There were barely any lights in the reception of the hospital. The lights were dimmed, giving just the tiniest visibility, but were bright enough for Megumi to make out the pink-haired boy from earlier. Itadori Yuuji was his name if he recalled. It took him a long time to ask around, to find the whereabouts of the boy, only for some elderly woman to tell him that Yuuji went to the hospital to visit his dying grandfather. Judging from the solemn expression and trembling shoulders, Megumi could safely assumed that the boy had lost his grandfather. There was a little girl with him. A toddler, he determined. She held a white teddy bear close to her chest, had violet eyes but her hair…was snow white. Just like Gojo-sensei.
For a moment, his mind was at loss as his eyes took in the tiny toddler with the white teddy bear. Long snow-white hair. That was the one feature that kept popping into his mind. The one feature he couldn't stop gawking. The cheek bones, he realized dimly, were similar to Gojo. All the other features must come from the girl's mother. His hand reached out to his phone, finger hovering over his teacher's contact, but he pulled his thumb away. The girl's parentage wasn't important right now. Besides, Gojo-sensei would not believe him. He still couldn't comprehend the idea. What type of woman would be willing to sleep with his sensei? What type of woman would have his over-the-top teacher's child? Someone, he decided, who probably had no understanding of his mentor. Taking a deep breath, he took a step away from the shadows and entered the light.
"Itadori Yuuji?" Megumi called out with a determined, hardened voice. He watched with a hardened heart and blank eyes when the boy turned towards him, his eyes filled with confusion. Beside him, the toddler stared at him. She looked at him with innocent violet eyes before flashing him a wide, innocent smile. It made him falter for a moment, confused in another moment because how was he supposed to react to this toddler? He strangled his expression into a steady one, unwilling and uncertain of what emotions to display. The toddler kept her smile, fluttering her snow-white eyelashes at him, and clapped her hands together like she was just so happy to see him.
It made him look away from her, his cheeks became pinched at this unexpected display of emotions. Itadori just frowned and picked up the toddler, cradling her close to his body. His expression remained confused, but he didn't seem to be one bit irritated at the white teddy pushing against his head. The boy cleared his throat. "Yeah?" Itadori glanced at the girl snuggling the teddy bear and cleared his throat. "You need something from me?" His voice was still choked up like he was holding back his tears. But his eyes were welled up with tears, snot drooling down his nose. The toddler seemed to be aware because with her tiny arm, she tried to hug him. Itadori laughed, a mixture of joy and grief. "Ri, you don't need to hug me."
"Mama hugs Ri when she cries," the toddler said matter-of-factly, her smile still so innocent and her eyes so confused. "It makes Ri feel happy," she paused and looked at her teddy bear before back at him. "Want Snuggles?" She pushed the teddy closer to Itadori. "Snuggles make Ri feel happy to," she repeated. "And Gramps is just sleeping." Itadori's expression wavered and the toddler repeated. "He's sleeping!"
Itadori cleared his throat and lied, "Yeah my Gramps is just sleeping," he swallowed. "He is going to be asleep for a long time, Ri."
Megumi looked away. If the situation wasn't dire, he would walk away and come back a few minutes later. But they were in a dangerous situation. The lights flickered while a cold breeze slammed the doors open, banging it against the walls. He grimaced while the toddler remained unfazed. Her innocent violet eyes were focused on Itadori. There was a frown on her lips, a wobble like she knew that Itadori was lying to her. She huffed and pressed the toy closer to Itadori's cheek. "Hug Snuggles!" she insisted and then she paused for a moment before uttering with a soft voice. "Please."
The pink-haired boy wavered and placed the girl on the ground. The toddler beamed and handed the white teddy bear to Itadori with expecting eyes. It felt like the room held its breath, waiting for the boy to do what the toddler, Ri, had pleaded to do. With misty eyes, the boy reluctantly took the toy and gave it a very soft squeeze. Ri smiled, completely pleased, and then waved her hands to have the toy back. Megumi turned. At this point, he felt like an intruder. Like he shouldn't witness the scene between the teen and the innocent, naïve toddler.
"Sorry for that," Itadori mumbled with pinkened cheeks, and a tone filled with embarrassment. Megumi kept a blank expression and held himself back from uttering words of condolences. This wasn't the time to utter these words. The boy rubbed the back of his neck, his eyes glued on the toddler, who returned to playing with her teddy bear. "You needed something from me?" he repeated with a hardened tone like he wanted to prove his character. That he wasn't emotional, but Megumi didn't really care. How the boy felt was his own choice.
Megumi took another step forward, glancing at the babbling toddler and then to the boy. "I'm from Jujutsu High School."
He would have said more if the toddler hadn't stopped playing and turned to look at him with an excited smile on her lips. "Mummy's work?" she asked, bouncing in her spot. There was an innocent glow to her. A brightness in her that he would never associate with his teacher. The girl, he decided, was what a ball of sunshine would look like if it had a human body. There was no chance that Gojo would be the father of a toddler that was so pure and innocent. She was everything his mentor was not. It was just coincidence, he decided, that the girl shared similar features to his mentor.
Itadori laughed and grabbed the girl, swinging her around just a little bit, before settling her against his hips. "You know where Uzumaki-sensei works, don't you Ri?" he teased the giggling toddler. "She works in Sugisawa Municipal High School." The toddler just stared blankly at him; her eyebrows scrunched together into one single line before her face broke into a large smile. It was almost startling how the child could look like his mentor but look so angelic. Her mother, he decided, had to be the angelic one. That was the only explanation. He bobbed his head and had one final glance at the girl.
"Where's Mama?" The toddler asked. She scanned the reception, her eyes darting around for the familiar sight of her mother. There were no other people in the reception, except for the three of them. The receptionist had gone to the back of the room, no doubt processing whatever paperwork that Itadori had them do. The only sounds that could be heard was the scratching of the window, the howls of the summer wind, and the ringing of the bell. In the far corner of the reception, there was a box filled with colouring pages. One of them had an image that was badly coloured in, he supposed that was the work of the toddler.
A toddler, who was beginning to become misty-eyed and sniffle at the absence of her mother. Those pale cheeks reddened, her breaths shortened, and Megumi didn't need to have kids to know when there was going to be a sobbing mess. It was going to be loud. He opened his mouth, only to sew his mouth shut when he realized he had no understanding of how to calm down a sobbing child. However, Itadori knew what to do. The boy twisted his face into several different, ugly expressions while doing several strange moves. The toddler giggled and clapped her hands together; the redness in her cheeks died away while the tears had dried out. It was almost like the girl wasn't going to throw a huge temper tantrum at the knowledge that her mother wasn't there.
