Chapter Text
Days like these were rare. The Great Gojo Satoru, the of pinnacle of Jujutsu sorcery, the balance for Humanity and Cursed spirits, untouchable and even capable of healing his own self, was self sufficient for every mission one could imagine.
Or atleast every mission he could imagine.
His long time confidant and teacher begged to differ.
"The mission involves a haunted mansion. This house has been around for a while you see, it's from 1000 or so years ago, all old traditional stuff, nice woodwork, large area around it...and it has been abandoned for atleast 4 centuries if not 1000 years. Yet it is in shape, quite beautiful to look at, with artistically trimmed stone work and everything. The few people who have been there never came back there are a few missing reports from around the area and..."
"So i can just go and excorcise it right? E-mail the address to me." The young 22 year old man with bandaged eyes said in a sticky voice, while he kept chewing on the hefty bite from the Chocolate-caramel bar he was carrying.
"It's a wonder that i used to think you have a fine head over your shoulders. Huh...don't you think something is off about this place?"
"Well it has has a cursed spirit or spirits so yeah, "something" is off about it" he unwraps more of his bar for another bite while mumbling "and i used to think you have a good head over..."
"Shut up! Think a bit more! Why do you think it has only now been discovered if it's that old and apparently people even disappeared. With it's majestic glory why didn't it attract more attention?"
"It's shy. It put a veil on." Gojo says smirking. "Don't worry it won't be able to resist my charms. I have my ways." he says the last part is a husky whisper.
Yaga sighs "I don't have time for this so just listen up, will you? It's likely an incomplete domain and the Cursed spirit, there may be more, but the main one is actually attached to the house in some manner. It.."
"Dealing with this type..." he says while chewing and tilting his head a bit backwards "requires destroying the object of attachment or sealing it. Otherwise the cursed spirit eventually regenerates." He looks at Yaga now and says "I was going to destroy the whole mansion anyway." And nodds, still chewing.
Yaga is a bit tensed now and swallows before speaking again "Well that's the problem, you can't destroy it. The research team of Jujutsu tech appealed that the house, garden and ponds and trees included, have historical value. Apparently it belonged to a supposed Jujutsu sorcerer and you understand what mean don't you?"
"A sorcerer from the Golden age?"
"Yes. It's research evidence. Speculatively, a set-up maze by the a Sorcerer who was famous for what you can call 'Cursed Energy designing'. He was a cursed tool weapon specialist."
"Wait so you are saying that it's an impartial domain + house infused with Cursed techniques like a cursed weapon? And it has somehow managed to make it for 4 centuries to a millenia, keeping even stone structures in good shape and everything?"
"Now you get it? You can't destroy the place. We want to study the the house and architecture and obtain whatever cursed objects it has to offer. "
Gojo is finally turning the gears in his head and is about to say something before Yaga says, "You're getting a partner. One from research society who is knowledgeable about cursed objects and seals and has a technique which can handle doing things without leaving destruction in it's wake."
"Why do i even need to go." He huffs, "I get it, it isn't something i can handle by myself, but if it doesn't require destruction of that level..."
"Because of the cursed spirit, we are assuming it to be a special grade."
"Makes sense. But i think several grade 1 sorcerers would be able to handle..."
"Satoru, i know it's been long since you collaborated with someone but you don't have to be such a chicken about it. What's your problem? You'll just have to talk to this person and work in unison, it will be harder on them than it's on you anyway." He says running his hand over his forehead "not just because they aren't as strong but also because they'll have to deal with you."
"Hey that's not true. I have collaborated a lot recently." Gojo lies, but not at the same time, "In fact, the reason i am reluctant is that it feels like i would be cheating on Megumi-chan." He says in an overdramatic voice while clasping his hands together, chocolate wrapper already thrown in the dustbin of the office.
Yaga, who got confused for a moment upon hearing the female name, recollects himself with a sigh and says, "Yeah, i had to warn you against that too, don't take Fushiguro with you, there are too many variables in this case."
Gojo looks uncomfortable but readjusts himself and asks, "So who is this partner anyway? They weak?"
"I would say that by your standards they are weak. But crucial for this mission, nonetheless. "
"Huh? I get it. So i am just a bodyguard now?"
