It was a warm weekday morning. Four students sat in the classroom across from their proctor. Each incurious about his words in their own ways. After being completely attentive the previous week of class, Kanae had slacked into the new school environment.
She had rested her cheek into the desk staring at Shoko who had Gojo's glasses on and was wiggling her body like a snake being summoned out of a basket. Kanae muffled a laugh watching her movements.
"Kurosawa, you are aware that you are extremely behind, correct?" Yaga sensei stood before her desk judging her disinterest.
Compared to the other students, she had to put more work in if she wanted to stand side by side with the.
"I am completely aware Yaga sensei." Her eyes tilted up, "I'm just mentally exhausted right now."
Lifting her body up, she propped her elbows on the desk whilst resting her head on her hands.
"Maybe I wasn't as clear yesterday, but we sought for you because—"
"—because you wanted my curse technique." She completed his sentence. Those words she had heard over and over again.
Geto and Gojo themselves had to remind her of that many times. Both urging her to get stronger before she's left in the dust.
Sighing he shook his head. "Yes, but that wasn't the main reason. The higher ups are convinced that your cursed technique might be one of those techniques that can rival almost any technique, specifically Gojo's. Now being completely aware that your brother is working for chaos in this world of curses and weaponizes your technique as well—"
Realization washed over Kanae. She sat up straighter now bringing attention fully to her Sensei. "I see. You recruited me to be an experiment. I'm going to be used to help these sorcerers overcome my cursed technique. That makes me feel a whole lot better about myself."
Her eyes fell on the table. Of course I have been recruited to be used.
Yaga sensei paused. "Not necessarily. We think you would be best to defeat him."
"What? Me?"
"Her?" Gojo poked his head up now intrigued by the conversation. "How can we trust someone who can barely handle her cursed technique? She's pretty weak if you ask me Sensei."
Kanae rolled her eyes at Gojo's words while their sensei glared at him forcing him to straighten up.
"Yes her. No one is perfect when they first used their cursed techniques. Not everyone is like you and Geto, Gojo."
Not everyone was specially gifted like Gojo or was born talented like Geto. Most people needed to work for what they had. Unfortunately it meant Kanae would have to work the hardest out of all four of them.
"We can take care of her troublesome brother then." Gojo announced.
"Not gonna happen. Just because Kurosawa isn't best equipped to use her cursed technique, doesn't mean her brother is a walk in the park. He's on another level. Since it's a cursed technique that breaks you down from the inside, it's not that simple." Yaga focused his attention back on Kurosawa. "You can't slack off. Right now everything seems easy, but things will surely change. Once your brother is aware of what is happening here, I'm sure things won't be easy anymore."
Kanae sighed. What he's saying is that I might be a target for my brother's antics. That's greaaat. I need to get stronger.
✩
"Fuck me." Kanae groaned completing her workout set.
It was like a fire lit under her after Yaga sensei spoke. She immediately made her way to the gym at the school after the day full of classes. She knew she wasn't that strong and what was apparent to her was that she didn't want to be dependent on others. She wanted to learn how to stand on her own.
Riko flashed in her mind remembering she hadn't spoke to her since the incident. She knew she had to, but didn't know what to say. She knew Riko wasn't dumb, but she didn't want to bring her into this life of sorcery.
She laid back completing her final workout. The leg raise hold. Oh how she despised it more than anything, but she was so close to finishing up. It was her first workout in probably the year.
She laid on her back, staring at the ceiling, holding her legs in the air at a forty-five degree angle. It was just a minute. A long ass minute. Time just loves to move slow when you want it to move fast.
"I'm surprised you're here." Gojo's face came into her line of sight.
Her fatigued expression shifted into an annoyed one. Her eyes shifted to her timer that had another thirty seconds on it, but now with Gojo watching her, those thirty seconds felt like the longest one's of her life.
"Are you really struggling with that? It's not that hard." Gojo was now hunched over her not breaking eye contact.
Of course it's not difficult for someone with a physique like you. We all can't be Gojo Satoru. Those words racked in her brain.
"Of course it's not that hard!" She smirked back at him as he looked back at the time. No matter how much she hadn't believed her own words, she would never admit to Gojo that. That would only stroke his ego.
Noticing the game she was playing at, he began to increase the tension. "Twenty seconds left! Nineteen...Eighteen...Seventeen—"
"Would you just shut up!" She croaked shutting her eyes tightly praying to hear the annoying beeping sound from the stopwatch. Every time she spoke, her abdomen felt like it was caving in.