There was a comfortable silence between the three of them. The toddler had now resumed playing with her teddy bear, her violet eyes dancing with merriment. With her being distracted, Megumi knew this was his chance to question Itadori without being interrupted by the toddler. Nodding, he pulled out his phone and swept to the last message he had been given by the assistant director. It was an image of an open wooden box that contained a rod-shaped object covered in talisman. The image was clear and sharp, thankfully, with only the darkness of the background.
"I know you're babysitting but do you have this with you?" he called out to Itadori, holding up the phone.
The boy's eyes widened with recognition for a moment and then he curled his lips into a grimace. "I don't have it anymore," he confessed, glancing at the occupied toddler. Megumi raised his eyebrows at him while his heart sank just a little bit. If the object wasn't with him, then where could it be? He felt the energy around him. The pink-haired boy continued on. "I gave the box back to Uzumaki-sensei," Itadori glanced at the window and then to the little girl before asking with a curious voice, "Do you also think it's cursed?" Megumi blinked and the boy pressed on. "Uzumaki-sensei thinks that the box was cursed so she told my friends not to peel off the seal, but," he shrugged his shoulders, "they don't seem keen to listen to her which was why she asked me to take care of her daughter while she gets the object back from them."
Only one word could be used to describe the situation. "Shit."
It earned a scolding from the toddler. "Bad word," the toddler declared with a scowl. "Mama says never say bad words." She looked at him expectedly as if waiting for him to make an apology. He twitched and looked away while Itadori snickered, completely pleased by this behaviour. The toddler continued to gaze at him with expecting eyes. "Sorry?"
"I'm sorry," he forced the words out as awkward as it was. The toddler wasn't wrong but it was jarring how well she seemed to understand such concepts at her age. The toddler beamed and gave him a look that implied she was proud of him. It tempted him to snort and ruffle her hair, but he held himself back. There was no connection between them. No reason for him to show such behaviour to a toddler. Clearing his throat, he directed his attention to the snickering boy as his heart sped against his chest. "Where is her mother? Where did she take the box?"
The snickers died down, replaced with an expression of trouble. Itadori's eyes widened, his face growing slightly pale as his eyes darted to the innocent toddler standing between them. "Is it that bad?" Megumi remained silent and turned away, which only made the pink-haired boy press on. "C'mon, tell me! Is it that bad?" Itadori probed. "You look like you are going to crash, man!" He took a step closer. "Tell me, is it bad?"
His tongue felt heavy inside his mouth, but he had to choose his words carefully, there was a toddler listening to their conversation. "She could sleep for a very long time," he answered awkwardly. If there was no toddler with them, he would be able to answer bluntly and without care, but there was a toddler who was clearly attached to her mother. For all his bluntness, even he was aware that there were certain things that shouldn't be said in front of a child. He inhaled the antiseptic air and smoothed his expression into a tightly controlled one.
Itadori remained silent. "She should be at the school by now," he turned his back to him and strolled to the toddler. He scooped her up and turned to him with determined eyes. "We'll go with you to the school." His tone held no room for further argument, like he had no choice but to take him along. Idiot. Did he even realize what was going on? No, he realized with a sinking stomach, he didn't know. The sight of the girl had made him lose focus, had made him forget to explain himself, but there was simply no time for him to explain. Every passing second could mean another life lost.
Megumi glanced at the innocent eyes of the toddler and then to Itadori. "You can't bring a toddler with you." It was dangerous and completely reckless, only someone without any brain cells would think it was a good idea. He could see the protest forming in the boy's face and decided to point out the obvious. "There is a high risk she could get hurt if she comes along." An innocent toddler dying was not what he wanted to see, not when she hadn't done anything wrong. "If you want to come, fine," he grimaced. "I don't even know where your teacher would be in the school, so leave the toddler with her Dad."
"Daddy?" Akari asked, hugging her teddy bear. Her violet eyes held hints of confusion like the term Daddy was a foreign concept to her. Her bottom lip wobbled; her eyes became misty. "Akari has no Daddy, only Mummy." She rubbed her eyes and repeated. "Only Mummy." Tears began to dribble down her eyes, a loud wail ripped in the air, and Megumi felt guilt stirring inside of him for asking about the Dad. How was he supposed to know? The girl looked similar to Gojo-sensei but he hoped for the sake of the girl, her father wasn't his mentor. He wasn't the most responsible man. He was a weirdo. A troll at times while this girl was just so…pure and innocent.
Once this was over, he was going to ask Gojo-sensei if he knew anything about a child that looked similar to him. He sincerely doubted it. The man would be so brazen and would openly brag about having a cute daughter. He would declare to the world that he made cute children. That was within his nature. For the sake of the girl and her mother, he prayed they would never meet his mentor.
Running through the darken corridors of the school, Naruto couldn't help but notice the increasing numbers of vile creatures lurking in the background. Their eyes followed her with eagerness; their mere presence turning on every alarm in her brain like a siren. She could practically taste their bloodlust in her tongue, it was vile and tickled the darkest parts of her. The side of her, she hid from the rest of the world. The kid who bloodied her fist with any boy, who dared to look at her best friend in the wrong way. She reigned in the urge and stopped when she reached the door to her student's club.
From the darken windows, she saw a flicker of light and two dimmed figures. The two idiots, who clearly needed a good knock in their noggin for them to get a good understanding of the meaning: danger. Hurting children was not something she enjoyed. It made her quiver in the knee, made her palms sweat, and bring back memories that she wished to repress. She released a sigh. The sigh materialized into a wispy mist, staining the windows. With a harden heart, she slid the door with a loud bang and levelled her eyes on the two students hurdling in the corner.
Their eyes met her own, but no words were spoken. The only sound was the hissing of the orange flame of the melting white candle stick. The room trembled for a moment while her students tried to give her an innocent look like they hadn't tried to go against her orders. She narrowed her eyes and curled her lips into a very thin smile, the smile of the demon as the boys had screamed in her ear when her fist made that sweet contact of their bone. By the paleness of her student's faces and their shaking bodies, it seemed like she hadn't lost her touch of scaring people. She tightened her smile even more, glanced up at the creatures hanging on the ceiling, and then slammed the door shut.
"U-Uzumaki-sensei, I thought you were going to be spending time with your daughter?" Sasaki whimpered, clutching the rod-like object like it was somekind of shield that would protect her from the inevitable tongue lashing. Naruto tightened her jaw. Oh, there were going to be several unkind words thrown at them, a phone call to their parents, and a severe punishment for disobeying her demand. The time she should be spending with her daughter had been taken away because of them. If she didn't have Itadori to babysit her daughter, then she would be coming home to a wailing, clingy daughter who would look at her with teary eyes and asked her why she left her. The daycare could only do so much. Her clones could only do so much. Her clones were her but to Akari? They weren't the same. Just a pale imitation to the real thing.
