"-sensei? G-Gojo-sensei?"
The hand waving in front of his face caused Satoru to snap out of his daze. He turned his head to take in his surroundings. The car was parked on top of a short hill that overlooked the city. Blush-pink cherry blossom trees in full bloom towered around them, their petals scattering across the grass.
Qian retracted her hand and tucked it demurely behind her. "Y-You should come out of the car and look at this." She instructed, a small smile gracing her features.
Satoru ran a hand over his face in exhaustion. "No thanks. I should get back-"
"P-Please?" He snapped his head to face her expectant gaze. "I-I promise you won't regret it."
She took a few steps back as he sighed, carefully stepping out of the vehicle. "Where are we?"
Her lips stretched into a wry grin. "M-My secret place."
She shuffled backwards as he followed her to the edge of the hill. A soothing breeze ruffled his uniform and he raised an arm to shield himself from the onslaught of soft petals. Once the wind died down, he lowered his hand and his eyes widened in awe.
The hill was by no means tall at all, however, despite its height, there was a magnificent view that overlooked the majority of the city. Around them were the majestic Tokyo mountains, completely overshadowing their small forms, scattered with colors of red, pink, yellow, and green.
Satoru was speechless and Qian quietly regarded him with curiosity, pleased with his baffled expression. She took a deep breath. "W-When I have a lot on my mind, I come here to think."
He coughed uncomfortably and scoffed, tearing his eyes away from the lovely view. "I don't know what you mean-"
"I-It's okay to show weakness once in a while, you know." He glanced at her in surprise but she remained fixated on the view.
"I-I won't pretend to know what you have gone through, I'm not that narcissistic." She smiled to herself, looking down at her feet once more. "B-But I hope that this helps you a bit, in a similar way it helped me."
He stared at her incredulously. "You're…not going to ask me…?"
She shook her head, lacing her fingers behind her back. "I-It's none of my business."
A silence fell over the two of them as the soft breeze returned, caressing both of their bodies. Satoru couldn't help but continue to scrutinize her with raised brows. Usually, most people would poke and pry into one's private life; women around him especially were particularly nosy. But this girl…
He smirked, placing a hand in his pocket as the other brushed back his hair that fell over his masked eyes.
"You really are full of surprises…" He admitted. She turned to him questionably and was shocked to see him remove his eye mask. However, he turned his gaze back up at the sky, which had become dark purple as the pink and orange hues began to fade.
She soon could no longer see his face, but with the last ray of sunlight, she saw him turn his gaze towards her. "...every single time."
She blushed radiantly, glad that the darkness had befallen them, as she released a soft smile.
—-
"So…hungry…" Yuji bemoaned, planting his face deep in Megumi's bedsheets.
The latter playfully nudged his friend's forehead with his knuckles. "You should've gone to get it yourself then, instead of having an injured person go get it on your behalf."
"But she volunteered! And she moves so fast…" Nobara protested, her voice muffled as she, herself, was also lying face-first on the young teen's bed. Both of them began to roll around aggressively and Megumi sighed, leaning back on his headboard.
There was a quiet knock on the door and Megumi turned his head towards the sound. "Come in."
The door slid open softly, and Qian popped her head in. "I-I have the pizza, sorry it took so long!"
The other two leapt off of Megumi's bed and rushed towards the poor girl, shaking her shoulders rigorously.
"WHERE WERE YOU!?" Yuji cried, pitiful tears streaming down his face. "We were about to starve to death!"
"Darkness…almost enveloped us…" Nobara sniffled, rubbing her eyes dramatically.
"S-Sorry!" Qian gasped, feeling a twinge of guilt hit her heart. "I-I thought I texted you guys saying I was going to be a bit late…"
"Ignore them. They're just being dramatic." Megumi drawled, gesturing to her to come beside him. Qian chuckled quietly to herself, before she walked over.
"H-How are you feeling?" She asked, placing the boxes gently on his lap.
As the two dove on top of his covers, hungrily tearing open the boxes, Megumi simply sighed and leaned back against his headboard to avoid the destruction. "Good, Ieiri-sensei patched up my legs easily. She said I just need to rest for a couple days then I'll be back up in no time."
