed friend when they stayed for his birthday a few years back.
He gulped hesitantly and stood, unable to face them any longer except leave them with one last bow, "Goodbye," he said, "I am grateful that I was your son,"
I'm sorry I have cursed you with such demise.
For this, I shall carry the burden of naming myself responsible for your deaths.
November 2015
12th hour of duty, damn it, at least I got to take a shower…
Ieiri leaned against the cold steel of the lockers. Tucking in the turtleneck snuggly around her neck and then her waist, grabbing the comb on the upper bunk of her stuff, lazily pushing the numerous products, extra clothes and boxes of cigs she stored she couldn't even remember when.
She aligned herself on the mirror she hung and began fixing her hair. She grabbed her pressed powder and began patting herself on the face to conceal the tired lines that appeared from her never-ending shifts especially around her eyes. She took her eye-make-up next, grabbing the spare brush she had to lightly pad on some color over and under her lids to breathe life into her washed out face then settled to open her almost consumed favorite lipstick. She leaned in on the mirror and was about to swipe the color on her lips when her eyes flickered to her periphery after sensing something looming from behind.
There was an irregular figure that hid behind her, seemingly observing her during her morning ritual. It was a familiar omen, the same heavy blanket that often crept behind her smelling like smoke and ash, the same remnant of cursed energy that she'd sometimes catch lingering in the mysterious packages every 3rd of November and sometimes on the 7th of December.
Gifts she was either expected to open herself or deliver to their friends. It wasn't unheard of. It was an annual thing, but mostly he did so he could stealthily place tabs on them. Ieiri thought it was a little condescending at first, sending his fiends to make sure they were alright when they were the very creatures they were trained to kill. After a while, she did ponder on it being an act of concern, but she couldn't be certain. If he truly cared for them, he would've surrendered and not selfishly go about and create a cult.
She scoffed as she heard the soft thud of the package being dropped behind her and threw the cosmetics back inside her locker. She peered over her shoulder, her gaze, wintery and disconnected at the disfigured shadow shifting from her face to the contents of her locker.
She crossed her arms and continued to stare down at the creature, marking her glower against its purple eyes, "What do you want?" she spoke to him now with a hardened tone and yet no peep came out of the creature, and it dissipated on its own.
Suguru summoned back the creature and slowly opened his eyes. He was perched by a tree where he got a good view of the area where Ieiri was. He exhaled and felt a little bad that he couldn't deliver his message himself but at least to some extent, he realized that Ieiri still cared about him as a friend. His picture still hung with the rest of her beloved family anyway. It was probably the last one of them at the beach, the first time they took a trip to her resort, the one where they sat around the bonfire and Sachiko had told them of her fate. The picture that capsulated the very essence of what he was fighting for, a better world for them.
The four of them.
His attention shifted to another small creature that crawled its way towards him, the sluggish, worm-like creature he obtained from the sorcerer killer was wriggling with a stuffed mouth, vials hanging on his lips.
Suguru reached out to it and patted its head, the curse quickly slithered the vials inside its gut and later settled on the cursed spirit manipulator's shoulder.
He looked towards Ieiri once more and felt a little guilty that he had used his visit as an excuse to obtain some personal materials he would need for his little experiments. Ieiri was his dear friend-is-to some extent. Among all of them, she was the most human.
He let out an airy chuckle.
The most normal.
She was someone who protected his secrets but didn't hold back with her opinions either. She was very blunt and he didn't that person in his life and was thankful that he had come to reason with him with very arduous choices. Because of her, he was able to build a bridge to Sachiko and was able to work around with Satoru's temperaments.
She was a rare type of friend-the one who would always remain constant despite the changes and yet he had forced himself away from that privilege and hurt her so bad that the guilt was enough to hinder any chances of reconciliation.
His lips made a straight line as his pondering was broken by the sound of her coworkers coming to approach hurriedly. They had informed her that there was another break in at their pharmacy but no matter how many times they checked the CCTV, there was no trace of anyone every entering except for the disarrayed materials that once housed the missing items.
Sedatives and antiseptic, Ieiri's thought quickly confirmed after recalling a strange conversation she had with her once close friend that the perpetrator was no one else than Suguru Getou.
He mentioned her aunt. What the hell are you trying to pull Suguru?
Ieiri opened her phone and quickly dialed the principal's number. The other line picked up quickly to her relief, "Mr. Yaga, there's something you need to know," she said in agony.
And as her heels clicked away and her face etched in disgruntled knots, she pushed the door open and took one last look on her birthday gift and glowered, "Yes, it's about Sachiko's aunt, I think I know why she's missing," she dropped the call quickly and began dialing another number she hadn't had the time to erase.
Ieiri bit on her freshly painted lips and tapped her foot as she anxiously urged the other end of the line to pick-up, "Damn it! Answer you ponytailed asshole!" she cursed in the air as the number didn't pick-up and even if reception was good outside of the hospital, Suguru decided to turn off his phone and make his leave.
His purple eyes lifted away from the school, and he took a deep, uneasy breath, "I'm sorry Ieiri, but I have to protect her too. This is something that only I can handle,"
2016 January
The beginning of 2016 proved to be a busy time for the two active special grades of the Institute. No one would have thought that curse user activity would entail them to divide and conquer their ground forcing more days delved in work than at home, not leaving much space for even small chats with Ieiri.
Sachiko had hesitantly been sent abroad once more, this time, she was tasked to meet with Shiu Kong in Korea to settle business with the sister faction of her clan. The Gumihos, or the Kitsune's of their land, had been experiencing disturbances from the Nogitsune tribe with some of their loyal members being recruited to an underground cult back in Tokyo.
Sachiko didn't know that the meeting with the detective was all part of Suguru's plan to enact more preparations for his group, that way, he'd could do as he pleased without her interruptions. After all, the underground club was her forte, Satoru's focus was more on the covert bigwigs.
Both had an inkling on who the mastermind behind the cult group was, but they never found enough evidence for it. They would sometimes spend days pondering and rationalizing that it couldn't have been him, but who else would have been intelligent enough to do so?
Suguru once again entered hallowed ground in the guise of a glamour. He didn't change much of his appearance, but he did tie his hair up like how he used to when he was still a student. The Fushimi Inari Taisha wasn't fully warded when he went, probably because it didn't seem like day out of the ordinary for tourists and worshippers alike. It was a little heartening that commissioned curtains were put up specifically to ward him off.
He easily blended in with the other visitors and managed to get away with visiting the Inari shrine on his own thanks to the foxes he befriended a few years back.
He remembered the climb vividly. The first time he had made his way to Kanata and Sayo Miura's tamaya was a few years back during Winter where their daughter had personally brought him and introduced him as her good friend. It was like how he remembered it, very neat and kempt with flowers all around them and yet, something very new and yet familiar caught his eye. His mouth gaped open and the lilac in his eyes shone the more he widened from surprise. A part of him felt like he was on the verge of tears as he reached out to touch the frame beside the last portrait of Kanata and Sayo's wedding.
"She kept it," he mouthed to himself, tracing the sides of the illustration he drew of her and her parents for Christmas (and her birthday) just before that one new year where he thought, things would have been different for them and maybe it was.
Suguru bowed in front of her parents and took a brief scan of his surroundings and as soon as he was in the clear, he set down the camellias he had hidden in his curse and laid them out in the altar.
She looked so happy in what I drew. I hope she still is.
He didn't really know why he thought it was a good idea to visit them when all he ever did to his Sachi was hurt her in so many ways and yet, it seemed like the most appropriate thing to do. Since he left the society, his thoughts were filled with nothing but his mission.
He wanted a better world for sorcerers. One where no one, like her, would ever be enslaved to the dictates of the norm. She was a victim of the blind justice system of the humans and continued to be a prime target for doubt and ostracism in the very society she kept safe.
For years, he had watched her stand in the façade of strength and deafened words of the superiors who wished to have nothing to do with the conditions of her heavenly restriction and all her victories were merely called a necessity and a sort of payback for her existence.
Sometimes it astounded him how someone like her who could easily wipe out each of those narrow-minded dementors in office with a flick of her finger would ever allow herself to get overpowered by their words. She was practically the female equivalent of the world's strongest sorcerer and if not for her choice to share power, she could have overtaken him as well.
He remembered the question he asked his old friend before.
If he identified his namesake because of his power or if his power dictated his brand.
He reflected on those questions himself. If he were being completely truthful to himself, he felt like he had asked him a question that was too difficult to answer that if posed unto him, there would be no ready reply.
Sometimes he felt that he wasn't even worthy of it. He wasn't as strong as him and he didn't really have any qualms about it, he just wished that he had enough strength to bring about a change that he thought was more suitable for the likes of them.
He and his friends, the four of them, utilized by their unique skillsets, keeping the peace in the best manner they could only to be spit on and abused by the people they have vowed to protect.
He couldn't live that way anymore. Not with the various circumstances that have accumulated over the years that had always resulted to the same half-hearted gratitude. If he wanted change, he needed to be a catalyst himself.
Suguru's hands went inside his pocket and quickly went on to unfold a piece of paper he ripped from his sketch book. He recognized the strokes because it was his own but the scenario, no matter how many times he told himself that it came from a dream, seemed have been lifted out of his own pool of memories.
He hated that he had the urge to draw his nightmare. He didn't want to remember it and yet he thought that if he transferred it on paper, it would leave his dreams.
He massaged his temple and took a deep breath.
Dreams were linked to the subconscious and the fear that projected in the movie in his mind was something he thought was already given an indefinite leave but since he last saw her in that café, it began haunting him nightly.
Suguru set his eyes on the drawing, and crumped its sides the more he looked at it and closed his lids forcefully. T
he cursed spirit manipulator felt the fatigue from travel and consumption that he couldn't help but hunch back as he settled on the wooden seat.
He didn't really want to confide in anyone at their hideout. He left that area after the twins had awakened him from his screaming. It was a little ironic since he used to wait until they both slept soundly on his lap when they were little. Cowering at mere sight of strangers, at the subtlest rumble of the thunder and rain, he'd have to soothe them with lullabies and stories just to help them sleep.
Mostly, his stories were about his time at the academy, his mother's funny teachings and his father's drunken singing…things that gave him comfort was shared to the two just so they could feel safe once again. He didn't know he'd need to reminisce on those soon, but worlds of comfort and pain were colliding too fast. He needed a strong partition or else he'd break.
Someone, anyone, needed to give him the chance to break free from the shackles of his silence and he chose them. The people he thought would understand the most.
For whom, if not the dead, can sympathize with one whose soul was fleeting?
"I haven't been able to sleep lately," his tone was dense despite the short laughter that followed, he felt the heaviness in his eyes the more he tried to keep alert even if the drawing seemed to double in his hands,
"I've been having nightmares you see. It's funny because I never used to have any problems sleeping, even after our failed mission, I was still able to will myself to get some shut eye and yet, for a while now, my dreams won't allow me to get some rest," he paused only to lift his eyes from the sketch and shift to the illustration on their memorial. His lips quivered as he announced his truth, "I dream about your daughter. I often do. I paint out very different scenarios which I have kept buried in my desires but lately, my dreams, they have become unpleasant to the point that I hoped that shutting my eyes would not open a door where I could see her even if it would be the only opportunity to reunite with her. But, I can't bear to see her so hurt," his voice began to break and the hoarseness from the painful memory of his dream plagued his speech, "And because I miss her so much, I have developed a habit of dreaming horrible things about her," he massaged his temple and let out a small groan.
"It would always start out the same. I'd see her, as a child, running from a faceless mob, she looked so scared and the more she neared, the more she looked injured and helpless and despite our distance, I could never reach her. I would always be just watching her, the little girl with peppered hair and strange skin markings and red eyes, running away from people-not monsters--people whom she thought she could trust-men she thought would protect her, did otherwise,"
"She couldn't hear me. All around her, no voices could ever overpower the demeaning laughter and applause she'd be rewarded each time she cried. When the scene would shift and she'd grow older, her sadness would often be displaced with anger and the aura built up flames that could never be tarnished and yet when given the chance to settle on her prey, she'd never strike. She'd back down and continue crying and she'd remain deaf and blind to me no matter how many times I called out her name until I shifted my focus to the people surrounding her and physically felt my grapple on their fragile bodies but there were too many and even if I finally managed to reach her, I'd end up in scratches too but at least, she was safe in my arms but that's all she ever was, sleeping in my arms," he chuckled once more, "Was that supposed to be a metaphor? If I go and save her, all she'll ever be is sad and hurt and left with nothing in my hands? It's like her cycle of abuse was never ending and I couldn't bring myself to wake up from the nightmare because she'd beg me to stay and no matter how much I wanted to save her, she wouldn't let me, or I'd arrive too late. Last night…I dreamt that she was finally in my arms, I was cradling her, and I could feel her letting me grasp unto her except, she was cold and hurt and wouldn't open her eyes and so was I and all I heard was a loud burst of applause from faceless people with baseless propositions, and I-"
I was not enough.
Maybe that nightmare is my reality.
I will never be enough for her.
I tried.
But, we have different paths.
So, I guess this is why I'm here.
There was a short pause as he stood to light up another candle for them when the flame danced to a halt he continued,
"Did you know? When we were teens? She used to wake up screaming or even remain asleep, fumbling, and tossing in distress and we'd take turns to wake her up just to reassure her that it wasn't real. Satoru-" he realized he hadn't spoken his name in quite a while that it felt a little strange to call him so casually.
Talking about Sachiko and now the sudden mention of his best friend made him realize that speaking of either would always end up with him creating a connection. The two were involved deeply and despite the bitterness he felt, even very little of it, he was glad they both had each other to hold,
"There was so much pain in her eyes when she opened them. It was only during those periods that I'd see her cry and act like a child that even with Ieiri's hushing, she still needed to be reminded that it wasn't real. It puzzled us since she'd say that she wouldn't really remember much of the details in her dream but the horror in her moistened scarlet eyes told the tale so clearly,"
He clenched his hands into a close and gritted his teeth, "It was her trauma…her broken childhood that frightened her not the scary monsters we fought daily,"
"That was too cruel…despite everything she survived, she had to live with a replacement of the demons that surrounded her in her own room by actual fiends who placed targets on her head every chance they had, and she had to do it despite her illness…where is justice in that? "
"She rarely smiled with all of her heart,"
The transition of new monsters only made them more formidable. These were the kind who hid in the guise of good company only to make her into their puppet. The real parasites of society weren't the curses but the higher-ups themselves. So easy to discard of the things and people they didn't understand but so willingly acknowledge the effort should it benefit them," he hissed, "So many people have died already and many more will, and I know even if she's better now that she can't really escape that fate-she fights daily to keep her life and I, despite finding an alternative, couldn't even offer it to her,"
The grim reality of his question earlier was clearer now and so he spoke dejected, "In my hands, she'd remain frail and vulnerable and-"
"Are you sure?"