Gojo began to laugh watching her legs tremble as time refused to move fast as it had the first thirty seconds. "You know it's okay to give up. I mean I could do these in my sleep, but I would understand if someone like you couldn't complete them. We aren't on the same level."
There was a surge of power within her that wanted to prove him wrong. "Are you trying to make me mad at you?"
The timer went off causing her to fall flat on the ground in pants.
"Well it worked, didn't it?" His eyes were vibrant. He was obviously proud of himself. Egging her on helped her to finish the set.
She refused to answer to him slowly sitting up and crossing her legs. Did he really just try to help her or was it a coincidence? Gojo still was very hard to read. All she knew for sure was that he was chaotic and unpredictable.
Her eyes wandered to his outfit. It had seemed he had mustered the courage to come to the gym, disregarding his ego and superiority complex. He wore a simple white tee with black gym shorts. A face towel slung around his neck tied off with this signature shades combing his hair back.
"Why are you here? I thought you were too good for the gym." Kanae forced her eyes off to the side. He did look pretty good in his fit. She still would never tell him that though.
Gojo plopped on the ground in front of her. "I am, but a new challenge has arisen."
It was interesting to see Kanae in this state. Her hair was placed back in a high ponytail with strands finding a way to cling to the sweat on her face. She had worn an oversized shirt to hide her figure with compression shorts that reached just above her knee.
She took a swig from her water bottle. Noticing her hair being messier than usual, warranted her to unravel her hair and fix her ponytail. He noticed the relief that washed over her face as she shook her hair.
Gojo's voice hitched in throat as her hair draped down. It didn't go unnoticed causing a smirk to form on her lips.
"You're speechless. Is there a problem Gojo?"
She raked her hand through her hair leaving it tousled for a few moments. Something about her and long hair was a perfect duo in his eyes. Kanae enjoyed watching him mentally spaz at the site of her.
"Get your mind out of the gutter. Shoko has warned me about your womanizer ways." She pulled her hair up before tying it in a higher and tighter bun.
"Yeah right. If I really wanted you, I would have had you already." He grinned mischievously moving his glasses out of his hair causing it fall flat over his forehead. "You were staring at my body the other day, don't think I hadn't noticed."
She shifted her eyes to the side with soft blush on her cheeks. Of course he noticed, and of course she hadn't forgotten. It wasn't easy to forget.
Clearing her throat, she brought her attention back to her initial question. "Why are you here anyways Gojo? Don't you see I'm busy."
"Yaga sensei said I should probably get to know your cursed technique better. If there was something that could rival against my own that well, if your brother is actually strong, then training doesn't hurt."
She eyed him carefully as he avoided eye contact with her. It was clear to her that he was curious at the possibility of something easily rivalling his power. Using their sensei as an excuse wasn't good enough for Kanae.
"Is the Great Gojo Satoru scared for once in his life?" She gasped dramatically holding her chest.
"Never. I just would like to know your cursed technique better." He rolled his eyes to which she smirked.
"What makes you think I would tell you?" She asked him watching his eyes tense up. He hadn't thought of her disagreeing to share. They would be stuck together after all.
"...because we are teammates now."
Kanae broke into laughter. "So now you want to be cordial. One moment you are nice, next moment you are reminding me how weak I am."
Gojo shrugged. "Is it a lie though? You are weak. That's why you are here. That's why each and every time we are together, I end up saving you. The least you can do is tell me about your cursed technique."
Her eyes darted at him. "You are so mean you don't even realize it."
"The truth hurts. That's not my fault." He grinned as she took a heavy sigh.
The world sure looks different when it spins around your finger, huh? I wish I could feel that way.
"Whatever. If you promise to leave me alone for at least the rest of the day, I'll tell you." With that he nodded. She took a swig of her water, preparing her speech.
"It's something that relies on my eyes." She tapped on her temple blitzing her eyes fuchsia. "When I look into the eyes of my target, I can manipulate their senses. When I have control over the body, I can create illusions that weaken or daze them, then I strike them physically."
Gojo looked in awe amused at her pretty eyes. Originally, they were naturally a muted plum colour. Now being able to get a good look at them, they reminded him of a vibrant hot pink popsicle on a summer day. Such a colour screamed power and trouble. It felt electrifying and dangerous. They contrasted well with his blue ones.
"I don't understand. How could this harm me? I still am physically stronger than you." He questioned which caused her eyebrow twitch.
