The following morning, Roxanne starts the day off with a shower, thankful for the laziness of teenage boys as she takes a shower first, sharing it with Nanami.

It doesn't take long for him to pick up where they left off the previous evening, with Nanami lifting her effortlessly, his large, strong hands palming the soft rotund curves of her ass, pulling her apart to slide her onto his hard cock. The shower steam curls around their slippery bodies like a ghostly lover anointing their union. He moves her up and down, watching her unravel, whispering words of encouragement as she does.

Roxanne feels guilt nettling at her heart, and a prickle of awareness at the back of her neck. She knows the walls are thin, and she prays Itadori—and by extension, Sukuna, cannot hear them.

But that prickling awareness tells her that the King of Curses can hear her.

Nanami makes her come with an almost determined efficiency, circling her clit with his thumb and gritting his teeth on a growl as her cunt spasms around his cock, her thighs tightening around his waist as she clings to him, crying his name in the shower.

Nanami peppers her with kisses, and she kisses him, as if his kisses offer the benediction and absolution she craves.

She thinks of Sukuna and what passed between them in her domain the previous night, and shivers both from residual pleasure in the past and the present.

Last Night…

One of the key conditions of Roxanne's domain is trapping sound and reducing her opponents' ability to chant. Sukuna forces her to remove that condition, because he wants to hear every sound they make together.

The Binding Vow—the Pact of the Wheel, it is called—is a complex and intimate one. A divine marriage can be no less.

And of course, every marriage must be consummated, and there is no better place to draw the eye of divinity than within the soul. Sukuna knows this, and that's why his hand is fisted in her hair, pulling her body into an arched bow, her generously plump backside bouncing against his hips, which maintain a punishing rhythm. He watches her beautiful cunt part around his cock again and again, the shaft slick and shining with her essence, and she's only getting wetter, the closer to that glittering edge of climax that he pushes her. But he has no intention of letting her go, not until dawn spills into view. Not until his name soaks her tongue and she finds herself sick and aching for him when they are apart.

She sounds divine. Every sound that blooms from her arched throat is for him, and for the gods too, who drink down her offering without fail. He pulls her up in a frenzy, one hand spanning the sinuous length of her body to cup a breast, the other on her throat, cupping her jaw to turn her head into a hungry, heated kiss.

Roxanne moans into his ravenous mouth, those beautiful lips shaping his name like a desperate plea.

A thread of red ichor tightens around both of them.

The Searing Present…

After the sister event concludes—which Roxanne thinks is wholly weird that it's a baseball game and not a traditional jujutsu contest of cursed strength—she proposes the idea to take Yuji and his friends out to Tokyo Dome for some roller disco and other activities. She tells Gojo, who gives the okay much to the chagrin of the other faculty, and even decides to tag along, agreeing that they can all use a break. Between Gojo, Roxanne, and Nanami, it seems no one wants to think about the fact that these are still children.

And they're asking a whole lot from children.

Aside, she thinks this is the easiest way to distract her from her own memories. Sex with Nanami is always good, but bless his heart he is still only human.

Roxanne never imagined she'd have sex with a fucking god . Because when she tasted Sukuna, there was something faintly divine about their union. It frightens her, makes her wonder if they are all in over their heads with this guy.

Worse, the Pact of the Wheel is a secret one. The only people who know of it are she and Sukuna, and even if she could talk about it, what could she possibly say? Hey babe, I threw a desperate gamble and pacted Sukuna into a hieros gamos situation so that I can hunt him forever if he keeps incarnating, but if he dies, so do I.

Because that sounds absolutely insane. It is insane, and she hopes this Pact doesn't bite her in the ass. She bites her lip, allowing herself a small, quiet, but very hysterical laugh.

Sukuna definitely bit her on the ass last night. Freaky bastard.

Last Night…

"What are you doing?" She pants, watching Sukuna's nails trace unseen sigils on her inner thigh. After each sigil, he leans over to kiss it. She shivers when she sees the cursed energy residuals on her skin.

"Making sure it's known that you belong to me," he says nonchalantly, turning his head to give her cunt a long indulgent lick, chuckling when Roxanne collapses back onto the pillows, her thighs quivering.

