Waking up was unpleasant. Something about her vision was off somehow, and it was making her eyes water. It was dark at least, the lights on dimly enough not to hurt her eyes. Something heavy and soft was draped over her, but her foot was uncovered. Probably a blanket.
Eyes.
She had two once again. It was off in a strange way, but at least she could see now. She would have depth perception. Her potential career as a baseball player, 3d artist, or whatever wasn't completely out of the question. She almost wanted to laugh at the thought, but she could feel tears stinging in her eyes, and she knew once she started it wouldn't take long for her laughter to change into tears.
She breathed for several seconds, letting her eyes squeeze shut, just feeling the reassuring sensation of air entering and leaving her lungs smoothly. Why was that so comforting? Despite the terror building in the back of her throat, the tension that refused to leave her muscles, she stayed still, just focusing on her breath.
Slowly, the incoming panic attack receded.
The soft turn of a doorknob turning and a door opening drew her attention away from her meditation, and the interrupted pattern of her breathing had her breath catching in her chest, a soft whine escaping her mouth. Someone rested their hand on hers, making her open her eyes.
She met the slightly watery brown eyes of Haibara, and he cracked a wobbly smile as her eyes met his. His free hand helped to prop her up slightly, letting her sit upright enough to see better.
"Good morning, Midori-chan." Haibara said, his voice low and gentle and full of relief, and she burst into tears instantly, clinging to the closest arm she could reach and he pulled her into a tight hug, dragging her into his lap as he sat down on her hospital bed.
He was muttering reassurances and quiet apologies, and his voice was just as tearful as hers would be if she tried to speak. She just cried into his shoulder, her body shivering from both cold and sobs, and Haibara pulled a thick blanket around her and him as her temperature dropped as the cursed energy that her emotions were creating spread throughout her body.
He seemed a little panicked as he scrubbed at her arms frantically in an attempt to warm her up and she squirmed, uncomfortable, trying to escape his determined attempts to warm her body up. Her hair was getting more tangled by the second. A protesting noise escaped her mouth, and she held her hands up defensively, a silent request for him to stop.
He froze there at her gesture, settling for wrapping her up tightly in her blanket and hugging her again. She let herself relax in the confines of the blanket, letting her head fall to rest on Haibara's shoulder. This was nice.
They stayed there for a while, just relaxing, letting that distress fade away, and that biting chill in her bones started to fade away as her cursed energy relaxed.
More footsteps drew her attention, and she locked eyes with Nanami as he walked in, expression bleak, his steady stride missing a beat as he spotted them cuddled up together. There was a noticeable slump to his shoulders, as if a heavy weight was just lifted from his shoulders. He gave her an awkward little wave before turning right around, and minutes later, just when her eyes were slowly closing, relishing the warmth seeping into her bones, more people came trampling in.
Riko was first through the door, moving so fast that she skidded on the tile floors, followed closely by her caretaker, whose name she still didn't know. Geto trailed in after her, and Ieiri followed behind, immediately going to a tool shelf filled with various medical tools. There was someone in the doorway, but they just stood there, unwilling to enter. The door blocked her view of anything but their shadow.
Riko was alive. Really, truly alive, even if Riko's eyes immediately filled with tears at the sight of her, safely bundled up in the blanket. For all that that fight with Toji had absolutely sucked , in many different, equally painful and distressing ways, at least Riko had survived. She would have died happily, knowing that.
The teen threw herself forward, lifting Midori and her bundle of blankets into a surprisingly strong hug, lifting her completely off the medical bed in a surprising show of strength from such a small girl. Actually, it wasn't that surprising, she was just smaller than she was used to.
Ieiri was there, too suddenly, stethoscope over her ears, unwrapping the blankets quickly and pressing the end of it to her chest, metal cold on her warm skin. She held still as the doctor listened, but she couldn't stop the way her heart rate picked up at the examination. Looks like her normal nervousness around doctors and doctors' visits might have begun to develop into a full-blown fear. Getting a phobia of doctors wasn't going to be fun.
She couldn't actually remember much from what happened after the fight with Toji, just being carried, and the agony of having her body temperature raised so drastically after being cold for so long. Strong hands, holding her body down… She shook herself, accidentally dislodging the end of the stethoscope with the movement, and Ieiri took that as her signal to withdraw, pulling the stethoscope off and her white coat too as she walked away. When she set it down, out of sight, it was slightly disconcerting just how much of the tension in her muscles drained away. She hadn't even realized how tense she had gotten as the doctor approached.
Rationally, Ieiri had done exactly what was necessary. She had saved her life, no one else could have brought her back from the edge of death like she had. Irrationally, she couldn't shake off the fear that the sight of the doctor triggered in her. It had hurt so much, and there had been no way to get away, no amount of begging or pleading that could have made the doctor stop.
She had absolutely no control then.
This was fine, you can't expect a child, or even just someone as severely injured as she had been, to make the correct choices.
But there had been absolutely nothing that she could have done then to change a single thing. That lack of control was the real killer there.
She really was just a child. She wasn't even sure how old, she wasn't very familiar with children. She hadn't worked with young children before or interacted with them much before. She could be as young as four or as old as six, but was most likely somewhere in between those ages. It would be years before she would be trusted to make her own dinner decisions, let alone medical ones. She would just be completely beholden to whoever the people around her decided for her. They didn't even have to keep her, they could just drop her off at an orphanage and wash their hands of her, maybe even count that as a good thing to keep her out of the world of Jujutsu Sorcerers.
