.
The first sign of things gone wrong was when Zhang Tong took one look at some sightseeing photos and proceeded to lose his shit.
Initially, Sun Yongtai hadn't understood why his assisting interpreter seemed so frazzled by tourist pictures. He'd determinedly attempted to remain optimistic about it, even. But unfortunately, his valiant effort was fated to be a short-lived one.
Geto Suguru was here. In India. Where Sun Yongtai was working on a mission.
…
… Fucking hell, dude.
Seriously. There are only a grand total of three Special Grade sorcerers in this world. What were the chances of Sun Yongtai encountering one of them? The only one of them who happened to be a curse user, at that? … Like, c'mon. Really? The odds of running into this sort of ridiculous thing should be ridiculously minuscule, to the point of being impossible. So why was it happening to him?!
More pressingly–
If the reason for Geto Suguru's presence here was really related to the mission that Sun Yongtai had been assigned, then what sort of resistance would he be able to muster up against a Special Grade?
Sun Yongtai is a man of many talents. However, his talents don't include throwing down against a Special Grade. He knows his limits and he doesn't have a death wish, thanks.
"Unless you can get another Special Grade sorcerer here fast, I think we might be fucked," was what he'd told Zhang Tong.
… Suffice to say, Sun Yongtai hadn't expected Zhang Tong to actually get another Special Grade sorcerer here.
"Gojo Shiki, Grade One. It's a pleasure to make your acquaintance."
His first impression of Gojo Shiki was that she was a lot smaller than he expected. Small, and young. When he'd sat down at the breakfast table, he'd initially thought that it was her uncle who was the Grade One reinforcement that Zhang Tong had called in, not the little girl quietly focused on her struggle with the crepes beside him.
More fool him, then, especially when it became abundantly clear later on that it was Gojo Shiki who was by far the more dangerous of the two.
Sun Yongtai can still see it in his mind's eye. The way that the white-haired girl had fearlessly charged towards a cursed spirit whose very presence sent shivers of dread down his spine. How she'd effortlessly leaped through the air in a way that almost made it seem as if she were flying, for a breathless moment.
Then, she streaked down from the sky in a white blur, and a mere instant later the gargantuan cursed spirit fell apart.
Fell apart as in, was literally torn apart into pieces.
The girl's blade cleaved through the cursed spirit as easily as a knife does through tofu. A Special Grade cursed spirit was definitely not tofu.
Why in the world had she introduced herself as a Grade One sorcerer? That had to be a mistake, right? Sun Yongtai is a Grade One sorcerer. He's also very self-aware and completely unashamed to admit that he's nowhere near the same league as the young Gojo princess. If he'd tried to bring down that cursed spirit like she did… nope, that's definitely not happening. The most that he probably would've been able to achieve would be getting it to cough a few times, if he was lucky.
So, yeah. If that's what people call a Grade One sorcerer these days, then Sun Yongtai is a fish.
Bloop bloop.
…
Sweet-bitter smoke curls down his throat, and Sun Yongtai exhales slowly, doing his best to keep his breathing even and steady. There's a crackle-snap to his left, followed by a dark red burst. That's another giant centipede down, then. Just a dozen or a hundred more to go.
There had once been a period of time, back when he'd been younger, when Sun Yongtai hated his cursed technique. He still remembers being on his hands and knees on the ground, retching violently and coughing his lungs out while his throat burned from breathing in the concentrated smoke. The unpleasant memory of large hands harshly forcing him upright and forcing the smoking pipe back into his mouth is a vivid, visceral one.
From hating the smoke, to reluctantly growing accustomed to the scent, to desperately wanting the sweet respite that only this loathsome smoke could bring, no matter what the cost–
"Kill the monsters. You'll be rewarded after the job is done."
Sun Yongtai has had a long time to come to terms with his depressing cursed technique, now. Out of necessity, if nothing else. He needs it to kill cursed spirits, after all.
… What would it be like to have cursed eyes and an overpowered cursed technique instead?
Sun Yongtai would be lying if he said he wasn't jealous, just a little bit.
But it's a rather useless jealousy to fixate on. It's not as if a person can swap out their cursed technique for a better one. All you can do is to try your best with the cards that you're born with.
