They had to head back eventually, but with a full stomach and a plan set, things didn't feel quite as overwhelming anymore.
Gojo agreed that they go back to the police station along with Oba-chan, who was going to volunteer to foster them. Oba-san was grumbling up a storm about it, talking about how much work she was gonna pile on them, but she got the feeling she didn't really mean it. Like a Dad and the pet they didn't want but ended up bonding with anyway.
Shimura drove them back more slowly, and she had to rush to shush Oba-chan about the car safety seat, clinging to Gojo instead as if to say 'See? Perfectly safe!'. The old woman eyed her doubtfully but returned her gaze to the front eventually.
The station was buzzing with activity, something big must have happened nearby. Shimura disappeared into the thick of it and Gojo moved to the side out of consideration for Oba-chan, who was getting bumped around by the quick-moving swarm of people.
Officer, her case worker, appeared alongside her, and he looked a lot more tired than he had before they'd left.
"I would like to foster these two children." Oba-chan said confidently, and Officer's questioning look sharpened. His eyes were appraising, but clearly, Oba-chan wasn't quite up to his standards. Still, he took a breath to speak, clearly intending to humor the woman.
"You have-"
"Yes, yes, it's all here!" Oba-chan interrupted to say, and Officer was unperturbed by the interruption, reading through the file of paperwork quickly.
"You have the space for them both?" He asked first, and she nodded.
"Their own bedrooms, their own space. We run a restaurant, so we won't be short on food. I've adopted already before, so we have the experience to handle any behavioral issues. And, Satoru-kun likes us, so we aren't too worried about getting murdered in our sleep!" She laughed at the last comment, obviously joking.
Officer didn't seem to consider it to be quite as ridiculous of a joke as she did.
He's experienced enough to recognize people like Gojo. People whose confidence was well-earned. Gojo was dangerous, and Officer was both respectful and wary of that. She thought that that might be part of the reason why Gojo's lie even worked, not quite for actually convincing him, but choosing to play along as the safer route for everyone involved.
"Midori-chan is going to need medical checkups and mental evaluations. From our understanding, she has amnesia, which does need investigated," well fuck, "and Gojo-kun has no medical records available, let alone vaccination records. Their medical bills will be mostly covered by the government, but not all of it, and the time needed will be extensive. If you are doing this out of fear for their wellbeing, a children's home has been located with space available to both of them."
Wow, Officer, way to discourage her. Did he think she was getting in over her head?
"Not gonna matter, they're coming home with us! We can handle a few medical bills and appointments, goodness knows we go to enough of them ourselves. When can we move them in?" Oba-chan, the icon, the legend, asked firmly. Oba-chan's the best grandma she's seen in this life so far!
"There's some paperwork that needs to be done. Please, sit." Officer offered her a chair and left for not even a full minute, before returning with a pile of paper, a clipboard, and a pen, all of which he handed to her.
"Kids, go play outside for a while, I'll handle this, don't you worry a bit!" Oba-chan said pleasantly, but the determination with which she picked up the pen was honestly more suited for a sword. She was ready and determined to win this fight.
Gojo ushered her away happily, probably relieved to be out of there while two battles of wills went on. The outside of the police station was fully cement, the lack of grass was honestly stifling. People lived like this, not a drop of natural green in sight?
"Does Officer not want us to be fostered?"
Gojo sighed.
"It's not quite that simple. Our age difference makes placing us both pretty hard for him, especially since he's respecting our rule that we stay together. A children's home would have the experience and the resources to handle us according to code, and I think he's afraid we're going to suffer due to her not knowing what to do."
"And that she's old, so she might not be able to keep up."
"That too. The only reason I brought us there was to get some good food, I didn't expect all this."
"Good surprise?" She asked, a bit nervously. Did Gojo not want this either?
He laughed, and elbowed her hard on the shoulder, playful.
"Good surprise." He agreed, and she lunged for him, trying to wrestle him down despite knowing it was more or less futile.
Gojo had her on her stomach, face in the cement, in moments, as she expected. He was sitting on her, though his weight all rested on Infinity instead of her. He'd probably squish her if he just sat on her normally. Either way, she was completely trapped, any upward movement was halted by his technique, leaving her squirming from side to side like a trapped bug on the ground.
Luckily, she had the power of 'small' and 'cute' on her side.
"Onii-san is bullying me!" She complained loudly, catching the attention of a few nearby adults, having a smoke break
"Oi! Let her up." One officer shouted, and Gojo's glare was enough to make the man flinch.
There went her backup.
"So mean, Onii-san!" She complained again, trying her best to squirm out from under him.
"You started this, Imoto!" He taunted. Imoto was 'younger sibling' or something, right? Probably sister, since Japanese tended to have gendered titles.
She ceased squirming all at once, and craned her head to look at him pleadingly.
"Please let me up now, Satoru-nii?" She asked, making sure to bat her eyes cutely. Sure, she was in the same set of clothes as she had been wearing yesterday, and she hadn't showered yet today, but surely, she was still at least a little bit adorable?
Gojo sighed, and shifted off of her, letting her up, and she immediately pounced on him again, restraining his arm in a facsimile of a leg-lock that took her whole body to do.
"Oh no, how hath I fallen for such a simple trap? Whatever shall I do, oh, woe is me, my own foolishness hath led unto my downfall." Gojo lamented, completely deadpan. English, she thought, given the sudden Shakespearean talk and weird change that usually accompanied reading or hearing English.
"Why're you talking like an old person?" She complained, exasperated, in English.
"Why aren't you?" He challenged, one eyebrow going up, because of course, his superior genetics included that ability.
Honestly, fair point.
"Don't really know how."
"Me neither!" Gojo whispered, like a secret he was delighted to share.
He was too unbothered by her expertly laid trap, so she growled a little, baring her teeth, and he cooed like it was absolutely adorable and completely unthreatening. She growled harder, and Gojo untangled her with ease to trap her in a hug.
An acceptable compromise.
"I'm bored." She complained after a few quiet minutes. The adults hanging around outside for their smoke break went back in, but a new group came out. The new ones didn't even bother ensuring they, the nearby children, weren't downwind, the smoke was irritating her nose.
Gojo seemed unbothered, probably because of Ieiri's developing habit. Or Infinity, the cheat.
"Want to play a game?"
"Like what?"
Gojo paused, like he hadn't realized he was volunteering to be the one to choose the game. It sure sucks, huh? Junpei, Panda, and her needed a new friend who'd be willing to be the leader. She was gonna lose it if she had to keep thinking up children's games for everyone.
"Wanna hunt down cursed spirits and take a guess at what made them?"
She blinked.
"Absolutely." She agreed quickly the moment she fully comprehended his question. Gojo smiled, probably patting himself on the back for picking out a game a four year old would like. He happened to pick a specific interest of hers, she didn't think Junpei would be quite so willing.
"There's one over there!" He said quickly, pointing to a blob of some sort, inching its way up the wall. It squeaked when Gojo's eyes landed on it and sped up, trying desperately to reach the roof and get over the ledge before Gojo got there, but he was fast enough to pluck it off the edge with ease.
"Slugs?" She guessed, a little disgusted by the sight of the little thing. It really looked slug-like in shape, oozing and gross, purple with black spots, and it had little bristles around its head and back like a lion's mane, each topped with eyes that were all locked on Gojo.