A stranger's voice overlapped in his own thoughts. It didn't sound like someone he knew but the voice spoke with much gentle acquaintance that he didn't will it to stop.
"In on our eyes, you have done the most selfless thing to do,"
Suguru looked around for a source only to have his disturbed thoughts refocus on the portrait before him. Sayo and Kanata?
"Selfless? What is the right thing that I have done?" he asked in empty company, taking a chance at the sarcastic tone that he himself produced and waited for an answer.
It came, "You let her-no, them, go,"
He didn't respond.
"You understood and even if you do so desperately want to stay by her side, for her dreams to come true, yours must end. If you keep holding on to her, you won't be able to keep true to yourself. The future is uncertain for you even if you succeed and, in the world, you chose to build, no matter how more suitable it is for her, she might never accept it. Are you prepared to accept this truth?"
"So, my isolation my pursuit for a more just society can only be achieved if I left everything behind?"
"To find peace, you must be prepared to wage war upon yourself to see where you truly stand. We are not saying that your heart isn't in the right place It's just that you misconstrue purpose with ambition. You forget that in your dream, you were able to wake her from her slumber by simply telling her that she mattered. Her life mattered and she had purpose and her fate was more than just what was etched in her skin and bones. She is an example that two impossible things can co-exist, but the problem is, even if you know you can wake her, you choose not to because you refuse to accept two simple truths that can coexist. Evil isn't rooted in every single person, sorcerer or non-sorcerer. Purity is not measured by your ability to create magic but to see it in even the most mundane things,"
"If those monkeys and the sorcerers who assisted them only understood your daughter and how wonderful she is, then maybe, you two didn't have to die untimely deaths. I know that there is meaning into what I wish to achieve, and it may be less than ideal but, for evolution to come, I must remain steadfast in my goal. I apologize for coming to you in such a grim note and I also apologize for being too crass the first time I visited your daughter here, but I promise you, no harm will come to her. Please do not be alarmed, I promise to preserve your legacy. After all, you are among those whose names should be known by all sorcerers. Your daughter is a testament of what could be the future of Jujutsu. Forgive me, for giving her pain,"
The embodiment of the voices seemed to cast shadows from where he stood and for a moment he felt hands on each side of his shoulder, reassuring him in his next step, "We know son. Thank you for loving our daughter. It is our hope that you learn to love yourself too and begin to see another kind of future set out for you,"
When Suguru turned to look over his shoulder, what he saw wasn't her parent's image but his own. They looked like the day they last had a meal together-healthy and cheerful and hopeful and that struck so much built-up emotions that he couldn't help by tremble at their words, "It's not too late,"
"It may not be so-for her. You see, I think I can make things right. I found them, every single one of them…" if there were any observers around him, they would have made a likely conclusion that the man who sat in front of the tamaya had nothing but ruthlessness in his eyes. In his long list of people to visit and extract justice from, he was always unforgiving…so much so that nothing that could be used as evidence could be found at the crime scene.
His determination never faltered and even his cult members knew that the possibilities were limitless.
Suddenly he heard a shuffling from somewhere near, making Chiharu, his most loyal Nogitsune, growl inside of his head and slowly made its shadow surface beside him. Suguru did little to prevent him from appearing especially since they were being watched. The animal worked
The blue-black haired, four tailed Inari summoner and second in line in the Miura succession had taken to the side and had been doing well to make his presence scarce until he was irked with the raven-haired younger male's grim statement.
His lilac eyes went to his periphery but seeing Yahiko keeping to his corner and didn't seem to be in a hurry to detain him, Suguru was fine with him eavesdropping, he wanted him to hear his next statement, "All the people who hurt your daughter, I'm making sure that they get their due. You entrusted her with a doctor and a cop, your own flesh and blood but they treated her less than a human…" light was lost in his eyes know and even if Yahiko couldn't hear the other voices, he saw how disgruntled he was, "They have neglected their oaths so willingly. That's disgraceful,"
Yahiko placed his thumb in between his mouth and squared his shoulders. Suguru seemed to be having an intent conversation with someone important but besides him and a few Inaris, there was no one else present. He looked towards the photograph of his aunt and uncle, making a conclusion that perhaps he was trying to reach out for them. He wondered how close he truly was to Sachiko for him to find recluse in their resting place.
The special grade 1 sorcerer kept a straight face as he continued watching his once kouhai but a part of him wanted to reach out and ask what was really going on inside of his head. Since his defection, he made a meticulous search inside of his memory on the true reason he left. It disheartened him that he actually saw and instinctively knew that there was something stirring within Suguru and he hated that he let him go in his troubled state. He was his trusted mentor, his friend and he felt like he failed him as both. He shut his eyes and felt his heart drop out of his chest. He knew he wasn't the only one who felt that way and in their collective, there was nothing left but regret.
"Sachiko, she forgave-no, she is slowly trying to forgive all of them so she could move on. She wouldn't want you to dirty your hands just for her sake. This isn't you," the disconnected voice inside of Suguru's head pressed on.
"Lady Sayo, I am also doing this for my sake," a heavy hand ran down his face as he took in narrow air, "I couldn't... I couldn't bring myself to act like Sachiko did - not fully forgiving them but not letting what happened tie her down- once I heard what happened. ...Not when they all got was a mere smack on the wrist! Sorcerer or not, those people didn't deserve to be called human! How could they? How could they harm such a kind and gentle soul, and NOT see that she was a person, too!?"
His questions once played out on the same tone and expression inside of Yahiko's mind a hundred times over. He cried for her when she didn't know it was okay to shed tears for being hurt and for feeling alone for so many years and the Suguru before him clearly matched his own sentiments when he was a child.
As a forerunner of their clan, he had begged his grandfather many times to demand an apology from Sayo's sister and her husband, he even went as far as to convince Hideo to imprison her uncle and yet their contract wouldn't allow it. He felt himself ache with his own disappointment and frustration and in that moment, the older Miura male wanted to side with Geto's decision to take justice in his own hands.
Yahiko bit the side of his cheek, No, she wouldn't want that. She had the capacity to do so on her own but she didn't.
Suguru's Nogitsune slowly descended back to his core but he didn't seem to have it in himself to stop speaking his mind. He lifted the parchment with the illustration and set it ablaze using the lit candle on the shrine. He watched as his nightmare slowly turned to ash, flying with the cold that attracted more of his horrible memories away from his thoughts. With taut lips he continued his speech, "Those who turn blind eyes to the true horrors of this world, those who tolerate such deeds and join in the deafening applause that mutes the cries of the innocents, sorcerer or not, they are the true villains of this story and those monkeys…they should be eliminated!"
He screwed his eyes shut and shook his head to relieve himself from his own delusions and took three deep breaths before bowing towards the memorial, "Forgive me, I believe my time here is done. Thank you for allowing some time alone," his fingers grazed over his chest where a new imprint was freshly inked and enchanted in preparation for a ritual that he once intended to alleviate Sachiko's burden but would now be put into a different plan, "Maybe, indirectly, this could also free her from the clutches of the institute once and for all and in turn could also provide some providential consideration for my other two friends. I owe it to them to try,"
"Excuse me?" a voice from a young lady quickly intruded his space. The two men's eyes shot open and felt equally obligated to place their guards up. Suguru looked over his shoulder and was met with a set of brown, innocent eyes peering back at him, puzzled. She was a teenager with long, light auburn hair tied in a high ponytail. She was wearing a beige middle school blazer over her white polo and had red ribbon tied under her collar, similar to the way Sachiko used to wear her uniform when they were in high school. In fact, even the way she parted her hair was like how she styled it when she wore her hair up the same way. That's when it hit him. This young lady was the same little girl he saw running around the Metro dojo a few years back.
He looked behind her briefly and expected another kid. From the reports, he knew a boy, the young lady's brother, also frequented the Miura grounds but he was left to no avail.
She's alone. Well, he snorted at the recollection that they were being watched, Mostly.
Suguru remembered how at one point a few years back he witnessed Sachiko picking up a little boy from school, his dark hair was similar to hers and despite his stoic demeanor at first, the little boy was very warm around her and he even jumped and hugged Sachiko and gave her a warm smile when they were walking back to the Dojo. The look on her face, the love she had for that little boy was so pure and he couldn't help but wonder if it was reality or his dream that she'd become someone worthy of that title he wished would twine with his-the one he longed for as his spouse and mother of his children. But the irony was very languid.
How cruel fate is to show me a future that is not meant for me. A present that I longed for within my grasp but can never hold?
But kind enough to have me meet her adoptive daughter who looked nothing like her and him but whose personality was the perfect mix of their hearts…
Hiko's brows knitted tight. He shifted into his crescent eyes just so he could get a good view of what was happening. His cursed energy pulsations were calm and balanced and even if the Nogitsune made its appearance earlier on, he didn't seem hostile.
He wasn't sure if Suguru knew who Tsumiki was but if his sources were as good as Sachiko has stated then, he could easily use her as bait, "This isn't good, Tsumiki isn't a sorcerer…and he if he learns who she is he'll-"
Hiko's blue-black Inari was a quick summon. The creature quickly set its eyes on Suguru but was ordered to standby. He felt something ominous hide behind Satoru's shadow, one of his curse captures projected such strange energy that it was hard to will his shikigami to keep calm still, he couldn't risk anything.
The cursed spirit manipulator raked his fingers over his hair and wiped away all of his anger and frustrations and slowly turned to face the teenager with a wry smile, "Hello,"
His deep voice made Tsumiki a little flustered. She couldn't help but take a second look at the tall figure before her. He was very handsome and looked decent in his coat and tie. She couldn't help but stop and gawk at his purple eyes, taking a few seconds to scan her memories for any hint of why she felt déjà vu the moment he spoke. She clutched the bouquet of camellias close to her chest and blinked at him warily, "Are you-a friend of my Sachimommy's?"
His eyes widened in pleasant surprise, "Oh, Sachimommy?" he said in disbelief at how she casually declared the love of his life as her mother yet not bitter enough to correct her.
Tsumiki covered her mouth as she giggled upon realizing how silly she sounded, "Ah, she's my adoptive mother-a guardian, Miura Sachiko. Do you know her? Or did you know her parents?"
I knew her well, he answered in his thoughts before squaring his shoulders.
"She and I were friends, your Sachi, I mean," he said her name with a smile. Speaking of her in such lighthearted tone became increasingly rare that he couldn't help but be thankful for the opportunity.
Tsumiki was caught a little speechless at his sincerity when he replied. He spoke of her with such familiarity, much like the way his other guardian would when they spoke of her casually. It was inexplicable to feel that ways since he was a stranger, but the welcoming tone seemed to allow some space for Tsumiki to pry.
She turned towards the shrine already decorated with the same flowers in her hand. Making her wonder just how close he was to her guardian. She had told her about that one winter where her friend offered the same flowers as the one's in her mother's hair in the portrait. Tsumiki remembered how Sachiko spoke of that memory fondly especially since the Inaris present then were extremely drawn by his captivating aura. One she described as gentle and consoling. With that in mind, she didn't hesitate to take steps forward to greet him, "I'm Tsumiki Fushiguro, and you are?"
Hiko winced at her introduction, he was already on edge and couldn't decide if he should step out and take her to safety but in that distance despite his speed, he knew he'd only place her in harm's way.
Suguru clenched his fist at her question but seeing as trivialities were called for, he decided to muse, "I-I was someone who wanted to be with her much like the white-haired idiot who's always beside her," he laughed now at his shaky statement, startling her, "Now, I'm just a stranger," he lifted his shoulders once more before he began his leave.
Tsumiki quickly set down the flowers and caught the hem of his coat to stop his exit, "Wait!" the older of the two couldn't help but robotically turn to her but despite his surprise, he said nothing.
Tsumiki's curiosity made her etch a prodding expression. Something about Suguru seemed to pique her curiosity the more she stood beside him. She didn't feel scared by the presence of the stranger but something about him made her wonder about the stories she was told when she was younger, "Wont you tell me your name? Sachiko-san and Satoru-san, they told me about their friend, the one who went away-"
Suguru's eyes dropped halfway, "Only good things I hope-" he stopped midsentence only to be surprised by Tsumiki's nodding and wondered what kind of good memories were actually part of their dream and not his imagination.
She let go of his sleeve, "Are you him? The one who-draws and is Satoru-san's best-"
Her eyes caught sight of the Nogitsune perched on his shoulder. The white-out pupils ogling at her shape sinisterly making her slowly back-up. Suguru patted its head to calm her down. Luckily, his mood wasn't sour, so it took the form of a harmless vulpex. Still, he was a little surprised that she could see him. He knew the Fushiguro boy was a natural born jujutsu practitioner but his stepsister, seemed to be, something else.
To avoid further confrontation, he went to stand in front of her and smiled as he lightly patted the teenager's head, "Nope," he said lightly as he made his past her, "Anyway, you take care little girl, send my regards to them both,"
Tsumiki called out towards him, "They miss you!"
I miss them too.
Ignoring the vexing statement, Suguru gulped in his shaky emotions and asked, "Tsumiki-chan…can I ask you one question?"
"Hm?" she was a little disturbed that the stranger chose to disregard her gut-wrenching statement. But something about the way his eyes glinted with a bit of sadness made her lower her defenses even more.
"Is she happy?" he paused to edit, "Are they happy?" he asked with downcast eyes, tucking in his clenched fist inside of his coat to mask his wavering interest but curiosity got the best of him and soon the words just escaped his mouth, "Is he making her happy?"
Tsumiki was quick to nod reassuringly, a small smiled played on her lips as she confidently answered, "She is, they both are, very much,"
He felt like his skin had been grazed by a million razors, yet the pain wasn't as overwhelming as the relief he felt from her reply. He was generous enough to give her a sad smile, "I'm glad then…that she's found happiness in him…" his eyes met hers now, "I'm glad she's found happiness in you and your sibling too," he pressed his lips together.
