Surprise fluttered over her face when she reached the gardens the next morning.
There they were, Gojo Satoru and Geto Suguru, fidgeting around with their backs to her, hovering around various flowers. She cocked her eyebrow when she noticed them whispering into each other's ears. Leaning against the shack's wooden walls (which contained the gardening equipment), she silently observed them.
The sun was blasting heat even in the early hours of the morning, and Sanvi pulled over her white scarf to cover her hair and head. Her fever had finally broken, and her headache was also better. Though, there remained a weird, lethargic weight that had settled over her body. It was the kind of exhaustion where you drag yourself around, and the summer sun only made it worse.
She hated summers. With a burning passion. No pun intended.
The white-haired boy whooped as he stood over a particularly beautiful bloom of the Lily of the Valley flowers. Geto-senpai slapped a hand over his mouth, causing them to tussle around. She watched with pursed lips, as the white-haired boy laughed while struggling against his best friend.
Her conversation with Shoko from yesterday invaded her mind. It was so difficult to think, that he could go through so much in life and still laugh and mess around like he was a normal teenager. His smile was as bright as the sun, and something inside her melted, much to her annoyance.
Her eye twitched as she sighed, eyes looking at the heavens.
It can't hurt her to be cordial from her end. Nibbling on her lower lip, she reasoned hard to herself. She doesn't have to be his friend, but she guesses she can be respectful from her end.
She sighed again, scratching her head with a groan.
She heard Gojo cackling gleefully and looked up. A small (but reluctant) smile made its way onto her face (involuntarily) when she saw him ruffling Geto-senpai's well-made hair while his other hand restrained him in a headlock. He wrapped his fist around a handful of the pretty white flowers, and considering his huge hands, there were a lot of flowers.
And he was doing it all wrong.
Gojo was almost going to pull them out before his hand was slapped away by a white piece of clothing. Releasing Suguru from his grip, he turned around to meet a pair of disapproving eyes. Suguru straightened up, adjusting his clothing. His hair seemed to be too messy though, and both Gojo and Sanvi watched as he pulled at the rubber band, letting his hair down.
They watched in a trance as he ran his hand through his tangled hair. Somewhere behind Gojo, the kouhai of his sighed like a lovesick teenager, and he couldn't help but sneer at her slightly.
"Wow, Geto-senpai. You are so lucky!" She said, all the prior disapproval gone and replaced with warmth. The white-haired boy couldn't help but gawk a little at the change but kept his mouth shut.
"You have such beautiful hair!" She said dreamily, her fingers reaching in the black-haired boy's direction, letting them run through Suguru's soft hair. Suguru's smile froze on his face, and so did his hands, while Satoru's mouth fell open at the audacity.
"So thick and long. And super soft too." She said, rubbing a few strands of black hair between her fingers.
Suguru smirked in a way that was not at all gentlemanly.
Satoru didn't know whether to laugh at the unintended double meaning or be offended that another girl falls for Suguru's charm...when he is right here. Because they did have a sort of competition going on when it comes to girls.
And naturally, Satoru was failing. Horribly.
And sure, Suguru had a lot of girls flirting with him but not one had dared to go this far.
To touch him.
But what was even worse was that he didn't even know if she was actually flirting or not.
But then he saw Suguru's reaction. And then came the worst part of it.
If he felt uncomfortable, then his face didn't show. Instead, he was preening at the praise, giving Satoru a smug look. He knew what it meant, and accepted it begrudgingly.
Suguru- 15, Satoru- 7
It did slightly annoy Satoru that almost every girl they met, whether in missions or when they were outside hanging out, would swoon at the sight of Suguru. Some would come blushing, stuttering out meek hellos and other pleasantries, and Suguru would handle them with sweet words and sultry smiles, turning them into puddles and blushing messes.
And if some girl approached Satoru, then...yeesh...
He wasn't as smooth as Suguru (but he managed), and his best friend always mocked him over the fact.
"There's some lucky genetics you got there! Because no way it's just because of the different products...though you could share your hair care routine."
Pouting, she pulled her fingers back and played with her own hair.
Rough, somewhere between wavy and curly, and all over the place. No shine, no softness, nothing.
"Sometimes, I wished I had straight hair." Sanvi mused to herself, unaware of the wordless communication between the two upperclassmen. Satoru was looking as scandalized as a Victorian man who had seen a woman's ankle for the first time.
"Heh. Good morning to you too," Suguru huffed out, handing her his hair tie. She took it with a red face, which Gojo noticed with slight disdain.
Again, both the kouhai and senpai watched as Suguru pulled his black hair into a ponytail, before twisting it into a small bun. He took his hairband back from Sanvi, tying his hair at the base of his neck. His bang fell off, accentuating his sharp features.
"Good morning, Geto-senpai." She sighed back before her eyes fell onto the white-haired boy.
"And good morning to you too, Gojo..." She seemed to hesitate. Gojo perked up, surprised at the fact that he was being acknowledged in the first place.
"...senpai." She finished with a murmur and looked away completely, focusing on Suguru instead (who looked surprised himself). Gojo almost didn't hear it, but muttered back a 'good morning' when Suguru cleared his throat.
It got awkward.
But sweet Geto-senpai came to the rescue.
"Straight hair isn't all that great, believe me," He said with a sigh, "I think your hair is better, though it has changed a lot since you came here. They used to be much healthier."
Sanvi sighed dramatically, shaking her head.
"I know right!? I guess it's...everything? The change in food, weather, water. I miss my old hair, because this nest," she points at her rough hair, "makes me look like an idiot."
Well, Gojo agrees with that, at least.
Some strands of dry hair came onto her face, and Geto-senpai inspected it curiously. His fingers inspected the locks of auburn hair closely before he hummed in consideration. Gojo sighed slowly.
"Frizzy hair, huh?" He said, giving her an understanding look. "You are right, it's the sudden changes with you moving here. All these things affect our hair a lot...But all hope is not lost. Have you seen women in movies? I think they look pretty good with the rough hair...sometimes, at least. Why don't we try something like that?"
