#tbvl

Utahime leaned with her lower back against the railing. The breeze was blowing in her dark hair which she'd worn up today. The summer that year had been brutal, just like all the other times. This time she was more prepared with more breezy clothes. That was interesting — living with Ieiri in this reality had changed her that much. The odd thing was, once all of her realities were stacked the way they were now, she was finally seeing what she'd never noticed before.

She tipped her head to her shoulder, the ice in her drink clinking. Ieiri was vacuuming the living room again. Ieiri was so nervous around her after the incident and it was grating. She'd never let herself get angry with someone for being afraid, but at the same time all she wanted was to just relax with Ieiri in their apartment. It would probably never be the same for the two of them again.

Seeing it all again through a different lens, she felt like a fool for being so afraid to admit she loved her. Ieiri was so patient, living with her and showing blatantly how she loved. She was quiet, but thoughtful. She didn't want it acknowledged. She only stepped in when asked. Now Ieiri was unsure of herself where she hadn't been before. It would probably never be the same for the two of them again.

"… unless." Utahime set her drink down on the table beside her.

Sarah and Tsukumo were still discussing how to lure out the filament creature again. The chat messages were going crazy as they blurted out thoughts to each other, bouncing around ideas. They were chasing the solution fiercely and had long since left Utahime behind. She was realizing her involvement in "the plot" wasn't meant to be as much as it appeared. That thought had struck her recently and it irritated her. Tengen and Kenjaku often compared their world to stories and games and now she understood why. There were patterns she'd followed, the same mistakes the same questions the same actions, but never anything that truly altered an outcome. She wasn't created to stand out.

But that wasn't what she wanted.

Tsukumo and Sarah were chasing it so hard because they had something they wanted. Her eyes flicked up to Ieiri, then back down to her phone. Ieiri was what she wanted, but not this one who was afraid of things she couldn't possibly know. She wanted the Ieiri who was able to make her own decisions.

She snatched up her phone off the table and walked directly up to Ieiri. Ieiri leaned down to turn off the vacuum, and Utahime asked, "I'm going in to Elysium with Tsukumo and Sarah."

Ieiri stared at her. "You mean, right now?" she asked.

Utahime hesitated. Her mouth wasn't just fucking saying what she wanted. So many years of keeping the very thought hidden was a hard wall to break. Then she inhaled, closed her eyes and said, "I'm staying there until we figure out how to do it. B-because I want it done to you first."

Ieiri made a soft sound and she heard her take a small step back. Utahime wanted to open her eyes, but she knew if she did she wouldn't be able to speak. "I want you to see what I've seen. Because we need to fix it. We need to fix what we… what I should be able to have."

"What are you talking about?" Ieiri whispered. Utahime was honestly expecting her cold fingers to touch at her jaw. If Ieiri wasn't so afraid of her, she would have.

"I need you to see what we've been through to get here," Utahime said, trying to keep her voice from wavering. "I need you to see how stupid I've been and how stubborn I am. I've always been this same way no matter how we've tried to do this. You'll see what we can all have if we just finish this and then you'll understand why I need to go."

Ieiri finally reached out, those cold fingers of hers gripping onto Utahime's. "Why are you saying it like that? What are you saying?" Her words were catching, her brows bunching up.

"I'll be back, I promise," Utahime insisted, but Ieiri was already turning for the door.

"Then we'll go together," Ieiri said simply, grabbing a pair of socks out of a drawer on the end table by the door. "We'll go together."

Utahime didn't know what to say. Instead, she grabbed a pair of socks and reached for her shoes on the rack. Neither of them said anything, quietly putting on their shoes and grabbing their bags. They checked their phones, wallets — all the normal things one would check for just like any other day. Utahime grabbed her keys, passing Ieiri her own.

It wasn't until Ieiri's hand was on the doorknob that the tension finally broke.

"I want to fall in love with you."

Ieiri turned to face her faster than she was ready. Her hands were tugging at her breezy shirt and pulling Utahime into her — also faster than she was ready. She might have thought the kiss was also before she was ready, but once Ieiri's lips were on hers she knew she'd never stop it from happening again.

Ieiri drew back slowly, her fingertips covering her lips and her eyes down turned. Utahime's heart almost squeezed out between her ribcage to shake her by the shoulders.

"I'm not going to give up on this," Utahime said. Even then her words artfully dodged saying what she really wanted to say.

Ieiri nodded, wiping at the corner of her eye with her fingers before she smiled and gave her a sniffling nod.

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Tsukumo, Sarah, Utahime and Ieiri were all together taking their third precautionary check on their weapons and radios. This was already looking like it was going to be a long excursion, especially after the last one. Unfortunately, also preparing himself to join, was Kenjaku.

"The trees are starting to block our passage," Sarah explained. "They won't hurt us, but they don't want us to find the filament thing."

"Lazarus doesn't want you to find it," Kenjaku corrected her. "The resonates answer to him alone."

"Why does he even let us in then?" Tsukumo asked, "What is his angle even supposed to be?"

Kenjaku shrugged. "His job is to work with the Demiurge in some capacity," he said, then grinned. "Our Lord works in mysterious ways."

"Shut the fuck up," Tsukumo spat, "just answer our questions without the quips."

"He likely cannot control Sarah's actions," Kenjaku explained. "She isn't completely made of positive energy like most resonates so she has more free will than the other creations. Her people don't want to hurt her since she is like them, but they can't disobey Lazarus either."

"If we need to, I'll lure them away," Sarah said with a wave of her hand. "Let's just get in there."

The five of them landed in the pink field by the wisteria tree. From their vantage point on the hill they could already see the scrambling figures of the trees coming their direction from anywhere and everywhere. Utahime and Ieiri started to pull their weapons, but Tsukumo and Sarah turned the opposite direction and started to sprint. The other two women got the message quick and moved to join them along with Kenjaku.

"Ready?" Tsukumo asked, glancing over at Sarah.

She nodded, tugging a box cutter out of her back pocket. Taking one look back at Utahime and Ieiri, she waited until they'd acknowledged her before tearing the blade down the top of her forearm. Light burst from the wound, shivering in the air before fading off into the distance. Snapping the blade shut, she quickly shoved it back in her pocket.

"Get ready," Tsukumo called over her shoulder.

The approaching tree creatures were tumbling over each other in waves behind them. Their body's cracked and shattered only to grasp one another and build something entirely new. Their cloths stitched themselves together, the patterns amplifying and morphing into one another.

Tsukumo reached out for Sarah's arm, linking it with hers. The two of them abruptly turned directly towards the wave and charged. Then suddenly Tsukumo had Sarah up over her shoulders. She planted her feet and in a huge force enhanced by her technique, they launched at the wave.

The trees parted for Sarah, their shape jerking away and opening up a tear in their fabric. Three curses manifested by Kenjaku carried Ieiri, Utahime and himself through dodging the stretching and reaching branches and threads before it shut itself off.

On the other side, Tsukumo and Sarah continued their sprint. Their goal for this excursion was the clarifying pool. The wave would take time to turn and attempt to block their path again. Two more curses manifested beneath Tsukumo and Sarah, the creatures taking off to keep the pace going.

Tsukumo pointed ahead to the pool of water and shouted, "Go now?"

Sarah shouted back, pointing at the wave behind them, "Go ahead! I'll take it around so you'll have more time!"

Even from above it was clear something was wrong. The normally glittering crystals were dimmed and the grass was tinted brown rather than it's normal jewel like green. Tsukumo was the first to land near the edge and she cautiously approached just as the others were landing behind her.

"Why is it dying?" Ieiri asked, bending down to touch at the grass. It was crunchy — crispy like something burnt. It fell apart in her fingers, blowing away in the breeze.

Utahime stood beside Tsukumo at the water. "There was one here that used to talk," Utahime said, watching as Tsukumo dared to dip a finger into the water. "It said that this place wouldn't last forever. Maybe this is where it's supposed to end?"

Kenjaku narrowed his eyes as Tsukumo pulled her hand away from the water. "What was the purpose of this place?"

"It's supposed to erase false memories," Tsukumo explained, turning towards him once she'd stood. "Sarah was supposed to use it for after she'd equalized too much false information."

Kenjaku didn't answer, instead stepping closer to the water. He squat down, watching the tiny waves left in the surface of the water after Tsukumo had touched it. Then slowly he reached out, spreading his fingers and smoothly pulling them through the water. Then he lifted it back out, holding the liquid in his palm.

"This," he said, still staring at it as it dripped over and back into the water, "is not water."

A clanging sound suddenly echoed in the air, like wind chimes. The crystals began to light up, all the grass around standing on end. Ieiri and Utahime hurried to Tsukumo's side, the two of them drawing their weapons while Tsukumo scanned the area above. The sounds of the chimes crashed and grated, yet sounded miles and miles away. The air felt dense, like something heavy was filling the space between every atom.

It's been some time, hasn't it friend?

Kenjaku shook of his palm, then stood up slowly. He adjusted the front of his robes before turning and putting on a smile. "Lazarus. It has been quite some time."

Lazarus stood abnormally still. His tawny skin was cracked and leaking with drips of golden light. His eyes were stained yellow and his mouth blackened and glittering with stars. The light bent around his figure into almost a rainbow haze and his every breath seemed to move the breeze itself. His eyes were solely locked onto Kenjaku. The air was prickling with static.

What are you seeking, friend?

It paused between its question and the title of friend almost as if it had to decide if that was still the truth or not. For a moment it's eyes rolled back before he blinked them slowly forward again. He smiled and it almost looked human.

"I want to end it, same as you," Kenjaku said with a chuckle. "Though I wonder which of us appears more desperate?" His eyes narrowed and he looked up and down Lazarus' crackling body. "That body won't hold up much longer. I hope you've brought a spare."

The body is for recognition. It is no longer required for me to be housed by mortal means.

"Tell me your vow, Lazarus," Kenjaku suddenly said, his voice wavering.

Tsukumo, Utahime and Ieiri backed away slowly towards the crystals for cover. The air was whipping harder now with every breath from Lazarus. His shoulders were starting to rise and fall with his increasingly heavy breaths.

"Tell me," Kenjaku urged, "please Lazarus. I can help you."

Lazarus' laugh sounded sharp and his face twisted into a mad smile. He craned his head back, letting his mouth hang open.

Re-write this world until everyone gets what they want.

Kenjaku opened his mouth, then shut it. Without a word, he stepped closer to Lazarus until he was standing right in front of him.

"Who gets what they want — us four?" Kenjaku asked, fighting to keep his voice calm. It was hard to tell if he was excited or frightened.

Everyone.

"Everyone," Kenjaku echoed, smiling now. "As in—"

You and I talked at great length about this topic didn't we? What kind of person would we become if we were all one?

Kenjaku nodded, then his brows dropped as a realization was hitting him.

It's so very hard to get people to agree on one singular thing and I've tried for so long — well, you know. You've been playing your role well.

"You want to merge us all to make one desire?" Kenjaku asked. His body was starting to shake and he smiled again. "That is… to end it that way would be—"

Against her wishes, yes. But you said it yourself, you want it to end. So do I.

Kenjaku turned slowly towards Tsukumo, Ieiri and Utahime. Then his eyes widened as Sarah descended right in front of them, already brandishing the box cutter in front of her. Her hands were shaking. Tsukumo stepped up beside her, the both of them moving closer in defense.

"Call her here," Kenjaku said, keeping his eyes on the sorcerers. "I want to ask her myself."

Are you sure? She is not going to forgive you.

"She never would have in the first place."

From the pool of water behind them, the filament slowly began to unwind itself from within the pond. It formed a vaguely human shape, the light scattering fractured colored beams from the crystals around the basin.

Sarah and Tsukumo darted back towards Utahime and Ieiri, stepping back as far as they could get into the wall of crystal. The threads of light began to stretch from the filament, reaching towards Kenjaku. He accepted its touch and cleared his throat as its dragged the light slowly over his face.

"You won't stop us?" He asked, "You'll really let us go won't you?"

The strings traced along his jaw, then down his chin. They traced his throat and over his eyebrows before eventually drawing back.

"Please," he said softly. "Please let it end."

You want it to end?

The filament turned to look at the sorcerers. It tilted its head before the threads began to reach down towards each of them.

Then I will let it end.

Not long after Tsukumo had taken Sarah to meet Kenjaku and Tengen, she'd called in both Yaga and Ieiri to "verify her authenticity". Both of them sat in front of her, looking like themselves. None of that was fake, yet at the same time the two of them were utterly unrecognizable. The same slopes and wrinkles and marks, nothing out of place — but what the heck happened to them?!

Yaga's hair was buzzed short still, like he was back before he'd become the principal and he was wearing glasses!! That alone was enough to prove to her she really was in another timeline. He was still built as hell for an old man, but there was an unmistakable look of a well-fed to him. That sent her eyes searching for a sign on his finger and — BAM! A wedding ring?!

Ieiri still looked tired, but that was mostly the result of her technique anyway. She was noticeably thinner, which was alarming. They'd talked about how often she had to watch her iron already and it seemed odd for her to be like this. Sarah and Utahime had been teaming up to work on keeping Ieiri taking breaks and eating better. Was Utahime busy or something? Sarah herself was apparently in the Heian era, so who was working with Ieiri in the infirmary?

The two of them were similarly studying her, which made perfect sense. They must have noticed things different about her already. Wonder what she was like here? How long had it been since they broke her vows and had she taken it as well as this version had? Both of them had been taken to that temple up north for a while, but apparently in this one they'd goofed it up before their planned day.

"It really is you," Ieiri said, taking a step forward and planting her hand's on Sarah's cheeks. She rolled her palms over them, then brushed her hair back to look into her eyes. "That's so weird," she mumbled, pulling back to pat down her arms next. "You're so chubby," she teased with a little giggle.

"What?!" Sarah gasped, looking down at her side. "Chubby?! No way! Shoko!?" Her worst nightmare. The absolute worst nightmare! Was this version of her hotter?! That was so fucking embarrassing— What about when Gojo saw her again?!

Ieiri laughed, pulling her towards Yaga. "Check this out! Isn't this weird?!" she said, almost excitedly. "This is so weird!"

Yaga lifted his glasses and looked Sarah up and down, but he didn't seem to hold the same excitement. He cleared his throat then asked, "If you don't mind, would you tell us what the current state of things are in your world?"

"Like, all of it?" She asked, her brows bunching together. "That's a little vague—" she gasped, her eyes shooting wide. "Was it something really big?!"

Ieiri glanced at Yaga, then took a step back from Sarah. "It would have just happened two weeks ago for us, but yeah," she said, then pulled out her phone.

Sarah did a full on double take at the photo Ieiri pulled up. Haibara was a pop star?! Suzu was there with him too?! "What the fuck is this?!" Sarah gasped, realizing the photo was coming from a news article from a non-sorcerer network?!

"Does everyone know?!" She gasped, snatching the phone to look at it. She stared at the article for a few moments before looking at Yaga and Ieiri again. "The whole world knows?"

They nodded and Sarah ran a hand up through her bangs and over her head. "That's… what the hell," she muttered. She looked at them again and asked, "We were still a secret. We had to deal with this kid Itadori who—"

"Yuji Itadori?" Yaga asked, "Sukuna's vessel, right?"

Sarah nodded, "Yep. That's the one." Then she frowned. "I'm suddenly afraid to ask anything else," she muttered. Her fingertips sunk into her hoodie again, the anxiety was starting to send her on a spiral. "I just— what if someone is missing?"

"That's… very likely," Yaga muttered, crossing his arms. He scowled, them cleared his throat. He was as nervous as the both of them — Ieiri was tapping her fingers on her arm and Sarah was sure she looked like a walking poster for anxiety at least sixty percent of the time.

"What if something is worse?" Ieiri dared to ask it. But once it was laid out there now it felt even worse to ask.

