Chapter Text
The first time Maki met you was long before you had been forced to marry her deplorable cousin.
You were the younger sister of her teacher, and Gojo brought you around constantly, but it seemed as though you simply worried for his health.
Back then you were simply Little Gojo. You were only two years older than Maki, yet you were so weak she could hardly believe that you were the sister of the Gojo Satoru. He was strong, like an impenetrable wall of stone. You were soft, like an easily crushed flower.
And Naoya had crushed you mercilessly.
Maki remembers the celebration that followed the birth of your little girl, Runa. The Zen'in clan never celebrated the birth of girls, but Runa had been different. She was both the daughter of a skilled Zen'in and a descendant of the Gojo clan. Such a special child, regardless of gender, was something to be celebrated.
Maki remembers the smile on your face anytime you glanced towards the baby, despite Runa sharing the face of the man that had so happily destroyed you. The loving look of a mother that had only one shred of light in her life.
Despite all of this, Maki remembers how you made her feel.
The soft maternal kindness was something Maki was unused to, and to see it wasted on someone like Naoya was so irritating.
It angered her.
It angered her everytime she heard Naoya take you to bed.
It angered her whenever she saw him parade baby Runa around like some sort of trophy.
It angered her to know that you were helpless against him, only because you wanted to protect your baby girl.
'Destroy everything... big sister.'
With the loss of Mai, something inside of Maki had snapped.
Naoya had been the last to go.
"You are truly pathetic, as a sorcerer and as a husband." Maki says in a calm stanza, her fist still dripping with Naoya's blood. His face was unrecognizable, all teeth and flesh. He was now just as ugly as he was on the inside; the thought makes her smile a bit.
"Did you think just because Gojo is sealed, no one would want to keep her safe from you? (Name) is no one's property. Not Gojo's, not yours, no one's."
Maki grabs at her sword, a blank expression on her scarred face as she lifts her muscled arms into the air.
"I want you to know that you are a failure."
The blade comes down on his already beaten skull, and Naoya dies pathetically, his fingers grabbing at the air as his brain is muddled into clumpy flesh.
𓆩♡𓆪
The screaming was almost too much for you to bear, the sound of flesh being split and the scent of blood heavy in the air had you sick as you rocked Runa in your arms. The little girl clings to your dress, her tiny eyes focused on you as you whispered promises of ice cream and kittens and everything nice that was waiting for her once you got out of this hellhole.
The silence was worse.
When the screams turned to static and the blood dried, you could feel the certainty of death coming for you. You didn't know who had come to claim the Zen'in clan, or why, but you were one by marriage, and your poor little daughter was by blood.
They would surely come for you next.
You think of Naoya then, and of his cruelty.
'You will stay at my feet, where you belong, Woman.'
And you had, if only to spare Mai from his wrath. You knew she was gone, now, you could feel it in your heart.
How it ached.
You missed your brother.
You missed the protection he gave you.
You missed your family.
Knock, Knock
You curl your arms around Runa, gently kissing the black hair on her head. A sob leaves you, knowing your end, as well as your little girl's, was nearing ever closer.
As cruel as he was, Naoya would never let anyone touch you.
You were his to hurt, as he would often say.
"(Name)."
You jump with a gasp, a hand instantly turning to unlock the door as soon as you heard the voice of Maki through the thick wood. She couldn't be here! What if the killer saw her and came after her as well? She would be...
The girl you'd come to be quite close with in recent years was covered in blood, bits of flesh and brain matter could be seen on her black clothes, a sword still tucked into its sheath at her side. Her face was scarred beyond repair, yet she still held that stern beauty of hers.
"Maki?"
You sob harder, finally feeling safe since returning to the Zen'in compound. Runa squirms in your arms happily at the sight of Maki, and you hush her, knowing already what has occurred.
"It's okay."
And you believed her.