" Whatever you want to treat it as. Teleport to Kyoto Tech tomorrow morning, the cursed mansion is somewhere in the outskirts of Kyoto. Your partner will guide you through it....", Yaga sees Gojo walking away as if he finally heard what he wanted to hear from the beginning, "Oye, wait, you need to know a bit more about the timing and your partner."
"It will work out." He says waving his hand dismissively.
"Your poor partner" Yaga huffs thinking of her.
Next day,
0900 hours
Utahime had been preparing for this mission for a long time. As a teacher at Kyoto tech, she rarely ever took up Excorcism missions anymore. She anyway had always been more involved in research activities related to curses and cursed objects than battlefield.
Having been the head for the conductive studies of this mansion and visiting near the location previously, she couldn't contain her excitement. She always had this flare when it came to stuff related to the Golden age. She couldn't wait to see the splendid architecture which has been maintained by cursed energy imbued back in the Heian period.
But before she could unravel the mystery of the House, exorcism is important. And no matter how she tried to convince herself, her migraine just kept coming back the moment she pictured him.
It's not like she hasn't been on mission with him before, but it's worse than those times because
1. Last time she was not alone, she had her friend.
2. He too had a friend he could pester instead of her.
3. He didn't walk around with a looming void of that friend in his personality.
She had thought of bringing someone else with her for support, but decided against it when she compared the scenarios of him teasing her and him embarrassing her in front of someone else. She gritted her teeth and decided to go with the former.
The plan was simple.
Steps:
1. She meets him Thursday morning
2. Afternoon, they go to the location which is about 3-4 hours by car. He can't teleport there because he can't teleport to places he has never been to, additionally some survey of the surrounding area is required.
3. They plan and rest at this sorcerer's ancestral clan house nearby which she stayed in the last time she was there.
4. They go to the site next morning
As for the battle plan it has to be improvised almost 99% of the time in all missions anyway. The lack of info in this case doesn't help either.
5. They leave (assuming they both make it alive. No doubt if someone is dying then that's her) and come back.
6. She gets busy and dosen't see him again. At all. For a long time atleast.
But for now she has to greet him and explain the abovementioned. She takes aspirins and a roll-on balm with her, just in case.
0915 hours
"Utahiiime" he says with his back arched towards her and smirk lingering, seemingly he was about to say something but he dosen't, he keeps looking.
She, who was looking sideways with a scowl, waiting for some stupid comment, turns to look at him, and is grossed out by his covered eyes trained on her as if assessing something.
She takes a step backwards and asks "what? If something is wrong with my cursed energy then just look with your six eyes. Fast." She is actually a bit worried as she did go to visit the periphery of the site only two days ago, and if she brought with her some high level curse good at hiding it's presence then she would have to suck up and rely on Gojo to get rid of it. Relying on him is inevitable during the mission, but to think it starts here itself! She is already feeling her inferiority complex perking up without him having even said anything like that yet.
Gojo does that, he takes away his bandages immediately and starts looking at Utahime even more intensely.
Her cursed energy?
Like it usually is. All fine.
He didn't even need to remove bandages for that.
The red suit she is wearing?
Red coat, cream white shirt and red pants. Her hair is braided in a fishtail and falls till her ribs on the front, her bangs a bit disheveled and fluffy, and with her glowing moist skin, pinkish raw-looking scar artistically sprayed on her left countenance, half-lidded clear eyes with mosit eyelashes, along with the dispersing flowery-vanilla scent, it's obvious that she was in the shower less than an hour ago.
All fine.
"So?" With her brow crinkled she says and the movement of her lips finally makes Gojo move his gaze above from her sculpted collarbone. Resting his eyes on her small, reddish-pink lips that looked like cherry on a whipped cream cake against her pale skin, he said "Mmmm.."
"Huh? What does that mean? Is everything fine with my body then?"
Remembering what she was referring to Gojo just says "Fine. Very Fine"
Utahime sighs in relief and says "So, do you have something to ask?"
"Yeah" he pauses.
"Go ahead." She asks, a bit pissed that he needed the prompt.
"Let's go for coffee."