"Okay, alright, I have an idea," Sarah said. Her hands were trying to make a gesture, but she really wasn't sure how to word what she wanted to suggest. "What if we just say something positive about our lives and… the other side can compare—"

"Do we even need to?" Tsukumo said as she strode into the room. "I've done this a few times now and it's honestly not going to help."

"What if someone here knows something important," Ieiri said, "because back in her world they still had the higher-ups! What if she goes back someday and—"

"You can't go back," Tsukumo suddenly interrupted. Silence followed after the intensity of it. Tsukumo straightened up, her hands balled into fists at her sides. "Once you've left one, you can't go back." She narrowed her eyes. "You don't understand, once you've started over it's already a different story. You already know what will happen so instinctively you are acting differently even if you try to make the same things happen."

"Yuki," Sarah said after a moment. She stepped closer, reaching out for Tsukumo's hand, but frowned when she snatched it away.

"This is the first time for some of you, so heed my warning," Tsukumo mumbled, "if you ask too many questions, you'll only get hurt."

"Who was it, Yuki," Sarah said softly. "We can still fix this. I'm here now we can—"

Tsukumo stared at her as the question was really sinking in. Sarah was watching her figure it out in real time and more than anything else she wanted to help, but there wasn't anyone she could think of either! Tsukumo hadn't had a boyfriend in ages, didn't even date that often.

"Who was that guy— the guy with the spiky hair? Kept it up all the time?" Sarah asked, narrowing her eyes.

"Todo?" Tsukumo said absently.

"Dark hair? Rough around the edges?" Sarah continued.

"Still Todo," Tsukumo said with a huff.

Sarah waved her hand then crossed her arms. "No, I swear there was someone you talked about," she muttered, tilting her head to her shoulder.

"It doesn't matter anyway, they don't exist—"

"Choso!"

The name felt like it rocketed through the air and into Tsukumo's chest like a slingshot. She almost staggered with how hard she gasped, then rushed Sarah and gripped onto her shoulders. She'd never seen Tsukumo so upset before!

"Choso!" She choked out, "What happened to him?! Why did I forget him! I— I said I'd never—"

"Oh, how careless of me," Kenjaku said with a smirk. He'd been patiently waiting for this moment, or at least it appeared that way to Sarah. He looked so smug, not even getting up from his seat nearby. "That was my doing, I apologize."

Tsukumo rounded on him next. "What did you do?" She grit. Her hands slammed onto the wooden arm rests at his sides and she got up close to his face. "Where is he?"

"He doesn't exist, as you said," Kenjaku said with a careless shrug. "With Sukuna dead in the Heian Era, it was too difficult for me to possess Noritoshi Kamo. I already learned what I needed from those experiments anyway so it would have been pointless—"

"I loved him," Tsukumo said softly. She slammed her palms on the armrests before standing up again and shouted, "I fucking loved him you son of a bitch!" She whipped around to Tengen, rapidly storming that direction. "You knew he was gone, didn't you! You fucking knew I'd lost him again and you didn't say anything!"

Tengen said nothing, all four of their eyes looking down with sorrow or maybe even shame. "I'm sorry Yuki," they said, "but I didn't want you to get hurt for the second time."

"I had to leave him, then watch him die and this time I— we had something again didn't we." Tsukumo looked distraught. She'd taken to pacing. "We did… that's why I remembered something was wrong."

Back to Kenjaku she went. "Bring him back." Kenjaku chuckled and didn't even flinch when Tsukumo's punch shattered the back of the chair beside him. She was looming over him again, her whole body shaking with cursed energy.

"It's as you said," he said calmly, "this timeline is different now in a way that I cannot alter. You would need to go back." Tsukumo stood up and turned, staring to pace again.

It was getting concerning and Sarah stepped in before something dangerous got assumed. "No, hold on, I can't just send you back without thinking about it more," Sarah said. "We have to see what will happen! Shoko is right! Some things are already better here and we need to—"

Tsukumo stared at her, her eyes wide. Slowly she walked closer untill Sarah took a few steps back. "Then start figuring it out," she whispered, placing her hand lightly on Sarah's shoulder before heading for the exit.

"Why do you insist on being so unpleasant," Tengen spat.

"Why didn't you tell her what happened yourself? You knew," Kenjaku said with a sneer.

Yaga cleared his throat, then nodded towards the door. "Sarah, Shoko, let's go," he said.

The three of them wasted no time, leaving the manifested space. The entire walk to the elevator was silent. Even once they'd stepped on and pressed the button, none of them knew what to say.

Sarah couldn't even begin to start. The worst being that this Yaga was happy. This Yaga was either married again or maybe hadn't even been divorced. Her brows knit together — Panda. Did he even make Panda? Then, Ieiri. She looked worse, but not in an entirely believable way. Making that judgement felt like being an asshole, but Sarah was faced with an impossible choice — what was big enough to stop or fix?

Ieiri put her hand on her shoulder and shook her head. "Let's not do this," she said softly, "let's just not. I— I think we should wait until the others are back at least."

Sarah nodded, the tension releasing for a moment. Her hands felt so cold. The pressure was too much already just with what was already happening. Her heart felt so heavy and when they stepped out into the courtyard it hit her again.

There were so many people there. Children she recognized and even more she didn't know. It was like a burry dream of faces that were so familiar but not who she knew at all. Some of them looked happier, some still looked sadder. Everything was different in ways she didn't know how to begin to sort. An over thinkers worse nightmare.

What the hell was the right answer?

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Utahime scowled at her phone then laid it screen down on the bar in front of her. Ieiri hadn't been answering her phone or texts or emails or anything. She was normally so punctual that this radio silence was starting to feel intentional. The argument they had before she'd left for Haibara's tour still hadn't been resolved either which also wasn't like Ieiri.

So she sighed, downed her drink and stood up. Now wasn't the time to mope about it, there was work to be done. She had to be out there tonight busting her ass with her technique for each stupid song until he was done shaking his little ass and she could go home.

She stepped outside after paying and felt a familiar shift in the air. Behind her something felt warm and she turned to see a small twirling opening. A face turned to peer out of the window sized hole, though it had no eyes. The tree sprouting from its face was gnarled but she didn't stay any longer than that.

Turning the corner she made a break for it, thanking the stars she'd changed into jeans before she left the hotel. Rounding the corner she was already dialing the emergency line to headquarters. As soon as a manager picked up she gave her location then said, "Another portal sighting. It's after me—"

Utahime ducked down as a long tree-like hand swiped down the alleyway towards her. She turned again, glancing back to see the arm pulling back. "It's looking for me." She said before hanging up. Reaching into her purse she grabbed and unsheathed a small knife — a cursed tool she kept around for emergencies.

The portal opened above her and she dodged out the way right when the hand slammed down into the concrete beneath her. She turned back, leaping over a short wall to head back down a different alley. As long as she didn't give it a straight path, it shouldn't reach her.

Between another two buildings she was forced through a lobby or something, dodging right as the hand jolted forward and through both walls. She hurried outside again just before she turned another corner and—

Her phone clattered on the asphalt just as a few of the windows arrived at her location. Utahime was gone.

She felt sick even once the world had turned right side up again, but now she was in a place that felt oddly familiar. It was light and pinkish, cloudy and soft. She was laying on her back in a feild of pink grass that felt so much like somewhere she'd seen before. But how could she have forgotten a place like this?

She sat up slowly, resigned to her fate already. If the thing hadn't killed her right away, it wanted her alive for something. As long as she could stall for time, someone would probably figure it out eventually.

Speaking of which, it was knelt in front of her on its many wooden legs. They looked vaguely like carved joints and bent at three and four points. Its body was covered partially under a black and blue patterned cloth, the edges rimmed with white tassels. It's long neck craned over her, the branches that stood in for it's eyes peeked out in an arc from beneath "the front" of the thing.

Do not be afraid

Utahime narrowed her eyes. "I'm not."

The creature didn't react, or more accurately it seemed not to know what to say. Slowly its head turned, arcing over like a long necked dinosaur, until it was staring at something behind it. It held still, then turned slowly back to Utahime before taking a step aside. Behind it was something Utahime couldn't quite understand. Thin and shining like catching the light on a spiderweb, it was twisting and twirling in almost a shape.

Iori I'm sorry if we scared you

Utahime narrowed her eyes at the thing, then stepped forward cautiously. It was so odd, but somehow she didn't feel threatened by it. It was warm like that positive energy stuff, but somewhat sharp like sitting just a little too close to a fire. It held still in a way and she could tell it was watching her. It moved almost like it was trying to stay together.

"What are you?" Utahime asked, "and what do you want with me?"

We need you for push

"What kind of push?" Utahime asked, crossing her arms. This thing was oddly comfortable to talk to. It ignored her question, but it didn't even bother her. It was like she implicitly had to trust it.

It's for Shoko

Utahime's breath caught just a little and she tapped her fingers on her arm. "Is she in danger?" she asked.

She will be

Across the country, Suzu crawled out of their hotel bed with a splitting headache. That wasn't a surprise considering how much they'd drank. They reached down to pick up their shorts then groaned, realizing their shirt wasn't easily in sight. So they huffed a little grunt, shuffling around the room until they'd spotted it up on the hotel dresser draped half over the back.

"Get better aim," they rasped, grinning at Haibara who'd managed to sit up in the same bed. He gave them a wave of his hand and mumbled something, shaking his hands through his hair before yawning.

"We shouldn't have drank so much," Haibara sighed, blinking his eyes harder like he was clearing out the blurriness. "What time is it?"

"About one," Suzu said with a shrug, then draped themselves back onto the bed. They swiped their tongue across their bottom lip then smiled with their eyebrows raised before Haibara shook his head.

"Nah, I can't right now sorry," he sighed, giving them little apologetic smile. "My head hurts too much, babe, I really can't."

"A headache?" They scoffed, pushing off the end of the bed before throwing their T-shirt on over their body. Then they shrugged and walked over to pick up their phone. "It's alright, no worries. It was a wild night."

"Thanks for understanding," Haibara sighed again, pushing himself up. "I'm gonna shower, then we can get some breakfast! Sound good?"

Suzu hung a cigarette off their lips and gave him a nod and a wink. They watched him stretch those long strong arms of his before feeling a shiver through their whole body. They sighed, stepping out onto the balcony and flopping down in one of the chairs outside.

They kicked their legs up onto the table with a lazy smile, then rooted around in their pocket for their lighter. Something else caught on their fingers and they gasped, yanking both the lighter and half a joint! They gasped — they'd just hit the jackpot!

They sat back up, leaning over to call, "Yu!" then waited. They got no answer, then called again, a little louder, "Yu!" Still nothing, so they sighed and leaned back again.

They stared down at the joint, then remembered the cigarette hanging out of the corner of their lips. They plucked it off and held it up next to the joint and the lighter, their eyes guestimating some kind of even mixture. They unwrapped the joint and ripped off about half of the cigarette before mixing the two together and twisted it off. With a smirk, they leaned back and sighed before holding it up to their lips and lighting up.

They shivered just as the taste, sinking further down into their seat with their shoulders finally dropping down. Another puff later and the first one was hitting their veins. Their eyes rolled back and they shivered again like they were melting away. A few minutes later and their eyes were drooping and a lazy smile stretched across their face. The headache was gone and so was whatever the hell had just pissed them off.

Then it came back.

They heard the toilet flush in the bathroom and grimaced. Haibara, that's right. He would probably be mad they hadn't wanted to share the spliff. They crossed one arm over the chest, flicking the lighter just to feel that snap against their fingers. Haibara never turned them down when they wanted to fuck — not once. They'd never seen him act like he had that night before either. He didn't really get that into it like he usually did.

Their lips wound up in a pout and they snorted. If Haibara didn't want them, that was his problem. Suzu was hot, they knew it. They could change forms too so whatever you wanted was possible — nothing was too taboo. Haibara must not have been thinking straight.

They took another long drag, holding it for a few seconds before exhaling a huge cloud into the air. Their eyes drifted, watching the smoke curl before being pulled away by the wind. Their foot shifted, taking on the form of some kind of ape — they'd long since forgotten what kind — and they picked up their phone to pass to their hands.

After not nearly long enough of a pause, they dialed their favorite person.

"Hani!" They cooed as soon as their brother picked up.

"What is it Suzu?" Hani asked, dry as ever.

"Don't you have time for your family?" Suzu dramatically huffed, then laughed and asked, "Did you catch our show last night?"

"Of course," Hani sighed, "you know I wouldn't miss it."

Suzu giggled, their feet kicking a little before they crossed them at the ankles. They grew in length, darkening the skin to match Hani's. He was always a little darker than them in their original form and they thought it was absolutely beautiful. Too bad Hani never tried dating — he'd do well.

"What are you thinking about?" Hani huffed, and Suzu realized they'd been silent.

"Sorry," they mumbled. "I'm just feeling a little rejected."

"You don't need to worry," Hani mumbled. Suzu could hear him typing something on the computer, probably at his desk. "Haibara likes you just fine."

Suzu pouted again. "Pay attention to me," they huffed, waving their arm aimlessly before taking another big puff.

Hani sighed. "What is it, Suzu? What's wrong?" he asked.

They heard the typing stop then smirked. "He didn't want to fuck this morning," they sighed. "And normally he always—"

"I don't want to hear about my sibling's sex life," Hani grunted. He was probably pinching the bridge of his nose.

"But who else can I talk to Hani? Doesn't my big bro still care?" They whined and Hani sighed again.

"Suzu, relax," he said more earnestly. "You are getting worked up for nothing. Haibara has been working hard and he's probably just too tired." He paused then added, "… and you might be more than he can handle right now."

Suzu snickered. "What, you think he's weak?"

"No," Hani corrected, "but we both know you're needy."

Suzu's teeth sharpened, their form shifting more muscled and sturdy. They didn't mean to. "You think I'm too much too, huh?" They hissed.

"Suzu, don't do this," Hani groaned, but Suzu hung up.

They grunted, sliding down until their knees pressed against their chest and their hands draped over. The spliff was nearly gone, but the high was starting to fully hit. That was more help than fucking Hani ever was — that jerk.

"Who was that?" Haibara called, stepping out from the bathroom with only a towel around his neck.

Suzu stared at him with their eyes narrowed. "Wouldn't you like to know?" They huffed.

"What?" And there he went again. His brows bunched up and he looked so irritatingly worried. What did he have to worry about anyways? Everything was coming up Haibara these days so why would he get all concerned.

"Suzu," he sighed, scooping up a pair of shorts off the floor before stepping into them and coming to the door.

"Haibara," they mocked. His eyes did that thing where they got big, then looked hurt. But, well, he'd started it anyway. Maybe he should be a little hurt too.

"I'm sorry, alright?" He said softly. "I just didn't want to disappoint you. I'm tired and it's hard to get, like, hard enough sometimes."

"So then try something else," Suzu grit. "You don't need your dick to have sex."

Haibara opened his mouth, then closed it. He ran a hand up the back of his head, dropping his eyes to the floor then looking back up at Suzu. "Alright, okay sure."

Suzu raised a brow. "Yeah?"

"Yeah, alright come on," Haibara said, giving them a cute little smile. Suzu smiled right back, pushing themselves up and throwing their arms around his neck.

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Tsukumo found herself in Shibuya, standing in front of the apartment building Satoru Gojo apparently lived in. This was the place he'd stayed with Sarah a year and a half ago — where he'd kept her after "freeing her" from Geto. Everything back then was such a mess and, since that timeline was another tossed aside, she had to get her story straight again.

They'd escaped the school and lived at the temple that would become the northern branch for Jujutsu Tech. Kenjaku was bored and forced the story forward by two years and planted fake memories. Gojo and Geto had their big fight and sorted themselves out. Then they'd gone back to before their big fight leading to the current timeline.

Her brows furrowed as she punched in the code to the front door and walked inside. Yaga hadn't remembered things he should have and she couldn't understand why. One person wouldn't have been such a big deal, but it wasn't just him. Haibara, Ieiri, Utahime, Suzu, Hani and Gakuganji all had no memory of the tree creatures. She'd played it cool, keeping that information to herself, but the signs were showing that something else was happening to their memories.

