"Shippo, what are you doing up?" Satoru stretches his arms over his head. He slid on a basic white top and some sweatpants after sliding out of bed. No need to get dressed up to deal with a couple of weaklings. Hopefully, Kagome stays asleep until he gets back.

"What are you doing up?" Shippo shoots back, crossing his arms as he leans against the wall. "Mama sleeping?"

Satoru frowns. "Yes, Kagome is sleeping." Satoru cracks his neck and gives Shippo a look. Why is he here? "What is it?"

Shippo inspects his claws. "You're up to something and I want in."

Satoru rolls his eyes. "I'm just heading out to take care of the higher-ups."

"Okay. I want to kill too."

Satoru opens his mouth and then closes it. "You all should be sleeping," he says, addressing his students.

"We're coming too," Yuta says.

Satoru waves them away. "No. You all are going back to bed. You don't need to see this." He glances at Shippo from the corner of his eye. Satoru doesn't need Shippo's help to handle the higher-ups, but he can't force him to stand down either. Shippo isn't his student, and he isn't a child either. "I would prefer if you didn't come either," he admits. "You don't need to see that side of me." And yet, he doesn't want Shippo to see this.

Shippo scoffs. "I'm a demon. Watched my dad get killed in front of me and the bastards wore his pelt." Shippo shrugs. "And I guess now I'm kinda seeing Souten. Maybe. Haven't decided."

"…Who?" Is that the name Kagome mentioned the other day?

"Souten? She's the sister of the brothers that killed my dad." Shippo smirks. "She challenged me once, wanting to avenge her brothers, and the rest is history."

"You're insane," Yuta comments. "What if she tries to kill you in your sleep?"

"That's half of the appeal. Thought you liked that stuff since you fuck curses."

Yuta sighs and slaps his face with his hand. "I can't with you." Maki pats Yuta's back awkwardly and glares at Shippo, who flashes a fang.

Satoru turns and walks away. He doesn't have time for this. He needs to take care of the higher-ups now and then he can crawl back into bed with Kagome. Besides, he's put it off for two days now already. That's two days too long. Yeah, he needed some time to get reoriented back in his world, but he's semi-back to normal now, and there are things he needs to handle. He stops and looks over his shoulder. "Already told you guys to go."

"We're coming with you."

"Salmon."

"I can do something," Panda squeaks, shaking a small fist in the air.

"And I," Shippo says, swaggering over. "Have elected myself as the new head."

"Sesshomaru-sama said no," Yuta says. "He said it was up to Gojo-sensei, with the exception of you not being anywhere near in charge."

Shippo gasps. "Slander I tell you. Papa don't listen. I'm ready."

Satoru blinks slowly. "I'll talk it over with your mother." Since when does Shippo want to run things? Should he be allowed to run things?

Shippo throws his hands in the air. "So that's a no." He blows out a breath. "I'm still coming with. Nothing like some bonding time."

Satoru presses his lips together. Yes, Shippo has taken missions from him before, but at the same time, he's having a hard time reconciling this adult Shippo with the much younger Shippo he met in the prison realm. "Fine," he accedes. "But Kagome doesn't need to know."

If she wakes up and finds him not in bed with her, she might rip him a new one. Satoru chews on the inside of his cheek. He needs to get moving now, so Kagome doesn't worry. She doesn't need the added stress. He'll go in, kill them, and then climb into bed with Kagome after taking a quick shower. Easy peasy.

"Oh…she already knows I was planning on doing some spring killing, though."

Satoru blinks again and spikes a hand through his hair. His stomach tightens. "Ah well, she can be bloodthirsty when she wants to be." He smiles. Maybe when things calm down and after the twins are born, she'll want to join him for some curse exorcising here and there.

"Gojo-sensei is weird," Panda says.

"Kagome-san is just as weird. She's head over heels for this man-child," Maki remarks.

"Sensei," Yuta says, "If it comes down to it, I'll have Rika eat fake Geto's body to get their cursed technique…. if it's okay with you, and switch to your body to finish Sukuna."