Naruto pinched her smile and took several deep breaths, cooling down the hot rage bubbling inside her blood. "Hmm, I was supposed to do that but two people here didn't listen to my order," they flinched but she didn't give a shit about their feelings now. That object, if unleashed, could kill her sweet baby, could kill her students and then she would be forced to bury so many bodies. Her chest tightened, constricting itself in all dimensions. She took in their frazzled appearance. Sasaki, she realized, had one hand behind her back. "Show me the object, right now." The clear command in her tone made the kids flinch. Sasaki hesitated before pulling her hand out to reveal the object.
At first glance, the object appeared to remain unchanged, but the hideous odour of rotten flesh tainted the air. Naruto yanked the chair from a nearby table, dragging it across the floors. As she did so, the floors screeched in agony. The students flinched and paled even further like they were beginning to realize that they had pushed her to her limits. She turned the chair around, slammed it against the table, and swung her legs around until her chest was pressed against the hard, wooden seat back. The paper around the object appeared more worn down than before. Like a good couple of scratches was all what it needed to be unleashed. She brought the candle closer and flickered her eyes to the creatures above her. I can try to make a seal right now, she mused, but unsealing it would cause trouble. Her eyes darted to the greedy, starving eyes of the creatures. Barriers? Would a barrier seal work against them and give her enough time to repair the shoddy, crappy work that was the seal? She bit her lips till blood dribbled down the corner of her lip.
"Uzumaki-sensei, you look worried," Iguchi observed, frowning. His tone held hints of surprise like the mere idea she could be concern was one that never crossed his mind. To the other side of the table, Sasaki nodded with a trembling frown. Both of them straightened their backs, their eyes held clear signs of concern. "This object is nothing special," the boy reassured her with a confident smile, but the smile faded when Naruto didn't return his smile. He repeated. "Uzumaki-sensei, you can't believe in the idea of curses!" He shook his head. "It doesn't exist!"
From above them, the creatures crackled and giggled like the twisted motherfuckers that they were. Naruto straightened her spine and locked her gaze on the object. With each passing minute, her blood boiled up even more and images would flash in her mind. Images of her former teammate trembling and clutching her small swelling belly, teary green eyes as she pleaded with her not to utter the truth. The all-consuming red rage at the baby-trapping done by Sakura, at the infidelity done by her ex-boyfriend. The same man, who was unwilling to leave her the fuck alone; who was trying so hard to cling to her despite cheating on her with god knew how many fucking women. She tightened her jaw. This object was bringing out the worst side of her. The side, she repressed, for the sake of her daughter.
"I told you that nothing good will come from this object," Naruto spat. There was a growing ache in her forehead, a growing rage inside of her heart. She felt Kurama stir from his sleep, his tails flickering and slamming around like even this object could bring the worst out of him. It was a poison to her mentality. There was now no chance in hell she would bring it home, not when this object might make her become the very person she feared as a child. A heartless woman who would hurt innocent children. She let out a shaky breath. "If I haven't come when I did, who knows what would happen to the two of you," she exhaled. "Your parents would have my head if anything happens to you two and it would be fair," another quick inhale and Naruto continued, "I would want the head of the person, who hurt my daughter." The flames flickered, dwindle just a little bit as the wax crashed to the ground, leaving a white stain. "I want the two of you to go back home and for goodness sake, when I tell you not to do something: listen to me!"
Her students flinched and shuffled in their seat before giving her a stiff nod. Exchanging guilty expressions, the two students turned to her and mumbled, "Sorry, Uzumaki-sensei." Their voices sounded so apologetic and frightful. Naruto allowed herself to wince before she glanced once more at the object. The cloth fluttered once more, threatening to rip, and that vile, hateful energy sent a larger pulse to them. Her heart crashed right into rib bone, bleeding and terrified of what was to come. "We will go—" The words died down when the cloth fluttered once more and began to unravel like a snake uncoiling itself.
The cloth slithered down to the ground and revealed a human finger. A rotten human finger with blacken nail. No, she realized with a numbness as her eyes took in the finger, it wasn't a normal rotten human finger. Where the joint should be, there was a tiny glimpse of a human face. The expression humans made when terrified. There were little branches poking out of it. This finger belonged to a creature that looked entirely human but was not one. The metallic odour filled the air while flies appeared out of nowhere, flying around the rotten object. Naruto kept her expression blank but the same couldn't be said for the two teens. Oh, they clutched their stomachs, covered their mouths and had sweat pouring out of their face in buckets. Unlike her, they had been lucky to never see a rotten corpse.
"W-Why is there a human finger?" Sasaki whimpered, clinging onto her friend's shoulder. Her face now had a green tint to it, like her vomit and bile were building up in her throat and was ready to be hurled to the ground. "Uzumaki-sensei, why is there a human finger!" she wailed. "What kind of sick joke, is this?" She looked at her with hopefulness as if hoping she would tell her that she was right. That it was a sick joke. "This isn't real, is it?"
It was ironic how that question had been posed to her, two years after she asked the same question to Ino and Hinata. While her students wanted the reassurance that no one was sick enough to cut off a limb, she had been weeping and trying to dispel the nightmare that was her boyfriend impregnating their teammate. What do you want me to say, Naruto? I used a condom! I begged her not to keep it but she insisted it! She shoved the memory to the side. Why the fuck was she even remembering it? She had a child of her own. She had two students who needed her.
With a steady breath, she answered. "It's real." Their faces became even more green and within seconds, Sasaki trembled and vomited out all of her food content. The girl trembled and wiped her face, trying and failing to stop her vomiting. Normally, she would comfort her, but she heard the shrill laughter from above them. The air was beginning to become chilly. It trembled like a frightened child. The flame of the candle blew out. As her students continued to quiver and clutch their stomachs, Naruto gazed up at the darken ceiling. Those vile creatures smiled, flashing their fangs, their arms stretched out. The chilly air now smelt of bloodlust. If she didn't get her students out, they would become dinner for these disgusting creatures.
"Sasaki! Iguchi!" Her two students wobbled and clutched their stomach, their eyes held so much disgust. Not at her. But at the finger on the table. They wiped their vomit-painted drool from the corner of their mouth, the air tainted with their vomit and the bloodlust of the creatures above them. "Run!" They blinked dumbly and she barked. "I'm telling you to run!" Her heart sped up as the students scrambled to their feet, poised to run. "And whatever you do, don't look back!" Their eyes widened, looking so child-like that she felt a semblance of guilt for cursing them in her mind. She exhaled and forced a smile. "Everything is going to be alright," she faltered. "Just run! Tomorrow, you'll wake up and think this was some sick dream, I promise," she grinned. "Believe it."
