A/N: There's just one important thing to keep in mind about this chapter and the next few moving forward. Any lingering questions you might have from chapters 1-5...aren't getting answered right now. They're just not. Don't worry about it. We'll come back to it at the appropriate time. Right now, if you have made it to this chapter please know that you have entered the indulgent, romantic fluff portion of the story. It's the section of the story designed to build on the, admittedly insane, established relationship rather than answering crucial plot questions. Like I said, we'll come back to that in due time. This is the silly JJK filler portion of the story. I hope you guys will enjoy it! Best wishes and God bless you all.
Disclaimer: Jujutsu Kaisen belongs to its creator, Gege Akutami, and other copyright holders. This story is merely a Fanfiction...and a very weird one at that.
Warnings: This chapter is half the length of the last one, just barely below 4,000 words. Beyond this and some...outrageous thoughts coming from Gojo specifically, there is nothing to warn you guys about this time. This chapter is light and fluffy...for the most part.
December 15th, 2017
Tokyo, Japan – Shibuya District
8:10pm
Kaikaya by the Sea wasn't a new restaurant technically speaking. One could have even called the place a tourist attraction with the striking, cartoon mural of a mermaid riding on the back of a crimson coy fish by the entrance and the affordable pricing of the meals offered.
Given his usual preference for high end…everything, no one would expect Satoru Gojo to frequent such a place, making it a perfect little hiding spot on days when he really needed to get away from everything. The only thing "new" about it came down to some recent renovations and the addition of more expensive food options to try, including a cherry blossom flavored ice cream that sounded delicious.
So, roughly an hour before his fateful venture to eliminate the Special Grade Curse called Cosmos, he rented out the small restaurant for "a private event" from 7:45pm to 9:00pm.
In truth, he rented out the space so it would be empty of anyone but staff, for his original plan was to have his dinner and dessert while starting a text draft for his mission completion report to the higher-ups. He wasn't opposed to hearing the kinetic buzz of conversation around him as he ate, but writing required a much calmer atmosphere, especially since he couldn't just simply say, "Rejoice! I, Gojo Satoru, have slayed the wretched Curse as requested!"
Well, he could say that, but Yaga had thrown such reports back in his face enough times for him to know one sentence wouldn't cut it. The higher-ups wanted all the gritty details told in the most boring way possible. Shoko wasn't willing to assist him in this task anymore, so if he wanted to experience the warm ambiance of a nice restaurant rather than the cold emptiness of his apartment or the stale musk of his office at Jujutsu High, he needed to book private rooms or, in this case, empty venues out to limit distracting external stimuli.
Meeting Miharu Kelmendi drastically altered that objective.
And really, that's an understatement because the woman has single-handedly dismantled his entire life without even realizing it.
Given that he is a highly relied upon Sorcerer, teacher, and head of one of the three prestigious clans of Jujutsu Society, romance isn't something he has adequate time for. Frankly, he's never been all that interested in dating beyond casual flirting anyway. How can he when his every waking moment is tied to eliminating Curses, guiding others in how to do the same thing, or navigating clan politics he really couldn't care less about but has to do because no one else is capable enough or powerful enough to handle it?
Those things notwithstanding, battles with Curses have been enough to curb any other physical cravings he could have...aside from those that came from his love of sweets.
Well, that was the case until she came along.
At the present moment, Gojo isn't thinking about reports, lesson plans, Curses, family matters, the remaining details to iron out for the Christmas party he's hosting the next evening, or even the cherry blossom ice cream he had been so excited for two hours ago.
Instead, he's staring at the faint trace of sauce on the corner of her lip as she feeds her Shikigami pet, Tuna, a piece of Sashimi from the platter they ordered.
He wants to satiate the curiosity of whether the sweet taste of those lips mixes well with the savory condiment, but he keeps still. He is not a hormonal teenager. He is more than capable of controlling himself when confronted with temptation.
Granted he is absentmindedly stroking her ankle with his foot, but that's beside the point.
His rationality remains in tact, even though he's certain she feels what he's doing and is deliberately acting as if she doesn't just to torment him.
"Explain the blindfold to me," she orders suddenly, running her fingers over the Shikigami's fur as he happily chews away at the fish. "Clearly it's not a weird kink of yours, and it seems like you can still see with it on somehow."
He taps his fingers against his cheek.
Did she have to mention kinks? Right now?
She glances at him with a positively devious smirk.
Yep. Definitely tormenting him on purpose.
"That explanation will be difficult to understand without first covering the basics of Jujutsu."
"The martial art?"
"No…not the martial art."
"Then tell me what it is." She raises her chopsticks, clicking them together. "By the way, can I try a bite of that?"
He glances down at his plate.
"Of my Carpaccio? Sure, go ahead."
