I've taken a long time to upload this chapter, it usually happens to me that the canonical events of the manga leave me a little upset even though they don't have much to do with this story. Our hubby is out of the box! And I can't deny how happy it made me and how excited I am to see him again, as beautiful as the day he left.

A New Beginning

It would take a thousand more times for him to understand that Kasumi has only agreed to this strange arrangement for security reasons. Who more powerful than the Gojo clan to protect her from the nefarious intentions of the head of the Zen'in clan? There is no name more feared than that of Satoru Gojo. Even knowing that the priority of the woman walking beside him are her siblings and the children she has given shelter to, it is not enough to take his mind off the fact that she still has feelings for him.

Trust is the main problem and, to be completely honest, it's a bond he has no idea how to rebuild. Sincerity has not been enough. Professing words of love to a woman who has overcome not only his deception but also his sudden disappearance from the face of the earth is not enough.

Perhaps he is no more than naive about the subject of love. Maybe he's no more of a child than Kasumi was when she fell in love with him.

The streets of Osaka are full of people. Which he hardly notices, as he hasn't been able to take his eyes off her. Completely caught in her awkward expression. Of course, she can feel the intensity in his eyes despite his glasses, as dark as night.

"Is there something on my face?" she asks after a while, wiping the corners of her lips, expecting to find a muffin crumb.

He smiles, not taking his eyes off her.

"Did you put on makeup today?" This seems to have sounded like an indiscretion on his part, as she blushes and averts her eyes.

"A little..." she replies and the blush intensifies.

It's amazing to Satoru how he could have gone from being a bundle of nerves to feeling so confident and calm now. Knowing Kasumi's feelings has served as a balm to all the guilt that had him riled up.

"Many people have moved here since..." she says without being able to finish the sentence and it's not until this moment that Satoru looks up to see the hundreds of people wandering the streets.

The port city of Osaka has always been famous for its large buildings and the large number of shopping malls. Its brilliant nighttime colors are something that has always seemed to him like a glimpse into the future. He should have anticipated the amount of people that would be walking the streets, but for some strange reason it comes to him as a surprise, as if for the first time he has completely forgotten his surroundings.

Satoru looks from side to side at the crowded streets of Osaka and begins to wonder if it has always made him feel this way, so many people hurrying from one side to the other. He remembers, at this instant, Kasumi's mention to him a while back about the evacuation that the government organized. All the people who lived in the cities that were attacked by Uzumaki must have ended up somewhere. Perhaps all the cities in Japan have ended up slightly overpopulated.

It shouldn't be strange, since they are in the business district of one of the most populated areas in all of Japan. However, something doesn't quite sit right with him.

He clears his throat and before he knows it, he's stretching the collar of his jacket.

But it's not the fabric that's choking him.

Kasumi speaks, but he doesn't manage to hear her. His gaze passes quickly from face to face as if searching for someone.

The heart starts pounding, the beat crawls up his chest to his throat. It climbs up to his head and becomes all he can hear.

A bell follows. He has slipped into a store without realizing it and dragged Kasumi by the arm.

He swallows saliva and his Adam's apple swirls under his throat beneath the snowy skin of his neck. He looks from side to side again at the almost infinite number of heads wandering the streets quickly and is startled to feel something tug at his shirt.

Kasumi looks at him with a dismayed face. He looks down, his chest feels strange, it is as if all these people are breathing the air that is for him and his lungs make an enormous effort to collect the remaining oxygen; the one that is being taken away from him so suddenly. But there is something in Kasumi's hands, subtly touching his arm as if sensing something tormenting his mind; somehow, she knows.

"Are you feeling all right?" She asks him in a very soft tone and he looks strange. He has never felt so uneasy in such an everyday situation. "Did you want to buy something?" she asks perplexed and looks at the traditional attires in the store.

"Huh? Yes, of course. We can buy a pair," he says and clears his throat. His heart slows his pace. The music seems to help, a slow, soft melody accompanied by the sound of nature. The sound of a small water fountain makes him forget the hubbub of the street and he regains his composure. "We could go to a festival; do they still exist?"

Kasumi nods, albeit with surprise.

"Maybe we can try on something for the wedding," he adds with a wicked grin.

"Welcome! Excuse me, but did I hear that right? Are you looking for wedding attire?"