And if he looks at things in the reverse, then it's precisely because of these powerful abilities that sorcerers like Gojo Satoru and Gojo Shiki are practically destined to fight Special Grade enemies. To fight all the hopeless, grueling battles that other sorcerers will die fighting.
Those with weaker techniques might get the option to give up on becoming a sorcerer if they don't have the aptitude for it. Sun Yongtai, for all that he'd been forcibly dragged onto a sorcerer's path, had also eventually received the freedom to walk away from this life. Even now, if he wanted to retire from a sorcerer's work, he'd be able to do it. There might be a lot of paperwork involved and a transition period in order to get someone to replace his position in China, but he'd be able to do it.
But for rare, once-in-a-few-centuries talents like the two Gojo cousins?
Nah. They'd either be sorcerers, or they'd be dead.
In that sense… Sun Yongtai honestly isn't jealous of the Gojos at all. Either of them.
Another deep breath. Inhale, exhale.
Smoke wafts over his field of vision, and Sun Yongtai refocuses his attention on the ongoing task in front of him. Between splitting his attention to try and divert the centipedes from going after civilians and focusing his cursed energy so that he can concentrate on killing as many of them as he can… it's not an easy thing to accomplish. There's a dull headache beginning to throb in his temples from the strain of multitasking, but Sun Yongtai is no stranger to being put under high stress on a mission.
And hey, y'know what? Even though he's left with the undesirable job of facing off against a horde of annoyingly endless Grade Two cursed spirits, it still beats going after a Special Grade curse user.
He doesn't know what Geto Suguru did to make the mildly terrifying little Gojo princess to determinedly chase him to another country, but it's probably nothing good.
At first, Sun Yongtai had been pretty concerned for Gojo Shiki. He'd wondered if they'd be relying on her connection to Gojo Satoru to make sure that Geto Suguru didn't kill them all. After personally seeing how she'd downed a Special Grade cursed spirit in less than a minute, however, Sun Yongtai can't help but wonder if he shouldn't be concerned for Geto Suguru instead.
Sun Yongtai doesn't know about the curse user, but he, for one, would most certainly prefer not to be on the other end of Gojo Shiki's sword. It's a lot more comforting to be her ally than her enemy instead.
.
.
Suda Manami flinches.
The motion causes another fresh burst of sharp, burning pain in her legs. As a seasoned sorcerer, it's galling to be rendered helpless like this. It's even more galling to know that the one responsible for Manami's plight had done so effortlessly.
That if the girl had wanted to, then she could've killed Manami. And Manami wouldn't have been able to do anything to truly stop her.
Helplessness is, as always, an extremely unpleasant experience. Manami hasn't been helpless for a long time now, but the events that occurred today… very little of it had been anything that Manami could control.
Everything had started out normally enough. Since one of their main tasks was to look for powerful cursed spirits to add to Geto-sama's collection, coming across Windows and sorcerers was only inevitable at times. So when they'd come across a sorcerer in the city, one who seemingly hadn't even recognized Geto-sama at all when walking past obliviously, Manami had volunteered to stay behind and keep an eye on things just in case.
Negi Toshihisa was terrible at covering up his disgust around the monkeys, after all. Furuda Bunta was awkward in crowds. Larue's outfit –or rather lack thereof– meant that he had zero chance of blending in with his surroundings. Miguel was better off staying at Geto-sama's side, just in case the divine curse they were chasing turned out to be a little more troublesome than expected.
Manami, on the other hand, was good at staying unnoticed and playing an unassuming role that didn't raise any eyebrows. She'd successfully impersonated a Window before for a period of time, and that experience had been invaluable for learning the ways that the administration worked. And therefore, invaluable for learning how to circumvent it.
If the sorcerer realized that Geto-sama was here, and decided to take action against him, then it was up to Manami to discourage his efforts.
She hadn't expected the sorcerer to immediately return with reinforcements, though. Manami also hadn't expected Gojo Shiki to be the one who'd shown up as reinforcement.
