One Night (40)
“So that was crazy,” the young man with dull brown hair says.
Naoya rolls his eyes. Why is this normie talking to him? Why did Kagome invite citizens to this housewarming? Her mother, Naoya can overlook, because she’s Kagome’s mother, and she’s pretty enough given her age. He can even overlook the other dark-haired woman, who was carrying Koushi around, because she has more cursed energy than a civilian, though not enough to be a sorcerer.
A window.
They have their uses.
“I can’t believe Eri-san pulled that off,” the man continues, laughing to himself. “She’s usually more vain than that, so I was shocked she pulled off a trick that made it look like her hair was burned off. She must have gotten Kagome to agree with it because I just can’t figure out how she did that.” The man laughs again. “Those girls are something else.”
Naoya rolls his eyes again and lifts the cup of whiskey to his lips.
Satoru isn’t a drinker; everyone knows that, but he—or someone else—was considerate enough to provide alcohol for everyone else.
“And you are?” Naoya asks after a stretch of silence.
“Oh, sorry! Hojo.” The man bows and then smiles at him. “Kagome and I used to date in high school, but…”
What?
Naoya turns to face Hojo fully. This guy dated Kagome?
This guy?? There’s nothing about this guy that stands out. Even the picture of Kagome and her family is more appealing to look at than this guy.
“Really? And you two kept in touch all this time?” Doesn’t sound like something Satoru would be fine with. Not something he would be okay with. He’d be damned if Utahime kept in contact with an ex.
If Kagome were his, this Hojo wouldn’t even be here. This Hojo would be buried six feet under or left for a curse to torment.
“We lost contact for a while, but I ran into her not too long ago at a coffee shop.” Hojo rubs the back of his head. “I worry about her, though.”
Naoya narrows his eyes. “Is there something wrong with her?” To the best of his knowledge, there is nothing wrong with Kagome other than her love of Satoru and her birthing that demon child, Shippo.
“Oh, it’s just…when we were in school, Kagome was always so sickly, so it concerns me how she has two children. I knew about Koushi… just recently learned about Shippo.” Hojo presses his lips together. “Pregnancy can be very difficult on the body, and for someone who spent more time in the hospital than out, I worry that Gojo-san isn’t doing right by her. That’s why I came along when Yuka-san asked if I wanted to come with her and Eri. Thought I could talk to her and see if she needs any help.”
Hojo frowns and motions to the room. “This house is something else, though. I see why Kagome may be scared to leave. Gojo-san has a lot of money, but as her friend, I will also do my best to ensure she is happy, so if that means putting myself in danger to rescue her, then so be it.”
Naoya’s brows furrow together in confusion. Of all the things Hojo has sprouted, there are several things Naoya knows to be false. Satoru, annoying as he is, is not ‘mistreating’ Kagome, whatever the hell that means. A woman’s place is always three steps behind her man, and not once has Naoya seen Kagome abide by the proper norms.
Second, Kagome doesn’t look sickly at all. She has healing capabilities; if she were sick, then surely, she would have healed herself by now or gone to Shoko.
Surely, someone with Satoru’s influence would have gotten Kagome the best care available if that were the case.
“She looks healthy to me,” Naoya comments.
Shippo runs past with a console in his arms. Several kids, probably from the Gojo clan, follow with controllers and cords in their hands. Megumi takes the console from Shippo and hooks it to the TV while a cat sits on his shoulder.
What is with that cat? He has spent hours studying the ten shadows technique and none of the records speak of a shikigami that looks quite like that.
Did Megumi fuck up the clan technique somehow and cause the shikigami to become weaker, or did he find a way to push past the limits?
Hojo huffs, drawing Naoya’s attention back to him. “Probably masking it since there are a lot of people here. She was always in and out of the hospital growing up, and then she disappeared for five years. No one could get in touch with her. Eri told me it’s because Kagome married InuYasha, but now I’m not so sure...”
Inu... Yasha?
Married? That can’t be right.
Naoya presses his lips together. Unless Satoru was so paranoid back then that he had Kagome fake a marriage to someone else to throw Suguru off his trail?
Sounds far-fetched.
Keeping Kagome and the children hidden for so long is also far-fetched, but Satoru did it.
“Never heard of the guy, but I know Satoru and everyone here can attest that the man is very much in love with her.” Naoya swallows back the bile. His tongue burns from having to say such words out loud.