Always, we. We, we, we. Satoru thought with pursed lips as the two continued to talk.
Sanvi deadpanned.
"It's the movies, and you know it. In real life, I look like I have gone through 7 rides on a roller-coaster." She said, punching his arm softly as Suguru laughed.
"Okay, what about this? Let's go downtown this weekend, okay? I know of some hidden gems that can work for you."
And yada, yada, yada.
Satoru looked on from the sidelines as the two continued to talk about haircare out of all the things. Suguru did seem pretty invested in the conversation, and Gojo wondered why he never talked about these things to him.
He watched quietly as Suguru listed some hair products, from where the conversation went to deep conditioners and hair masks and from where it went to hair spas.
"Really!? You know what, I have never had a hair spa before...we can try that. I have some money saved up, also...I think. Oh we can also bring Shoko, and Utahime-senpai! We can ask the boys as well! And after that, we can go have ice cream at that expensive ice cream parlor as well. I have always wanted to try their strawberry flavor! Ahhh," She squealed, jumping up and down while clapping her hands, "this sounds perfect, Senpai! It's going to be so much fun!"
Suguru hummed in silence, thinking about something.
"Yeah, I'll get my hair trimmed also. Heaven knows I need it. Perhaps I should go for something shorter?" He mused to himself but blinked as shouts of 'NO' resounded in the air.
His kouhai was shaking her head in a 'no' furiously, while Satoru crossed his arms over his chest in a cross.
"Definitely not! You have such pretty hair. "
Behind her, Satoru nodded furiously in agreement.
"Yes! Trimming is okay but no further than that!"
Geto's lips pulled up in a smirk at the sight, before he erupted in peals of laughter.
"Look at you two," he said between his laughs, taking deep breaths," finally agreeing on something." His smirk caused the two to clamp their jaws shut. They shared a look as if sizing each other before looking away with varying expressions of awkwardness and discomfort.
Sanvi blushed, for some reason she did not know. Remembering her dupatta, she pulled the loose end of it over the lower part of her face, hiding her red cheeks from them. Suguru raised an eyebrow at the action, tugging the scarf down from her face.
"Why do you insist on carrying this around?" He asked, eyes fluttering behind her at Satoru. He stood there carelessly, shoes rolling around a small pebble on the ground. Despite his seemingly distraction, Suguru knew he was listening in.
"The sun and I don't go well...my skin hurts and my hair becomes even more frizzy and dry."
Clearing her throat, she looked at Gojo from the corner of her eyes.
"You...you wanted the flowers?" She nodded at the beautiful white bell-shaped flowers. He appraised her, before shrugging in an off-handed manner.
"Uhh?"
"Satoru, that's not an answer," Geto-senpai said sweetly...too sweetly. She watched the interaction between them with raised eyebrows.
"Yeah sure, I want the flowers...I guess." Gojo said cooly as if he had not been admonished silently by his best friend. She looked back at the black-haired senior, who had his usual charming smile on his face.
"Yes, Satoru here was thinking that his bedside table was too empty. I suggested some flowers would be a good start, what do you think?"
Behind their kouhai, Satoru raised an eyebrow mouthing questions at him. She turned to look at Satoru, and he shut up, his face turning stoic.
"Uhhh...sounds good! Why don't I help you guys? I have to admit, I haven't done it for a long time! It will be good to do it again."
"Sounds wonderful to me!" Suguru voiced with gratitude, giving the white-haired boy a look as if to assess his mood. Satoru sighed, before shrugging. Whatever.
"We'll need some supplies though." Sanvi smiled at the black-haired boy, who bowed like some sort of waiter in a butler cafe.
"This way, madam." He gestured towards the shack, and Sanvi giggled, tugging at his hand and pulling him along.
Somewhere behind them, Satoru had a heart attack.
The two walked there, leaving the white-haired boy behind to wonder if he should follow or not. They seemed to be getting along pretty well, he thought with a slight bitterness. Just as he was going to decide to stay where he was, Sanvi stopped and turned around to look at him.
There was uncertainty in her eyes. As if she was wondering whether to speak or not.
"Come with us." She said, looking at him square in the eyes...or at the sunglasses to be exact.
He looked at her closely, making her turn red under his gaze. He shrugged and followed behind quietly.
Two pairs of gardening shears. A bucket of warm water. Some old newspapers.
Sanvi nodded, dusting her hands. Her eyes roved over to Geto-senpai, who was looking through the different flowers. Lily of the Valley, irises, lilies, sunflowers, roses, hydrangeas, poppies, gardenias, and hibiscus.
"Okay, you sure you want the Lily of the Valley?" Sanvi asked Gojo, keeping her voice soft but with a 'straight-to-business' tone. Gojo hummed behind her.
"Whatever you want."
She looked at him, looking at him in confusion. He was so weird.
The white-haired boy made himself comfortable on the random plastic chair he found inside the shack. He pulled a straw hat (that he had almost wrestled away from his kouhai, citing the availability of her scarf as the reason) over his face, leaning back and closing his eyes.
Her eyebrow twitched in annoyance at the sight of him resting like a middle-aged man who had done the bare minimum of chores.
"Fine then. Lily of the Valley it is." She muttered, smiling as Geto-senpai came to kneel in the dirt beside her. They pulled on some gloves, and the auburn-haired girl took her jacket off. It was getting hotter with every passing second, and she knew it was only a matter of time before she was sweating. She stole a glance at Geto as he pulled his sleeves up, still looking neat and proper with his jacket on. Not a hair out of place.
Some people are just born lucky, aren't they? He was also a teenager, but he didn't seem to be suffering from any of the side effects of it. Clear skin, beautiful hair, a deep voice, high cheekbones, sharp jawline, and the (absurdly) long and curly eyelashes.
Who in the world is like this as a teenager? While Gojo was also very good-looking, he still had a baby face with round cheeks that almost always had that reddish tint to them. It made her feel better because she wasn't the only one with red skin here. But Geto Suguru? At first glance, and many more, there didn't seem to be any flaw at all.