The others were quiet, whispering conversations among themselves, but Haibara was humming a soft song as he held her in his arms, rocking her slowly back and forth. How long had she been sitting there, lost in her own thoughts?
She fought her arms free from the blanket, its warmth suddenly stifling to her. Haibara helped untangle her, but still held her, soothingly gently in his arms. It was far nicer now that the blanket was gone.
He was going a long way to make sure these crucial first minutes after that traumatic event went as well as possible. Hopefully, she could handle whatever scars that nearly being killed would leave, and her age wouldn't hinder her. Children were resilient, but childhood trauma really tended to sink its teeth in.
Yaga was now among the group spread out strategically casually around the room. She hadn't seen him enter, too lost among her thoughts. She appreciated the fact that they had given her a bit of space. Someone was leaning against the doorframe, their shadow cast by the light outside the door. If she had to wager a guess as to who it was, she would stake her life on it being Gojo.
Hopefully he didn't feel too bad about what happened to her, she knew the stakes going in that fight, and she was more than aware of her survival chances. The fact that she survived at all was a complete miracle.
Clearly, there was a Talk about to go down, and the apprehension had her burrowing further back into Haibara's arms, who was more than happy to hug her more tightly.
Eventually, Yaga sighed and straightened from where he had been leaning on an end table, chatting idly with Ieiri. He walked up to her slowly, and she leaned back, but he stopped well out of her space.
"Do you remember what happened to you?" He asked first and when she nodded he let out a heavy sigh. Probably had been hoping that she would forget being nearly killed, despite him not getting any answers.
"Can you tell me why you were out there?" He asked, his voice remaining gentle.
She just pointed at Riko, who winced.
"You missed Riko-chan?" Haibara asked from behind her, and she nodded slowly.
"So, she found her way to the entrance of the school early in the morning and waited." Geto guessed, and she nodded in agreement, making a more or less gesture. She pointed slowly to her ear, then mimed talking.
"And woke up when she heard us talking." Riko said.
She thumped her fist into her arm, right where Toji had shoved her away.
"And Toji threw you down" Gojo's voice reached her ears, and she perked up a little, craning for a glimpse of him, but he stayed in the doorway. His voice was oddly blank, lacking his usual enthusiasm.
Damn.
Her attempt to spare him the trauma of being murdered only led to a new, different flavored traumatic experience. Nothing like failing to protect a kid from a much stronger opponent to shake the hubris right out of ya.
At least everyone involved had lived, besides Toji. Hopefully Gojo would be able to go rescue Megumi and his sister too. Did he do that immediately after Toji's death, or did he wait a while?
"Then you ran right into the middle of a fight between two special grade jujutsu sorcerers, and proceed to nearly get yourself killed, despite Satoru telling you multiple times to get yourself to safety." Geto finished the story, his tone unexpectedly harsh, making her cringe. Riko smacked his arm warningly, but he just shifted away from her, never looking away from Midori.
And Toji was technically not a jujutsu sorcerer, though he was definitely special grade powerful. Semantics.
"I tried to get away." She tried to say, only for her voice to die before the first syllable could escape. It was true for the most part. She rushed in to try and warn them, and got pushed away, then… she couldn't just stand there and let it happen. Gojo didn't deserve to fight and potentially die alone.
She opened her mouth to try and speak again, but it was like trying to talk after sprinting for miles, her voice never quite leaving her mouth and only leaving her heaving for breath. Her throat felt uncomfortably tight, stopping her voice from leaving her mouth. She didn't know what to say, let alone how to say it. She just needed some time to think!
Yaga clearly noticed her struggles, waving Ieiri over, who had a concerned look on her face. When her hand rested on her shoulder and her reverse curse energy seeped in through her skin. She couldn't stop the way her blood turned to ice in her veins. Some part of her expected that feeling of horrific heat to come pouring in, but it just passed through her body.
A diagnostic most likely, not an attempt at healing. She was shivering anyway, her temperature dropping quickly, and Haibara mumbled a quiet curse as he pulled the blanket back around her.
Ieiri backed off before making a negative gesture. No problems found, apparently, just her own personal failings kept her from speaking. Because that was her now, too scared to speak.
She was pathetic.
She forced a quiet word from her throat, though it came out sounding like she was being strangled.
"Alright?"
Yaga looked confused, so she pointed to Gojo, still behind the door, cocking her head to the side to show it was a question.
Yaga sighed, slapping the door all the way open with a sudden noise that had multiple people in the room jolting with surprise, his hand coming down on Gojo's shoulder and dragging the boy into sight. He had to be fast, before Gojo ran away.
Gojo looked like hell. He was untouched, exactly as pristine as he always was, but something about him was worn and tired. It was his eyes, the way they seemed hollow in an unnatural way, unwilling to meet her eyes. There was a darker shadow beneath them that was evidence of his difficulty sleeping.
Why the hell did he look ashamed?
Not for the first time, she despaired that she was unable to punch his parents, nay, his whole clan, in the face. Gojo wasn't a god. He wasn't even an adult, but the weight of the world was on his shoulders. He was perfect because he had to be perfect, and every failing clearly weighed heavily on him.
She squirmed her way free of Haibara's arms and scrambled off the bed, ignoring her uncomfortable hospital gown and she stalked up to the kid staring at her like she was his executioner.