He knows about us, Tsumiki blinked a few times and placed one hand over her chest. She hadn't mentioned her brother at all and the fact that he knew was enough for her to confirm who he was. He looks so sad. Maybe, I should ask him to come with me and stay or-
Suguru lowered his chin on his chest and recalled the last time he saw Sachiko, the bitter memory at the café which once again brought tears to her eyes by the very revelation of his presence and lamenting over such things in front of her adoptive daughter was too shameful for him to grovel that he had to think carefully about what he'd say next, "Sachi-" the mention of her name in the most peaceful and also longing manner, made Tsumiki's brow's twitch, "Please don't take her for granted, Tsumiki-chan," he chuckled, "I guess you should also take care of that sunglasses wearing idiot too,"
He cares about her-both of them.
She smiled widely, "Of course, my brother and I treasure her dearly, you don't have to worry…we love them both, even auntie Ieiri," her voice trailed off at the look of uncertainty before her. She wondered if mentioning the doctor would help make him feel at ease but when she looked at him, His smile was crooked, and his brows were weaved. She couldn't decipher if he was comforted about what she said or a little jealous that he wasn't the one who stood by her guardian's side.
He's so sad…he wants to see them for sure.
"Mister, maybe you could come with me and-" the teenager stopped midsentence as Suguru shook his head despondently and approached the teenage girl, casually yet carefully hovering his hand over her head and landed three pats on her crown before he turned to make his leave once and for all.
"Take care of your family," he said, waving his hands without looking back.
Suguru wanted so desperately to send them messages in gratitude for their continuing affection towards him but here was no point in doing so if they were angry with him. He knew better than to just accept her claims. Of course, they saved her from the ill details of his tainted relationship with the couple and not to mention the door of Ieiri he refused to open after years of giving her trouble so instead of prolonging their conversation, he walked away.
Tsumiki watched him grow smaller and smaller, a little disappointed in herself for not calling out to him to stay but she respected his choice and decided to settle on the seats in front of the shrine.
Yahiko quickly made his way towards her, Inari by his side. He gave out a sigh of relief as soon as his former junior made a safe distance for him to approach Megumi's sister. His Inari sat beside her as she prayed in front of Sachiko's parents' shrine and with one step forward after she paid her respects, he asked, "Tsumiki, who was that?" feigning his obliviousness to test the waters.
Suguru stopped his footing briefly upon hearing the voice of his mentor and old friend but didn't look back. Yahiko was taxing him if he'd come back but Suguru was bracing for him to detain him. It hurt him a little to treat him like a stranger but he was aware that it was a smart move to protect the girl if they were ever to engage in a cross fire.
Tsumiki looked at Hiko with inquiring eyes, "Oh he said he was an acquaintance of Sachimommy and Satoru-san,"
"I see," he turned to the teenager feeling the weight of Suguru's aura increase the more he stood still, "Are you alright?" he assessed her carefully. Despite her potential as a window, Tsumiki was a novice in the supernatural making her a vulnerable target for curse attachment. He now understood why her guardians were adamant on bringing her to the Dojo for some training. Luckily, Suguru didn't place any enchantments on her.
Tsumiki nodded as her eyes left the stranger, "Yes of course,"
Hiko nodded and breathed heavily, "Okay, don't take too long, I'll wait for you at the tearoom,"
The four tailed Inari summoner watched him with eagle eyes, the back of his head he could've sworn he would've easily hit seeing that he hadn't placed any effort on putting up defenses but after hearing his words towards his aunt and uncle and sparing Tsumiki, a non-sorcerer, he thought that perhaps his beloved kouhai was still there somewhere.
Hiko turned his heel the other way and counted a few seconds to see if the cursed spirit manipulator would dare to face him. His teeth gnashed together, frustration eating at him but at the same, the sadness he felt when first learned of his betrayal was reminiscent of his feelings then and yet he couldn't bear any confrontation to occur.
He felt guilty as his senior. He knew about his troubles but failed to inquire more. His younger cousin had expressed the same concern but both of them weren't given enough chances to investigate. Perhaps they lacked in the frequency or the method of asking or maybe, he was far too closed off to let them in.
But with everything said and done, all he could do was give him one last chance, one last lesson from him.
You have to choose Suguru. Stay or go.
And so, he went.
August 2016
Tokyo Institute Meeting Hall
The higher-ups didn't take too kindly with the Miura defectors overlapping the ruckus from curse users. Rumors that the clan had been infiltrated by the Nogitsune group wasn't anything new but the whole debacle at Shibuya was a good excuse to summon the Miura heir.
It was no secret that the hybrid sorcerer didn't have many backers from the old men and women of the Institute so, she didn't exactly come in all excited when she was called to a meeting from Hong Kong. It was around midnight when the portals were opened for communication, and she couldn't even remember the last time she sat down. Still, it was better for them to see her on active duty than sitting around in her hotel room. Time and again, proving her worth as a sorcerer and not just their curse killing machine only lay effect for a few hours, after which it was back to their year-round doubt fest.
She zipped up her black bomber jacket, the one Satoru owned and packed for her the night before she left and finally entered the communication tunnel. The floating doors that represented the members of their community was quick to light up and not even a few minutes in from their greeting, she was already being interrogated.
The topic at hand wasn't unfamiliar to her. For months, their clan had been pressed to provide explanations for a Nogitsune's sudden appearance in their investigation of the cult activities. They were waiting for an excuse to interrogate the Kitsune after all.
She stood silently yet irritably at the center of the hall, voices making her ears ring, making her more impatient to wait her turn.
"So, you're telling us that these activities from your clan's defectors have nothing to do with the activities of the curse users you were tasked to investigate?" one of the men present spoke with much contempt. He was one of those who barred the Miuras from admission.
Sachiko shifted in her stance and controlled her tone, "I admit having seen a Nogitsune among the cultists but the activities from the foreign reports seem to be independent from them, our sources-"
"Which source? Your aunt? The mother of the head of-"
Her eyes narrowed, "I would ask you kindly not to speak ill of Lady Kodansha, she is not part of our discussion."
It always drew back to the fact that the head of the defectors were now being led by her estranged son but the Lady had already sacrificed her relationship with him and had her heart broken many times over just to protect their creed and speaking ill of the woman who served as her second mother was unthinkable.
"What do you propose is a good explanation for this?" the elder woman present laughed sarcastically at her, "You Miuras are always out there making trouble for the rest of us, how will you ever show us your faith now? Your loyalty? When you allow those creatures to run about and feast upon your fellow sorcerers?"
Sachiko took a step forward making them silence their bickering. Her eyes were glowing, and they could feel her muted anger gush forth through her energy that all they could do was listen, "My loyalty to the society remains for so long as the people in it trust in me. If it would appease your worries, I will capture the beast, if I am unable to, I shall eliminate the fox shikigami with my own hands,"
"Very well," the elder woman quickly responded with a sinister laugh that echoed throughout the space.
"Is there something else you wish to discuss?" Sachiko crossed her arms, "Or would you like to discuss the laxity of-"
There was a loud knock that intruded their conversation and clearly none of the higher-ups present wanted to discuss their own lapses. So, they were lucky that Miura Sachiko was a wanted woman and someone else clearly wanted a word with her.
The person on the other side of the door didn't bother to ask permission to intrude and instead swung the door fully open and leaned on the entrance, one leg angled over his hakata bottoms and the other pressed on the small space beside it. The blonde and black streaked haired man grimaced as he took a quick scan of the projections around the Kitsune dim one by one. Naoya Zenin sighed lazily, "Are 'ya done with your talk with the oldies princess?"
The raven-haired Miura gave the elders a short bow before reluctantly turning to greet her uninvited guest, "To what do I owe this sudden intrusion, Zenin?"
Naoya chortled, "Oh please Miura, you and I are under the same mother faction, 'ya can call me Naoya," he didn't wait for her to invite him in and instead already dragged his geta across the room at an alarming pace.
He stopped only a few meters away from where she stood and framed his chin with one hand, maliciously gliding his small sharp eyes all over her body causing her discomfort. It was no secret that Naoya was extremely attracted to her more so since he was rejected as a prospect. He never respected women. He only treated them as objects and to him, Sachiko was a rare find, "You're still pretty fox princess," his eyes stopped to where the curves of her waist were before placing special attention to her prominent chest. She was glad she wore and zipped up Satoru's jacket all the way towards her neck. If he saw the corset-like uniform underneath, who know what kind of slur he would have stated.
He leaned forward and took a deep breath, afterwards gave out a taunting whistle, "Wow, it's already the end of the day and yet 'ya still smell fresh,"
Sachiko glared at him, "What do you want Naoya?"
Naoya began circling her, "Well, nothing much. Just wondering how 'ya are. I mean," he snorted at the premise of his next statement, recalling that the teenage girl whom he once haphazardly stalked was no longer the same person he knew then. This woman was even more intriguing, stronger, feistier and unattainable.
I want her more. Just for a night.
"So, tell me, how are you with playing house with Gojo?" he stopped his footing so he could stick his head beside her face from behind, whispering his words directly in her ear, staying disturbingly close that it made the hair on her back rise, "Is my little nephew proving worthy yet?"
Sachiko clicked her tongue, "Megumi is doing well, no thanks to you," she spat making him jerk backward but only move closer to her side.
"Is he now?" he said with one brow raised, "Well then, he should be or else we'll be forced to take measures on our own," his fingers went to play with the end of her braid and soon, he had the nerve to lift it close to his nose to sniff her hair. Sachiko was quick to turn and push him back, but this only made him even more enthused by her forwardness.
The whiff of her scent made his mouth water and the excitement stirred within his chest was evident in his feasting eyes. He raised his hands, "So," he gave her a wicked grin, "This is what Gojo is treated with under the covers…" he did her a one-over once again and he couldn't help but lick his lips, "Fuck, he's lucky," he perched forward and pursed his lips, "When's it my turn? I heard Gojo has been playing around with others anyway, why don't we go and play too? I'll make it worth your time," he braved.
Sachiko scowled at him with her eyes morphed into its Kitsune form making him double back. He hated to admit it but the surge of her energy was intimidating but this only made him more attracted to her.
She felt her annoyance double the longer he stood by her side, "Your filthy mouth should really learn how to shut up," she warned.
Naoya placed one hand on his chin, "So you're denying your relationship? Still? It's the only explanation you two are co-guardians," he moved his shoulders in taunt.
She frowned and looked away with disgust, "My personal life shouldn't concern you, now, if you excuse me-"
Suddenly, another figure emerged from the door, this time, it was her student with the pine-colored hair and hazel eyes tucked in a frame that went inside. She was wearing a purple track suit with a sheathed naginata in hand. One of her favored weapons lent specifically by the Miura clan to the Taira-Zenin girl.
Maki Zenin took to her teacher's side and pointed the weapon towards her cousin, "Is he bothering you Sensei?"
Naoya snarled at the teenager and pushed the weapon away from his face, "Ugh, I knew I smelled a rat from a mile away,"
Maki didn't blink and instead pressed forward to stand in between him and Sachiko, "Careful sensei, his eyes might bore holes on your rear, he's a creep,"
Naoya was too infuriated to continue his exchanges with Sachiko but before he left he made sure to make a statement. His finger tipped Sachiko's chin to make her turn to his direction earning him another glare.
"See you later vixen," he said, ignoring the younger Zenin, "Have fun with that piece of garbage,"
Maki clenched her teeth.
Sachiko grabbed Naoya's hand and summoned enough cursed energy to increase the heat she expelled from her body making Naoya withdraw his hold quickly and hiss,
"It's about time you leave Naoya,"
Sachiko had been teaching Maki how to utilize a variety of weapons in their repository. Unfortunately, their Taira bond wasn't enough for her to personally go through everything in the inventory but at least with whatever was available, she was able to properly instruct Maki how to use.
Being part of the Miuras, Sachiko trained rigorously ever since she was a child. She could've been better if she had grown up at the Taisha, but she was a natural swordswoman.
The Zenin girl admired that about her. When Sachiko would present her with a new tool, she'd give her very basic instructions and demonstrations and she moved with so much grace and calculation close what one would look like in a dance. Like the way Satoru and her would teach Megumi hand to hand combat, they were quick to remind him that weapons were merely extensions of their hands and to not be too reliant on them. Weapons were designed to enhance range and damage but never replacements for the tools they were naturally born with. It was especially important for Miura-sensei to point that out Maki. Having been born without cursed energy and requiring extra sets of tools to properly exorcise curses while also being forcibly equipped with the demeaning insults from her own clan, Sachiko made it her life mission for her to stand out during training.
Maki was persistent and she had the right motivation to exceed expectations that she couldn't help but see a little bit of her in the young sorcerer, so she was confident she'd rise above the ranks.
Maki swung the naginata towards her teacher's legs and when she missed because of Sachiko's leap to balance herself on the blade, she shifted her hold and twirled to force more impact on the back of the blade to dislodge her teacher, but her teacher was too fast and far too strong. Maki smirked as Sachiko gripped the weapon and kicked it away from her student making her crouch back and plant her feet firmly on the ground to keep from falling back first on the ground but before she could counter, Sachiko already went to her side and held out her hand, "Good job Maki-chan," she softened her features now and Maki despite clicking her tongue, gladly allowed her teacher to assist her to stand. It was funny because when she stood next to her, her teacher looked like her student. She liked to pick fun at her too by patting the older sorcerer on the head and no one could've known that she was the dangerous six-tailed Kitsune.
Sachiko grabbed two bottles of water and handed one to her student. She couldn't help but ruffle her hair and pinch her cheek making her groan from her teacher's adorable way of showing affection she wasn't used to.
She crossed her legs to sit beside the six tailed Kitsune. She rested her elbow on her thigh and balanced her chin with the back of her right hand. Her left though went to poke her finger on Sachiko's cheek, "Sensei, why are you still not recognized by the Taira faction? You could literally wipe them out with one snap of your finger,"
Sachiko shrugged as she took a sip of her water, "Sometimes, they only see what they wanna see and I don't really mind it. Sorry but the less interactions with the Zenins, the better it is for my mental health,"
"Scratch sometimes, they're the worse, you can be honest with me," she quipped. She felt a little sad that Maki had been too used to being treated wrongly by her family. She never wished that someone would experience the same thing as she did with her own blood, but some people were just meant to displace themselves from their own family to find a new one and that was her mission. To help Maki feel at home at the Institute, under her care.
