Asato Kimoto stared at what was left.
His eyes are wide as saucers and his mouth hung agape. His knees felt weak, yet he can't let himself drop to the ground- blood is also pooling and covering the pavement below him.
Asato's terrified to take another step. Terrified to let his curiosity get the best of him and make him try to find more bodies in hopes to come across someone who's breathing.
His chest felt heavy while realization started to sink in. The family he had been serving since he was young..
Has been massacred.
"Sei.. Seikatsu-sama.." Asato panicked, now beginning to look around, "H-Haru? HARU!"
He finally gets over his shock, realizing that neither of them were near. Had they escaped? Or were they among the corpses that's possibly inside the house? Chills run down his spine as he thought of it; god no. Though he knows the impact of it, he will never accept their deaths if the day comes.
Asato took one step forward before hearing a weapon being unscathed behind him.
He froze once again, slowly turning his head to look over his shoulder. His eyes widen once he sees a figure wearing blood stained clothes.
"Why're you so confused..?"
Seikatsu lets out a chuckle, biting his lip as if to stop himself from further laughing at Asato. He's high on adrenaline and the sweet feeling of finally seeking revenge that he didn't care if the other boy saw him like this.
Like a monster.
"Sei.." Asato's brows furrow out of worry, now facing the teen. He slowly raises both his hands up as if surrendering- The weapon from earlier is now being pointed at him.
"Yes, Kimoto?~" Seikatsu grins, "Aren't you happy? You and Haru knew this day will come."
"Ha..Happy?" Asato stammers, gritting his teeth, "What the hell am i supposed to be happy about?! You.. You Murdered your family!"
Asato hoped this is all in his head. A bad nightmare that would probably stay in his mind for weeks. He wished to wake up in the quarters he shared with others maids and servants- then Haru would be waiting for him by the door, ready to scold him about waking up late.
But.. None of this felt fake. The cold air and corpses, the blood on the cement and the thick suffocating atmosphere.. It's all real.
Hearing the response he received, Seikatsu's expression changes at a drop of a hat, his wide grin no longer there—he looked disappointed. He sighs, lowering the katana pointed at Asato.
"Come on, Kimoto." He says with a scoff, "You watched me get beaten down to the ground. You got so used to seeing me all bloody and wounded that i'm sure a few corpses wouldn't you ."
Asato gulps.
"Sei, this is different. You're still alive- these people.. They're not even breathing anymore!"
Seikatsu keeps his crimson eyes on Asato as he took a step forward. This makes the nervous boy back away.
The eldest Hoshino then starts, "So you're fine seeing someone get tortured but you wouldn't want them dead? What kind of sick freak are you..?"
"Ah, i expected this anyway."
Asato grits his teeth before reaching his hand to grab Seikatsu's collar. The boy with dark hair doesn't drop his unscathed katana- even if he were to face danger head on, Asato's never afraid.
"Expected?" Asato raises his voice, violently shaking the boy, "Expected?! Sei, you better stop playing around! Of course i wouldn't like people getting killed or tortured!"
Seikatsu huffs, watching his friend breathing heavily. The tight hold he has on Seikatsu is enough to tell that Asato's furious.
"Then why was I the exception? You and Haru spent those three years wearing blindfolds in the dojo, so wasn't my screams enough? God! What you animals would do for the fucking MONEY!"
Taken aback by his outburst, the boy with white hair loosens his grip. Seikatsu took this as a chance to swing his fist at him—it didn't matter which arm since he learned how to use both in a fight.
Asato doesn't fight back, enduring the pain that shot through his whole face. His nose started to feel runny, yet the punch he received on the face isn't as painful as what he had inflicted on Seikatsu.
"What were we supposed to do..?" Asato looks away, rubbing his reddening cheek, "Haru's mom and my parents needed the cash.. It's either sell us or become your personal bodyguards.."
"You could've earned a lot more without needing to hurt me in the process." Seikatsu says, brows furrowed. He emphasizes, making sure Asato knows.
