Zeng Tomioka stood before them looking completely disheveled; the sleeves of his dress shirt were rolled up to his elbows, his collar unbuttoned. The bowtie and jacket of his tuxedo were discarded on the lab bench behind him in a rough pile. He chuckled nervously as Qian regarded him in shock. "N-Nii-san, what are you doing here?"

"Oh Qian! And you're… Gojo- right?" He asked innocently, tucking something in his pocket. "Why aren't you at the party?"

"Answer her question." Satoru replied with a suspicious scowl.

"Ah I'm…well…" Zeng smiled, his eyes flickering between the two of them as he rubbed the back of his neck sheepishly. He then ducked his head down, his bangs hiding his eyes, before taking a deep breath. "Well, shit. I hoped to avoid doing this but… looks like you guys caught me."

"N-Nii-san?" Qian asked nervously, taking a few hesitant steps forward. "W-What's wrong?"

He raised his head towards Satoru, his once-green eyes now molten silver. "No use hiding it now."

Satoru suddenly felt his vision blur, his brain slowing down. His body jerked forward, his muscles twitching as he collapsed on his knees.

"S-Sensei!" Qian rushed forward, barely catching his shoulders in time to prevent him from falling face-first. She shot her gaze towards her brother, who remained fixated on the sorcerer, the silver in his irises swirling like a hypnotic whirlpool. "N-Nii-san, what is this? What are you doing to him?!"

"Relax, Qi. I'm just helping him go to sleep." Zeng drawled as he stuffed his hands into his pockets. He closed the fridge behind him, stepping forward to stroll past the pair.

Qian glanced down at Satoru in her arms, the neurons in her brain rapidly firing to piece everything together. The nights when he would come home late, the abrupt need to take business trips, the hushed conversations from behind closed doors or when he thought she wasn't paying attention-

She gritted her teeth, her blood turning cold as her heart sank. "... you're a Jujutsu Sorcerer?" She asked in a whisper, though she already knew the answer. Her words caused him to stop in his tracks. He looked over his shoulder to see her shoulders sagged, her hair hiding her expression. "You've been one, all this time…"

Zeng softened as he regarded his sister. He sighed. "Qi-"

"Why didn't you tell me?!" Qian cried, glaring up at him with tear-filled eyes. "Our entire time living together… you acting like a lawyer… was it all just a lie?!"

Her brother met her gaze coldly. "Qi, it's complicated. Just… don't worry about it, okay? Listen to me, I'm doing this to protect you."

"P-Protect me? From what?!" Tears began streaming down her cheeks as she shook her head furiously. "I don't understand, who even are you?! What is going on?!"

"I have to do this, Qi!" He finally shouted, causing her to flinch. He took a breath. "They were finally so close, so close to finishing their technique. But this idiot-" He tilted his nose distastefully at Satoru, who remained doubled-over, trying to fight against the heaviness in his consciousness that threatened to pull him under. "-kept poking his nose into where he didn't belong and asking dumb questions."

Qian furrowed her brow. "T-They? Nii-san… who are you talking about?"

"But thanks to you, we finally found a way to suppress him." Seemingly ignoring her query, he pulled out a bottle of crimson fluid, studying it with an odd gleam in his eye. She grimly recognized it as the blood, no doubt drawn from the severed limb of the cursed user. "You said it yourself, there was a user out there who was able to trap him and absorb his cursed energy. With this, her blood, we can reverse engineer a way to not only subdue him, but maybe even utilize his Limitless."

Her head was beginning to hurt, throbbing with betrayal and confusion. "W-What?! Why? Why do you need his power?" Qian asked, gripping the teacher's shoulders protectively.

"The higher-ups. Because…they plan to brainwash humanity." She glanced down to see Satoru attempting to push himself onto his knees, placing one foot on the ground to try rising, but stumbling forward instead. He gritted his teeth, glowering at the man above him. "They developed a way to stimulate 'happiness' in people by adjusting their internal chemistry, which will cause any bad emotions to fade away and thus, in theory, any cursed spirits that would develop from it." He grimaced as he struggled to activate his Six-Eyes, the drowsiness in his mind numbing his senses. "But you had no way of implementing it across large distances, hence why you need Limitless."

"Damn, they really don't call you a genius for nothing." Zeng replied as he tossed the bottle up, casually catching it in his fingers before turning to face the two of them. "You really figured it all out."

Satoru grinned darkly. "I was sloppy, I had no idea you were a part of them." His eyes flickered to the girl. "Both of you."