She wasn't blind to their good looks, not at all. Couple it with their status as special-grade sorcerers, the strongest on the planet, it sometimes made her feel very small compared to them. They were more intimidating when they were together...or at least when Gojo was with Geto-senpai.
Handling Gojo was easier, she didn't find herself smiling at the mere sight of him, and neither did she try to look anywhere but his eyes. It was Geto-senpai who was the issue.
Her face reddened as he caught her gaze and raised an eyebrow, a smile playing on his lips.
"You know even your neck gets red when you are blushing."
Her ears felt like they were on fire.
He let out a huff of laughter, pulling up one pair of shears.
"Now, what to do sensei?"
The next 15 minutes passed by peacefully. Sanvi would search for the perfect flowers amongst the green of the leaves, and snap away at the flowering branch from near the main stem. She would put them over the newspapers for Suguru, who would clip off the foliage at the lower part of the branch, before putting them in the bucket of water.
"You seem very good at it." He commented in between, and she nodded before realizing he wasn't watching.
"Yep! Used to do that with my grandmother. Sometimes, Rihan would help. But he isn't very fond of it." She stole another glance at him, and her heart warmed at the mere sight of him. It felt nice sharing this moment with him, seeing him do something she liked very much. The wind blew his bangs away from his face, a tinge of red on the high of his cheekbones because of the sun.
"So, what flowers do you like Senpai?"
"Heh. I am a simple guy. Red poppies all the way! What about you?"
"Oh Jasmines, a lot of good memories with it. Well, technically a particular type of jasmine. You know, this weekend I went to my sister's place, and my brother-in-law gifted me a plant of Arabian Jasmines from back home. It's still young but I can't wait for it to grow up! I love their smell so much!"
"Oh, feeling homesick?"
Her smile turned soft, nodding. She heard Geto-senpai humming a song gently under his breath.
"I come from a small farming town. Back home, when I used to cycle to school, there used to be a field of red poppies. So whenever I needed space from...everything, I would go there and relax there. It was always a good time there." Suguru said softly after a comfortable pause, eyes focused on cutting off the various leaves at the lower stems.
"A field of poppies, huh? I can only imagine how pretty they would look at sunsets." She said, sighing as she imagined the beautiful scenes.
"Very beautiful, trust me. So, your brother-in-law and sister...they live here?" He asked curiously, and she nodded.
"Yep! He's Japanese actually. They met in the UK while doing their masters, got married last year, lived there for a while, and came back to Tokyo just recently. It's funny sometimes- seeing them together. They fight like cats and dogs sometimes, but he is the only man born in this world who can deal with her, that's for sure. "
"Sounds like the perfect couple." Suguru humored her, and she let out a small laugh.
The silence that followed was comfortable. When they had collected enough of the white flowers, she pulled herself up with a stretch. Suguru looked up, raising an eyebrow at the contemplating look on her face. She moved on to the poppies, kneeling in front of them, and opened the newspaper on the ground, using nearby stones as paperweights.
And she started cutting some of them.
Suguru said nothing. She stole a look at him, and her stomach fluttered at the sight of his mysterious yet content smile.
Come to think of it, he smiles a lot.
After a few minutes, he was beside her, carrying the bucket of water. He sat down at the other end of the newspaper, picking up the poppies and repeating the same process. He was about to put the poppies in the same bucket, but a thought struck his head and he looked at her.
"Should I put them in the same bucket? You said they were poisonous..."
"I don't know to be honest. But you are right, why take the risk?"
Another bucket was brought down from the shack, filled with warm water and there went in the poppies. A content smile came to her face, and she sighed in relief as a cool breeze washed over her face.
"This is so nice," she said, stretching herself as she stood up. Her eyes went over the poppies on the newspaper, a good enough amount for a beautiful bouquet.
"Say, can I ask you something?" He asked her suddenly, and Sanvi looked at him with a bemused expression. She kneeled, sitting down near him as she helped him in shearing off the foliage from the stems.
"I guess. Depends on the question."
"How are you holding up?"
This made her pause. A lot of people had asked her this question, and it was all the same record for her.
It's fine. Everything's ok. I'm good.
Only Shoko had seen her cry once because of it, comforting her after a particularly bad nightmare. She had stayed with her throughout the night, despite having a particularly grueling session of training with Izumi-san the next day, rubbing her back and shoulders.
The brown-haired girl seemed very blunt and somewhat apathetic at first look, but she was extremely kind once you got in her friend zone.
"And I don't mean about the last mission, only. I mean...everything. With this world of sorcerers, this school, your cursed energy, training, missions...how are you holding up?"
This left her a bit speechless. Everyone asked about the missions and all, but no one asked her this. What she was really feeling...about everything.
"You know what the right questions are, don't you?"
Suguru wiped his forehead with the back of his hand, smearing some dirt on his forehead and Sanvi's eyes followed the action. Rolling back his shoulders, he sighed and looked at her gently.
"Well, nobody asked me this question when I wanted someone to. I understand that all of this is a lot to take in. It can be overwhelming sometimes."
She put down the shears, chewing on her lip. Pulling a knee up and resting her head on it, she looked to the side, avoiding his gaze. It was easier for her to talk this way. Her eyes fell on the chair, where Gojo let out little snores. He was the way they left him, not moving an inch.
"I don't know how I feel. I'm confused, I feel sick, and I wish...," She scratched her eyebrow, not knowing what she wished for. Suguru kept silent, his hands shearing off the last of the flowers.
"I like everyone. I have grown fond of them, in such a short time - even Gojo-senpai," She let out with gritted teeth (and Suguru pursed his lips to stop himself from laughing at the worst time possible), "not fond, I mean but even he is a part of my life now. My cursed energy? It's a lot better than before, I think I am getting the hang of it. But I don't like the way it affects my body. I'm hot all the time and this gruesome weather doesn't make it better. School is okay, but I feel clueless."
She took a deep breath, remembering what Yoshida-san talked about yesterday.
"This society of sorcerers sound extremely fucked up. I thought I would just learn how to control myself and be on my merry way. But after the last mission, I don't know if I would be able to. It seems wrong, that I can somehow help all these people, but I consciously choose not to do anything. I feel guilty at the thought, but I don't know if I am cut out for it. Honestly,...I am not so sure of my future."