Qian pulled up a chair and slowly sat down, wincing slightly. "T-That's good!"
Megumi noticed her pained expression. "How about you? I'm honestly surprised you're moving at all."
Qian shook her head, raising her fists to show some attempt at vigor. "I-I'm fine! Ieiri-sensei really is amazing- I still feel a bit sore but I'm okay overall."
"That's good." Megumi opened the box and pulled out a slice, taking a bite.
"So where did you go anyway? Isn't the closest Pizza Hut just 15 minutes away?" Yuji mumbled through his full cheeks.
"O-Oh right, sorry I had to take a bit of a detour!" She replied, her cheeks dusting pink.
The gesture did not go unnoticed by the other student, who grinned mischievously. "Oh? A detour with Gojo-sensei?" Nobara jested, resting her chin in her hands as she wiggled her eyebrows at the girl.
The redness darkened across Qian's face as she waved her hands frantically in front of her. "N-N-No it's not what you think! I just wanted to show him something so it took a bit…"
"Ooooooh what 'something' did you show him?!" Nobara prodded, her cheshire cat-like grin widening.
"I-I-It's not like that!" Qian cried, hiding her face in hands in mortification.
Nobara chuckled and took another bite of pizza. "Sorry, sorry I'm kidding! Your reactions are just so funny!"
Yuji rolled his eyes. "Give her a break, Kugisaki. She's been through enough."
Megumi nodded. "Yeah, it's not like she actually likes him."
However, they were met with silence. One second passed, then another… All three pairs of eyes bulged out of their sockets as they slowly turned their heads to face the blushing girl, who still had her face in her hands.
"EHHHHH?!" Yuji screamed, flinging his pizza high in the air in shock.
"Itadori, shut up!" Megumi hissed, grabbing another slice and shoving it deep in his friend's open mouth.
"You're kidding me- really?" Nobara gasped, placing her slice down gingerly. "Why in the world would-"
"I-I-I don't know!" Qian cried in frustration. "I-I don't dislike him, but going as far as l-liking… I don't know- but…he's so perplexing."
Megumi quirked a brow as he continued stuffing the food into the poor boy, who was frantically throwing his arms around in protest. "Perplexing?"
Qian nodded slowly. "H-He's so mean sometimes, but he cares for you all deeply. He's so strong, but then there are times when he seems to be struggling inside. I just…I don't understand him, but…I… I want to…" She sighed as she brushed her palms over her face, cupping them behind her neck. "I-I've never felt like this before."
Nobara chewed thoughtfully as the other two boys awkwardly munched on their own slices. Yuji was the first to swallow, a curious grin spreading across his face. "So, you've never had a crush before?"
"A-A crush?" Qian regarded the boy before placing a finger on her chin. "I-I think I have…"
She thought back to her earlier high school years. There were several boys in her class who caught her eye, but they were always the popular ones who were definitely out of her league. The sorcerer was far handsomer than the others, not to mention older- that's for sure. Yet, despite the familiar fluttering feeling she had in her stomach, she felt something stronger within her whenever she was around the man.
At first, it was gratitude. He was the one who saved her and changed her for the better, after all. And she felt hurt and scared, but yet understanding, when he bluntly told her his perception of her. Then, as she got to know him, she felt this weird boiling sensation in her veins when he spoke down to her, especially when he threw accusations at her. She felt a fire ignite in her core- yes, she wanted to prove him wrong; yes, she wanted to prove herself to him. But then there were instances where she saw a gentleness… kindness about him, and her heart would tug as she yearned to be the recipient…
God, am I a masochist?! She groaned internally, returning her face back into her palms.
Nobara regarded the girl's expression, a knowing smile forming on her lips. "Ohhh, it doesn't look like this is just a crush."
Yuji finally managed to pry his friend off of him, swallowing the pizza stuffed in his mouth in one hard gulp. He let out an obnoxious belch, shoulders sagging in relief as his airways were no longer obstructed. "W…What do you mean, Kugisaki?"
"Nothing, nothing." She popped the last bit of crust into her mouth and stood up. "Anyways, let's let Fushiguro rest- lord knows he needs it after this weird conversation."