As focused as she had been on the other grown sorcerers, she hadn't even recognized the girl at first. Besides, as far as Manami was aware of, Gojo Shiki was someone who was a stickler for tradition and fond of wearing kimonos. This girl who'd disarmed her in a heartbeat and broke her wrist was skilled, yes. But she had also been dressed in a red leather jacket and black cargo pants, which was just about as far from 'traditional' as a sorcerer could manage.
But once Manami had realized who she was–
I must report this to Geto-sama!
She'd managed to get off a text message for help earlier, before being caught by the Gojo girl. Thanks to that, the teleportation curse that Geto-sama had left in Furuda's hands in case of any emergencies had warped her out of the mess.
Unfortunately, the lack of precision in the curse's teleportation technique meant that Manami had not been the only target of the technique. Of the three sorcerers who'd pursued her, two had been teleported along with her, Gojo Shiki being one of them.
Manami had done her best to run. But her efforts amounted to nothing, beneath that girl's eerie blue gaze. And even though she and Furuda had both remained tight-lipped and refused to yield any of Geto-sama's secrets–
It was horrible. It was horrible, the way that the Gojo girl asked leading questions bit by bit, and deduced answers on her own simply by looking at them. Even though Manami knew that Gojo Shiki's cursed eyes weren't all-seeing eyes like the Six Eyes, she couldn't help but feel as if those abyssal eyes could just –just see right through them. As if all their struggles were completely worthless and utterly meaningless, for all their secrets laid bare before this blessed child.
Manami had been ready to die.
… She'd fully expected it. Gojo Shiki was not someone who held any apprehensions towards killing. Neither Manami nor Furuda had willingly cooperated with her earlier, so it wouldn't be surprising if she decided that such insolence warranted their deaths.
Except–
Except, that wasn't what happened.
…
When the overwhelming surge of the divine curse Ganesha's cursed energy had appeared, Manami had experienced both fierce joy, and trepidation. Joy, because it meant that Geto-sama had succeeded in finding and drawing out the divine curse. Trepidation, because it meant that Gojo Shiki no longer had any use for Manami and Furuda, because now she knew exactly where Geto-sama was.
Another sorcerer might perhaps decide to keep them around to use as bargaining chips against Geto-sama. But a girl for whom death was a constant companion –would she think the same? This was the same girl who'd unhesitatingly threatened to kill Manami when she'd been fresh out of a fight with a borderline Special Grade cursed spirit once, years and years ago.
(If Manami were to turn back time, she'd attempt to convince Geto-sama to consider killing the girl instead of offering her any assistance.)
But instead of killing them–
Gojo Shiki just… left.
Without another word, the girl turned around and left them behind. Almost as if to say that she didn't care if they tried to use this opportunity to escape again. The utter lack of concern sent a clear message: It didn't matter to Gojo Shiki whether or not they tried to escape, because no matter what they tried, their efforts would only amount to futility.
Just like their desperate efforts to deny her any answers about Geto-sama's plans.
It was… humiliating. Undoubtedly, this was humiliating. There's something in Manami's chest that burns, and yet logic keeps her clear headed even through the shame, through the pain of her broken wrist and legs. Manami does not understand how Gojo Shiki thinks, but she knows how to recognize opportunity when it's placed before her like this.
"We need to leave."
"Suda, you're joking," Furuda hovers by her side anxiously. "To say nothing of what Gojo might do to us if we run –you're in no position to be moving around! Think about your legs–"
Manami does not need to be reminded of the excruciating pain in her legs, thank you very much.
"Listen to me!" she hisses. "Furuda, we can't stay here. We can't be found by the jujutsu authorities. I'm not going to let myself be used against Geto-sama. And you feel the same way as I do, right?"
Furuda hesitates, "… Yes."
"Then, you know we have to run," she says firmly. It'll be a lot harder now that they can't teleport with Geto-sama's cursed spirit, but Manami will crawl out of here with her own hands if she has to, broken wrist or not.
Furuda ends up carrying her, and it's painful. Every step forward ends up jostling her, and Manami can feel her bones grinding against each other torturously.
But Manami grits her teeth, and perseveres. She'd known from the start that Geto-sama's path wouldn't be an easy one, and she won't let herself waver in face of a little pain.
