Hello again everyone :) I know I've kept you all waiting and I am so sorry for that, I decided that I wanted to write out the rest of this story properly rather than just "on the go" like I've been doing before. So I've been taking these past few months, and will be taking more time, to make sure I have everything written as best as I could. I really appreciate everyone's patience with this, there's just so much that has changed in the manga that I wanted to try to stick with it as canonically as possible. But it is also an original character's story so things may/probably will be different.

Seriously, if you're still here, thank you for sticking with me all this time. And if you're new, thank you for giving this story a chance :) every single one of you is so special to me and I know it's been taking WAY too long to finish this, but I am able to continue enjoy writing because of everyone's continuous support. Love you all! Without further ado, enjoy!

Qian tripped over a gnarled root as she continued meandering through the forest. The flash was illuminated on her phone, serving as a source of light through the labyrinth of foliage. Only her perspired face shone through the darkness, her wide, anxious eyes reflecting the brightness of the screen that had Google maps pulled up. Her pupils flickered to the her location's arrow as she closely monitored the directions displayed, turning her heel towards the coordinates that were given to her previously.

Suddenly, the dragonfly landed back on her shoulder.

"Ditch the phone." Its mandibles clicked.

Qian's fingers tightened their hold. "H-How will I be able to get to the location you want without it?"

"Just follow the cursed spirit." It clicked once more, its beady eyes boring into hers. "Do it, or your father dies."

Her fingers trembled as she turned off the device, dropping the phone onto the ground beside her. She bit her lip, forcing herself to take a breath as she pushed onward, straining her eyes to adjust to the newfound darkness. She blinked once, twice, before finally recognizing the outline of the spirit above her and she took a hasty step forward, craning her neck to stare at the dragonfly as it hovered.

She was already out of breath, and the spirit wasn't waiting for her. She knew if she faltered in any way, they could hurt her father, so she gulped for air as she scrambled through the thick bramble. Her eyes were burning as she kept her gaze locked before her, its small figure was easily blending in with the night and she could not afford to lose sight.

Her thoughts traveled back to her brother, her mother, her friends, and… Sensei… She bit her lip, unable to stop her mind from traveling to the man's soft gaze on her… his gentle touch. She instinctively hugged her arms, a lump forming in her throat as she remembered how warm she felt… how safe she felt in his arms. How she never wanted to leave, how she felt that no matter what, everything would be okay.

In that moment. And it was so fleeting. How cruel, they were finally on the same page. Finally, they could be together. And yet… here she was. Did he understand her message? It was a universal signal after all, right? Surely it was shown in Japan.

Who was she kidding? She only learned about it by chance, at a random commercial in some unpopular TV channel. Besides, if people in Japan knew about it, then Hayato would've known about it too. The fact that he hasn't taken action against her father shows that he remained unaware of the signal.

Meaning, there was a slim chance Satoru did as well.

Finally, after around an hour, she finally stumbled into a clearing where a debilitated warehouse stood. She hunched over, clasping her knees as she fought to regain her breath.

"Stop delaying." The cursed spirit hovered beside her, its mandibles clicking dangerously close to her ear. She flinched, straightening her back as she took a hesitant step into the entrance.

Inside was mainly shrouded in darkness, where only certain spots were illuminated by the moonlight. On the other side of the room, hiding in the shadows, was a huddled figure on the ground.

Qian recognized him immediately. "D-Dad?" The figure grunted and shifted.

"Q-Qian?" No doubt about it, it was her father's voice, and she immediately rushed forward with a cry. However, suddenly the ground burst with vines, wrapping themselves around her ankles, forcing her to kneel on the ground.

"Well, well, well. This is almost too easy." She turned her head to see Hinamori step out from the darkness. She flicked her wrist and more vines protruded from the ground, wrapping around her wrists and forcing her on all fours. "Have to say, I figured you'd try to put up more of a fight."

"P-Please, I came like you asked!" Qian yelled, tears prickling the edge of her eyes. "Whatever it is, he has nothing to do with it. Let him go."

"Nah… we don't really feel like it." Another voice quipped, and she raised her chin forward to see Rozu appear, dragging her father behind him. His large frame was bound by stalks, a large gash was cut across his forehead, the blood dripping into and blinding one of his eyes.

He bore his teeth, his other eye glaring at the duo before it flickered towards Qian, softening upon seeing his daughter. "Qian… I told you to leave me be."

"D-Dad!" She gritted her teeth as she glowered at the woman beside her. "W-What did you do to him?!"

