Chapter Text
"That sounds interesting, but ” You sigh, plunging your back towards the wall and relaxing into the feathered comfort of your pillow "I don’t feel like going, so I’ll stay here instead"
"Aw, come on Y/N!!" Hinata beseeched, attacking you with the combination of pouty lips and puppy eyes for dramatic effect "It's going to be fun!"
"I don’t doubt that" you reiterate, eyes falling down onto your pink Gameboy, the same one you couldn't stop from customizing as soon as you found someone that did such work—showing how unaffected you were by her adorable manipulation. “But I’d rather do this instead” you then nudge towards your newest distraction, waving before her a brand new copy of the game of the season: Pokémon Emerald.
It was the first time you’d be able to play after days and days of waiting to get your hands on it—an expected occurrence for the preceding games were an absolute success, meaning that it was bound to sell out as soon as it hit store shelves—and you weren’t about to waste the opportunity of playing it on your first free day of summer!
A date that would’ve arrived earlier… had the reason for your struggling not been your father.
Eiichi was the kind of father that was very supportive of his children’s lifestyle, even if he didn’t understand most of it personally.
However, his encouragement shifted when he came across an unfavorable article about the growing otaku community, one that painted them as weirdos with no bright future and were “effectively” heading towards souring the population.
A tabloid with no intention of actually understanding them, or objectively stating that there’s always a radical end to these groups and that not all of them were like that.
But given his worrisome nature towards his children, especially you, his youngest… well, let’s say that he didn’t need to read more to grow weary of your involvement with those kind of people and the danger they could entail to your persona, thus, under the pretense of your hobby becoming too distracting of your studies, he prohibited you from joining the wait line of your favorite video game store, leaving you stranded in the island of seclusion as the world basked in the newest, marvelous installment of your favorite franchise.
But where there is a will, there is a way, and it wouldn’t take long before you’d find yourself discreetly texting a close friend of yours and asking them to get you a copy of this highly sought-for game in exchange for monetary compensation plus an extra for the inconvenience .
Days later, the unsealed cartridge is in your hands.
“Why are you always so against going to the stable anyways?” Hinata ponders, as she always does whenever you reject her invitations, hoping to finally catch an explanation, for in her mind, there is no way you can’t like such a fun activity. “Is it the smell?"
"No, not really” You didn’t mean for the following statement to be a brag, but you think you’ve had worse. Curses can be quite… intolerable in the odor department.
"Then what is it?" Hinata shoots another question "You don’t even have to ride the horses if you don’t want to, just be there, yeah? Although I would really like it if you did…"
"It's because of that, that I don't like going" You sigh, laying the Gameboy down to your lap before looking up to her "I wouldn’t mind accompanying you, but I know it’s inevitable that you’d ask me to ride one. And let’s say I agree to do so, I always feel like I'm going to fall, no matter how hard I try to hold on to the horse! At the end of the day, if I’m not going to be riding… what’s the purpose of me being there?"
"It's all about the stance, the legs!" Hinata interjects, hoping to ease your worry and convince you to give it a try "You just gotta connect with the horse, you know? And it’ll only be a matter of seconds before you feel the wind!"
"That literally—I feel like I’m back at square one" You chuckle, amused by Hinata’s tendency to ramble when she’s talking about things that excite her… and how she doesn’t make any sense when doing so. Nonetheless, you’re grateful for her attempt to cheer you up, however, you delegate this matter as one of those things that only those who experienced them can understand. "Well, whatever that means... thank you, but I won't be going"
"Not even if I tell you that horse-riding amateur Gojo Satoru will be... joining us?"
You perk up your ears.
"...Satoru?" you repeat, steadily, but slowly. A gotcha smile appears on Hinata's lips.
"The one and only. I invited him over a few days ago, which ended up aligning with some political matters that he has to tend here. He’s going to stay a few days so I thought, why not show him the stable?” She explains "I'm still surprised the Gojo's don't have any horses on their property, but they do have that huge temple instead…” Hinata sighs in disappointment—mourning the missed opportunity to gallop through the impressive meadow they had under their ownership.
"Not everyone is as obsessed as you are with animals, sis" You smirk and she shoots you a sharp glance.
"I'm not obsessed, just passionate ” She defends her devotion "Anyways, now that you know he's coming over, do you still want to sit this one out?"
You look down to your lap and begin to analyze her invitation.
Spending the rest of your day locked in your room to play your long awaited game is what you’d call an ideal start for your summer vacation.
However… Now that your sister approached you with the possibility of seeing the narcissistic Gojo make a fool of himself (yet again) via an activity that’s known to be of his dislike… Now that’s something that you can’t miss.