She brought her hands together into a familiar handseal and watched with a heavy heart as her students dashed away from her. Their loud footsteps drumming against the creaky wooden floors. Naruto met the hungry eyes of those creatures. For the first time in years, she felt the bubbles of excitement in her gut and uttered the words that she always wanted to say to those creatures whenever they looked at her precious daughter.
"You mess with the wrong bitch."
The winds became chillier, the closer they got to the high school. Mud sloshed and clung to his pants while childish whimpers filled the air. When they first began their run, Akari had been well-behaved. She had been content with holding her teddy bear, giggling and tugging on Itadori's hair like she was a princess and Itadori was her horse. But then, the sky darkened till pure blackness greeted their sight. The dogs howled in the distance but that wasn't the thing, he believed, that terrified the toddler. No, she clung even harder to Itadori with each passing step to the school. Her violet eyes would widen with absolute fear and she would plead with teary eyes for Itadori and him to turn back.
The knowledge he had on toddlers was zero. Tsumiki was older than him and while Gojo-sensei behaved like an irresponsible child, he was a grown man. He glanced at the shaken child and then to the frowning pink-haired boy. "Is it normal for her to be this upset?" He furrowed his eyebrows together when the girl clung even tighter to Itadori. "Or does she behave like this because she misses her mother?" It wasn't a necessary question but there was something unnatural about the tears. She cried for her mother earlier but silly expressions would distract her. Itadori had tried galloping like a horse, claimed it made her smile and forget everything, but it didn't seem like it.
"She only behaves like this whenever Uzumaki-sensei brings her to our school," Itadori winced when the girl tugged on his hair even harder. He furrowed his eyebrows together. "That's why Uzumaki-sensei doesn't bring her in unless she has no choice," another cry and they shared a wince. "I heard she brought her in once when Akari was just eight months old," Megumi raised his eyebrows and the boy explained. "She was on the waiting list for her daycare," Megumi nodded, and the boy continued on with a frown. "From what I heard from my seniors, she screamed and Uzumaki-sensei was worried and about to break down from her crying," the boy looked up to meet the teary eyes of Akari. "But Akari is actually really brave, isn't she?"
"Like Mama," the girl declared, wiping her eyes. She hugged Itadori's head and nuzzled her head against his hair, crying out. "But Monsters want to eat Akari!" Teary violet eyes met his own and Megumi's heart stopped at the sweat sticking to the girl's face. "They always want to eat Akari!" She whimpered. "Akari doesn't want to be eaten." She looked down at Itadori and then to him. "Mama! I want Mama!"
At the mention of the girl's mother, Megumi dashed even further, his heart beating wildly and thrashing against his ribs. The winds sliced through his cheeks, a sharp cut, but it didn't matter. What mattered was that he rescued this brawling child's mother. But the fact she keeps saying monsters, means she can see curses. His stomach churned and bile burned his throat while his mind raced with the possibilities. He couldn't sense an ounce of cursed energy from the girl. At first, he assumed it meant that the girl had been born like Maki, like his deadbeat father: she had heavenly restrictions. But she could clearly see curses, which was odd. His fingers itched to contact his mentor and demand to know if there was a scenario like this. In the history of Jujutsu society, he hadn't heard of someone without cursed energy, capable of seeing them.
He couldn't bring himself to look at the girl as her cries became even shriller. She kept thrashing and pleading for Itadori to turn back but the pink-haired boy kept pushing on, unflinching at the kicks and punches. That was a lie. He kept stumbling and wincing like he had been slammed with a hammer. Megumi looked straight ahead; the dull rustic metallic gates was just in sight. There were two distinct figures clinging onto the gates, trying, and failing to stand properly. It was reasonable. There was a bubbling pressure around the school. It pressed down on him, digging into his bones and brain like it could crack him. He kept his expression blank while Itadori stumbled, his expression clearly pained from the growing pressure. Akari, on the other hand, was unbothered by the pressure. Yet, her pudgy hands were whiter than usual and tugged on Itadori's hair even harder, yanking at him.
As they approached the school gates, no sound could be heard from nature. The dogs didn't howl. The crickets didn't chirp. The winds had grown still like it was holding its breath. Only the rattle of the metal, rustic gate echoed in the air. From behind him, he heard the sharp desperate gulps of air from Itadori and it wasn't long before the boy ran past him, straight towards the two teens struggling to stand up straight. From where he stood, he saw no bruises or scratches on them but there was a distinct vomit odour on them. Itadori didn't seem to notice but Akari wrinkled her nose in disgust. Her tears hadn't stopped. She was now hiccupping but at least, she wasn't screaming for the whole world to know.
"Are you guys alright?" Itadori asked with a tone mixed with relief and concern as he lowered the toddler to the ground. Throughout the way to the school, he did debrief the boy of curses and the potential consequence of the object, but he had to do it in a way that the toddler couldn't understand. Megumi took a couple steps forward and froze when the toddler dashed straight towards him, her little arms clinging to him. Her violet eyes met his own, pleading and begging him to take her away. His throat tightened and he felt himself faltering. Too innocent to be Gojo-sensei's daughter, he decided. Violet eyes became misty and without thinking, he carried the girl and awkwardly patted her back.
The dark-haired girl clutched her chest and gulped down a mouthful of air. "Yeah, of course," the girl trembled and removed her glasses, tidying it up for a moment. Once cleaned, she slid it back against her nose bridge and cleared her throat. "We're fine," she repeated. "We're alive." Tears dribbled down her eyes. "Uzumaki-sensei was right, we should've listened to her!" She choked up. "Those things wanted to kill us!" She wiped her eyes from underneath her glasses. "I can hear their laughter! Their shrill laughter!" she turned to the gates. "Their teeth too," she shook her head. "If it wasn't for Uzumaki-sensei, we would be dead."
Itadori furrowed his eyebrows together and asked the question that bothered him too. "What do you mean?"
"She told us to run before we saw those things," the boy answered; his voice was slightly slurred and dazed. He glanced at the rustic, metallic gates with weary eyes. "There was a slight explosion and then we heard multiple voices," Megumi furrowed his eyebrows while Itadori leaned forward, clearly interested. "They sounded exactly like Uzumaki-sensei," they blinked but Megumi noticed that the toddler wasn't surprised, then again, she was clearly unaware of what was going on. "They kept egging them on, telling them that if they wanted to kill us, they would have to get through her," Megumi's heart dropped and the boy looked at the waning moon. "They must have done it because we heard screaming," the boy shuddered. "But not Uzumaki-sensei screams, those monsters," he reassured them. "We only had a glimpse of one of them but we saw Uzumaki-sensei do something, a blue spiral, she called it the rasengan," Megumi filed this information for later and the boy exhaled. "Those monster bled and just…disintegrated under her attack, and we managed to get out of the gates."