Walking into their living room it was clear that he still actively lived in the space. It was tidy in a way that a childish man does. She could hear it in his voice — "Well, it's all put away isn't it?". She chuckled, taking a turn passed the couch and towards the kitchen. She expected to see more easy foods, like junk you could throw in the microwave when she snooped, but maybe he liked to cook?

"That, or he's living with Sarah…" she mumbled, a smile breaking on her face before she opened the door into his bedroom. Her eyes opened wide and she covered her mouth.

"Yuki?" Sarah mumbled, blinking blearily at her from Gojo's bed.

Tsukumo stared at her, then pressed her fingers in to rub her eyes. "What the fuck," she muttered.

"What are you doing here?" Sarah groaned, blinking open her eyes wider. She yawned, pushing the heavy comforter off to her knees before sliding over and putting her feet on the ground. She was wearing one of Gojo's shirts, and she slipped her feet into a pair of flip flops by the bed when she stood up.

Tsukumo narrowed her eyes. "Who are you?" She asked before she meant to. She'd wanted to play along in case it was a trap, but something about her was screaming that she wasn't.

"… Sarah?" She answered, waking up a lot faster. She was nervous of Tsukumo, but that tracked. She took a cautious step back before asking, "It's you right? Yuki?"

"You shouldn't be here," Tsukumo blurted, "Why aren't you in the Heian Era with the others?"

"Because they told me to stay?" She said slowly, taking a step back. "Yuki? Don't you remember?"

Tsukumo shook her head, covering her mouth again. "No I—," she took in a shuddering breath then said, "You left with them."

"Who?" Sarah asked. "Who did I go with?"

"Gojo, Geto, Nanami, Boe and Morishita," Tsukumo answered.

Sarah stared at her with her mouth open, but had nothing to say. Instead she turned, throwing open the beside drawer and grabbed a knife. She held out her arm then sliced it, letting the gold drip out onto the floor.

"See? It's me— it's really me," she said. "What's going on Yuki?"

The wound sealed itself over, just like her technique always did. Still, Tsukumo couldn't take her eyes off it. The golden blood was real, the positive energy was real and it looked right. The situation was so completely off. Why would she be here? No one else knew she was here, that was for sure. What the hell was happening?

"You shouldn't be here," Tsukumo repeated, but didn't even know where to begin with that line of thought.

"What do you mean?" Sarah asked, unable to hide her fear. "I— I've always been here I—" her hands pushed through her hair, her eyes searching around like she could find an answer. "Am I… am I supposed to be somewhere else?"

"I don't know, but we're going to find out," Tsukumo grit. "Get dressed, we're going to the school now."

Sarah rushed, throwing on a shirt and shorts then rushed to brush her teeth. Tsukumo watched her carefully the entire time, but there weren't any obvious tells. If it wasn't really her, this person was a very good actor. She knew to be careful — if it was Mahito one touch would be game over. Even more annoying than that though was that Sarah seemed suspicious of her.

At the door, Tsukumo paused as Sarah pushed her feet into her sneakers. Tsukumo snatched up a hoodie hanging on a wall hook and held it out for her. Sarah stared at it, then nodded without a word and pulled it over her head. It was one of Gojo's, but that worked out better to hide her anyway. The less people that saw her the better.

"We're going to Tengen," Tsukumo said as they stood next to each other on the train ride over. "Don't talk to anyone when we get there, got it?"

Sarah nodded meekly. "Sure, okay." She fidgeted awkwardly with her free hand on the metal ties of the hoodie, clicking them together absently.

That was a common one for her. She always needed to be doing something with her hands. It didn't bother Tsukumo, but Nanami always asked her to stop during meetings. That wouldn't be hard for someone to copy, but it was still another thing that was leaving Tsukumo unsure. If it wasn't her, they were a very good actor. If it was her… then why was she here?

Up the stairs and on the school grounds, Tsukumo was relieved when no one bothered to approach her. It was the middle of the school day luckily, so making it to the tomb of the star unnoticed was easy. Tengen must have sensed her as well and the door was easily found just when it needed to be, but what she wasn't expecting was for Kenjaku to already be there too. For a full ten seconds Tsukumo considered turning around to leave.

"You've brought Sarah?" Tengen asked, just as Sarah had pulled down her hood to give Tengen a sheepish grin. "But how is she here?"

Kenjaku hurried over to Sarah and she took a few steps back away from him with her hands up. Geto's body loomed over hers anyway, too fast for her to keep away. "Now this is interesting isn't it? How are you both here and in Gojo's body?"

"Gojo's body?" Tsukumo's eyebrows raised, but her question was left unanswered.

"I don't know where I'm supposed to be but I was supposed to stay put at home," Sarah said, keeping her hands up and carefully avoiding his touch out of instinct.

"Who told you that?" Tengen asked.

"Satoru," Sarah answered.

Tsukumo and Tengen shared a look. That wasn't impossible for him to have suggested, but if that was true than how did they even get to the Heian Era? She was the only time traveler besides Kenjaku. Tsukumo was starting to get worried, especially when both Tengen and Kenjaku were getting visibly excited about her.

Kenjaku had taken to walking around her slowly, his eyes tracing her every inch. "You know where they are, yes?" He asked.

"Yes," she answered, "but I didn't go."

Kenjaku nodded, continuing his slow circle. "Do you know what year it is?"

"2012," she answered.

"Correct," he said, then asked, "Who is in charge currently at Jujutsu Tech?"

"Yaga is the principal?" Sarah answered, "but he answers to the higher-ups."

"Ah, I see," Kenjaku said with a smirk.

"What do you mean by the higher-ups?" Tengen asked, crossing their arms. "As in who are they comprised of?"

"Uh… well, Satoru's grandfather, a Kamo, and Naobito Zen'in at least, then there is Gakuganji and—" Tengen held up their hand to stop her, then turned to Kenjaku. "Do you have something to do with this?" They asked him dryly.

"Heavens no," Kenjaku chuckled, "but I almost wish I did. This is incredibly interesting."

Tsukumo put a hand on her hip. "So, is this really her or…?"

"Yes, I believe this is the real deal," Kenjaku said with a smile. He turned to Tsukumo, putting his hand to his chin. "But what do you think? I'm interested to know what your theory is."

Tsukumo sighed, crossing her arms. "A different timeline," she answered tersely.

Kenjaku clapped his hands once. "Precisely!" He said happily. "This Sarah is from a different branch, but what she's doing here is very interesting."

"She's still housing all the positive energy," Tengen mumbled, their hand on their chin and all four of their eyes closed. "Could that be why? Okura is gone after the change, perhaps the world always needs at least one?"

"Like a Jedi?" Sarah piped up, then frowned when they all stared at her.

"Who was Okura?" Tsukumo asked, checking to see if Sarah knew. It was clear by her expression that she didn't.

"He was a second resonate," Tengen answered, moving to take a seat on a comfortable looking couch they manifested with the rest of a sitting room appearing for the others. "He was an older man who'd been hidden away inside of a shinto temple."

Sarah's brows bunched. "Like… when we were at the temple? When we lived out there you mean?"

Tsukumo sat down on the couch beside Tengen. She crossed one thigh over the other and said, "Yeah, but that doesn't quite add up does it? Why would we be at the temple if—" Tsukumo waved her hand and shook her head like she was shooing that thought away. "Let's not worry about where she's from, lets worry about why she's here and how."

"True," Kenjaku said with a smile, sitting in an armchair. "But aren't you curious?"

"I am," Tengen admitted, then shook their head. "This does prove a theory that you have though, doesn't it Kenjaku?"

He nodded, picking up the teacup that appeared for him on the coffee table. "Yes," he answered, "I believe this is how our Demiurge keeps positive energy in our lives. If ever we lost all of it, we would be consumed by the cursed energy and restarted. This is what happens at the end of all of our stories."

"Is it the same point every time?" Tengen asked.

"No, its quite interesting really—" "So I'm a battery?" Sarah asked, ignoring Kenjaku. "Then why did this thing put me here? Is it because I'm gone in this one and more importantly, what happened to the one I was in?"

"The thread you belonged to has likely died," Kenjaku said with a shrug. "I've never seen one of you placed in with us from a different one though. Perhaps our Demiurge is getting sloppy?"

"Or," Tengen sighed, "They wanted to keep this one running for some reason."

BREAKING NEWS — UNCONFIRMED REPORTS OUT OF NEW YORK

This is a developing situation. Moments ago, an emergency interruption ripped through an ongoing United Nations General Assembly session. According to multiple diplomatic sources, a lone individual breached the chamber without triggering alarms, security measures, or — most disturbingly — any effective military response.

Witnesses identify the intruder as a man calling himself Kenjaku. Security personnel reportedly aimed firearms at him yet none of them worked. Video feeds show soldiers firing; bullets appear to distort, slow, or simply stop. Some even ricocheted as if they’d struck glass. Others vanished midair.

What happened next is where the reports become frantic. Several delegates, aides, and guards began screaming and evacuating, pointing at empty air. Others saw nothing at all — just people panicking, clutching their heads, some collapsing to the floor in tears.

Those who could see it describe a creature that defies a clear description. Several witnesses insist the thing leaned in, curious but seemingly waiting for an order from its summoner. Kenjaku reportedly referred to the entity as a curse.

Kenjaku addressed the chamber, explaining that curses are manifestations of human fear, hatred, and negative emotion. He identified himself as a jujutsu sorcerer, someone who manipulates what he called cursed energy. According to those present, he appeared almost instructional, as if delivering a lecture.

He acknowledged that not everyone could see the curse and the individuals who could see the entity reportedly reacted with visible terror, some begging others to look, to believe them. Those who couldn’t see it described an overwhelming sense that something enormous was present anyway.

World leaders from multiple nations have since released synchronized statements confirming that Kenjaku demonstrated the phenomenon “irrefutably.” While details remain classified, they insist the threat, and the revelation, is real.

At this time, the United Nations complex remains on lockdown. Emergency sessions are being convened worldwide. Scientists, military analysts, and intelligence agencies are scrambling to assess what this means for global security and for reality as it has been understood until now.

This story is ongoing. More information is expected as officials decide how much of the truth the public is prepared to hear.

⠂⠄⠄⠂⠁⠁⠂⠄⠄⠂⠁⠁⠂⠄⠄⠂ ⠂⠄⠄⠂☆

In a chamber in the tomb of the star, the sorcerers readied themselves for their countermeasures. The stage was set and Haibara trembled at the podium as Utahime followed all the steps through her technique to enhance him. Yaga coordinated the event, checking in with the camera crew and the tech side of things.

"Are we ready?" He called, getting thumbs up all around before he took a few strides closer to Haibara. "How about you? Are you going to be able to handle this?"

Haibara blinked then smiled, but it was clear he was nervous. "Yes, Yaga-sensei," he managed, his voice nearly cracking before he cleared his throat. "Yes," he repeated, "I'm ready. I got this."

Yaga nodded, then took steps back behind the sight of the cameras. He held up a hand — the signal for the tech crew to get to work. Cursed energy and machines worked together, finding their way into their own live feed all over the planet.

Yaga held his gaze with Haibara. The young man swallowed hard. The call was made, and the countdown started.

Three.

Two.

One.

Haibara waited three seconds, just as they'd practiced. He was ready for this. This was his time to be the one to make a difference. He was the one they chose to do this job, and the pressure was on.

"Hello world," he said, before clearing his throat once more. He straightened his back, taking a deep inhale through his nose before he spoke again.

"My name is Yu Haibara. I am a jujutsu sorcerer. Some of you have just seen a man called Kenjaku speak with the United Nations on our behalf, but we decided we'd prefer to show you ourselves what we are."

He paused to smile, raising his hand to envelope his fist in cursed energy. "Some of you can see this, some of you can't. This is caused energy," he said, then took a few steps to the side to yank down the the curtain behind him.

A curse was waiting, restrained by ropes stuck with binding talismans. Both of its mouths gnashed their human-like teeth and it's four wide smiling eyes locked onto Haibara. All of its limbs were pinned to the ground by the ropes, and the only movement possible for it was turning its head to babble something incoherent.

"This, is a curse," Haibara continued, keeping his innocent smile on and showing no fear. "These things come from negative human emotions. Some of you can see this as well, but most of you can't."

The curse strained against the restraints, but was unable to move.

"Jujutsu sorcerers are trained from age five until we become adults to fight these creatures," he explained, "but we've kept it under wraps since, well, look at it." He grimaced, waving a hand at the curse before he smiled again, "But you have nothing to be afraid of! We sorcerers are here to protect you!"

His brown eyes flashed, lighting up to a bright yellow. "We used cursed energy," he turned to the curse, "to exorcise these things!"

Haibara kicked at one of the ropes and the creature tore free in an instant. Three of its arms cracked as they reached for him with its mouths opening wide. Haibara stepped aside easily before he opened his mouth. With one powerful note, he sang. The sound vibrating the entire building but shattering the curse in one burst.

Haibara grinned at the screen. "I realize that this is hard to believe, especially just from seeing it on a screen, but I promise you this is very real. Kenjaku wanted to frighten you — to stir up trouble between the countries and make you all panic."

He stepped forward, clenching his fist. "But if you want more proof, you've got it coming!"

"Sorcerers will now be doing our jobs in plain sight — Kenjaku wants to frighten you, we want to assure you. We are here to help and you can trust in us!" He continued. "All across Japan we will be doing demonstrations for those that can see, and if you can't? Well, we'll figure it out!"

Haibara started to ramble as he talked about the demonstrations, but Yaga allowed it to continue. His boyish charm was infectious, and the longer they could hold the non-sorcerers attention the better. Yaga glanced at the tech team, getting a wave that meant it was time to wrap it up. Yaga held up a hand and Haibara nodded.

"Don't be afraid everyone!" The young man said, "Things will probably change for us all, but don't let it stop you from doing the things you love! You may not have known about us before, but we've always been here and we will always be here. So—"

"We've lost the signal," someone called, and Haibara swore. "I talked to much didn't I?" He groaned, shaking the podium a little in frustration.

"You did," Yaga admitted as he approached, clapping a hand on his shoulder. "But you also did well."

"I just hope it's enough," Haibara said, winding his hands nervously.

⠂⠄⠄⠂⠁⠁⠂⠄⠄⠂⠁⠁⠂⠄⠄⠂ ⠂⠄⠄⠂☆

Ijichi straightened his tie, smoothed his eyebrows and checked his teeth before he closed the sun visor. He turned back towards Kaito and Satsuki in the back seat. The two sorcerers looked beyond nervous, but honestly he did a little as well.

"Just do what we always do," he said quietly to them.

Kaito nodded and Satsuki brushed her finger through her hair once more. This was their first demonstration for the non-sorcerers and their first time out alone without a mentor since graduating. Ijichi was a full fledged manager now, but this wasn't exactly what he'd trained for. Still, he had every intention of making this event go smoothly.

The curses were routine, but everything else was new to the three of them. Four years of schooling didn't prepare them for the crowd outside. The cameras were already flashing as they stepped out from the car and made their way forward towards the hospital. It had already been evacuated. The crowd of onlookers was behind barriers watching their every move.

"Remember, they chose you for your abilities," Ijichi assured the two of them as they moved inside. "Take this opportunity to show off. The more people that see us, the better."

Kaito waited outside with Ijichi as he began the curtain incantation. A portion of the crowd gasped as the darkness fell over them all but Kaito caught their attention again as flames burst in his palms.

Satsuki had already moved inside, walking straight up to the reception desk and around to the back. She picked up the phone, dialed a '0' on the keypad and waited for the beep over the intercom.