"It's a little broader than that, though its shape is a good vessel!" Gojo encouraged eagerly. It nearly slipped from his hands before stopping dead in place, squeaking with terror. It couldn't even talk, it was so weak. She felt a little bad for the thing. It was like a mosquito being taken out by a sniper.
"It's a fear of something… slipping?"
"Birdie!"
"... Birdie?"
"Golf! You don't know golf?"
"Not really."
Gojo shook his head at the ground, as if disappointed in her.
"A birdie's a hole in two!" He said confidently. She didn't know enough to prove he was wrong, but it felt like it was.
"Whatever, yes, it's the fear of slipping! It isn't a super common fear, and intersects a lot with other fears, so curses made from it are usually super weak! Wanna kill it?"
She looked at the curse.
The curse looked back.
If a curse could plead, it would be begging for its life. It looked inches from tears. It was slimy and an ugly purple color with bluish spots, and looked at her with such desperation it made her heart ache.
"Does it have to die?" She asked a little plaintively.
"It's a curse! It'll make someone slip and fall or something! Its slime will disappear when it dies, don't worry about that." He assured her.
"It's so cute though!" She said finally, taking its slimy little face in her hands. It looked at her as if it had seen God Himself and squirmed eagerly into her arms and curled up comfortably as if to convince him of its harmlessness.
"That's cute?" Gojo asked, shocked, and she nodded, suddenly moments from crying herself. It was just so helpless! It couldn't even hurt anyone itself, it only left behind residue! It wasn't even doing anything, just trying to get away! The poor thing didn't deserve to die just for existing!
"Don't cry about it…" Gojo asked, bewildered, and he tried to take it from her, but the curse stuck to her like its life depended on it and she clung back.
"Can't Geto-san eat it later? So, I could keep it?" The curse froze in her arms, alarmed.
"You want to ask Suguru to eat… this thing?" Gojo asked, and she nodded furiously.
"I'll owe him a whole personal batch of cookies!"
"You- you don't have to have him do it if you want to keep the thing. You can just do it yourself."
She stared at him, her heart suddenly pounding.
"Do it myself?" She asked vehemently, her eyes locked on his intensely.
"Yeah? Shikigami- right you probably don't know much about those yet. Shikigami are usually summoned through a ritual using a special type of seal to describe what you want and the pact you want to make with it. You can do it with already created cursed spirits, as long as they don't have a previous pact and agree to it, in any meaning of the word. Usually, it's by beating the spirit up, called subjugation, or just being much more powerful, so much that the cursed spirit would be completely unable to resist, called domination. You're definitely in the latter category."
She looked at the curse.
The curse looked back.
"I want you to be my friend and not hurt people who I don't tell you to hurt. Sound good?" It stared at her, confused.
"Or I'll kill you!" Gojo chimed in cheerfully from beside her, and the cursed spirit's eyes widened, and it started nodding fervently, draping itself over her shoulder like a beloved cat, cuddling into her hold like it was trying to prove itself.
"Now, you have to make- here, it's a little complex for you- there, just-" Gojo moved her around like she was a doll, placing the slug curse in front of her, and started making a sigil of some sort, which glowed ominously with cursed energy. A seal, apparently, though far less complex than the one she was used to. It looked like chains almost, in the shape of a circle, and the well-behaved slug was in the center.
"Just step into the circle. My cursed energy was used to make the circle, so the pact will be really strong. It'll behave, definitely. You've already laid out the terms, and it has agreed, so crossing the barrier will bind you two together."
She stepped through the circle.
For several moments, it was like something deep and utterly pissed off stirred in her stomach, no, the seal, and all of her cursed energy zeroed in at once, all of it, in the seal or free, like a million eyes all directed at one point. Not at the cursed spirit, but at Gojo, who was already stepping backwards defensively. Her vision went white as all the water on the outside of her body flash-froze, including the slime coating her body.
Then the feeling vanished, and the cursed spirit did too. There was something there, a thick chain that she felt as if she could tug, tying a tiny bundle of cursed energy to her core.
She shook her head, and the sound of cracking ice followed as she dislodged the layer of ice that had suddenly encased her.
"Well," Gojo said behind her, already picking ice off her clothes and hair, "That was terrifying."
"What was that?"
"Your cursed energy freaking out and getting ready to level the whole station."
"Really?"
"Yeah, your cursed energy was ready for a fight. Didn't even get that upset during the fight with Toji, just desperate."
"Is that a good thing?"
"You'll be super hard to force into a pact at least. They'd need to subjugate you, not dominate. You'd basically explode if they tried to chain your cursed energy up all at once, without exhausting you. It'd panic and blow up the entire block."
"Oh." That was all that she could think to say.
"Your cursed energy likes you a lot."
"Eh?" What?
"It likes you. It didn't like that my energy was being used to make the circle. I think it thought you were the target at first."
"Is that possible?" She asked, horrified by the possibility.
"Theoretically. It'd have to be a really terrible Window, someone with just enough cursed energy to see cursed spirits, and a special grade sorcerer. It wouldn't be particularly useful though, because humans are too intelligent. It'd be like getting a modern pc game to run on a Gameboy, you'd lose so much trying to force it in that it wouldn't be the same game anymore. Special grade cursed spirits can't really be subjected or dominated either, for similar reasons. It just rips them apart instead, if you can weaken them to that level."
"Well, that's horrifying."
"Jujutsu sorcerers can do some amazing things, but pretty awful ones too. There's been worse than just functional slavery in the past, and it hasn't even been proven to actually work. There's been attempts, but no successes. I wouldn't worry about it. There are much easier and more efficient ways to force people into servitude." Gojo attempted to reassure her.
Yeah, she was going to have nightmares about stepping into mysterious seals.
"I'm gonna have nightmares about this." She informed him, because there was no way she was gonna not sleep in Gojo's room. She wasn't gonna be kidnapped in her sleep, no way, especially not after this terrifying new option of being flipping enslaved by whoever managed to catch her.
"It'd be a fool's errand, no one would actually try it!" Gojo doubled down.
"I can be a super weak Window, if I want to be."
"Oh. Right. Well-, I'm- I'm absolutely, one hundred percent sure your cursed energy that's inside the seal would have something to say about that!" Gojo stuttered a little, but he ended with surety in his voice, standing firm.
Better. At least a little bit. Still gonna have nightmares about it.
"Hm. So how do I summon my shikigami?"
"Right. You should have a tether to them, you just have to pull on it or summon it somehow. It varies, you just do what feels right to you, it's the intent that matters."
Right. Just gotta-
The slug materialized on the ground in front of her with a splat on the ground.
Mental, no tug needed. Good to know. It tracked, honestly, she already knew her cursed energy was responsive.
And liked her, apparently. That's terrifying, knowing her own cursed energy had its own opinion of her. If she upset it, and how did one upset cursed energy, would she lose her ability to control it?
If anything, her cursed energy was always in control of itself, it just chose to listen to her.
Gojo was blissfully unaware of her sudden crisis, examining her new shikigami curiously. The curse stared back, far calmer than it had been before, as if it knew it was no longer in danger because of him.
"Haha! This things weak as hell. Why'd you even want it?" The cursed spirit flinched, like Gojo had struck it, and she slapped his shoulder in pure parental rage. It wasn't particularly forceful, given her muscles were the size of peas. When can a kid start training physically?
"They're trying their best! Don't be mean to them, they can't help how they were born!"