There was a long stretch of silence. Megumi sank onto the ground, mud sticking to the bottom of his pants, as his brain processed the information. Multiple voices? Sounded exactly like Akari's mother? Rasengan? There was nothing about it that indicated someone, who could use cursed energy. When could someone use a cursed technique that was that broad? His mind swirled even more, it felt like he was swimming in an endless ocean with no land in sight. A sharp tug. He looked up to meet the teary, pleading eyes of Akari. Her bottom lip was wobbly like she was holding herself back from crying again. She whimpered once more. "Where's Mummy?" her cries sliced through the air and the two teens exchanged guilty looks. Akari cried. "Where's Mummy? Mummy! Mummy!" She hiccupped. "Akari wants Mummy!"
Her shrill cries rang in the air. Megumi looked away, his throat tightening even more. If he had found the object earlier, this wouldn't be happening to the girl. Itadori looked down at his feet while the two teens were unable to meet the eyes of the sobbing toddler. What could anyone say to the toddler? He trembled. This was why he didn't want Itadori to come. The girl shouldn't be like this. Her mother should be by her side. Not doing this. Not doing his job for him. He hardened his resolved and gently removed the sobbing girl from his shoulders, handing her back to Itadori. "Where is your teacher?" They didn't answer him and so he repeated himself. "You've to remember where you saw her last time."
"She was by the gates but then she vanished out of thin air," the girl choked. Her voice was heavy with a mixture of emotions: fear and guilt.
That response wasn't going to help him. He took a deep breath and glanced at the teary eyes of the toddler. When it came to his biological parents, he had no memories of them. Their faces were a blur to him. His mother, especially. Her name was a mystery nor did he ever recall if she had been loving. But for the sake of the girl, he should bring her mother back…if she was still alive. Once this is done, I'll tell Gojo-sensei about my suspicion. For the sake of Akari, he hoped and prayed to whatever deity that she wasn't his mentor's child. There was no telling of what the higher-ups would do if they knew his mentor had a child.
"I'm going with you!" Itadori declared, handing the toddler to the only female among them. The girl blinked and held the toddler awkwardly like she had never held a baby in her life. "She's my teacher!" Megumi stared him down but the boy doubled down with a stubborn expression. "If anything happens to Uzumaki-sensei, it would be my fault!" He glanced at Akari. "And then I would have to raise Akari when I don't know how to—"
"—Her father will raise her," Megumi repeated. "Once I'm done and if her mother is dead, I'll tell her father about her," he shook his head and sighed. "How did he even end up having a daughter that's so…sweet?" No one was going to believe the fact that Gojo's daughter was everything that he was not. It seemed like the mother's genes was stronger.
Itadori looked at him with determined eyes. "I'm going with you!"
Those annoying little fuckers were everywhere. Naruto scowled and turned her back around as another one of those little creepy monsters howled in agony. Every time when she thought she had found an empty room without any of those motherfuckers, where she could seal it off while she prepared the seals that would neutralize the damn vile energy, she would find one of those lurkers in the shadows. They would try to launch an attack at her in attacks that they believed were sly, but for her was obvious. She just needed to hear a creek on the floor, a twisted giggle on the ceiling, and the table whimpers to know that they were trying to attack her. Naruto exhaled and wiped her cheeks before glancing down at her shirt and skirt. Purple blood coated them, its odour mingled with the bacteria-ridden odour of her sweat. Right now, if she were to return to her daughter in this state, she would scream and cry like any innocent child.
Another twisted giggle. Naruto channelled chakra into her fist, waited for the whistle in the air, and slammed her fist against the creature's gut. The creature lacked bones. So, there wasn't that sweet cracking sound of a bone being broken. But there was that sweet, delighted feeling of the air being knocked out of its gut. The screams of a wall as it crumbled into oblivion. While she would forever be grateful for the break Kakashi-sensei had forced upon her, she hated how her blood hadn't sang with oblivion at smashing a couple of creatures. She loved her daughter, in some ways she was grateful for Sasuke being a lying, cheating bastard and Sakura being an insane freak, but she hated how she couldn't go back to her village until her daughter was older. Akari was easy-going, an absolute angel, but she would not be able to take her back home at this stage. Not unless she had someone with her to cope with the load of a hyperactive toddler.
Several creatures approached her, their backs hunched, and their fangs gleamed with a sharp hunger. Rolling her eyes, she wiggled her finger at them. They exchanged glances like they were capable of thought before hurling their bodies at her. Balling her hand into a fist and skidding her leg back, she smashed her fist on the creatures with several eyes decorating its head, and slammed the creatures with the black hair and squinted eyes up on the ceiling. The ceiling cried and vine-like cracks formed on the ceiling. One more kick would destroy the building. The creatures howled in pain, blood dripping down the side of their face as they coughed mouthful of bloods.
The floor was painted in violet hues. Those vile creatures disintegrated into glimmering, purple ashes as if they had never existed. Naruto clicked her tongue and glanced down at the finger. There was no twisted laughter. No sharp, eager breaths from above her. No distinct footsteps that spoke of eagerness to kill. It was the perfect opportunity for her. With a deep breath, she pulled out a kunai from her white socks. If she had known today of all days, she would need her scrolls…then she would have brought it. But in her defence, she thought her two idiotic students would wait another day before pulling this stunt. Lesson learnt: explain everything to Akari when she gets older, so she doesn't find one of many dumb ways to die. If things went according to plan, her daughter would live to see the age of 20. To become a responsible, better-tempered woman than her. So, if some cheating bastard cheated on her, the lying bitch wouldn't use her history against her.
Before she could make a clear, sharp cut to her hand, Naruto paused. Not out of hesitation but at the distinct controlled footsteps that were quiet and hollow against the floors. A quick sniff in the air told her that it was human. A glance at the windows allowed her to have a glimpse of inky-black hair and blue eyes. For a moment, her mind went blank. You and Sasuke would have black-haired, blue-eyed babies. Fake smiling green eyes burned in her mind alongside the false, encouraging words of her former teammate. She shook her head and waited with a heavy heart to see the person coming. Within seconds, a black-haired boy with blue eyes stepped out of the shadows, and her stomach crashed. Fifteen. He had to be 15. And by himself. Why was he here? Her stomach churned when she felt the distinct energy around him. It was like Akari's father. That same kind of energy. The same one shared by those vile creatures.
"What are you doing here, kid?" He didn't answer her, he just stared at her with stoic eyes. No, she realized, his eyes were on her bloodied clothes. She took a deep breath and twirled her kunai once more before cutting it against her hand. Blood seeped into the air, mixing in with the blood of all those creatures that she killed. She sat down and began to write the characters. "You can tell me, I don't bite," she grinned. "I'm more of a puncher than a biter."