… Even so, at some point, Manami finds herself drifting in and out of consciousness. Pain and fatigue make it difficult to remain awake and aware, especially since there is no immediate threat in front of her anymore. But even so, Manami knows that she can't let herself fall unconscious, not when they're not safe yet. Not when she doesn't know if Geto-sama is safe, when she doesn't know if that Gojo Shiki managed to ruin Geto-sama's plans–
"–da? Suda, can you hear me?"
Manami's eyes immediately fly open at the sound of a familiar voice; she hadn't even realized that she'd closed them again.
"Geto-sama?" she whispers, automatically scrambling upright –then lets out a cry of pain at the sheer agony in her legs from the movement.
"I'm here, Suda." It's Geto-sama. Geto-sama is here. What's going on right now? Is everything still alright? What about the divine curse–
"Ah, the divine curse," Geto-sama chuckles wryly. "Turns out it's… a little more fragile than expected. Better to find that out now than later, I suppose."
Manami blinks. "… What?"
"I'll fill you in on everything later," Geto-sama's voice begins fading. "For now, rest. The two of you have had a hard time, Suda especially, and it couldn't have been easy dealing with Shiki. We shouldn't have split up; that's my mistake."
Manami stubbornly shakes her head. "Not… your mistake."
"We can argue about that latter, Suda. Sleep."
Her struggling eyelids finally close, and Manami falls into blissful unconsciousness knowing that, even despite all the unexpected twists and turns that they've encountered in India this time… things will be alright.
.
.
"This… this doesn't look good. Are we too late?"
Zhang Tong's voice is tense, uneasy. Choki glances briefly at the other man, then refocuses his attention on their current surroundings.
The Mayureshwar, first of the Ashtavinayaka. A temple honoring Ganesha of the Hindu pantheon. On their way here, Choki had looked through the information that Zhang Tong previously compiled on the temple, which included photographs of the temple and its surroundings.
… If one squinted, they could still loosely make out the resemblance to those photos in the current reality laid out before them.
A good section of the surrounding buildings are barely standing, to say nothing of the temple itself. If Choki had not been aware that there was supposed to be a temple standing here, then he might not have even made the connection in his mind to begin with.
The ojou-sama usually isn't one much for causing so much collateral damage to her surroundings. Was it the curse users who were responsible for this destruction? Had they perhaps decided to use the presence of innocent passerby to their advantage, knowing that the ojou-sama would be hampered by a sorcerer's responsibility towards non-sorcerers?
Or was it not the curse users responsible here, but instead a cursed spirit? Perhaps one of Geto Suguru's cursed spirits?
Choki had been peripherally aware of the man, back when he'd still been a student of the Tokyo jujutsu school. But it had always been from a distance, and what he'd known of Geto Suguru had mostly been learned through word of mouth, rather than any personal experience or observations. By the time Choki officially came to be in the ojou-sama's service, Geto Suguru had established a name for himself as a curse user.
The ojou-sama does not like Geto Suguru. Choki does not know what their relationship had been in the past, if any such relationship had existed, but he is aware of her current attitude towards the curse user. This much, at least, is perfectly clear to Choki.
But even so, Geto Suguru still means something to the honored clan head. That, in turn, means that the curse user means something to the ojou-sama as well.
Because the ojou-sama cares about the honored clan head; therefore, she cares about what he cares for.
Sometimes, it's not so hard to understand what the ojou-sama is thinking.
On the other hand, Choki definitely has no idea what Geto Suguru was thinking here. He understands that sometimes, collateral damage is unavoidable in a fight. But looking at the scene of destruction before him, it's hard to think of this as anything but intentional.
The ojou-sama's abilities are more subtle than the honored clan head's. Sun Yongtai's cursed technique revolves around manipulating smoke. Neither of them are likely candidates for causing such wanton destruction, which leaves Geto Suguru's faction of curse users as the likeliest culprit.
Except–
All these years, even though Geto Suguru has never ceased his activities, he also hasn't committed himself towards committing any acts of open terrorism, contrary to his stated goals. There are those who take this as a sign that the man is perhaps not as committed to the ridiculous idea of killing all non-sorcerers in the world as he says, but there is also the possibility that this is intentional on his part. To bide his time and avoid being labeled a priority threat before his preparations are complete, or something along those lines.
