Naoya grumbles as he makes his way to his room. The mission did little to take the edge off. Damn that Gojo Satoru and damn him for flaunting that brat of his around. What gives him the right? He just wanted to come rub it in his face how he got two brats with Kagome. Father of the year, his ass. Gojo can't fool him. He wasn't here to show his brat how discussions between two clans go. No, that bastard only brought his kid around to rub it in Naoya's face.
Ugh. He rubs his forehead and sighs. What he needs to do is forget about Gojo. Forget about his brats and instead focus on winning Utahime over. They need to pick up the speed. He closes the door behind him, plops down on the bed, and tosses his phone on the nightstand.
"I should get a new place," he mutters. His room has never bothered him before. It's not like he does anything but sleep in here and maybe jerk one off when he's desperate. He cracks his neck and then pauses. Something feels wrong. Naoya stands and flexes his fingers. The feeling is still there, but he can't sense anything that is amiss. His items are all in the same spot. Nothing is missing. There are no weird scents.
The room looks the same as it always does, so why the hell is he feeling this way? Is it the mission? No, that mission was easy as hell, naturally for one such as himself. Still, the feeling of something being wrong continues to settle in his gut.
"Going fucking crazy." He spikes a hand through his hair. What he needs is a shower and then sleep. Maybe he'll call Utahime in the morning, catch her before she heads off to work or something. His lip curls back. Damn. He hates this. Why can't he have the woman he wants? Why did Gojo have to find her first? It's one thing for Kagome to have that baby, but now she's got an older kid with Gojo? So that means that fucker has been enjoying her for years?
"Calm down." He opens the bathroom door, connected to his room because he'll be dammed if he has to walk out of his room, down the hall, and use a shared one. "It's fine. She's ruined now, anyway." He could have overlooked the one, but not the other. His eyes narrow as he strips out of his clothes. That child, Shippo, was like a demon. The way he took glee in Naoya's suffering. How he dared to look down on him from Satoru's shoulders.
Damn demon spawn.
He could have Kagome if he wanted. She just has some misplaced loyalty to Gojo, of all sorcerers. Kagome doesn't know how badly she's screwed up by aligning herself with Gojo and now that she has two kids with him, well, Naoya will not be the one to save her. One child he could overlook, but he can't overlook that fucking demon spawn. Damn that Shippo is just like his father, an annoying pain in the ass.
Naoya turns on the shower and steps under the steam. A shower usually does the trick, but not tonight. The water is too hot, so he turns the knob. Now the water is too cold, so he tries to get the temperature somewhere in the middle. Except there is no middle. The water is either scalding or it's freezing. The hell is going on today? Is the day cursed or something? Nothing is going right.
"Useless bastards," he complains, snatching the shampoo bottle. He quickly washes his hair and his body. Whoever was in charge of cleaning this room will hear from him in the morning. How dare they try to make a mockery of him? Naoya dries off and deposits his towel and clothes in the hamper for someone else to take care of. He pads back into his bedroom and selects a pair of black sweats to sleep in.
That feeling of something being wrong flares up. He presses his lips together and grunts. What the hell is going on? He eyes his bed and then drops to his knees. There is nothing under the bed. Naoya chuckles. It turns into a full-on laughter. He is going mad. This isn't like him. Letting Gojo get to him so badly, he is losing his composure.
"Pull it together," he commands himself. This is not how a future clan leader should act. No, he needs to stay composed. He'll feel better in the morning after some rest. "Sleep and then call Utahime in the morning," he talks out loud as if the cement the plan in his brain and to get his body to cooperate. There is nothing here. Nothing is wrong with his room, and nothing is wrong with him.
"Just need some sleep," he mutters, as he climbs into the bed. He glances at his phone on the nightstand and sighs. "Sleep." He will not look at pictures of her. No, Kagome is ruined now and he... he just needs to sleep.
He only sleeps for about four hours before his alarm goes off.
Naoya runs a hand down his face and groans. He did not sleep well at all. His dreams were plagued with visions of that damn demonic Gojo brat. He is going out of his mind. The faster he locks Utahime down and secures the ten shadows through his offspring, the better he'll sleep. He cracks his neck and pushes the cover off.