Just as he expected, Kasumi has become a handful of nerves and has put aside this little episode that only he witnessed. A few words come out of her mouth in the form of a stammer, a small laugh, with her head practically hidden between her shoulders, as if she could hide like a turtle. But she can't.

The man who has received them invites her closer with a smile that she is unable to refuse. She looks at him over her shoulder as if she wants to whisper something, probably that she wants to murder him.

"Would you mind if we took care of the bride first?" says the store owner, and Gojo denies.

"Not at all, go ahead."

A small group of women surround Kasumi who walks as if trying to nail her feet on the wooden floorboards, with an uncomfortable smile and eyebrows furrowing between her brows. One of them takes her arm and measures the length of her shoulder to the palm of her hand. Another measures her hip at the same time and then they both nod to each other.

"Oh," says the old man who has received them, "If you don't mind me asking, what is your budget? Of course, we'll offer you the best according to..."

"We have no budget. Give her only the best."

"How wonderful! You hear that girls, let's get to work!"

From a few meters away, Satoru can see the hilarious way Kasumi's eyes widen. He could have sworn he felt her cursed energy growing just a second ago.

Then he turns and looks down the street one more time.

"Is it always this busy around here?" he asks subtly, glancing at the crowd out of the corner of his eye.

-At times... When it starts to get dark, there's no one left. You know... because of those things. Well, let's not spoil this happy moment with such a dreary conversation. I imagine you must be very happy about your marriage. Huh... you, don't you wear an engagement ring?"

Gojo looks at his empty palm.

"I have to admit I'm a horrible groom. I proposed to her before I bought the rings."

"Oh, well," he laughs, "surely when you do, it'll be one that's worth the wait. Sir..."

"Satoru Gojo."

"Mr. Gojo, what kind of attire do you have in mind?"

"We're having a spring wedding so I need something appropriate for the season. Something simple, I'm not used to wearing traditional clothes. Too many layers..."

"Well, if you don't feel comfortable you can also opt to have a western style wedding. We have some outfits we can offer you if that is your preference."

"I think my father would be more comfortable with something traditional. We'll probably officiate the wedding at the family temple..."

Satoru seems to have forgotten for a moment that none of this is a fact yet, however, he has put on the mask of betrothed and even he felt convinced. This manages to make him uncomfortable. He clears his throat and stretches his neck in the direction Kasumi has gone, behind a wide fitting room where they seem to be sniffing every nook and cranny of her body, judging by the little screams coming from there.

"It will be a very special moment. You're a very beautiful couple, very... particular," he comments, raising his eyebrows, with a wide smile that lifts his cheeks almost hiding his eyes.

Mr. Migasaki, as he has introduced himself, leads Satoru to a room at the back of the store where he finds a wide selection of attire. Although he has had a couple of complications finding something to fit him, he ends up dressing him in a black kimono and gray pants.

But as he searches for the garments to complete the outfit his attention is drawn to the wave of compliments from female voices on the other side of the thin walls.

Satoru removes his glasses and peeks out, pushing open a flimsy wooden door.

Kasumi's lips are pressed together, a deeper blush has been placed on her lips than she usually wears, the same color as the red flowers adorning her up-do. She's wearing a white kimono with delicate white roses embroidered on the sleeves. Her hands are completely covered by the fabric.

She seems to have trouble receiving so many compliments and looks at herself shyly in the mirror in front of her.

Despite the fact that he has left her in a bit of a predicament, Satoru feels satisfied as he has managed to divert her attention in a very effective way. In fact, strangely enough, he feels more than satisfied. A smile breaks across his face as he watches her contemplating herself in the mirror.

He's not the most traditional man in all of Japan, but even he can admit that women in kimono are... something else. Especially her.

Satoru's intrusive eyes are caught by Kasumi's gaze. Her blue eyes find him peeking around a corner and she hurriedly turns around, probably to berate him for what he's gotten her into.

"Gojo!" she says to him in a reproachful tone, turning around.

He can't help but smile as he thinks how cute she looks with a frown on her face, scolding him like a child.

The ladies who have been in charge of dressing her, doing her make-up and hairstyle withdraw covering their smiles. They seem to have decided unanimously and without saying a word that they should give them a little privacy.

"Look what you've gotten me into," she whispers to him. "I haven't agreed to anything yet, I only said it hypothetically, there are a lot of things I would like to consider before..."