The sound of Gojo's snoring and birds chirping filled the air. Sanvi realized that all the flowers were done with, and Suguru was himself looking in the opposite direction of hers, his knees brought up to his chest. He was silent for a few minutes, and she realized that she might have overshared.
A bit too much.
Time for damage control.
"But you know, it's nothing to worry-"
"I get it." he interrupted, and she felt his gaze on her. Her body tensed, but she pulled up the courage to turn her face in his direction.
"Hmm?"
"I get it, you know. Sometimes, even I can't help but think if I am even doing the right thing or not. Considering the power we are gifted, or cursed with," He pulled his fingers into a fist, eyes darkening as they were lost in thought, "it ends up on our shoulders to carry the burden of protecting the ones who can't fight for themselves. It's a duty we have to take. But, for all it is concerned, choice feels like an illusion here."
"An illusion...huh." She whispered, her eyes not leaving his.
"You have the choice to decide whether you want to continue your life as a sorcerer or not. But after seeing so much bloodshed and death, how can one live happily knowing someone out there is dying? Someone I could have saved. It sounds cruel to me, having that choice of freedom but being unable to practice it in the first place. Realizing it's an illusion."
The silence was deafening. She looked at him with wide eyes and he looked back. It seemed he was looking at her, but she knew he was not focused on her.
"Do you always think so deeply about everything?" She said, snapping him out of his thoughts.
"A curse of unfathomable intelligence, unfortunately." His lips quirked up, and she shook her head with a smile.
"Yeah right," she reached over, knocking lightly at his head, "don't think too hard about everything. Whatever brain cells that have survived the calamity names Gojo will perish as well."
He headbutted at her hand, and she threw some grass at him.
"Just say you can't handle deep thoughts kiddo. I can bring you cookies next time instead." She stuck her tongue out at him.
"On the contrary, I appreciate listening to your thoughts. I know how weird it feels to let someone else know your deepest thoughts. I admit I never thought the way about it the way you do. I have recently thought a lot about my situation, which gives me more perspective...And stop calling me kiddo! You don't call Haibara or Nanamin that."
"Well, they aren't that young. Unlike you. Technically, you are the same age as a middle schooler." He placed his cheek on his knee, resting the other in front of him. His thin eye slanted even more, and she hid her smile by looking away.
"Technically, it's according to your country. I completed all of my grades with flying colors back home, thank you very much. Besides, I'm turning 15 next month. And your birthday is in Feb right," She counted something on her fingers, "then technically, I am exactly 15 months younger. The difference isn't that big. So quit it already!"
He snickered, shaking his head.
"You mean 17 months, right?"
She frowned at him, again calculating on her finger, giving him suspicious glances. When she was finished counting, she laughed sheepishly. Rolling his eyes, he continued.
"As for your cursed energy, we'll figure something out. I can understand how exhausting it can be to deal with an unpleasant cursed technique."
"We'll figure something out," she murmured to herself, earning a questioning look.
"Are you always this helpful and nice to everyone?"
Geto let out a chuckle, bumping her with his shoulder as he looked forward.
"Just for my friends."
She smiled shyly, hiding her face in her knees.
"What about you, senpai? How are you holding up with everything?"
A thoughtful crossed Geto's face, as if he was genuinely thinking an answer. It satisfied her, knowing he would probably tell the truth and not patronize her with some random answer.
"I am...used to it now. I get to see things that I will probably never forget till I die, but I take solace in the fact that I at least saved some innocent lives. Besides, I have Satoru by my side. So things are quite bearable now."
Sanvi smiled at that. She appreciates a good friendship.
"Well, I am glad you found him. I am sure he feels the same way about you. Though I feel he is more lucky in this case."
The black-haired boy snorted.
"Oh, how so?"
"Because. Just because. You are you, and he is...well, he." She shrugged, not meeting his eyes.
"That's not an answer."
"Well, perhaps I will tell you in detail one day. When I know you even better. And perhaps, him too." She dared a look at him, watching how surprised he seemed at the answer. But he smirked then, and she knew whatever he was going to say would probably turn her even more red.
"Oh, so you want to get to know me better? What a flirt you are!" His voice was all flirty and deeper than normal. He was teasing her. Embarrassed, she punched his shoulder.
"Stop making it sound so weird!" Her cursed energy crackled, and a small flame appeared in the air around her cheeks. Mortified, she slapped her hands on herself, hiding her head in her knees.
Her companion snorted before he ended up in guffaws. He clutched at his stomach as he ended up on his side, laughing uncontrollably. Her cursed energy went even more haywire when she felt his laughing form leaning against him. The flame near her face got even stronger, and she pushed his laughing form to the ground.
"Stop it!" She all but whined, sitting on her knees and looming over him. Curled up to his side, he seemed to have forgotten how to breathe with the way tears collected at the corner of her eyes and how he thumped his chest.
It took him a few moments to somewhat calm down. He looked at her again, rubbing the tears away from his eyes.
"Oh, I am sorry Jaani."
It happened in a fraction of a second. The flames over her skin roared high enough to touch the skies (obviously not, but high enough to be concerned about) and she quickly backpedaled away from him and the plants. That seemed to stop him. He lay there in surprise, making the right choice of giving her space as she took deep breaths.
She forced her thoughts on anything but him. Anything. The mission today with Fujikawa-sensei, the slight burning sensation in her heart (that didn't sound good, she had to visit Shoko again), Haibara's promise of narrating an entire manga to her that she wasn't interested in but did not have the heart to say so.
Anything but him.
It took her a few moments, but it did work.
Sighing hard, she rubbed her thumb at the middle of her chest, or at least as much of it as she could reach with her boobs in the way. It was hurting a bit.
"Feeling something in your heart?"
"Yeah, actually-" She stated seriously, and then her eyes dropped to his face.
There he laid on his side, head resting on the palm of his hand as he smirked at her. She deadpanned, before crawling up to him quickly and swatting him with both of her hands continuously. And then he was laughing again, deflecting her attacks easily.