"Very well," Sachiko tidied Maki's hair like she would Tsumiki's making her blush. She always admired Sachiko's brute strength and graceful prowess and especially her thick skin. Maki was well aware of her tough childhood, heck, her relationship with the higher-ups was still a work in progress and this was someone classified as a special grade and yet just because she was born as a hybrid, her uniqueness made her an anomaly in their eyes, much like her.
Still, she was grateful that despite her prophecy, she managed to live strong and proud, and oftentimes she wondered how she beat her fate. The impossible line was crossed, and she wondered if her other ridiculously looking sensei had something to do with it.
"Sensei, you're looking much better nowadays," she crooked her dark brows at the older and made a brief assessment of her condition. She witnessed how she struggled in between missions and how the consumption progressed and yet even after the age of 21, the expected age of completion, she seemed in top shape. Her eyes were more gemstone than flames, her skin only showed of Kitsune markings if she willed it or if she had nullified too many poisons. Her registry, she couldn't quite understand because she didn't see curses but she exudence confidence and calm and that kind of power was hard to miss.
She's stronger, better.
"Maki-chan, how are you fairing? Are you excited to be an incoming freshman?" she clasped her hands together and spoke more enthusiastically. Her smile reached her ears and she went all giddy and doe-eyed as she looked at the green-haired student with much excitement, "I can't wait to see you in your uniform and in the classroom! Do you have your books already? Do you want me to-"
Maki's mouth trembled as she drew back to get some space from her doting and even if she appreciated her concern, she couldn't help but shy away from her offers, "Sensei! I-I'm fine really! Honestly, let's just see what happens when I get there okay?"
Sachiko laughed, "Okay dear. I heard you'll be getting at least two new classmates so that's exciting!"
Maki crossed her arms, "One is a Panda, of course everything is exciting. He talks and crap,"
Sachi clapped her hands, "Panda-kun is very nice and fluffy! You'll like him!"
She snarled, "Uh…I'm not sure about that but okay…anyway, wow, you sure are talking like a real mom, is this the effect of my nephew living with you? Or have you lost your mind from spending too much time with Gojo?"
Sachiko's giggle made Maki follow suit and soon enough she couldn't help but laugh at her own statement. She watched as her teacher partially covered her face and she swore a blush formed from across her face before she turned away.
"Well, I'm just concerned for you, that's all, we Taira women must look after each other after all," she lifted her shoulders, "But, I gotta say, Megumi and Tsumi and yes, I guess Satoru too, they all had a great influence on me and so I guess some of the things I learned from taking care of kids, I couldn't shake off, is that a bad thing?" she asked wearily.
Maki snorted, "You're asking me?" Sachiko nodded awkwardly, "You know what Sensei, don't ever stop being you, you're probably the only pure person left on this planet,"
Her lips curled upward, "Is that so?"
Maki dusted her hands and stood, "Just, try to distance yourself a little bit from Gojo, god knows if he'll jump on you one day," she snapped her fingers and pinched her teacher's cheek, "You're like my older sister and my favorite mentor, I won't forgive myself if that flirt corrupts you," she felt a shiver down her spine, "I think he likes you so be careful,"
Sachiko tried her best to remain oblivious to her statement but she had to bite her lip to keep from laughing, "You think he likes me?"
Maki frowned, "Oh god, please don't tell me you like him too!" she pulled on her hair as she waited for her sensei to join her, cringing from the thought of them as a pair.
Sachiko stretched her arms and giggled, "I don't like him,"
Maki exhaled in relief, "Thank goodness,"
I love him.
The Miura heir grabbed a sheathed katana and motioned for Maki to take a stance, "Don't worry about Satoru, I have him wrapped around my finger," she smirked.
Maki was a little concerned by her statement. A part of her figured that the two had something going on between them but couldn't find anything to support her claim but something about the way they treated each other, the subtle cues she thought was part of her hallucinations seemed to make sense. They seemed too different to match and someone as principled as the Miura heir didn't seem like a good match for the pompous Gojo clan head.
But even their differences seemed to make sense, "I was afraid you'd say that," she mumbled.
"Sorry, I didn't catch that?"
Maki shook her head and prepared herself for their spar, burying the ridiculous thought with her next move, "Nothing Sensei,"
Sachiko was about to go on the offensive when her phone rung, "Sorry Maki-chan, give me a minute," she pushed on the answer button and greeted the person on the other line, "Hello? Yes, I am his guardian," her eyes widened in worry, "Is he okay?"
Maki titled her head sidewards.
Sachiko continued to answer the questions on the other line, "Oh okay, yes, I'll be there…I apologize for the inconvenience and thank you for informing me," she dropped the call.
Maki's brows shot upwards, "What now? Did that idiot get in some sort of trouble?"
Sachiko gave out a nervous laugh, "Well, trouble, yes but unfortunately, it's not Satoru…that was the middle school…"
"Oh," her student crossed her arms and turned around to tidy the training material, "I guess your mom duties are calling,"
She tensed at her statement, sweat forming and heart beating fast from her clever quip that was all too accurate, "Ahhhh!" she yelped, "That's just guardian duties calling…"
Maki snickered, "Hehhhh…and yet Tsumiki calls you Sachimama 'til this day, sure Sensei," she zipped up her track suit, "Say hello to their stupid fake dad for me," she looked over her shoulder, "And tell my baby cousin to behave,"
Saitama Urami East Junior High
September 2016
Tsumiki was rushing across the hall towards the infirmary. It was probably around an hour past noon when she was alerted that her brother was found in the parking lot sitting over a pile of beaten-up students just like he was a month ago and even a few back. He only got a few bruises and scars but most of them came from his carelessness not on his inability to defend himself.
In terms of academics, Megumi was a straight A student, nothing amiss, even his attendance sheet was pristine but ever since they left the Miura Dojo, Megumi seemed to be taking his lessons and principles taught by his guardians that he took justice in his hands.
Tsumiki, being the older, couldn't even put some sense into him by stating that teachers should be responsible for punishing the bullies and not him. They've talked to their therapist about it and the therapist did insist that their guardians should be made aware of what has happening, hence the PTA.
Megumi hated the people who would press their status on others and pick on those who are defenseless plus he hated the people who started baseless rumors particularly those targeting women and other vulnerable populations.
Tsumiki flung the door open and stomped towards where Megumi sat and noticed the small bandage on his cheek. Her eyes raged in fury and ignored the rest of the students wailing on the clinic beds. The nurse was so used to their banter that she went on ahead to attend to the others after she checked on Megumi.
"I told you not to make a fuss, especially today!" she berated the younger Fushiguro with a sudden ear tug that made Megumi wince and attempt to swat away his sister's hand.
His green eyes went from his sister to the students behind him and he tucked one hand inside of his uniform pocket, a habit he had gotten from their male guardian. His scowl was a little like their mother figure though. The pout combined with the feigned cool, yet steely demeanor clearly mirrored her so much. He didn't speak in retaliation though and instead began his leave.
Tsumiki clenched her fist and swung it in front of her in protest as she blocked his path, "Megumi-kun! Today is the meeting! How could you do this!"
Megumi's eyes widened at the reminder and even if he felt a little guilty for forgetting about it, he was fine with teaching the other kids a lesson, "Doesn't make much difference now," he rubbed his nape, "Are they really coming today?"
Tsumiki took a deep breath and raised her voice at her brother, "Sachima-Miura-san is already on her way, Gojo-san, he confirmed that he'll follow and the principal and-" her hands went to her brunette hair, and she bit her lip in frustration, "They need us in half an hour! Let's go!" she pulled on her brother by the arm and rushed to the office and upon arrival, an elderly man with grey hair parted in the middle with glasses came to greet them.
It was Mr. Takeda, Megumi's homeroom teacher who had often caught him fighting with his classmates for reasons he supposed were warranted a scolding but not a beating. He sighed upon noticing Megumi's small bandage hanging on the side of his cheek and gestured for the two to enter the meeting room where their middle-aged principal wearing a coat and tie sat in his study. Around them were his other teachers, two females in their mid-forties and the new male recruits from the PE and Science departments.
Tsumiki pushed Megumi forward inside the room and now all that was left was for them to discuss the events as they waited for their guardians.
After a while, finally, Tsumiki's phone buzzed, their guardians finally arrived in their school, "They're just parking, but they'll be here soon,"
Megumi clenched his teeth, he hated being on the spotlight and just the thought of troubling his adoptive mother and hearing the quips of his adoptive father inside his head already made him uneasy.
There was a beginning commotion at the faculty room and Tsumiki's phone wouldn't stop ringing.
She stood to excuse herself to answer the call, "Hello? Da-Gojo-san? Where are you?"
"Tsu-mi-ki-chan! I'm already at the faculty room!" he sung, "I don't see you!"
Her eyes scanned across the room and noticed how clear his voice sounded, the melodious tone resonated clearly in her ears made her follow its direction, "Oh…" she said, focusing her hazel eyes on the bright-haired, well-dressed man from across the room holding his phone upright. The men and women inside the faculty room were circling around him, whispering comments on how dapper he looked with his brogues, dark brown coat that covered his beige turtleneck. Tsumiki specifically told him to mute down his clothing and wear something other than his mission uniforms but of course, she sighed deeply, why did he still wear the shades?
"Gojo-san, over here!" Tsumiki waved to catch his attention making him grin widely and rush towards her but in the process bumped on some of the ladies of the faculty.
He was quick to help them up and apologize and it seemed like his natural appeal and good looks was enough to make the group of men and women blush and swoon at his suave look, "Are you alright?"
The lady took his hand and hiccuped in response, "Are you-are you with our student?"
Satoru's handsome face softened, "Well yes!" he turned to point at Tsumiki, "I'm her dad!"
Tsumiki blushed at the lack of hesitance in his words. His proclamation raised a few brows, but she figured that it would be a long conversation if she attempted it.
"Gojo-san, please hurry!" she looked behind and still many enamored eyes were focused on the flashy guardian.
Satoru put his phone on his pocket and jogged happily towards his adoptive daughter and gave the rest a bow before he entered the room, little did he know a few of them almost fainted at his sweet, parting grin.
The atmosphere didn't change when he joined the party at the principal's office. The female teachers couldn't help but gasp as he introduced himself. He was too good-looking for his own good and he quickly shifted into his annoying charm as he shook each and every person's hand inside the room to impress them with his well-meaning attitude. Megumi hated that show. He was always too flamboyant and awkward around strangers, and he couldn't help but get secondhand embarrassment.
Mr. Takeda couldn't help but inquire about him from the principal who was busy checking the papers to see if he got his name right. No picture was available on the file and the only information written on it was his name, contact number and occupation which ironically wrote, teacher.
"You are, Fushiguro Megumi and Tsumiki's guardian sir?" he said in disbelief, blinking a few times to keep from the shine of his teeth showing his gums as he crossed his legs and sat in between of the teenagers.
Satoru placed one hand over his chest, "Yes, I really am their guardian, I am Gojo Satoru," he clasped his hands together and etched a rather sad expression, "Forgive me if I may be direct, but will you tell me what my son has done this time?" he reached out to pat Megumi's shoulder but missed a landing he was quick to shift into his own thigh.
"I'm not your son," he grumbled making Tsumiki hush him.
The principal's hands interlocked as he spoke with a stern expression, "Your-Megumi has been caught once again having a physical exchange with the students and-"
There was another tussle from outside their room commenced and this time the men's voices were rising, and a crowding began to ensue. This irritated the principal so much that he himself stomped and opened the door to check on the source.
"What's the meaning of-" his tone, initially aggravated quickly dropped into pleasant amusement. Near the door stood a very beautiful, crimson-eyed lady wearing a navy dress covered in a muted sweater she paired with nude heels. Her skin was ivory and shone like glass with cheeks painted a pale rose color that matched her lips and her long hair, two-toned in black and grey was neatly braided to one side.
The principal blinked twice as he tried to decipher if he was hallucinating. She was very elegant looking and her dress hugged every curve of her body despite it being of modest style. The men in the faculty couldn't help but ogle at her and sweat profusely.
"Excuse me," she approached one of them and the male faculty couldn't help but stutter at the beauty.
"H-haii?"
Sachiko tilted her head sidewards, "May I ask if the principal is available? I have a scheduled meeting with him you see?"
The principal quickly ran towards her in greeting and even was the first to bow first, "EXCUSE ME!" the principal was a man in his late forties and was a known failed bachelor, so the sight of Sachiko was something that truly excited him even if he forgot that she was potentially the legal guardian of his students, "I am the principal!" He raised his hand.
Sachiko was quick to properly bow and greet him, "Oh, hello sir, I am Miura Sachiko and I-"
The principal blushed, "What a pretty name!" he smiled too widely, "Please, what can I do for you Miss?"
Sachiko placed one hand over her mouth, "Oh, I'm here for the parent-student meeting. I'm the Fushiguro kids' guardian,"
The principal was awe-stricken at her proclamation, "Y-you?" he gave her a one over, "But, you're so young! And beautiful!"
Satoru has had enough of the principal's display that he excused himself from the other room accompanied by Megumi and safely escorted her to sit beside them. The rest of the faculty present were equally captivated by her.
She was very lovely and even with the way she spoke made them feel all fluttery inside and it was only Mr. Takeda who managed to explain the situation.
Sachiko gave Megumi a worried look making him fawn away from embarrassment and a bit of guilt.
Satoru remained in a good mood and a little enthused by the events. He grinned towards Megumi then returned his eyes on the principal, "So, basically he beat those bullies up, right? Then I guess, he shouldn't get into trouble, he did the right thing,"
Sachiko was quick to interject at her boyfriend's and fellow guardian's rather crude comment. No matter how much she agreed with him, she still thought Megumi's method was wrong, "What he meant was, Megumi was trying to set things right by making sure no one gets bullied anymore by confronting them however, we do agree that he should've used his words first before his fists…"
Tsumiki nodded.