Which means: If Geto Suguru's cult is now brazen enough to level a well-known temple to the ground like this, very likely killing or injuring numerous non-sorcerers who'd inadvertently been caught up in this mess in the process… then, what does that indicate about the Special Grade user's preparations? Is this merely coincidence, or does it mean that Geto Suguru and his faction are now brave enough to begin moving forward onto the next stage of their plans?
A stage where they no longer hide behind the scenes, accruing strength in the shadows, but instead openly unleash chaos upon the world with their curses?
What would that mean for the precarious balance in this world, then, where sorcerers were already struggling to hold their ground against the endless, overwhelming tide of cursed spirits? … And what would it mean for the ojou-sama, who would undoubtedly be caught up in the center of this howling maelstrom?
The insidious thoughts are heavy, and weigh on his mind.
And yet… Choki also knows that this isn't the time to contemplate such things, and so he forcibly sets his errant thoughts aside.
What matters most right now is finding the ojou-sama. Choki is confident that his lady is fine, even if the same unfortunately cannot be said for the Ganesha temple that became a ravaged battleground.
Nanami-sama had gone on ahead earlier. As soon as the car had stopped, he'd already been out the door. His care for the ojou-sama is genuine, at least. Choki would not presume to remark any further on the relationship between uncle and niece here, as it is not his position to do so.
For now, he–
"… no. I originally intended to circle back to see where the curse users went while we were preoccupied, if we were unable to track Geto-san from here. But that will no longer be possible."
Choki spins towards the left.
"Ojou-sama," he bows automatically towards the emerging silhouette of his young lady.
She seems well. Pristine and practically untouched, unlike what had happened during her encounter with the reanimated Sorcerer Killer. The same cannot be said for Sun Yongtai, however, the other sorcerer looks markedly more battered and ruffled than the ojou-sama as he follows up behind Nanami-sama.
Nanami-sama, who's currently frowning. "Do you mean that Geto Suguru isn't here anymore?"
The ojou-sama dips her head slightly in acknowledgment towards Choki, then turns towards her uncle.
"No. I'm fairly certain that Geto Suguru was here," she says. "But I… don't intend to continue the search. Not now, at least."
Choki blinks in surprise at the unexpected statement from his young lady.
This entire time, ever since she'd set her mind to the task of finding Geto Suguru, she's been taking the search quite seriously. Even though it's been a frustrating, tumultuous effort thus far, this venture in India was the most solid lead that they've had to date. And if they're this close, then… it doesn't make sense why the ojou-sama would choose to give up right now.
Why would she choose to abandon her efforts–?
"Shiki, what's wrong?" Nanami-sama asks, brows furrowed.
"… Megumi called me." The ojou-sama's voice does not waver. From the placid tone of her words alone, one would not assume that there was anything wrong, even though her subsequent words swiftly prove that this misconception could not be further from the actual truth. "He said that Tsumiki was cursed. I'm returning to Japan."
So that's why, then.
The search for Geto Suguru is important, and perhaps it would be a different story if the man himself was standing in front of them right now… but that is not the case. Fushiguro Tsumiki is a sweet girl, and an important friend to the ojou-sama despite being a non-sorcerer. It's no surprise, then, that the ojou-sama would choose to prioritize the wellbeing of her friend.
Although… it does bring up the question of how something like this had happened. The neighborhood that the Fushiguro siblings live in is mostly populated with Gojo vassals and the like. If anything, it should be one of the safer areas of the city.
So then, how did something like this happen?
Choki frowns faintly.
If it turns out that this is not the result of an accident, but instead some intentional machination motivated by malign intent… then the ojou-sama will not be pleased.
.
.
"Y'think Shiki is up to anything interesting right now?"
"Dunno, maybe?"
Hakari Kinji stretches, leaning back in his seat with a yawn. It's not that things around the school are boring, exactly –it's a sorcery school, and there's always interesting things happening here, even aside from going on missions. But it still feels kinda weird not having Shiki around.
For all that she's not exactly a very talkative person most of the time, there's something about her absence that's… distinctly noticeable, actually. More than you might expect.