The words end mute, floating in the air along with her last sigh. Satoru's cold hands completely cover her cheeks. Kasumi opens her eyes fully, mouth half open. She watches Satoru's leering eyes intently as her heart completely bursts out of her chest. The heat expands rapidly, in a heartbeat she feels her cheeks burning and can only stammer out her next word.

"What..."

"I'd kiss you right now..." he murmurs and Kasumi's lower lip trembles. "But, in view of everything that's happened, I'd like you to ask me."

"Huh?" is the only thing she can mumble when she hears his voice, his breath caressing her face.

"Ask me," he demands. "Ask me and I will."

She hesitates, a good sign for Satoru. He waits a few seconds in which he refrains from doing so, though she doesn't utter a single word. It is not until Kasumi lowers her gaze that he ends up breaking the contact between his hands and her blushing face.

"Okay," Satoru says, "but remember, I'll only do it if you ask me to. You might end up begging me to kiss you."

He puts his dark glasses back on and it seems that only at this moment Kasumi catches her breath.

"Mr. Gojo," Migasaki says after clearing his throat and he pushes the cloth separating the dressing room from the living room. "Sorry to interrupt you, but I have a couple of other things to complement your outfit."

"This is enough," he says and then takes a step into the salon.

"But... Uhm... Well, traditionally the suit has more accessories. Besides, if the wedding will be officiated in a temple, the lady will probably wear more than one kimono."

"One isn't enough?"

"Usually the bride wears four throughout the ceremony."

Satoru sighs, this is all getting exhausting.

"My flight leaves in an hour... I think we should go to the airport already," Kasumi whispers, as embarrassed as he should be.

"Well, keep the measurements of our clothes and we'll see how many more she'll need," Satoru holds out his credit card, sure that his father will be happy to see the statement for once in his life.

A cab ride to the airport and a few hours later, with a couple of huge shopping bags over his hand, Satoru steps back onto the floor of the Tokyo wizardry school. Kasumi's farewell was a bit too short for his taste. They didn't exchange any word again about the marriage, although a part of him already takes it for a fact.

Perhaps it was too forward, but in his defense, he wasn't planning to take her shopping for her wedding dress after discussing the idea of getting engaged. As usual, the events simply unfolded in front of him and he did nothing more than go with the flow. He didn't expect this to make her turn into an impenetrable box as she left the store.

He picks up the phone and searches with slight annoyance for his mother's number, though he's not quite sure what he's about to say. He doesn't know if anyone else will hear his words. His confidence fades step by step.

"Son?" he hears from the other end of his cell phone, the word feels strange as it does every time she utters it, as if she's not addressing him.

He can't answer with 'mom', it's too weird.

"I have news," he prefers to answer. "Maybe or maybe not, I'm engaged."

"Fabulous, did you get down on one knee?"

"The details are unnecessary. Does this guarantee her safety?"

"I don't think it'll be that quick. Your father will want to give his approval to this union and for that you'll must bring her to the temple. The whole clan will want to meet your future bride, and if everything goes well we'll have to start the preparations."

"I already bought my kimono and a haori."

"Satoru, you need much more than that."

"Huh?"

"Of course, you'll need a haorihimo, a nagajuban, a pair of hakama... But don't worry, I'll take care of all that."

"There's something else... but... I'd like to see you in private to discuss it."

"Why don't you come to the temple? Your father will need to hear this news with his own ears. He won't pick up the phone under any circumstances and he won't believe me if I'm the one to tell him."

"All right, just give me a little time before... it's not set in stone yet."

"I have a feeling it will be," she replies, in a tone that makes him think she's smiling.

After hanging up the phone, Satoru wanders through the outer corridors of the temple in which his bedroom is located until he sits down on a small bench under a paper lamp.

He, who has usually been too confident, is now starting to feel like the opposite. Not only because of this whole situation regarding his marital status, but also because of that little episode he experienced while having dinner with Kasumi and her family. Now it is not an isolated event, as the choking he felt in the streets of Osaka still turns his stomach. He vividly remembers the last time he was surrounded by so many people.

He looks at his palm and feels the cursed energy coursing through his fingers, with eerie precision he sees the dark waves moving along with his bloodstream. Something strange is happening to him and he's not sure what it is.

Then his most recurring thought comes back to his mind and he hesitates over the idea of calling her simply to hear her voice again, to know that she is safe and sound. His heart thumps in his chest when he remembers her confession, when he remembers the warmth her cheeks radiated when he took her face in his hands and was about to kiss her again.