The boy nodded as he silently continued eating his slice. Qian ducked her head apologetically. "S-Sorry…"
He shook his head. "Don't be. It's actually an interesting topic but I'm just not good with this sort of stuff. Sorry I'm not very helpful."
"N-No, no not at all! It's not you! Honestly, I'm just being stupid." She sighed, interlacing her fingers together. "I-I hate that I'm like this."
Suddenly, she felt a finger flick her forehead and she winced in pain. Caressing the wound, she snapped her head up in shock to see Yuji standing before her.
"There's nothing wrong with having feelings." He crossed his arms, giving her a smile. "You're only human, you shouldn't hate yourself for it."
"B-But, they're burdensome and just causing unnecessary problems." Qian sighed. "F-For example, I should've just come back here first since you guys were starving, I was being selfish."
Nobara flipped her hair, rolling her eyes. "Oh relax. You're being dramatic, we were honestly fine and we could've picked it up ourselves if we wanted to."
Yuji nodded enthusiastically. "Yeah, we waited because we wanted to hang out with you!"
"R-Really?" They all met her hesitant gaze with steadfast smiles. Qian tearfully rubbed her eyes. "Thank you guys!"
There was a soft knock on the door and the panel slid open as Shoko stepped in, a hand resting in her pocket. "Oh, there you are! Qian, I've been looking all over for you. We need to get you fully fixed up before you go home, or else there will be a lot of…" Shoko hesitated. "...unnecessary questions being asked that you don't want to answer."
"O-Oh right, okay coming!" She wobbled to her feet and dipped her head in farewell. "Thank you guys, see you soon!"
The others waved as the two disappeared down the hall. Megumi sighed and his teammates regarded him quizzically.
"What's wrong?" Yuji asked, sneaking another slice.
"Nothing it's just…" Megumi rubbed his neck awkwardly. "I'm no expert in these sorts of things by any means but- there's no way this is going to end well."
Nobara crossed her arms. "I mean it's not like she's going to confess or anything, didn't you see how mortified she was?"
"Yeah but- what if Gojo-sensei finds out?" Megumi argued, leaning back in his pillows. "He's definitely not one to be… well, gentle with these sorts of things…"
She rolled her eyes. "As if. All he thinks about is fighting. He's completely oblivious to this sort of thing."
—-
Damn. I think she's falling in love with me.
Satoru had a fake smile stretched on his lips as the redhead before him continued chatting away. They were seated in a small Italian restaurant and he had already finished his meal. He quietly sipped his water.
"So? How about you, do you want to have kids in the future?" She leaned forward on the table eagerly, intentionally revealing her ample cleavage.
Satoru kept his gaze on her face. "Nope."
"Oh that's too bad…I want to have as many kids as I can." She continued, completely missing his curt response.
"Look, Kira." He interjected, unable to continue his façade any longer. "I think we should probably stop seeing each other."
The woman paused, her eyes widening with tears. "Why…?"
"I already told you before, I don't do serious." He reached into his pocket and pulled out his wallet. "Being with you was fun, but that's all there is to it."
He placed a few bills on the counter. "Thanks for everything and, best of luck with you."
"W-Wha- but-!" She immediately covered her face in her hands, succumbing to sobs as he grabbed his suit jacket and headed out the door, ignoring the concerned looks from the waiting staff around him.
Once he turned the corner, away from the public eye, he shot up towards the sky. The warm spring breeze ruffled his hair as he stared up at the stars, taking a deep breath. This wasn't the first time something like this happened. Sometimes, his companions would develop feelings for him despite his clear warnings. He felt bad, but he just doesn't care to become attached to anyone.
Rather, he can't afford it. He sighed as he thought back to his past. Any attachments just resulted in pain and suffering.
Losing his best friend was one thing…losing someone he truly loved... He shook his head, not wanting to imagine it.
With another breath, he floated down into campus, landing on the training grounds before heading to his room. He needed a scoop of ice cream…maybe a whole pint. Good thing he kept a bunch in his freezer.
*Author's note: Sorry this was a lengthy chapter! Let me know your thoughts: is this too long? Or a good length? Or do you want even longer? Thanks!