𝑹𝑬𝑨𝑳𝑴 𝑶𝑭 𝑺𝑯𝑨𝑫𝑶𝑾𝑺 ⇢ Gojo Satoru

𝐂𝐇𝐀𝐏𝐓𝐄𝐑 𝐗𝐗𝐗𝐕 - 𝐈'𝐌 𝐍𝐎𝐓 𝐘𝐎𝐔𝐑 𝐅𝐔𝐂𝐊𝐈𝐍𝐆 𝐅𝐑𝐈𝐄𝐍𝐃

YOKOSUKA WAS NEARLY DESERTED BY THE TIME THE CAR ROLLED INTO THE CITY. Kinzoku Mikazuki sighed, slipping a bill to the family Window before stepping out of the car. She was wearing a pair of dark fitted jeans, her prized leather jacket slung over her shoulders while she wore a tight short-sleeved grey t-shirt. The sorceress looked up, adjusting her sunglasses as she glared at the morning sun. It was early in the morning and the streets of the neighbourhood were completely deserted, yet Mikazuki didn't seem to mind as she strode through the narrow street and walked towards the edge of the cul-de-sac.

The neighbourhood was minor, a bunch of small houses clustered together in a circle with a one way street. The Window drove away into the morning fog, and soon the sorceress found herself standing in the middle of the street, completely alone.

"Yo!"

Well, not completely. Mikazuki groaned, letting out an annoyed sigh as she turned to face the man. Gojo Satoru smiled, jumping over the fence and jogging over to her. He was wearing the school uniform, his hair slicked back while he wore a blindfold over his eyes. He looked genuinely happy to see her, which was a welcome sight after everything that had happened between the two, not that Mikazuki had forgiven him for any of it.

"And here I thought I would have to wait for you again" he chirped, circling the woman and leaning against the brick wall, eyes scanning the sorceress with a curious look "Glad to see you're in time"

The Kinzoku huffed, adjusting her sunglasses once again. The sun was particularly annoying, the blaring beams searing into her head like hot lasers – or maybe it had less to do with the sun and more to do with the bottle of tequila she and Yashiro downed last night. The woman blinked, trying to rid herself both from the light and the headache she could already feel building up in the back of her head. She could still feel Yashiro's hands on her body, dancing across her skin and pleasuring her in ways no man – nor woman – had ever done before.

The sex had been good, but it was also an omen for what was to come – a goodbye, of sorts. Mikazuki and Yashiro would never be together, of this she was sure, yet she wouldn't refuse him when her body continued to crave his touch. There was an undeniable sadness in it, the way she crumbled in his arms as he confessed his undying love for her – something she would never be able to retaliate. Instead, they stood there, hanging on that line between sex, love and simple emotion. They danced around it, pretending it wasn't there to begin with.

It was nice, but the dream wouldn't last long, and soon their fantasy would collapse under the weight of a crippling reality.

"I'm not your fucking friend" she barked, yet her tone was neither harsh nor biting "Also, let's not pretend like you're not the one who is chronically late to everything in this relationship"

Mikazuki regretted her words as soon as they fell from her lips, but by then it was too late. The sorceress didn't turn to face Satoru, yet she could almost sense the smile playing on his lips, his blue eyes filled with mirth as he cocked his head to the side, amused by her choice of words.

"Relationship? Is that what we're calling it?" he noted playfully, pushing himself off the wall and motioning to the gaping space between them.

The Kinzoku rolled her eyes, marching down the street and towards the last row of houses in the neighbourhood. She could smell the sea salt from here, the soft cool breeze from the ocean filtering through the gaps in the stone. The harbour was on the other side of the street, ships docked to the port while the loading crew began filing in for the morning shift. It was early – too early, some might say.

"It's six AM and I haven't had a single cup of coffee yet, don't tempt me" the sorceress grumbled before crouching down.

Mikazuki took a deep breath, letting her open palm hover over the green grass while the tendrils of her Eternity gathered in her hand. The golden slivering shapes launched from her hand, scouring the earth and filtering through the thick grass before dispersing into the morning sun. She could feel it growing and searching, expanding and twisting, the gold in her blood thrumming with Cursed Energy as her head pound from the hangover.