Like, sometimes Kinji will turn around with an offhand question about some jujutsu thing or another on his tongue, only to realize that there's no ojou-sama around to help explain things. Or he'll head down to the training rooms, fired up for a fun sparring session, and then remember that Shiki is still out on her suspension. It's still fun training with Kirara, of course –and Yuta, too, who's starting to develop the right instincts for a good brawl– but it doesn't push him the same way that spars with Shiki do.
… Even though most of those fights typically end up with Kinji getting his ass beat into the ground in various ways, he's still learning a lot from them!
Another thing that Kinji learns a lot from: Getting his ass beat into the ground by Shiki's smiley clan head cousin.
It's a new development. After Shiki was officially suspended and left the school, around a week later Gojo Satoru came bouncing in through the classroom door.
"Gojo-san?!"
"Nu-uh! It's Gojo-sensei now!"
So… yeah. That was how that conversation went, more or less.
Basically, it was like they traded one Gojo for another, sorta? … And boy the two Gojos were really different from each other, despite their similar appearances. Kinji had thought this when they first met Shiki's clan head cousin during Obon, but having the man as a teacher really hammered it in the differences.
Differences aside, there were also the downright almost eerie similarities that they shared.
Which sounds kind of weird and self-contradictory, maybe, but it's true.
Gojo-sensei's style of teaching is… very different from Takagi-sensei's. Takagi-sensei is more, 'learn the theory first, then put it into practice,' while Gojo-sensei is a believer of, 'practical experience is the best sort of experience!' Which results in their teaching methods being wildly different from each other. Gojo-sensei isn't always around to teach, given his busy schedule, but during the times that he is around campus… suffice to say, the experience feels similar to getting run over by a bulldozer.
It also brings a whole new level of understanding to Shiki's 'My cousin helped me figure this out' response when asked about her techniques. The girl really has a talent for understating things.
Kirara rolls over on the grass, huffing slightly. The movement tugs slightly at the low v-neck top that he's wearing, revealing slightly more skin from collarbone to shoulder. "Shiki is outside the country again, right? … Think we're going to get any photos from her?"
Kinji snorts. Shiki is probably the least technologically-adept person that he knows. Taking tourist photos of her own volition? "Not likely."
"I guess you're right," Kirara hums. "… Hey, we should probably try to do something together once she's back. Especially since it's been a while since we've seen her and all."
Kinji can get behind this idea. "Pachinko?" he suggests hopefully.
Kirara snorts. "Okay, sure, but only if you're the one telling Nanami-san."
"Hey, who says we need to tell Nanami-san where we're going?" Kinji protests. "And besides, it's for a good cause! Can you believe that Shiki didn't even know what pachinko was before I got my Domain Expansion?"
"Yeah," Kirara nods without hesitation.
… Okay, so maybe Kinji walked right into that one.
"Whatever," he rolls his eyes. "… Anyways, with how seriously Shiki takes everything, I doubt she's been getting much rest, especially with how she's running around chasing a dangerous curse user and all. I maintain that pachinko would be a good break."
"Uh-huh. And it has nothing to do with how you would like to spend a day at a pachinko parlor?"
Kinji sniffs. "Two birds, one stone."
His answer causes Kirara to laugh, and Kinji finds himself smiling a bit as well. The only thing that's missing here is a certain socially inept ojou-sama giving them a blank, uncomprehending look from the side.
They'll be able to fix that, soon. Worst case scenario, they'll just have to come up with a way to get themselves suspended, too! Kinji has a few ideas.
.
.
Gojo Kiyohira has no idea how this happened.
… Fushiguro Tsumiki should've been safe. Safer than her brother Megumi, even. The boy was the target of many eyes in the jujutsu world, the Zenin Clan's especially. Tsumiki had no such eyes watching her movements, and she lived in an area that was regularly frequented by sorcerers. There shouldn't have been any cursed spirits around there, nor any curse users who could escape notice, and yet–
And yet–
Somehow, Tsumiki had been cursed.
Kiyohira doesn't recognize the curse.
Strange red markings are scrawled out across her forehead. Some sort of spell? A seal? … Whatever it is, the markings are incomprehensible to Kiyohira. He had already contacted specialists within the clan to attempt to decipher this, but thus far there's not much that they've been able to unravel.