Miharu's smile widens as she scoops up a small slice of a seasoned fillet from his plate.
"This looks similar to a dish I had in Paris a long time ago."
"Oh? You lived in France?"
Nodding, she plops the small bite into her mouth and chews for a moment, savoring the taste.
Just like he'd savored the flavor of her lips when she kissed him before.
...
"How long?" he asks to distract himself.
"Till the end of 2014. That's when I moved here."
"And what brought you to Japan, sweetheart?"
She laughs, taking another piece of fish off his plate.
"How about you answer my questions first, honey."
He chuckles also, not expecting her to catch his attempt at deflection.
Because really, he shouldn't tell her anything about Jujutsu. The more she knows the more danger she'll be in, especially if he's correct about how her Cursed Technique works.
But it's too late to shield her from his world. He did introduce her as his girlfriend to Ijichi, and there were other witnesses that saw her enter the Veil. Those witnesses probably won't keep quiet about what they saw unless he threatens them first and performing that action would mean cutting this little date short.
For her sake, that's what he should do.
He knows entertaining any notions of romance, fleeting or permanent, are selfish.
But the last few weeks have been excruciating, so he feels he's earned some fun.
"Jujutsu, in essence, is the manipulation of an individual's Cursed Energy, which is based on the accumulation of negative human emotion."
"Interesting."
Miharu sets her chopsticks down along her empty plate.
"Jujutsu translates to Sorcery in English…" she trails off for a moment, her stormy grey eyes narrowing on her fingers as she drums them along the tablecloth. "So…performing Jujutsu means performing sorcery of some sort?"
Gojo nods, his shrouded gaze also on her hands.
"Something like that."
"And manipulating Cursed Energy in this way makes you…a Sorcerer, yes?"
"Bingo. You catch on fast."
She's silent for another moment, thinking.
And then, out of nowhere, her serene expression abruptly flips into one of intense alarm.
"Who hurt you?"
The question genuinely surprises him, so much so that he stops moving his foot against her leg.
"What? I'm not..."
"You just said Cursed Energy is based on an accumulation of negative human emotion," she answers in a rush, leaning forward a fraction to study his face. "Gojo, in the span of five minutes I watched you defy gravity, shoot off laser beams, and body slam a creature out of Narnia into the concrete without batting an eye. Oh, and let's not forget that you tossed cars across streets, threw a lamppost that nearly impaled me, and basically leveled a city block!"
"Well..."
"And, I just need to place special emphasis to the fact that you looked like a circus performer cracked out on cocaine zipping around like that!"
Gojo sits there, puzzled beyond all reason at how fast Miharu lists everything she witnessed.
"You're not breathing again…"
"All that power is coming from inside you, right?" she wonders, bulldozing over his words. "Your negative emotions?"
...
Ah. He gets it now. She's misunderstood the concept…
…
But he doesn't have the heart to correct her yet, not when she's staring at him wide-eyed with concern and even a little anger aimed toward the person or persons responsible for inflicting him with enough emotional damage to mold him into a living terror for anything in his way.
…
It's endearing that she cares so much already.
...
To think, he almost killed her today…and in more than one instance to boot.
…
Gojo doesn't necessarily feel guilt over it. Cold logic has dictated the majority of his actions since Suguru's defection ten years ago.
He maintains amicable relationships with his colleagues and students, but he rarely allows emotion to factor into his decision making because he knows the cost of sentimentality better than anyone.
Distancing himself doesn't come from a lack of care towards others. If anything, distance is a necessity because he cares too much.
...
Gojo didn't have a moral compass to live by before meeting Suguru. In those days, he was a brat that did what he wanted without a care for anything or anyone else.
Even after they became friends, he loathed the speeches about protecting the weak because the philosophy sounded completely illogical. It was like he'd never heard of natural selection before in his life.
The strong live and the weak die. Plain and simple.
Why would anyone live by any sense of morality if that concept holds true?
...
Why do people seek more if everything they are is decided at birth?
...
Those questions weren't things Gojo wanted to consider back then. He had been a woefully naive teenager despite the books he'd read, the languages he'd studied, or his natural ability.
Suguru balanced him out in that regard. Became his equal.
...
They were the strongest.
...
Untouchable. Unbeatable.
…
A single day changed all that.
...
In the aftermath, Gojo became the strongest alone.
…
There, floating above all, he understood strength by itself couldn't save everyone.
…
So, unless it's for his own ends, he doesn't try to rescue or save anyone. He simply fulfills his tasks with an efficiency that mitigates the number of casualties.
…
But people do die on his watch sometimes, and, if Satoru Gojo were to only go by cold logic, Miharu Kelmendi would have died inside the Veil today.
…
In that scenario, he would be eating in this restaurant alone, drafting out a mission report.