"Your daughter," he said, and her smile faded at the mention of her daughter. The boy repeated himself. "She keeps asking for you," his voice was curt, but she heard the subtle emotion in his voice. The empathy for her daughter's pain and that made her chest tightened. "She's scared."
Her blood turned cold. "What happened? And how do you know my daughter?"
He didn't answer her immediately, and Naruto swallowed the lump in her throat. Her eyes drifted to the finger in her pocket while her mind wandered back to her daughter. I have to go to her. Her sweet daughter was her number one priority. She only had her. But this kid was here and she couldn't just leave him here to die because of her desire to reassure her daughter. I don't want to be like my father. She sucked in a deep breath and looked at him for a moment. If he was here, then he had to have an adult. There had to be someone that he could contact.
"You've mentor, right?" The boy blinked but didn't answer her. He just stared at her. She swallowed down the lump in her throat and took several deep breaths. "Call him, right now!" The boy looked at her for a moment and then shook his head. She clenched her jaw and barked. "Why won't you call him? You can't expect me to abandon you here just for the sake of my daughter!" She wanted to send her clone to Akari but if they popped, her daughter would wail even more. Her heart would break into a million pieces if she saw that. "Call him or if you can't be bothered to call him, give me the phone and I'll scream at him to come."
The boy looked away. "It's my mission, not his."
"You think I give a shit that it's your mission?" she roared. The boy stumbled and looked at her with wide eyes. Naruto trembled and took several deep breaths, her other hand gripping tightly onto the rotten finger. "You aren't an adult, whoever tells you that you're one is a sick, twisted bastard that would rather see you dead than alive," these thoughts of hers had grown even stronger since she had Akari. She hardened her voice. "Your job is to be a 15-year-old, not do dangerous shit that can get you killed," thank god her daughter didn't hear her swear or Akari would decide to repeat her words like last time. It had not been fun getting disapproving looks from the other parents. "Now give me the phone so I can call your mentor or you do it for me! Either way, I'm not leaving you until I know you're in safe hands!" She exhaled. "My daughter is in safe hands; Itadori wouldn't be so irresponsible as to leave her by herself," she shook her head. "I would kill him if he did that."
The moment she finished uttering those words, the floors began to groan. Damn it! Even if she wanted to leave the boy alone to do this, those creatures wouldn't let her. The air was once again poisoned with rotten hatred, the same unbearable hatred that she felt in Konoha. There was a loud, rumbling groan. Saliva dripped down on her hair. Absolutely gross. Looking up, she saw eyes. Not one pair. Maybe 20 pairs of eyes. Tiny hands protruded out from various parts of its body. Thank goodness, her daughter wasn't here or she would be screaming. Larger hands reached out, trying to grab her, and Naruto growled. "I'm not in the mood for you!" With chakra pumping her fist, she smashed it against its body. Its chest wobbled like it was in an earthquake. Its howls of pain rang in the air. A huge hole formed in its stomach, violet blood streaming down like a gushing river. She turned her back around and met the stunned eyes of the boy. "Now where were we?" she clapped her hands together. "Call him, right now so I can give him this wonderful job while I calm down my baby!" She glanced down at her outfit. "But I might need to take a bath first, Akari is going to freak out if I come to the hospital like this."
The boy grimaced. "She isn't in the hospital."
There was a sharp twitch in her cheek and the vein on her forehead protruded, pressing intensely on her skin like a pipe ready to be exploded. "What do you mean my daughter isn't in the hospital? Where would Itadori take her?" His home. No, her daughter didn't like going to unfamiliar homes. The boy refused to meet her eyes. She clenched her jaw. "So you won't call your mentor because you believe that since this is your mission, no one can interfere," he remained silent and she exhaled. "And now you won't tell me, where is my daughter?"
Glass shattered. Naruto swirled her head and met the brown eyes of her youngest student. Her youngest student, who should be babysitting her daughter like she requested him to. Itadori smiled, almost proud of himself. She thinned her lips and crossed her hands against her chest. "Itadori," she sang sweetly and watched with delight when the two boys paled. The air trembled. "If you're here, where's Akari?" She twirled the kunai. She wasn't going to throw it at them but right now, her mind was going mad with the various scenarios of where her baby could be. "Where's my daughter! I asked you to babysit her while I dealt with this mess."
"Akari is with Sasaki," Naruto relaxed her shoulders and the boy gulped. "Can you please put down the kunai? Where did you even get the kunai?" His eyes shook with fear and his voice became a little higher. "Please Sensei, you look like you're going to kill us!" She should yell at them for giving his responsibility to someone else. With a scowl, she lowered the kunai and her student blinked once more. "I promise Akari that I would bring you back safe and sound," Naruto twitched and looked away. That wasn't her student's job to say, it was her job to tell her daughter that. The boy grinned. "But it looks like you're fine, Uzumaki-sensei."
No, she was now worried sick about her daughter being near the school when she was terrified of these things. The one good thing about those creatures was that they had never once went past the school gates. Naruto took a deep breath and waited for her heart to calm down before pulling out the finger. The damn finger that made it impossible for her to go back to her daughter. That made it difficult for her to leave the two boys in this place. She tightened her jaw. There had to be away for her to store this cursed finger while she made a plan on how to lock it up for good. She glanced down at her socks and bobbed her head. A temporary storage seal. That would work while she figured out how to destroy it. Rasengan hadn't helped. Most of her jutsu hadn't seemed to work on it.
So she had to go for the next best thing until she talked to the boy's mentor.
"I'm going to store this finger until I can think of a better way to control it," she informed them. "But I can't exactly make a storage seal with just one hand and fight those annoying beasts," Naruto glanced down at her palm, where the sun seal sat, and then looked at the silver waning moon. "So do you believe you can hold onto it until I can make that seal?" She directed the question to the dark-haired boy. Out of the two boys, he was clearly the stronger and probably the more responsible one. Naruto grimaced when the boy nodded. "I can't believe I have to entrust you with this just so I can go and check up on my daughter." She grumbled. "I can't even check up on her at this state."
Once she had the finger in temporary storage, she was going to take a shower in the gym and hug and pepper kisses on her daughter's cheeks.
A lot of things could happen in a span of a minute. One minute. It took her twenty seconds to find the proper paper for her temporary seal. It took her one minute to give the rotten finger to the boy for the whole world to blow up in her face. The moment the dark-haired boy clutched the finger was when the walls began to crumble. It was when the creatures stirred once more, howling to the moon like a bunch of rabid dogs. Those creatures hadn't gone for her. They dashed past her like she was nothing special, instead they ran straight towards the person holding the finger. Large bug-like eyes met her own, its three fingers gripping the ground while one of its hands clutched the boy like he was her daughter's plushie. The boy groaned and struggled to get his hands out. The creature seemed to be aware of what was going on because he hurled the boy to the open space, slamming against the wall.