"No!" She feels a faint throbbing in her head, "You have more important stuff to ask before anything like that, don't you?"
"Do I?" He says pushing his hand in his hair and dawning an inquisitive look.
"Aren't you here on a mission?" She feels a vein pop up, brows furrowed.
"You knew?" A smirk plasters his face, "Utahime, have you been keeping tabs on me in order to meet me when I arrived? Am I the reason you changed your attire? How the turntab-" he shuts up when her right boot falls at the boundary of his infinity.
It's on now, a full-fledged migraine is constant and official.
"Did you know that you have a partner? Knowing you, you probably didn't listen to Yaga Sensei, but guess what? You aren't here on a solo mission." She said with gritted teeth and eyes shut tight, as she placed her left hand on her hip and balled right into a fist.
He picks her boot up and places it next to her right foot, "Geez, still a hysteric? Do you have any misconceptions about me being a masochist? I am an alpha male from every angle-"
"Yeah, yeah i know, i know. Let's discuss your sexual preferences and kinks more in detail once you've answered my questions, okay?"
She says with her eyes still shut, while aggressively rolling the roll-on on her forehead.
Gojo blushes a bit at her forwardness, though he knows she is just pissed. He decides to get serious for now, "I knew i had a partner, yes. So are you here to take me to them. I guess as the new head teacher that must be a part of your duties, is that so?"
Utahime can tell that she finally got him on track. Now, she needs to make the most of it before he enters his jackass mode again. Whether Yaga Sensei kept the information of her being his partner from him on purpose or not, she needs to make the most of it. She isn't in the mood right now to enter another bull-session with him, over them being partners.
"You got it. Come, follow me." She said and started walking towards the parking lot of the school. She had already stacked her car with the required important components and her belongings, for other things Gojo can just teleport back and forth. Basically, there was not point in not starting towards the destination now.
0945 hours
After following her, he had surprisingly been quite for a long time and they had already been driving for about 25 minutes. It was to be a 3-4 hours of driving and as much as Utahime would like to catch a break after an hour or so, she knew for a fact that Gojo didn't know how to drive.
That made sense, didn't it? Most of the places he has to be at are either someplace in the map of Tokyo and rest of Japan or overseas. For the first his teleportation or Ichiji is enough, whereas for second, driving wasn't an option to begin with.
She couldn't believe it, she was the one who had to break the silence. What was this guy up to? Even the stereo wasn't playing.
"Uhumm..."
He turned to face her from the window, and then just turned back.
What's wrong with him?
"Gojo."
"Yeah"
"Don't you want to ask me about your partner."
"No, not really."
"Oh! Not important enough? Dosen't matter to you? I am fine with that as long as you know about the mission well enough, so tell me what you know."
Gojo recounted his conversation with Yaga, and barely passed with his haphazard explanation.
"Okay, fine. You have the basic idea. Your partner? don't know anything about them?"
"More involved in research that exorcism. I am basically a bodyguard on this mission."
"No, exorcism is still required and you'll have to participate, especially if it's a special grade. So you're still a sorcerer."
"Maybe, but i am fine being a bodyguard. I will do what i have to protect my partner."
"Oh! Will you? What's with the sudden virtuousness? I thought you would say something like "I'll do what I can if they manage to keep up.""
"Well, yeah, that's generally my motto for teamwork, you're right. But i know for a fact that this partner won't be able to keep up, however I can't risk their safety, they are important. I have got used to working like that because of Megumi."
"Youuu! Have some prejudice against your partner. Funny since you still don't who they are." Driving speed: increased, Teeth: gritted, what's coming: seen, Migraine: welcome back!
"Utahime, do you think I am that stupid. I might not know your cursed technique but I know what you specialize in. And, Why would you be driving me around for over half an hour if you aren't my partner." He grins.
"So you caught on! Forget it, I shouldn't have asked. Go back to looking outside the window."
"No. I want to ask something."
"You don't."
"I do."
"Why didn't you till now?"
"I was hoping you to bring this up and then ask as a follow-up."
"Aah! Did i dig my own grave! Ask away, fast." She wants to avoid this because she has a fair guess about what he wants to ask her, if he waited for her to bring this up and then tell her that he had guessed the knowledge of her being his partner, then there's only one thing he would want to know at this point:
"What's your cursed technique."