"Shut up!"
"Does a name really affect you that much?" He asked in between her attacks, snickering hard. She pursed her lips, hiding the smile that was threatening to break onto her face. She should be serious now, but he looked so cute laughing like that...it was hard to stop herself.
"Yes! What if I start calling you by your name, Suguru?"
It didn't have the same effect as she had wished.
He gave her a long look, before shrugging.
"Sure, go ahead."
She let out a noise of frustration, punching him but only to be stopped as he grabbed her wrists.
"Okay fine, fine! Relax." His smile again turned the easygoing one she was used to, and Sanvi sighed in relief. A playful and flirty Suguru, wait no, Geto-senpai, was dangerous. She sat back, away from him as he sat up. He dusted his head off, but there were still blades of grass tangled in his hair. She pointed it out, as he followed her fingers to take them out one by one.
"Got to say though, you have the best reactions. I get it now. Why Satoru loves teasing you."
Loves, not loved.
She noticed but did not comment on it. He seemed to struggle with a few particularly small blades of grass.
"I am glad I entertained you today. But I do hope you know that I will get my revenge on you." She said, slapping his hand away and taking them out herself.
"Eh." He said, waving her comment off. It made her eye twitch but only strengthened her resolve.
"I have to say," he fixed her with an intense, searching look when she was done. "I am surprised. You are surprisingly cordial with Satoru today. I thought you hated him."
Sanvi snorted, pulling some strands of her hair back.
"Hey, hate is a strong word. Don't use it so casually." she chided him a little, eyes flickering down to the grass below. "I don't hate him. I may have said it to myself as a figure of speech once or twice, but not literally."
"So, what changed today?" He asked casually.
Too much casually.
She gave him a suspicious look, narrowing her eyes at him.
"Why do you ask? Are you going to tell him?"
He raised his hands in mock surrender.
"You know my lips are sealed." He said, acting out the motions of zipping his lips and throwing the key.
"Uh-huh."
"You know I won't tell a soul."
"Ah you know, a new day, new me."
He gave her an exasperated look but didn't interrogate her further. And she was thankful for that because there was no way she was talking to him about that. He'll only gossip with his best friend, and Gojo's already inflated head didn't need more inflating.
That was the only reply from her, and a comfortable silence fell over them. Her eyes fell over the grass she had unconsciously pulled out. Suguru looked in the distance, surprised at the turn of events of today. But somehow, it worked out for him. After all, he wanted everyone to get along. And seems like it will be much easier now when there is less hostility from her end.
And in the same garden, under a straw hat, Satoru's mind raced with thoughts.
"Say senpai," she spoke gently, and Geto hummed.
"I think about that lady a lot. The one I burned to death, you know?"
"Is that so?"
"Yeah, I think she's haunting me."
Well, this seemed to catch his attention. He looked at her with a raised eyebrow, wondering if she was serious.
And she was.
"There are no such things as ghosts."
"Why do you insist so? If curses are, ghosts should be too!" She argued, finally pulling her knees down and stretching them in front of her.
"Well, even if she was a ghost, she has no reason to haunt you."
"I think you missed the part where I said that I burned her alive."
Suguru hummed as if she was just talking about the weather.
"Even if you would have somehow not burned her, would she have survived?"
"No."
"Then you did the right thing."
She raised an eyebrow, and he quickly corrected himself.
"Not burning her. I mean putting your and Utahime's safety first."
"But still. She was already in pain, and imagine burning to death. I wonder how will I ever look at my father in the eye. He fought in a literal war, you know. Took 4 bullets while saving his junior, and still survived. Hell, he even got one of the highest gallantry awards in the country. He's a true hero. And me, I'm a stupid ass kid who couldn't even save one woman. And to make it worse, I killed her with my own hands."
Despite the hysterical words, her tone was pretty calm and offhand. As if both weren't talking about a mission gone wrong but about the classroom syllabus instead. But these thoughts just wouldn't leave her alone. She was exhausted from overthinking, and he seemed like a good listener.
"You saved yourself. And Utahime. Two lives are much more worth than you think they are. And she was going to die anyway. Listen to me," Suguru's voice had an urgency in it, his finger tapping at the skin of her knees.
His face was kind, his eyes gentle, but his voice was firm.
"She would not have survived either way. You are not a hero, no sorcerer is. And there is no need to be one. You can only save those who can be saved. Do you think your life is less important? If you died, or Utahime died, then what? Instead of beating yourself over one, think about all the people you can save in the future. Jujutsu sorcery is a field where you have to use logic and let go of emotions. Do you think your father was never in a similar situation in a fucking war? But he did what he had to do, and he lived. The nightmares will continue, but over time it'll be better."
"You get nightmares too?"
He laughed dryly at that, devoid of any happiness.
"Of course I do. Didn't you say it just now? Even I am a kid."
She continued pulling up more grass.
"It sucks."
"It does. But the only thing you can do is to get stronger. And you can do it only when you keep your emotions in check."
"Sounds like a lot of work, senpai."
"When have good things come easy?" He huffed out, and Sanvi groaned.
"It's going to bite me in the ass, you know. I hurt her badly, even though it was written in her kismet that she would die that day. With all this bad karma, I bet I will be eaten by some stupid-ass curse in the end." She grumbled, looking pretty put out.
"You don't know that. Maybe some curse user will get his hands on you and hack you to death." His nonchalant tone did not suit his words, nor did his casual way of examining his nails.
"Well, as long as he is gentle with it."
It was the black-haired boy who snorted at that.
"Weird question, but does it make me a bad person now that I am finding myself not...sad? About all of this. Like I am done being the maiden in woe, I just no longer want to feel anything."
"I think it's a good omen," He said dramatically, stretching his arms. "Means you are starting to get a bit crazier day by day. You need to be a little insane you know, to be a sorcerer. But talking of insanity, how come is a ghost haunting you?" Geto raised an eyebrow at her, wondering what brought the ghost on.
"Well, yesterday I had the weirdest night." She started, and his smile froze on his face.
