𝑬𝑴𝑷𝑰𝑹𝑬 𝑶𝑭 𝑮𝑶𝑳𝑫 ⇢ Gojo Satoru

𝐂𝐇𝐀𝐏𝐓𝐄𝐑 𝐗𝐗𝐈𝐕 - 𝐇𝐄𝐋𝐋𝐅𝐈𝐑𝐄 & 𝐇𝐄𝐀𝐕𝐄𝐍𝐋𝐘 𝐆𝐎𝐋𝐃

"How did you figure it out?"

Most people didn't notice. Her hair was red like the sun, wild and short, very different from the matted black the Kinzoku were used to or the eventual blonde. Her eyes were a dull brown instead of the molten gold that was expected, and the cracks in her arms were so faded she could barely feel them.

No one had ever looked at her close enough to notice. After all, she was the help, and no one ever looked twice at the person serving them breakfast or washing their feet.

Except for Mikazuki, who had apparently been watching her like a hawk these past couple of days.

The sorceress hesitated, looking at Akari through half-lidded eyes.

"I can sense it, sort of like a slight pull." She explained vaguely before her gaze changed. "Power calls to power." She narrowed her eyes. "Such cursed energy can only come from a trained sorcerer, or a stupidly powerful one."

Akari buried her hands in her pockets, her unbothered appearance a complete contrast against what she was truly feeling inside. It had been a while since she'd been referred to as a Jujutsu sorceress, her days working under The Magistrate had been few, and as a servant, she didn't really have the time to go around exorcising curses, not that she'd ever been good at it in the first place.

Accepting her silence as an answer, Mikazuki pulled out a handkerchief, cleaning one of her daggers with a sly expression on her face. There were plenty of questions in her mind, and although Akari had gone back to work, she could still see the woman's tense muscles under her shirt.

The two stayed in silence for a while, basking in the warmth while it lasted. Although it was early July, winter would be coming soon, and with it its harsh weather and cold nights. Mikazuki wasn't particularly worried, she'd survived far worse situations in the past ten years, and she always managed to endure.

"Does it bother you?" Akari asked after a while, toying with one of the daggers like it wasn't a deadly weapon that could easily slice her finger off

Mikazuki paused, thinking about the question. Did it bother her? Honestly, no. Akari was her own person, she could do as she pleased. Just because she was currently in the sorceress' employ didn't mean she didn't get to have a life. Though Mikazuki doubted her father would agree with that statement, he was the sort of man who still believed in owning people.

"Nope." She answered honestly, popping the last 'p' for effect. "Though, I am curious." She turned towards the woman, watching as she expertly twirled the blade in her hand. "You are clearly skilled enough to be a second, or even first-grade sorceress, why be a servant instead?"

Ah, the million dollar question. Akari stopped her ministrations, launching the knife towards the target without a single thought. The dagger cut the air, embedding itself in the makeshift target so deep only the hilt could be seen. She'd struck its heart, dead on. Mikazuki watched, letting out an impressed whistle.

"My dad married into the clan." Akari explained, her voice soft but filled with an emotion Mikazuki did not recognize. "It was fine, for a while. Then he got into gambling. He was lucky, at first, but then his luck ran out and he racked up a bunch of debt. My mom always paid, at first, but eventually, she grew tired and left us."

Mikazuki winced at the woman's words. She couldn't imagine someone leaving their daughter like that, even when her own mother had turned her back on her from the day she was born.

"I can't do the gold thing, I guess I'm not enough of a Kinzoku." She wiggled her fingers, mimicking the movement she had seen so often in other clan members.

Mikazuki nodded, Endless – the clan's innate technique – had become rarer and rarer even among purebloods, someone whose blood was so diluted from generation after generation probably didn't possess enough gold inside of their veins to use it properly.

"Anyway, we lived off of what we could. My dad got involved with some people he shouldn't have, stole money from the clan to pay it back." Akari closed her eyes, reliving the whole ordeal just for a second. "When he died, I was given a choice; either leave the Kinzoku School and work off his debt or stay away and never come back, live my life like a mortal. I chose the first."

The sorceress stared, watching as the redhead walked up to the target and pulled out the knife. Akari had walked out on a life of privilege, the same one she had been born to, all in order to became a humble servant of the same clan that had ruined her in the first place. Uh, how familiar.

"The Kinzoku School, right?" Mikazuki spoke, dropping her knife and positioning herself on one side of the clearing. "Which means; you, Kinzoku Akari, are a fully-fledged sorceress. So... would you do me the honour of fighting me?"