Satoru chuckled and snapped his fingers, "It seems to me Megumi-chan was forced to take matters into his hands," he dropped his chin towards his chest to allow his blue eyes to narrow on the authorities present, "Perhaps he did it because his teachers wouldn't," his taunt made the authorities exchange looks. He had a good point. He knew some things about blinded officials and wasn't surprised at how even non-jujutsu schools had the same problem.
There was a short pause before Satoru clapped his hands together and dropped his legs, "Regardless, picking fights is wrong so we'll-"
Sachiko scooted forward, "We'll talk to him about it and make sure this never happens again," she placed one hand over Megumi's shoulder and looked at him intently, "Right Megumi-kun?"
Megumi nodded slowly as he bit his lip. He knew those bullies would be back to their activities if he hadn't given them a beating so whatever punishment he got would be worth it.
"So regarding his sanction…" Sachiko turned to the principal and his homeroom teacher now and placed her hands into a prayer and siged shakily, "Please do give him another chance…"
Satoru was equally surprised by her humble gesture that he couldn't help but pause and join her in her bow, "I—I mean, technically he was defending the bullied ones and he also got hurt so, he did something right but in the wrong way but he-"
Sachiko jabbed his stomach and Tsumiki silently glared at Gojo.
The principal was honestly having a difficult time concentrating on their words. Sachiko was just a very bright and shining moving picture in front of him and if his heart eyes weren't enough to put the young male student in such unease, it was the way the other teachers gawked at her that made him uncomfortable. Lucky for him, Sachiko's presence worked in his favor.
"We can let him off with a warning," the principal said proudly, making the other faculty members question his decision but one look at an already smiling and grateful Sachiko, and they knew they had lost.
"Oh, that's so kind of you," she gestured for all of them to stand and bow towards him, "Thank you very much, we are all grateful," her eyes were filled with much fervor and her slight pinked-up cheeks that went with her glee only made her more appealing to the rest and even Satoru couldn't help but give in to her charm. He was about to extend his arm to give her a squeeze on the shoulder when the principal jumped from his chair and went absurdly close towards them.
The principal went to her side and grabbed Sachiko's hand making Satoru's mouth and brows twitch at his tactlessness, "Please, Miss Miura, anything for you-your boy. We'll take care of everything, I'm going to make sure he's gonna get supervision,"
Sachiko took a step back and slowly removed his hold. Without asking for her permission, Satoru laced one hand on her shoulder and drew her close, declaring his authority as her significant other despite promising he'd be cool about the whole situation, "Well then, thank you for your time," he gave him a rather sinister smile, eyes boring holes into the older man making him flinch backward at his silent warning.
Mr. Takeda couldn't help but shift glances at the family before him. If he looked closely, he swore he could see very little semblance between them except for Megumi could pass as Miura's younger brother but the way Tsumiki would call them mom and dad made him question his inference, "Are you really their guardians?" it didn't make sense that the young couple reared the teenagers since they were young because that only meant that they started guardianship during high school.
Were they, betrothed or something? How did they get into this situation?
The two special grade sorcerers both nodded.
"So young…" one of the ladies commented making Sachiko turn.
"I'm sorry?" she politely queried.
The older woman whispered, "Sorry, it's just that you're both so young looking to have teenagers…how old are you both again?"
"Twenty-six," they both said in unison, Sachiko, a little surprised that her beau actually inserted himself in the conversation and at this, he took the opportunity to create quite a buzz.
Making a spectacle was part of his repertoire anyway so to make things even more awkward, he answered in the most suggestive way possible to the kids' dismay, "Yes, well, we had them very young…"
The whole room blushed at his statement. The school officials looked at each other to confirm what they had just heard but his girlfriend couldn't help but feel a bit of panic and irritation at his ridiculous quip.
Yes, technically, she did become a mother at eighteen but not in the way he was hinting at.
Sachiko pinched his side making him yelp at how forceful it was despite only making contact for a split second. The veins on Sachiko's face engorged, "W-what he meant was that-"
The younger lady couldn't help but look at her figure, "I can't believe you had two children and still have a snatched waist!"
Satoru's hand had left her shoulder and transferred to her waist, "Well, we have a very specific and regular diet and EXERCISE routine as a couple!" he said proudly making the rest of the people present feel even more heated at his controversial remark.
Megumi stepped on his shoe now making him release Sachiko who was already eager to do some damage control. His innuendos were getting out of hand.
"We're only their guardians, I didn't give birth to them," she was forming beads of sweat on her brow and Tsumiki went to her side to support.
"Oh, but they are like our parents! They raised us," she said proudly making Sachiko calm down.
The ladies nodded, "Oh we see…"
The principal was already making his way to inch closer towards Sachiko, curiosity eating at his core, "BUT! You are still Miss Miura right? No ring? You're not married?" his eyes were attempting to taunt Satoru, but his crystalline stare was hard to crack.
Tsumiki giggled, "They're not married…yet. But they definitely will!"
Megumi shrugged, "Principal, give up now, she's taken," he made his turn to leave after bowing. Despite the pleasant surprise of his support for Satoru putting him at ease, he still couldn't help but scoff.
Satoru couldn't help but jump up and down in excitement. It was so rare for Megumi to be nice to him and show his support openly, "Awwww, my adoptive kiddos are so supportive of my lifelong mission!"
Sachiko rolled her eyes in an attempt to hide her own joy, "Please excuse my b-Satoru, he likes to joke around, anyway, thank you so much for your time!"
The principal was grief stricken by the hint of engagement from the couple while the rest were either still in disbelief or jealous of their predicament, they didn't stay long find out.
Parking Lot
"That fucking orphan!" one of the senior students, the one with the buff upper body and topknot kicked at the trashcan a little too forcibly, sending its contents scattered on the ground. He had a matching sling around his arm, the same as his other friend. They were the ones who declared themselves the victims of Fushiguro Megumi.
Initially, the couple ignored their pointless bickering with Sachiko placing one hand on Satoru's arm to get him to turn and enter the passenger seat beside the driver's. She had been the better of the two anyway and they didn't really use their vehicle often, so he entrusted that task to her.
He saw however how she was upset by their words.
"They're nothing but badluck!" one of them said making Sachiko pause her entry behind the wheel, "The only thing he's good for is that dumbass, pretty bitch he calls his sister. He's such a prick, he fights for the other losers, they don't deserve to call themselves part of the school. Nothing good ever happened to them, they just might cause us misfortune!"
A third boy with a chipped tooth and swollen eye socket slapped his knee as he cackled, "Maybe that's why their parents left them! They were just that unlovable and unacceptable that even their own parents-"
"Maybe that's why Fushiguro never smiled. He never knows how to. That's sick! And his sister, she doesn't really seem like much. She only pretends to be okay to make up for the fucked-up set-up. Guess they had to find glory by being overly stuck-up bitches!" the leader of the three added.
Satoru let out some steam from his nostrils and had one hand over the door opening when a soft thud that came from Sachiko's side was heard as she stepped out and made her way towards the middle schoolers.
Satoru quickly went out to prevent her from doing anything rash, but she was already just a few steps away from them before he could intervene. He decided to trust her objective instincts but hoped that her Kitsune temperament would remain at the minimum.
"Hello there boys," she etched a calm smile as she approached making the three exchange glances and wonder who the lady was in front of them.
No one from Megumi's school had ever really seen their guardians. They were far too busy to linger around and had decided that making their presence scarce would help deviate with attracting curses to their area. But this time, Sachiko had no qualms about introducing herself.
She may not have been their mother by blood and perhaps the way they saw her as family were different than hers, she knew she had to protect her cubs from slander. No matter what.
"What do you want lady?"
She placed both hands in front of her and introduced herself towards them and the way they snarkily stared at her only made the Six-Eyes users more apprehensive.
"Fushiguro doesn't have a mom! And besides, who the hell are you fooling? You clearly aren't-"
"I'm his guardian," she pressed on with her rather forced smile making the three exchange worried glances, "I see that you all needed medical attention and I do apologize for his behavior-"
"Yeah!" the one with the arm sling spat, "You better keep him on a leash and start teaching him some manners about respecting his senpais!"
"Are you really his guardian? You're not doing your job if that's the case,"
The other rolled his eyes at Sachiko, "You're so called-daughter isn't that innocent too! She's been known to sneak off to do some extreme sports on that damn Yasohachi Bridge!"
Satoru clenched his teeth at their insinuation but didn't impose on the confrontation. One side-eye from Sachiko and he knew, she had it in control. He did have to remind himself and his partner that they'd have to probe more on what the student said about Tsumiki.
Don't let that five-foot five woman fool you, she's feisty.
She closed her eyes and giggled now making the three boys etch confused looks, "Oh, I apologize for laughing but I think you're mistaking my intention of coming to greet you," Her scarlet eyes flew open and looked at each of them sharply, "You see, while I do agree that he shouldn't have used force on you, from what I heard, you three have been treating the other kids unfairly too and that's quite disappointing. I understand why he chose his actions," she sighed, "You three kind of deserved a bitter taste of your own medicine,"
They scowled at her now, "What the hell? She's not even really here to apologize!"
"Apologize?" she cocked her brow at them now and placed one hand on her waist, "I only came here to point out that Megumi's actions were rash, but they weren't unfounded. I'm here to give you a warning," her smile widened.
"Warning? What the fuck are you talking about lady? You're as crazy as those two weirdos!"
Before the leader could spit anymore ill words against them, Sachiko went in in front of the boy and all of a sudden gave him a rather sheepish grin before pulling on him for a headbutt.
The boy immediately saw stars and the two other bullies couldn't help but panic at what they saw.
Satoru's eyes widened in surprise from across the lot. He didn't expect Sachiko to get physical with them, a slap he could have shrugged off after they said those means things about their kids but a headbutt?
He swallowed hard and wiped the sweat off his chin as he scanned the area and hoped that no one saw them.
We're clear, thank God!
But Sachiko was far from done. When the other two were scrambling to help their friend up, Sachiko's shadow covered them and she lurched and grinned, "If you ever go near Megumi and Tsumiki again…" her eyes turned crescentic and a little bit of cursed energy surfaced making them feel something creeping up their spine as her fake smile turned into a death glare, "If you ever utter anything that hurtful and untrue about them," she leaned down making them shuffle backwards, "You'll pay for it," she straightened now and relieved herself from her eerie side and smiled normally, "Okay?"
"Y-yes ma'am!" they all said in unison.
She raised her right index finger and tilted her head, "No more bullying too, okay?"
The leader, the one in the center was still out of it and he couldn't believe that everything that was happening as actually happening, "Y-yes, we promise," he spoke through his dizzied state.
She placed her hands behind her back and smiled once more, "Good! Now, you three go on and be good now, okay?"
They all rose to give her a solid and proper bow before cowering away and in the next moment Sachiko felt a gentle pat on her head followed by proud laughter, "You did well mommy!" Satoru whispered making her blush but also welcome his compliment.
By the time the two had arrived to join them, their guardians met them to help them carry their belongings.
Satoru flicked Megumi's forehead, "Megumi-chan!" he sung and pointed at his adoptive kid, "You're grounded,"
Megumi grumbled but didn't expect that he'd fully get off the hitch, "Fine…"
Sachiko helped Tsumiki with her books and nudged her arm softly, "But, since we're all here, let's all get some food, it's been a while since we all had a meal together,"
It was a great excuse to spend some time with them and even visit their home. Satoru and Sachiko had decided to buy their old house for them which they now inhabited and maintained. She missed them dearly and despite loving the fact that she and Satoru were living with each other, their so-called kids would always enter their thoughts.
Tsumiki grew excited, "Yay! That sounds great,"
She turned to nod towards Satoru now, but he was too busy reaching out to hold her hand. Megumi found his way in between his guardians that Satoru became unable to reach her.
Tsumiki then grabbed Sachiko's arm and laced her own around it snugly and laughed at Megumi's attempt to keep them apart.
"No PDA on my watch…" he warned Satoru with his tight lips and glared at his guardians making Satoru groan.
"Heehhhh?" Satoru whined as he reached out for a giggling Sachiko. Even if the sorcerer managed to reach out and hold his girlfriend's hand, Megumi kept his place in between them forcing them to break their hold, "Megumi-chan, you are soooo grounded!"
Megumi curled his lip and gave him an icy stare, scrutinizing his ease with showing affection towards his favorite guardian and scolding him in the process unrelated to his actual punishment.
For a few seconds they stared unblinking and tightlipped, edging on each other to see who would break first but one sigh from the raven-haired lady was enough to dispose of the tension that built on Satoru.
Satoru pouted at the younger male then gave Sachiko a puppy-dog look. Before they met up at the academy, Sachiko had been sent on a week-long assignment abroad which was the main reason he wanted to dress up and impress during the PTA.
The tall sorcerer flailed his arms and hopped to grab-hug his tinier lover, cheek squishing with his own to Tsumiki's surprise, "I just missed my Chi-chan so much!"
Tsumiki covered her face and giggled, "Aw, that's so sweet Satodaddy! But didn't you tell us to keep a low profile when it comes to your relationship?"
"I mean, we're just at a parking lot, no one's here except for a bunch of kids,"
Sachiko squeezed his cheeks together, "What she meant was your whole show at the principal's office,"
Megumi squinted his eyes, "Why did you have to be all you in there? It's embarrassing…"
"Your principal was drooling all over my darling, I couldn't stand his obnoxious sucking up, the only person allowed to su-" he felt a sharp jab from Sachiko's shin making him release air.
"Okay that's enough," she went to pull on the hands of the teenagers to hurry towards the car before looking over her shoulder at her pained beau, "I get that you like me that much Toru but we promised a low profile, okay?"
Satoru frowned, "Fineeeeee, now, let's go and get some food!"
Sachiko nodded as she fastened her seatbelt and checked on the rest of her family's security before turning on the engine, "You can choose from any restaurant you want, Toru's treat!"
October 2016
Fushiguro's Place, Sendai
Sachiko couldn't help but reminisce about the time she first went to their home-it was more of a skeleton of it, a house. It looked tidy and kempt enough for two kids to inhabit save for the stacking pile of paper that evidenced the neglected responsibility of their parents who left no trace of where they could've gone.
Of course, even before stepping one foot inside, Sachiko and Satoru already knew what became of their father. And one they would have to explain to them one day.
But the ambience of abandonment was lost in her eyes. That day, she felt like she actually entered a quaint home of a fourteen- and sixteen-year-old.