"They could've tried harder." Gojo muttered, eyeing the slug.
"Doomslug!"
"Eh?"
"That's their name. Doomslug!"
"Certainly to the point." Gojo said, like he was one to judge her naming skills. Doomslug had an excellent role-model coming up in a few years! It wasn't the most popular of Brandon Sanderson's books, but it was still one of her favorites. God, the ending of book two really stuck with her.
Doomslug inched its way over to her foot and she picked it up, hugging it to her chest like she would a stuffed animal. Doomslug was hers now, she wouldn't tolerate Gojo bullying the poor thing.
Her shikigami was adorable, and would be very useful, surely! Just because Gojo couldn't see uses, didn't mean there were none.
Ice, on top of Doomslug's slime? No one, with the exception of Satoru Gojo, of course, was going to be able to have traction wherever she laid a trap.
"So, what do you do with a shikigami?" She asked after a moment.
"Typically, you lay out your desires when you make your pact. You wanted a friend who couldn't hurt others unless you tell them to, so that's most likely what they'll be, a companion. It's practically useless for fighting even if that's what you wanted it for, so that's probably the best role for it. Maybe let it take a hit for you if you need it to, the pact is strong enough you should be able to re-summon it easily enough, even if it gets destroyed."
"It feels morally wrong to use my own friend as a meat-shield."
"Well, if you die, it goes back to a vulnerable little not even grade-four cursed spirit, and I crush it like a grape, I don't think it'll complain."
"You don't have to be complaining about something for it to be wrong. Did you ever complain about how the clan treated you as a kid? It was still wrong, whether you protested or not."
Gojo sighed and patted her shoulder, looking strangely nostalgic.
"You'll loosen up when you start taking missions."
"Unlikely."
"You will. There's a big difference between normal life and what you think you're capable of, and what you're willing to do to survive. I've seen comrades throw each other into the mouths of cursed spirits to save themselves, you truthfully don't know people until you've fought beside them."
"You've fought beside me."
He sighed.
"I have. And I know it's hard, but that shikigami of yours won't even be able to die until you do. If you have to save yourself by sacrificing them, that's going to be the best course of action, because only one of you can come back."
"I'll give it all the thought that it's due."
"I'll give it all the thought that it's due," Gojo repeated mockingly, "What kid talks like that? You gotta learn little kid vocabulary, I don't want you to get bullied for it because then there's gonna be bodies to hide.
"I'll just bully them back until they leave me alone."
"Does that really work?"
"A kid took my seat on Friday, and I took his in return. A real power move. Haven't been back since though, so that kinda ruined the effect."
"You'll get him."
"I know. I just gotta beat that into Junpei's head too, he's likely being way too passive. He should be able to scare them away, he's so good at handling horror movies. He could present himself as too scary to touch, and I think it'd work."
"Good thing he's got his little sister there then!" Gojo said, something teasing in his tone.
"I'll fight some kids. I'm younger than his class, it'll look awful if they lose a fight to a kid like me."
"You'll fight children, but won't make not-even sacrificial moves, I get it."
She glared at him.
"That's different, and you know it! Doomslug's mine, I grabbed them, I made a pact, they are my responsibility to care for and to treat well! I can't just let them take a bad hit just to protect myself."
"Cursed spirit's aren't people, Midori-chan. You can't prioritize their lives over your own." Gojo said seriously, even squatting down to look her in the eyes.
"They would never do the same for you."
She'd never been the type to believe in stereotypes. Whole races, nationalities, even just fandoms couldn't be broken down into such simple descriptions.
Cursed spirits were evil.
In general.
But nothing in the world could convince her that all cursed spirits were evil, or at least that they couldn't learn not to be. Even though she knew the end goal of no new cursed spirits being born into the world was the ideal solution for saving Jujutsu society, actually destroying a whole group of beings capable of sentience rubbed her the wrong way. If there was a way for people and cursed spirits to live in peace, she'd look, but it didn't even seem possible.
She'd started too far removed from the situation to fully understand both sides. Jujutsu sorcerers and cursed spirits were caught in a vicious cycle. Like deer and wolves, the numbers were dependent on each other. Each time the scales tipped towards Jujutsu Society, cursed spirits grew stronger, and Gojo had already remarked on the power of the new generation of sorcerers. They were in constant competition with each other, driving each side to greater and greater heights.
Destroying cursed spirits entirely meant that there wouldn't be a need for Jujutsu sorcerers anymore. Once jujutsu sorcerers, the ones with experience, died out, the importance of remaining in control of one's cursed energy would fade, and cursed spirits would begin to leak out into the world again, starting the cycle anew, and thrusting a whole new generation into a war begun by their great grandparents, with no choice but to fight. The loss of life could be massive.
Moral discussions beside a police station really hit different.
She hadn't changed her mind. But she trusted Gojo enough to at least take it into consideration. Maybe she could talk it out with Doomslug, work out a decent deal for the poor pawn.
"Do you like cake?"
"Yes?" Said Gojo questioningly.
"I was talking to Doomslug."
The slug glanced down at itself, as if surprised to be addressed. It tilted its head, a question.
"Never tried cake before? We'll fix that, don't worry."
"I'm not feeding an ungraded cursed spirit cake!" Gojo said with affront, looking appalled by the waste.
"We're feeding my shikigami cake!"
"Nobody is feeding a cursed spirit cake!"
"Well maybe that's why they hate humans so much!"
"They can make their own cake if they want it so bad!"
"Does she look like she has arms?" She asked, holding Doomslug up, and she obligingly waved her slug-shaped body, as if to say 'See? No arms!'
Not sure when she decided Doomslug was a girl, but a girl she was.
"What are you two fighting about?" Officer asked irritably, sounding more tired than ever, and making both of them aware of the small group of people watching them. They had been speaking English, so hopefully no one had understood their little argument, their raised voices must have drawn people in.
"Satoru-nii doesn't believe that ghosts should get cake!" She explained, thinking quickly, and Gojo joined in quickly.
"They don't need cake, they're ghosts!"
"They're condemned to eternal wandering, of everyone, they need some cake!"
"It's their own fault! Finish their business and they can leave, they're only keeping themselves here where they shouldn't be!"
"Children!" Officer interrupted, raising his voice, the irritation in his voice making something in the back of her head shy away. She flinched, and her shoulder hit Gojo's hip as she leaned into him automatically, away from Officer. Gojo's hand dropped to her shoulder, his fingers digging in. His Infinity wrapped around her barely a moment later, leaving her feeling strange and floaty, but somehow more solid than she'd even been in her life. A dragon couldn't move her from this spot at this time.
"Your new foster parent is waiting for you." He finished, much more levelly. She could see him take a calming breath, like he was reminding himself not to let Gojo annoy him. She got the feeling he chose to work with younger kids for a reason, and it wasn't about wanting to help people earlier. He was not particularly tolerant of teenage antics.
Gojo didn't make a noise, just plucked her up easily and headed back in. The way Officer's shoulders tensed, Gojo was glaring daggers at the man. Doomslug had vanished, the tiny drain of cursed energy used by the summoning severed by her lack of focus, and her cursed energy's hyperfocus on the nearest threat. All the slime vanished with it, luckily. She'd find her some cake whenever she got the chance. Everybody deserves the chance to eat some cake.