This is why I wanted his fucking mentor! She scowled and stuffed the papers into her skirt pocket. Now she was going to have further delays in reuniting with her baby. A clone wouldn't reassure her daughter, not at her bloodied state. She clenched her jaw and jumped straight towards the open space. The cold winds blew across her hair, a quick look to the gates told her that her daughter was still there, clinging onto her other student. Once this was done, she was going to hug her daughter and kiss her cheeks, reassuring her that she had no plans of leaving her. She wasn't her father. She would never become like her father. He chose to leave her behind while she was now in a position, where one boy had been stubborn enough not to get his mentor involved.
She took a deep breath and sprinted towards the groaning boy. The boy laid there with blood dribbling down the side of his pale face surrounded by the crumbled walls of the building. He moaned and grabbed his head. If he didn't get a concussion, then it would be a miracle if you asked her. But there would be hell on the man, who allowed him to do this dangerous stunt. Naruto swallowed down the lump and hardened her heart. Not the time for her to behave like the fretting mother. She knelt beside him, cupped his cheeks and turned his head around, inspecting him. There were several purple bruises around his face, a dazed dull look in his eye, and her mind went blank for a moment. An image of Sasuke when they had been 12. When he hurled himself in front of her, blocking Haku's attack, and her heart going to a wild state of confusion at the knowledge that he had sacrificed his dreams for her to live.
"My body just moved on its own."
Bitterness clawed into her heart, and Naruto took a deep breath. Not the time for her to think about the past. Yes, it proved he cared but that had been the first sign of his self-destructive tendencies. The tendencies, she knew, that had also led to the destruction of their own relationships. She inhaled the crisp air, grimacing at the subtle iron scent in the air. It seemed like the boy was bleeding just enough for him to taint the air. The boy groaned again, trying to move, and Naruto clenched her jaw. "Stay still," she insisted with a heavy sigh. He blinked, his eyes still dazed from the attack, and she continued on. "You're injured and you'll only be a waste if you continue like this."
"I'm fine," he insisted.
Naruto raised an eyebrow and poked him right in the ribs. Within a second, he screamed several curses that would even make her blush. "Right, so that is the normal reaction of someone being fine," she teased him and the boy let out a disgruntled grunt, cheeks burning red. "Hand me the finger and I'll figure something out," the words rolled off her tongue like a slow-moving barrel and she glanced down at her hands. "I probably should have done this instead of giving you the finger," she mumbled, putting her hands together into a familiar hand seal. There was an explosion of white smoke but even with the misty vision, Naruto saw the dark-haired boy forcing himself up. Reckless, she decided, and without any care for his life. The smoke died down to reveal 20 of her clones. "Girls, protect the princess over there," she jerked her finger at the stunned boy, "while I quickly make a storage seal."
The boy spat out blood and rubbed his lips until it was painted red with his blood. "How are you able to do this?" He jerked his heads to her clones and then to her. "It shouldn't be possible." He clutched his chest. "You aren't a jujutsu sorcerer. You don't have cursed energy so how can you do this?"
"Chakra," Naruto answered without any hesitation. "Everyone back home can use it but even making this many shadow clones is considered difficult," she offered him a grin and looked at the creature that was staring straight at them. "That's the beauty of belonging to my mother's clan," she smiled cheekily at him. "We're a powerhouse when it comes to using chakra, and we are naturally skilled when it comes to seals and barriers." Naruto glanced at the hand. "But right now, I should focus on making that temporary storage for that creepy finger."
The boy let out a shaky breath and blood dribbled down the side of his lips. "Do it after you kill the curse."
"As you wish, Princess." The boy gave her a feeble glare and she ruffled his hair, grinning. "Want me not to call you a princess? Do what I say next time and you wouldn't be this injured," he snorted like that wasn't true, and Naruto tightened her smile. Oh, she was going to be having a lot of words with the man in charge. He was going to teach that kid to call for help when he needed. Brat was going to get himself killed with his line of behaviour. She took a deep breath, dusted the dirt off her skirt, and tossed the finger towards her clone.
The world held its breath. Naruto clasped her hands behind her back and watched the circling beast with narrowed eyes. There was an eagerness in its beady eyes as it locked on the clone carrying the cursed finger. The beast charged straight at her clone, its loud, rumbling footsteps sliced through the air. Yeah, those things can think of only one thing. She clenched her jaw and dashed straight towards the creature. Several techniques came to her mind. Rasengan. Truth-seeking balls. One of her lava jutsu. In the end, she decided to go with her classic move. The one move that would deliver damage and would not make a bigger mess for her. She twisted and turned the chakra in her hand. The beast tried to swat her. She slammed the rasengan straight into its head. A splutter of blood coated her whole face, now she definitely was not in any state to see her daughter.
Blood soaked her clothes, and now her toddler was probably going to be scarred for life because of this.
"Uzumaki-sensei," Itadori said. She jerked her head and met the surprised eyes of her student, wondering when he had gotten here. She didn't remember hearing him. Then again, she had been focused on the fight. Brown eyes fixated on the blood in her face, clinging like a newborn baby. There was no fear in his eyes. Not a surprise. This child had always been so brave if you asked her. He held up the rotten finger for her, it illuminated with sinister energy. Her stomach squeezed just a little bit. "I have the finger for you."
She drifted her eyes to the fallen boy. "Why did you take it from my clone?"
"Your clones could get hurt by those curses," her student explained.
Naruto nodded and glanced at the scenery around them. There was nothing but crumbled white walls around them, reminiscent of those pies that Ino loved to eat whenever she came to visit her in Japan. She groaned and tugged on the collar of her shirt. It felt like she was now inside a pot of boiling water. The humidity. Was this country this humid? Or was it because of what happened tonight? That was one change she did not like because now she was aware of how sweat clung onto her shirt. The metallic odour of blood that ruined her whole scent. There was now only pure silence in the building, as if there had been no battle that had been fought. But the signs were there from the crumbled buildings around them. It was not going to be fun explaining to her boss about what happened.
Easing the ache in the back of her neck, Naruto took a seat on the ground and reached down her other socket. Small pieces of paper fluttered against her leg, demanding for its sweet release. She pulled out the paper and caressed her cheeks. Blood clung to one of her fingertips. This would do. Blood was still something she could use to write. The richness in the colour may even drill in the minds of everyone that this was not an object to play with.
"This seal will keep it stored," she yawned as her fingers began to trace characters. "And then I'll figure out how to design a seal that would ward off the potent energy of the finger." Because of what her students had done and because of Yuuji's grandfather's request to see her, she hadn't had time for her short-power nap. Her head ached and demanded for her to take a minute to nap. To close her eyes and recharge because she wouldn't be getting any sleep tonight.
Itadori stared down at the finger. "And what would happen if it doesn't work?"