Unlike before, their place had the essentials plus a few other things that would keep them entertained. Their guardians had already bought the place for them and was tasked to maintain it. While Satoru prioritized on the entertainment system and their full pantry, Sachiko made sure that everything that would make their lives easier such as a washing machine and a well-equipped study would be given to each of them.
They were doing a good job with keeping the space appropriately groomed so she was confident that they were okay.
Tsumiki decided to take a part-time job just so she can contribute to the expenses in whatever she could but would always end up getting beaten by her guardians in covering for everything and just tell her to keep her money for her own.
So, whenever they would visit, they would go all out with their preparations and make a decent meal for them.
That afternoon though, she was only visited by the younger Fushiguro and it was odd since she'd usually be greeted by the smell of cinnamon and chocolate, this time, it was the smell of ginger.
Sachiko began tying her hair up and washed her hands after putting on an apron to assist Megumi with preparing the meal but she couldn't help but inquire, "Tsumiki has some school work left?"
Megumi shrugged, "Honestly," he scratched his chin, "She wasn't too specific with it, I mean she told me she had club activities today and promised to do something with her friends but I have a feeling she's-" he peered towards Sachiko's inquisitive eyes, "What is it?"
"Maybe she's dating," she quipped, hiding her snicker, "Anyway, she promised to join us right? So, it's no problem,"
Megumi didn't think that it was the right time to inform her that Tsumiki's after school activities were becoming more and more frequent and quite mysterious. He noticed how her friends were quite keen on going on adventures and even though she always came back before their self-imposed curfew and never missed anything important, he still thought it strange.
I'll tell Gojo first. I just hope she's safe.
October 2016
"So, who was he really? That man I met at the Taisha?"
Satoru sat silently beside his adoptive teenage daughter who had asked for his advice regarding her encounter. His hand remained in front of his crossed legs, mouth made a straight line and eyes half-lidded as he contemplated. For one, he was angry that Yahiko Miura failed to mention their brief encounter with Suguru but was even more baffled that he was allowed to casually enter the Miura domain.
Rumors regarding his preferences to spare sorcerers bothered him and with Tsumiki, he was just glad that her affiliation proved protective than not.
"Satoru-san?" her opal eyes were filled with worry and even the sight of the shikigami made her a little scared of who the stranger truly was, "Should we tell mommy about it? He seemed to be really-"
Satoru uncrossed his legs and sighed, "Nope! Not for now," he turned to her with a calm expression, "Just, you did good with what you told him, I'm just glad Hiko was there,"
She nodded, "But, even uncle Hiko looked so sad and concerned about him. He really was your friend, wasn't he? The one you two talked about?"
Satoru patted her head and stood, "He was," he jerked his head sidewards so she would follow him, "Next time you see him though, make sure to inform me,"
She straightened quickly to walk by his side, "Satoru-san, don't you want to see him again? He seemed to want to-"
"Chi might need some time, but she might but I'm certain he'll want to see Chi again but, he's made her cry so many times already and I-" he paused as his own words surprised him. He didn't want to worry Tsumiki but no matter how vague his relationship was with Suguru, it was hard to speak ill of his own brother.
Tsumiki winced, "He made her cry? But why-"
Satoru shook his head, "In time, we'll tell you. But don't worry, he's not gonna harm you, your brother or Chi,"
"So, he's not a bad person? Hiko said…he defected and-I don't understand from what but-"
The answer to that question still hung in the air but he did hope that the answer would remain confidently said that he was still who he was before everything changed, "I trust that he'll do the right thing when it comes to you anyway, so don't worry, he was my most trusted friend after all,"
"Okay,"
There was a short pause before Satoru could change the topic but remembering the quip of the bullies at school, he thought of something worth discussing other than his estrangement with Suguru, "So," he began, "What's this about you and the bridges?"
Tsumiki laughed, "Oh no, I got caught already," she covered her face, "Don't worry, I just watched, I didn't bungee,"
He stopped his footing and crooked a brow, "Bungee?"
November 5, 2016, Tokyo
A Private High School
"It's been a while, Okkotsu,"
It was a rather regular day at their highschool, the tallest one from the class, a tanned skinned boy with spiky hair and thick lips alongside his three other friends were left with the frailest kid from the same section in their homeroom classroom. The leader of the group took heavy steps forward to drive their classmate, a thin boy with scruffy black hair and dark blue eyes, towards the wall near the window. He was being repeatedly shoved until his arms and torso bruised from the forceful jests.
No matter how able he was, Yuta Okkotsu never fought back. He couldn't really figure out why they were so drawn to him. He never really spoke to them and often opted to isolate himself from the class. He was sickly so he didn't socialize often but every single thing he did seemed to irritate the others.
Breathing for him was always conditional.
But, every single time others would taunt him, he would consistently feel the dread-the raw fear that made him ache to his bone. He could handle all of their threats-the physical and the psychological was nothing to him but what he couldn't displace was the trepidation that was not meant for him.
"STOP IT!" Okkotsu's voice heightened with panic as he stretched out his arms to force distance from the others making howl their amusement at his ill attempt to rebuttle.
The biggest of the brutes dilated his nostrils and grimaced with his crooked teeth on display and warned, "With you tempting me like that, I might just end up killing you!"
He threw a punch towards his outnumbered classmate but in an instant, darkness filled the room and the temperature dropped enough to elicit a chill.
Yuta's dark blue eyes widened in terror, mouth stretched enough to view his vocal chords as he screamed, "STAY AWAY RIKA!"
"Rika?" before the bully was able to mouth another sentence, he, along with his lackeys were dragged across towards the lockers and forcefully stuffed inside a single unit. And Yuta Okkotsu had no choice but to slump on the ground, feet tucked under him as he hugged his legs and whimpered out the sound of cracking bones and dripping blood that he knew came from his oppressors.
REPORT:
FOUR STUDENTS, INCLUDING THEIR RINGLEADER SUFFER SEVERE INJURIES IN RESPONSE TO THEIR PERSISTENT BULLYING BEHAVIOR
"Carrying out a secret execution That's ridiculous," Gojo Satoru couldn't help but speak with tight lips. He crammed his hands into his pockets and stood irritably as he listened in on the Higher up's relentless and useless discussion. News about a special grade curse's activity that connected with a high schooler caused quite a disturbance among the sorcerers.
Satoru had already met the kid but only briefly but besides the large curse hovering over him, that kid didn't seem like much. He looked pained and extremely unhappy. He was thin and had bags under his eyes and most of all, it didn't seem like he knew how to properly smile. The boy was jittery when he first met but when he volunteered to enter the sealed room, he seemed more at ease-no, he actually seemed more unperturbed surrounded by those talismans and shimenawa rice straw ropes preventing him and curse attached to him to leave the room that served as a kodama.
"We don't know how many more people will be killed by the curse. That leaves us with…"
Satoru stepped into the light making those present face his stern jaw and bandaged eyes, fully aware of the icy glare that lay beneath his covers as he spoke, "We'll look after Yuta Okkotsu at Jujutsu High," he proclaimed.
He expected the kid to go into a bit of a tantrum as he was being transported but his soulless willingness to isolate himself from the rest of the world made the Jujutsu high teacher a little concerned for his true well-being. But even from a distance the pool of his cursed energy was strong. The registry undeniably fearsome and daunting and he fully understood why the oldies were being extremely cautious.
However, he remembered his dream.
One day, he wanted to wake up to a better society where the youth would be allowed to live out their days without anything much to worry about. To spend it fully and to develop into free, responsible adults who would create the kind of union he longed for when he was younger.
I will save those who can be saved so they will pass on that benediction.
To better days.
To brighter futures.
I will start with one student at a time.
Maybe then, it could start and make up for one student he failed.
November 15, 2021
?
The dark furred nogitsune took in the form of an oversized Simien Jackal. It initially went on its usual stroll inside the maze. Her master, the leader of the infamous group who wore a monk's robe, would give her liberty with her activities inside the curtained field, usually finding scattered materials for leisure and even snacks which she enjoyed munching on.
It didn't really need anything other than cursed energy to curb its appetite, but Suguru went the extra mile to make sure all of Chiharu's needs would be met.
He named his favorite capture after the season of his birth, Spring, a thousand springs to be exact, his very picture of a future he could never have-a blossoming one.
Nogitsunes were the byproduct of blood magic performed by Inari summoners. Sorcerers born with a fox shikigami guardian would often be required to sacrifice a part of their body to the Inari's shadow self to take on its cursed form, a more powerful beast that would share its abilities with the summoner. They read emotions through their masters and feasted on the negative emotions of their prey. The conversion of fear and sorrow and pain to their own power source made the summoner and the Nogitsune equally formidable.
It was no wonder that Chiharu was always ready to pounce and beckon on the call of her master. Sharing a core space with other curses allowed it to thrive and having a constant source of emotional torment to satisfy its cravings proved convenient.
The Nogitsune enjoyed her morning activity that day with her favorite plaything-a woman, in her early forties ran barefoot, scratched and tattered all over. There were markings on her skin, purple, yellow, slightly green and even erythematous in some areas signifying different stages of healing from whatever gash she had earned in her years in captivity. Her soles had become too calloused and her toes, repeatedly incurring fractures, some still healing from the recent incident running without shoes in the grassy and stony lawn was hardly anything new.
Music blared from a stereo, a song that Suguru had discovered once got his beloved Kitsune friend in trouble. Her aunt had something in common with her twin sister, their love for western 60s music and one song in particular, young Sachiko had put on their radio after spotting her mother's name.
She got a beating after her aunt had declared that she was snooping and stealing her stuff, all because she allowed one chorus to fill their living room. She was five years old then.
Suguru sat on his balcony with a freshly squeezed drink on one hand, while the other rested on his abdomen. From where he sat, he was able to view the whole show. His mouth angled sinisterly at the lady running for her life and he couldn't help but laugh at her wailing. Admittedly at first, he didn't really feel anything for the amusement set before him. His lilac eyes didn't dare to watch how the beast would threaten the woman and harm her in whatever way it wanted but he did direct it not to finish her off. Until one day, he discovered from several witnesses, equally blind and deaf to justice that she had done many horrific things to the woman he loved when she was a child.
Those witnesses who knew but did nothing met an even worse fate as the last person to know their tale was him. Several people went missing around Fuji and her hometown but none of them would be truly missed. The only person left in her horrific narrative was running around in the maze he had built and soon, there would be none.
Himiko and Nanako were no longer disturbed by Chiharu's routine. In fact, they were the ones who crafted the purple velvet collar that hung around its neck. Their master and father figure had told them that this was the same woman who had tormented their treasured Miura-sensei. Despite not going into much detail, he did not skimp on telling them how badly she treated her and thus were supportive of his punishments.
He tried his best to keep away his kids from any part of it but as days went by, he found himself more and more unforgiving and cold towards her oppressors.
Suguru had been reading an Oshimi book, the one very similar to the meaning of the kanji behind Sachiko's name, Happiness. He had read a number of works from the author before particularly because Sachiko had taken an interest on his writing when they were still attending the same school. Like their other favorites, he had taken a habit to procuring books he'd easily finish one after the other in between his exorcisms and use those times to forget about the reality he was facing daily. There were days when he'd just feel numb and unattached to anything and anyone even his mission seemed to not weigh as heavy as it used to.
If he were honest sometimes, he drifted between purpose and reason. It was an unnatural shift from his determination during his first few years in practice but then again, he had to find the niche soon and it would all restart once the demon of the woman in front of his yard would serve her purpose.
Mimiko approached her guardian when she noticed he had been rereading the same book he bought a few days back which always meant that his mind was elsewhere, or he was bored. Her sister approached the speakers and asked if wanted to change the song.
Suguru shut the book and grimaced towards the twins, "Actually yes and I have just the song, please play the third one on the playlist,"
Nanako hit the play button and waited for the music to play and watched as Suguru stood to lean on the balcony and watch Chiharu happily chase the bitch around the maze.
Anyone who ever loved could look at me
And know that I love you
Anyone who ever dreamed could look at me
And know I dream of you
Knowing I love you so
Anyone who ever loved could look at me by Cilia Black played so loudly over the stereo that the maze reverberated as it echoed through. The 1964 hit song was chosen specifically to trigger Sachiko's aunt since it was one of her sister's favorite songs. Sachiko had mentioned to him before how her aunt Kodansha would always hear her mother sing that song whenever she would sit by the rocking chair. She told her that she and her sister often sang it together too when they were younger. He peered over to where the aunt was hiding from Chiharu and noticed how much she trembled as she tried to cover her ears. Initially he thought it would calm her down but the smirk that formed on his face was enough to state that he got an even better response.
There was nothing but dread in her eyes. Her breath was harshening as her tears flowed continuously on the side of her cheeks and yet the music played on.
Anyone who had a heart
Would take me in his arms and love me, too
You couldn't really have a heart and hurt me
Like you hurt me and be so untrue
What am I to do
Every time you go away, I always say
This time it's goodbye, dear
Loving you the way I do
I take you back, without you I'd die dear
Knowing I love you so
He remembered how Sachiko hummed the same tune before and only learned of the title when Ieiri had left her ipod and painstakingly had to download it since her best friend liked it so much. Piecing what Ieiri and Kondasha had told him, he couldn't help but feel pity for her. She was an innocent child who tried make connections with whatever remnants of her family was left available. She was picking up and finding registry of whatever morsel of a residual was left behind. She did all of those alone and even with her efforts, she was scorned for absolutely no good reason. Hearing the words to the song, about how one would describe different forms of love that included not only familial but also the type that made him so incredibly attached to her angered him. How could her mother's twin ever sing of such words when she did not even know how to express it properly?
Love was empty in their space. She was always unsafe, running around in the confines of her own home, looking for an exit only to perish and be forced to hide from the monsters that plagued every waking moment of her life.
And so, he decided to give the same treatment towards her. He snorted.
You'll even literally get a taste of your own medicine.
In the times she was drugged to sleep, it was only so Chiharu could absorb her energy, other than that, she was given the exact same treatment she had Sachiko endure when she was a kid-not even the bare minimum.
Chiharu was about to charge at the lady when Suguru blocked the view from the twins, "Okay girls, give me some time alone to deal with this okay?" he smiled.