"He was being disruptive." The hairs on the back of her neck prickled upon hearing a new voice, one that sounded all-too-familiar, sending waves of nostalgia down her spine. Slowly, she peered over her shoulder.

"H-Ha-kun…" She whispered almost inaudibly. Kurofiru stepped into the light, his golden eyes staring down at her venomously. "Y-You really are alive."

"And you shouldn't be." His gaze flickered to the auburn-haired woman. "Hinamori, let her go. She's powerless as is, she won't put up a fight."

The woman snapped her fingers and the vines drew back into the ground. Qian cautiously crawled to her feet. "H-Ha-kun… I don't understand-"

"Enough talk." He raised his hands and a flurry of leaves began to circle around them, before hovering above her, their pointed, sharp ends aiming right at her petite body.

"QIAN!" Her father roared before Rozu raised his foot, kicking him in the chest.

"Shut the fuck up, old man!" He barked. Qian instinctively turned to run to her father, but a leaf came shooting down, slicing her arm. She yelped in pain, turning back towards the young man who she once considered her best friend.

"H-Ha-kun… please." She placed a hand on her arm in an attempt to stop the bleeding before raising her chin. "W-Why are you doing this?"

"Stop. Calling. Me. That." Another leaf shot downward, stabbing into her shoulder. She cried out, collapsing back onto her knees, her fingers digging into the dirt beneath her. "It's Kurofiru now."

It hurts, it hurts, it hurts. She squeezed her eyes shut, gasping as the pain seared through her. Blood trickled down her arm, soaking into the concrete. Come on, Qian. Think. What can I do right now?

She ripped her eyes open, staring at the ground. She could grab the dirt and throw it at them in an attempt to distract them. Okay, then what? There was too many of them. She could grab her father and run for it? There was no way, he was too heavy and by the time she could even reach him, there was no way to know what they would do to her, let alone him.

She bit her lip, frustrated tears prickling the edge of her eyes. Why… why am I so fucking weak?! Her fingers clawed through the dirt as they rolled into a fist. This was it. There was nothing she could do.

"F-Fine. Before you do it. Just… tell me." She slowly raised her chin to face him. Hell, if this was her last time on this earth, might as well get some answers. "Why? Why do you want to kill me?"

"You don't owe her anything, Kurofiru-sama." Hinamori countered, glaring at Qian with disgust. "Just do it and be done with it, so we can finally move forward!"

But Hayato remained fixated on the girl before him. "Hinamori." His eyes did not even glance in her direction. "Go outside and keep an eye for any intruders. I will take it from here."

Hinamori paused for a second longer before he finally jerked a hand dismissively. "Now."

She released an angry huff and flipped her hair over her shoulder, turning her heel. Hayato rolled his shoulders back, rolling his neck as he cracked his knuckles. For a moment, he and Qian glowered at each other, her question burning in his ears. A memory of her soft smile flashed into his mind, causing him to grit his teeth. Hinamori was right. There was no reason for him to answer her… but…

Before he could stop himself, his lips opened. "Because I hate you."

Those eyes, were those the same eyes? Those golden eyes, his golden eyes, used to shine as they regarded her in wonder when she would wrap his wounds with bandages, a soft 'thank you' uttering from his lips once she finished.

But now, they held nothing but disdain and apathy. Qian furrowed her brow as she kept her chin held high. "Tell me then, why do you hate me?"

"You… had everything." He continued, his cold irises bore holes through her, yet a spark of something flicked inside his pupils. "You were surrounded by so much… love, kindness… goodness. And I had nothing. And yet, you still sacrificed for me. It sickened me."

What? She blinked incredulously. "I-I don't understand-"

"You said my parents would help me right?" His lips drew back in a sneer. "Do you understand how fucking stupid you are? They never did. They didn't even want me."

She could only stare up at him with bewilderment as he continued, unable to pull back the words from spilling out of his mouth. "They barely kept me alive, they never wanted me. They would beat me, as if the constant pain would make me disappear. I had to scrape what I could to survive.

"And you!" He stepped forward, his fingers enclosing on her neck as his voice began to escalate. "You had everything, and you didn't even need to do anything for it! You were just given everything on a silver platter, everything was so fucking easy for you. Must be nice to just naturally have everything you ever wanted."