Qian's face paled as she opened her mouth to protest; however, his breathing slowed down and his body began to feel cold. Enervation finally enveloped his limbs as he crumbled in her arms. His eyelids drooped shut as he groaned. "N-Nii-san, please stop! W-What are you doing to him?"

Zeng smirked. "Nothing harmful. Don't fight it Gojo, it's N1 of your sleep cycle. Soon, you'll reach N2, and before you know it, you'll be in REM sleep and having sweet dreams." Zeng shrugged, a smug look on his face. "Anyways, don't be too hard on yourself. You couldn't have known that my sister was involved. Honestly, it was a stroke of luck."

Qian froze, her face draining of color as she slowly tilted her chin up to regard her brother. "W-What did you say?"

"Seriously Qi, it really is lucky that you stumbled upon Jujutsu High when you did, and who knew you wanted to work with them?" Zeng grabbed his bowtie, stuffing it in his pocket, before throwing his jacket over his shoulders. "Making you full-time was just a simple snap of their fingers at that point."

"I-I don't- I don't understand." Qian shook her head vehemently in denial. I-It can't be true. E-Everything was all a ploy from the start?

She thought back to her sudden placement in his team for their mission in Gunma, then the invitation to join them on their trip to the beach, and finally their recent mission to Maihama… all of it?

Zeng took her silence to be begrudging acceptance and turned his back, making his way up the stairs.

"You did good, Qi. With the stuff you told me about your missions, it was truly valuable information." He looked over his shoulder down at her. "We're done here, you honestly don't need to stay here anymore. Let's go home."

"N-Nii-san, wait!" She glanced back at Satoru, who finally succumbed to her brother's cursed technique, growing limp in her arms. She gently placed her head onto his chest, sighing in relief upon hearing his heart beating perfectly clear.

She gingerly laid him on the ground, her fingers rolling into a fist as she glared at her retreating brother.

—-

When Zeng opened the door and reached outside, he choked as his back was suddenly tackled by a strong body. His eyes flickered back to their normal green as the two of them tumbled across the grass, ending with Qian straddling the man, her eyes burning with suppressed tears, her cheeks blotchy and red with fury.

"H-How could you?!" She raised her hands, trying to slap at him, but he blocked her blows easily.

"Qian, calm down." He gripped her wrist easily with one hand. "This is for the best, you've seen first hand how terrible these spirits are. We finally have a way to change the world for the better, can't you see this is a good thing?"

"Y-You USED me!" She sobbed, fighting against his hold. "I-I'm your own sister… and you used me!"

Zeng felt a twang of guilt. "I didn't have a choice, he was getting too close and you happened to be at the right place at the right time. All I had to do was make sure you were involved-"

"A-And how is brainwashing people acceptable?!" She shouted in rage, managing to twist out of his grip and slam her palms into his torso. "N-Negative emotions aren't always bad, people need them to grow, to evolve… it's a part of humanity and you're forcibly taking away that part of them!"

"You're naive!" Zeng yelled, shoving her off of his chest. She fell on her back, coughing as the wind was knocked out of her. He rose to his feet, glowering at the girl. "Stop acting like a petulant child, this is reality, get over it!"

"Cursed Technique Reversal: Red" A voice came from behind, and Zeng barely heard it in time before diving to the side as the red light blasted through the earth where he stood. Qian covered her head in her hands, curling up to the side as the attack destroyed the ground next to her.

"Shit!" Zeng rolled to his feet, ripping off his jacket as his eyes turned silver once more, scanning through the cloud of dust that erupted. Qian disrupted my cursed technique… where is that fucker-?

However, suddenly he felt a cold presence behind him. As he turned to throw a kick, a strong arm shot forward and gripped around his throat, raising him into the air.

"So, you control the enemy's sleep patterns, huh?" Satoru growled, tightening his hold around the man's neck. Zeng let out a gargled sound as he struggled to break free.

"S-Sensei, please stop!" Qian scrambled to her feet. However, before she could reach him, a beam of light shot forth between the two men, forcing Satoru to let go of the man to evade the hit.

He whipped his head towards the source, his Six-Eyes activated. As soon as he discerned the couple through the smoke, he grinned sardonically. "Well, isn't this a charming reunion? You must be the parents."

Qian faltered, turning her face to the side, where the two familiar figures stood. Her eyes widened in shock. "M-Mom? D-Dad?"

Chase lowered his arm, rolling his hand into a fist to hide the glow emitting from his palm as Yi-lang rushed forward, kneeling beside her son to prop him up, holding his head against her bosom. Zeng rasped a cough as his mother held a hand over his throat, white light enveloping her fingers.

"Are you alright, Qian?" Her father asked, taking a few steps towards her.