"First Takeda-san sleepwalked and put a box on my doorstep...which seemed a bit too expensive and luxurious for her to afford but no more commenting on that. And that too when I was just this close to sleep, senpai. This close. And then I went to sit near the window, and when I was coming back...and even in the hallways, I swear I had heard someone whispering. It was creepy. And I couldn't sleep at all during the night. And-hey, why are you suddenly sweating so much?"
"Nothing." He said, before pulling himself on his feet. Sanvi's eyes widened when his hands rested on her forearms, pulling her up also.
"There are no such things as ghosts, Sanvi. You were hearing things. What you urgently need is proper sleep and rest. Besides, weren't you sick?" He said, smiling as he patted her shoulder.
"Ah, I suppose you are right. I haven't had proper sleep for days now."
"Great," he chirped, before turning to Satoru. "Now, let's wake him up."
Suguru's eye twitched in annoyance. Because he knew, that Satoru did not snore that loud.
The white-haired menace was pretending to be asleep. Suguru knew he couldn't have slept through the way their kouhai's CE had spiked. Satoru didn't wake up easily, but when it came to things that could potentially harm him, he was usually up in a second.
He should have at least let them know when he woke up. It was not his conversation to spy on, but the asshole was still listening in. And it was super rude. Suguru had the mind to not call him out in front of their kouhai, who he knew would be deeply embarrassed. But he deserved to be taught a lesson.
"Hey," she pulled at his jacket when he moved towards the shack, "thank you, Su-gu-ru."
She didn't know what else to say, how to tell him that talking to him was different. Perhaps, she did not need the delicate care, but some straight facts delivered to her in the most blunt ways. He made her feel that she was not doing anything bad. That she was allowed to forget and enjoy herself. After all, he seems to have everything figured out.
He is a nice person, with everything sorted out for him. Surely, he knows what he is talking about.
Geto Suguru smiled. Sanvi noticed the way his eyes crinkled, how a dimple formed near his lips on his right cheek.
"Anytime, sweetheart." Her face turned beet red as he winked at her, running to the shack and pulling out a water hose. She looked at him in confusion, and he stared back with a gleeful smile on his face. Then slowly his eyes turned back towards the white-haired boy who was dozing off in the distance without a care in the world.
She snickered when it caught up to her what he was planning on.
A spray of water met Gojo Saturo's face just as he was wondering why were they both suddenly silent. The pressure of it threw the straw hat away, and the water met his face directly, his glasses going askew. He sputtered while struggling to get away from it. Thankfully, his jacket was back on the bench at the entrance of the gardens, far away from this nonsense.
He could hear the hysterical laughter from both of them and scowled even though he knew he deserved it. Suddenly, the pressure of water on him vanished and he heard a feminine scream. Wiping the water away from his eyes, he saw that Suguru had turned the hose to the auburn-haired girl. He couldn't help but cackle at the way she hopped around like a headless chicken.
Only to be met with the spray of water again. He turned around, letting the water meet his white shirt.
"Suguru, I swear to god when I get my hands on you-"
"You, Satoru, need to wake up for class," the black-haired boy turned the pipe on his kouhai as she laughed at Satoru's plight, "and you, Jaani, need to cool down."
"You are ruining my jacket!" She yelped, throwing her scarf away and taking off her jacket, forgetting that her shirt was white. She ran towards Geto with yells, who started running away with the hose still focused on her.
"Oi! You have a white shirt on!" Satoru yelled back, feeling like a gentleman for the first time in his life.
"Then don't look, pervert!" Came the reply, and the white-haired boy shrugged.
Fair enough.
Well, at least he tried once.
He ran in their direction but stopped when he once again found himself in torrents of water. His asshole of a friend had increased the water pressure to the maximum. Threatening him was of no use, and then he felt a pair of dainty hands pushing him away from the water, laughing that turned to a multitude of 'ows' once she realized the pressure had been increased.
Again, the water stopped as Gojo stood in front of her with a roll of his eyes. He looked like he wanted to be anywhere but here, but the stupid smile that was threatening to break on his face said something else.
Her eyes met his, and she broke into giggles.
Sanvi couldn't help but laugh at that. Her eyes watered from mirth, as she leaned down holding her stomach. She didn't know how long she laughed but looked up eventually when Gojo cleared his throat. Water was still blasting at his back, but he seemed as if he wanted to say something.
And she smiled.
She held out her hand, with a sheepish muttering of "truce?".
Gojo watched as words died on his lips.
Because Suguru was right. What a beautiful smile, indeed.
Like everything good in the world, all warmth and happiness, all the sweetness and hope of the world was just condensed in one smile.
He rolled his eyes, muttering something under his breath as he shook her hand.
Suguru watched from a distance, pretty satisfied with the way things were going. He knew Satoru would be suspicious of the way she was treating him differently now, as cynical as ever. He won't ever buy into this new day, new me crap...but it was obvious she was in no mood for sharing, and the black-haired boy respected those boundaries.
But Suguru was sure that there was no malice behind whatever her intent was, despite whatever thoughts might be racing in Satoru's mind.
He watched as he pulled her by her hand, bending down to her level and whispering something into her ear. She looked at him, and their eyes met over Satoru's shoulder. And no, he didn't like the way her smile turned all chesire.
And then Satoru vanished.
Like, literally vanished.
Suguru's senses heightened as he tried to search for his cursed energy. And then he found himself tumbling down as a large weight tackled him to the ground.
"Got you, you asshole."
Merry laughter came in their direction, as the two boys struggled on the ground. Satoru was behind him, struggling to pin his hands down while tolerating the water hitting him straight on his face. Suguru was laughing hard, and soon came their Kouhai.
She dropped to her knees in front of them, struggling to get the pipe away from Suguru. But obviously, Suguru was strong to the point she couldn't even budge it away from him. He focused his CE towards his hands, which increased his strength exponentially. She frowned, before doing the same. Her technique was still a bit weak, and unfortunately, it wasn't enough to match Suguru's.
So she placed a foot on the ground for more support, totally forgetting about the fact that the ground beneath them was muddy as hell. And she slipped spectacularly, right on top of Suguru and him with a small scream.