"And you're mine too," she breathes, staring at the starry darkness of her domain. Sukuna snorts, making her tense as his breath passes over her swollen and abused cunt. He presses a gentle kiss to her clit.

"As you say," he accedes, crawling up her body, his cock nudging her cunt open. Roxanne yields with a deep groan of pleasure, marveling at his stamina. She dreads what a full-powered Sukuna is capable of.

"You should train more," he says, as if reading her thoughts, his hips rocking against hers slowly, making her whimper and melt around him. "You won't survive me otherwise."

"In a fight? Or in bed?" Roxanne groans on a particularly deep rock of his hips, biting her lip to keep from crying his name. It's too easy to moan his name.

Sukuna leans down, tracing his fangs on her throat, chasing a path of sweat upward to brush his lips against her ear.

"Yes."

The Searing Present…

The skating rink is pretty crowded, which Roxanne sees as a good thing. Itadori and his friends are waiting in line to be fitted for skates, while Roxanne has her own custom pair. Nanami smirks when he sees them: a pair of black suede roller skates, each with stylized bat wings on the laces, a fuzzy pom-pom on the back, and LED wheels.

"You finally ready to rock with me in the rink, baby?" She asks Nanami with a grin. He takes in the sight of her: a black cropped halter top, those little shorts that had her leg tattoos on display, and a set of waist beads to match her cowrie shell jewelry in her braids. Two big hoops in her ears with the name "ROXY" written in gothic lettering. Nanami once thought it gaudy and flashy but now he finds her so ardently vibrant. He can't take his eyes off her.

"Babe!" She waves a hand, sporting a fresh manicured set of glossy black nails. Cursed energy swirls around the symbols painted onto each. Roxanne tests the smoothness of her skates with a smooth strut in place, and turns smoothly as Itadori and Kugisaki roll up.

"Gojo-sensei is already on the floor," Itadori says and Roxanne's eye is drawn to Gojo automatically. No matter what he does, there's no hiding in any crowd. He shines like a star amongst rocks.

And he's a smooth, fucking skater too. Roxanne can't help but be a little turned on by it.

Something constricts around her heart and she feels a prickle in the back of her neck.

Jealousy? From you? She chuckles to herself, knowing even now Sukuna is watching her through Itadori's eyes. She rolls onto the rink's wooden floor, merging with the flow of other skaters effortlessly. Itadori's mouth hangs open in shock as she executes a smooth turn, skating backwards while dancing.

"I had no idea Abaza-sensei was so…talented…" He searches for words, but there is a tone in his expression that makes his cursed passenger chuckle. The boy may be a cage, but he is still a teenager looking at an admittedly beautiful woman. From his prattling with that oaf, Todo Aoi, Roxanne is almost his exact type, save she's smaller in stature.

There's a reason that blond sorcerer couldn't keep his cock out of her this morning. Sukuna sounds more agitated than amused. One might even say he sounds a bit angry. There is a red thread tightening around him and he momentarily regrets entering that Pact with her. Still, he knows it will come in handy in the future. Possibly the near future.

Itadori's throat goes dry and he chokes in shock, making Sukuna chuckle in satisfaction. The more vulgar he is, the more scandalized the brat becomes. And just wait until he finds out the blond isn't the only one who has been inside of her these past two nights. As Itadori joins the other on the floor, there is a brief flicker of Sukuna's marks on his face.

Cut it out! You're gonna cause a scene!

Just having a bit of fun, brat.

Do you ever sleep?

He receives no answer, and sighs in relief. The last thing he needs is Sukuna getting out in a crowded skating rink. He catches up to Roxanne and Gojo, who are engaged in a paired routine, both skating backwards. It looks a little intimate, the way Gojo holds Roxanne's waist, the way she sways her hips in a serpentine motion against him. It's just dancing, but it's clearly flirting too.

Well, well, well, Sukuna's voice echoes in his head. Wishing it were you behind her, brat?