"Not your fault." She told him firmly, having to fight to make her voice understandable. He took a few steps back, like a denial, so she repeated herself in spite of the coughs that shook her chest when she did so. He took it like a sword between the ribs, judging by the pain that crossed his face.
She put her hands on her hips, going for stern and honest at the same time, likely landing somewhere in between so gosh darn adorable and oh, she's so precious, but she really didn't care. Somehow, she had the beat " You aren't a god " and " You aren't responsible for every tragedy in the world " And " You can't stop bad things from happening, and you shouldn't feel like you have to " into this kid's head in the next few minutes, preferably without tearing up her throat or bursting a blood vessel trying to do it. Considering she wasn't even sure that she could write Japanese, or that he could read English, writing probably wouldn't work.
She settled for a fierce glare, throwing her hands in the air in an effort to communicate "what the heck are you thinking" without the actual words.
"Baka!" Was the last thing she said, before she held her hands up, a silent request for him to pick her up, which he did gingerly, holding her away from him like she was a feral cat. She squirmed her way closer, arms going around his neck and wrapping the poor boy in a tight hug.
Get your head out of that pool of angst you were drowning yourself in Gojo, you angsty teenager. He was gonna beat Nanami soon, and that haircut said a lot.
He froze there for a solid thirty seconds, the poor baby, before eventually his arms eventually came up and wrapped around her in return. If his shoulders shook, then she wouldn't say a word.
The others had slowly slipped away, giving them a bit of privacy. Geto still stood there, watching. He really didn't trust her. At least someone else cared enough to be protective of Gojo.
She reached her hand out towards Geto, an invitation, but the denial was clear on his face, so she let her hand drop. Tough luck dude, she never was one to half-ass a job once she decided to take it. From the moment she watched them fight over stupid cheap cup noodles she was committed.
Suguru Geto, Midori probably had a snowball's chance in hell of saving him from himself, but it sure was a good thing that she had an ice technique.
For now, she had a very soft head of hair to pat. He giggled, a wet sort of noise as she did so, shifting to hold her in one arm to free his other and return the pat, only much much worse. He tangled his fingers in it and everything, dragging her head from side to side. She squashed his fluffy hair down, scrubbing aggressively, and it ended up standing upright even worse, the static electricity leaving her hand tingly.
She booped Gojo on the nose and a zap made them both flinch in surprise. His laughter only got louder, more real and less sad than it had been before.
After their little bonding session, Ieiri shooed them both out of the room to do a more thorough examination. She pulled her hospital gown off without hesitation, and Midori froze in a mild panic as her tattooed stomach was exposed. She couldn't even see the one on her back, had even mostly forgotten it was there, but she still felt horribly exposed.
"I don't suppose you know where these came from?" Ieiri asked, already doubtful, and she shook her head.
"Yaga-sensei already knows about it, he was going to do some research, maybe take you to see a sealing expert so we can know what we are dealing with." Ieiri explained, and she felt a massive amount of tension leave her shoulders at the doctor's words. At least she didn't have to hide it from one more person. Gojo… probably already knew, probably before she did, given his eyes, but hadn't said anything yet at least.
Ieiri's examination was unexpectedly gentle. It probably shouldn't surprise her so much, she seemed to be a nice person, but after last time some part of her was expecting something worse.
Her eyesight was still noticeably fuzzy on her right side, not too jarring considering that she had needed glasses before. The doctor promised to work on healing it slowly. Apparently regrowing an eyeball took a bit more finesse than could be possible while trying desperately to prevent a child from bleeding out from a horrific head injury.
Ieiri took a moment to assure her, catching her nervous reaction, that that did not mean that they would have to remove the eyeball and grow it again. It was more like reversed cursed physical therapy.
At least she landed in a world with an interesting magical system. They had seal master's here, like Naruto. Sure it was hardly sealing scrolls or anything but still, she had always dreamed of being able to create magical items. The ability to enchant items was just wondrous to her. Who wouldn't want to be able to make their own magical items, and not even have to buy them?
She was absolutely gonna learn how to do that. Someday.
At the base of her throat, just above her collarbone, she had a silvery line across her throat, about as thick as the height of a penny. Noticeable, but not too horribly eye-catching. A nice necklace, and it might be less noticeable, and hopefully it would fade with time.
She was underweight apparently, and so was lacking in many vitamins. Probably closer to four than she was five years old.
What year was it? She was pretty sure that this whole storyline went down in… 2006 or something? So, she had been born around 2002-2003, depending on her birthday. When was Megumi and Itadori born? They were Gen Z at least. Probably.
Timelines suck.
By the time Ieiri was satisfied with her examination, it had been nearly an hour. She had tested her reflexes, her flexibility, and her physical strength. Without cursed energy, they all kinda sucked, but Ieiri didn't seem displeased. She was four years old, so she guessed disappointing physical abilities were par for the course. With cursed energy, she had walked for miles through a forest barefooted, so she had that going for her at least.
Could she get a Shikigami? A friend? A curse friend? Oh, she wanted one more than anything.
Summoning was her jam, at least while playing video games. Oh, she was gonna beg Gojo to teach her the second he deemed that she was old enough, she was gonna get herself a permanent friend. Maybe she could make an ice friend and use sealing to make it move, whenever she learned how to do it. Did sealing even work that way? Who knows, definitely not her.