Qian hung her head and he felt satisfaction rise in his throat upon seeing her shame. "Yeah, that's what I thought. You had no idea, did you? You were too focused on yourself that you ignored all the pain and suffering of those behind you-"

He suddenly faltered upon seeing a wet drop splatter onto his forearm, then onto the cement beneath them. He could feel her swallowing through his fingertips and she forced herself to face up to meet his gaze, despite that causing her esophagus to press painfully against his thumb.

Tears were pouring down her cheeks as he couldn't help but release his hold in shock upon seeing her devastation, sheer, raw pain in her pure expression. He fully expected her eyes to hold some sort of shame, or even pity. That was his expectation, his plan- because then he could just strangle her, or slice her throat and be done with her, once and for all.

However, he was stupefied, his entire body frozen upon seeing her irises holding nothing but anguish, as if her world had just crumbled around her.

"I'm so sorry, Ha-kun." She whispered, any tone of fear, anger, or questioning disappearing from her voice. What happened to that frail, stuttering voice? "I had no idea."

No, this wasn't how she was supposed to be. Flabbergasted, he opened his mouth to argue, to ridicule her more, but she pushed herself to her feet. "You're right, I was ignorant." She took a step forward. "I had no idea what you were going through."

Hayato couldn't help but take a step back. "Stay away-"

Chase grunted as he fought against his restraints. "Qian, get away from him!"

Rozu had to use his entire weight to hold the man down. "Kurofiru-sama, kill her! Just do it!"

His mind was racing, battling with newfound emotion as she took another step forward. Her eyes were now shining with newfound life, with… understanding. "All this time, I stupidly thought there were other people besides myself who could help you. I should've tried harder, I should've reached my hand out for you. I was naive."

"Stay the fuck away from me!" In a moment of panic, he jerked his arm forward, a slew of leaves raking down towards her, slicing through her cheeks and torso, a few embedding themselves into her gut. But she continued moving forward, she stumbled a bit, but her feet kept walking, blood dripping down with every motion.

Hayato's eyes widened in horror and he raised his arm once more. "Get the fuck back! I'll kill you, I'll fucking do it-"

But she was right in front of him. Despite the stinging pain, she morbidly noted that they were no longer similar in height, he was a few inches taller than her now. He truly grew up. She numbly raised her hands, reaching around his waist, pushing herself into him.

He was completely frozen as she hugged him. His eyes widened with shock upon feeling her nestling her face into his chest. "I'm so sorry, Ha-kun. You're right. Maybe I do deserve to die. After all, I didn't do anything to help you."

He couldn't respond, he couldn't move, and she slowly raised her eyes to look at him. "But… I want to help you now. All that pain, all that suffering… it doesn't define you. And now… I…" She blinked slowly. "...I have people relying on me. Good people… people who-"

- saved me. She paused, searching his face, realization flowing over her like a river's current. What if someone had saved him? Would things have changed? An image began to form in her mind. With his abilities, no doubt would someone from Jujutsu High have come to recruit him. Him walking around with fellow first years, laughing about some inside joke, wearing the dark blue school uniform, fighting cursed spirits in a team…

Things would have been different. No, they should have been different. She swallowed. "These people who are waiting for me… they can help you as well."

She released her hold and leaned back, grasping his forearms as she regarded him. "Ha-kun… I want you to come with me. You can have a new start, a new life. I promise."

"No, I-" Was that his voice? Why did it sound so… frail… so vulnerable?

"I-I learned recently that… my past… and my family…doesn't define me." She whispered as she lowered her gaze once more. She used to be weak, constantly running from anything scary. If anything dangerous crossed her path, she would hide and cower in fear.

But then, she was saved. And that gave her courage to change. A soft smile gracing her lips as she thought about the people around her, who helped make her strong. Everyone, their faces appearing in her mind.

Miyano-chan…

Shoko-sensei…

Yuji-san…

Nobara-san…

Megumi-san…

Panda-san…

Maki-san…

Inumaki-san…

Kasumi-san…

and… Her heart swelled upon remembering the silver-haired sorcerer. Satoru… san.

"S-So… yours doesn't either." She raised her hand, holding out her palm.

Hayato couldn't help it. His fingers twitched from his side and, slowly, he lifted his hand.

However, his reach never made it to her fingertips. There was a sickening crunch, and his eyes bulged from their sockets. He looked down to see the pointed edge of a black scythe protruding from his solar plexus, blood splattering onto the floor beneath him.

Qian's eyes widened in horror as an exasperated sigh came from behind him. "Ah… you humans are always SO disappointing." Honshoji jerked his arm back, pulling the blade from the young man's chest, swinging it down to the side to shake off the blood. "Always so soft."