Itadori swallows hard, tearing his gaze away from them as the music turns more to an R&B vibe. Nanami has elected not to join them on skates, opting to watch them instead. Kugisaki is struggling to maintain her balance and so Itadori skates to her. Together, fumbling and awkward and adorable, they help her find her stride.

In the meanwhile, Gojo and Roxanne talk as they skate together. He pulls her close by the waist, his long fingers tangling in her waist beads.

"You've been a naughty girl recently," he murmurs into her ear. "Do you think I don't See it?"

Roxanne gasps, and they turn, his Infinity enveloping them both, keeping clumsy skaters from bumping into them.

"I had no choice," is all Roxanne can say. Gojo's eyes are focused on her, and he turns her again, pulling her back against him as they sway and rock their hips to the music.

"I'm just hedging bets, in case this all goes tits up," she explains to him. Gojo squeezes her waist, and as they pass Nanami he grins at the other sorcerer who rolls his eyes behind his glasses. The flirting he tolerates, but only because he knows Gojo would never cross the line. Not unless Roxanne wants him to.

"There's a traitor in the Kyoto campus," Gojo says, and he steadies her easily with both hands on her waist as she tenses and nearly loses the rhythm. "Steady there, Roxy. I've already handed over the investigation to Utahime. I'll be sending Itadori and Kugisaki to aid in the investigation. It'll be good training for them."

Roxanne nods, turns in his arms, sliding one leg between his as they skated intimately. Gojo can feel the heat of her on his thigh, burning like a brand. He lifts his blindfold, revealing one beautiful blue eye.

"Naughty girl," he teases.

Roxanne smirks. "You think Itadori can handle it? You know they move different in Kyoto, and we still don't know who the allies of the traitor are. However, we do know the Higher Ups are gunning for Itadori."

For a moment they enjoy skating, watching families and friends vibe to the music.

"You're right, of course," Gojo says, "which is why I'm trusting you and Nanamin to look after him while I do some investigating of my own."

Roxanne makes a face. He's blindfolded, skating backward, and their bodies sway and rock in time to the music. Gojo is always good at everything he does, even the things one doesn't expect him to be good at. Seeing her expression, he laughs.

"It'll all work out, Roxy! I've got faith in my students!" They both watch said students crash into one another after accidentally locking their skates together. They end up in a heap and Gojo peers at them as he and Roxanne separate to skate to them.

"You were saying?" It's Roxanne's turn to tease and Gojo turns out his hands.

"Well they won't be exorcizing curses on skates so…can't win 'em all, right?" He grins and Roxanne shakes her head. She and Gojo haul the kids to their feet. Itadori rubs the back of his head nervously as Kugasaki rails at him for being such a clumsy idiot.

For a few hours, everything feels normal, and summer turns to early autumn.

As he said he would, Gojo sends Itadori, Fushiguro, and Kugasaki to Kyoto to aid in the investigation of the traitor. Roxanne does not deign to go with them, and Gojo says he would prefer to see how the students do without the familiar faces of their instructors and mentors to aid them. Roxanne is reluctant to let Itadori out of their sights, but Nanami makes her see reason.

It is a brief respite from mentoring and teaching, and she spends that time in the school's library, researching.

It is there Nanami finds her after a mission.

He doesn't immediately disturb her, instead content to watch her at one of the tables lit by the soft, golden glow of sacred lanterns, reading stacks of tomes, some older than the school itself. He remembers all the times he has found her here, squinting over ink and parchment, a true scholar of the craft. After a while of watching her scribble notes, he joins her. She looks up, and smiles warmly.

Years Earlier…

"Are you sure you've got enough room left over for all this knowledge?" Nanami teases. He watches her as she stands on a step stool, seeking the higher shelves.

"Alright, tall, blond, and lanky," Roxanne says, spotting his amused smirk. "Make yourself useful."

Nanami reaches above her, and Roxanne bites her lip. They've flirted before, teased mostly, but these chance encounters for intimacy have been coming up far too often lately. Roxanne is 16 with all the fluffy and lusty thoughts that betokens that ripening age, and she can't wait to get back to her room and cool off.