Gojo was quick to shoulder his way through, his Infinity allowing them to slip through the crowd with ease, until they reached Oba-chan, who looked mighty pleased with herself. She was sipping on a cup of tea demurely, a pinky raised. There were papers scattered about like a tornado had blown though, and another disorganized stack of papers taller than her hand on the table. She sat primly amid the chaos, the eye of the storm.
"Everything's done?" Gojo asked first, and Oba-chan nodded.
"We can go home as soon as we want to. Doctors' visits start tomorrow, and Satoru-kun, I'll need the contact information for your school, so you can start plans for make-up work."
"You just want Yaga-sensei's phone number." Gojo accused, not meanly.
"I don't know what you're talking about." Oba-chan said, nose in the air as if offended, but the smirk on her face said otherwise.
"Yaga-sensei's like mid-thirties, he's way too young for you!"
"I'm not asking him on a date! Just a little looking!"
"You're literally unofficially married. To a woman."
"I've got eyes, don't I? It's not cheating to admire! He's a well-built man, and we both can appreciate that!"
Ew. EW! She just registered what exactly she was listening to her say.
God, please just smite her dead on the spot.
"Yaga-san's my father!" She said, aghast, and Oba-chan giggled.
"I'm just messing with your Nii-san, don't worry Midori-chan. It's your Oba-san who you'll need to keep an eye on now, you hear? She's a bold one."
Not comforting.
"Midori, don't worry, she's just messing with you now. They're committed to each other, they just like to mess with me, and you about it now. Molly-chan, their daughter, has a crush on him, so they like to tease her about it. It's more of an inside joke than anything, not serious."
Ugh, now one more person had a crush on her father? She was gonna be fending ladies off with a stick, which was not in her job description.
Oba-chan laughed at her face, uproarious and contagious, and soon Gojo was laughing too, the two of them thick as thieves as they laughed about her expression. They continued for obnoxiously long, each time one nearly recovered, they glanced her way again and their laughter started right back up.
Officer and she exchanged identical glances, filled with commiseration, as they waited for them to settle down.
"I think they'll get along great."
"Agreed." Officer's tone was drier than a desert.
Eventually they settled, only the occasional snicker being audible whenever they locked eyes, and Officer could lead them out, where Oba-san was waiting with her car, a clunky thing with more dents than smooth metal. Definitely didn't spell good things for their safe driving. She was definitely sticking with Gojo.
There was a car safety seat in the back. It looked more rickety than the damn car, and she stared at Gojo for a few moments, silently begging for him to save her from the death trap of a car seat. The damn thing looked more likely than the car to explode if they got into an accident!
Gojo waved smugly as she was ushered into the car seat and strapped in tightly, almost too tightly, but Officer's judgmental eyes saved her from a very numb trip back to their house when he loosened the straps somewhat.
"Satoru-nii." She prompted when he lingered too long outside, talking softly with Officer. Oba-chan and Oba-san were flirting in a way that probably would have gone over her head if she was really four. As it was, she covered her ears rather than listen.
Gojo and Officer were still talking, and Gojo looked frustrated, his posture aggressive in turn. Officer was keeping his cool this time, not giving an inch.
She called Doomslug and she appeared in an instant in her arms, her little tail wagging violently. It was incredibly cute, if a little gross.
"Can you slime the far seat?" She asked mischievously, and the little thing nodded quickly before crawling her way over, getting to work liberally covering the seat with slime. Now Gojo would have to sit next to her.
Gojo finally walked away, climbing in the car, and sitting down, and sliding right back out, hitting the ground with a thud. There was silence for several seconds, and Officer walked over.
"Are you alright?" He asked, concerned.
"Fine. Just plotting my revenge."
"Hm."
Gojo got up a few long seconds later, climbing over the slimed seat to sit in the middle one, where she promptly leaned her head on his shoulder. Doomslug also cuddled up against Gojo's leg, staring up at him like a cute puppy. Turns out, too many puppy dog eyes at once flipped from cute to creepy, and Gojo brushed poor Doomie away. They looked back, all eyes filled with hurt, and she added her own puppy dog eyes to the mix, which made Gojo relent with moderate disgust.
The car peeled away with a squeal of tires and her head on his shoulder turned into both her arms thrown around him, holding on for dear life as Oba-san drove. She was one of the most reckless drivers she had ever seen, and one of her coworkers was shopping for a fucking wig as they drove the company van before. Literally, as they drove. Not a turn signal in sight, speeding up for yellow lights, she was shocked they were allowed to leave the station.
Somehow, they made it to the restaurant in one piece, although the bumper had a new dent. She had to get Gojo to let her out, who deliberated for far too long before finally deciding to unbuckle her. It took him a solid five minutes of fighting to actually get it off her.
"Tell me you have your driver's license?"
"I can drive, but I don't have a license."
"Bike?"
"That I could do!" He agreed quickly, his arm tightening around her as they took a particularly sharp turn, keeping her upright.
Thank goodness, she was safe once again. No way was she getting in the car with Oba-san driving again!
Gojo didn't hesitate before hurrying her inside, bounding up the stairs three at a time before he stopped next to the door, waiting for Oba-chan and Oba-san to arrive. Oba-san grumbled to him about the lack of manners, but Gojo was unbothered.
Then they were free.
Neither of them had been assigned any doctor's visits for the day, which wasn't even half over yet, though it certainly didn't feel like it.
She was tired.
She didn't have a bedroom anymore.
She didn't have clothes anymore. She hadn't thought to pack anything at all.
"Well, we're going to get your rooms ready. Satoru-kun, you've got the biggest room, but I assume Midori-chan will be sleeping with you?" At their answering nods, she continued, "so I'll just do some basic setup for your room and save the decorations for Satoru's room, alright?"
There wasn't much for her to do right now, so instead she glued herself to Gojo's side, following him around idly. He made a nuisance of himself as the two woman moved stuff around, but 'somehow' managed to get the mattress from the basement to the second floor with her 'help' during the scant five minutes it took for the women to prepare.
"Strong." Oba-san noted, suddenly considering. Gojo's fate as a pack mule was now ensured.
"Satoru-nii's super strong!" She said, but her attempted enthusiasm fell short.
Gojo sighed suddenly, something defeated in the sound of his voice.
"You've going away again?"
"Going away?"
"That thing. Where you stop talking and stare at a wall for a long time."
"Oh. Maybe."
There was a long pause before she realized she should probably say something.
"Sorry."
"Why?" He seemed genuinely surprised.
"I don't mean to."
"I know. I know. It's just rough to watch. I hate seeing you look like that and know there isn't anything I can do to help you."
"Sorry."
"Don't- Midori, don't be sorry about it. It's not like it's your choice to do it."
"Said I'd just disappoint you." She said, aiming for light, but her tone just came out dull.
Gojo sighed heavily.
"And I said you could never. You haven't, not at all.
"You're sad though."
"It happens sometimes, even to me. This whole situation is new to me too."
"Sorry. I dragged you into this-"
"I can't get dragged into anything I don't want to. I chose to go with you."
He wouldn't be here at all if she just went along with it like she should have. Even if she did get taken, the information she had was already in good hands. If she died, it wouldn't really matter.
Gojo's hand was petting her hair, untangling it with his fingers in absence of a brush. She needed a pocket one.
Oba-chan called from up above, apparently the room was now satisfactorily furnished, and they could head up.