His phone sits on the nightstand. No messages. Whatever—wait.
Naoya clutches his phone tighter and swipes to the camera.
No.
His eyes widen. He presses a hand to his face and screams. The phone drops to the ground with a thud.
No. No. NO. This is not happening.
He stumbles to the bathroom, flicks on the light, and clutches the sink. His heart pounds. His hair is gone, not even a single strand remains. His eyebrows are a light blue with blonde on the ends. His eyelashes are pink, exaggerated, as though he's wearing three sets of fake lashes.
"What the fuck," he whispers, chest heaving. Naoya clenches his teeth and glances down. He has tits. The mirror is laughing at him. He squeezes his fist and punches the mirror. "Ow!" He stares at his bloodied hand in horror and then wipes the blood on his sweats.
No.
Not only is he a woman, but he's weak.
Naoya stumbles back and trips over himself. He stares at his legs. Recoils from the femininity of them. How small his feet are and then retches at how his toenails are so long they curve down and dig into his skin. How the hell? This must be hell. He must be dreaming.
Knock. Knock.
He freezes. Someone is at the door. They must have heard him screaming. He sucks in a breath and covers his breasts with one arm. Okay, he should get a shirt on first, and then... fuck! What the hell is going on?
"Naoya? Everything good in there?" His father asks.
Shit.
Naoya closes his eyes and exhales. Just get up, put a shirt on, and try to get to the bottom of this. He stands and walks out of the bathroom. Dread pools in his stomach, drowning out the anger. Something is wrong. Terribly wrong. It hurts to walk.
"One moment," he yells out, wincing at how high-pitched his voice is. Did that curse do something to him? Naoya slides on a shirt and then opens the door. He braces himself for the disgust. For his father to declare him no longer fit to lead the clan.
Like hell he'll let that happen.
Naobito stares at him. "Why were you yelling like a curse got in here?"
Huh?
Naoya opens his mouth, but he can't seem to form any words. Is he seriously asking him why he was screaming? Can't his father see how messed up he is right now? Or is the old man too drunk to see that his son is no longer a son?
"Are you blind?" Naoya snarls. "You don't see what's wrong with me?" He points to his chest.
Naobito glances down and then back at his face with brows furrowed in confusion. "If you're going to drink all night, then learn how to handle it. Don't wake everyone else up because you can't keep track of reality." He shakes his head and turns away. "Youngins these days can't hold their liquor for shit."
Naoya glares. "I didn't drink! You don't see what is wrong with me?"
Naobito looks over his shoulder and frowns. "You look the same as usual. Did that curse knock the sense from your brains?"
"I—never mind," Naoya grounds out. He slams the door shut and marches over to his phone. He searches for Utahime's name. She is kindhearted and won't accuse him of being insane. He puts the phone up to his ear and waits for her to pick up. If all else fails, he can use this as a way of showing her his vulnerable side.
Ugh.
He rolls his eyes. Somehow this Gojo Satoru and his damn brat's fault. If they hadn't shown up yesterday, he wouldn't have been taken by surprise by that curse.
"Naoya?" Utahime's voice is groggy. She must have still been asleep. If he were a better man, Naoya would have felt bad for waking her, but he isn't and Utahime is here to please him.
"Good morning," he says, clearing his throat. "Sorry to wake you. It's just, I need your help."
Naoya sits cross-legged on the examination table, tapping his fingers on his knee. When he called Utahime for help, he didn't think she would insist on having Ieiri check him over. Should have known. She is the only healer in Jujutsu society.
"Is there anything you can do?" Utahime asks. She's wearing her traditional priestess outfit, which does nothing for him. "He looks fine to me, but when he looks in the mirror or a camera, he doesn't see what we see."
Ieiri leans back and shakes her head. Her usual eye bags are gone. At least someone is getting some sleep.
"No, whatever this is, is out of my league." Ieiri frowns and then snaps her fingers. "Hold on, let me give Kagome a call. She might be able to help."
Naoya stops tapping. She's going to call Kagome?
Ieiri disappears out of the room before he can tell her to forget it.
"Don't worry," Utahime says with a small smile. "If Shoko thinks Kagome-san can get rid of this curse, then let's believe in that." She holds out a hand. Naoya bites back the frown and takes Utahime's hand. He squeezes her hand and smiles.