Ģ̴̛̮̮͇͎́͗̀͛̆͠ò̴̡̙͙̼̻̒͐̍ ̸̗͈̰̝̘̟̈́̌͘Ò̶͕̥̦̟̭̰͋̀ǘ̶͎͊̀̐͌͒̈t̸̨͚̫̳̘̒̽̐̉̄́̕s̵͎̙̱͚̱̍̽͗͝i̷̢̇͂d̴͇̠̹̬̋̄̔ë̴̢̤̣̻̑͘

She coughed, the kickback from her cursed speech tearing at her throat, but she could hear the sounds from all around her. The curses obeyed, scrambling for the windows and doors. They had no choice but to follow her orders.

Outside, the crowd cried out as the glass above shattered. Ijichi moved fast, shifting a barrier over head to protect them from the shards. They watched in wonder — even if they couldn't see techniques or energy, glass was mundane. Undeniable proof was the goal, which is why they'd chosen Kaito.

His flames coated his whole body, and when the first of the curses fell from the window he cackled before lunging towards it. The heat rose in waves from his body as he melted the curse to nothing then dashed for another. And another. Kaito eyes were bright and wide, his mouth pulled into a grimace of concentration. The curses burst into screaming balls of fire before falling apart and the crowd watched in almost stunned silence. Most were recording, and though the curses wouldn't appear on camera that fire sure would.

Ijichi glanced back towards the crowd. They could see the flames, even if the ignition was cursed energy based. They'd taken the time to seek out what techniques were visible and recordable — something they'd never done before. Kaito in particular was flashier than most and he already worked well with Satsuki'a cursed speech. It was a no brainer. They were perfect for this.

Meanwhile, across the country sorcerers performed the same way. The flashiest techniques were on display, the managers trained to keep the show going and answer questions. The people were curious, mostly skeptical, but curious. They couldn't resist coming to see what this whole thing was about.

Initially, the reveal caused a world wide panic, but over the next few weeks curiosity was getting the better of everyone. The skeptical had no choice once they'd see it themselves and even the fakes coming out to steal glory were helping in a way. All of this was the perfect set up for the second phase of their plan.

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Haibara stared at the crowd outside the venue. He blinked, rubbed his eyes, and stared again before it was really hitting him.

"You're serious?" He asked, glancing over at Mei-Mei beside him.

She smiled, pushing a lock of her blue hair behind her ear. "Yes. Completely sold out," she said. "I hope you're ready, Haibara-kun."

He swallowed hard, shaking his head. "I— I dunno, I've never sang for this many people, I— I dont't—"

Suzu strode right up to him, cupping his cheeks with a sharp slap of their palms. "Focus!" They grunted. "This is the big one. We've got to do this right."

Haibara nodded in their hands and they let go. "Y-yeah, you're right," he mumbled, taking a deep breath through his nose. His eyes flicked to the crowd again, then back at Suzu. "We can do this."

The prep was a blur as they moved him around like a paper doll. Hair. Makeup. Clothes. It was so fast that when he finally saw himself again he did a double take.

"I look like a pop idol," he mumbled in disbelief, touching his hair a little and grimacing at the crunch of all the spray. Still, he couldn't deny how good he looked.

"You look so cute!!" Suzu cooed, then turned to give him a look at their cute yellow jacket and… not much else.

"You're just wearing tights?" He asked, staring a little longer than he meant to at their ass.

"The clothes with change with the person," Suzu said with a wave. "It's easier to shift in simple clothes."

Haibara shrugged and smiled. "That makes sense," he said, then took a look at himself again.

Black tank top, loose jeans and a simple button down shirt open wide. He probably should have been a little shocked they'd dress him like a highschooler again, but then again his charm was in his innocence — at least that's what everyone told him. That wasn't so bad, right?

Mei-Mei stepped into the room, taking a good look at the both of them and giving an approving nod. "You two look ready to blow them away," she said, her smile almost making it feel like a real compliment. "Utahime is waiting. Let's go."

Backstage, everyone was moving. Gakuganji checked the sound system and beside him Utahime was already preparing to perform her technique. The crowd filling the seats inside were talking so loudly it felt crazy. So many voices. So many eyes. It was starting to make his heart race again.

"Are you alright?" Suzu asked, nudging him.

He shook it off and nodded. "I… I think so," he chuckled nervously.

Before he could even think about backing out now, he had an ear piece in and was guided to the side of the stage just out of sight. The music was starting, the crowd getting more worked up. It's not like they knew what to expect. That seemed crazy that this many people would be so excited to see him.

He didn't even hear the count down, but with a shove from Suzu he jogged out onto the stage. He couldn't see anyone through the blinding lights, but he could hear them cheering.

There was nothing left to do. It was time to sing!

With Utahime's technique he could feel the reach stretch well beyond the venue. How far would it go? He wasn't sure. A borderless domain wasn't exactly something you could measure.

Losing himself to the rhythm was the right call. As his own song was playing through the speakers, his voice pulsed with cursed energy and startes the show. Every word vibrated at just the right frequency and they crowd was taken into his world. With every lyric, he took them deeper into what felt like a new experience — like living through the emotions of the song.

Suzu was there with him, their form shifting to whoever needed to fill the experience. It was comforting in a way, every brush of their hand or grind of their body on his was a reminder that he wasn't facing this alone. They were in it too, lost and smiling and feeling free.

And god damn did it feel good.

⠂⠄⠄⠂⠁⠁⠂⠄⠄⠂⠁⠁⠂⠄⠄⠂ ⠂⠄⠄⠂☆

Ieiri and Hani watched the concert on Hani's phone propped up on his desk. Their head bobbed along with the catchy melody — not Gakuganji's best work but safe and fun enough that the crowd was eating it up. It was Haibara that was really bringing the entire experience together. The man was a natural.

"Wish we could see it," Ieiri sighed.

"We saw it when he was practicing all month," Hani huffed, crossing his arms.

Ieiri shot him a quick look and a frown before looking back at the phone. "You're so boring," she mumbled, "Don't you like anything?"

"No," Hani said simply, ignoring her groan.

The door opened and Tsukumo stepped in, holding her arm. She grinned at Ieiri as she got up, moving over and automatically starting up her reverse cursed technique to heal the wound.

"Thanks," Tsukumo said with a sigh of relief. "I'm so burnt out lately I couldn't make that last push to fix it."

Ieiri shrugged. "No problem," she nodded her head towards the phone, "Haibara's debut is tonight. Got time to watch?"

Tsukumo's eyes widened and she gasped. "That was tonight?" She groaned, rubbing her temples. "I wanted to see that," she grumbled. "Gojo and Geto need to come back so I can have a fucking night off. I'm not sure how the big assholes dealt with this all the time."

"What, you mean work?" Hani quipped, ignoring her glare.

Ieiri nodded sympathetically. "Yeah, I'm hoping Tengen will have some word from them soon," she sighed, "It's coming up on six months now. I wish I could say I wasn't nervous but…"

"They knew the risks," Tsukumo said with a shrug. "But I wouldn't give up on them yet. If Tengen hasn't heard about them getting killed, then they're probably fine."

"Unless they died in the wilderness or something or maybe a bear or—" Ieiri snatched a binder and swatted Hani's head. He yelped, patting at his dreads but she didn't give him a chance to say anything else.

"I'm sure you're right," she said, smiling at Tsukumo. "Do you want to stay and watch with us?"

Tsukumo waved her hand, dismissing the very idea. "Nah, I've really gotta get home and sleep before they call me for another high alert." She smiled, turning for the door, "Thanks for the fix! See you next time!"

As soon as she was out the door, Tsukumo sighed. She reached into her pocket, pulling out her phone and her earbuds. She really had wanted to see his debut concert — she'd worked so hard to train with him!

She placed her earbuds in, pulling up the live feed of the show for her trip home. A manager waited outside in the parking lot in a car, pulling away as soon as she'd got in and shut the door.

He was good. Really good! She was glad Yaga suggested him. His technique worked on everyone — even if you couldn't see it you could feel it. He was cute. He was infectious. A star in the making! It was too bad she was so goddamn tired. She was starting to drift off just watching.

The manager dropped her off near her apartment complex. He looked just as exhausted as she did when they said their goodbyes. She punched in her code for the door and strode through the lobby to the elevator. One short ride up, another code for her door and finally she was home.

She grumbled to herself as she kicked off her shoes. Gojo was the one working this hard last round, not her. She'd teased him about it and she could already see the shit-eating grin on his face when he inevitably came back. He wouldn't let her live it down, which was fair. She hadn't gone easy on him either.

Her routine fell into place. Heat up water for warm tea. Take a mega fast shower — wash her hair next time. Wash face. Comfy pajamas. A pile of blankets and some mindless slop on TV. The perfect storm to put her tired ass right to sleep in bed.

She sighed, a long deep sound from somewhere in her bones. This was perfect. What more could a girl ask for?

Geto's head tipped back slowly, his eyes narrowing in a sharp glare as he stared down his nose at Dōman. The man was approaching him, his hands tucked neatly into his sleeves and with his own eyes narrowed and holding to his without fear. Everything about this man was irritating to Geto and that was before addressing the elephant in the room.

"Yes. We are her friends," Geto repeated, his gaze not wavering for even a breath. Boe's face was pressed against his back, her hands balled in the back of his traveling clothes. She wasn't the type to tremble in fear, but still he could feel her body pressing completely against his tensing in tiny intervals like she was fighting it down.

"I see," Dōman replied with more than a hint of suspicion and disdain. Then suddenly he perked up with a masking smile. "Then we shall allow you and your companions privacy," he said, holding up a hand to wave the guards out of the room. "When you are ready," he said, his voice lowering and his eyes cracking open just enough to stare at Boe through Geto, "come and speak to me. Alone."

The moment the door tapped shut, Geto turned and gripped Boe by the shoulders. "Are you alright?" he asked, brushing her loose bangs out of her face. He searched her face, the parts of her skin he could see — nothing seemed out of the ordinary. There were scars, but he expected that.

"Is he keeping you here captive?" he asked softly, tugging her closer before she could answer. He was so relieved to see her that it wasn't until then that he noticed how upset she was.

"I thought you were fucking dead," she grit. Her expression was twisted in such a way that he'd never seen on her before. Had she ever been this angry at him?

Geto shook his head, "No, why would you—"

"You left me to die!" She shouted, pounding her fist on his chest. She took a step back, shaking her head before she did it again, harder this time. "You fucking bastard! Sukuna almost killed me and you just left?!"

She drew her hand back to slap him and his hand snapped out to catch her wrist. "I did not just leave you," he hissed, "and keep your voice down. That man might—"

"That man saved me," Boe said, yanking her hand back. "That's more than you've done for me lately."

"This is hardly fair," Geto said, his voice dropping. His head tipped back without meaning to, but she was really pissing him off. "You're upset with me about something I couldn't control?"

"What do you fucking mean you couldn't control it aren't you strong?!" Boe pulled her hand back again, only this time her wrist was caught by Gojo's hand.

"Hey, Boe, let's slow down for a second," They said softly, "I know you're upset, but why don't you two talk after we get through this part? We might need this guys help."

Boe's brows shot up as soon as she looked at Gojo, naturally. "What the fuck happened to you?" she asked, squinting. "Are you… you're Sarah in there aren't you?" she asked.

They nodded and smiled. "Yeah it's me," they shrugged, rubbing the back of their neck awkwardly. "Although sometimes it's not? Sometimes its both of us. It's hard to say sometimes."

"That's—" "No, let's not talk about this here," Nanami interjected, keeping his voice low. "This shoudn't be spread around. We don't know anything about Dōman and—"

"Dōman isn't a bad guy," Boe huffed, crossing her arms. "By the way, if we're done with interrogations, glad to see you all are alive—" She paused, her eyes running over Nanami's scarred face and eye patch. "And mostly intact."

"I'm glad you're okay too Boe!" Sarah opened their arms for a hug, then paused. Slowly they lowered their arms back down sheepishly. "Sorry, forgot about the man body."

"Actually you can hug me if you want," Boe said with a smirk. "I wouldn't mind that."

"So, who is he then?" Nanami asked, steering the conversation back before it got too lost. "Is he someone we can trust?"

Geto started to shake his head, but Boe spoke up first. "Yeah, he's good," she said with a nod. "The legends about him said he was just Seimei's rival and not a lot else. It's more like he was just a powerful dude living out here by himself."

"So why does he hate Seimei so much?" They asked. "Did they have a big beef or something?"

"Sort of?" Boe hummed, narrowing her eyes. She glanced towards the door. "Let's talk about this later," she whispered, then straightened up her back and tucked her arms into her sleeves. "I'll rooms prepared for you," she said, "then after dinner tonight we can talk."

Geto scoffed. "Oh? Do you have that kind of authority here?"

"Yes," she said, taking a step back. "I do."

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Geto sat at the far end of the table at dinner, watching Boe doing her best to piss him off. She was sitting right beside that man as if she wanted to be there, laughing at his jokes and smiling. It was all a big performance, he knew that, but it made him want to get up and strangle that pompous freak.

"Ohh, you're in so much trouble."

Geto's eyes flicked beside him to Sarah covering their mouth and the smile on their face. That was probably Gojo's outburst — he couldn't resist. What an ass.

"Sorry," Sarah's voice muttered, then gradually faded back into Satoru's pitch, "She'll understand when you tell her."

"No she won't," Geto scoffed, looking away as Boe picked a slice of something of that man's plate. "She's doing this to piss me off. She's going to drag this out until she feels better."

"That seems kinda mean," They pouted beside him, flicking at their food. They paused for a moment. "She's really upset that you weren't there for her."

"I am aware," Geto grunted, picking up his bowl to shove rice into his mouth and not talk anymore. That wasn't going to work, he could feel them sitting beside him start to shift a little nervously. That was proving to be a combination of Sarah's awkwardness shoving back against Satoru's bluntness. He was getting more and more used to reading them when they were together.

"Then maybe don't let her work you up?" They spat, then closed their mouth. Geto huffed again, then watched as their chopsticks suddenly scooped up some of the food and tried to shove it into their mouth.

"Don't you dare stop me from eating this Satoru," they muttered, forcing their chopsticks up closer their mouth. "Fermented things are good for us," they grit, "I don't care if you don't like it." Then they shook their head and smiled at Geto. "Just don't be a brat about it," they forced out before the food was shoved into their mouth. They grunted and chewed, looking down at the little table in front of them with a scowl.

Geto's brows raised and he glanced at Nanami. He also seemed to noticed whatever was happening in there and shared a concerned look with Geto. But then—

"So, tell me friends," Dōman said, smiling over at their group, "what kept you? Has your investigation borne fruit?" His eyes scanned over each of them and he already knew better than to push his luck too far.

Geto straightened his posture and a smile appeared on his face as well. His eyes narrowed just as Dōman's did and neither man spoke for a moment.

"Yes, actually," Geto answered smoothly. Then he asked, "And how are things with Abe no Seimei? I've not seen him since the attack on his castle by Sukuna. I'd heard he was out there himself facing the curses."

Dōman's fingers clenched in his lap and Geto silently chuckled. Perhaps Boe hadn't realized, but this man had a reputation. That was the entire reason they'd come to see him, especially with the rumor that his technique involved controlling curses. That would certainly make this situation complicated — this man was possibly an ancestor of his.

"Yes, I have heard that," Dōman said, keeping his expression calm. "Seimei is prone to showing off. It's that filthy fox blood in him, I've heard."

"Oh? Is he related to Tamamo-no-mae?" They asked. Their blue-green eyes sparkled with excitement suddenly and Geto welcomed the interruption. He was starting to get irritated and didn't want to push too hard and lose their foothold. Also by Boe's refusal to look at him, but that would have to be addressed later.

"The resonate fox, Kuzunoha," Dōman corrected. "And she's still in hiding from what I've heard."

"Why?" They asked, their curiosity practically vibrating through them. Gojo's eyes were wide, the glow of the six eyes blinking to life. Geto could see it, he was thinking the same thing as they were. If this fox turned out to be a resonate then it would change so much. That would open up a new can of worms, but admittedly they were very exciting worms.