"So, what do you think of all that?"

"About what?"

"Well, the meeting," she tilts her face and inspects him once more. "Is there anything else that worries you?"

"The meeting... Yes, it's a complicated matter."

"I can see you're not very concerned about it, Satoru," she says and then sits down next to him. "I guess there's something more important than this complicated matter of kidnapped shamans."

"I think I'm going to get married."

"Well, isn't that something?"

Shoko doesn't seem very surprised, or at least her tired look doesn't show it.

"Things about being... head of a clan, I guess."

"With whom?"

"That hasn't been defined yet, if I'm being honest."

"Are you indecisive?"

"What do you think? I can't say that I really proposed to her, rather she suggested that she would get engaged to me if it would buy me more time with the clan, among other things... In her words it would just be that, an engagement that wouldn't go as far as a wedding. "

"At least then you'll have time to figure out what you want. I think it's a good deal... what's the problem?" He shrugs, unsure about what he's about to tell Shoko. "You're not too convinced about this plan? It's not the first time you've folded your arms waiting for something to happen on its own..."

Satoru turns to Shoko, opens his mouth for a moment, but he knows he has no words to refute what she has told him. He has done this before and she seems to read him like a book.

"You're suggesting that I take a more proactive stance on the matter?"

"It's your life, Satoru. You decide what happens in it. Do you want to get married?"

"Even if I don't want to, the clan can force its hand on me one way or another."

"And what's to stop you from saying goodbye to the clan? -Shoko gently takes a pack of cigarettes out of her pocket and puts one in her mouth, then takes a lighter and hides the flame under her hand so she can light it. "I hope you're not going to judge me for continuing to smoke, you have your own problems, don't you?"

He nods between complicit smiles. She knows exactly what she's talking about and the shin she's twisting.

"Leaving the clan sounds easy, in theory."

"You're the most powerful shaman in the earth and you're afraid of your father's retaliation?"

"I'm not thinking only about me."

"That's a novelty," she replies with a soft smile that lessens the shock of her words.

"Don't be so hard on me. I'm not even a week on this plane and I've been made to pay enough for my sins," he says and drops his head to look at the lamp hanging above him, surrounded by small nocturnal insects.

"That's true. Although here, talking to you, it seems like you never left."

Shoko takes a long puff on her cigarette and lets out the grayish air wearily. The silence narrows, filling with typical campus sounds in the middle of the night. Not a second is uncomfortable next to her, not after so many shared stories.

"It's about that girl, isn't it? The student from Kyoto. You're still thinking about her, aren't you?"

He nods without saying a word.

"You've done enough for the world, Satoru. You gave years of your life, who cares about the clan? Do whatever you want. If you want to run away with her to another country and start a family, it wouldn't be a crazy idea. If you even want to challenge your clan, you wouldn't be the first Gojo to do so either. You'd lose a few million yen, but you'd gain a life of freedom."

"What if I haven't decided what I want yet?"

"At your age?"

"You said it yourself, I lost a few years. Even Yaga couldn't maneuver a life as a shaman and as a family man. What makes you think I could do it?"

"Maybe it's the fact that you wouldn't be alone in being a shaman. She knows the business well and from what I've heard is someone altruistic."

"But she doesn't trust me."

"You have enough self-confidence to rub off on her. You overdo with it."

"You idiot," they both suddenly hear from behind their backs, just before Satoru kneels down to hold his head from the blow he's been struck.

He knows without turning around, even though there is not a single trace of cursed energy around. Maki looks at him with a certain contempt behind her glasses, with a haughtiness of her own, her chin raised high.

"Were you listening?" asks Satoru. "What lousy manners."

Maki walks over to lean lightly against one of the wooden pillars surrounding the temple.

"The unpleasant wailing of the most powerful guy in the world is hard to avoid. Especially at this hour when most are asleep."

"Insomnia?" Shoko asks but Maki doesn't answer, "Want some?" she says to her, extending the cigarette box.

To Satoru's surprise, Maki takes one and lights it in front of him. But she has nothing to reproach her. Not only because she is a grown woman now, but because of his own record of indecent activities. He watches her out of the corner of his eye as she lets out her first aspiration.

"You want to know what it really means to leave a clan?"

"I suppose you propose to burn down the family dojo and slaughter them."