Satoru grimaces. "I don't plan on losing and I really don't care what happens to my body." He turns and looks at them fully. "But if it came down to it, that isn't something Kagome should see." What kind of plans did they come up with while he was gone? Hell, they don't even know where Sukuna is. Fucker is masking himself somehow. What he doesn't get is why.

"Time out," Shippo says. "The fuck?"

"Everyone is fine with Gojo-sensei shouldering the weight of jujutsu. I will step into that role if I have to. He shouldn't have to do it all."

"Yeah…I get that," Shippo says. "But gross?"

"Didn't you bite Naoya's junk off?" Maki questions.

"Meh." Shippo shrugs. "I'm not on board with this. Are we forgetting about Sesshomaru? Hell, did you forget about me? I don't give a rat's ass about jujutsu and whatever else humans like to scrabble about, but." He points a finger at Satoru. "That's family."

"I work better alone," Satoru says after a moment, though his heart feels a little lighter after Shippo's comments.

"Yeah? And how'd that work for you?"

Satoru squints at Shippo. "Fine."

Shippo nods. "You guys get some rest. We'll handle this. Yuta, Sesshomaru will probably want to train you bright and early."

Yuta groans.

"I'm coming," Panda squeaks.

"No way," Shippo remarks. "You don't wear pants."

Satoru stops and curls his lips back. "Shippo, what the hell does that have to do with anything?"

Shippo widens his eyes. "I'd rather not have Panda's booty juice on me. He'll need a ride down and no thank you."

"My what!"

Satoru's mouth pops open and all that comes out is a choked cough.

"You heard me," Shippo says, holding a hand to his chest. "Absolutely not."

"I do not get booty juice everywhere," Panda bites out.

"…Mustard leaf." Toge takes a step to the side, away from Panda.

"Oh, come on!" Panda tosses his hands up.

"It's kinda gross when you think about it," Maki remarks.

Panda gasps. "Yuta, surely not you, too!"

Yuta rubs the back of his neck. "I have seen you wear a scarf, but no pants."

"Gojo-sensei!"

Satoru snaps his mouth shut and turns his head away. Yeah, no. He is not commenting on booty juice. "Shippo, we need to go now."

"Yay! Father-son-killing-time!" Shippo frowns. "No, father-son spring-killing-bonding-time."

Satoru shakes his head. "You're not supposed to enjoy it."

"Who says?"

Satoru opens his mouth and then shrugs. "Guess no one." He waves a hand to the students and then grabs a hold of Shippo's shirt, before warping them away. "I want them to feel this," he says, cracking his neck.

Shippo smirks before changing his appearance. "I did some digging and emotional damage always hits harder than physical."

Satoru blinks. "Who are you supposed to be?"

"Ah, Ono's dead son. You know your uncle killed him."

"Ryu wasn't a curse user. He was just a dick," he adds the last part.

"Does it matter?"

Satoru presses his lips together. "No. I'm sure there are lots of things Ryu did in his life."

Shippo smooths out of the invisible wrinkles on his shirt. "He went after you. Happened before Ono became a higher-up. At least that's what his dying wife said."

"You killed his wife?"

"No, I let her see her darling son one last time."

Satoru sighs as he pushes open the door. "Question, so you are dating this Souten, then?"

Shippo balks right as the higher-ups rise from their places behind the screens. "No way, she's not my type."

Satoru gives Shippo a look of utter disbelief, but the fox demon skips into the room and goes straight for Ono, who turns sheet white at the sight of his dead son.

"Wait! Gojo, we can talk this—" The older man's body convulses as his limbs twist and twist until blood splatters on the floor.

Satoru turns his head to the side and pins the others with a glare. "Next."


A/N: Been laughing all day at 'booty juice' I'm so unserious, send help.

Hope this week has been kind to you. Someone should take my work computer away. I keep logging on at like 9 pm because one more email won't hurt when I should be sleep. I've been sharing some sneak peeks over on Tumblr. Saw a comment for Thousands Days about the guys all being stuck together and I decided to include the 'bathroom' scene in the next chapter. You can read the sneak peek if ya want to lol.

Still working on Wish I Could. That chapter will probably be pretty long at this rate.

Take care! Get plenty of rest (don't be like me lol). Drink lots of water and try to refill your well every day if you can.