Of course, she's imagined kissing Nanami a dozen times before. Sometimes, she fantasizes about him at night, of what his hands might feel like, holding her waist, cupping her breasts.

Her breath comes out in a soft shiver. Nanami looks down, his gaze snagging on hers. His cheeks turn rosy, a faint color and Roxanne, still standing on the step ladder, reaches up her fingers tangling in his golden hair, brushing it aside to see his face in full.

He leans in, their noses touch, and before they know it their lips meet. It's gentle, at first, exploratory, but Roxanne makes a small and delighted noise and Nanami finds himself cupping the back of her head and pushing her closer. He holds her steady as they kiss, hungry and indulgent.

"Nanami…" Roxanne whispers breathlessly against his mouth and Nanami thinks he'll explode if she shapes his name that way again.

They pull away, unable to tear their eyes away from one another.

"Abaza," he murmurs, and she reaches to pull him down for another kiss.

"Call me Roxy," she breathes, giving him one of her brilliant smiles. Nanami's cheeks are flushed warm, and he chuckles.

"Call me Kento," he whispers back.

The Searing Present…

Nanami approaches Roxanne, and she looks up. It's funny to him how her face is as beautiful as ever. There is a gravitas in her eyes, won from experience. He wonders about her solo adventures, wonders about what horrors she has had to face alone yet still revels in the boundless joy of wielding her power?

He thinks about her dancing with Gojo on the skating rink floor, how their movements seemed to feed into one another. Roxanne has always been a phenomenal dancer, and he recalls being mesmerized whenever he could be talked into going out, watching her weave through a crowded dance floor, never spilling a drop of her drink.

He thinks about the skating rink again, Gojo's hands on her waist, the sizzling chemistry between them. There was a point he and Roxanne were broken up, with the stress of her sorcerer duties and his refusal to rejoin the jujutsu world, it made being together difficult. He knew Gojo had eyes for her, of course, and knew they'd dated off and on for the two years they'd been broken up.

It still only slightly bothers him to see them together, but they occupy an echelon in jujutsu society that he never successfully reached. And he has heard the rumors and gossip that the Gojo clan was eyeing Roxanne as a potential addition to the large and sprawling family. Adding a power like hers to their already formidable arsenal would tip the scales of power indefinitely in their favor.

And yet Roxanne keeps Gojo at bay. She has also never talked about the nature of their relationship, and Nanami has never asked.

"You know," Roxanne purrs with a smirk, "you keep looking at me like that and we can recreate an adult version of our first kiss in the Forbidden Texts room."

Nanami briefly entertains the thought of her wrists bound by his tie, her fingers laced with his, while his other hand slips up her skirt, surrounded by some of the most esoteric texts in jujutsu society, and immediately sits across from her, adjusting his glasses.

Roxanne bites her lip, chuckling. She's thinking of a similar scenario.

Something around her heart constricts. She blinks and heaves a sigh to clear her head.

"You had to have read everything in the library by now," Nanami says by way of response, reaching to take one of her hands, stroking it tenderly. "Find anything useful?"

Roxanne frowns in pensive thought, and he sees the faint lines of stress around her eyes. He wants to smooth it away, wants to tell her they should both walk away. He knows she won't, and he knows he won't either. It's a pleasant dream, but he has no time for it.

After , he thinks, imagining her face behind the filmy gauze of a bridal veil. After we solve this mystery we can talk about our future. And the beach.

"You know," Roxanne says, "you'd think they'd have more information on Sukuna but the records are scarce. I'm half-tempted to request an audience with Master Tengen since they might be the only one in our list of allies with any workable knowledge."

Nanami thinks to himself that if anyone can strongarm an audience with Master Tengen, Roxanne can. He wouldn't be surprised if she marched down to the temple and was let in forthwith. She has a way with people that makes them bend to her whim. Like Gojo. Nanami doesn't know why that annoys him so much.

"But, I did find some interesting information on special grades," she says. That piques his interest and he invites her to continue. "It seems these are all…fear-based. If a natural spirit is…well, natural, then these are like the shadows of natural spirits. And I drew some comparisons from Christian mythology. Four Horseman."