It was a little larger than her bedroom, which she had considered quite large, at least compared to the cramped confines of her old room in her past life. The lack of stuff that had gathered up over the course of twenty two years probably helped avoid spacing issues.
The room was bland, but comfortable, the bed neatly made up, and Gojo tossed her on the bed, launching himself after her. It was enough to make the beginning of a smile appear on her face, but it faded quickly.
She just felt like absolute crap right now.
Gojo didn't bother doing more work on the room or anything, he just crawled over to rest his head on the pillow and stayed there, one arm outstretched invitingly.
She wanted to go over and join him, but the thought of moving from her spot on the bed made her feel exhausted, and she hadn't even moved yet.
She expected Gojo to drop his arm after the long pause, but he didn't, just waiting quietly with a patience she didn't know he had in him.
He really would be such a great teacher.
Climbing to her hands and knees was hard, and crawling over to Gojo's side was harder, but finally snuggling up next to him was a relief. He held her tightly, like he was protecting her from something, and it let the tension in her shoulders fade.
She was out like a light, not even hearing the conversation going on between Gojo and Oba-chan.
When she was blinking awake, it was nearly sunset, judging by the orangish light that she could see shining through Gojo's fingers. Gojo's hand was covering her eyes, the edges of his skin lit a faint orange from the light. He'd seen the light about to shine into her eyes and thought to cover them to allow her to sleep longer.
Her next inhale was shaky, something tightening in her throat, and it was enough to make Gojo move his hand away from her face and glance her way from where he was sitting up, a book in his lap, pages lit by the sun.
He almost threw the book aside as the first few tears started to fall, her shaky breaths leading to full on sobbing as she fell apart on the spot.
"What's wrong, what can I do?" He asked desperately, hands out uncertainly like he wasn't sure where or whether he should touch her.
She solved his dilemma by practically throwing herself into his arms, burying her face in his shoulder, and he hugged her tightly in response. Slowly, he brought his hand up to stroke her hair soothingly.
"You're really nice!" She sobbed into his shoulder, and his little answering laugh was more confused than appreciative.
"You didn't have to follow me here, but you did, and I'd be so scared if you weren't here, but you are, and I really appreciate it!" She blubbered into his shoulder, and he patted her back frantically as he attempted to calm her.
"It's alright, I wasn't going to let you go alone! Please stop crying!" He begged, eyes wide as saucers. She looked up at him for a moment and just pressed her forehead into the side of his neck.
He settled his frantic patting and focused on hugging her better, lifting her up momentarily to settle her down in his lap where he could hug her better.
Her emotions settled eventually, as they always did, and the tightness in her throat relaxed enough that she could breathe more deeply and try to calm down.
"Are you alright?" Gojo asked slowly as she pulled away, still sniffing and wiping at her eyes.
"Just upset in general."
Gojo's eyes were soft, and his hands were gentle as he combed his fingers through her hair. He loved to do that, probably because he loved having it done to him. That's how he learned to treat people, how to comfort them, by using the way that Geto comforted him. It was sweet, but heartbreaking too, because Geto might have been the first to offer him comfort when he was upset instead of derision. Perhaps, as a kinder interpretation, Geto's method had simply been the most effective example he could think of.
She still felt like shit, but at least her brain was functioning a little more after having some actual sleep. A lot, judging by the fact that it was sunset now.
"Did you sleep?" She asked, because if he did he certainly didn't look it.
"I kept watching." He assured her, like it wasn't going to make her feel extremely guilty. And immensely reassured too, because apparently, they needed to keep watch now.
"I can keep watch now. You can sleep."
He laughed softly, like he'd seen, or more likely heard, something cute.
"I just slept for at least six hours. I can keep watch for a while, while you take a rest."
"More like nine," Gojo corrected with amusement, and who cared it was a long time, "I'll be fine, don't worry."
"You'll get sloppy if you don't rest while you can." She said critically, and Gojo made an offended noise, hand over his chest as though wounded.
"Im-ou-to," Gojo said dramatically, emphasizing the first word, "you doubt me?"
She narrowed her eyes at him, making the doubt on his face clear.
"You're still a person, Satoru-nii. You need sleep or you just feel awful. Take a twenty-minute nap, I can keep watch that long."
"I'm Satoru Gojo, I can handle a little bit of sleep deprivation."
"You're the type of idiot who would refuse to refill your water in a desert because you're confident that you'll make it back to the oasis before dark. Take a nap, at the absolute minimum. It won't kill you."
He was absolutely about to argue more, so she scrambled up to lean back against the headboard and reached around his neck to drag him down so he was laying uncomfortably on his side, head in her lap.
She knew his weakness.
She stroked her hands through his hair, keeping her touch gentle, and despite himself, Gojo relaxed almost instantly.
"Take a nap, Nii-san. I'm keeping watch."
"You're cheating." He complained, but he was already struggling to keep his eyes open. Poor boy must be exhausted.
"And right." She said, victorious, and the last thing he did before drifting off to sleep was to shake his hand in her face sassily.
Hmp.
Idiot.
She continued to pet his ridiculously soft hair for a solid half an hour, just watching out the window as the sun continued to disappear. She didn't think it was quite as late as she had initially thought, the buildings around them were so tall. The orangish cast must be from something reflecting the light, simply because if the sun was so low in the sky that it was causing such colors, the sunlight wouldn't be visible, blocked by taller buildings.
She couldn't move to see, not without bumping Gojo enough to wake him up. His face was so peaceful, asleep like that.
Counting the cars that crawled by was getting boring, so she started counting the number of voices, making up little images to herself of what they looked like, what they were wearing. The man with the angry voice, shouting at a woman, must be an ugly man, if his voice fit the face. The woman who walked by, singing a soft lullaby as if to a baby, must be the hidden type of beautiful, the type that lit up the world with a single smile.
Time continued to crawl by as she people watched, and she'd guess that she'd been sitting there for nearly three hours by the time Gojo stirred, blinking awake slowly, with visible confusion.
"Feel better?" She asked smugly, once it was clear he was waking up fully, not going back to sleep.
He just groaned.
"Feel like shit?"
He groaned louder.
"Your body wants more. You haven't slept long enough, it's protesting."
His glare said enough for her to quit lecturing him and resume petting his hair, making his eyes slide shut again, this time with a pleased noise.
"You need dinner." Gojo said, reluctantly, clearly disappointed by the idea of leaving while he was so comfortable.
"A little longer won't hurt." She said, but her stomach growled, betraying her. It wasn't like she was starving here, she could deal with being hungry for a few hours more.
Still, Gojo got to his feet and dragged her with him, shouldering the door open to head down the hallway towards the main room.
Restaurant.
Business was booming apparently, and an unfamiliar girl, brown or maybe dark blond hair, late teens, was running back and forth between the tables, delivering food and refilling drinks. She spotted them standing there uncertainly and waved them over towards the kitchen as she rushed over to grab a plastic bag filled with takeout containers and hand them off to a man who was waiting at the entrance, taking the cash that he handed her without counting and rushing back to get a cup of tea that Oba-chan placed on the counter.
Gojo headed over uncertainly, eyeing the customers with suspicion, but when a little boy who was sitting at a table eating some fish dish waved at her, she waved back, and he bounced up and down in his chair, clearly delighted. The mother waved too, smiling kindly at their clear uncertainty as if to be reassuring.