Thus, without pondering much on the pros and cons of her offer, you concede. You take the pink device from your lap and place it on the small wooden nightstand beside your bed, followed by standing up to reveal your decision.
“I’ll go then” you say, stretching your arms and legs as far as physically possible and releasing a groan of satisfaction whilst doing so “How did you get him to agree?”
“Oh, he doesn’t know” Hinata nonchalantly confides and you freeze. “Which makes it all the better, he won’t see it coming”
“What?” you blink, frowning “What do you mean he doesn’t know?”
“Let’s say it’s a surprise”
“Seems more of a the thing you’d be into, not the other way around”
“Ooh, let’s just say I wanted to try something different for a change. We always go out to do a thousand things, and while I do like spending time out in the city, why not spend it inside the estate? We have all kinds of entertainment here too! And think about it, we’d be saving money, as well as supporting the local businesses”
If you didn’t know any better, you’d think your sister was trying to hide an ulterior motive behind the sunny notion of supporting one of the many villages under your family’s protection…
“Anyways, we should get going. Sumire told me that Satoru arrived a few hours ago, so he might be already done with the meeting by now” Hinata makes way towards the door and slides it open, looking back to gesture at you to step out first. You walk through the frame and wait for your sister to follow behind.
Once outside and with the door closed shut, you and Hinata start heading towards the east wing of the estate, passing by various staff members and greeting them, and onto the location of the meeting hall, where conferences tend to always take place—the public ones, at least.
“Why aren’t you there, by the way?” you curiously inquired. If Satoru’s visit were for political reasons, wouldn’t it make sense that all the authoritative figures in the family be present? Such as the heir of the L/N clan, your sister ?
Ah, if only it were that easy.
"I dunno, misogyny?” Hinata shrugs “Dad told me I wouldn't be needed today, and in the same breath, he asked me to not seek an explanation from the elders because I tend to get a bit… angry with them— but it’s not my fault they give me the dumbest excuses to kick me out of meetings, if they were a bit more creative with them then I wouldn’t be that way”
"You should stop terrorizing dad, Hinata" you banter "You know he can’t help but worry for you… however, aggressive negotiations have always been your specialty—guess he should know that by now"
"That sounds too… violent. I would rather call it a diplomatic solution " the two chuckle "But that doesn't matter, I'll get to them later, for now, let's get ready for our horse riding adventure "
"About that… If you don’t mind me asking, why horse riding? Why not something else? You know Satoru doesn't really like it, and I personally would rather do something else where I can be involved”
Hinata goes quiet, and then, she stops. Her eyes emotionlessly set on the floor as she seemingly plunges into the labyrinth of her thoughts. An eerie visage, more so when seconds continue to pass and she doesn’t respond to your question.
You’re about to repeat your inquiry, wan ting to believe that either Hinata didn’t listen to your question, or she was suddenly jolted with the remembrance of a forgotten task (anything to remove that bizarre image of your emotionless sister) but before you’re able to enunciate the first letters of your question, she suddenly glances back at you and gives you an innocent, totally-not-suspicious smile.
"Oh, for no reason. I just thought it would be nice if he did something that I liked with me once in a while, since we always end up doing what he wants, or what Suguru wants. Or Shoko… And I don't really feel like going out today, so… why not?"
“I… guess” You frown, hesitantly accepting her… seemingly fabricated response.
The way your sister can act as if she hadn’t been staring off into nothing like a complete madwoman baffles you, to say the least. It’s so different from the straightforward sister and sorcerer you knew—the one that was assertive with her actions: if anyone had an issue with her, they could deal with her directly.
There’s no doubt now in your mind that she’s hiding something… but what ? And what relationship did that have with Satoru?
It’s no secret between the three siblings that Gojo never liked horse riding. Or any outdoor activity for that matter.
Just like you, his hobbies are inclined more into the world of videogames—him being one of the main instigators of you liking them in the first place.
However, that wasn’t the only reason he disliked partaking in equestrian activities. His distaste for anything that represented an affluent life spread to it as well.
Riding horses was rich people shit , Satoru would say from time to time, and because his hatred for those at the top was immeasurable, it would be unthinkable that he would attempt to duplicate their lifestyle.
It was a wonder how he and Hinata never argued for that reason—although you can guess that the emotional significance of this activity towards your family was what kept him at bay, and eventually, removed him from being invited to partake in this hobby.
«But… that doesn’t clear why she invited me to go in the first place.»
Whatever it was that your sister had planned, whether innocent or not, it had become apparent that she wanted some kind of witness . And you were to play that role.
A witness to something to be revealed yet, an uncontrollable itch in the back of your mind that you didn’t seem to be able to pull away from. Even if you tried to focus on anything else.