"So this supports your theory on them being led by someone else," Nanami says. "But who is the fourth? And who sent them?"

Roxanne turns out her hands. "That's for our traitor to confess. Turns out, the same day of the attack a couple of special grade items were stolen from the warehouse."

Nanami smiles. "Supporting your theory of the battles being a diversion. I see your mind has been puzzling things out.

Roxanne nods. "It doesn't look like these cursed spirits can be purified, but–"

The back of her neck prickles hard, sending a shiver down her spine. Nanami's brow furrows.

"Are you alright?" He asks. Roxanne nods.

"Just caught a little chill," she assures him, watching him visibly relax. She looks over his shoulder, sees Itadori and Fushiguro talking. They're back from Kyoto. Nanami follows her gaze, and squeezes her hand. Itadori and Fushiguro approach, with Itadori waving at Roxanne.

"Miss Abaza, Nanamin!" And from Fushiguro's reproachful look he lowers his voice to an excited whisper. "Miss Abaza, Nanamin!" They take seats at the table and Roxanne shuts the book she is reading, and she feels the prickle on her neck grow stronger. She can't detect a rise in cursed energy from Itadori. Is Sukuna's regard really that subtle yet pronounced?

It chills her blood to think he can watch without being detected, and the boy is none the wiser for it.

She returns from her thoughts to Itadori regaling a slightly annoyed Nanami with the adventure in Kyoto, including the attack from the cursed spirit hybrids. Roxanne frowns, and then another puzzle piece clicks into place.

So that's what they were after. Someone is building an army…

She keeps her own counsel, until Fushiguro brings up the fact that Itadori consumed another Finger while they were away.

"What?" Roxanne says. Itadori looks hurt.

"It wasn't me!" He protests. "I was going to bring it back to Gojo, I promise. Then Sukuna got a hold of it and ate it!"

Roxanne makes a face. "Is that so?" She remarks in an acerbic tone, but she's talking to Sukuna directly, who has the wherewithal to not respond or take the bait. Instead, she feels a prickling awareness, like nails on her skin. She represses a shiver, and pushes away the possibility of it being anticipation rather than fear.

A Few Weeks Earlier…

"In order to seal this Vow, we must recite the words," he says, ignoring Roxanne's whimpering moans. He sits in a pose fit for a lounging king, but she rides him, takes him so well he lets her hold onto him for leverage. Idly, he reaches between them, strokes her clit as her hips come down. He wants her affirmation to continue the ritual.

"Yes…!" She ekes out before Sukuna's hands grasp her hips, slowing her down. It's like pulling the reins on a newly broken mare. She's wild when he lets her do what she must to make herself come, but since their agreement there has not been a single moment where he is not inside of her.

"Thou and no other…" he says.

"Thou and no other…" she moans, head tossing back as his hands span up her sweat-slick spine, savoring the svelte muscle tone, the salty taste of her. He wants to taste her, so he sinks his teeth into her breast, deep enough to bleed, and when she cries out he laughs, licking the wound like an amused jungle cat, before he captures a nipple in his mouth, rewarding her for being so good for him.

Roxanne is horrified, not at the act itself, but her reaction.

The rest of the words are spoken in secret, shared between their hungry mouths as they move in unison. A sacred Vow, and an intimate one. Usually only done in official marriages in the jujutsu world, recorded by priests in the official records.

Sukuna knows that a Vow is far more powerful when it is secret.

He cups her face in his hands, and for the moment, as they consummate, there is an almost tender cruelty in his smile, even as his eyes glow with crimson cunning. Roxanne looks into his tattooed face, knowing that what they have done is beyond both of them. She doesn't know how she will win this fight, but she has bought herself time to try.

"Mine." Sukuna says and Roxanne feels a finality in his tone. He speaks of her as he speaks of everything else: his to take and to own.

"Yours." She whispers back. Wondering why it feels like the truth.

The Searing Present…

Roxanne reports to Gojo later that day, determined to pick his brain and see what he's planning.

"You keep acting like we shouldn't be worried," she says to him. "But I think you should be taking this more seriously. I mean, Sukuna got ahold of another finger for fuck's sake."