A bottle of gummy vitamins was shoved into her arms, after she was dressed in another loaned set of oversized clothes, along with instructions to come back if she had any unusual pains, muscle weakness, or sudden loss of vision.
The moment she walked out of the door she was snatched up by Haibara, who immediately headed off to the cafeteria with her in tow.
Someone had decided to be responsible, and the small kitchen and smaller refrigerator was now stocked with healthier meals, premade sandwiches, wrapped onigiri, all neatly labeled, and there was a tightly wrapped plate of Sushi with Shoko written on it, along with a little danger to ward off Gojo, she would bet.
Haibara snagged her two bonito flake onigiri, along with a carrot pouch from a drawer. The drawer was labeled with her name on it, along with more little warning signs (back off Gojo, buy your own snacks). Someone had taken the liberty of buying her some healthy snacks it seemed like.
That warmed her heart more than she cared to admit.
It was probably mid-morning by the time they finished lunch, and those bonito flake onigiri were really growing on her. Haibara showed no signs of wanting to leave her alone anytime soon.
She probably had a while until something bad happened to him. Probably. No way Haibara would die so soon after Riko had in the original storyline. That type of mental and moral breakdown that Geto had gone through was something that took a lot of time to brew. Hopefully.
How did Haibara even die, originally? Did they ever say? Had he still been a first-year back then? It had been a high-level cursed spirit, from what she remembered, and Nanami had blamed Gojo for not being there. It had been irrational, mostly driven by grief, from what she had understood. Maybe she could push for the two of them to train more, maybe even draw multiple people into training sessions under the guise of training her?
Possibilities, possibilities.
Her thoughts were interrupted by a ball bouncing off her face, making her flinch violently. In front of her, Gojo's face was filled with guilt, hand still outstretched from tossing the ball at her. Riko and the caretaker lady were there too, staring in Gojo's direction.
"I called her name!" He defended, as Riko and Haibara glared daggers at him. To be fair to him, it still didn't quite register as her name quite yet. He recovered quickly, scooping the cheap plastic ball up, about the size of a soccer ball. He offered it to her.
"Want to play outside?" He asked, a bright smile on his face, for all the world recovered from his trauma induced crisis earlier.
You couldn't fool her Gojo. She may not have had a full degree, but she had worked for a year in the field. When you were that understaffed, you took what and who you could get. Working in a group home and helping people get to their doctors' appointments and fill out paperwork wasn't quite the same as being a full-fledged therapist, but it sure was better than nothing, and could have gotten her the experience necessary to be hired after she had finished her degree. At least she had got training in what to do with suicidal clients, if that was ever needed.
God, she hoped that would never be needed.
She nodded, sliding off the chair and grabbing Haibara's hand, dragging him with her. They went right out to the grassy field, followed by Riko and the caretaker lady.
She stopped suddenly as she arrived at the field and waited for the lady to approach.
"Name?" She asked, just about all her throat could muster right now, the pitch fading as her voice failed. She didn't get the inflection right, it didn't quite sound like a question like it should have, so she gestured to the lady. Her hand raised to her mouth, startled.
"My name is Kuroi Misato, it is a pleasure to meet you, Midori-chan!" She said quickly, a short bow given to her. She waved in response, giving the woman a quick smile.
Kuroi-san. Kuroi-san. She had to remember that.
The distinct hollow sound of a cheap plastic ball getting kicked had her turn around, just to get another ball to the face, knocking her right off her feet. Gojo tensed, his shoulders hiking up to his ears, and his quick apologies did not save him from a ruthless return kick by Riko, which missed by two feet, blown aside by a gentle breeze. Haibara's kick was not so easily avoided, and Gojo's glasses were knocked off of his face.
Suitably avenged, she crawled back to her feet. The ball hadn't really hurt her, but still. She may have been avenged, but she had yet to take her vengeance.
She lunged for the ball with a practiced kick that fell far shorter than expected, and Gojo passed it to Kuroi before she could reach it. She chased the ball, a short volley of monkey in the middle, until Haibara took pity on her and 'accidentally' passed it to her. She could accept that victory, however unearned.
She swapped places with him, passing the ball quickly to Gojo, who fumbled his pass to Kuroi, and Haibara intercepted, forcing Gojo into the middle. Kuroi's pass to Midori was on point, but Gojo's intimidating approach made her panic and rush her kick, her pass to Riko going awry and Gojo beat her to the ball.
The game was tiring in the best way, her in the middle more often than not thanks to her tiny legs and general lack of coordination. She could run all day, but kicking seemed to be a problem.
Hopefully, she will have time to grow into it.
After playing monkey in the middle, they moved onto training. Riko and Kuroi left, mostly out of boredom, considering that neither of them were sorcerers. Geto had wandered over, watching the game lazily, and Nanami joined him a few minutes later.
Gojo and Geto turned to sparring quickly, Geto goading him into it for the most part. Hopefully he wasn't getting a bit jealous about Gojo's attention being on her. They were basically soulmates, in her opinion. She was a shipper, so sue her. And like hell she was gonna let them break apart. If she had to play matchmaker then she would, though hopefully she wouldn't need to as long as she kept Geto from losing it.
Sometimes it takes losing someone's attention to realize how much you wanted it, so hopefully Geto would be self-aware enough to realize what exactly he was feeling. He was like 16 though, so that was doubtful. Doubt he even realized why he wanted to provoke Gojo into a one-on-one fight. He really was still a teenager.
