𝑫𝒀𝑵𝑨𝑺𝑻𝒀 𝑶𝑭 𝑺𝑶𝑼𝑳𝑺 ⇢ Gojo Satoru

𝐂𝐇𝐀𝐏𝐓𝐄𝐑 𝐈𝐈 - 𝐀 𝐒𝐊𝐘 𝐅𝐔𝐋𝐋 𝐎𝐅 𝐒𝐓𝐀𝐑𝐒

TEN YEARS AGO, 2007 –

A VERY FLUSHED SEVENTEEN YEAR OLD KINZOKU MIKAZUKI CLIMBED UP THE HILL. The girl stopped halfway, resting her hand on her hip before slinging her golden katana across her shoulder. Her body was sore from all the fighting, bruises clinging to her skin in strange places while her uniform was coated in dark blood and ichor, the stench of it nearly unbearable.

The Kinzoku took a deep breath, pulling back her dark locks, hands hesitating as her fingers combed through her hair. She could feel her roots already growing, the pale blonde in them mixing with the rest of her black hair, meaning she would have to dye it soon once again.

Her father insisted on it, and although Mikazuki had no idea what he was set on turning her blonde (partially at least), she wasn't about to question Asahi's wishes. No, Mikazuki knew better now, especially after the latest incident last year where her father made it clear he wasn't above resorting to physical silence.

Mikazuki shook her head and cleared her mind, shrugging off the ill-timed thoughts before she turned to stare to her companion. Gojo Satoru was standing atop the hill, his tinted glasses sitting on his nose as he surveyed the tiny village they had just rid of Curses below.

He looked calm and composed despite this being their first solo mission, not that either of them had struggled against any of the special-grades they had been sent to exorcise. For Mikazuki, this was almost second nature now. Gojo felt pretty much the same way, the Curses they faced nothing but a minor nuisance he had to get rid of.

"I've secured the villagers and I'm done with my side of the hill" Mikazuki announced as she turned towards the darkening sky, sun disappearing behind the large mountain backdrop in the distance "We should head back. It's getting dark and I'm sure Principal Hirata is already waiting for us" she motioned towards the foot of the hill, back where the Window was waiting for their return.

Although both Mikazuki and Satoru had recently been promoted – him as a special-grade while the sorceress was merely a first-grade – they were still expected to work under the watchful gaze of The Magistrate. Their mission had been labelled as solo, but the truth was far away from that. The Council of Magistrates had already labelled Gojo Satoru as the Strongest in their promotion, meaning there wasn't a chance they would let him get away, lest his skill be lost to someone else.

He was their big prize – meanwhile, Mikazuki was the consolation prize, a big red ribbon with the words 'thank for playing' scribbled on top. She was just another sorceress, standing in the very large shadow cast by a very young and reckless boy.

Gojo rolled his eyes and adjusted his glasses, pointing towards the breath-taking view in front of them with a sly smile.

"Why do you always need to be so uptight?" he asked with a hint of amusement and annoyance in his tone, not caring at all that the person he was addressing wasn't a simple teammate but his future bride instead "Not everything is about missions and our duty" he explained slowly, his ocean eyes returning to the wonderful view of the sun setting down "Why don't you take a look at what's right in front of you?"

Something about the way he said it made Mikazuki hesitate, like somehow they weren't discussing the actual view but something else altogether. The sorceress paused, mulling over his words as she decided what to do. However, before she could even think about stepping towards the hill to join Gojo, the girl stopped.

She could almost hear her father's voice in the back of her head, a stern reminder that she wasn't here to play games nor dance at Satoru's tune. So, like the puppet her father had fashioned her into, Kinzoku Mikazuki stepped back in line, grip tightening around the handle of her blade as her heart stammered in her chest.