The only thing that can be confirmed, is that it's a remote curse, which means that the original caster doesn't need to remain in the victim's vicinity in order to either maintain or activate the spell. Which doesn't exactly help things any, because instead of narrowing down their prospects it just means that the culprit could be anywhere.
Kiyohira's hands briefly clench into fists on his lap, before he forces himself to relax. Getting angry won't do him any good here.
He needs to be calm.
… Even though it's hard to be calm, looking at Tsumiki like this. From appearances alone, it's almost as if she were simply asleep, nothing more. And yet that's most certainly not the case. Tsumiki has been asleep for an entire day now, with no signs of stirring to wakefulness.
There's part of him that can't help but wonder if this is his fault. Ever since taking on the role of a Tobiume elder, Kiyohira had moved back into the clan compound. It was mostly Nanami Kento and Gojo Satoru who were responsible for the Fushiguro children –them, and the various Gojo vassals dutifully keeping an eye on the children in the neighborhood.
If Kiyohira had been there, would the culprit have gotten the chance to curse Tsumiki like this?
Guilt is a familiar, bitter poison in his throat. He doesn't want to see any more of his children die.
What makes this all worse is the fact that Tsumiki should've been safe. She wasn't a sorcerer, nor even a clear-sighted child. Tsumiki hadn't been directly involved in anything jujutsu-related. She wasn't expected to fight, or place herself in way of danger. The girl should've been fine, her wellbeing ensured by the numerous layers of protection that existed around her.
'Should.'
…
Kiyohira watches the peaceful sleeping face of the young girl for a moment longer. Tsumiki was a bright, cheerful girl. A sweet child who was kind and compassionate, and a good friend to Shiki. It's hard not to care about a girl like that.
And by virtue of being a non-sorcerer, she was someone who should've been safe to care for.
… He knows that he can't stay here for too long. There are still Tobiume matters that demand his attention, and the Shunryu branch family has been growing steadily more discontent these days. Or what remains of it, at least. They seem to take the fact that Shiki has gone overseas as a sign that she is hiding from them, which is a thought so ridiculous and foolish that Kiyohira doesn't even know where to begin tearing it apart.
It would behoove Gojo Morihiko to look inwards and reflect upon his own conduct, if the members of his branch family no longer trust him to lead them.
If it were not for the fact that Kiyohira knew Morihiko to be overbearingly prideful, he might've suspected that Tsumiki being cursed like this was something that the Shunryu branch had arranged for. A pressuring tactic, or something of the sort.
Which would also be a monumentally stupid pressuring tactic, because Kiyohira had no doubt that Shiki would be quite upset at seeing her friend unconscious in a hospital bed like this.
Kiyohira is fairly certain that Morihiko isn't that stupid, though. He might attempt to dismiss and diminish Shiki behind her back in an effort to save his own pride, but this does not change the fact that he fears her.
Then, is it the Zenins that he should be considering instead? An attempt on their part to pressure Megumi? It would certainly be sufficient motive, yet Kiyohira cannot imagine them overlooking the combined threat that Gojo Satoru and Gojo Shiki would pose.
There is… also another possibility that occurs to Kiyohira, regarding Tsumiki being cursed.
Geto Suguru.
Shiki has made a concentrated effort to hunt down Geto Suguru. What were the chances that cursing Tsumiki was a tactic used to draw Shiki's attention away from her current focus?
Kiyohira grimaces. If this was really the case, then whoever came up with the idea and placed it into action would most definitely face the full brunt of Shiki's ire. Even if it turned out to be Geto Suguru himself.
A quiet thump sounds in the silence; a towel falling to the ground. Kiyohira turns to the side, where Megumi is asleep in his chair –thankfully not a cursed sleep like his sister. No, Megumi's sleep is one born of exhaustion, of his efforts to find his sister once he realized she was missing, then stubbornly staying by her side once it became clear that she had been cursed. The past several hours couldn't have been easy for the boy.
Kiyohira gently readjusts the boy's positioning so that he doesn't wake up with a crick in his neck, taking a spare pillow and wedging it between him and the wall. Then he picks up a blanket and drapes it over him. The towel that had fallen to the ground can be discarded; he'll replace it with a new one–
"Mrowr!"