Gojo leans back in his chair, watching her pace.

"And he maintained control of his body," he retorts. "Means he's getting stronger. Have some faith."

"I do, Satoru," she argues. "But they're just kids! Three unregistered special grades and our warehouse robbed of special grade objects. Where is our fucking traitor?"

Gojo smiles, still watching her. He has to admit Roxanne is beautiful and splendid in her anger.

"We were kids too, and look at us, now." He murmurs, beckoning to her. She comes to him sitting down next to him with a sigh. "I remember the day you first came here. You were a scrawny little thing, and you'd already seen more than your class would in their entire first year."

Roxanne snorts. "Yeah? And it's a miracle I survived long enough for your people to scout me. What's your point?"

Gojo lifts his blindfold, revealing his eyes.

"My point is: Itadori's got that same tenacity and drive. We have to trust in that, and we have to nurture that."

Roxanne meets his fractal gaze, brow knitting. Another piece of the puzzle clicks into place.

"You want him to learn Sukuna's moves," she says. Gojo doesn't respond, replacing his blindfold. Roxanne laughs hollowly. "Satoru, you bastard. Sukuna's techniques are writing themselves on his bones aren't they?"

Gojo merely smiles and she shakes her head.

"Just make sure you do everything to keep him on mission, and things will work themselves out in the end."

He sounds so certain Roxanne wonders if those Six Eyes give him premonitions. She also worries that if Gojo has figured out what's happening to Itadori as a result of the incarnation, then Sukuna must know. And she can likely ask him…but she can never tell Gojo because the Vow compels her silence. But it compels Sukuna's silence too. Anything they discuss with one another is protected by the discretion of that Vow. A true divine manifestation of husband-wife confidentiality. And because it is secret, it is that much more powerful. She hopes the dice throw pays off in the end.

Perhaps that bind will compel him to trust her, and help her glean his true motives. Thus far, he has been quiet, only giving Itadori a mildly irritating time, or refusing to help which contributes to giving Itadori a mildly irritating time. But as he gains strength, Roxanne knows he will chafe at the bars of his cage and seek freedom. She has to get him to talk before he becomes too powerful to manage. She has to tighten the cord around both of them. She suddenly realizes how dangerous a game she has set herself to play, and Sukuna is old in the customs of jujutsu, considered the best of them all regardless of which side of the line one fell on. Everyone agrees he's the greatest.

A chill runs down her spine. This time, she knows it is anticipation. Matching wits with Sukuna makes her heart race. The thought of possibly outsmarting him makes her wet . Is this what it feels like to be a femme fatale in the movies? God she should have gone that route years ago!

"Eh?" Gojo leans in. "Your cursed energy just spiked, are you excited ? Do I still make your heart race, perhaps?"

"I already rode that ride, Satoru," she says, sucking her teeth in annoyance and getting up to leave. "We agreed to not bring up old shit, remember?"

Gojo snaps his fingers. "And here I thought we shared a moment while skating the other day."

"Nanami is going to pop your head like a cork one day and use it as a hood ornament, you play too much, Satoru." Roxanne can't help herself: she grins. Gojo smirks back at her. Flirting is one of his pastimes, and Roxanne doesn't mind it. It's nice to feel desired by someone she still finds attractive, even if her desire for him is not what it once was.

Still, it was a nice ride.

"Get some actual rest, Roxy," Gojo says, his voice sounding oddly serious. Roxanne turns to look at him, her brow furrowed in confusion. Does he know? Can he see the marks on her skin? She'd woken up healed, her flawless satiny skin unmarred by Sukuna's less than gentle handling, but she still feels the imprint of his lips on her inner thigh, where he'd drawn the sigils. Her breast is still sore where he'd sunk his teeth into her.

Mine.

Yours.

She smiles. Hates that that surprisingly intimate moment had passed between herself and the worst being to ever exist in recent memory. He had to have meant it, though, or the Vow was useless.

That's what scares her the most.

"You know I don't play about my sleep hours, Satoru," she says in that sultry voice of hers, winking at him before leaving for the evening.