It was a bit of a sad realization. They were so capable, some part of her forgot how young they were. Just a couple of teenage boys who carried the weight of everyone's expectations on their shoulders. She was gonna have to endear herself to Geto if she wanted to have any meaningful effect on him, to pull him out of his tailspin.
Good thing she was a cute little baby, with the emotional intelligence of a full-grown adult who was studying psychology. These boys, no, all these traumatized idiot sorcerers were going to grow up into fully functional and emotionally intelligent adults if she had to drag them into therapy kicking and screaming.
"Yu-nii?" She said, drawing his attention away from his conversation with Nanami, "Can you teach me to do that?" She pointed towards the shadowy portal from which Geto summoned a pair of curses. Gojo kicked one in the face, hurdling the other like a professional to close the distance on Geto.
She was kinda proud at how smoothly the words came out. Seems like the trauma response faded somewhat when she was more at ease. Her anxiety had eased, and so her words were unrestricted. Hopefully, she wouldn't start to clam up in high-stress situations.
"Sorry, Midori-chan. That's Geto's special cursed technique. It's something you are born able to do. You, Midori-chan, "He paused here, bopping her on the nose with one finger, making her giggle, "have an ice technique of some sort. After you master your cursed energy, we can see what your unique technique is capable of, alright?"
He was so flipping good with kids, it was crazy. Gentle, informative without being too overwhelming, reassurances and hope for the future while heading off any jealousy, it was a beautiful choice of words. And he didn't put a single thought into it, it just happened naturally.
He could have been a great therapist, she could just envision him working with children, prodigy them gently to open up to him, kind words and he would just be so good. Yet here he was, fighting monsters to keep others safe.
It wasn't right. Geto had known that, even if the way he had gone around actually doing it had been horrible. She had outside knowledge though. Mainly, Mahito.
Original Not-Geto had used him to affect a large number of humans. If Geto could capture him, Mahito's cursed technique could possibly change a normal human enough to stop cursed energy from leaking from them. It was a mere possibility, but from what she understood, Junpei hadn't been a sorcerer before meeting Mahito , though he was most likely a Window, given that he could see the curse. Being able to do the reverse, making people leak none, or even just have absolutely no cursed energy, was theoretically within the realm of possibility.
How they could do it on a large scale, she didn't know, but she was hardly the only person in the world who wanted curses gone. That special grade sorcerer, the blonde-haired one wanted them gone too, and an adult special grade had a much better chance at making a good plan than she did.
She hadn't quite understood what Not-Geto had done at the end of season two, besides something about putting cursed objects into people and changing them to sorcerers? That whole season had sucked, she hadn't rewatched it. Season 1, she had rewatched multiple times, but she hadn't really touched season 2.
Damn her obsessiveness with characters actually being happy, it was really making it hard for her to remember all of the details. But the lead-up to the events at Shibuya only made her sad.
Something was placed gently on her head and only the glimpse of Haibara's arm in her peripheral vision kept her from freaking out and hurling the object of her head. He smiled at her, then put a dandelion over her ear, before pulling his flip phone out.
God, they were still using flip phones, how was she gonna survive without her beloved iPhone, without all of her apps! Her Candy Crush levels, all of her games, every one she had ever played, all wiped from existence in an instant.
He pointed the camera at them, bending down so that they were both in the frame, then snapped a picture before showing her. Her own unfamiliar face, clearly bewildered, an uncertain smile on her face, looked back, along with a crown of dandelions on her head.
He had made her a flower crown?
While she was sitting there contemplating the fate of the world?
Her heart hurt , full of love for this random dude who just treated her like his own little sister. He hadn't needed to act this way with her. It made it all the more important that he chose to be so kind, knowing he didn't need to.
Goal number one was saving Haibara.
But she still wanted a Shikigami. Someday.
Yu-nii, because he surely deserved the title, drew her into another ball game, this time by trying to keep the ball in the air using her hands. Nanami was reluctantly drawn in, trying to act like he was too mature for the game. Really, the emo haircut was doing him absolutely no favors in the maturity department.
The amazing flower crown was her kryptonite more often than not as she played, taking one hand to keep it from sliding off her head and leaving her to bat the ball back into the air with only one small hand, throwing it off to the side more often than hitting it dead center.
Gojo and Geto were still going at it, the cries and snarls of curses loud, but not as loud as the two boys' taunts, slung back and forth like bullets across the battlefield. Several times, Yu-nii shouted at them for cursing or overly creative threats about curses being summoned in unusual places.
As fun as the keep-up game was, she was getting bored quickly, so Yu-nii called the game to a halt after Nanami fumbled the ball, hitting it too hard in a last-ditch attempt to keep the ball up and punting it right into the branches of a nearby tree.
"We'll ask Gojo-san to get the ball when they are done playing alright?" Yu-nii said with a reassuring smile, and she heard the sound of a nearby explosion as Gojo's half-formed Red was eaten by one of Geto's lesser curses, making his smile freeze on his face. Were they getting too into it or was this normal?
"Ice?" She asked him, and his smile got more strained. She could probably make a little icy hand hold, it shouldn't be that hard to climb.
"You should avoid using too much cursed energy for now, alright? I know you were really excited about it, but we have to make sure the cold isn't going to hurt you while you use it, alright?" Yu-nii asked her, more seriously than usual. His face relaxed as she nodded.