The kitchen was hot and pleasantly familiar to her, though the layout was far different from what she was used to. She hadn't lasted too long in food service, not even a full year thanks to far too many managers who somehow all lacked communication skills, but she knew enough. Being a janitor was just easier, and the others let her sweep most of the time, knowing she liked it. She'd planned on getting a job more related to psychology, just for the experience as she continued taking classes, but…
It just wasn't meant to be, apparently.
Gojo seemed to sense her change in mood, hefting her up higher to look her in the eyes.
"Just a bad thought. I can deal."
He nodded after searching her face for a moment, and Oba-chan waved wildly at them to get their attention.
"Kids, good to see you both up! I've already put an order in to your Oba-san, you can take your food to the TV room or your rooms, whatever you prefer. In the morning, we'll work something out, alright? Duties, rules, possessions, and allowances, too. Don't worry about anything tonight, just settle in." Oba-chan said very quickly, keeping an eye on three different tea kettles at once as she did so. One might be hot chocolate, it smelled sweet.
Gojo nodded, content to wait for his food and stay out of the way. He was probably grateful not to be forced into helping immediately. She felt a little bad, considering she probably wouldn't be expected to do nearly as much as he did.
The teenager, probably the Molly they had been talking about, came out with a takeout box and handed it to Gojo roughly before powerwalking right back out.
Hopefully the girl wasn't feeling threatened by them. Goodness knows that Gojo would milk that for all its worth, the bully. He'd bully her the moment he thought she could take it, he was just antagonistic with people like that, whether he liked them or not. He just loved to mess with people.
She'd bully him right back, it'd only earn her a little more respect from him. Suguru did the same, he gave as good as he got. Gojo respected power, though he seemed to make allowances for children. Adults had no such mercy from him. He probably didn't trust adults any more than she did, given the way he grew up. Why should he respect people simply for being older?
Gojo headed back out at an even pace but almost scurried to the door when the little boy tried to approach. She wasn't sure how old that the kid was, but she doubted he was three yet, probably early twos. Gojo barely knew what to do with her half the time, and he liked her, not even to mention her mental age.
Gojo Satoru, running scared from a two-year-old boy. It made her giggle a little. Like an elephant scared of a mouse.
He headed to his room rather than searching the house for the TV room and tossed her on the bed before taking a seat himself.
"Wanna eat on the floor?" She asked, and he shrugged, but slid down the side of the bed to sit on the floor. She scrambled down too, crawling over to sit across from him, and Gojo set the box on the floor.
Onigiri!
Gojo had to fend her off as he tried to split the Onigiri evenly. There were a few side items, but she ignored them in favor of trying to identify what Onigiri were bonito flakes and what ones were other, more undesirable flavors. Gojo solved the problem by tearing them in half, handing her the two that were present and taking two others for himself. They didn't have a bowl or anything, but there were two pairs of chopsticks, which she still hadn't mastered yet. Gojo split the side dishes as evenly as he could, using the top half of the clamshell takeout container, and tore the top off to hand to her, for use as a makeshift plate.
Mixed vegetables, fried rice with vegetables, and something that looked like a type of sweet. She used her chopsticks crudely, for lack of any band to tie them with, and scarfed down the side dishes first. She ate onigiri cold or hot, and these ones weren't fried, so they'd keep. The mixed vegetables were too soft, turning to mush in her mouth, so she put them off to the side, too offensive a texture to eat. Gojo snatched them happily.
The fried rice was delicious, even with the soft veggies, but she struggled to get more than a few grains before giving up and using her hands entirely. Gojo laughed at her and got a mushy pea to the face for his trouble. He coulda dodged it, he took the hit on purpose.
The onigiri was fantastic of course, and she finished eating less than a minute after he did, even if he got her extra vegetables.
She needed to wash her hands now.
Probably should have washed them beforehand, but hindsight is twenty twenty. And she had been hungry, and there was food. If she got sick, she'd deal with it, just some extra immune system boosters for later in life.
"Is there a bathroom around?" She asked, and Gojo was quick to hop to his feet and lead her over to a closed door. Ugh, she hated using unfamiliar bathrooms, but it wasn't like it would become familiar by avoiding it.
Gojo waited outside until she was done, heading in himself with strict instructions for her to stay put. She thinks that he might be getting a little antsy with how well things were going, like he was waiting for the other shoe to drop.
The shoe was already falling in her mind, she was just waiting for it to hit the ground and see what's left when the dust settled.
She couldn't shake the aching feeling that there wouldn't be a home to go back to.
It was silly. Ridiculous even.
But nothing would make that feeling go away until she got back home.
"What are we gonna do now?" She asked once they were safely back in the bedroom. It was a little alarming how quickly the room became associated with safety, especially considering there was no barrier or anything that actually made it protective.
Gojo shrugged. "Want to find a festival or something?"
"Festival?" She asked, confused. Was there a holiday today or something?
"There's got to be some town celebrating somewhere. What, did you think I was gonna sit here and watch you mope for the next few weeks?"
Kinda.
He flicked her on the forehead, rudely, like he knew that was exactly what she had been thinking.
"We aren't sitting around this house all day. Come on." He said decisively. She didn't particularly not want to mope either, she had a lot to mope about, but there didn't seem to be anything else to do. She could shadow Gojo around for a little while.
They had to dodge customers and squeeze past the alarmingly large line of people forming up the stairs. Seemed the Oba's in-home restaurant was quite popular.
Gojo walked purposefully, but she had her doubts that he actually knew where he was going and wasn't just wandering. She grabbed his hand the third time she had to jog to catch up with him.
"You're too tall." She complained, and he flipped her hair over her face, the prick.
"Better grow fast then, I'm not getting any shorter."
Sure pal, you're set to lose about half your height in your late twenties, she didn't say.
"Suguru's gonna be taller than you." She said instead, and Gojo's squawk of offense was music to her ears. He proceeded to scrub her hair with his hand, tangling so badly she'd need half an hour and two brushes to get it back to normal.
"You bastard! I'm telling Yaga-san when we get home!" She snarled, trying in vain to fix her frizzy, tangled hair.
"And I'll tell him that you already know what curses are, not just the words, and choose to use them anyway." He answered, smug.
"Give me your hair, I have to take revenge!" She demanded, and he actually did bend down to pick her up, letting her.
His hair also had the texture of silk and so refused to tangle no matter what she did. She even gave up and tried tying it in knots, but it just slid right back out.
"You're helping me with my hair later." She finally ordered, making him laugh. Things went quiet for a while.
"Do you want to actually go somewhere or are you happy wandering around?" Gojo asked after a few minutes.
"Where?"
"Anywhere. I can teleport, don't forget."
"Forest."
"Jujutsu High forest, or just a forest?"
"If we go anywhere near Jujutsu High, I'm not leaving again, and I don't want to give the old guys any reason to stop Yaga-san from teaching."
"Random forest, got it."
On Gojo's third step, the mostly abandoned street vanished, and they were in a heavily forested mountainside.
"Is this Mount Fuji?" She asked, looking upwards towards the snowy peak. It was far away, they were likely down towards the base of the mountain.
The ground wasn't as grassy as she would have thought, but there was lots of moss, and the leaves on the trees were turning spectacular colors. It would be a beautiful place, if not for the deep scars in the earth a short distance away. Even the scant moonlight couldn't dull the colors.
"Fought a cursed spirit here a few months ago." Gojo said, catching what she was looking at.
"Can we climb the mountain?" She asked, looking away from the torn-up earth, the broken trees.