"You'll have a repeat of what just happened," The dark-haired boy replied, groaning. Her clones shook their heads and dragged the boy back to his original position, back on the cold hard ground. "Those curses will continue to attack until they have that finger in their stomach."
Her student kept silent. His eyes focused on the finger in his hand, curiosity and resignation.
Naruto felt her stomach crashed. Oh, she knew that look. She had been the owner of said look. I feel like god is making me pay for all the shitty things I put Kakashi-sensei through. That look had gotten her in so much trouble. Had led her to slice her hand in a cold air and made a declaration that would forever colour her memories. She reached her hand out and was about to snatch the finger when her head screamed in pain. Fuck, she should have taken the nap like she should have. Her vision became blurred and her ears rang from exhaustion.
So they can't get it if it's eaten right?" Itadori asked with that sick, curious tone. She should get it but her head was ringing. How was she going to even carry Akari home if she couldn't even stand straight? Damn it, she should have taken a nap. Or maybe, it was time to invest in silent seals on her bed. Yeah, she would get sleep and her daughter wouldn't have to wake up her mother's screams. She nodded and reached forward, only for her student to step back.
The dark-haired boy stilled. Understanding. Horrified. He understood what her student wanted to do. "You idiot, don't eat it!"
Instead of doing what the boy ordered, her student decided to do the opposite. Naruto watched with pale face and a shaking body as her student gobbled down the finger. She should slap him. She should yell at him for eating something so dangerous. This was something a baby would do. Something Akari would do. The thought of her smiling toddler made her throat tightened. Her daughter must be sobbing right now. She must be quivering in her spot, clinging onto Sasaki and pleading to see her like she did on her first day of daycare. Her heart ached and her mind became numb before she looked at her student.
Yuuji shuddered like someone possessed. Naruto blinked and felt her blood turn to ice when black marks began to materialized on the boy. Distinct markings that reminded her of the practice of Inuzuka clan, where every member had markings around their body. But unlike Kiba, the patterns weren't just on his face but on his whole body. The kind eyes of her student was gone, replaced with a cruelty that reminded her of the matron. Her throat muscle squeezed. Oh and the bloodlust. It was overwhelming, giving her images of how the creature would try and kill. Not her. No, she saw images of the creature trying to rip her daughter apart. She channelled chakra into her hand, and then froze when it stared at her.
Cruelty dipped in his lips.
"You look like you would be good enough to eat." The voice was huskier, darker, and crueler.
"Hmm, get rid of the blood on me and you'll find that I'm disgusting to eat," she declared with a hard voice. Kill him. She had to annihilate the monster because of her daughter. No, don't think like that! This was the same thought process as the villagers. As the people, who denied her humanity. The ones who called her insane because she lost control over what that insane bitch had done. She clenched her jaw and spat. "You eat me and someone inside of me will make your life a living hell!"
The not-her-student twitched, his eyes glowed even more with bloodlust. Her blood turned cold, icicles forming inside of her vein. He doesn't care. Her fingers itched. To kill the creature. It would harm everyone. She could picture the corpses that would surround him, the distinct cruel laughter, and even the blood-coloured air. But this was the body of her student. Her sweet, idiotic student who should have…
A twitch. The not-her-student grabbed his head. "What are you doing?"
Naruto blinked. "What the hell is going on?"
"It seems like your student is regaining control of his body," Kurama declared. "The kid should have let that guy go on, nothing good is going to come out of this."
She scowled. "What do you mean?"
"It means people will want him dead."
The body stumbled and the sinister look in her student's eyes died. Kindness once again radiated in his eyes. A smile. Such a proud smile like he couldn't believe what he managed to do. Bile rose up in her throat. Kurama had to be wrong. There was no way that people would want to kill her student. Yet, there had been evil in his eyes. A different voice too. Someone who hated humans. Hated the world around them. She didn't like this.
"Don't move," the dark-haired boy growled. Shadows fluttered around him, his eyes were stoic. But there was a layer of grief shroulded around him like this was the most painful thing he had to do. Her heart might have broke just a little bit. "You're no longer human."
Only the howls of the neighbourhood dogs could be heard.
"What do you mean he isn't human anymore?" she demanded.
The boy kept his eyes focused on her student, his voice was steady but hollow. "It means that under jujutsu regulations, I will exorcise the curse known as Yuji Itadori."
Exorcise. That sounded like trembled. I want you to take my place in guiding that boy. Itadori's grandfather made a plea, begged her on his last day on this world for her to guide his grandson. Her promise had made those eyes just a little bit brighter. Had given him back some glow. It brought him comfort. He would curse her if he knew that this was going to happen under her watch. She steadied her heart.
"Over my dead body are you going to kill my student!"
The wind rustled; a sweet scent filled the air. A familiar scent. Her mind wandered to that drunken night. Of heated kisses. Of a man giving her a cheeky grin while he kissed her thighs. She closed her eyes and swallowed down the lump in her throat. Well, now she had found the father of her child. She took several deep breaths and met the gaze of the white-haired man. His lips curled into a smile like he remembered her, and for one wild moment, she wondered if he recalled that night. No, she decided, he had been a womanizer if she recalled. He had flirted with a lot of women that night. She remembered that much before she got drunk off her ass. To him, she was probably nothing remarkable. Still, didn't he wear sunglasses? That was what he wore in the bar. He gazed at her, his eyes fixated on her bloodied clothes, on her skirt and she recalled what happened in the bathroom before they went back to his hotel room. The way he drank her like he was starving for her, how he nipped her thighs and got annoyed whenever a mark didn't form.
"Fancy meeting you here," he called out to her with a grin. "So you work here—"
There were a lot of things that should have been said like her screaming at him for putting his student through this. But her mind wandered to her sobbing daughter. To the girl that had his white hair. She recalled what Yuuji's grandfather had told her. You should tell him about his child. She glanced at the students. To the injured black-haired boy and that rage she felt bubbled over. "Where the fuck were you?" He blinked and smiled but she held her hand out to him, silencing him while everyone looked at him. "I'm not talking about what happened in the hotel because I know we weren't seeing each other! I'm talking about your student!" She snarled. Her mind wandered to her daughter, no their daughter. "If you've dealt with this mess, I could've gone and calm down our daughter! But no, your student refused to ring you up, mind explaining that to me!"
His smile dropped and his expression became pale.
"Daughter?"
She smiled sweetly, drinking in the pale expression of the father of her child.
"Congratulations, remember that night in the hotel room? You knocked me up and now you've a daughter, who officially turned a year old two months ago."
When she imagined all the ways in which Akari's father would have reacted to the news, she ranked fainting to be 2 in the list of potential reaction.
A/N: Please do give me some feedback on this chapter and if you enjoyed the work, then please do follow and add this to your favorites.