Hojo glances at him and then looks away. “Ex-boyfriend. Husband. I’m not so sure anymore. InuYasha is a terrible man. Loud, long white hair, gold eyes, a nasty personality, and he was always keeping Kagome away from her friends. The same is happening here with Gojo-san. He’s isolating her.”
Naoya snorts. “And yet we are all here enjoying this party. Back to this InuYasha, how long were they married?”
Hojo shrugs. “Maybe five years or so? Could have been longer. Eri told me they lost contact with Kagome for some years and then she popped up preg—”
“That’s cute,” Satoru says, startling Naoya, though he doesn’t show it. Best not to show any kind of weakness in front of Satoru. The sorcerer is like a shark. The slightest whiff of weakness and he’s exploiting it.
Naoya takes a step back. For once, Satoru’s ire is not directed toward him.
Hojo smiles. “I cannot stand by and watch as you mistreat Kagome as her—hey!”
Naoya sips from his drink while Satoru drags Hojo out of the living room by his hair. Everyone moves to the side, giving Satoru a wide berth.
“Um. Should we do something?” Yuji whispers, but he may as well be shouting. “Gojo-sensei just dragged that guy out by his hair.”
“He had good reason then,” Megumi replies. “He’s an idiot, but he wouldn’t do anything unnecessary.”
“Yeah,” Maki agrees. “That idiot is a lot of things. That guy had it coming.”
Naoya rolls his eyes, though silently he agrees. He wouldn’t allow anyone to come into his home and disrespect him.
“Did you see where Satoru went?” Kagome asks, stepping to Naoya’s right side, a place she should always be at, but he dares not open his mouth to tell her of such. In her arms, Koushi stares at him.
Naoya takes a step to the side. Last time he was around Koushi, Shippo told him to create a swarm of bees around him. It’s not something he wants to repeat.
“He took your ex-boyfriend outside,” he answers. “Didn’t take you for the type to date a normal human.”
Kagome frowns. “Hojo can hardly be called an ex. We went on like two dates in high school, both of which I ran out on him. He’s just…” She shrugs. “Delusional. Has it in his head that there is always something more.” Kagome looks him in the eye. “Hopefully he’ll get it through his head after tonight that thoughts of us being together are just that. Thoughts. Delusions.” She turns away from him, headed toward the window and the other useless female.
They disappear upstairs. Probably for the best.
Naoya downs the rest of his drink.
The audacity of her to compare him to that guy.
He catches Utahime’s gaze and blesses her with a smile to put her at ease.
Kagome has some weird loyalty to Satoru. Loyalty that is misplaced. He should be the one who receives all the praise. This should be his event. He would never have allowed normies to crash his housewarming. Would never have allowed someone who dares to prey on his woman to breathe the same air as her.
Naoya is not like Satoru. He is better. Always has been the better man. Satoru may be a special grade, but there are plenty of other areas in which Satoru is lacking.
“Are you okay?” Utahime asks. She’s wearing a pretty yellow dress, one he gifted her, with her hair down.
They didn’t arrive together, since his mission took a bit longer to complete, but... perhaps he can convince her to leave with him and they can get a room for the night.
“Oh, fine. I’m fine,” he repeats. “Just lots of emotions going on here. That man was bad-mouthing a precious friend, Satoru and Kagome.”
“I don’t know if I’d call Gojo a precious friend, but Kagome is very sweet.” Utahime holds up two charms. “Did you get one? Kagome said we could all take two.”
Naoya opens his mouth and pauses. There’s shouting outside, but it doesn’t sound like Satoru… sounds more like that uncle of his?
“Would you mind picking two for me? I’m going to step outside to make sure everything is alright.”
“Oh, sure…but if Gojo is outside—”
Naoya bends down and kisses Utahime, if only to shut her up. If he says he’s going to do something, then he doesn’t need her overstepping by suggesting he would get in the way. She should know better. He will teach her in time to never question him.
He winks at her as he passes his empty cup to her and heads outdoors.
It’s too stuffy in the house, anyway. Shippo and his posse keep cracking jokes. The students all praise Satoru and talk about how Hojo must have done something terribly wrong.
No one asks how he feels.
No one asks for his insight as the heir to the Zenin clan.
Worthless.
They’re all so worthless and take everything for granted.
Not him. He knows what he wants, and he will get it. He isn’t delusional, as Kagome so eloquently put it. He isn’t like that normie at all.