And while she looked...well, she did look a bit on the curvier side - so it explains the weight. Gojo thought as his eyes roamed over her figure, realizing he couldn't ever say it out loud unless he wanted to be on the receiving end of her fury. And especially Suguru, considering how much he was trying to get them to be cordial to each other. Oh, he'll tear his hair out if Satoru puts a foot out of line on this one.
Satoru cussed out loud as her head connected with his nose with a crack, and they both groaned simultaneously. The hose was still on, water going into their shirts.
"Motherfuck-I am going to kill you two." Satoru all but growled, clutching his nose with one hand and Suguru's neck with the other.
"What did I do? You are the one who can't even pin him down!"
Somewhere below, Suguru finally gathered his wits enough to clear his throat.
"Why don't you try it then, genius?"
"Uhh, hello? He'll yeet me off! For all of your claims that you are fucking Dumbledore, you sure can't even do two simple things!"
Suguru cleared his throat twice.
"At least I am trying, not giving excuses!" He growled, leaning straight into her face with a growl, forgetting about poor Suguru who was sandwiched between them.
"Why you!" She gasped, headbutting and causing him to fall back with a hiss.
Suguru cleared his throat thrice.
"What!?" Both yelled at him, before everyone's face turned red when they saw poor Suguru being smothered by her chest.
The auburn-haired kouhai quickly pulled back, apologizing hard and Suguru took deep breaths. It turned a bit awkward, and Suguru took his chance to shrug Satoru off him.
At least try to. Satoru growled, pulling him down with both of his arms, and letting go of his nose. Water struck his face again, but he persisted. He felt Suguru struggle with his legs, but this time it was stopped by their kouhai.
"I think that's enough outta you, senpai." She pulled her leg over his waist, settling herself there firmly. After all, she couldn't risk slipping again in the mud. If she ended up headbutting his nose again, Gojo would bitch about it till the next century.
Besides, it was her chance to get her revenge.
Taking a deep breath, she focused more and more cursed energy on her grip on the hose. Her eyes focused on the plastic pipe, and the way water seemed to rush out of it and her grip over it. The familiar red tendrils appeared over her hand, and she felt the burning in first her arms, then her wrists and finally into her hands.
She stole a look at Gojo, who also seemed to have finally managed to overpower his best friend a bit.
And then she pulled.
Leaning herself back, she pulled with all her strength. Suguru choked in surprise, but she could feel his grip on it loosening. And so she bent her knees even more, applying more pressure and pulling hard. A part of her was wondering how the hose was still intact.
And then he finally let go, bending his knees to stop her from hitting her head as she almost flew back to the ground with a scream. A laugh bubbled up inside her as she stared at the water hose in her hand at victory.
"Haha!" Laughing mockingly, she situated herself back in position, letting the black-haired boy have a look at it. "Did you see that, Suguru? I totally overpowered you! What happened to all that special-grade crap now, huh!?"
A smug grin made its way onto her face, and she saw Satoru grinning darkly.
"Be a dear, and take Suguru's jacket off."
Both chuckled darkly, and for a moment Suguru wondered if this reconciliation was really worth it. Didn't seem fair when both of them were now ganging up on him instead.
He couldn't help but gulp at the situation.
Under him, he felt Satoru's chiseled and lean physique. He could feel his muscles moving under him and almost shuddered the way his warm breath fell on his ear. Damn well, where he was most sensitive. And above him, was his kouhai.
Warm legs straddling his abdomen, he could very well feel the warmth emanating from her thighs. Which shouldn't have been possible, considering the clothing that acted as a barrier between him and her bare skin.
So this is what she meant by abnormal body temperature. Heh, it's like having a heating pad.
He wasn't a pervert (unlike Satoru), but even he wasn't immune to the fact that her shirt was sticking over her skin. It was sticking closely to the skin of her collarbone, chest, and stomach...and he quickly looked away with a blush.
Drops of water ended up on the fabric of his shirt in quick succession and his eyes followed the source. Thick strands of red hair were stuck to her skin and shirt, and Suguru noticed how much it suited the warm shade of her skin. Her auburn hair was a much darker shade of red now, reflecting sunlight as thick wavy locks swayed over him.
The color reminded him of the poppy flowers back home (the ones he knew oh so well, that gave them comfort when he needed it the most) and he realized he liked it.
From behind him, Satoru couldn't help but silently feel awe at Suguru's self-restraint. Even his eyes had skimmed over the clothing that was now sticking to her skin before he quickly looked away. Such a view could lead to some...awkward situations. He looked at her chest, and how they led to a narrowed waist. She was a bit more...developed than the girls around her age. Just like Mei Mei (or even Utahime for that matter), he realized suddenly.
If she is lucky she might get blessed with the same hourglass figure as the silver-haired girl.
He tried to look away, but his eyes were burning the scene into his memory. Somewhere in his mind, he remembered distantly that he should feel a little jealous that some chick was straddling his best friend, taking off his jacket with a dark grin on her face.
But instead, he found it hot.
Well, fuck. He thought with a loud gulp. Guess one learns new things about oneself every day!
Suguru heard it clearly, pinching Satoru's leg hard. For fuck's sake, he didn't need to know what new kink Satoru had just unlocked when he was the one suffering here.
The white-haired boy yelped, and Suguru himself gulped as her fingers gleefully pulled his jacket apart.
"You know boys, you shouldn't play around with girls if you can't control yourselves in the presence of one." She said with a dramatic sigh, flipping her hair away from her face. She saw it. She saw the way their faces changed colors. With his round cheeks, Gojo was looking like a tomato. And her stomach fluttered as she saw the same blush on Geto's face. He was blushing red, down to his neck and his ears.
She sighed in relief, looking at them with a mocking smile.
"Oh dear, revenge does taste sweet." She muttered to the boy underneath her. With a huff, she decided it was enough. With how nice he had been, she begrudgingly admitted she could spare him total humiliation.
Gojo scowled as he recognized his own words (from the common room debacle) that were being mirrored back to him, while Geto remembered the promise of revenge from mere minutes ago. Guess he did bring it upon himself. But boy, he did not count on this.