It was a reasonable request, even if she had confidence that it wouldn't hurt her. She had used it for hours that night that she snuck out and hadn't been too badly affected. Maybe long term it might do some damage? Still, a few days and letting them do some tests wasn't likely to make too much difference in her strength levels right now, especially at her age.
"I won't use it unless I have to until you say it's ok, Yu-nii!" She said, giving him a little salute, and that bright smile was back on his face like it had never been gone.
"Are you hungry yet Midori-chan? Or do you want to find something else to do?" He asked her. She tilted her head and thought for a moment.
"Ice-cream?" She asked, a look of mischief on her face, and Yu-nii glanced towards the two boys who were still fighting before motioning Nanami over, who joined their huddle warily.
"Midori-chan wants ice-cream." He whispered to Nanami, throwing his arm over the boy's shoulders conspiratorially. He pulled her into the huddle as well, and she grinned at the look of focus on Nanami's face, already plotting the best course.
"Gojo-senpai is distracted right now, if we sneak out, there's a 7-11 about half an hour's run away. Ieiri-senpai has a personal freezer that she keeps locked, she'd probably let us use it if we brought her some." Yu-nii said, laying out the plan, and Nanami hummed.
"How would we bring it back?" Nanami asked, and Yu-nii thought for a moment.
"Maybe she would lend us a cooler?" He offered, and Nanami agreed after a moment's contemplation.
They went separate ways, Yu-nii taking her hand and going to look for a jacket for the trip, Nanami presumably on his way to request the cooler and permission from Ieiri.
The jacket he decided on was a winter one, that would likely get uncomfortably hot in the mildly warm spring air. She gave him a doubtful glance but didn't argue, and Yu-nii gave her permission to use her cursed energy, a little bit, he emphasized, if she got too overheated. The flower crown was left on her bed, a quick stop before they left.
Nanami met them at the entrance, not ruffled at all by the sight of her drowning in a winter jacket meant for an adult. Yu-nii scooped her up quickly and they started jogging towards the exit.
Midori looked around a lot as they ran, taking in the scenery that she had missed both previous times. It didn't escape her notice that they went through the forest rather than the gates and stairway, moving parallel to the stairway. She was touched that they were concerned about lingering bad memories enough to go tramping through the woods.
Soon trees changed to a road, without even a sidewalk, then scattered houses, then more densely populated areas, with more foot traffic. They got some strange looks, two teenagers jogging, one holding an overdressed child and the other a cooler, but neither boy paid much mind.
They made it to the 7-11 in what felt like under twenty minutes, and she got her first glimpse at a Japanese 7-11. There were so many options, it was dizzying. Sandwiches, onigiri, sushi, fried chicken, so many desserts, various breads and buns. She wanted to try so much! Yu-nii noticed her amazement and started walking up and down the aisles, pointing out various items that he liked and describing them.
Soon an impatient Nanami called them over and she got to stare at the overwhelming amount of ice-cream options that there were. Animal shapes, so many unusual flavors, she didn't know what to pick.
"You can pick five alright?" Yu-nii said, already leaning down and grabbing a few mango ones for himself. Nanami glanced over at him in shock.
"You're going to give her cavities!" He hissed, appalled.
"Midori-chan isn't going to eat them all at once!" Yu-nii defended. Both boys stopped for a moment, as if coming to a realization, and Midori looked away from the adorable strawberry polar bear themed ice-cream to see two horrified faces.
"Have you been brushing your teeth, Midori-chan?" Nanami asked urgently.
No. She didn't even have shoes yet, let alone a toothbrush and toothpaste.
She shook her head solemnly and Yu-nii groaned.
"We are horrible older brothers, Nanami!" Yu-nii grumbled, leaning dramatically against Nanami, swinging her around in the process.
"Neither of us are related to her." Nanami said pointedly and was ignored.
They left the 7-11 without buying anything, heading assuredly in another direction, presumably where they could buy her a toothbrush and toothpaste. Shoes too, maybe. A girl could dream. She liked to go barefoot, but on grass and dirt, not paved roads.
They entered some convenience store some five-minute walk later, that was intensely reminiscent of some random Dollar Tree or Family Dollar in America, sweeping in like storm clouds. They split up, Nanami headed for the health section and Yu-nii headed for the clothing.
There weren't many options for kids there, but there were some touristy 'Welcome to Tokyo' type shirts that were small enough to fit her properly, and Yu-nii hunted down a cheap pair of flip-flops with chibi whales on the heel that fit her just about perfectly. A blue pair of shorts lined with waves printed on the bottom completed the set. It wasn't the type of outfit she would likely wear regularly once she got her hands on more clothing, but it was hers at least.
Nanami joined them and Yu-nii paid quickly, carting her and her new clothes over to a changing booth.
The shirt was slightly large, but the shorts fit perfectly, so she called it good enough as she slipped her flip-flops on. Finally, for the first time in Jujutsu Kaisen, she was wearing actual shoes.
She made a show of showing off her new outfit as she left, winter jacket and old outfit folded haphazardly in her arms. Yu-nii and Nanami applauded appropriately, Yu-nii gushing about how adorable she looked. The person working the register cooed as well, so her outfit likely wasn't a complete mess.
Nanami had grabbed her a nice-looking toothbrush along with a small tube of toothpaste, both sakura-themed. The toothpaste was even sakura flavored, whatever that meant. Most likely he picked out whatever pink things he could find, not that she minded. She was old enough that she liked pink again anyway, not just hated it blindly as a rejection of the stereotype.