Hayato crumbled to the ground as Rozu screamed. "YOU BASTARD-" Rozu immediately released Chase, charging forward with spikes protruding from his arms. The Spirit of Time easily raised his hands, forcing the boy to freeze in place.

"Well now, there's no use for you anymore either." He lifted his arm, slicing clear across the boy's torso. With a simple flick of his wrist, he collapsed in a sickening heap to the floor, blood pooling out of his body.

There was a feral shriek and vines burst from the ground. Honshoji leapt up onto the second level, avoiding the onslaught. Hinamori, having heard the commotion and seeing the two bodies before her, soared up the stairs on a vine, her eyes crazed in desperation. "YOU! HOW COULD YOU?! I'LL KILL YOU!" Hinamori screeched as she flung her arms, directing the vines to grab him.

But he was suddenly behind her. "Not even close, sweetheart." He grinned maniacally as he twisted his hand, bringing the scythe clear across her neck.

Qian was frozen, the last body falling over the balcony, splattering before her in a bloodied display of limbs. The three gruesome deaths burned into her eyes.

Look away. But she couldn't. He was right in front of her, his eyes, his wondrous eyes were flickering back with life as he raised his hand to take hers.

And now, he's gone. His body was right there. She couldn't look away.

"QIAN!" She suddenly felt someone shove her to the side and she fell on her back, causing the wind to get knocked out of her lungs.

She blinked up to see her father on his knees, his arms still bound behind his back, as he raised his eyes, regarding her frantically with a jerk of his chin. "GO. GET OUT OF HERE!"

But his face was suddenly forced into the concrete, with Honshoji standing on the man's back, tapping the handle of his scythe thoughtfully on the cusp of his shoulder. "Mmmm…. not yet, please. I'd like to have a word with your daughter."

Qian's blood ran cold, her father completely vulnerable and at his mercy, and she peered up at the spirit with wild, desperate eyes. "P-Please, l-let him go."

"You know, here I was." He seemingly ignored her, twirling his long white hair with one finger, the black marks on his face almost seemed to glow in the darkness as his lips stretched into a crazed smirk. "Here I was, hoping for some fun. After all, you humans are always so dramatic."

"P-Please." Her lips were quivering, her body shook violently upon seeing the blade teeter precariously close to her father's face. "D-Don't hurt him-"

"Ask me." With a harsh jerk, he embedded the blade into the ground beside him.

Qian blinked, her breathing shook as she struggled to comprehend his words. "W-What?"

"Ask me why I killed them!" The spirit slammed the blade into the ground, allowing it to stay in place as he tucked his hands into the sleeves of his robe. He stepped off Chase's back, squatting down so he was eye-level with the girl. "Come on, I know you're wondering."

Qian couldn't move, her limbs were frozen in fear. "W-W-Why did you k-kill them?"

"Because!" His smile widened as he held his hands up in defeat, and she morbidly noticed six fingers on each hand. "They weren't fun anymore. I originally brought him back from the dead because, well, someone with that much hate and rage at the world… it was exciting to see what he would do!"

"But then," Honshoji gave a dramatic sigh. "He decided to revive trash by implanting them with seeds of his cursed energy. For what? Because he 'wanted to give them strength'? Ugh, talk about laaameeeee, am I right!" He drawled as he straightened up, pushing himself back to his feet. "But eh, whatever! They were all providing endless entertainment after all." He gave a sad pout. "But who knew, someone so interesting with all that hatred, could easily become undone so easily? This is why you humans are so pathetic."

He took a step back and plucked his scythe from the ground, raising it above her father's frozen figure. Sparks of electricity finally reached her muscle fibers, and Qian crawled forward, her nails scraping the concrete beneath her. "P-Please… d-don't do this-"

He clicked his tongue, regarding her with feigned sympathy and a half-hearted shrug. "Sorry honey. Since you essentially ruined this game for me, you gotta face the consequences." He swung down.

A scream was about to erupt from her throat when suddenly, an object surrounded in blue light shot between them, stabbing him in the shoulder. He dropped the scythe, stumbling back in shock as he gripped the item between his fingertips, plucking it out of his skin.

She narrowed her eyes in scrutiny, and upon recognizing the object, the blood pounding in her ears began to roar as sheer relief flooded into her gut.

"A nail?" Honshoji guffawed. "Who could possibly think this is enough to stop me-"