"My range is small, but Yaga sensei is right when he says fear my brother. I believe he can do more damage with just one look. He could leave your body numb or incapable of doing certain things." Kanae shuddered at her words.
Her brother was a walking hazard being able to kill people with a glance. What was his deal anyways? She never understood people being desperate for power. If she could reach such levels of power, she would never have to worry about her physical fitness and agility.
"It all depends on the mind. Who's stronger, mines or the targets." She told him which made him nod impressed.
"I must say, not bad. That's what you did on Halloween huh?"
"Yeah."
"Why would you not want to improve the technique? If you were really strong, you wouldn't even have to touch someone to do damage."
It was a strange idea Gojo had thought. Her cursed technique was a pretty interesting one. She wasn't an expert at her own, but with her immense amount of cursed energy and control, she could be invincible.
"I told you, this world isn't for me. I just don't want to be killing things every week. I don't think that's normal."
"You need to stop thinking that. The world is not normal, so why do you expect yourself to be?" Gojo questioned and she shook her head.
"I don't care what's normal. How can you do things such as get a job and have family with stuff like this? If I get warped into this world, things I have dreamed of will never be fulfilled." She stated watching Gojo ponder for a moment. "How could you have kids if everyday you are somewhere killing things? If you are truly a threat, wouldn't your family be in danger?"
She watched Gojo think for a moment as he focused on the ground between them.
"I'm not going to do any of those things. I don't like kids and girls...girls are troublesome creatures. So no thanks!" He stuck his tongue out shrugging as Kanae gasped offended.
"I don't see what girls see in you. You got pretty blue eyes, so what? You aren't the only one." She shook her head avoiding his gaze.
"So you think my eyes are pretty? Damn Kanae, I haven't had a girl be this persistent for me in awhile. You called me cute, embraced me, moved in next to me, now call my eyes pretty? Maybe I'll make an exception for you." He grinned teasing her as her cheeks to tinted pink in frustration.
"Y-You are so aggravating. Just shut up about those things would you!"
She began to play with her bottle attempting to flip it in hopes it would land perfectly. With a couple of attempts, she continued to fail. Gojo grabbed her water bottle from the ground flipping it causing it to land perfectly on its bottom with his first try.
Even the water bottle is scared of him! She watched her water bottle in betrayal as they became one with his perfect hands.
"If those words weren't true, you wouldn't be fighting so hard not to blush don't you think?" He continued to flip the water bottle over and over again landing it perfectly each time. He was flawlessly composed.
She eyed him carefully watching his egotistical expression drop. It was more soft as it eyed the bottle not with determination, but he himself was aware of how perfect he was effortlessly. Life wasn't hard for him, it was boring to him. Nothing was a challenge at all. Was really happy with his life? Or was this all an act?
"Are you happy?" She blurted watching his eyes widened. He failed his flip as the bottle fell on its side. "I-I'm sorry. I shouldn't have asked something like that."
"You sure do say a lot of strange things Kanae." He lightly chuckled.
Those words didn't come out as playful as he usually was. Instead of picking up the bottle and continuing to stunt his perfect flips, he tapped on it with his index finger. His demeanour was different, like his shell cracked. For a moment, or those many moments they stayed in silence, he really thought about that question.
Was he happy?
Kanae could tell her words hit him one way or another. Had she intended to be so direct? For someone like Gojo, she hadn't expected his mood to drop. She never expected to see his vibrant eyes dull. What had his life been and what was to come? The silence and the subtle tapping on the plastic was strange to her. Gojo was annoying but she preferred him being cheeky freely, rather than this. It wasn't her place to know who he was.
Her hands trailed over his gripping onto it forcing him to stop the tapping. His eyes gently widened at the warmth her hands brought to his. He was cold which was odd to Kanae who viewed him as a ball of sunshine and chaos, who burnt people with his perfection and heat.
She began to rub her thumbs on the back of his hand trying to calm him down. There was no reason to, he wasn't panicked, but his demeanour was disturbed. It was like what he had done for her in the bar. Maybe he done it because he knew it was relaxing. Holding his hand in hers above the fallen water bottle made her ponder into thought herself.
Who was Gojo Satoru really?
As much as he was disrespectful, his words carried truth. The image she had developed of him were of how others perceived him. Shoko said he was a womanizer, Geto said to watch for him, and he watched as the group teased him as he was the ultimate teaser himself.
Was it all a front? When all of that's gone, is there someone left? Is there someone behind that?