On the outside, he remains unbothered. But on the inside, he is seething. Calling Kagome means Gojo finding out about his misstep. He grits his teeth while he waits.
Ieiri walks back into the room. "Okay, Kagome is actually on campus, so she'll be right over."
"Oh? Does she come here often?" Utahime asks.
"... No?" Ieiri shrugs. "Satoru must have dragged here." She reaches into her pocket and pulls out a pack of cigarettes. "Oh, I can't have these," she says to herself, putting the pack back into her coat pocket.
"Are you quitting?" Utahime lets his hand go. "I've been telling you how awful those things are."
"Ah, no." Ieiri chuckles. "I thought you guys heard the news, or at least you, Zenin-san. Satoru knocked Kagome up."
What?
His body feels like it is overheating. He wets his lips, trying to stop himself from snarling like a rabid dog. What does she mean by Kagome is knocked up? She's seriously having another fucking kid with that bastard? Hasn't she learned anything? He sucks in a breath and tries to get his emotions under control.
"Hey!" Kagome greets.
Naoya's lips tremble. Oh. She's so... kami, he hates Gojo Satoru.
Kagome is wearing some off the shoulder brown dress with heels. Her hair is pinned back. He eyes the necklace and how it seems to stop short of her cleavage.
She looks amazing.
He squeezes his eyes shut. Damn. He wants her.
"Oh? A curse that is lingering? That is weird," Kagome says. "Excuse me, Zenin-san—"
"Naoya," he says, opening his eyes.
Kagome blinks. "Excuse me, but I'll need to touch you in order to figure out what is going on." She presses a hand over his chest and frowns.
"So," Ieiri drawls, "where's Satoru? Surprised to see you here, Yuta and not Satoru."
"Oh, Satoru is on a mission. He took the boys with him. I came over to talk with Yaga about the surprise event." Kagome ignores Naoya as she chats with Ieiri. "Sorry, you weren't at the amusement park outing when we first discussed it. I'm thinking of maybe hosting it on his birthday since it's an appreciation event for him. I called him on the walk over here, so I'm sure he'll pop in."
"And," Okkotsu chimes in, "we would love it if the Kyoto students could participate. Even Shippo is going to participate. It'll be like the exchange event, but to show Gojo-sensei how far everyone has come and to thank him for all he does for all of us."
Naoya wants to hurl. He starts to roll his eyes when Kagome's hand glows pink.
Oh.
His cock twitches. Wait... his cock? Naoya's eyes widen. His chest is back to being his chest. No more tits. He snaps his gaze to Kagome's face and tries to will her to look at him. His body is on fire. His balls are so needy.
What is this?
All too soon, she pulls her hand away. Kagome takes a step back and turns her back to him.
"Hi! Sorry, I haven't introduced myself properly," Kagome says, greeting Utahime, who just stares at her dumbstruck. Naoya clenches his fists and uncrosses his legs.
"Oh! No problem. Naoya was more pressing than introductions." Utahime giggles. She seems to remember him because she finally turns her attention away from Kagome. "Do you need to look in a mirror or your phone to see if the curse is gone?"
"It's gone," he grounds out.
The room floods with cursed energy right before the door slams open. It falls to the floor.
"Satoru!" Kagome scolds.
"Seems like my friend has betrayed me," Satoru says, stepping on the fallen door with Shippo on his shoulders and Koushi strapped to his chest. "You called my wife to do your job?"
"I needed her assistance," Ieiri says with an eye roll. "Whatever cursed Naoya was far out of my league. I couldn't break it."
It's on the tip of Naoya's tongue to blurt out that Kagome is not Gojo's wife. At least that what his sources have informed him.
"Then he should have been left to figure it out," Satoru snarks. "He's a grown-ass man. A special grade one," Satoru spits the last part out like it burns him to admit the special grade part. "And should be more than capable of dodging with that technique of his."
"The hell is your problem!" Utahime yells. "He needed help. Are you that caught up in stupid clan clashes that you can't put the hatred aside for him to get some help? He was out helping to keep society safe like all of us."