He’ll have Kagome and Utahime. No need to only have one. No need to limit himself when he is a prodigy. The only one worthy of taking over the clan.
He opens the door and blinks. What happened to the normie? The only person out here is he and Satoru.
“Come to get your ass kicked too?” Satoru turns to the side. His eyes glow eerily in the dark.
“I merely came to ensure everything was alright,” Naoya says, holding his hands up in front of him. He may not like the guy, but he isn’t so far gone that he’ll pick a fight he can’t win. Satoru is a special grade sorcerer for a reason.
“I heard screaming and thought things may have gotten out of control. That’s all.”
Satoru turns fully and looks him up and down. He takes one step, followed by another, until he is standing close enough for their shoes to touch.
Did he drop infinity?
Naoya swallows. Somehow that makes this situation ten times worse.
Satoru bends, his mouth close to Naoya’s ear.
“I’m in a real shitty mood right now, so I suggest you steer clear of me before I beat your ass so hard, Shoko won’t be able to put you back together.”
“Sa-” Naoya breathes in and then out. “I meant no disrespect.”
“Yeah. You say that, and yet you keep nipping at Kagome’s heels like a bitch.” Satoru gives him a look. “Last warning.” He brushes past. The force of Satoru’s shoulder colliding with his sends a sharp pain through his body.
Naoya grips his shoulder and grimaces. Damn him. He hates Satoru with every fiber of his being. Damn him.
He can’t go back in now. Not yet. Utahime will take one look at him and know something is wrong. Then he’d be forced to concede that perhaps he shouldn’t have stepped outside and perhaps he should have busied himself with mingling with the other Jujutsu sorcerers.
He breathes out of his mouth and pushes the pain down.
For Satoru to be this worked up, there must have been more to what that Hojo was spewing.
He walks back inside the house, avoids eye contact with Satoru’s father and Kagome’s mother, and heads straight for Utahime. She’s chatting with Mei Mei and laughing at something Mei Mei is saying.
“Oh, Zenin-san, good evening,” Mei Mei greets. “So happy to see you are doing well.”
Naoya nods his head at her. It cost a bit, but Mei Mei did him a solid by securing the meeting with Utahime, so he can be cordial.
“Thanks for playing matchmaker,” he says, wrapping an arm around Utahime’s waist. He bites back the wince.
That fucker has lost his mind.
“What an eventful housewarming,” he continues. “The Gojos always know how to keep their guests entertained.”
Mei Mei smiles. “Yes, and the gifts they provide are worth so much.”
“Right, here are the charms I picked out for you.” Utahime hands him the charms from her purse.
Love and prosperity.
He could do without the love, but accepts the charms nonetheless.
“I feel better already,” he says sincerely. Wait. Naoya glances at the charms in his hand.
“They work right away,” Mei Mei says.
“Those were the only ones left,” Utahime says. “I think the students all scooped up the protection ones. Which is fine. They need it more than we do.”
Naoya nods his head. It’s on the tip of his tongue to suggest they leave early, but the words die before he can get them out. Sota walks into the living room with some female, most likely another clan member, and the other normie, who is pretty much bald now.
Did Shippo do that?
Naoya chances a glance at the young Gojo. He’s still busy laughing with his friends as they play some game. Satoru comes down the stairs, taking two steps at a time. Naoya keeps his eyes lowered, though Satoru doesn’t look in his direction; instead, he goes down to the lower floor.
Sota greets Yaga and introduces his companion. The normie slips away and heads downstairs.
Naoya stares for a moment and then focuses on Utahime. “We should call it a night,” he says.
Maybe it’s the charms, or maybe it’s the warning from Satoru, but his instincts are yelling at him to leave.
Last thing he wants is to be Gojo Satoru’s punching bag.
***
A/N: The baby has it out for Eri. Shippo would have cast an illusion to make Eri think her hair fell out... the baby, on the other hand, was out for blood lol.
One more chapter of this party. Hojo got kicked out. Naoya was almost collateral damage. Eri suffered damage, but clearly not enough. And Yuka isn't in the clear because she invited two people who were not on the list.
Wishing you a wonderful week ahead! Please take care of yourselves! Get lots of rest and stay hydrated. I'm officially done with training for my new role, which I hope clears up some mental space lol. Something about meetings/trainings really drains me.