…
As he reaches across the table to brush his fingers against the back of her hand, Gojo releases a soft sigh.
He's glad logic didn't win over his heart this time.
"It doesn't work like that," he murmurs reassuringly. "Don't worry. Nothing hurts me."
It's a mantra he's told himself thousands of times.
...
This is the first time that it comes out sounding like a lie.
But Miharu seems to understand that he can't go deeper than this, so rather than question him, she simply weaves her fingers in the spaces between his and carries on with the conversation as if she hadn't seen through his flimsy facade.
"So…you're just nightmare fuel naturally then?"
He laughs out loud, the tension between them bursting like a bubble.
"Are you saying you didn't find me ridiculously attractive?"
Miharu shrugs.
"You're not bad looking, I guess."
"You say that as if you've seen better?
"Hmmm…"
She drags out the noise with a playful gleam in her eye.
"I can remember some gorgeous male models from my Paris days," she tells him. "Based on looks alone...they outclass you."
Gojo presses his free hand to his chest like he's an old woman clutching at her pearls.
"EXCUSE ME!"
Miharu cackles loudly at his pose, practically snorting by the time he lets go of her hand.
"Hahahahaha! You should see the look on your face! Even with the blindfold...it's priceless."
He watches her laugh for a moment. Something about the way her head is thrown back...
...
With a hint of confusion dragging his lips into a small frown, he leans closer to inspect her face.
"W-What…hahaha….!" She lightly swats her hand at him. "What is it?"
Gojo pulls away, his mouth parting slightly.
"I may have just realized something."
Still giggling, Miharu reaches for a napkin to dab at her wet eyes.
"And what would that be?" she questions, watching him as he digs around his pocket for his cell phone.
"Are you…a model by any chance?"
He sets his phone down along the table as he waits for it to power on.
"Yes. I started modeling when I was nineteen." She perks up, grinning deviously again. "Do you recognize me from something?"
He doesn't answer immediately, preoccupied with typing in his pass code. Once through with this, he scrolls to an app powering a photo gallery.
"I can't believe I didn't notice this earlier."
"Notice what earlier?" Miharu asks, trying to sneak a peek, but he positions the screen out of her line of sight.
"Hey! Don't leave me in suspense here! Where do you recognize me from? Was it the recent spread in An An? You wouldn't believe how tough it was to get a spread in…"
She stops talking when she notices his lips quirk up into a soft smile.
"Our meeting might have been destiny, my dear."
Before Miharu can ask him to elaborate, he pushes his phone toward her, rotating it along the table so she can clearly examine the image on his screen.
She gasps.
It's a picture of her from eleven years ago during one of her first major magazine spreads. Back then her hair was a little curlier, and she remembers having these sweeping bangs that always got in her eyes. Case in point, only her right eye is visible in the photo, but it's locked straight at the camera even though her head is tipped back, that unruly hair caught in the wind. Her lips, painted a deep red, are parted to invoke an image of pure joy.
She remembers that photo shoot as one of the few she truly loved.
…
Seeing the image now is bittersweet.
…
"I had this photo as my wallpaper when I was in high school," Gojo explains, a tone of wonder to his voice. "Even showed it off to my best friend."
She hears a hint of melancholy locked away in his words, but just like before, she chooses not to comment on it.
Some of her own memories prevent her.
But Gojo isn't aware of her thoughts. He's too busy laughing at himself for having been so blind.
He has Six Eyes for crying out loud.
"This isn't even the same phone I had back then," he continues, placing the device on the table next to their half-eaten platter. "But it's always been a habit of mine to transfer all my data to every new phone I buy. Photos, notes, contacts, everything."
She releases a slow breath.
"You never thought about deleting this?"
"It's…not like it took up that much space," Gojo answers, still focused on her image on the screen. "Plus, it's from a nostalgic time in my life. This photo is mixed in with others from back then. They're...memories I can't part with."
There's weight to the words.
It's too much for a single conversation.
"Besides," he drags out, mischief locked in his grin now. "You look hot."
Her gaze drifts back down to his screen.
...
Seeing that version of herself...is painful.
...
She wants to tell him that, but...
"Meow..."
Tuna's soft mewl interrupts the quiet moment, prompting Miharu to stroke his ears again. Her little demon cat is practically asleep.
"We should probably go," she whispers, moving to grab her coat slung over the back of her seat.
"So soon?"
"Yeah…"
Miharu trails off, her expression twisting to a soft scowl as she searches her pockets for something.
"What are you looking for?"
"My wallet."
Gojo smirks and, with a single gesture, motions for one of the waiting servers to collect their dishes and deliver him the bill.
"I got it."
"You sure?" she asks, pausing in her search.
"You can treat me next time."
She scoffs then moves to gather Tuna into her arms.