"We can't go too high." He warned, not refusing.
"I just want to get to the snow."
"Better start walking then. It's already dark."
So, she started climbing.
It wasn't super steep yet, so it was easy climbing for now.
Honestly, it was eerily similar to her second night in this world, when she went hunting for the stairway where Toji and Gojo's fight would take place in the morning. The shadowed forest, the uneven ground, the spiderwebs.
Every time she caught a glimpse of Gojo, his radiant eyes nearly glowing in the faint moonlight, it jolted her a little, like she kept forgetting that she wasn't making this climb alone.
The moon was maybe a quarter full, still getting smaller after the full moon a few weeks ago. It didn't light the way as well, but she still felt more confident. Must be the shoes.
The climb got steeper, and her pace slowed dramatically. The ground had gotten more and more rocky, not just steeper, and she was forced to jump several times just to get up a particularly rough incline. She started using her cursed energy, which she'd mostly tucked away during her sleep. She hadn't used much while keeping watch for Gojo, mostly focusing on her hearing rather than fruitlessly trying to see through a wall.
She was shivering, but her pace picked up and the jumps were easier, so she called it a win.
Gojo seemed to notice now that she'd been having a little trouble with the steep climb, probably due to the increased energy usage. He stuck closer to her, sometimes just lifting her over to prevent her from making particularly risky or awkward jumps.
She was sure if she was actually a reasonable height, it wouldn't be nearly this difficult, but she wasn't getting an extra two feet taller anytime soon, so she'd manage.
Still, it left her panting from the exertion, especially around the two-hour part, and Gojo started having to help her up in parts that would have been doable an hour earlier. She was getting tired.
The seventh time Gojo hauled her up a steep incline, the whole scenery had changed. The snowy part of the mountain was suddenly a fair bit closer.
Gojo had totally teleported her closer!
She didn't know whether to be offended or grateful, because she did want to get to the snow soon. She just wanted it to be her accomplishment.
She'd call him out on it if he did it again. The forest was suddenly far more scant than it had been just before, did he think she wouldn't notice?
She really was a lot closer though, she might actually make it.
The trees dropped off, only a few wizened stragglers left, leaving them on mostly rocky ground. Igneous rock, given it was a dormant volcano. Lichen and some small plants still littered the ground, though they'd likely vanish entirely once they hit the snowy area.
"Want me to teleport you yet?" Gojo asked, nearly an hour after she'd seen the last tree.
"You already did once, we're nearly there." She said tiredly, eyeing the distance between her and the first little bit of snow.
"You won't have the energy left to play in it by the time we get there." He said pointedly.
"We can teleport next time. I just want to get there."
He shrugged, giving up on convincing her in favor of surveying the terrain, guiding her towards gentler slopes.
"What time is it?"
"Past three or so, last time I checked."
Ugh.
She could make it. Hopefully there was a shower once they got back. She wasn't even sweating, just dirty from sliding down the slope whenever her legs gave out or she missed a jump. Gojo always caught her, sometimes before she even hit the ground, but she was getting pretty dirty.
"Are we climbing the steep side?" She asked eventually.
"Yeah. I wasn't expecting a hike, or I would have brought us closer, or at least on the easier side."
Finally, there was a tiny little pile of snow in a small dip in the ground, and she dropped on top of it.
"Made it. You can teleport us the rest of the way."
God, she was done hiking for the next month.
Gojo needed no further urging, and the air thinned dramatically, her next inhale sending a spark of ice through her lungs.
He dropped her, probably as a joke, and she went willingly, dropping to the snow with delight. Something wild and delighted took the reins as she gave up on acting mature and rolled around in the snow like a dog. Or a four year old kid.
"You like snow, I'm guessing?" Gojo said, his grin audible in his voice, but she did care because she was delightfully cold, and working on getting even colder. The snow parted for her easily, not even melting on her skin, it was like rolling in powder for all it should have clung to her.
It was just so nice, like standing in warm sunlight after being indoors for too long. She rubbed her face into it just to feel the coolness on her skin.
"You're like a dog!" Gojo commented, delighted and warm, and so much less important than her current task of burying herself alive in the snow. So nice!
They were much higher on the mountainside, in a dip in the ground where snow gathered. It went deep, maybe three feet or more, and she burrowed into it with ease. Gojo had to push his way through after her, compressing the snow with his Infinity, while she just dug her way through, the snow parting between her hands and staying that way. Her cursed energy just about led the way, seeping from her skin and into the snow, likely the reason she could dig through so easily.
She reached the bottom, her fingers scraping igneous stone and her cursed energy spread out around her. Without even being asked, it pushed, compressing the snow around her into a little make-shift cave, and Gojo crashed right through the ceiling with a startled noise. While her path had closed up behind her, Gojo's let more snow come falling down after him in a pile.
Fixing it was easy, the snow like putty in her hands as she pressed it to the ceiling, patching the hole, leaving a tiny opening for air.
"You went all the way up here to make an igloo?" Gojo asked when things settled, and he apparently assured himself that the little cave wasn't going to collapse on them immediately.
"Apparently." She said, shrugging. It wasn't a conscious choice, just an immediate desire to bury herself fully in the snow.
She tugged a few armfuls of snow away from the wall, rolling her eyes at Gojo's protest, and spread it out in a cushion-shaped pile, before curling up on it like a cat. This was fantastic, well worth the climb.
"We're just gonna sit here?" Gojo asked critically, like he wasn't settling down on the floor too, Infinity between him and the rough ground.
"I'm probably gonna take the best nap of my life. You're welcome to join me."
Gojo let out a put upon sigh, but still settled down next to her, a comforting warmth contrasting with the wonderful cold of the snow she was laying on.
She fell asleep in minutes.
When she woke up again, Gojo was asleep too, a fact that would likely be to both of their surprise. She let him keep sleeping, breathing in the thinner mountain air. It wasn't really different, she just had to breathe deeper and more often.
She could see light when she peaked through the hole, meaning calling their sleep a nap was probably pushing it.
Oba-chan and Oba-san were going to kill them for being out all night, on their first day too.
"Satoru-nii, I think we need to go back." She called, shaking him lightly, and Gojo almost bolted upright, looking around confusedly.
"I fell asleep?" Gojo groaned roughly, rubbing at his eyes roughly to wake himself up.
"I fell asleep!" Gojo shouted, scrambling to get to his feet and slamming his head right into the snowy ceiling.
He ducked back down, wincing, but a faint trail of snow trickled down after him.
It grew bigger, rapidly.
"We should-"
"Let's get ou-"
The ceiling caved in, Gojo's hand caught hers, and they reappeared on a busy street. One man jumped, startled by their sudden appearance. Both of them were covered with snow, and Gojo hurried to usher them safely aside.
She started giggling once they were out of sight, and the sound was contagious, because Gojo started laughing too.
"You really brought down the roof!" She joked breathlessly when she could talk again.
"It lasted all night, and I just woke up! I didn't think it would fall like that!"
"You put a hole in the top, Satoru-nii! Of course it would cave in, you destroyed the structural integrity."
"I stood upright!" He defended.
"Exactly!"
Gojo was laughing again, too hard to argue back, and she started brushing the snow from her body. It wasn't melting at all, just clinging to her, which made it slightly more difficult to remove.