"Well, because Sukuna would kill her of course," Dōman said matter-of-factly. Then he raised a brow as Gojo's hands couldn't help but clench at his hakama and his face was painted with curiosity. "You— you are a strange one aren't you?" Dōman asked, "What kind of technique do you bare, if you wouldn't mind sharing?"

They inhaled in a sharp hiss and grimaced. "Well, so that's complicated," they said, then smirked. Their eyes shifted blue, the six-eyes lighting up bright. "But if you've met Mitsuru, you already understand."

"I thought as much," Dōman chuckled, "I see the resemblance." He turned to accept a pour of sake from Boe, smiling softly at her. He gave the tiny cup a swirl before sipping. "So then why do I sense a resonate?" He asked calmly.

Geto stayed perfect still, but he knew Nanami must have shown his unease. Dōman raised a brow, setting down his cup. "Are you one of Lazarus' failures?" He asked, resting his elbow on the table then his chin on his hand.

"In a way," They shrugged. Then smiled, "But let's not talk too much about our relationship. What do you know about Lazarus?"

"I know he's a barbarian," Dōman said with a scowl. "Too take away our resonates was a cruel over reaction on its own, now he's shoving their souls together like clay and expecting the sorcerers to survive." His eyes scanned over them before he asked, "How is it that you seem unaffected?"

They couldn't help but laugh. "Oh, I promise, we're very affected," they said, "But again, don't ask. Tell me what you know about Lazarus."

Dōman sat up straight with an exhausted sigh. "He keeps dumping their failed corpses on my land," he said. "We've been conducting own investigations when we find them."

"Forcing two souls into one body isn't meant to be a permanent thing." He finished off the drink, grimacing at his cup as he placed it on the table. "I've not spoken much with him, but I do not trust him," he said, shaking his head. "

"Nor do we," Nanami agreed. "We are looking for a suitable vessel to hold our resonate—"

"No we're not." That was clearly Gojo, but his hand slapped over his mouth and he smiled. "Yes we are," Sarah corrected from behind his fingers. "And we—"

"First need to find our other companion," Geto stepped in again before they could finish. He could see where this was headed and didn't like it. "We won't burden you with our problems. We'll only rest for tonight and then we'll take Boe with us and—"

"No," Dōman said sternly, "you will not take her. If she chooses to leave, then she may." He grinned and stared directly at Geto, "She is more precious to me than you could imagine. You won't do anything to her without her consent." His smile fell and he added, "Anything."

Geto's eyes narrowed. She didn't really care about him did she? It wasn't like her to fall for a man like this. She was sitting beside him, playing her part, but how much did she actually mean it? She couldn't possibly have feelings for a guy that fast.

But what if… she did?

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Geto’s voice cracked sharply through the room. “You’ve been fucking him, haven’t you.” It wasn’t a question. He meant that accusation.

Boe didn’t flinch. She rose up onto her toes so her eyes leveled with his. “Who gives a single fuck what I’ve been doing?” Her voice shook with anger, not fear. “I thought you were dead.”

“You thought I was dead,” he repeated, dripping with disbelief. He rolled his eyes so dramatically his whole head followed, then snapped his gaze back to her. “So you lasted, what— two months? Two months before you shacked up with someone who acts just like me?”

“What the hell are you implying?” she barked, folding her arms tight across her chest. “You think I went hunting for some knockoff version of you? You think I’m such a stupid bitch that'd I’d scour the whole fucking countryside trying to find a replacement for you?”

He gave a humorless grunt. “The evidence is right in front of me, isn’t it?” His gaze slid down her like a cold finger tracing down her spine — over the fine silk kimono she wore.

“You look beautiful in this palace,” he murmured as he stepped closer. His fingers slipped beneath a loose strand of her long black hair, lifting it to his nose. He inhaled softly, then looked up at her with something cruel shimmering in his dark eyes. “Your hair suits you like this— so long and dark.”

Boe went rigid. Her fists curled so tightly her knuckles whitened.

Geto drifted behind her like a shadow, his voice sinking low. “And this fabric…” His hand traced the silk at her waist, then curved lower, sliding over the plush line of her hip until his palm settled over her ass. “This is luxury,” he breathed, squeezing once before stepping back. “And the perfume… the softness…” His lips pulled into a sneer. “You’re being fed well here.”

He straightened, looking down his nose at her, and delivered the final blow.

“You look just like a Kamo.”

Heat rushed to Boe’s face and her arm snapped up on instinct, ready to strike him. At the last second she stopped, her hand trembling. Geto hadn't flinched or even tensed, he knew what he'd done.

“Go to hell,” she hissed. Then she spun on her heel and slammed the sliding door behind her with enough force to rattle the frame.

Geto stood there staring at the door, the blood rushing in his ears drowning out the sound of Nanami's voice. His hand was on his shoulder and for a moment Geto almost turned and decked him. Instead, he closed his eyes, exhaling slowly until he felt his heart begin to slow back down.

"— we don't have time for you to—" Geto held up his hand, and Nanami shut his mouth. He paused, then quietly said, "Go and apologize to her. This is not the time for either of you to be so stubborn."

"She has been—" "She believed that you and Rin died that day," Nanami said, keeping his voice low.

"I know she's making you mad, but that was way too harsh!" Sarah gripped onto Geto's sleeve. "Why would you say that to her? Don't you love her?"

Geto stiffened, his hands balling at his sides. "I don't know if that's what I'd call what me and Boe have," he murmured, his eyes drifting downwards. He frowned, forcing his hands to relax before she shook his head and turned. He inhaled, short and soft, then chose not to say anything more. Instead, he held his head high and walked out towards the garden. Alone.

Nanami sighed, rubbing the tension from his forehead with the heel of his palm. He let his arm drop with a deep inhale, then gave Gojo a shrug. "I'm not sure if we should interfere," he said, glancing towards the door after Geto. "Why don't we go speak with Dōman? I'd like to learn more about Lazarus."

They nodded at him, almost giddy with excitement. "Yes! And the resonate fox!" They added, messily adjusting the waist of their hakama while they trotted after him.

Nanami raised a brow. "You've gotten shorter again," he said, slowing his steps.

"Did we?" Sarah's voice was prevalent this time. "Satoru is thinking very hard right now," she said with a grin. "I think he's on to something crazy."

Nanami's brows furrowed. He watched them beside him closely, the way their body was shifting was slow and not visible to the naked eye, but if you looked away and then back? Things were happening.

"What is your name?" He asked carefully.

"Sarah?" She answered, her own dark browns knitting together as the hairs darkened just slightly.

"So you're just you right now?" He asked, taking a step in front of her.

She was almost her regular height, gripping onto the belt of her now sagging pants. She blinked up at him, confused for only a moment before she gasped. "Nanami, this time loop has been going on longer than we thought," she blurted out, her eyes widening. She grit her teeth and forced out, "Tengen. Kenjaku. Sukuna. Lazarus. They have a vow together—"

S t o p

For a moment their body forced into the merged one's form. Their eyes were angry and the shift was fast as it twisted back into Gojo himself.

"I'm not ready to talk about it yet," Gojo spat. Then he looked up at Nanami. "I promise that I'll tell you all everything. But I need more information first."

"Gojo," Nanami said firmly. "Stop this. You're letting her influence your thoughts." Gojo shot a glare at him, but Nanami didn't back down. "You're not the type to overthink," he said, "What are you afraid to tell me?"

Gojo stared at him, then grimaced. He rolled his eyes and looked away, but Nanami interrupted him a second time.

"No. No stupid joke," he hissed. "Stop this. What is it? Tell me now. You know I can help and I'm not prone to letting myself get worked up."

Gojo awkwardly rubbed at the back of his neck, then sighed. "It's looking like we're wasting our time here in the Heian," he said, keeping his voice low. "The problem runs deeper than here. This place is stuck the same as our current time."

"Explain what you mean by stuck?" Nanami asked, tugging Gojo with him into an empty room in the hall. He shut the door behind him and Gojo explained.

"Our time seems to favor certain events. Particularly it wants me to be dead and Sarah to sacrifice herself in a way that particularly hurts her emotionally. But I've seen other patterns. Sukuna is usually the one in the end who kills me and likely everyone else after. Itadori, that kid also has a big part to play later on as well."

Then he scowled. "Those four — Kenjaku and all them, they've done something that has allowed them to revive the same way Sarah does but without losing their memory each time. It's something to do with the way her technique works, something I hadn't considered before."

His eyes lit up, the six-eyes scanning over Nanami's cursed energy. "By sorcerers using it, we are able expend it and kill curses and reduce the negative energy in the world until it comes back around in the cycle."

"Correct," Nanami nodded.

"When Sarah showed up, we learned that positive energy is the only thing that completely removes it from the system," he said, "But that doesn't make any sense right? Why would it only be one way? That doesn't work with the flow. There was something missing! The opposite of negative energy should also have an outlet for humans, right? If there's are curses, then there should be something that humans make when there is excess positive energy."

"I assumed it would be sacred ground or shrines," Nanami offered.

"Sorry, but it's so much crazier than that," Gojo said, running a hand through his hair before he said, "Sarah is holding all of it."

"That cannot be possible," Nanami said, crossing his arms.

"It is," Gojo continued. "Now that she's in here with me I've been watched our lives together—"

"You two remember multiple lives? Is that what Sarah meant?" Nanami asked.

Gojo nodded. "Yes, but listen! She's gathering up energy with each pass. Every single time she's getting more and more powerful," he explained. His body began to tremble, Sarah's form re-emerging partially into his. "They're using us like a rechargeable battery," They said. "Every time we go again, we are holding more and more."

Their arms crossed over their body, gripping to their biceps. "And by making me want— making us long for each other it's twisting up into something more and more powerful."

Nanami stared in disbelief. "To what end?!" He asked, "What is it they want to do with this?"

"I don't know," They answered. "I still need more information about the resonates."

Nanami shook his head, already anticipating something foolish. "You're not going back to Elysium," he said sternly.

"No, no that'd be stupid," They waved their hand then grinned sheepishly. "But I would like to talk to Tengen. And Kenjaku. And… Sukuna."

Nanami pinched between his brows. Then he sighed, straightening his back. "I hate it when you're right," he muttered.

Gojo's grin appeared again as Sarah seemed to drift away from them. "So let's go talk to that douche bag, yeah?" he said, slapping Nanami's back and trotting to the door.

"Gojo," Nanami said, just loud enough for Gojo to catch the seriousness in his voice. They turned towards him, mixed-eyes sparkling as they waited for him to speak. He hesitated, then shook his head. "Never mind. Let's go get what we can from Dōman and keep looking for Rin."

Gojo smiled at him, pushing the door open. "Yeah! Let's hurry!"

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"You're preening," Boe teased, standing beside and watching Dōman peer at himself in a small bronze hand mirror. They'd moved to his room to talk.

"I do not preen," he muttered, running a hand up his chin and turning his head to look from the side.

"You preen so loudly," she giggled, grinning as he sighed and set his mirror face down on the table. He looked up at her with those eyes that scrunched up the same way Geto's did. It wasn't lost on her why she was oddly comfortable with him, but that wasn't what this was about and she wasn't going to let him make this her fault.

"Why are you doing this?" Dōman suddenly asked, wiping the grin off her face.

She sat back against the wall behind her, crossing her arms across her chest. "Does it matter?" she asked. "You want me to stay. Maybe I will. I haven't decided yet."

He frowned at her. "So, all of this is just to irritate him isn't it," he asked softly. Boe stifled a gasp, turning her head away and all he could do was chuckle. Just once, soft and defeated.

Slowly he reached out, placing his hand over hers. "Boe," he whispered. "You know that I'm in love with you, don't you?"

She closed her eyes, tipping her head a little further away. Her fingers trembled against his palms and he smiled at her, his brows unable to resist coming together in his sorrow.

"If you feel anything for me, it's because I am like him," he said, keeping his voice low and gentle. "So, if he and I think the same, then I would rather you leave with him."

Boe's eyes snapped to his. "What?!"

Dōman smiled so sadly at her she was sure the entire castle heard her heart break. "Boe, you love him," he paused, slowly reaching up to cup her cheek. "You are slow to love, slow to trust. You should be with someone you already have given your heart too."

"But he left me to die," Boe breathed, holding back the tears gathering in her lashes. "He didn't even try!"

"Perhaps he trusted you to survive," he said softly. He pushed the loose lock of her hair behind her ear. "What if he thought he'd lost you too?" He chuckled, drawing his hand back.

His voice caught, his eyes glistening as he breathed out, "You could be with me, but I know you want him."

"I'm so sorry," she mumbled, wiping at her eyes. "I— I didn't mean to—"

"No, please, don't apologize," he said, pushing her hand aside. "You've shown me it's not worth hiding in this palace. If I want to find what you have found, then I mustn't stay here."

Boe nodded, then pushed forward until she'd landed in his arms. She pressed her face to his chest and whispered one more apology before she stood up. Her hands balled up into fists and she couldn't hold her tears back.

"Don't die," she said quietly. "If I find out you died— I don't know what I'll do."

"Goodbye," he said softly and something else followed, but she was already rushing out the door. She couldn't stand it. Hearing that would make it too real. She wouldn't miss him anyway, it was better to—

"Boe."

Slowly she turned just as his arms wrapped around her. She was already sniffling by the time his hand pressed the back of her head and held her to his chest. His head fell to he shoulder, his body tense and holding himself perfectly still. His breath hitched in his chest and she couldn't stop her sob.

"I'm so sorry," he whispered into her hair, clutching her close "I was sure he'd killed you but I— I didn't want to believe it." He swallowed, pushing his fingers up through the hair at the nape of her neck. Her hair was falling in waves as he held her there, still as a statue.

"I'm sorry I said that to you," he mumbled, and she buried her face under his chin against his neck. "You're not like them, I know you're not. I was— I was so confused."

Boe sniffled, and managed to shakily say, "I'm sorry I was being so shitty. I—"

Geto gripped the back of her head, yanking her back until he was desperately kissing her. His other arm wrapped tighter, his body finally releasing a sob.

"I didn't want you to die again," he mumbled, "The first time was—" he draw back, covering his mouth. "I didn't want to have to see it again."

Bon nodded, pressing her forehead to his chest. "Why didn't you look for me?"

"I never stopped looking," he whispered, reaching down to scoop her up into his arms.

She sniffled, her hand reaching up to tug at the ends of his hair. "Liar."

He chuckled. "You know I don't lie to you." Boe huffed, but he gripped her shoulder just a little tighter. "Well, not about something important."

"Suguru," she said softly.

He hummed, still strolling down the hall with her tucked in close. He glanced down at her, then paused when he saw the look on her face.

"I— I love you."

Geto stared down at her with his eyes wide. "Do you?" He asked, a soft smile spreading on his face.

Boe sniffled and grunted, slapping his chest with her palm. "Stop it."

"You love me," he said, smirking ahead as he picked up his pace.

"Shut up," she muttered.

"Never," he laughed.

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"Troubling rumors have reached us from the southern lands," Dōman told Nanami the next morning as they prepared to leave. "I've heard of a group of women that have been gathering an arsenal of cursed tools. They say it's an operation headed by Yorozu, but they have the support of the Mori clan."

That hadn't been much help until he added, "The Mori clan has sorcerers known for using their hair in combat."

Boe and Geto were walking just ahead, Saturn helping them load their things and some fresh supplies into the cart. It would be a long journey, but this was the first clue about Morishita he'd gotten since they'd parted ways.

His heart ached in a way he'd never experienced. When she was captured, that was frightening. This was far worse. They needed to find her — fast.

Nanami's back arched, his breath hissing between his teeth as Morishita's nails dragged down his biceps. Her palm slid gently over the sharp grooves she'd just marked before each of her fingertips squeezed into muscle tensing with each of his lifts of her body off his.

"Kento," she breathed, nudging his head up with her nose against his brow. He managed to tilt up, only to be tipped back against the wall with the force of her lips on his.