He's not the one to make friends. All he had is Haru, whom he sees as a little sister, and his parents who work under the Hoshino Clan. A child like Asato would eventually be familiar with the members of the clan that he's serving.
He'd know everything—the busiest and quietest parts of the house, the rooms he shouldn't be going to, and then the treatment Seikatsu gets from his family.
Asato would look at the boy across the hall, starry-eyed. He would watch as the young heir, who's also his age, run around the green and beautiful garden with his father. Both are smiling and it's the happiest that Asato saw them- was it because the heir's twelfth birthday is near?
How exciting!
The moment Seikatsu turned twelve, the flowers have never been taken care of. Not a single drop of water, one of the few things it needed, was given. Too bad it was spring.
Like his life, everything began to fade and wilt.
"I'm.. I'm sorry, Sei."
Asato forces himself to look at the boy despite his stomach churning with disgust. Is it because of himself? Or Seikatsu's crime?
He knew everything—but him and Haru turned a blind eye and the worse part is they chose to. They'll act as if Seikatsu hasn't gone through hell and back, as if they didn't hear the boy begging to be let out the dojo after hours of being locked in, as if Seikatsu wasn't being given a brutal punishment every time he's unable to complete his training.
The Hoshino's.. Are indeed a cruel clan. Haru and Asato never wanted to get involved; they were in it for the money and to help their parents.Though don't say they didn't care for Seikatsu too.. They wanted to help, but couldn't.
They were just kids.
The teen holding a katana then starts to back away from the boy who looked at him with sadness in his eyes. Seikatsu shouldn't have stayed for long—it's cold outside, and he still has a train to Tokyo that he needed to catch.
The boy then spoke, a twinge of pain in his heart. He feels..
"Asato.. You're just as bad as a murderer."
..Betrayed.
"Ah, his attitude was so ugly back then."
Asato mutters as his parted lips blow out smoke, cigarette almost near to being finished. Smoking has become a habit- he has no intention on destroying his lungs, but it's to clear up his mind.
'We.. We're the ugly ones now.'
It's everyone in the clan, Haru, and his fault. They made Seikatsu act and feel that way. He made it obvious that all he wanted is affection and attention, and only his father gave him that.
Asato clenches his fist, raising a hand to run his fingers through his white hair. Asato wonders,
Did his sister fill that hole too?
Was he happier with her?
Has he find a purpose in life in Tokyo?
Seikatsu's family failed to give him love, and both him and Haru failed to show him what true friendship is. Despite that, the boy endured all of it until he couldn't take the pain and suffering anymore.
Asato would give anything just to be back six years into the past where Seikatsu used to love his little garden..
The most prettiest flowers.. Are the ones he keeps alive and takes care of—he'll treasure them as if they were the most beautiful things he has ever seen.
"Y/N, the prettiest girl i've met.
She looks just like our father..
Of course, i'm prettier."
In his own garden, with multiple broken pots and wilted flowers, he keeps and cherishes those important to him.
In his own garden Seikatsu loves and protects all the flowers he planted. All the relationships he formed.
After all.. Maintaining and keeping a plant alive is hard. This goes the same for building bonds with those around him.
Seikatsu has a pot for everyone.
Asato's eyes then move from the bandages wrapped on his arm and onto the parking lot where he lost a fight with Y/N. The boy knew he was a part of his garden, yet him and Haru took a hammer and smashed their own flower pots.
He drops the cigarette on the ground, putting it out by stepping on it.
They failed him..
..And the only one who truly cared even after his death is his half sister. She may not show it, but Asato knew from how she desperately fought for the hammer- even how she called his name, obviously furious. No one in their right mind would bother wielding an item thats weight is as heavy as the burden and name that it's carrying.
Only Y/N and Seikatsu Hoshino.. Are the honored ones.
Among the multiple broken pots and blood stained grass is a single blooming flower whom he wishes to grow further with the boy she cherishes the most.