"The Gojo clan is not so different from the Zen'in clan. I would have preferred to be able to do that before... You have the power to eliminate all those who threaten your loved ones. A wave of your hand would be enough to turn them into ashes.

"Don't you think I'm capable?"

"Don't you have sufficient motive? Maybe you don't even have to get rid of all of them, maybe they'll get the message faster than you think."

"I don't like the idea of leaving loose ends."

"You can't murder your father, Satoru," Shoko interjects. "Not without being sure of what you really want for yourself."

"Teach them a lesson," adds Maki. "Wasn't it your idea to erase all the nepotistic ideas of those old bastards? Your clan, along with the others, have led us to where we are today."

"We can't create a better world for the shamans by eliminating everyone who doesn't think like us," says Shoko.

"Not everyone," Maki replies. "Only those who are against us."

"You're starting to sound like a genocide," Satoru says with a strange smile.

"If I were you, I wouldn't wait, what surprise do you think you'll be in for if you continue in this passive position? How many loved ones do you plan to lose before you take matters into your own hands? That quality of yours is one I have always hated. Everything is a joke to you, always waiting to have enough people on your side to make your move, isn't it? How long did you wait until your students were strong enough to fight the battle you didn't want to start? How long are you going to sit there until you feel compelled to act? If you had done it in time, none of this would have happened. You have the power to change the world on the palm of your hand and here you are, whining like a little girl while the rest of us do the dirty work. Even that poor girl you used has done more for the people of this country than you. Do you have any idea of all the villages she has cleaned up all by herself? Days and nights on end we have cleaned up this ever growing mess and here you are, waiting for us to pity you because you were sealed up for a few years. Well, I have news for you, while you were there, we fought for our lives and watched all our friends die in front of our eyes. Forgive me for not pitying you. You can't pity someone so privileged."

"Maki, I think that's enough."

"You too, Shoko?" she says and smiles. "Well, I guess I've said what I had to say. Maybe it wasn't worth it, though."

"Maybe it did," Gojo mutters, staring off somewhere, arms folded.

His expression gives absolutely no hint of anything, which gives Shoko goosebumps, she has seen this expression before.

Maki doesn't say much before turning away, but not before finishing the cigarette given to her by her former sensei. She feels some guilt after having offered her her first cigarette.

A few minutes after her departure, the silence that spreads across the campus begins to feel more and more ominous, as if the black cloud of thoughts wandering in Gojo Satoru's mind begin to walk between the two of them. The atmosphere feels so heavy that Shoko wonders for an instant if Satoru is capable of creating curses with the sheer power of his mind.

"I know that sounded a little convincing," she begins, so uncomfortable that she's about to take another cigarette from her pocket.

"Just a little?" Satoru laughs. "Are you trying to make me laugh?"

"I've never been very good at jokes," replies her tired-eyed friend. "I just want to make sure you didn't take it seriously."

"How could I not? She's right about everything she said, don't you think? It's my fault, Shoko. Mai, Mechamaru, Toge, Yuji, Nanami... All this shit is my fault. I wanted to wait, to make the boys strong, to make them stronger than me to... But everything got out of control and I left them defenseless. That battle should have been mine alone."

"You're talking about becoming a martyr."

"If it would guarantee that they'd stay alive, it was my duty. What's the use of having the most powerful cursed technique if I left the fate of the country and perhaps the world in the hands of my students... Explain it to me. Tell me why I did nothing to prevent all this."

"Because you believed there was a chance to create a better world if enough people had your back."

"And look where it's left us. What's improved? Absolutely nothing. Everyone I care about in the world has been hurt or worse."

"So what are you going to do? You think getting your hands full of your own family's blood will make things better?"

"Maybe, so Kasumi and her family wouldn't suffer the collateral damage of associating with me."

"There must be another alternative."

"When you find it, let me know," he concludes before getting up.

"Don't do something you'll regret!" Shoko shouts at him as she watches him walk down the corridor and he only raises a hand without turning around.

Satoru has thought about it many times, that maybe he was not born simply to be happy like any other mere mortal. Maybe his birth has a very specific purpose and maybe he has already found the answer. And if he hasn't been able to protect his students from a tragic fate, maybe he can do it for Kasumi. Maybe dying with his hands full of blood won't feel so bad if at the end of the day he knows she's safe.

I already have enough of the next one and a clear idea of how it's going to end, the path always ends up changing direction as I write it, but I hope you like it. Sorry for my many grammatical flaws!