Groaning into her mouth, his grip on the meat of her thighs pressed harder. Her arms draped over his shoulders, one hand slipping between his the back of his head and the wall and cradling him. The other pressed her sharpened nails into his upper back and her hips slowly twisted in a figure eight.

There really wasn't much for him to do about it other than to wheeze, "— Rin!"

"Mmhmm," she purred, drawing back to give him that demure little smile that used to make him want to rip his hair out with lust. He hadn't seen her smile like that in so long. His dreams weren't anywhere near as good as seeing it in person.

A throb pulsed in his cock and she returned the favor with a squeeze that sent his eye rolling into the back of his head. She felt even better than he remembered — shoved in and held tight. Her kimono was thrown open wide, her body scarred in new ways for him to map out with his fingers.

He'd wanted to do more of that when he dragged her into their familiar room back at Mitsuru's estate. That door shut and she leapt into his arms and then… well, it was a blur.

With a heavy shudder, he closed his eye. She'd started to ride him again, not ready to let him come. He wasn't ready either. When he'd first seen her running down that hill to him it was like watching a movie playing out right in front of him. Her kimono hiked up in her hands, her deep brown hair catching the light as it bounced around her face. Her eyes were already dripping with tears. Unreal.

"You're so beautiful," he mumbled, relishing in the little squeaking gasp she made. If he was able to open his eye, he was sure she'd be blushing. That would be lovely, but if he actually did it he'd definitely bust.

He'd watched her fight beside him again, their teamwork perfect as if they'd never parted. Afterwards he'd almost dragged her into the woods to kiss her breathless, but there was too much work to be done. There was always fucking work to slow him down, wasn't it?

One of his arms released her thigh. His palm smoothed up the silk on her back along her spine before tugging down at the collar to expose her skin. His fingers glided slowly up her shoulder blades, the tips pressing in just to feel her with as much pressure as he could get. Morishita's muscles tensed and her back arched. Her hips tilted into it, grinding him inside against the spot that made her tremble.

"Ah— Rin!" He choked out. He grit his teeth, holding her tight and, more importantly, still.

"Kento," she gasped, pulling her hands back until her palms were flat on his chest. The smile was gone, replaced with another look that he hoped was the last thing he'd see before he died. "I— I want to—" she stammered, but that was about all he had left in his patience.

Planting on hand on the floor, he pushed them both up and dropped her onto the floor. He muttered an apology about roughness, but honestly he wasn't sure if he meant it. He flipped his long sleeve out of the way, planting his hand beside her on the floor. His other arm draped around her thigh, pulling her into him as he shoved his cock back into her without wasting any more time.

"Rin— I—" he gasped, closing his eyes as one of her hands gripped onto his forearm. The other reached up, her fingers running through his chest hair and planting just above his heart. "I love you s-so much," he mumbled.

She tried to answer him, but every rough snap of his hips knocked the air out of her. That was fine — it was the thought that counted anyway. Every thrust had her giving soft pitched moans back. She'd given up on being quiet.

"Coming," he grit, suddenly struck with the urge he couldn't hold back.

Her nails pointed, raking down his back and tearing at his skin and clothes. Her hips lifted, her leg locking up over his lower back. It was all over for him then.

With a throaty groan, his head dropped and his body jolted in heavy jerks as he held inside her. She was coming too, writhing beneath him and pushing back up into him chasing just a little bit more motion. The intensity had barely passed before he was already drawing back and crawling down over her to drop his head between her thighs.

She gasped, scrambling up onto her elbows watching him hang her knees over his shoulders and lift her body up at a better angle before sinking his teeth into the meat of her thighs only inches from her cunt. The press of her fingers tore ruts into the tatami mat and her hair was already involuntarily growing and wrapping itself around where ever it could reach him. Around his wrists, around his biceps, his thighs, his ankles. Not pulling, but holding.

His tongue flattened, dragging up her soaked hole before latching his lips to her clit in a long hard pull that slackened her jaw. He paused, leaning over to her other thigh to lick at a spot with flick of his tongue before latching his lips there. She yelped, one her hands leaping to cover her mouth.

"Don't hide it," he rumbled, kissing the mark he'd left as he drew back. He nuzzled his nose against her slit, his eyes flicking down to stare right into her eyes without a hint of humor. There was no room for being gentle.

Both of his hands gripped onto her hips, setting her ass up against his chest. He'd never gotten her at an angle like this before and staring down at her flushed face — legs spread and pussy right in front of him? Maybe being included in all of Gojo and Geto's "storytelling times" wasn't so bad.

He took his time, biting and marking her inner thighs between long slow drags of his tongue and deep pulls of his mouth on her. Her eyes were watering, body writhing and pushing up for more. He'd never dragged her on like this, but having her back had broken what little self-control he'd had left since he'd lost her.

"Kento," she whimpered, eyes fluttering shut as he answered her call with another heavy pull on her clit. She almost wailed, the sound catching in her mouth. His dick was half standing again already, but that would have to wait.

Taking one arm, he wrapped around her lower half and braced her against his chest. The other arm reached around her thigh, holding it in his elbow and reaching his hand to angle his fingers into her hole. He didn't waste time, holding tight to her clit with his mouth and flicking with his tongue. His fingers kept up the pace, watching her racing through another orgasm.

And if he had anything to say about it, at least three more before he'd let her rest. One or two for each month he'd had to go without her seemed fair — had to make up for lost time.

When he leaned over her again, his hand curved protectively under the back of her head, fingers threaded deep in her hair as if anchoring himself there. She gazed up at him through dark lashes heavy with tears, her smile soft — the kind of smile men carried with them for the rest of their lives, wishing they could capture it.

"I'll never lose you again," he vowed, nudging his damp face beneath her chin until she tipped her head to let him get close enough to kiss her neck.

"Never again," she breathed, pushing up to meet his probing hand. With a soft sigh, her eyes fluttered shut and her smile turned into a gasp at the sudden shove of his cock back inside.

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Geto's hand was wound into Boe's hair, his eyes narrowed down at the back of her head. His cock was drilled into her, pressing in slow paced taps against her deepest walls. He could see it from the side, her mouth had fallen open and eyes rolled up in the back of her head.

"Feel good?" He asked, a rumbling chuckle pitching up just at the end when she nodded desperately and whined for him.

Boe arched her ass up, both of her hands dragging on the bedding beneath. He was braced against her too hard, his palm flat on the middle of her back holding her firmly to the ground. He wasn't done edging her yet and if she wiggled too much he'd really be in trouble. The road to Mitsuru's castle had been… crowded. There wasn't enough time to get her alone and really show her how he was feeling after everything that had happened.

"Good girl," he cooed. Slowly he leaned forward, hissing through his teeth at the change in pressure. His breath was hot behind her ear and he rasped, "I'm going to remind you why you'll choose me every time."

Then slowly, he pushed himself back up and let his fingertips trail up along her spine. Every jerking twitch of her body was shooting through him, pleading with him. But there was no way he was going to let her get away with any of that behavior.

"You actually thought I'd abandon you," he huffed. "You thought—" He reached beneath her, flicking at her clit piercing until she couldn't help but whimper, "—I'd actually be alright if you moved on?"

"I—," she attempted, tipping her head back only to receive a sharp tug on her hair until he was arched over her, their eyes meeting over her head.

"If I die," he murmured, eyes locked onto hers, "I expect you to forever mourn me."

Boe snorted, grinning up at him. "I'm not gonna be a very good nun," she muttered, her words ragged with her heavy breaths.

Geto smiled back down at her, releasing the hold on her hair. She let her body fall forward, palms flat on the bedding by her tits. She pushed up with her hands and glided her body back into him in a smooth rock to take him deeper then backed off to do it again.

Geto's eyes shut, but her next question snapped his eyes back open even while she continued to do the work for him.

"Tell me what you were doing then," she said, almost coyly.

Geto stilled, reaching under for her clit piercing again only to get his hand slapped away. He paused again, then sighed. "I was… speaking with Kenjaku."

She sighed, starting to rock into him a little harder. She turned her head and he watched her face wind up in both frustration and concentration. She was chasing her own pleasure mostly, but it's not like it didn't feel good for him to have her grinding on it like that.

"Knew it," she mumbled, the sound catching on a little whine. "Why?"

Geto rolled his eyes, gripping her thigh to stop her before resuming the steady rut of his hips. "After," he huffed. "After this. I promise."

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The sliding doors were open, a breeze in the night air drifting through just strong enough to lift the ends of his hair with every sigh past. Cicadas hummed somewhere out in the gardens and everything finally felt soft and unhurried.

Gojo lay splayed across the tatami like a dropped and forgotten doll, limbs lazy and loosely draped out on the floor. His yukata was wide open, his chest rinsing and falling in a sleepy rhythm. His blindfold was loosely over his exhausted eyes, but they were still open and staring up at the energies twisting and twirling in the air above him.

Gold flickered through his veins in slow, lazy spirals. Her energy was weaving through like warm fingers trailing patterns on the insides of his nerves. The pulse spiked for just a moment, bright and sharp just at the pulse point in his neck and his body shivered all the way through. “Mm— careful,” he murmured, not sounding like he actually meant it.

A mischievous flick of intent ran through the shared portion of their mind before she nudged down his spine until his back arched off the floor in a startled twitch. He grinned up at the ceiling before draping his forearm over his eyes as soon as she let him relax again.

"You've gotten so much better control of your energy," he mumbled. "Seriously, your control must be as good as mine now."

Her words voice themselves out of his mouth in a sarcastic huff. "Thanks, sensei."

Gojo snorted, covering his mouth with his hand like that would hide the blush creeping up his ears. "Don't call me that. I might be into it."

"Pervert," she spat back, zero hesitation.

He laughed and another pulse of gold rolled through his lungs when she did too. Then slowly, she pushed through enough just to make his skin prickle with goosebumps and coax another little tremor that he couldn't hide. So, he didn't bother. He melted into the floor and let himself just get swallowed up in the bliss.

Sarah lifted his arms, moving his hands up into his hair. His own fingers dragged through his hair, nails barely scraping his scalp on each pass. He exhaled slowly, letting his eyelids droop. She knew exactly what it felt like for him too; she was right there riding shotgun in the bizarre experience.

It felt good. It felt really good. But there was still just a little shared sigh beneath it all, because he knew what she already knew. She kept pushing his fingers through his hair, guided just the way he liked it and warm against his senses. It almost was like she was right there too. Almost. “Yeah…” he murmured aloud, “We’re both a little disappointed, aren’t we?”

The breeze drifted in again, cool against his heated skin. His breath settled again, but a few little tremors still rumbled just under his skin. She hadn't let go of his hands, still stroking though his hair. He could feel something determined in her, something that was sparking along his ribs and was going to push this a little further.

"Hey…" His voice dropped into that low rasp, that one that always took her out at the knees whether she wanted it to or not. "I know we both already thought about trying it. Don't pretend you aren't curious."

The golden glow pooled under his jaw like she was trying to steady herself. He could feel his voice scrambling her composure even like this. It really was a genius move on his part to separate their consciousnesses. It would be a tragedy to lose that.

He whispered again, softer this time. Following her lead, his cursed energy pressed against her like pressing his mouth to the inside of her ear. "This feels so good." His fingers curled slightly in his hair, as if he was trying to hold her hands. "You and me, like this. Keep going. You know you want to know what it's like."

"Perv." The word huffed out of him before he was finished exhaling.

He laughed, because even while she said it his hands were on his chest now. His fingertips glowed gold as they dragged over his ribs, his stomach, to the dip of his hips. They pushed in through his white hairs just beneath the part in his yukata, rolling in slow circles just there. Each pass left a tingling burn that made his heart start racing.

“See?” he hummed. “You say that… but then you do things like this. C'mon. Don't be shy. It's just me, right?” The warmth was spreading out a little further now, his fingertips leaving afterimages of gold with each streak. His lip caught between his teeth and he let his eyes flutter shut. "Yeah… feels nice," he breathed, "Keep going."

He could feel the tint of embarrassment in her touch, but it's not like she stopped. She guided his hands with a certainty she absolutely didn't posses in her thoughts. She was pushing through embarrassment by force of will alone and damn did that make him miss her face.

That flustered little wrinkle in her brows and the way she'd tried to hide that she was smiling. Her face would be completely red. She hated that about herself but that just made him love it more. His palms were gliding over his abs, up his stomach. She was trying to hype herself up, which he'd always suspected was harder than she wanted to admit.

A low breathy chuckle slipped out of him — he couldn't help it. "You're really doing this, huh?"

Her pulse jumped sharply in answer, which is was as close to shut up as she can manage without words.

"Are you embarrassed?" he teased, dropping his voice into that easy velvety kind of drawl that she can't survive. "No one's gonna know."

His fingers twitched under his command and he dragged them back up his torso. The glow from his palms spread back out through to his fingertips, warming and humming like she was tracing every contour. He swallowed, feeling the heat ripple down his neck, and gave a long low sigh.

A sweet electric jolt did something to her, skating down his spine. His breath caught, his hips shifting and eyes squeezing shut.

"This is so—" his voice caught, cracking in a quiet laugh. "— weird. Really weird."

His skin prickled in waves, like she was touching him from the inside out. Every shiver was synced with her and he feels the jolt her embarrassment shoot though him. It felt so bright and startled. Impossibly sweet in a way that met her with his own dizzying possessiveness.

Something primal and instinctive pulsed through. His breaths were soaked with want and he groaned without meaning to. Or maybe she did? “Careful,” he whispered, eyes opening and half-lidded. “You make it feel like that again and I’ll—” His words broke off in a sharp inhale as his hands grazed along his dick from outside his yukata. Just the length of his middle finger over it before she yanked it back. His other arm propped him up, bending his elbow to watch. His hip lifted, back arching under another pass of his hand, this one glowing bright and spreading the warmth through his veins.

A rush of heat suddenly tensed through his whole body. There was no hesitation left. Their want poured straight through their shared veins. Their breath hissed through his teeth, his eyes blurring in the mixing gold washing through all his senses.

She yanked the fabric out of her way, pausing as his cock twitched. He wanted to laugh about her being surprised at how hard he was, but the mix of admiration wasn't something he expected. What a bizarre feeling. It would be fun to talk about — too bad he was hard as a fucking lead pipe.

"There… just like that," he urged, his voice already ragged. Their body was shifting, mixing in feeling and mind. Syncing in a dangerous way that took concentration he didn't have.

The veins in the top of his hand were pulsing, his muscles bending with enough grip that every stroke was both his and hers. Did she want him to show her how? That was how he was interpreting it.

"Little harder," he mumbled, showing her just the right pressure. When she pressed a little harder, he pulled back and let her take control once again.

His eyes fluttered, his cock pulsing with every swipe. It wasn't going to take long. Neither of them had dared to chase any kind of release since they'd been together. It seemed to taboo in a way.

"Ah— fuck," he huffed, his hand stroking faster and faster at her whim. It was so close to being like her. So, so close.

"It's not enough," he breathed, hips bucking into it. "I— We? Shit, no, I—" He stumbled through his words, his veins pulsing faster and faster and the warmth flashing his nerves with a deep kind of pleasure he'd never know before.

"Sarah," he whined, "Oh— oh, shit. I miss you, sweetheart." He let his head drop to his shoulder, his body jolting into each stroke of their hand. "I want you," he whispered, his eyes squeezing shut.

It would be impossible for him to ever describe how it felt to come that way. His body shuddered all the way through, rolling onto his back and pushing his heels into the tatami with every jolt of his hips. At some point his other hand had cupped his balls, making him gasp.

Gritting his teeth he hissed, milking out the last few sputters of release before he relaxed — sweating and panting on the floor. She released the control of his arms, letting them fall limp and relaxed over his middle while he tried to collect himself.

"No fair," he huffed in a laugh. "This just isn't right."