They walked back to the 7-11, Yu-nii's hand in hers. It took ten minutes longer than it had taken to get there, but she was happy just to be able to walk on her own.
Of the five ice-creams she chose, she picked the polar bear one she had been looking at earlier, a one that claimed to be sakura-flavored that Yu-nii insisted was good, and a simple vanilla cone recommended by Nanami before pausing in consideration.
"What ones are Geto-san and Gojo-san's favorites?" She asked Yu-nii.
"Geto-san likes the coffee flavored one over there, and Gojo-san likes whatever has the most sugar. I got him that mango ice-cream mochi over there last time and he's been harassing me to get more for him." Nanami answered for him, a look of irritation passing over his face. She grabbed the flavors and brought them over to the waiting pile at the register, where Yu-nii paid with a grimace at the price. Nanami had got several ice-creams for himself and Ieiri's dark chocolate ice-cream pint, while Yu-nii had grabbed a couple ice-cream cones in various flavors, along with a different Macha flavored cup of ice-cream.
They loaded the cooler quickly and set off again, Yu-nii lifting her up and carrying her in order to increase their speed.
They made it back in about twenty minutes, going straight to Ieiri. They sorted their spoils out into piles, and she learned the Matcha flavored one was reserved for Yaga-sensei.
"I like to give him one when it seems like he's been having a hard day!" Yu-nii confided in her, like it didn't make him look even more kindhearted than he had before.
"We should give it to him now and have an ice-cream party!" She said, excited. They could watch another movie, one that wouldn't be heartbreaking and that she would be actually awake for!
"Is all of your classwork done?" Ieiri asked her two underclassmen sternly, who both nodded in varying levels of excitement.
"I'll get Yaga-sensei, but you boys have to be-" what Ieiri was saying was interrupted by a familiar boy with white hair, who froze at the sight of their ice-cream spread out in piles on the floor.
"You guys got ice-cream without us!" Gojo shouted, utterly appalled, and Geto peaked his head in too, catching sight of the group of guilty faces.
"Gojo-san, Geto-san, Nanami-san told me that these were your favorites!" She called, snagging the two from her pile and running towards them, shoving the ice-creams into their hands.
The touched look on Gojo's face was well worth the dent it had put in her pile of ice-cream. Geto wasn't as delighted by the gift, but still smiled and thanked her politely enough anyways, despite his distaste for her. They were gonna be best friends by the end of the year, she just knew it.
The remaining ice-cream was loaded into the freezer, and everyone re-loaded their selection into the cooler until the movie. Gojo dragged Geto behind him like an overexcited puppy, unstoppable even as Geto stumbled and whacked his shoulder into the wall as he made a sharp turn. When she asked about Riko, she apparently was busy spending time with Kuroi and plotting where they should go next.
"Midori-chan, that was very kind of you, but you don't have to give up your ice-cream next time alright? Just ask if we could get something for them alright?" Yu-nii told her as they walked leisurely towards the movie room. She nodded. He already had paid for so much for her, she would have felt bad to ask for more. He had bought her clothes, shoes, and a toothbrush and she didn't feel like she really deserved any of it, let alone actually asking him to buy things for other people too.
Yu was just a teenager, it wasn't really fair to rely on him financially. Do the students even get paid yet, or are they just free labor?
He seemed to notice her reluctance.
"Don't worry about the money, Midori-chan. Yaga-sensei already promised to reimburse us for anything we buy for you. Even if he didn't, I would still have bought it, because it is worth seeing you smile, alright Midori-chan?" His whole speech was earnest, completely heartfelt, and some of her guilt faded away. She still felt kinda bad, like his affection towards her wasn't earned.
They made it to the room and Gojo pounced on the cooler that Yu-nii had been dragging behind him, handing out ice-creams quickly before pouncing on his own. Another Studio Ghibli movie was put in, one she hadn't seen before, Spirited Away.
The ice-cream was eaten quickly, and Ieiri and Yaga arrived just after the kid's parents were transformed into pigs, quickly claiming their ice-cream and prime spots before settling down. They brought some type of hot, meat filled buns with them, individually packaged and fresh from the microwave. Gojo complained about his being cold in the middle, but hers was boiling hot, enough she had to let it cool before she could take a second bite. It was a bit of a strange juxtaposition after eating her strawberry polar bear ice-cream, but it was still good.
The movie was amazing, and she was enthralled by the whole thing, mysterious meat bun forgotten in her hand. It was cold by the time she took the final bite, and Yaga pushed another one, fresh from the microwave, in her hand, which she ate slowly. They were definitely doing their best to get some calories in her.
Yu-nii prodded her up as the credits rolled, leading her right back to her room. The toothbrush and toothpaste were on the bathroom vanity, and Yu-nii supervised her as she brushed thoroughly. It certainly was nice for her mouth to feel clean, and the sakura taste wasn't bad. She changed into another borrowed shirt as a nightgown and Yu-nii promised to throw them in the washer and get them dried before he went to bed.
He tucked her into bed and waved goodbye, leaving her in her dark room.
It had been a great day, all in all. Ice-cream, shoes, her own clothes. She hadn't died, shockingly enough. She had kinda made her peace with dying from the moment she had settled down to sleep in the woods, waiting for Riko and the boys to arrive. Just getting in Toji's way could have gotten her killed. She was so, so lucky. Most of it was probably that the other person involved in the fight was Gojo Satoru. Had anyone else been fighting Toji, had the slightest thing gone wrong, she would have been dead.
