Ataraxia 平静 | Gojo Satoru

-'๑'-𝐜𝐡𝐚𝐩𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝟏𝟖-'๑'-

"What?" I asked flatly.

Gojo's piercing eyes searched my face for a few seconds before he spoke. "I've been thinking, if they wanted Yuji, why did they wait for that exact moment to attack? The place was packed with sorcerers, and the students were guarded at all times."

My eyes narrowed as the gears in my head turned. "Are you saying they were targeting higher-ups?"

He clicked his tongue in disapproval. "It makes no sense for them to act so carelessly. The one-eyed bastard was no measly curse, and by the looks of it, neither was Hanami." I swallowed hard at the memories. "Why would these powerful curses plan an offense at such a bad time?"

"To cause a distraction? Maybe their purpose was something else entirely," I reasoned.

"I don't think so," Gojo mused, clearly in thought. When he didn't continue, I cut in.

"They said they wanted Yuji, but Hanami barely seemed to care if he died or not. Come to think of it, him and Aoi Todo only showed up later into the confrontation."

Gojo's eyebrows twitched upwards. "Who else was there?"

"Megumi and Maki were the ones initially attacked before I found them," I looked up at him in surprise. "You're thinking they wanted one of them?"

"I wouldn't say—"

"But that doesn't make sense! If the curse was after one of them, it wouldn't have let them get away."

Gojo blinked in slight annoyance. "Yes, I was going to say."

I half-cringed. "But then, what the hell were they after? If they wanted Yuji, they could've approached him when he was alone, or on a mission—why risk it during the Exchange Event?"

"When the two found us, they made sure to separate us," he ran a hand through his disheveled hair, "or rather, separate me from everyone else." My forehead wrinkled as he spoke. "I wanted to get to you, but your cursed energy was dimmed out."

"A veil," I whispered, and he nodded. I dragged my fingers across my face, eyes shooting around frantically as I raked over my thoughts. "Wait. . . " I looked up at Gojo, feeling my hands getting cold.

Back when I fought Hanami, I couldn't feel anyone around me except for Todo and Itadori. The only time their cursed energy disappeared was when I got thrown across the field, and Aoi-san used his technique to swap places . . . and then I hit that invisible wall. I remember my back reverberating against hardened air, and the poison coursing through my body. But that could only mean that he was standing in my place before, so the barrier did not affect him—their energy was being obstructed by it, and once they stepped back into the fray . . .

"Yue," Gojo bent down to my level, "you're rambling in your head. Talk to me."

I met his attentive gaze, blinking a few times before I spoke. "There was another veil."

"I know," he said.

"How?"

"When I killed the curse, his veil broke. And when I finally reached you, you had already exorcised the other. But its cursed energy lingered and I recognized the print, enough to figure out the rest."

I pursed my lips. "This veil was different, it was as if it had been tailored to keep me in; or keep someone else out—you? I don't even—"

"I think you were their target." The warmth drained from my face. "I just don't know why."

"This is all too far-fetched . . ." I started but he shook his head. "And what about the 'vessel'? That definitely doesn't add up."

"The veil only confirms my suspicions. The confusion factor, isolating us from each other—most importantly, getting you out of the school perimeter," he scoffed, "But the time and place, that was more than an ambush, it was a challenge. As for their purpose . . . that's what irks me."