She had left a lot of things unsaid with Yashiro; it wasn't the first time she lied to him, he was a mortal, and as such he could never be privy to certain aspects of her life, but it was the first time she felt guilt over it. She loved him – or as much as someone like her could love, which was certainly a lot less than she used to. But the truth wasn't something she could share, not when Mikazuki would soon find herself walking down the aisle, her fate intertwined with that of whomever her father deemed worthy of her hand.

Mikazuki shook her head, clearing her thoughts while the tendrils of her Eternity continued to scan the area. Satoru tilted his head to the side, his gaze falling on the woman in front of him. His stare lingered, her black jeans hugging her every curve so clearly he could see the lines of her underwear – a thong, the black lace peeking from the top of her trousers racy enough to make his heart skip a beat. The sorcerer blinked rapidly, ridding his mind of these thoughts as his gaze travelled to her neck, a series of hickeys tainting her skin. Gojo chuckled, yet the gesture never quite reached his eyes.

"Ah, I see someone had fun last night" he wiggled his eyebrows, a twinge of jealousy tearing its way through his heart "Let me guess, the stranger you met at Neo Masquerade?"

He framed it as a question because it was easier reading her this way, but Mikazuki didn't even budge. The woman sighed, yet her attention didn't waver, her Eternity rippling through the air like an invisible storm.

"I don't see how it's any of your business" she fired back, slapping a hand over her neck before she could stop herself "You don't see me quizzing you on your one night stands"

Satoru shrugged.

"Don't go spreading foul rumours about me!" the sorcerer acted shocked, an amused expression appearing on his face as he placed his hand over his chest "I'm soon to be a wedded man, my bride wouldn't survive the heartbreak"

Mikazuki paused, a glimmer of hesitation shining in her eyes before she was quick to snuff it out. Truth to be told, the sorceress had nearly forgotten about it – neither the Gojo nor the Zenin had made a big affair of the upcoming nuptials (at least not yet). As a matter of fact, Mikazuki hadn't even met the bride yet. She could easily imagine it, though – she too had once been a perfect little bride before she went and ruined it all.

Maybe Eshima would have better luck, Mikazuki surely hoped so. No one deserved to go through what she'd lived, not even the future bride of her fiancé.

"Right" Mikazuki mumbled, her tone far more cutting than she intended "Back to reality; we have a total of three Curses. A special-grade by the kid's area and two first-grades lurking around" the woman straightened her back, the tendrils of her Eternity snapping back at her as she clapped her hands "Houses have been evacuated under a false gas leak scare, but we should still be careful about damages"

Now it was time for Gojo to roll his eyes.

"Yeah, whatever" he stated in a bored tine while Mikazuki stepped over an overgrown hedge "Let's split up. Why don't you go around the house while I go check the shed?"

Kinzoku Mikazuki nodded, heading towards the back of the house while Satoru walked over to the shed. The backyard in this section was big, all houses shared the same space while the neighbourhood had a different closed-off area with kid's games. Mikazuki jumped over the fence, slowly circling the house with a curious glare. The sorceress had seen many homes in her time – both during her exile and the time before – but she had to admit the buildings in Yokosuka were nice.

She could imagine herself living here, had her fate not been sealed by the blood in her veins. She could see herself, sitting by the window while she bounced her baby and Yashiro stood by the fireplace, laughing at them as his eyes wrinkled. Happiness, the kind no amount of gold would ever be able to pay for, the same king she could never afford.

Mikazuki turned to the corner, her golden gaze falling on the open window as the wind sifted through the curtains. She could spy a black piano by the tv-stand, a bunch of toys scattered on the ground. The family had clearly left in a hurry, the evacuation had taken most of the previous night and most families had ran out leaving their personal items. To them, this was nothing but a gas leak – a minor inconvenience that could easily be solved. Unfortunately for Mikazuki, she knew better.