Who would have known that she would have the nerves (and the guts) to pull that successfully? Even Satoru couldn't help but be somewhat impressed. Because it was fucking hard to make Suguru blush, let alone shut him up in embarrassment.
Torrents of water were directed in their faces. In their minds, both were quite thankful to the heavens.
"Hey Gojo-senpai, rid him of his jacket. Now he'll taste dirt...or rather mud."
At this point, Suguru gave up. Letting Satoru take his jacket off. Both of them smirked as the black-haired boy tried to push his face away from the direct water pressure. The kouhai inched closer, pulling his still somewhat dry shirt from his skin, and pushing the hose down his shirt.
Both the senpai and kouhai cackled like hyenas who had just discovered LSD, while Suguru tried to gurgle out a shout under the water. The water was fucking freezing. For a moment, worry did cross their mind. But eh, he'll survive.
Gojo gestured at her, and she handed him the hose. He pulled the back of Suguru's shirt, placing the hose inside it.
Poor Suguru alternated between yelling and laughing. They started wrestling on the ground, trying to get the hose from each other. But Suguru pulled a dirty trick, elbowing Satoru on his already sore nose, and his grip loosened. Sanvi sensed danger, trying to get the hose from Gojo when Suguru pulled back sharply and was on his knees with a whoop of freedom.
She let out a shrill squeal of surprise and was almost running away before Gojo grabbed her waist and pulled her in front of him as a shield. She stumbled over his legs, half on the ground and half on his lap.
"Who the fuck you calling stupid, you brat!?" He yelled from behind her, and his her face from the water. The pressure was hard and she didn't want bruises on her forehead. The water ended up at her chest as Satoru moved from under her, trying to take away the hose from the still unstable Geto.
"When did I even call you stupid? Are you crazy!? Fight him yourself, you coward! Stop using me!" She hissed at him, feeling boxed in as his arms surrounded her. The water was now abusing her hands as they struggled, Suguru laughing hard while they did so.
"A wise knight always keeps his shield in front of him, Jaani dear."
Her brain did a short-circuit, and she could feel herself burning up. His arms, his chest, his legs...everything was sticking to her skin, surrounding her from all sides. And in such a situation he had the nerve to call her that.
"Oh, to hell with you both!" With a heave, she also pulled the hose away from Suguru, determined to end this now.
They didn't know whether it was the mud, or the clearing of throat behind them that the black-haired boy lost control and slipped, causing the three to end up in a tangled heap of limbs.
Geto was heavy.
One of his knees ended up in between her legs, and the other on her leg and straight into poor Gojo's shinbone.
His fall ended up with him elbowing her hard in the stomach and she ended up wheezing in pain. His head ended up on her breasts, and while embarrassed (and ignoring the weird feeling in her stomach when she felt him breathing heavily over her) she sighed in relief that at least she didn't suffer the same fate as Gojo.
Her head was pushed back, and straight to poor Gojo's nose with a large crack. She heard him groan in pain, her head hurting at the collision. Something warm trickled down from the side of her head through her hair and onto her neck.
"Fuck!" He yelled somewhat nasally, clutching his now definitely broken nose. "Get off me, you pigs!"
Sanvi let out a noise of protest at the insulting words and poked a finger at Suguru.
He seemed to gather his wits fast enough, muttering apologies as he tried to pull away from her. He hissed in pain as some of his hair got tangled in the buttons of her shirt.
"Okay, okay, okay! Let's do it slowly, yeah?" She muttered at him, standing up slowly as he stood up on his knees. They both shuffled off from Gojo awkwardly, her bending over so that Suguru's hair didn't get pulled off. But the white-haired boy seemed to have enough, pushing her off him and over the upperclassman, causing the both of them to land on the ground again.
"Hey! Watch it!" She yelled at him and gasped in anger when he showed her a middle finger.
But thankfully, Suguru had gripped her hard so that his pretty hair wouldn't tear off from his scalp. He closed his eyes hard, not wanting to focus on the heat that his face was plastered against.
Her small fingers slapped his hands away, and he sat up silently with her, letting her get the tangles off.
It took them a few minutes, but his hair was finally freed, and she pulled away from him, standing straight. Helping Suguru up, both of them turned to Gojo who stood straight, clutching his nose with a white cloth...her eyes narrowed and she almost squawked when she realized it was her scarf.
Almost.
A large jacket fell over her before she turned around, and she saw Gojo looking down at her. He pulled it together, tugging at it harshly and she took it from him, pulling it over and hiding herself.
Heh, she noticed how it looked like a coat on her, and less like a jacket.
There was a clearing of throat again, and she looked back to see a very scandalised-looking Takeda-senpai. Her brown eyes were blown wide, and there was a big blush on her cheeks. Sanvi's eyes followed her gaze and landed on the second-year boys, their white shirts sticking to their chests...and were those abs?
Her face also heated up and she looked away quickly. Death would be better than gawking at their bodies.
The black-haired girl sputtered out something about Yaga-sensei and class, and then she was off. Like literally running off.
Sanvi threw her head back and laughed, settling herself down on the muddy ground beside Geto. The white-haired boy cringed hard as his jacket was muddied, but only sighed to himself.
She was laughing so freely, feeling pure mirth and happiness. It had been such a long time since she had laughed like this, to the point where her stomach hurt. Geto snorted before he joined her. Gently at first, then full-blown laughter.
Both of them were laughing hysterically, guffawing as they ended up on their sides. Their shoulders ended up bumping, and their faces were red. Blue eyes took the scene in, feeling satisfied and content at the scene in front of him.
Satoru smiled, despite the blood dripping down his nose. Pulling his head back toward the skies, he kept the scarf over his nose.
Despite the injury, Satoru acknowledges to himself- it was one of the best days of his school life. A laugh bubbles up in his own chest...
.
.
.
.
.
Only for him to end up groaning in pain, considering his nose was still broken. Sanvi smiled up at him, completely genuinely for probably the first time in her life.
"Sorry about that," She says, and the white-haired boy rolls his eyes.
Sure you are.