–ah. Kiyohira rapidly blinks a few times, belatedly realizing that what he'd just reached out to had not been a white rolled-up towel, but instead a certain white cat.
Usually, pets aren't allowed in the hospital, but an exception was made in this case. Mi-chan had been by Tsumiki's side earlier in the day, presumably including the moment when she was cursed, and the cat had refused to be separated from Tsumiki.
Kiyohira supposes that he can understand the feeling. Even though he knows that there's nothing he can actually do himself for Tsumiki right now… he still wants to stay and watch over her a bit longer.
Would Shiki be able to do anything about this?
From what he understands, her eyes allow her to see lines of death, which aren't restricted to only what's physical. Kiyohira also knows that Shiki has been able to sever the lines of active techniques before. Was there a possibility, then, that she could… help Tsumiki, where the Gojo Clan's spellwork specialists were unable to?
Maybe, maybe…
Mi-chan meows again, a huffy sound, then leaps up and curls into a small white pillow by Tsumiki's side. But unfortunately for the unknowing cat, Tsumiki will no longer be able to pet it no matter how earnestly it curls into her hand.
.
.
There are red scratches scored into his wrist, the doings of a certain small, white cat.
What a clever little creature.
Far cleverer than its owner, a young girl who'd regarded him first with disbelief, then suspicion, before he'd eventually convinced her to trust him in the end.
I need your help, he'd told the girl. Those words hadn't been a lie. There was indeed something that only Fushiguro Tsumiki could do for him. A certain role that only she would be able to carry out effectively.
Gojo Shiki could not be allowed to find Geto Suguru. This was something that could not happen.
Certainly, Gojo Shiki was less volatile and bloodthirsty than most rumors painted her out to be. But this didn't change the fact that she could and would use violence as an effective method to achieve her goals. Ordinary sorcerers might at least attempt to adhere to courtesy first; Gojo Shiki will courteously inform you that she will carve you into bloody pieces. Or perhaps forgo words entirely, and allow her actions to speak for herself.
At any rate, it's not exactly a desirable outcome. Pass.
Geto Suguru is useful, and so he cannot die just yet. The man also has several interesting ideas in his plans to create a new 'world order.' Personally, he's quite curious to see where this leads. How far will Geto Suguru be able to go on his chosen path?
He'll give Geto Suguru another year. If the man fails to accomplish anything of note…
That's fine, too. There are many uses for a Special Grade sorcerer, after all. Especially one of such unique talents.
So–
In order to ensure that Geto Suguru's plans are not derailed, it's best that no meeting occurs between him and Gojo Shiki. To that end, he'd carefully made all the right arrangements, laying out a trail that would eventually lead Gojo Shiki right back into the unending power plays and machinations of the sorcery clans.
And if he was curious about Araya's masterwork –well. That's his own business, isn't it? Providing Ogami with a small portion of Zenin Toji's remains to use as a catalyst was but merely a small nudge on his part, nothing more.
However, it was a truly unlucky turn of events that somehow, Gojo Shiki had gotten wind of Geto Suguru's whereabouts in India regardless of his efforts. If it were not for his collaborator within the Gojo Clan, he wouldn't have been able to learn this information in time to do something about it.
And thus, this is where Fushiguro Tsumiki comes in.
Please help me, Tsumiki.
A foolish young girl. He wouldn't complain about it, though. It was a good thing that she was foolish; all the better to fool Gojo Shiki with, if he managed to play his cards here correctly.
And even if he didn't–
It just means that he'll have to readjust his plans, and he'll still have succeeded in drawing fire away from Geto Suguru. Because surely Gojo Shiki would return to Japan if her fragile, non-sorcerer best friend was in danger, right?
There is a faint twinge in his chest; a flicker of foreign anger that he is able to suppress with nary a thought. This body is quite lacking in many ways –health and constitution, mainly and most egregiously– but even so, it still has its uses. Many uses, he is glad to say.
Why, most recently, Kenjaku finds that the face of Gojo Yuzuki had been very useful for his meeting with little Tsumiki. And there will be further uses for this vessel in the future as well.
"I think we'll be seeing something interesting very, very soon."
.
.
…
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