The snow on Gojo clung to him, melting slowly. It stuck to his hair and eyelashes, making both reflect the light slightly. It turned his already radiant eyes into a blur of dazzling, glowing colors, beyond what could ever occur in nature. He looked like a work of art, beyond that even, a deity just living and breathing in the mortal world, a smile on his face.
She wanted to make sure he could keep smiling like this for the rest of his long life.
"We should go back." She said when the snow had turned to water, dripping down Gojo's face. He was still in real danger of giving basic mortals heart attacks on sight, but less so than he was earlier.
Gojo nodded and grabbed her hand, and next thing she knew they were outside the restaurant, and Gojo was pushing the door open to make his way inside.
Oba-san was waiting at the top of the stairs by the time they got their wet shoes off, and her face made her cringe. Gojo, the lunatic, held firm, looking unbothered.
"Midori." Aw nuts.
"Your appointment is in an hour. Get showered and changed, I need to talk to your brother."
"Do I have clothes?" She asked nervously, and winced when the old woman looked at her, irritated.
"Your other older brother brought a backpack with supplies. Of course, when we went to get you both, you were missing."
She was so mad. Oba-san was really, truly mad.
"Go on." Oba-san prodded, but she stayed there frozen until Gojo urged her forward.
Her legs were shaking as she climbed the stairs to Gojo's bedroom, and she went right for her backpack, left neatly on the bed.
When she unzipped it, Nishinoya climbed out. The first thing he did was fling himself at her, hugging her desperately, and she clung right back once she processed it. He was really here, a little piece of Yaga.
She didn't realize how unsafe she felt without a barrier, even with Gojo at her side, until she was safely within one once again.
She was crying before she knew it, clinging to the poor cursed corpse like he was a real stuffed animal. God, she was such a crybaby of a kid, she hoped she grew out of it sometime soon.
"I have to go shower. Could you guard the door?" She managed to ask, in between shaky breaths. Nishinoya nodded instantly, and she got to her feet, keeping the doll hugged to her chest, and snagged her backpack.
She sprinted to the bathroom, blowing past Oba-chan, who had been lurking outside their room hesitantly.
Slamming the door shut, she threw her backpack down and started unloading it. Her awesome strawberry scented shampoo and conditioner, her toothbrush and toothpaste, clothes, the pink stuffed animal Gojo had won her, one of the two halves of the suspiciously skull shaped rock she'd Nishinoya had broken in half during her play time with Riko. Another set of shoes and a pair of flip-flops was hidden in a pocket too, along with several sets of socks.
She was deeply impressed with the packing skills of whoever packed this thing. They must be a wiz at Tetris.
She needed to hurry though, and the adrenaline was making her hands tremble violently. The shower was a mystery, but she got it to warm eventually even if the water pressure was painfully high, and made sure to lock the door before she got in. Nishinoya stood guard, never looking away from the door.
Showering usually took her nearly an hour, with a decent portion of that just soaking in the warm water. This time, it took her ten minutes, tops.
She stumbled out, not even bothering to use a towel before throwing an outfit on, a pair of shorts and that shirt that Yu-nii had given her, the welcome to Tokyo one, followed by the socks and shoes. Her shirt was getting wet from her wet hair, but she couldn't do much about it, instead working on easing the snarls out. The room was filled with steam, a horribly wet sensation that clung to her skin uncomfortably.
It still took a solid fifteen minutes, despite her wet hair and she stumbled out finally, probably close to half an hour after being sent upstairs.
Nishinoya was happy to be picked up, going limp in her arms as she ran down the steps two at a time.
Oba-san was still lecturing a stone-faced Gojo, so she blew past them to take a seat at the bottom stairway.
"You're ready?" Oba-san asked, and she didn't turn around to nod, just pressed her face into Nishinoya's fur.
Her hands were still trembling, so she rocked back and forth as she sat, petting Nishinoya. She was never very tolerant of angry people. Maybe Oba-chan would be taking her instead.
No such luck. Oba-san descended the steps, and Gojo followed close behind. He seemed concerned by something suddenly, when he looked at her, but Oba-san was opening the door and heading outside, so she rushed to follow, keeping Nishinoya hugged to her chest like she was scared he was going to run away.
Gojo didn't bother to fight for the front seat, climbing into the back and immediately wrapping her up in Infinity. Oba-chan came out in a rush, dropping a few papers and turning back for them twice before making it safely to the car.
Before she knew it, Gojo was hugging her tightly, not sitting properly on the seat and not letting her sit properly either. Terrible example he was setting for her, but she was still shaking uncontrollably, and his body heat was incredible.
The car hadn't started yet. They were going to be late.
She wasn't warming up, not even with Gojo helping. Her cursed energy was agitated, so she started trying to put it away, but it was like wrangling a hundred snakes into the same hole. The more she managed to get put away, the more tried to slip back out, to defend her from a threat that simply wasn't present.
Oba-chan was on the phone, speaking pleasantly like there wasn't anything wrong, and next thing she knew Gojo was dragging her right back into the house, for some reason. He went straight to their room, slamming the door shut with a loud bang that rattled the windows. Nishinoya came alive the moment the door shut, trying to cuddle her face affectionately, and Gojo crawled under the covers, dragging her with him. The blankets seemed to be doing the trick, heating her up faster than she was getting cold, and without anyone else there, her cursed energy finally relaxed, letting her put it mostly away without a fight.
"What about the appointment?" She asked when her jaw stopped trembling so much she couldn't even talk.
"Rescheduled to be in a few hours. A family came way early, it all worked out. Don't worry about that right now."
Right. Nishinoya was here.
"Nishi-kun, are you alright? You were probably stuck in there for a while, I'm sorry."
Nishinoya and Gojo exchanged remarkably disbelieving looks, for some reason.
"Nishi-kun's fine. We're both more worried about you right now, you're freaking out a little right now."
"I'm fine."
"Bullshit."
"Angry adults scare me."
"She's not mad at you."
"That really doesn't matter, just her being visibly mad is enough."
"Would you prefer that just Oba-chan and me take you?"
"I'm fine as long as no one's acting angry.
"So yes, just us then?"
"She's that mad?" She asked, a bit more timidly.
"Pretty mad, yeah. Especially since Officer Asshole called and tried to check in on us earlier this morning and they had to tell him that we left all-night."
"Didn't mean to make them both look bad."
"It's not your job to make them look good, it's theirs." Gojo growled, suddenly angry. It was enough to make her wince, and for Gojo to settle back down quickly.
"We still didn't help though."
"They'll deal with it. We didn't force them into this, they agreed. Now quit arguing about this, we have about two hours to work this whole thing out."
"What thing?"
"Doctor's visit. The main problem will be the physical exam."
Shit.
Gojo continued, though he clearly noted her sudden drop in temperature. "The doctor's a non-sorcerer, they won't know that it's a seal on the spot, but a tattoo like that is going to raise some huge alarm bells. Mainly, when it happened. We know it's from before you came to us, but likely after or during the whole orphanage thing. We don't want Yaga-sensei to take the brunt of the blame here or raise too many questions about how it happened."
"And I don't want them to touch me there." She added with a shudder.
"And you don't want them to touch you there." Gojo agreed immediately, not even questioning it, just adding it to the game plan.
"You can touch me, if you have to. Please don't, if you can help it."
"Roger that." Gojo agreed, lost in thought already.
This was gonna go great.
Definitely.
Totally.
They were definitely, totally, doomed.