Eyeing Riko's limp corpse in Gojo's arms, ___ feels her blood boil, her jaw clenching and her fingers curling til it marked red crescents onto the skin of her palm. The crowd of people around them applaud, mocking the three students with innocent smiles, oblivious to the pain and suffering they'd gone through just to protect Riko.
Geto's words passes over ___'s head. She didn't care if it was pointless or not, if there has to be a reason or not just because they were jujutsu sorcerers.
"I'll kill them."
Geto's eyes widen a fraction at the sight of the girl raising her fingers, her eyes glowing red.
"___, it'll just prove that you should be executed." Geto glares at the girl harshly, his hands itching to grab her own.
"I don't care. If it means I'll be executed, then I'll gladly let them kill me."
Gojo's bleak eyes burn holes through her head, and she found it unpleasant. Gojo never looked so disheartened, so miserable before. It didn't suit someone like him.
This isn't just for my own peace of mind, she thought, her fingers slowly coming down before she flicks her wrist. This is for Gojo, Geto, Kuroi and Riko.
Blood splatters onto her cheeks yet again.
That same night, ___ turns herself in to Yaga, who merely frowns and dips his head low in disappointment.
That was the last time Gojo and Geto saw her - frail wrists bound behind her back with a thick rope filled with talismans as she willingly trudges towards solitary confinement.
Gojo never forgot the somber expression on her face, the look of utter defeat.
2 months later
Gojo's light footsteps echo in the dark hallway, his vision clear despite the pitch black glasses resting on his nose. He ignored the risks of getting caught wandering the school past curfew, no one would be up and about guarding the area anyway.
He had seen ___'s melancholic face in his sleep again, plaguing his nightmares countless of nights. He yearned to see her smile once more, to see her cheeks flush red as her eyes sparkle with excitement. Maybe if he had tried to stop her that day instead of letting her slaughter the crowd around them, she would've been asleep in the comfort of her own bed, maybe even his bed if she couldn't sleep that night. There wasn't a day that passed that he didn't blame himself.
The memories flood back into his mind, the sight of of crimson puddles pooling around his feet as ___ takes Riko's cold body into her arms.
An angel of death, was what ran through his mind at that moment.
Ever since, Gojo and Geto never mentioned her name. They knew that in doing so, would only cause grief and unwanted memories to resurface. They didn't want to relive those moments again but the both knew each other all too well : they miss her.
A month in to ___'s imprisonment, they caved in to their sadness. They had snuck alcohol into their dorm room and drank their sorrows away as they cried miserably till the crack of dawn. They had expressed their regrets, spouting what if's and should've's until their throats became dry. The following morning, they went on about their day as if they never shared such a vulnerable moment with each other.
Gojo licks his lips, remembering the strong, burning sensation from the vodka; he found himself craving the alcohol again.
"I thought I told you both not to come back."
Gojo hears the harsh tone of her voice through the metal doors. Both, meaning Geto had probably came by before him.
"We both know you could use some company in there." Gojo slides down against the cold surface of the metal door, sitting on the floor to make himself comfortable for the rest of the night.
"I'm doing just fine, Gojo-senpai."
Gojo hears the wrinkling behind the door, telling him that ___ had sat by the door. Silence washes over them, but Gojo doesn't mind. He just wanted to be in her presence.
"Why do you still continue to fight to prevent my execution?" ___ asked, fiddling with the white robe hanging loosely over her shoulders. Beside her crawls a tiny spider, it's thin legs grazing over her skin ever so lightly, as if to comfort her in the room void of light. She lets it climb her finger, feeling the tickling sensation.
She was supposed to be executed the following day of her imprisonment.
"Is there a reason why I shouldn't?" Gojo retorts, gazing at his hands.
"I killed my own family, I killed hundreds of innocent people - that should be enough reason."
Gojo sighs inaudibly.
"Would you really consider them innocent?"
___ lays on the cold floor, shutting her eyes in contemplation as the spider crawls on the fabric of her robe. After a moment of silence, she opens her mouth.
"No, of course not."
Gojo brings a hand to his face, hiding his eyes as he tries to get the vivid image of blood out of his mind.
".. I miss you, Satoru." ___ mumbles.
He chuckles.
"You'll see me soon, butterfly."
___ flutters her eyes open at his words, lifting her head up curiously like a cat.
"What do you mean?" she asks, peeking through the thinnest of gaps underneath the door, seeing his grey sweatpants.
"You'll see me soon, butterfly." he repeats, this time, with a confident tone. He'll let her figure it out herself.
"You did not." she hisses.
"Oh, but I did."
___ feels her heart swell as she bit her lip to prevent the whimper threatening to escape her throat. This boy had done nothing but save her, and she couldn't help but wonder why he'd go through such lengths. She was a murderer, someone who brings nothing but chaos and evil.
"Satoru.." she whispers.
"You'll be let out in the afternoon. Just make sure not to waste this second chance, yeah? The higher ups are a pain in the ass to deal with."
Gojo hears her whisper his name continuously like a mantra, her voice cracking.
"I'm madly in love with you, you know? What kind of senpai would I be if I just stood around and did nothing?" Gojo huffs.
For the first time in months, ___ found herself laughing.
"You're still on about that? We've only known each other for three months, senpai. Two of which weren't spent together, mind you." ___ pets the spider gently with the pad of her fingertip.
"So?"
".. You're a peculiar one, Gojo-senpai."
The boy gazes at the moon shining through the cracks of the dark clouds, a smile making its way onto his lips.
"So you've said."