Naoya stares at Utahime. He doesn't need her to fight his battles, but... Kagome looks upset. Maybe this will work out in his favor.
"You need to stop looking down on everyone before someone knocks you off your high horse," Utahime continues.
"Okay," Kagome cuts in, stepping between Satoru and Utahime. "I don't know what the issue is here, but this is way overblown." She narrows her eyes at Utahime. "One, you don't talk to him like that." She turns her head and looks at Satoru. "And two, I can help Shoko if I want to."
Utahime snaps her mouth shut and looks embarrassed.
Satoru's cheeks tinge pink. "Sorry, Gome-chan. I wasn't thinking." He opens his mouth and closes it. "And sorry Shoko. I know you wouldn't try to set my wife up."
"... No, I wouldn't," Ieiri says. "It really was out of my league. Whatever Zenin-san got hit with was affecting his cursed energy, too. It would have been a disaster if we had left it to linger."
Satoru nods his head. "Right...so, Kagome, since you're already here, want to get lunch?" He slides his blindfold down and winks.
Kagome huffs. "You aren't off the hook." She crosses her arms and then giggles when Satoru kisses her cheek. "Satoru."
"Let's just leave the kids with Yuta for a couple of hours."
"Please, no!" Okkotsu begs. "Shippo might... I just can't. Maybe Megumi would like to watch his brothers?"
"Why is everyone making me out to be a bad guy?" Shippo wonders. "At least my brother always has my back."
Koushi giggles.
The scene is too domestic for Naoya's liking. He hates this. Hates how for a moment, Kagome's attention was on him, and then Gojo has to come in and take it away like the thief that he is. At least his cock is no longer half-hard. Naoya hops down from the examination table and wiggles his toes in his shoes.
Good. No pain from overgrown toenails that he couldn't clip.
"I think Satoru should cover my lunch as an apology," Ieiri says, shrugging off her white lab coat.
"Sure!" Kagome chirps. "Utahime-san, would you like to join us?"
Naoya freezes.
Utahime looks at him and smiles. "Naoya and I would love your hospitality."
The fuck he will.
Naoya snaps his attention to Gojo Satoru. The temperature drops several degrees. He struggles to breathe under that stare. If he goes on this lunch outing with them, he's positive Gojo will find a reason to get rid of him. He's not stupid. It wasn't because Shoko called Kagome for help, it was that the help was him.
"Actually," Naoya says, "I was hoping for us to get lunch alone." He flashes a smile in Utahime's direction. "No offense, Gojo."
"None taken," Satoru says, wrapping an arm around Kagome. He gives Utahime a look, who starts to roll her eyes, but stops for some reason.
Is she scared of Kagome?
Naoya frowns. That won't do.
"Okay, well it was nice properly to meet you Utahime." Kagome smiles. "I'll whip Satoru into shape, so you don't have to worry about him."
Satoru coughs.
Shippo shakes his head and covers his face with his hand.
"Kagome-san, you're so amazing," Utahime gushes. She loops her arm through his and leans against him. "I think it would be great if these two could put their differences aside. Lead by example for the next generation."
"Yeah, fuc—Kagome!"
The hair on Naoya's neck raise at the sudden influx of Kagome's energy.
"We would love to double date sometime."
"I don't want—"
"Love to," Kagome emphasizes, but there's a tightness to her smile. Naoya keeps his face neutral.
Does Kagome want to go on a double date because she's finally realized how wrong Gojo is for her, or is there some other reason? Nah, it's clear she felt the spark between them. Naoya rolls his shoulders back and grins.
"Yes, we would love to."
A/N: It's not that Kagome wants to be on a double date with Naoya so much as she wants to try and warn Utahime if she can. I asked myself what would be Naoya's biggest fear and how could the prank be carried out in a way that didn't result in someone innocent getting blamed. Megumi didn't offer to take Kagome to the clinic because his face would have given him away.
Might write another Sota chapter with Emi to get more into the clan politics.
Wishing you a wonderful rest of the week. Didn't expect to have an update so soon but I couldn't stop writing. Not sure what will be updated on Sunday, but one of the stories will be updated. Take care of yourselves and get plenty of rest. And make sure to take your vitamins and stay as healthy as you can!