"I don't know."
Silence. There is silence for a long while. She had to do it at some point, now that they were on a mission together with just the two of them, but maybe she should have put it forth in a better manner.
He starts laughing. Heavy, breathless laugh. And it takes him full four mintues to recompose himself. Meanwhile, she just keeps switching between looking ahead and looking at the clock with a stern expression.
"Utahime, nice one. You really caught me dumbfounded there, of all shocking things I could've thought of! But you know, since we have to work together so you'll ultimately have to tell me."
"You of all people can't be that surprised. With your perception of cursed energy, shouldn't you have known that my cursed technique is...well all cursed techniques are eerie but...mine is sort of unfathomable."
"Uuh...i thought i felt that because it was so less in amount so....well yeah....unfathomably less for a Jujutsu sorcerer. So you don't even have a cursed technique? But you aren't physically fit either, Utahime how did you make it..." a car catalogue this time. Utahime dosen't even wish of hitting him, she just hurls things to shut him up.
"Shut it! Don't you get tired of blabbering so much over nothing." She isn't even mad this time, Gojo sense that she looks tensed and is struggling to explain. "And no, you're wrong, I do have a cursed technique..."
He waits for her to continue.
"Can we talk about it later? You're right, we'll have to ultimately."
"Alright." He nodds and decides this isn't one of the things he should be pushy about.
They drove in relative silence for the rest of the ride with only the sound of music blaring which Uta turned on, Gojo guessed it was to distract herself from whatever visibly disturbing thoughts she was having.
1217 hours
After 2 more hours of driving, they decide to get coffee.
The cafe, being far from the commercial hub area, is a classy one. Gojo, as you'd expect of him, orders an extravagant Frappé with whipped cream, chocolate sauce and wafers on top. Utahime orders a balck coffee.
She is out of it. She keeps looking outside the glass pane at the garden around the café, her right hand on her face around her scar, and the left tapping on the table with a lax rhythm of what he thinks is one of the songs they listened to in the car. He isn't used to not getting attention, and Utahime might very well have forgotten he is even present here. Whether she is truly lost in thoughts or just wants to avoid any questions from Gojo, whatever it is it's working in unnerving Gojo.
In general, he doesn't mind being an ass around Utahime but he is seeing her after over a year, an with the whole strange conversation in the car, the mission at hand and everything, he should really try to be a gentleman for once and not annoy her.
Their order comes and she just keeps looking outside, not sparing him a glance, not even the usual disapproval of his sugar-loaded beverage, just a nod in the direction of the waitress with a rueful smile when the waitress places her Coffee on the table. She goes back to looking at whatever is such an artistic marvel in the garden rivaling Gojo's beauty perhaps, while gently cricling the rim of the cup with her finger, left elbow on table now, palm under her chin.
Now, Gojo is no better, he realizes he has been staring at her non-stop, and somehow at this point, with his need to get attention washed away, he is feeling turned on.
This was no good, he needed to take control of the situation before not-so-funny funny thoughts high jacked his brain...and body.
Falling into his old teasing routine would have done the job, something like
"What voyeuristic show are you catching from that lawn? Mind if i join."
But no, he just slid his Frappé and leaned close to her. Too close.
Earning what? A a side glance.
So, next he takes the very obvious route for this situation, like in every dating game.
He leaned more.
Scratch dating game. Gojo had enough real life experience in dealing with women, though he has never been in a situation like this one before, he has also never been in a situation where a girl didn't blush when he was this close...wait this close? Most become a mush once he is sitting at the table distance from them!
What's with this woman? she is being ridiculous, not doing anything at all, not even irritated.
No, wait, she has turned a bit! He didn't relize that his mouth was close to her ear after his advancement in lean. She is thinking that he is going to whisper something into her ear. He looks at her expression, and it's rather alert. Is she expecting some warning about curses or curse users?
So professional!
What's funnier is that Gojo, who had both hands placed on the table, brings one to his eyes and pushes down his sunglasses....yes to look for something Jujutsu related in the room. What did he lean forward for again?