"As if."
After a few more minutes inside the quaint restaurant, the strange pair make their return to the busy streets, though it's apparent that some of the activity is beginning to wind down.
"The rain finally stopped," Miharu points out, holding her demon tiger cub like a baby against her chest. "Whew...it's getting chilly too."
He looks down at her. "Where do you live?"
"Over in Chiyoda. There should be enough time to catch the last train."
"Yeah...if you hurry."
Neither of them move, instead choosing to take a few minutes to admire the Christmas decorations lighting up the streets as people pass them by.
"I…can teleport you there."
She releases a sigh.
"Of course you can. Is there nothing Satoru Gojo can't do?"
He chuckles at the annoyance in her tone.
"Jealous of my amazing talents?"
"No," she replies, watching him as he pivots to face her. fully "I think I've just had enough of the supernatural for one day…although you never did explain the blindfold."
"Just like you never explained what happened inside that Curse's final Domain Expansion," he points out, reaching to stroke her cheek with his thumb.
The cut from before isn't present anymore. Beneath his thumb, he can feel a dull hum of the Special Grade's Cursed Energy.
He's not sure what that means. It bothers him that he doesn't know what happened the short time they were separated.
...
The only reason he doesn't demand answers is because she asked for his trust.
…
And because she had trusted him first.
…
"I guess that makes us even, sweetheart."
Another silence passes between them. It feels heavy with something neither of them can voice.
...
She takes a step away.
He allows his hand to drift back to his side.
...
"Thank you…for the meal."
...
"Anytime."
...
They hadn't exchanged numbers during dinner. Regardless of the inexplicable, powerful bond between them, they both know that their togetherness is a risky venture.
And…if they were the same people they'd been two hours ago, this moment would have been goodbye.
…
But they aren't the same people anymore.
…
So this can't be goodbye.
...
There are too many things between them left unspoken or unanswered.
…
But more important than all that…
…
"Are you sure you don't want me to teleport you back? It'll be faster and safer than the train."
"Really?"
"Would I lie to you?"
Miharu contemplates his question for a moment, seriously considering him and his capacity for honesty.
She doesn't realize he's studying every tiny change in her expression, from the flutter of her lashes framing her stormy eyes to those rosy lips pursed from intense concentration.
"Why the hesitation, sweetheart?" he asks suddenly, watching the flash of surprise cross over her features. "Is it because you don't trust me to get you to Chiyoda safely, or..."
...
He has his own moment of hesitation, knowing that once the words he wants to say are out, he can't take them back.
...
And on some level, he knows better to suggest this, but...
...
"Or is it because you rather come home with me?"
...
Gojo delivers the words playfully, so he doubts she'll say yes to this not-so-subtle invitation. In fact, he's certain she'll roll her eyes at him and take off into a sprint down the street like anyone else would do in her position.
…
Except she doesn't.
...
She takes a step closer.
…
Because, like him, she doesn't want to be alone tonight.
...
"Is your place within walking distance?"
He exhales shakily. She's caught him off guard yet again.
...
She really needs to stop doing that.
"It is, although teleporting would be faster…"
"No," she moans, legitimate irritation brightening her eyes. "No more Jujutsu today. Please."
Another laugh spills from his mouth. "You're so funny, babe."
"Don't call me that," she groans, walking alongside him as he begins leading the way down the sidewalk. "And just so we're clear, I'm not sleeping with you."
"Must you crush my dreams? I've been fantasizing about you since I was a teenager."
"You didn't even recognize me as the same person until fifteen minutes ago, you idiot!"
Gojo doesn't have a defense for that. Really, he should have recognized her sooner, especially since he apparently has a habit of frequenting her favorite shops just to buy out all her favorite treats before she can get any.
He almost laughs again, realizing now that they didn't order any dessert with their meal.
Crazier still, he's not the least bit annoyed by that.
Just being near her is sweet enough.
"Does it help my case to say you're even hotter now?"
...
"Just…stop talking."
She says that, but Gojo can easily see the blush on her face.
Truly, their budding romance is a bizarre adventure.
And yes, that is, in fact, a Jojo's reference.
A/N: So...some extra notes about this chapter. I'm sure you guys noticed that there were no first person point of views contained within it. That's because the style of story has changed. We're going all in on third person for a bit, and mainly from Gojo's perspective for reasons that'll become clear once the first person point of views return. This is probably one of the weaker chapters as well because of the switch in tone and lack of answers to questions from previous chapters, but I don't mind it too much because writing it was just a fun time. Just doing research for this one was a blast. Kaikaya by the Sea is a real restaurant in Japan and An-An is actually a popular women's magazine there. Who knew research could be so much fun? Anyway, many thanks again to you all for reading. I really appreciate it. Best wishes and God bless you all!