Chapter 15: Six of Swords

After entering Limbo, Satoru Gojo fought off the group of special-grade curses that sought to ingest the Blue Lotus. Nanami Kento gained possession of the fairy jar and journeyed further inside Limbo toward the house of the Keeper of the Forest.

Once in the Sacred Grounds, Nanami Kento was ambushed by the fairy's familiar, Rubi. Already weakened, Nanami Kento could not stop the familiar from releasing the fairy and allowing her to ingest the Blue Lotus.

With a renewed source of power, the fairy escaped to an unknown location.

Satoru Gojo and Nanami Kento were able to retrieve an intact fairy jar.

[15]

Life moved on without them.

It always did.

That's how they knew they had done their job.

November arrived as a light whisper. Even the morning drizzle seemed suspended in the air, afraid to fall and disturb anyone. It felt weird not to join the crowded morning rush, but Nanami wasn't a salaryman anymore. That morning he actually had his first meeting with faculty members after submitting a report as a guest sorcerer just a few days prior. They welcomed him back and added a level to his rank in honor of his hard-fought battle in Limbo.

Nanami Kento, level two sorcerer.

Gojo had some choice words for the group. They obviously held his rank back as retaliation for their suspicion that the report wasn't an accurate depiction of what truly happened in Limbo. But Nanami didn't care. They wanted him in hopes he could attract Rainy back to them. And he wanted to rejoin the institution to ensure that never happened. They hated him, and he hated them. Rank be dammed. They were all out to fulfill their personal agenda.

Nanami felt the wooden bench creak as his companion added more weight carelessly. He extended his hand and gave a quiet thanks as his fingers wrapped around the hot drink.

"How is work?"

Gojo opened the lid and blew directly into the liquid. "Oh, they're not listening anymore. But if you really want to-"

"I don't."

Nanami placed the cup on his thigh and played with the opening on the lid. He didn't care to drink anything, but fidgeting gave his nerves an outlet.

"Fine." Gojo didn't want to push his luck. At least Nanami had agreed to their breakfast date with minimal prodding. "But anyway, her plane left safely. Destination unknown." He began unwrapping his sweets. "As long as you're both wearing your amulets, the school will think she's somewhere in Japan, so that should keep them busy for a while."

This was the best-case scenario. The younger sorcerer felt lucky to be living it. "Thank you again for being so generous with these items."

"Oh no, no, thank you!" His companion laughed. "You know, for the first time, I was genuinely supporting these people? Their reasoning seemed decent, and we were helping the world." He shrugged. "It didn't feel right, but it also didn't feel wrong, which is as good as it gets with these morally bankrupt assholes."

Gojo wasn't wrong. That was a strange thought to nurture. "What made you change your mind?"

"Well, you," he laughed. "I just gave you the information and followed your lead."

"Me?"

"I think we both understood their main reasoning for using her to strengthen Tengen, and the barrier was just the surface bullshit to get the job done. But they were absolutely going to use her to power up whoever they pleased."

"Right…"

"And that's sort of fine because, in the grand scheme of things, I would have had to break a sweat to get them all in line, but at least the barrier would be good, and we could even expand it. But then I got to see firsthand the trust you had in her, and she had in you, and I figured I'd let you make the decision. Was she better off helping the world against her will, or could she help as our willing ally?"

Nanami drummed his fingers on the side of his tea. "Well, unfortunately, she left, so that didn't play out in our favor."

"The fact they don't have the power at their disposal is good enough, to be honest. Besides, fairies don't forget favors. She'll pay us back, here or in the Ether." He pushed his glasses up. "This was still the best outcome."

Nanami nodded slowly. He hoped so too.

An alert came through his phone from his lawyer. He stood up and informed Gojo of his departure.

"When do you start school?"

"I'm taking some time to take care of personal things, so next week."

"Oh, goodie! Do you want to compare schedules and see if we can find some missions to do together?"

"Gods no…" Nanami breathed out, tucking his free hand into his cardigan. "I'll see you later."

"Really?"

He left without answering. Serious Gojo he could handle. Regular Gojo, not so much.

Rainy left him all of her Japanese investments, including her properties. She wanted to ensure he didn't have to stress about money and could focus on things he didn't hate. Those things would help his soul grow and, ultimately, allow him to live long enough to see her again. Hopefully.

He didn't think about her much.

With a job where death shadowed him, he would surely come back as a special grade curse if he died with her in mind. Regret was a powerful conduit. The sorcerer didn't want to trap his soul and keep him from seeing her on Earth or in the Ether.

If he lived quietly and low-key, he would see her again… And then their meeting would be a surprise… But being in the Ether or on Earth, Nanami knew his soul would rejoice.

[15]

Rainy landed on a humid and hot island. She followed the guide across the runway, but they didn't jump into another plane this time. This was her new home.

She read the country's name, but her mind didn't care to remember. People were friendly, and the food was delicious. At night she could see the stars clearly from her home and hear the crashing of the waves outside her balcony.

Weeks went by, and she did nothing. Her soul needed rest.

Sometime during the Christmas holiday, she found herself outside for longer than an hour. The country celebrated the holiday with large dinners and family gatherings. Her housekeeper's family welcomed her without a second thought. They traveled to different provinces and distracted her with card games and wild stories.

Spring and summer felt like one long season. Refresh and renew, all in one breath. She spent more time outside—the beach, rivers, lakes, jumping through puddles when the rain blessed the Earth.

"The gates will open soon." But she wouldn't have known based on the trees around her. Their leaves didn't change. They remained verdant and lush. "I want to go back to Japan."

Rubi stopped. "Are you out of your mind? You almost died last year!"

While today they walked towards the Sacred Ground with little to no disturbances. "I'm just acknowledging the fact that I miss him. That's it."

Rubi shuddered. "As grateful as I am for their protection, we must honor their work by staying far away from that place."

Rainy understood.

While in the safety of Limbo, Nanami had but a moment to explain the school's trickery. Even without knowing, she had chosen to trust him, and her faith had been rewarded tenfold.

She had completed her most arduous quest while now being certain that she was safe to move around. He joined the school to make sure he could disrupt any plan they had for her.

Rainy felt more than just gratitude for the young man. She felt a longing in her soul.

"Don't worry; we're moving forward."

Still, she had no intention of throwing away all the work he put into protecting her.

"Good."

One day they would meet. Be it in the Ether or on Earth, and her soul would rejoice.

Author's Note: Thank you for reading!