The two always got what he meant whenever he sent them away. He never allowed them to see something graphic under his watch even if the girls did take into questionable habits when dealing with their enemies. Still, it was better that way.
The strawberry blonde secretary, Manami, bumped into the twins as they exited the terrace. She was about to endorse the weekly profit to their boss when she was barred from entering.
"Is the boss still inside? With that large mutt?" she scoffed.
Mimiko pouted, "Hey, her name is Chiharu! That fox is our friend!"
She yawned, "Whatever girls, that blind mutt isn't gonna stick around for long anyway," she said waving her clipboard in front of them.
Nanako winced, "What do you mean by that?"
Manami couldn't help but wonder what kind of information Geto was feeding his kids but it was evident that it wasn't enough. She blinked twice and turned her back on them, "You'll find out soon enough. Anyway, go do your homework,"
Suguru had summoned his cloud curse and casually perched on it as he descended towards the area of the maze where Sachiko's aunt was scrapping on the floor. Her clothes were tattered and her thigh bled from the cut of Chiharu's fangs.
Her tears struggled to trail down her face from dehydration and it was hard to make out the figure before her but she already knew her captor well especially his beloved pet.
With whatever energy she had at that moment, she yelled at him, "So, you relish in others' suffering? Who the fuck do you think you are?" she spat.
He never properly introduced himself to Sayo's abusive twin sister. Who he was wasn't as important as what he was going to do. In her head, he was just a crazy monk who was obsessed with Sachiko.
Obsessed.
It was a term he didn't care for. His thoughts and feelings for her were not an obsession. It was actually pure love-and his desire to enact justice in her stead.
Suguru waited as the Simean fox went to his side and dropped her head. With gentle hands, he caressed her fur and even straightened her collar as he smiled and thanked her for her service. Without properly turning to his guest, he spoke, "I told you, I'm just someone who seeks justice and prudence for the ones I love," Chiharu sat on his side as he took a few steps forward, "I'm building a better society," he looked at her with keen eyes, "One where the likes of you monkeys will never exist,"
Her brows and mouth twitched in frustration, teeth ground horridly that he could hear it gliding against each other, "So that song…" she tried to lift her trunk with her hands now, mouth dripping with saliva and blood from the pain and her eyes bore through him with hatred, "This is personal….you came for her!" she pointed her finger towards his direction now and spat, "For Sayo's cursed child!"
Suguru's face soured. He always hated hearing her slander Sachi like that especially in front of him. Sayo's child may have been born a hybrid but she was never a monster.
Not to him, especially.
He crouched down at her level and frowned, lilac eyes piercing through her like the melting frost from a sharp piece of frozen water, "You are her curse,"
"You embody nothing but baseless hatred and discrimination towards your own blood just because you lacked comprehension on the possibilities the world of jujutsu…you look but do not see beyond what you think is of the norm but…" he hovered over her now to stare down at her, "Did you ever think that you and your worthless husband, were the anomalies of the society we live in?" the more he took a step forward, the more she squandered back, shielding herself from the attacks she thought he'd throw on her but never did. The sight of her cowering in her demented form was enough for him. Bloodied hands would have to wait.
"For everything about her that you claimed as monstrous... instead of getting to know Sachiko and love her - as respect to the duty Sayo gave you in her last moments - you instead neglected and abused the child you were supposed to love and protect," he didn't hesitate to change his stance into a kick and it took every fiber in his being to hold back his attack, so instead of bringing himself to inflict anything, it was Chiharu who had read his emotions and stomped on the woman's stomach with his heavy paw. She yelled out in pain but even then, Chiharu nudged her to face Suguru, " And yet, despite the hell you put her through, despite the attempted murder on her life... I've never known such a kind and forgiving, gentle soul as HER!"
He expected the bitch to cry and make a tantrum like the many times they interacted in the past but instead of paying attention to the danger before her, she slowly rose to her feet, limping in the process, her face so crazed that she didn't even mind the dirt and pool of her own saliva streak as she laughed maniacally, "Love?!" she said sarcastically, one bruised arm over her abdomen, the other weak and likely broken at her side, "I was not born to love a monster! My sister was crazy to marry that yokai! And their spawn…she was responsible for her death! You are bewitched by her! Seduced by the cursed creature that she is!"
Suguru laughed menacingly just as the bitch sensed more cursed energy the curse-user was holding back. Behind him, more of his summons were made visible and his Nogitsune only morphed into a more horrific creature. His tone turned grim and the way his lilac eyes turned pitch black made her stumble backwards, "Seduced by her," he didn't raise his voice but the way he delivered it made her pray that her slumber would come soon, "Hm?" he looked at her like she was discarded trash that needed transferring unto the bin. His vein was pulsing on his temple the more he looked at her and he felt utterly disgusted that she had lived so long with her sins getting unpunished, "Such a pathetic attempt to deflect the blame for your sins onto her!" he crossed his arms and cackled as he gave her widened Cheshire smile, " It's quite the opposite, really; I know I stand NO CHANCE against Satoru - who loves Sachi just as much as I do - but I refuse to interfere with her happiness," he sighed now as he placed two fingers over his temple and frowned for a second before returning his grin," Having said that, I agree than I'm NO saint; I'm the farthest thing from one. However..." panic overwhelmed her senses as Suguru crooked his lips into a sinister grin. The gentle face of the man behind the monk's clothing was completely erased and all she saw was a monster. Suguru laughed once more, "I'm not one to FORGIVE anyone who harmed or abused her!"
The lady fell to her knees, a newfound dread eating at her core as Suguru's cursed energy began to envelop her form. She clasped her hands into a prayer and bawled for mercy, "No wait! I'll apologize to her! I'll serve you both! Just-set me free! I can change! I-"
Suguru cut her pathetic speech with a scoff and placed his his sandaled foot on her leg momentarily before Chiharu took his place. The Nogitsune barred its teeth on her, slobber dripping to her cowering face making her raise her hands to shield herself from her impending demise.
Suguru crouched in front of her so she would be forced to hear every word he would utter and that's what he wanted, for her to never forget his warning and engrave it inside of her soul, "I do not wish to give mercy to those who are unworthy of it, "You," his words engraved with steel, "Deserve no more chances but don't worry, you will serve your purpose…"
In the expanse of the beautiful garden maze where camellias bloomed and birds frequented, the music from the sixties despite on maximum volume could no longer mask the howls of a monkey's agony.
November 20, 2016
Sealed Room
Tokyo Jujutsu Tech
Taisho era talismans that circled every square meter of the sealed room slowly peeled off on its own as days with the special grade inhabitant grew longer in exile. Gojo Satoru entered the room early only to be greeted by such a gloomy mood by his new student. He sat on the wooden chair on the middle, heels pressed on the seat, head dangling downwards his chest and a few inches away from him, Satoru spotted a knife whose blade had been forcibly bent.
Satoru felt a surge of pity for the kid. His depressive state seemed to have worsened over the past few days despite his contestant checking-up on him. He initially told the teacher that he felt better in terms of having no one to worry about but leaving him too much time to ponder on the events that transpired over time allowed the guilt to settle in. He couldn't blame him. Yuta Okkotsu lived with the curse without knowing about how they worked or how it truly happened.
Satoru placed one hand behind his back and lifted the weapon, "That was a knife," he said matter-of-factly only to be replied upon by a sullen tone of the kid's desire to end his life.
"But Rika wouldn't let me,"
His eyes, supposedly reminiscent of the deep blue see only clouded with darkness. He found no hope in himself and simply wanted rest-one that would not allow anymore awakening moments for him. His registry was pitch black and so cold that even Satoru felt unsettled just being in the same room that in his discomfort he said the first thing that popped inside of his head, "Yikes, you're kinda gloomy…" his Chi-chan, if she heard how he reacted would surely scold him for such an obtuse response but since there was no one to correct him, he just casually went on to change the topic as he dropped the blade, "Today is your first day at your new school,"
Yuta laced his arms around himself and looked away, "I'm not going," he was stern in his statement. Everything that has happened since Rika had become a parasitic form of his dangerous sort of protection only made him more idle in his desire to reconnect with people.
"But,"
Yuta cut his teacher off, lips quivering at the thought of scaring away his classmates just by his reputation alone. He was already comfortable in his space-the solitude suited him and Rika would be tamed inside the confines of the four walls. It was the best option, he thought, "I don't wanna hurt people anymore," the young sorcerer spoke with moistened eyes. The pain and torment he had to witness because he couldn't control Rika remained vivid in his memories all because he was weak and also scared of what would happen if he intervened, "So I'm not going outside…"
Satoru had wondered why he felt déjà vu since he started visiting the young boy. The indifference he had for remaining disconnected from the world, keeping to himself to avoid harming others and even the damn room with enchantments that were all too much for a teenager to bear. He didn't choose to become someone who was feared. It was all happenstance and its unfair to treat him so badly to the point that he decided that death was a better fate.
His brows pulled together the more the boy's face painted with sadness and the type of frustration with himself that lay evident in his own aura finally seemed familiar to him.
Equipped with power, doomed with loneliness and self-contempt for accidentally causing hurting others. Like the bitter vine of a rose filled with thorns, Yuta's demeanor reminded if someone very important who once lived with talismans hanging over her shadow-disowned, tormented and unwanted all because she was different than the rest and extremely misunderstood.
She used to live behind a mask that would hide her true self but now she walked free and happily and her eyes, once sparking only of rage and contempt now lit with hope.
"You'll be lonely," Satoru shifted into a more serious tone before taking three steps forward making the boy tense up from where he sat.
Yuta's fingers curled unto his shirt making creases the more he reflected upon his teacher's statement and that fear that hindered him from a life of company only made him clench his jaw tight.
He was in despair and Satoru knew that he couldn't allow anyone else to dive deeper into that kind of abyss. Last time he failed to hold on to someone, he knew, he lost him forever.
I can't allow that to happen again.
"The curse attached to you, can help people depending on how it's used," he told Yuta and instantly the creases on his face disappeared.
For a moment Satoru remembered that day when the Six-Tailed Kitsune had willingly presented herself and asked for help. Her words to him were simple,
"Can you help me?"
She said, crimson eyes pleading to him like he was her beacon of hope. In a way, they were quite similar in many ways but different all the more and yet instantly they had formed a mutual trust for each other which only, evidently bloomed as they years had gone by.
Initially, Satoru thought of their alliance as a welcome surprise and opportunity. She was a person of power who very well could help him develop as a sorcerer who would be known in the ranks. He was right. She was a vital key to the person he had become now.
Sachiko asked for my help. She wanted to be saved and I want the same for him. I need him to try.
Sachiko saved me in the process too. I have to try.
He took a deep breath and grinned towards the young boy, "Learn to harness your power. Then, you can decide throwing it all away is worth it,"
Yuta was surprised that he was still being given a choice. He thought that his refusal would automatically lead to his execution and yet, this adult, this uncanny and incomprehensible man had the kindness in him to give him another shot at redemption.
It was extremely rare for people to give Yuta any sort of reprieve. Doubt has been others' immediate shield against his actions but this time, it was different, someone actually believed in him and was willing to stand by his side to help him use his jinx for the greater good.
Hesitantly and slowly, the raven-haired boy stood from his seat and clenched his fist. His dark brows weaved together that matched his determined look, "I will try," he said.
Chi has to meet him. She will be a good match for a mentor.
Satoru gave him a half smile, "That settles it then!" he turned his back on the kid and left the door open, "I'll give you 15 minutes to prepare and then we're off to meet your classmates after that, you'll have a bit of an exercise," he snapped his fingers, "If you pass, I'll give you a mentor, the best one we have for your case,"
"Classmates?" he scrambled to put on his shoes as Satoru began to walk away, "Mentor? I thought you'd be my mentor Gojo-san,"
Satoru's grin widened as he looked over his shoulder, "Me? I'm not that exceptional to be your one on one mentor but I will be your teacher nonetheless,"
"Is that mentor scarier that you?" he asked innocently making the older cackle.
"She's only scary when you don't listen to her but other than that, she's the kindest person I know,"
"My mentor will be a girl?"
Satoru clicked his tongue and wiggled his finger in protest, "A lady," he corrected, "She's the best among us and trust me I'd know,"
Yuta blinked, "I thought you were the best sorcerer…"
"I am but," he shrugged and softened his features as he thought about his lover in the proudest light of truth, "She's not just any special grade,"
December 12th, 2016
Kichijoji Secret Apartment
After spending days apart, the couple finally woke up in their own beds. Their first morning was rather eventful than expected. It started with them barely getting enough sleep from their festive evening that started with a special dinner prepared by Satoru's lady. It went on from having casual conversations and quickly escalated into a night of relaxation in bathtub (his idea).
Since opening the realm to more intimate practices, Satoru found himself leaning to his more adventurous side but also dwelling on the middle ground to ensure that Sachiko was comfortable with his suggestions.
It started as an innocent way to relax but just a few minutes of them soaking in the floral scented tub filled with bathsalts, their kisses turned more and more demanding.
That night ultimately ended in a few rounds of satisfaction which found an extension upon waking.
"Mm…" Sachiko was still softly writhing under his hold, "Satoru…" his gliding against her had toned down in pace, but the euphoria from each stroke didn't seem to clue in any attempts to die down soon. They were still locked in each other's embrace, tangled warmly, sweaty and concentrated under their sheets, lips struggling to connect to create fluid movements against each kiss and breath shared and only their hips maintaining a pleasurable rhythm that made them create very distinguished sounds.
"Chi…" he made a rather harsh groan that accompanied his thrust making Sachiko lull back as he shifted his position to obtain deeper access. Before he reentered, he made sure that their breathing had matched, using the rise and fall of her chest creating friction against him, the softness her mounds and tautness of her peaks making his chest tingle each time he pressed against her lightly. His fingers trailed softly on the sides of her face, mouth christening lightly on in between her eyes and down her nose until he found the perfect mold of her soft, sweet lips to rest in. He moved his mouth slowly, relishing in her sweet taste, making her smile into the kiss, slowly opening her eyes to place attention on the gentle blue ones boring into her lovingly, "Chi?"
"Yes? I'm here Toru," she said weightlessly, transferring her hands from his well-formed shoulder blades to his nape, fingers massaging up and down, twiddling in between his undercut, relaxing him more and inviting him to continue his intimate advances.