It really couldn't have gotten much worse for Boe in that moment. Her body was a tattered mess of bloody half-healed gouges and purple bruises. Her broken ribs creaked angrily with every shallow breath and she was positive one of her thighs was pierced by a splinter of wood. She'd given it all she had, the last of her cursed energy sputtering on fumes. She never really had mastered reverse technique, but it had been good enough to keep her alive.

Well, at least for a while. Now she was laying in a mess of wet pine needles, splintered wood and rocks. She'd drawn the short end of the stick apparently and Sukuna had sent crashing waves of slashes through the entire forest and nearly took her out in the barrage. There were more following that in other directions, probably killing her friends. That was the only explanation for it really, why else wouldn't Geto have come to get her? They must have fucked it all up and died. Otherwise he'd have been there with her.

"At least they can reset," she said aloud as if in needed to be said. She blinked slowly up at the gray sky and the tiny misting drops just beginning to pick up again after the lull.

Boe shivered, letting her eyes finally shut. Her toes were fucking cold and her lungs hurt too much. It was stupid to die like this. The least the big asshole could have done was kill her in one go, he should have. Her brows bunched and she grit her teeth. Sukuna probably did it on purpose just to let her lay there and die slowly.

"What a prick," she muttered. Her teeth grit again as a cold shudder ran down her spine. She'd been here before, right on the edge of death. This time, though, she couldn't see the way out. Something about that thought was comforting in a way. A sigh of relief like all the pressure is finally gone. What did it matter, right? She was the only one left anyway.

With the last of her strength she took two sharp inhales and with a big grin she shouted, "Fuck you!"

"How crude."

She blinked at a flash of red and orange silk before a blurry face moved into her vision. She had to blink a few more times before she realized it wasn't Geto. Where Geto's eyes had an almost cat like arc, this man reminded her of Tamamo-no-mae. Fox-like and suspicious. His hair was long and white, combed and perfect on pale skin. Even his eyes were some kind of pretty shade of gray. He was kneeling beside her, muttering something to a man in armor nearby. She couldn't see him, but she could hear the rattle of his plates as he walked up to what sounded like more men.

"What was it that drew Sukuna here?" the man asked, taking a hollowed gourd off his hip and uncorking it.

"Fuck off," she rasped, turning her head away from the water.

"Drink," he insisted, "You'll die."

"Let me die," she spat, coughing on the pain in her lungs. That led to an even worse coughing fit that had her seeing stars. She must have blinked out of consciousness because the next thing she remembered was screaming agony as they moved her. The "Not-Geto" was talking to her with his smooth voice — it reminded her of that one voice actor from One Piece. Sarah and Geto had made her watch it with them a bunch, but she couldn't remember the guys name.

Not-Geto's knuckle brushed under her eye, wiping at the tears she wanted to ignore. She didn't want to think about her friends anymore.

Some time had passed, but she wasn't sure how much. She blinked awake in an unfamiliar room. She winced at the empty feeling in her stomach, then winced again at the pain in her chest. Her head turned when a rustle of linen caught her attention and an old woman walked into view. She smiled kindly down at her, offering water. She lifted her head, letting the woman press the cup to her lips.

It hurt going down, her dry throat scraping it down. It felt like what that pink insulation feels like.

"Shit," she coughed, covering her mouth with the blanket as the woman took a step back to refill the small cup.

"Take small sips," the woman warned, offering more which Boe took slower this time.

Another few days had passed and Boe was sitting up. She'd finally learned his name: Ashiya Dōman. She knew him of course, the rival of the great Abe no Seimei. He was very strong, she could tell just from his cursed energy when he approached. He'd started to visit her every few days, although he wouldn't stay long nor say much. That wasn't really on him, it was her.

"You are of the Kamo clan, yes?" he'd ask. "Shall I summon them here to retrieve you?"

"If you call them here I'll slit your fucking throat," she barked back.

The next time he came, he brought her dinner. It was more lavish than she expected, but she happily filled her stomach with real food rather than the rice water she'd been given while recovering. It was a heavy meal, almost making her ill, but she wouldn't let it come back up. That would waste food.

"You are in quite a rush to heal, aren't you," Dōman said, smiling at her in his fancy flowing robes. Had she known he was a big shot she probably would have done more to get away from him. Noble types were the most annoying.

"Yeah," she mumbled through a mouthful. "I'm leaving tomorrow." She'd said she just needed one more day and she'd leave. Just one more day. And then another came and went. And another. And another.

Her recovery was going so much slower than she was used to. Normally she'd have Sarah or Shoko around or enough time to blast through some reverse cursed technique to get through it faster. Dōman humored her pride and said nothing about it, but she swore she could see it in his eyes. She wanted to tell him to fuck off every time she saw that smug ass smile or heard his stupid long curling metaphors like he was some kind of… poet or something.

He likes to talk about the balance of positive and negative energy and all that. That would have been interesting to her before, since Geto would have enjoyed talking about it. Now though it just made her feel like wet concrete.

One of those long visits sharing tea while she listened to him ramble at her she couldn't help but interrupt him with a blunt, "That's stupid."

It startled him at first. "Excuse me?" He huffed, "And what do you know?"

That wasn't their first argument. No one else in that entire damn castle had the balls to say shit to that man and his absurd ways. It was clear that he was getting off on it in some way, he was absolutely enjoying it. He was coming to find her, sweet talking her into it daily. It was happening so often it was becoming routine.

But really, if she was honest, she kind of liked it.

One night, there was rush of wind in the forest like the wooshing roar from a heavy carnival ride swinging above your head. It was a huge headless curse shaped like an ape with arms just a little too long and it's back a little too hunched. The thing's body writhed, it's rippling matted fur giving it a shapeless quality. Boe was already drawing it's attention when Dōman arrived.

"What are you doing?!" he shouted, dodging opposite her from a swing of the creatures thick arm. "This is beyond what you—"

Her fist was gripped into the thing's fur, lifting her up high enough to dig a hardened blood dagger into the creature's back. It roared, thrashing with every stab. Her bare feet dug into it's back and launched her forward towards where the head would be. She grit her teeth when the closed over skin suddenly parted, a maw opening beneath her.

Dōman appeared above her, landing with his long legs spread to a split and holding the creature's mouth open just as Boe landed on it's gray tongue. She took the opportunity, slicing down her arms with her sharpened knives and creating a twisting swirl of knives, sending more and more into the cyclone as Dōman reached down to grip onto her yukata.

He yanked her up and using the momentum after a jump they lept off the creature's back. He twisted to take the fall, landing hard on his shoulder but with her safe on his side. She swore, slapping the back of his head and scrambling to her feet. Her eyes narrowed as she focused on her cursed energy, her arm extending in front of her with her palm up and fingers pointed towards where the cyclone of knives tore the creature apart from inside. She twisted her hand slowly, eyes shutting before she closed her fist.

The creature's maw fell open, it's body sinking and draping onto the ground almost as if it was overheating and finally it began to disintegrate. Dōman limped up to stand beside her, holding his shoulder as the two of them silently watched the dust scatter into the wind. She could feel the tension in him beside her, but she wished she hadn't. She wasn't going to stay here. It was better if he didn't think she had any intention of staying.

Dōman had broken his stupid shoulder and his collarbone that night. So, just to keep him from whining, she'd started to go to visit him. Turned out that he was as bad at resting and healing as she was and was constantly pacing the halls. And so just as he'd done for her, she joined him on little walks just to keep his energy up.

"Why would you leave the Kamo clan?" He'd asked as if she would answer. His eyes narrowed when he smiled, like a fox. It made her heart hurt. She wanted to turn away every single time she had to see it on his stupid face.

"None of your business," she'd huffed — just the same as any other personal questions he pressed.

They ate meals together. Fought together. Bandaged each other. He tried to teach her old poems, only to be mocked. He'd started to offer treats and gifts that she always refused. Every day he came to see her without invitation, and yet everyday she continued to allow it.

She knew it was too late to run away. He was completely in love with her, it was clear. It was in every gesture — every word he spoke. He was theatrical about it with big fancy words and songs and promises. It was sickening. She hated it with every fiber of her being.

Boe never said it aloud, but when she caught him watching the horizon with a thoughtful frown, she knew he knew it already — she was never going to love him. Yet she still hadn't left that castle. She's was still there and even she herself wasn't even sure why.

One day, two months since her friends had died, while a light spring rain dripped off the eaves above them as both she and Dōman both sat on the porch together. Neither of them had anything to say for a while, just being together to enjoy the quiet. It wouldn't last though, she could already see it in the way he leaned back with his eyes relaxed and half-lidded.

“If you ever leave, I hope it’s only because you’ve found something worth more than this," he said, keeping his voice low.

She didn't answer him. What could she even say? She wasn't even sure how she felt about— about anything really. Life had been about surviving for so long. Things had gotten easier as an adult, but still she'd lived her life on an edge always ready to catch herself from the inevitable fall. Was this really going to be it for her? Was she really just too tired to run anymore? Dōman wasn't terrible. He was sweet, unbearably so, but sweet. He obviously cared about her and his position would keep her in a pretty good spot. She could tolerate it, right? She could—

Her lips parted and he turned his head towards her. She wasn't sure what she wanted to say, but she didn't get the chance.

"My lord!" A guard shouted, panting as he came to a halt just inside the garden walls. "Intruders have approached the sentry on the outer perimeter. They've requested an audience."

Dōman and Boe shared a look before they both rose to their feet. "Then we'll speak in the main hall," he said simply, smiling at Boe. She rolled her eyes, but followed behind him with her arms in her sleeves.

It was impossible to put the feeling into words. The moment Boe stepped through the door, there he was — Geto. He had just straightened from a polite bow, his expression still poised and distant, when his eyes found her. The change was instant. His composure cracked wide open.

He was already moving before she could breathe — stumbling forward, almost tripping over the edge of the tatami. Her vision blurred. She barely realized she was running until she collided with him. The tears came without restraint, hot and relentless, and she flung herself into his arms. His grip closed around her with one hand sliding beneath her thigh as she wrapped her legs around him, the other clutching her back with desperate strength.

“Suguru,” she gasped, her voice breaking apart, the rest lost in the press of her face against his neck.

Relief poured through her so powerfully it made her feel dizzy. She could feel him murmuring into her shoulder, words she couldn’t make out. It didn't matter, his hold was enough. She slid back down to her feet slowly, her hands gripping the fabric of his robes, her cheek pressed to his chest. The steady rhythm of his breathing was all that mattered.

He spoke again, low and soft, his voice vibrating through her. She didn’t even try to listen; she just let the sound fill her, the comfort of it making her knees weak. And then— Dōman’s voice cut through the quiet shock in the room.

"So you three must be the friends my darling Boe has been searching for," he said, tactfully.

Prev Main Next

Nanami, Geto and Gojo were all seated together in an abandoned homestead, waiting out a thunderstorm. More accurately, Geto and Nanami were seated while the merged being seemed content to copy their pose with legs crossed, but with their rear floating about four inches off the ground. They seemed interested at the moment, which was ideal. For the last few hours since their escape, Nanami and Geto barely managed to keep it interested enough to follow them. Now they had them at least somewhat interested, but who knew how long that would last.

"Who am I speaking with right now?" Geto asked them carefully.

U s

Geto glanced at Nanami with his brow raised, then turned back to the merged being with a smile. "I apologize, I hadn't considered that question to be complicated for both of you," Geto said. "Are you still aware that you are made of two souls?"

Y e s

"Good!" Geto said nodding. "Now, would you please allow us to speak with only Sarah again? Like this afternoon?"

Their white brows dropped as the being seemed to consider this question. Their hand rose to rest on their chin before they shook their head, their perpetually weightless locks of hair shifting like they were underwater.

"Is there a reason why?" Nanami asked.

The being's expression stayed the same, but their light surged from between the cracks in their porcelain skin. It reached through their veins in slowly shifting colors before fading quickly through their body like a leaf in a river before disappearing. For what felt like at least a solid minute, it almost appeared like they hadn't bothered to even acknowledge him.

"I don't think they know how to answer," Geto said, turning to Nanami.

Nanami's arms crossed over his chest and he let out a grumbling sigh and dropped his chin and shut his eye to think. Geto was at a bit of a loss himself. Since they'd escaped, Sarah hadn't been able to show herself since that brief shout for Saturn to open the portal — Satoru either for that matter.

"I wonder if this is where the legends of the moon people comes from," Geto said thoughtfully. He tipped his head, looking over his friends. "If were to describe their demeanor right now, it reminds me heavily of those stories."

Nanami lifted his head, opening his eye again slowly. "Like Princess Kaguya," he muttered, then inhaled deeply and placed his hands on his knees. His fingers clenched at his knees and he seemed unsure how to even begin this process.

"Let me try to appeal to Satoru again," Geto suggested, "That seemed to allow Sarah to make some kind of progress." Geto walked a little closer on his knees, before sitting directly in front of them. He smiled and lifted his arm, holding out his hand palm up for theirs.

Their head turned, curiosity getting the better of them. They placed a shifting hand into Geto's, their glow trailing through to his veins and sending a sweet shudder down his spine.

"What's going on in there?" Geto asked, keeping his voice low and gentle. "What's keeping you both trapped?"

Geto watched their expression carefully, hoping to catch a sign of either of them. Some kind of tell that he knew was so specific to them, like the way Satoru's brows gave everything away or the way Sarah's smile was a little too nervous. He'd recognize it, he knew he would. He'd watched them so carefully over the years.

A f r a i d

Nanami's breath held and Geto turned back to lock eyes with him just to ground himself in reality for a second. Same stern face — although filled with some kind of existential dread at the moment. That seemed appropriate, he was alarmingly calm himself.

"What has you so afraid?" Geto asked, reaching out with his free hand to turn the being's head back his direction and focus their wandering eyes back on him. "Use simple words if you need to," he urged softly, "because we need to fix this quickly. Whatever way you need to tell me, do it."

The silver sheen of their eyes faded for a moment into a soft hazy blue and their lashes blinked closed. They inhaled deeply through their nose and their form shifted almost like a wave as Gojo's features became more prominent. With a heavy inhale, both of his hands grasped at Geto's and they both stared wide-eyed at each other.

"Our energy is cancelling each other out," Gojo rasped, his body starting to tremble. "Sh-she is holding back right now, but that— that thing happens when we try to hold it equal."

Geto nodded, "Yes! Good! We need to put her somewhere Satoru! What should we do?" Gojo grinned at him and Geto was already grimacing before he spoke. "Satoru! Do not make this difficult—"

"I'm going to rest," Gojo said softly, his eyelids starting to droop with his falling smile. "She'll take over for a while, but you can call me if you need me."

"Satoru!" Geto gasped, gripping at his shoulders, "Wait! Why can't we just take you apart? Are you really that afraid?!"

Gojo blinked slowly, his brows twitching down in just that way that Geto already knew he was going to lie. His eyes flickered back into that hazy silver before he shrugged. His smile trembled and for a moment Geto was afraid he might not answer him.

"I'm not," he said quietly, "I'm just tired of this."

Geto's brows bunched and his hand gripped tighter. "Of what?"

Gojo's eyes met his, clarity blinking into them again for just enough time to tell him, "This is going to be the last one." His shoulders hunched and he hissed through his teeth, giving Geto one last cocky little smirk before their form rippled again and overtook him. The lights beneath their skin rippled warmer and his shifting shape faded into something recognizable again. It was such a relief to see Gojo's face as it came into form again that when he opened his eyes Geto almost didn't spot the change in hue from blue to green.

Gojo blinked down at his hands then up at Geto with a gentle smile that would have felt uncanny had he not already seen what they were capable of creating. Instead he reached out, helping adjust Gojo's clothes back over his shoulders. "Are you alright, Sarah?" he murmured softly.

"Y-yeah," She answered, though it was rough through Gojo's voice. Gojo's hand was pressed to his chest, Sarah's worried expression on his face as she tensed and flexed his hands and arms. "Satoru seems okay now that he's letting it go. He's calling it airplane mode," she said with a little chuckle, though the trembling in Gojo's voice wasn't lost on Geto. "He's got himself only using enough energy to keep the positive stuff from eating all of his," she explained, blinking his eyes until she seemed to get a hold of his focus.