She was alive and she wasn't even hurt anymore, why did she suddenly feel like crying? Why was her throat closing up and her jaw shaking as she struggled not to start sobbing on the spot.
She was fine.
Tears were making her pillowcase damp, and she burrowed deeper into it as a chill swept through her, making the blankets feel too hot and not warm enough at the same time.
Sleep was slow to come, and several times, she woke up in a cold sweat. By the time morning came and she crawled her way out of bed, her head pounding. Not even being four could rid her of sleep-deprived headaches.
She brushed her teeth slowly, seeing her reddened eyes in the mirror. A cold splash of water woke her brain up more, but it did nothing for the tiredness dragging down her limbs.
She stumbled out of her room, still in her oversized shirt, and started looking for the cafeteria for breakfast.
A voice drew her attention, and she turned to see Geto, walking up slowly, looking unfairly refreshed for being up so early.
"You're up early." He noted, and she nodded, letting a yawn escape her mouth.
"I couldn't sleep very good." She told him tiredly, and a bit of sympathy passed through his face, which quickly returned to neutral.
"Where's the cafeteria?" She asked, and he motioned for her to follow. Maybe he was getting breakfast too.
They arrived in a short time, she had only been a few turns away, and she quickly hunted down one of the remaining bonito flakes onigiri as her breakfast, sitting down at the same table as Geto, who had a sandwich. He wasn't petty enough to change tables in order to avoid her, so she counted that as a win.
Yu-nii poked his head in as she was finishing her onigiri, with a look of relief. She had disappeared on him last time, and nearly died. Maybe she should have just waited in her room, so he didn't worry when she wasn't there in the morning.
"Good breakfast?" He asked, not letting his worry enter his tone.
She nodded tiredly. He seemed concerned, taking in her frazzled appearance.
"Did you not sleep well?" Yu-nii asked worriedly, and she shook her head, "Yaga-sensei wanted to see you today after breakfast, so I was going to come and get you. Do you want me to ask him to wait while you take a nap?"
She shook her head again.
"I'm alright, Yu-nii!" She assured him with false cheer. He didn't seem entirely convinced, but didn't argue, taking her hand as she stood.
"Thank you for helping me, Geto-san." She said and bowed to him. Geto acknowledged her thanks with a wave of his hand, mid-bite of his own breakfast.
Yu-nii led her through several turns, eventually leaving the building and heading up the steps of another. The main room seemed to be the teacher's office, and the dolls piled in the corner made it clear as to whose. and Yaga was waiting patiently, sowing what looked to be a new doll.
"Midori-chan." He greeted, and she waved politely. Was she supposed to bow or something?
"I asked you here for your thoughts on your future." Yaga said and she froze up a little. Of course, she couldn't just live here, not with students coming and going on a daily basis. She didn't have a guardian, or even a main caregiver. Yu-nii wasn't old enough to be an actual parent, and she doubted anyone would believe her if she said she could take care of herself as long as she had her own money.
"Where would you like to go to school?" Yaga asked, holding out… a brochure? She took it hesitantly.
It was about local kindergartens, listing benefits and distance. It looked handwritten. She stared up at the teacher, disbelieving.
"I assume you want to stay here for now? You have nowhere else to go, correct?" He asked and she quickly nodded.
Her throat was closing up in that familiar way. A soft noise escaped her throat, and Yu-nii appeared from where he was standing behind her, his arms around her quickly, just in time for her to burst into tears.
A gentle hand stroked her hair as she sobbed her heart out on Yu-nii's shoulder yet again. She sure was crying a lot these past few days.
"I get to stay?" She asked Yaga, just to be sure, and he gave her a firm nod.
"Officially, I will have to be your guardian. I don't get sent on missions often and I can arrange for someone to be there whenever I have to leave. As your guardian, I do have to ensure you get the best possible education, which given your amnesia means you should start school as soon as possible. By the end of the week, if possible." Yaga's voice was steady as he explained his plan to her, and her crying started to die down.
"Hai, Yaga-sensei!" She said loudly, saluting him on a whim before going to read the slightly crumpled brochure still clenched in her right hand. He smiled in return. He really was a nice guy. A little weird, but honestly, what jujutsu sorcerer wasn't?
Of the three schools listed, all within forty-five minutes' drive, they all had different strengths. One was noted for having an excellent English education, which was completely useless for her, with her over 20 years of experience. Another was known for having excellent sports clubs, and the final was the closest, only 20 minutes away, but not really specializing in anything. The sports club one was the most interesting for her. She had played soccer for many years in her past life.
"What sports do they have?" She asked, and he went over to a dinosaur of a computer, changing to an already opened web page and scrolling to the list of sports.
"Soccer, baseball and volleyball are their main sports teams, but they are noted to have several other smaller clubs where you can learn the basics of many other sports."
"I want to go there." She decided, and Yaga nodded. It was half an hour away, not as far as the English school, and she would be able to play sports. She had already played soccer, maybe this time around she could live her best Haikyu! Life.
"Better get ready for school then, Midori-chan." Yu-nii said with excitement, "You are going to have a lot of catching up to do!"
Damn, she had twelve more years of school to go through, not even including college. Catching up wouldn't be a problem at all, it was living through twelve years of recaps that could do her in.
Being a kid again was gonna suck.