"W-What are you two doing here?" She swallowed thickly as everything suddenly came to a screeching halt. The gears in her mind suddenly began clicking in place as her eyes traveled to her father's hand. "A-And Dad… how did you do that-?"

Chase sighed, looking away. The wrinkles on his face seemed more prominent through his pained expression. "Qian, there's something you must know."

Oh god. Please no. They can't be- "Y-You're with them…aren't you?" Qian bit back a sob as she felt the broken pieces of her heart shatter. "H-How could you…" She regarded her mother, who pointedly refused to return her gaze, her unconscious brother, and finally… her father. "A-All of you?!"

"I warned you, Qian!" Her mother finally snapped, glaring back at the girl. "The minute Zeng told me that you stumbled into this school… into this world… I told you it would be too much for you. But you didn't listen to me!"

"N-No, you didn't, you hid the real truth from me." Qian gasped as tears finally poured down her cheeks. She released a shuddering breath as the realization of the truth finally dawned on her, its weight crushing her lungs. "T-This whole time…"

Suddenly, there was a harsh bark of laughter. Qian slowly raised her head to see Satoru bent over, his shoulders fully shaking as his lips were drawn back in a sneer. She stared at him in bewilderment. "S-Sensei?"

"Oh my god, this is something out of a soap opera." He took a breath, clapping his hands together in applause. "I got to give it to you. Qian, you are really quite an actress, you missed your calling."

She pushed herself to her feet, shaking her head vehemently. "N-No, sensei- You have to understand, I'm not a part of this-"

"This whole time, your family was involved in everything." He ran a hand through his hair, before he covered his eyes, chuckling darkly. "God, I'm such an idiot. How could I have missed this?"

Qian quickly stood in front of him. "S-Sensei, please, I swear I had no idea-"

"You really had me fooled." He lowered his hand and her throat tightened upon seeing the fury and… pain… in his eyes. She desperately tried to reach out towards him; however, he stepped to the side, walking past her. "I'm fucking out of here."

She quickly grabbed the back of his sleeve. "S-Sensei, please let me explain-"

However, he ripped his arm out of her grasp, causing her to stumble backwards. He glared at her for a moment longer before he turned away, launching himself into the cloudy sky.

Qian collapsed on her knees, her eyes wide as she slowly processed the events that had just occurred.

Chase came up behind her. "Qi, come on, let's go home."

"I-I need to be alone." She was staring at the ground, her eyes completely blank as she felt the last remainder of her heart and soul disintegrate into indistinguishable fragments.

He placed a large hand on her shoulder. "Qian-"

"Please, dad. Just leave me alone!" She screamed, pushing herself to her feet to run away into the night.

—-

"Go." The dragonfly plant spirit clicked its mandibles together in response, fluttering its wings to launch itself into the night.

Kurofiru collapsed on his knees, breathless as cold sweat dripped down his brow. His cursed energy was spent, but he couldn't stop yet. Not when she has yet to be found.

For the past few weeks, the beasts he sent out to find her have not returned- no doubt due to those… wizards… or whatever they're called.

He was at his wit's end; he had been releasing fully grown spirits, as powerful as his current supply of hosts would allow, but they still fell at their hands… and he was running out.

Unfortunately, with Hinamori out of commission, he had been unable to collect any viable hosts. The woman was gifted and easily drew in young, thriving victims. Rozu, despite his diligence and superior strength, struggled in that aspect.

As a result, he's been using his technique to speed up their maturation- half of what he had at least. Unfortunately, this resulted in the creation of smaller, less evolved spirits.

Digging his nails into the soil beneath him, he cursed. So long as she remained alive, his memories of his old life appeared stronger than ever. The cold glares of his parents flashed in his mind. Useless. Waste of space. Shouldn't have been born. Their words resounded in his ears. Here he was, given a second chance of life in which he vowed to change the world.

But instead, what has he accomplished? Nothing.

Once again, his life was a fucking waste.

"Kurofiru-sama." He peered over his shoulder to see Hinamori enter the greenhouse, her lime-green eyes wide in worry. She had bandages wrapped around her torso, covering the stump where her arm used to be.

She limped over to where he was doubled over, kneeling beside him as she reached out her hand. "Kuro-"

He slapped it away before standing. "I'm fine."

But the motion had caused the girl to wince in pain. His gaze immediately softened. "...sorry."

She shook her head. "I should be sorry. It is because I failed."

He reached out his hand, pulling her up to her feet. She tottered forward a bit, and he placed his hands on her shoulders to balance her. She raised her gaze to meet his, noting that he was now slightly taller than her, despite her higher age. How much time had passed since they met? The boy she met was now maturing into a young man.