Nanami and Geto shared a worried look. "Can Satoru hear us still?" Geto asked carefully.

She gave him a weary smile. "Yes," she answered truthfully, "We can't be tricked. Our thoughts are shared currently so he knows what I'm thinking. He's mad at us already for even considering it."

Nanami crossed his arms. "Don't let him act selfishly this time," Nanami chided, "Whatever it is he's afraid of doesn't matter. You will be permanently merged together if we don't do something quickly."

"I know," Sarah said softly dropping their head, Gojo's fingers bunching in their clothes as they stared at the floor in shame. "I can't convince him to let me out." She smiled, but with Gojo's face her expressions gave away a lot more than she must have known.

Geto narrowed his eyes. "You haven't tried," he called her out right away and she sat up, a light blush tinting Gojo's cheeks. She nodded, barely lifting her head to do it. "Thought as much," Geto sighed. "You like it too, don't you?"

"I do," she quietly admitted, smiling despite herself. "It feels so good and I—" she paused, the words stopping in his throat. Finally she managed to say, "He's been so lonely for so long."

"That is no excuse," Nanami said firmly. "We will find an appropriate vessel of some kind as soon as possible and—"

N o

Gojo's eyes flashed, the silver sheen taking over before flickering back out. His brows bunched and Sarah sighed with relief before she gave them both a nervous smile. She cleared their throat, then said, "He and I share our thoughts right now," she reminded, her eyes flicking over towards Nanami then back to Geto, "We have fought to keep as separated as possible but there were some things we had to give up for that."

"Have you been making vows with each other to stabilize?" Nanami asked.

Geto nodded and added, "Yes, I was going to ask the same."

"We had to, yes," Sarah said, then held up their pinky. "First, we agreed to restrict our energy outputs to a relatively even split. Satoru puts in more than I do most of the time, obviously, but we've found a balance that shouldn't kill us," she paused to raise her ring finger, "Second, we allowed a portion of our souls to merge but managed to separate parts in order to keep our own autonomy when we separate—" they grimaced, then chuckled awkwardly, "S-sorry! Anyway, with a few more minor ones it should be fine indefinitely. Or, well, Satoru assured me it would."

"And you trust him?" Nanami asked.

Sarah shrugged their shoulders and grinned at him. "I mean, I don't have much of a choice do it?" Then she smiled, the expression looking so… wrong on Gojo's face. "Of course I trust him. I always do."

⠂⠄⠄⠂⠁⠁⠂⠄⠄⠂⠁⠁⠂⠄⠄⠂ ⠂⠄⠄⠂☆

The city was much louder in this timeline. Everything was faster and harsher — the cars, the lights, and especially the people. Not that he cared. Non-sorcerers would mutter about him in any reality. He stood across a busy intersection with his hands tucked into his pockets and his square sunglasses slid just low enough on his nose to watch her through the blur of motion.

In this one, he'd fallen for her just the same as always, but she barely knew him. She looked the same, maybe a little smaller and less soft than he preferred if he was honest. She wasn't sharing snacks with him and eating good food clearly, which he wasn't a fan of. She was walking with that bright shine in her eyes, listening to something in her earbuds and heading home from the grocery store with a few things probably for dinner.

The ache in his chest didn't surprise him anymore. None of these memories allowed him to have her and for a while it had stung. Eventually though, it had just fallen away to a bitter hum that was ever present every time he visited their shared memories. It felt like always starting a story and never getting to the ending — like watching old home movies of better days.

One of the vows he'd sworn with her was that neither of them would see the others perspective in these memories. He didn't like that of course — that meant he couldn't see her side of it and she couldn't see his. But, when convinced, he understood why.

Across the the street, she stepped up to the crosswalk staring down at her phone with a little half smile. The light turned green and she took a step into the road, still not looking up.

The truck didn't slow down.

It happened fast, instinct and reflexes moving his body in a white-blue blur. His arm wrapped around her waist, spinning them both out of the street. The horn of the truck blared and the wind rushed past in a violent roar.

For a moment the only sound was her heartbeat hammering against his chest. Her fingers were still twisted hard into his jacket and clutching to him. When she finally looked up at him wide-eyed and breathless, she stammered over some kind of thanks.

"You should pay more attention," he said, his voice smooth and amused despite the rush still pumping through his veins. "Although, I have to say, I think this is the fastest a girl has ever fallen for me!"

Her breath caught between shock and a laugh and she stared at him like his voice stirred something in him she couldn't figure out. Her hands still hadn't let him go, and in that same insufferable but irresistible confidence he said, "Don't worry. I've got you."

Her smile had struck him that time too, just like always. She was so genuinely happy when she smiled at him almost every time and he almost wished that didn't make such a heavy impact on him. There weren't a lot of things that could do that and especially not a lot of people that could. That fact alone was wonderful, but seeing all of these moments made it feel kind of bitter and depressing.

He huffed, forcing himself to think of another. This was a tedious task he'd set himself on, but what else was he supposed to do? He was looking for an interesting one for the next memory to scour, one where they bickered and argued or something. Everyone liked a good childhood friends to rivals to lovers kind of thing right? Except he didn't need the context, he just needed to know how far they made it.

It was one of those golden afternoons in mid fall that made everything look soft. The pinkish-orange light filtered through the trees, catching in Sarah’s hair as she stood in front of him with her hands on her hips and her face flushed with exasperation.

“You can’t say things like that to people, Satoru!” she snapped, “Do you even hear yourself sometimes?!”

He leaned lazily against the railing behind him, pretending to think about it, before his lowered his round sunglasses and grinned at her. “Mmm, not really,” he said. “I mostly just like hearing you talk."

And there it was. One of his top ten favorite things. Her eyes widened, disbelief warring with a laugh she was fighting down. As soon as she spoke though that was it for her. "Stop it! I'm scolding you!" she said, her voice catching on her laugh before she gave up a little and giggled.

"Yeah, it's crazy," he sighed dramatically, "somehow it still sounds like sweet nothings to me. You're really talented, did you know that?" He grinned lazily at her, barely moving as her hand swatted at his chest.

She turned away with her hands in the air and he pushed off the railing to follow her, their steps echoing on the wooden walkway through the empty sidewalks. She was still kind of mad and he knew he should apologize, but did he want to? She was so cute when she was mad.

“Don’t start with me,” she warned, not even looking back at him.

He chuckled. "I haven't done anything yet," he said softly, shoving his hands in his pockets and walking up to stand beside her with a lopsided grin.

She scoffed and turned her head towards him and tried to give him a deadpan stare. I didn't work, and she gave up and her laugh finally cracked through bright and unexpected. Both the current him and the him of that life felt that same bubbling joy. They both wanted to reach for her so badly — hold her close and run his fingers through her hair.

She took his hand that time, something he hadn't expected. He followed her that night all the way to her house, but he'd left her at her door. He could have gone in — he was invited. He wanted to so badly, but he just couldn't bring himself to do it. What if he couldn't take it back? What if he messed it up and she never spoke to him again? It was better this way, he'd decided. She was cute when she was mad anyway.

And then there it was — an abrupt ending. Two days later in that timeline was Shibuya on Halloween. It was either there or after Sukuna he would lose her. They were never allowed to make it past that point.

The air beneath Shibuya was thick with dust and cursed pressure. Gojo's voice carried through the tiled walls and rubble. "You shouldn't be down here Sarah." She trailed a few steps behind him, her breathing sharp with adrenaline. She'd been worn ragged keeping up with him, her face was smudged with sweat and dust and she still wouldn't just listen to him and get the hell out of there. She shot him a glare from back there — he didn't need to see it. "Yeah I do, shut up," she spat, arguing back like child.

"That doesn't even make sense," he said, almost laughing but sounding more irritated than he meant to show. "Have you lost your mind?" He tipped his head back, glancing over his shoulder at her. He'd asked that as a joke, but just one look at her told him she'd well passed her own physical boundaries. Every single human they'd come across she'd healed and directed them to a safe spot. It was far too much. She hadn't trained as hard in this timeline. He'd been more overprotective with his "friend."

“I told you to stay topside,” he said, voice harder now as he sped up his walking speed. “You’re supposed to keep the others out of this.” “And let you walk in alone?” Her footsteps sped up until she was beside him, matching his stride. “You think I’d just stand there while you throw yourself away?” He stopped. “You think this is throwing myself away?” “Yes!” she spat, “You’re walking right into their hands, Satoru, and you know it!” He smiled down his nose at her. He couldn't help it. “You’re the only one who thinks that’s a problem," he said with a scoff. “I know,” she whispered, and it wasn’t anger anymore. "It’s wrong, Satoru! It’s so fucking wrong. Why am I the only one who came back for you?!” He froze. The sound of her voice — eyes wet with tears she hadn’t even noticed yet — shattered something cleanly in half inside him. Her face trembled in the dim subway lights, streaks of salt cutting through the dirt on her cheeks. And suddenly, all the fire went out of him. He stepped closer, his hand hovering like he wanted to touch her but didn’t trust himself to. “Sarah…” he breathed, "It's… it's alright, I'm not going to lose." She shook her head, her brows bunching. Her back hit the subway wall and she grunted, finally letting herself slide down and sit. “You keep pretending this is fine, but it isn’t,” she said softly, wiping at her face with her dirty sleeves, "If this trap goes off then you know they'll just let you die! Those stupid old bastards are trying to kill youand I'm not going to let that happen."

“You make it sound like I ever had a choice." He couldn't bring himself to look at her when he said it. If he didn't come down here, what else was supposed to happen? Let all these people die? The non-sorcerers didn't deserve to die for him.

"You do!" she managed through her tears, "You do have a choice! We could figure something else out!"

Watching it, he wanted to believe that. He did, then, like an idiot. For a moment it hadn't felt like they were on a battlefield. It was just the two of them again. Stubborn and mismatched, never quite syncing up before the end would come for them. He loved her more than he could ever say, and it still wasn’t enough to keep the world from tearing them apart.

For a moment he shook himself out of it. Gojo's consciousness drifted somewhere between the physical and the infinite, his body suspended in what felt like warm honey — thick, golden and slow moving. The sweetness of it pressed against him, clinging to the edges of his cursed energy barrier. It couldn’t keep the sensations completely out, but it was good enough.

The Six Eyes were wide open behind his closed lids, scouring data for clues. Information screamed across the neural pathways of their souls —timelines stacked on top of one another like shards of colored glass. Fractured memories, impossible possibilities. Too many lives. Too many her. How many times had it been? How many centuries had they both been trapped in this spiral and more importantly why?

Lazarus said it was to defeat Sukuna, but this felt like an overreaction. Sukuna wouldn't be an issue for him alone at this point, even before being merged. It was clear he intended for them to do something else, but to what? Was there something else he knew that he hadn't told him yet?

He groaned softly, not from pain but from the unbearable pressure of needing to know. The cursed energy coating his body shimmered, warping around him in halos of blue light. “Why…” he murmured. “Why aren’t we allowed passed that point?”

Every permutation ended with the same ache. They always took too long, building up building up and never getting to follow through to something past a tragic ending. It wasn’t random and it was starting to feel like his joke about Madoka Magica was onto something.

What if all of this was to make sure that they reached this point?

The Six Eyes poured information through him faster than thought could form — probabilities, intersections, patterns of reincarnation and energy-logic that threaded back into themselves. He saw it all like a map of the universe written in her handwriting. He twitched, his breath hitching in the syrup of existence. His heart hurt, not from fear but from recognition. The euphoria burned through him now, luminous and endless. It wasn’t joy. It was terrible and uncontainable. This one — the life he was living now — was the only one where they’d actually come together. The only one where love hadn’t been interrupted by death or war or duty.

Every road circled back to her. Every thread pulled tighter until the knot choked on her throat and it pissed him off. He closed his eyes and forced another.

The sky over Kyoto was gray that afternoon — rain was gentle enough to pitter patter on the ground. The air smelled like wet concrete and dirt and Gojo stood beneath the temple gate, his umbrella closed at his side, staring at the woman across the courtyard. She was kneeling beside an offering table, hands moving carefully as she straightened flowers and realigned the decorations. Her hair was longer in this life and carefully braided. Her posture was more reserved, but the way she tucked a stray strand of brown hair behind her ear — it was the same. Always the same.

This one he’d told himself he wouldn’t interfere with her life and had her sent away to this convent far away from cursed energy and people who would hurt her. That he’d just… watch over her. Let her live without suffering. She deserved that for what the old men had put her through. But standing there, watching her breathe, watching her exist, it felt like standing at the edge of a wound that would never heal. She looked up when she felt him. She always did. “Can I help you?” she asked politely, her voice softer, lower than before. She didn't seemed to recognize him — that was for the best. Gojo smiled, and the ache of it ran all the way through him and into his current heart. “No,” he said. "I'm alright, thank you." She tilted her head, curious but cautious. “Do I know you?” He wanted to laugh. You’ve known me more than anyone ever will, he thought from the outside watching himself make this mistake.

Instead, he shook his head. “Probably not.” The rain picked up — bigger drops and steady, like the sky letting go.

She gave a little smile, polite and distant. “You look like someone who’s lost something.” He swallowed hard and shrugged. “Maybe I keep finding it," he said softly. He looked at her one more time, memorizing her like he hadn’t done it a hundred thousand times before. Every freckle, every line, every impossible detail of her being. The wind caught her sleeve and for an instant, he saw her from all those other worlds — laughing in the sun, shouting in the rain, bleeding in his arms. “I wish…” he began, voice barely a whisper, then chuckled and shut his mouth. She blinked. Then she took a single step closer. "You wish…?" He smiled, his eyes wet for reasons that had nothing to do with the rain. “I wish I could live them all again,” he said softly. “Every single one of them. With you.” She didn’t know what he meant, but something in her heart must’ve stirred anyway. She stepped closer again, brow furrowed, a flicker of something ancient passing through her gaze — recognition without memory. “Do I… know you?” she asked again, quieter this time. He forced a grin. “Not yet."

The honey-warm dark around him outside the memories began to pulse softly like a slow heartbeat. Gojo's body floated, cursed energy curling protectively around him. It shimmered faintly, a cocoon of blue and white all around him and keeping the wave of positive energy off. It was cresting over the barrier, but through the cracks of it he could see her already.

Sarah’s presence came like a whisper brushing through the spaces between his atoms. He couldn’t see her in the way sight usually worked, but he felt her through every thread of energy running through his veins. It was like tasting sunlight, like hearing laughter underwater. Then, faintly, he saw the outline of her in the glow above him. Her body was made of light and motion, her fingers trailing through his cursed energy like the surface of a pond. He smiled, eyes still closed. “You should be paying attention out there,” he murmured, "What if I walk into something?" She tilted her head and giggled, her outline flickering playfully, her voice curling around him in vibrations. “You're fine." He laughed, the sound low and fond. "Don't dismiss me," he huffed, but he didn't really mean it. Her energy shimmered brighter and he could feel her amusement sparkle through his ribs, the way she used to laugh with her hand pressed to her mouth. Then her tone shifted, quieter but firm, the echo of her voice tracing his spine. “Don’t keep replaying those old memories, Satoru. You know it just hurts.” He breathed in, and the golden warmth pulsed with him. “I'm still looking for clues,” he admitted. Her light descended a little, brushing across his chest, her hand-shaped glow pressing softly over where his heart should be. “If we’re going to win this,” she said, her voice both inside and outside his mind, “we have to think about what wewant to do now.” His lips curved into a little shy smile. “What I want?” he echoed, his voice thick with affection. “I want to do everything with you.”

She leaned down through the glow, and even though he couldn’t feel her skin, he swore he could feel her warmth. She smiled against his barrier, the words humming through him like his favorite song. “Then we will."

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