After approximately 15 seconds, by the time he has the scent of her hair as the only information present in his parietal lobe, she says something
"So?" A whisper, which makes her breath trickle down his neck.
And yes, his preital lobe betrays him, the scent is all but present only the touch of her breath remains, and he is a MUSH. He could actually sob right then and there if you asked him to, he is seeing meadows and skies bluer than his own eyes and everything (that's not even possible to see, not from our earth atleast).
"Gojo?" She says leaning backwards when he dosen't say anything.
She can see his MUSH state and mistakes the reason for it to be....yes the Great Gojo Satoru being scared! But she scratches that soon and cowers to the next best thing, emotional? Did he and Getou visit cafés like this one. Getou did like classy stuff, as she remembers.
"Gojo, do you see something...that uneases you ?" She asks dubiously, with a voice a bit too tender.
Gojo, more of a mush now, just turns towards her, close to her scar, and decides he'll let her throw her warm coffee on his beautiful face, as he turns his infinity off and says in the deepest voice he has ever produced (bar bedroom groans) "You."
"Huh?" She says, eyebrows raised, skin pale, fear apparent (to anyone but Gojo).
Believe Utahime when she says that she dosen't want to be the overthinker and worrywart pessimist she is, she knows that she tends to miss on more subtle and obvious details because of it. But here she goes again ..."Did he finally understand something about my cursed technique? Not so soon! I can't explain it to him right now...is he going to force it out of me?"
"Did i tell you that you're looking beautiful today?" Gojo says as he starts bringing his hands to a now panicking Utahime and places his hand on her scarred cheek as he starts leaning in...
In Utahime's brain, she has convinced herself that Gojo is planning on capturing her and forcing her into telling her all the details of her cursed energy. To clear her obnoxiousness, her cursed technique really is that strange and maybe in a way dangerous. But whatever makes her think that Gojo would think of her as a threat all of a sudden? Perhaps, it is her insecurities regarding herself, which Gojo over here has only always fueled.
As for what's to come, she knows better than to fight or resist Gojo Satoru, she registered whatever hazy voice she heard from him a moment ago as a threat, and compliantly (not compliant to what he is truly about to do) closes her eyes.
And there it goes...
No two people would have been on more different pages while kissing than these two over here.
Utahime has actually still not left the "Gojo knows" train she hopped on. She is thinking "what technique is this? Will it bind my cursed energy to him? Is he sucking my cursed energy away? Probably, otherwise why would his cursed energy get so rampant all of a sudden." And ofcourse she isn't reciprocating the kiss.
Gojo on the other hand, is just blank. He has kissed Utahime before, Time: Many times Since he was a first year at Jujutsu tech and she was a fourth year, Location: his air castles. But the way the situation built up, isn't something he planned for their first kiss (well ofcourse he didn't, mostly he was more of a 'Kinght in a shining armor'making her confuse the cause of her beating heart, or Utahime just couldn't resist any longer and gave in. He wasn't himself a mush in any of those imaginations!). Not that he is complaining because it feels too good to complain... about anything that ever happened in his lifetime.
As he tries to deepen the kiss, Utahime has opened her eyes and finally put two and two together, after cancelling out the trigonometric expressions, quadratic and biquadratic expressions with iota for the better, and breaks away.
Gojo is so far gone that he follows her movement and only opens his eyes after she puts her fingers on his lips, he sees that she is looking at him in disgust and finally comes back to this world from Tengoku.
Keeping his promise, he lets Utahime push him away and drown his stately, argentous hair in black coffee.
She stood to walk away to the restrooms in agitation (she actually wasn't that mad because while she failed to make sense of his actions, she was still catharised that it wasn't what she feared).
The whole café was entertained, all eyes on them, a waitress too eager to clean the splattered coffee. And for the first time Gojo Satoru was embarrassed because of attention! Whereas Utahime just wanted to go away fast.
"Go clean yourself and think over what you did. I need a proper explanation once I am back."
"Well for starters, it definitely was the opposite of what should make you guilt-trip me like a naughty kid." He says and winks at her with a simper.
"I am the senior here. " She screams, grimces and walks away without seeing the the flush that covered his face, because it has come to meet her again....yeah, her migraine.