In the middle of the empty gym room, they were in this trance as she caressed his hand. It was a subtle gesture but it was something. For Gojo it was something he never felt before. He had been physical with girls which was more than a simple touch of the hand, but what Kanae was doing made him feel strange. His chest that once felt tightened from her question relaxed and tingled at her grasp. There was a weird sensation Kanae brought him and he would never admit it, but he could tell she was good company. A good soul in this unfortunate world.
"Listen, I'm going to say this just once." Kanae stated firmly as Gojo's gaze raised from their hands and to her face.
She refused to stare at him knowing she would chicken out from her words. She wasn't sure if it was the right thing he needed to hear, but for her it felt like the right thing to say.
"You are the strongest or one of the strongest, right? Just because your whole life has been bounded to this world of curses, doesn't mean there isn't other stuff you can have. I know I basically said it's selfish to try to have things like a family and live this life, but it's not impossible. Under all that cockiness, I know you are a genuine guy. You wouldn't be doing this for no reason right? You care about people to a degree. Just for having the mindset to care about others that you don't know about, that makes you strong. Saving people's names you'll never know, that makes you strong. Then again, you are also human."
She continued to ramble on with Gojo's eyes never wavering from her face. He was taking in everything. Her words, how they rolled off her tongue and passed through her lips. No one had talked to him in such a way, and it was a strange sensation feeling his heart skip a beat waiting for her next words.
"I'm saying a lot but, you can have whatever you like right? It's not impossible to keep relationships and even have a family on your own. The right person will come along and as long as you both are aware of the risks that comes with this life, you have your forever person."
She was now holding his hand with one of hers whilst trailing circles with the other. Her eyes met his glazed ones. He wasn't emotional, more of intrigued in her words. When did Kanae hold such inspirational words? Did she really mean those for him?
"You deserve happiness okay? Being physically strong is easy for you, but mental strength is a different battle. It must be hard when you go about it alone. I'm sure it gets lonely at the top."
Those words rang familiar to him. Shoko had said something similar to that. He ignored Shoko feeling she was teasing him as usual but now hearing Kanae say it, maybe she was right.
He noticed a piece of hair lapsed over her ear. He reached towards her gently brushing it behind. She noticed the gesture returning her red cheeks. As she spoke, she hadn't realized how close he had gotten to her leaving their faces only inches away. She couldn't break eye contact from him and he couldn't from her.
It was a strange moment, that they both couldn't explain. If they had, they might've really being inching to something more intimate. His hand rested just below her ear scrapping her jawbone as his palm mainly gripped her cheek.
"Can I try something?"
He forced the lump down his throat as his warm breath brushed against her cheek. His scent filtered her nose. She never noticed how minty he smelled. A clean and fresh scent for someone who looked so ethereal and unreal. More than ever now, she could never deny how perfect Gojo looked. He was a man of dreams. Something like him surely shouldn't exist.
She bit her lower lip with a small nod. Gojo's expression wasn't what she had expected. He was nervous. He slowly began to lean in closer to her.
"Close your eyes and keep them closed." He instructed causing her to softly close her eyes.
Was he really going to what she was thinking? As much as she was stubborn, she had some sort of attraction to Gojo. Maybe it was leftover lust from the Halloween party three weeks ago. She could feel a part of her wanting to hold onto him and feel his touch. She was curious about his thoughts and what he had wanted to do to her. The moments he moved closer to her felt like forever. It only urged her to be prepared for what he was going to do next.
Gojo watched her expression. She was preparing for it. He hadn't expected Kanae to let him get as far as he had. Every time before then, she always kept her defences up no matter how much he tried to push past them, Now, it was like she gave in to him. It wasn't that he couldn't do it, it was just that she made him feel a way he didn't know possible.
"...We should probably train."
Kanae's eyes fluttered open as Gojo pulled away from her. She noticed his cheeks tinted pink as he stood up clearing his voice.
"We could see who's stronger. Me or you, but of course I'm sure you know the victor." He returned to his cheeky self sending her a lopsided grin. He reached his hand down pulling her up.
"Whatever. This is a battle of the minds so don't be so confident." She scoffed standing before him.
A part of her felt disappointed that they hadn't gone through with it, but she was also relieved.
If he was going to kiss me, that would be bad.
As she turned away to clear the ground and pack some of her items, Gojo frowned at her back.
That was probably for the best.
✩
✩
✩
𝚃𝚑𝚊𝚗𝚔 𝚢𝚘𝚞 𝚏𝚘𝚛 𝚛𝚎𝚊𝚍𝚒𝚗𝚐.
♥ Dainty