"You're fine. But you should be resting, as should I." He turned away.

However, he suddenly felt her body press against his back.

"I-I know I have caused you trouble. But Kurofiru-sama, I want to let you know that I… I…" She swallowed nervously. "You are important to me. And I am willing to do whatever it takes for you to succeed."

He remained still, his eyes downcast. "Why?"

"Because… you saved me." She thought back to that horrific night, where her life began to fall apart.

(Author's note: **Trigger warning- mentions of rape and torture**)

It was a beautiful night, almost mocking her for what was about to happen. She was walking home from school, having stayed late due to club activities.

"Yasuko-senpai!" She turned to see a young boy running up to her. "Thank god you're here, I lost my wallet and it had my phone inside. Could you help me find it?"

She didn't recognize him, but judging from his tie, he appeared to be a first -year. She knew that her name was pretty popular around the school, being the lead cheerleader, student council president, and daughter of their district's chief of police. Her grades were top of the class, and after she graduated in a month, she was set to travel abroad for college.

She glanced at her watch and shrugged. "Sure, I have some time. Where did you last see it?"

"It was back there." He pointed back down the street. "I definitely felt it in my pocket there."

The two of them walked towards the corner, before he gestured to a darkened alley. "You know what, I think it may be there."

She regarded him skeptically. "Maybe you should ask the police-"

"Oh please, I just need you to shine your phone's flashlight! I just need some light to be able to search!" He begged imploringly. She sighed in defeat, feeling pity for the kid. He was a first year student after all.

"Fine. Let's go." She took out her phone and turned on the light, tilting it towards the alley, suddenly revealing the faces of a few older boys.

She opened her mouth to scream before suddenly, the largest of the group shot forward, covering her mouth with his hand. Immediately, his lackeys grabbed her limbs, pinning her to the concrete and dragging her into the alleyway.

"Good work, Kakeru." The greasy boy smirked cruelly as he regarded the scrawny teen behind her. "Go on, give him his stuff back."

One of the other boys threw his bag, and he barely caught it, fumbling with it in his hands. He fearfully looked at her, and at the group. "W-What are you going to do to her?"

"Nothing you need to know. Now beat it." Another boy cracked his knuckles, taking a threatening step towards him. He needed no other warning before he ran away.

"Now then. Princess Yasuko Hinamori." The leader licked his lips. "So proud, so arrogant. Think you're top shit, huh? Thanks to your daddy, my life is over. He caught me doing drugs in school so now my parents kicked me out, they don't wanna deal with a failure."

He leaned down, whispering in her ear. "I'm going to make sure he suffers just like I did, starting with you."

With a single punch to her temple, she collapsed into darkness.

For weeks, she was kept captive in a shoddy abandoned apartment set for demolition. He, along with his cronies, did unspeakable things to her- all the while barely keeping her alive and conscious.

Finally, they must have gotten sick of her because next thing she knows, she was thrown back in the alley- her naked, bruised, bleeding body covered with burns and wounds.

Pain, there was so much pain. She coughed, blood splattering from her lips. Her sight was fading. 'Am I finally allowed to die?' She closed her eyes, a tear dripping down her cheek, soaking into the concrete.

Anger surged through the broken remnants of her mind. 'God, if I see you. Tell me. What did I do to deserve this?' She took in one more shuddering breath through her broken ribcage.

Suddenly, she felt a hand on her head.

"Despicable." His voice was angry.

"Agreed." Another voice, lighter in tone, commented. "But really, her? She has barely any cursed energy."

Suddenly, she felt something stab into her heart and her eyes shot open. But she had no energy to scream. All she could do was stare helplessly at this young boy, who had his hand inside her chest. There was no way he could be older than fourteen.

However, a warm sensation enveloped her entire body. Her head soon felt weightless as her eyes began to droop shut.

The last thing she felt was an embrace.

(End of Trigger)

Kurofiru released a sigh. "I only brought you back because you had strong potential for using cursed techniques. No other reason."

"I know… and I don't care." She slowly released her hold on him, clutching her chest with one hand. "But it is all because of this seed you gave me, the power that you shared with me, that I was able to avenge myself."

She recalled in morbid satisfaction the torture and suffering she inflicted on the gang, who she was able to locate thanks to the young man's abilities. "And now, I serve a better purpose."

He still refused to look at her, but his head shifted slightly. "... go rest, Hinamori. You aren't fully healed yet."

She was about to argue. "I'm… alright now." He continued, his eyes finally meeting hers. "...thanks."

An uncharacteristic, gentle smile spread upon her lips. "You're welcome."