"Haaaaaahh…." she mewled lowly as he grabbed on her waist to steady as he slid swiftly back inside of her, the feel of her snug and warm around him granting her a groan in response he tried to hold back with a grin.
He breathed through his teeth, "Chi, damn, this feels so good…"
Satoru moved with more calculation basing everything on the way she responded. He had been memorizing the way she would blush and curve her body around him with specific movements that would be enough to make him go on the verge of insanity. Her breath hitched the more he ground against her and when they both found a certain angle that made the pool of butterflies erratically flap on their lower abdomen, Sachiko hooked her legs behind his back as he made his hands cup her bottom to steady her as he pushed in and out in a crescendo.
"UGH!" Satoru moaned, "Chi, this-feels so amazing to me…so nice, is this, okay?" his sweat was dropping against her body the more they swayed against each other, and it became incredibly difficult to concentrate when she began mimicking the rolling of his groin against her entrance.
"Ah-Ahhhhh-yes, there-Toru-!" her eyes were moistening rapidly, too lost in the sensation making her feel cloaked in his love and admiration spiraling fast as her blood coursed through her entirety and she was fighting so hard to concentrate on his face. In the blur, she saw how contorted he looked in between his harsh breathing, he was already enabling his physicality to take course over his mind, biting his lip as his body felt an amazing surge of pleasure that he had to pull her closer and tighter to make sure that she could feel all of him inside her to repay her for the sensations she allowed, but still remain tempered and cautious so she wouldn't be too overwhelmed but it felt so incredibly good that she didn't dare will him to stop.
"Sachiko-!" he pushed deeply against her making her gasp and scream his name and he had it in his instinct to hug her tight before he released and disconnected to drop his weight on her side but not until she clung unto him tight and unraveled against him with one last yelp and they crashed on the covers.
"Haah-haaah—" Satoru couldn't stop widening his smile even as he recovered from his high. He used his elbows to crawl next to his beautiful lover, coyly hugging herself with one arm, while the other covered her eyes as she caught her breath. Her adorable pleas were only slightly muted when Satoru covered his arms around her and settled her head on his chest to sooth her trembling body.
Sachiko's ruby eyes were partially visible as she peeked at his face making her smile and nuzzle her reddened face on the crook of his neck, "Mm…." she hummed, as Satoru brushed his mouth on her temple and fixed the comforter around their bodies to keep warm.
"Thank you, Chi," he chimed, making the Kitsune giggle at his words.
"How sweet, even if its something we both wanted to do, silly," she looped her arms around his bare body making the world's strongest sorcerer grin,
"I know but, still, love you for this, among other things,"
"Mm-hmm…" she propped her chin upwards and sighed, "So," she reached to run her finger over his brows, "Is there something on your mind?"
Satoru cleared his throat, "Can you read minds too?" he jested.
"Dummy, you barely ate your dessert last night, of course I suspected something," she pinched his ab making him wince.
Satoru drew her close and pursed his lips, "Yeah but I got a better one this morning," his eyes locked on his partner seductively, "It was sooooo delicious and sweet,"
She scoffed, "Uh-huh…so, what is it?"
He cursed as he ground his teeth, "Well, you see, there's this kid-" her brows began to curve together, "You see, you're already losing the mood and I've barely said the whole context!"
"Get on with it, Toru," Sachiko patiently listened in to her concern of the higher-ups about the young boy and an alleged special grade cursed spirit's activities. He had stated that he had volunteered to look after the kid but after prodding they wanted to entrust her as executioner should he become a rogue.
"A rogue for a rogue huh?" she said dejected making Satoru tuck strands of her raven and silver hair behind her ear to lighten her mood, "Seems a little reckless, but alright,"
"The kid doesn't seem to be crazy. He's quite sad actually,"
She motioned for them to sit upright as she tucked the sheets over her body to which Satoru was quick to assist. He looped one arm over her shoulder and drew her close to rest on his chest as they continued to converse. Satoru knew Yuta's story was too similar to hers so in the best way possible, he narrated his background and current predicament. He didn't want to trigger anything from her past that she needed to be made aware of what the higher-ups needed from her.
She took a deep breath, "Are you really telling me about this just now?" she didn't sound angry, but concerned about how someone like the kid had such misfortune thrown his way and he was their preferred executioner. It was evident that they wanted to match her ability to survive an attack and those fools wouldn't have batted an eye if she were gravely injured or perished, that would just mean one less problem for them. She already assumed that Satoru had it in control despite the higher-ups hesitating to contact her, but she couldn't help but tuck one arm over the over and look at him with reservation, "Hm?"
Satoru scratched the back of his head and made some small distance between them as his cheeks began to rouge up, "I wasn't about to ruin the mood last night…" he laughed sheepishly making Sachiko pout and pinch his cheeks, "Hey Chi! You can't blame me for that. We missed our birthday traditions, and we haven't seen each other in what, a month?" he sighed in exasperation then proceeded to smother her with kisses on her face, "We didn't get any sexy time since then and I missed you so much!"
She couldn't help but giggle at his overt sweetness, "You're so clingy, but," she roped her arms around his torso and nuzzled in, "I love that about you, so, you're forgiven,"
Satoru kissed her temple and remembered that he still haven't gotten to his whole list of activities for their missed birthday that he couldn't help but sneer but the fact that last night's festivities had proof of how much she longed to be with him too made him etch a smug expression, "Chi," his tone turned playful as he ran his thumb on her bare skin over her shoulder, "I know for a fact that you were also looking forward to it. You missed me so much you went on top-" he was unable to finish his tease as Sachiko had scrambled to cover herself with the sheets. Her face reddened profusely at the recollection of her brave advances to her lover from the night before. Satoru remembered how she shyly whispered her request.
I want to try…for you?
She said and how could he refuse her? His assistance, to his surprise was hardly needed and the sight of her and feel of her above him was-
Sachiko pulled on his warm ear to stop him from his daydreaming making him pout, "Aww Chi, it was getting good!"
Sachiko narrowed her eyes at him and pushed him off the bed but before he could get away, he had used his size and his speed to playfully pin her down the bed and snuggle her close by winding his arms and ears on her smaller form.
She hid her smile as best as she could and furrowed her brows, but Satoru kept on trailing his nose and his mouth on her bare skin, from her neck to her mouth then back at her chest, "It's still early…" he hummed.
Sachiko felt her pulse quicken as his behavior didn't need words to pair with to make her understand what he was asking even if they had just finished their orchestrations half and hour ago. But it wasn't that much of a surprise, they had been forced apart too often lately and moments alone were hardly without any talk without work. She figured that sometimes, being selfish about her own happiness and Satoru's well-being was vital to her mental and physical health.
Again, she had to remind herself that they faced danger daily, what was a few hours of staying safe in bed, with the world's strongest by her side?
She lifted her head to give him a solid kiss on the lips and smirked, "You're lucky I missed you so much, dumb giant,"
Ieiri's Call room
Tokyo Jujutsu Tech
The couple had arrived before noon for a short meeting with their reverser friend. She had called them last night and told them that she had something she wanted to discuss. It had been a topic she prolonged for too long-Suguru's involvement with the break-ins in the infirmary as well as their secret rendezvous at the bar not to mention the secret packages she kept and never gave to Sachiko and Satoru that contained very random items that she thought would cloud their judgment when it came to dealing with him in terms of their laws.
But who was she to judge?
She had been allowing him to prance around their territory freely herself, but with the way things were progressing, it was only a matter of time that heir hesitance would lead to catastrophic consequences.
She readied her speech, even went as far as listing down the details just so she wouldn't miss anything important. Even her delivery she practiced repeatedly just so they both wouldn't go on a rampage when they detained him.
Sitting behind her desk, the young doctor kept herself poised and collected, her brown hair dangling over her shoulders, painted face solemn, "Any minute now," she sighed, already heartbroken that she'd have to remind that their job as special grades would soon create a conflict between their quartet of friends.
The door slid open and in came the couple in their Jujutsu tech teacher uniforms, the purple jacket and vortex buttons fastened snugly around their forms, except one idiot chose to cover his eyes with bandages and his significant other allowed him to look incredibly ridiculous in the process.
"I-EI-RI!" Satoru sung making the veins on his friend's forehead engorge even before she could open her eyes and welcome her guests, but one snide look and he already felt like insects were crawling under her skin.
The way they greeted her, with very satisfied and cheerful looks, their skin, flushed and bouncy, eyes glassy with enthusiasm made her curl her lip in disgust.
What. The. Fuck.
She slammed her hands on the table and allowed her mouth to hang wide open, painted lips twitching as her snarl could no longer hold, contempt that glinted in her brown eyes. She knew about their status of relationship well and gods forbid, she fought for their right to love but she just hated that she had to be too familiar with them and their habits that were bordering on their TMI.
She glanced upon her watched and noted how they were at least an hour and half late, "What the hell? You two did it again didn't you?" she pointed towards them suspiciously yet not in inquiry. The answer was quite clear.
Too flustered by her statement, Sachiko quickly shut the door, "Hmm?" her eyes widened in horror.
Satoru lazily took his seat and whistled to ignore her statement in reply.
Ieiri went from one friend to another and placed one hand over her waist and began tapping her foot, "You both have that after-sex glow," she spat, "Shit, you did it before you went here didn't you?" she snarled and grabbed her disinfectant, spraying herself with it before pinching her nose and drawing a halo over her two good friends who were burning up from her insinuation.
Even if she was right on the money, Sachiko felt the surge of panic fill her entire body that she couldn't even bare to meet both of their eyes. She fiddled with fingers as they rested in front of her lap and slowly went to take her seat beside Satoru. Ieiri winced upon noticing how unsteadily she walked in the fifth step and had to slowly lower herself as she sat and god knows what the hell those two had been up to that led to her incapable of sitting down like a normal person that she felt the impending vomitus clump her throat.
Satoru didn't seem bothered by her comments, but it only took a few awkward minutes of silence for the Six-tailed Kitsune to begin her damage control, "Ieiri!"
Ieiri lifted her mask tucked under her chin and shrugged, "Ugh, never mind," she went around them and slumped on her chair, "I'll pretend you didn't just do the nasty a few hours ago so we can talk properly…" she shuddered upon glancing upon them one more time before slumping at her own desk, keeping her expression steely as she lay vexed, "Sheesh, I shouldn't have encouraged you two too much," she kicked the chair nearest hers, the one where the guy with the blindfold sat, "Hey you! Don't go jumping on her every chance you get! You're not rabbits!" the way Satoru's lips pursed in gratification only made her even more irritated that she couldn't help but groan, "And drop that smug expression! You have that it was the best night of my life look on your face and it's disturbing as hell!"
A troublesome scarlet aura emanated from the other side of the room. Sachiko was critically embarrassed and couldn't think of any word to speak to calm her friend down.
Satoru merely grinned and waved his hands to dismiss Ieiri, "Yeah yeah…you really should be more concerned about your friend," he tilted his head sidewards then proceeded to pull Sachiko's chair near him. He placed one hand over her crown and began patting affectionately, "My Chi-chan is close to fainting right now!" he pouted.
Ieiri darted sharply across Sachiko, not sparing her of her irritation despite their status as bestfriends, "You already had your turn of fainting earlier, no complaining, you two are sometimes-" she grumbled as she cracked her knuckles and clicked her tongue, "No funny stuff inside my office!"
Sachiko finally broke from her trance and nervously perked up and raised her hands, "IEIRI! OKAY, please let's just get to business,"
She rolled her brown eyes at them, "Finnneee…anyway, so about Suguru,"
They both immediately tensed at the mention of his name and Ieiri knew that their discussion would take the whole morning and at night, a whole lot of booze for her.
Satoru frowned, "He's been lurking again huh?"
Sachiko winced at looked at Ieiri who had evasive eyes. Satoru didn't seem to be interested in elaborating what he meant by again. She was already suspicious about their vague conversations that usually started with a look that only two of 'em understood it's real meaning. Even the kids they took care of were having secret conversations with her beau and soon enough her patient would run out.
She couldn't blame him though, after he fetched her at the café, he seemed to have made it his mission not to bring up Suguru as much as he could.
Still, she couldn't help but feel guilty about it.
In fact the higher-ups didn't waste any moment to remind her about how she failed with her oath to keep the kill-order intact.
Her fingers curled against her palm and her heart rate slowed as she recalled that day Suguru ran from her-from all of them-again.
And Satoru knew how she felt. The dichotomy of wanting to save him and wanting to stop him.
If only it were easy.
We can only save those who want to be saved.
END OF PART 1
Art can be viewed on my Ao3.
SaShiSu + Sachi Banner Art by: anjiliarts on twt
SachiGuru sketch by saya_wip
Please send them some love, okay?
Author's Note: Hello, is anybody there? ACK, sorry I know it's really just about to get started and I had to cut it off LMAO. Hope you guys enjoyed the update! I'm not sure when I'll be able to finish the next one but I will tell you that it's gonna introduce the Vol. 0 arc more. Plus, a little spoiler, a vital part of it will be the events surrounding Yahiko and Utahime's participation in how they tried to conquer Suguru's Tamamo no Mae. I'm so excited for that one, I couldn't hold it in hahaha.
Gentle reminder to always mind the tags and warnings, okay?
Also, regarding Suguru's parents' deaths, I've decided to go the route where he just took the blame and didn't kill them with his own hands. I couldn't do it. Suguru is too precious me.
But also yeah, we get to see more of his unhinged side from now on. So, I do apologize.
3rd of November- Ieiri's birthday
7th of December-GojoChiko's birthday
Omnyodo- practice of Omnyoji's and their exorcisms.
The idea of Suguru singing to the twins when they were younger was inspired by Takahiro Sakurai's When you wish upon a star cover which I saw on twitter. It's on youtube! AHHHH! He's Suguru Getou's VA and I am in love with his voice/
Anyone who ever loved could look at me by Cilia Black-song was suggested by VampireSiren, we love the movie Last Night in Soho so yeah.
The book that Suguru was reading was Shuzo Oshimi's Happiness, also recommended by VS, so you see, we're besties now.
AND UH YEAH, I HAD TO INCLUDE SOME 'COUPLE TIME' SINCE UH THINGS WERE GETTING DARK. They deserve some happiness mwehehehe.
Anyway, wish me luck with my new job, I hope I survive it. I hope I get some time to write in between.
Stay safe everyone!