"MEGUMI! PANDA! i can get through!"
Y/N yells, catching their attention along with Kirara's.
"But- crap!" she winces, almost loosing her balance as she clutches her leaking wound harder. Fushiguro grits his teeth and Panda continues to grow worried for his kouhai.
"Y/N! Don't tire yourself! We'll figure this out." He shouts to reassure her despite knowing that the stubborn girl would find a way to help.
Fushiguro turns his attention back to the third year whom is also troubled- one of them can get through, but for Kirara, the kouhais they know are the ones they're most cautious of.
"Kirara! Right now, we aren't on Jujutsu High's side! You know what's happening to Tokyo right now, right?!"
"The barriers that have formed in various places aren't unrelated either. There's been an unprecedented case of Jujutsu terrorism! we need Hakari's help!"
Kirara furrows their brows, placing a hand on their hip, "You guys are the ones that left us out in the first place. Serves you right."
'I don't know about the leaving them out thing but.. Megumi just said we're not with the college..' Y/N sweatdrops.
"What happened between you and the higher-ups..?" Fushiguro wonders, not sounding impressed with Kirara's previous answer.
"They had an argument with the conservative faction. And the conservative in their name doesn't apply to their stance towards regulations." Panda proceeds to explain while Kirara turns to listen.
"They have thoughts like 'Jujutsu has to be this certain way.' For example, Kugisaki's cursed technique is a model Jujutsu that the conservatives would like."
"As times change, jujutsu can also become involved with new tech like the cursed videos that were popular back in the day. And the conservatives get really annoying when it comes to cursed techniques."
Panda hesitates before giving an example.
"Y/N's is one of the multiple cursed techniques that they hate the most. You know how this goes, Fushiguro.."
'Who's Y/N?' Kirara turns her gaze to the girl clutching her stomach, 'Her?'
The third year then shakes their head, returning their gaze back to Fushiguro.
"Kin-chan's technique is a prime example of what they hate. That's why the dumb higher-ups lose." they explains, "But you guys have Gojo Satoru to wipe your asses."
Y/N grits her teeth, tightening her grip on the twenty pound hammer. If only Kirara knew the other side of the story.. Though Y/N can somehow understand why the third year seems to be angry.
People will never be pleased and satisfied despite being offered the best of the best. There would always be complaints- Itadori's a powerful asset BUT can't live because he consumed sukuna's finger! Y/N has great potential BUT can't live because she's a Hoshino!
The first years wonders how it was like for Hakari and Kirara to not be accepted because of something they couldn't control. They surely didn't chose to be born with a cursed technique.. Right?
"I don't understand why you're trying to rely on us."
Kirara continues,
"Surely it's natural for me to think you're lying about wanting help and you're really after something else?"
With furrowed brows, Fushiguro then says, "Gojo-sensei was sealed. That is why we lost."
The three of them- Fushiguro, panda, and Y/N all look at the face Kirara's making. This..
'aaaaah.. Kirara doesn't believe us..!'
Who would when you say one of the strongest sorcerers who has the power to shift the balance of power in the sorcerer world, has been sealed and kept as decoration inside a tiny box that isn't even his size? Wow..
'Well, i understand now.. But this person is the closest one to Hakari.' Panda sighs. The second year then watches as both of his kouhai's got ready for another round of fighting since Kirara seems to not be budging.
The red cursed energy on Y/N's sledgehammer has seemed to increase. She'll be cautious not to accidentally break the cement under them.
Fushiguro adjust the positions of his arms, skillfully making a sign to summon his Rabbit Escape shikigamis using his hands.
'If i can persuade this person..
Negotiating with Hakari will go
smoother..!'
One last update before i 🚪🏃♀️💨
No chapter next week !! would be
spending my off days editing this
book. Somehow, the lowercases
are starting to irritate me- just..
Why didn't i typed properly from
the beginning? LOL
anyways, that's that !! sorry again
and i hope you all have/had a
wonderful day !! ♡♡