Knowing well that asking her again will bring no new information to the case you’re building, you relegate yourself to quietly follow her into the original destination, hoping that time will reveal whatever she’s brewing.
Completely ignoring the glint of mischief in her eyes, for the highly anticipated punishment towards the heir of the Gojo clan is about to take place in a matter of minutes.
"Hey, Satoru!" You’re the first one to chip in as soon as the familiar batch of white hair becomes apparent in the distance. Because of this peculiar description, finding him in crowds was always an easy feat—who else would have white hair, if it wasn’t an elderly person or Satoru himself?
Upon hearing his name being called by the recognizable tune of his future sister-in–law, Satoru’s head turns.
When you and your sister expected him to replicate the same kind of greeting you gave him upon setting eyes on them, which was by energetically waving your arm, he decided to surprised the two by racing towards your direction, and with less than necessary time to react, he swiftly raises you into his arms and begins to twirl you on the spot—a gesture that immediately has you regretting making the first contact.
“Hiii Y/N-chaaaan!!” He’d shamelessly attempt to greet whilst tormenting you, as if you were able to say anything else than groans and pleads for him to stop, for you were getting dizzier by the second and you really weren’t looking forward to alleviating yourself on him.
Satoru would eventually let you down, but the damage was already done—the world was spinning around you, and you wanted it to stop by stretching your arms towards your sister and leaning on her to regain your balance.
You’d begin to feel better, unfortunately, your reaction was not enough to quench Satoru’s insatiable appetite for trouble, and would soon attempt to do the same towards your sister.
But always the one to abstain from his childish antics, Hinata manages to avoid his clutches by swift movements that remind you of her talent as a sorcerer.
“Nope” she says, moving to the right.
“Just one—”
“Nu-uh” Hinata reiterates, now moving to the left “Not a chance”
“Not even for your future husband?”
Hinata scoffs and her frown deepens.
“ No ”
And with that, Gojo reluctantly accepts defeat. Hinata’s willful nature once more proves too much for him to handle. Well, it’s not like he didn’t know she was that way—besides, it’s his duty as her future husband to cherish her just the way she is, isn’t it?
Satoru was lucky Hinata wasn’t a mind reader, for she’d smack him for saying such convenient things when it's for his defense.
“Well, now that’s done… How have you two been? It’s been a while since I saw you, Y/N” Satoru, to everyone's surprise, decides to act like a decent human being and ask a courteous question towards the sisters.
“Good, boring” you respond with a shrug ” You know how life can be at the estate”
“More when you’re playing terrible games such as Pokémon Emerald” Gojo smirks, and there it is—the moment he was waiting for to strike. You feel silly for believing that Satoru could be anywhere near modest.
“Oh, Suguru told you, didn’t he?” you frown, moving on to realize there was only one way he would know of your newest acquisition… a betrayal of confidence from someone you’d never expect it.
“I ought to let you know that I was the one that bought the game, little sister ” He arrogantly reveals and your mouth falls agape “If it weren’t for me, you wouldn’t be playing that now”
“I told Suguru to keep it a secret from you!” You shrilled. “I knew you were going to make fun of me if you got to know about it!”
“He did, it’s just that he was having trouble finding it, so I jumped in to help” he explains “Don’t be too harsh on him”
“Aghh, does that mean I owe you a favor now?” you wince in disgust now that you discarded your disappointment for Suguru—it seems he didn’t openly go against your wishes, he only wanted to help you obtain what you wanted. It’s sad that he had to get obnoxious Satoru involved, but if there really was no other way…
It’s the intention that matters in the end.
“If you simply accept that Digimon’s greatness into your heart, I shall consider your debt forgiven”
“Oh my god, just because you like Digimon it doesn’t mean you have to brag about it—nor does it make Pokémon any less good!”
“You’re right. Digimon’s importance is something that needs to go unspoken for, thank you for reminding me” Satoru smirks, and you’re left dumbfounded by the talent he had for twisting your words and curving the environment to his benefit; something worthy of admiration if you must.
And now that you think about it… Very similar to your sister.
From as long as you can remember, Satoru always liked to think of himself as vastly different from her. Far more down to earth, likable, less of a teacher’s pet . And Hinata would believe the same, with the exception of the teacher's pet part, although it ended up being kind of similar, since the elders and other adults alike often doted on Satoru, whether for his prestige or good looks.
However, both fail to realize that they can be as persistent and annoying as one another, at least from your experience. Satoru with you accepting Digimon as the superior franchise, and your sister with horse riding.
«Guess they really are what people call a match made in heaven… or however the saying goes» you conclude as you look back to your sister, who couldn’t look any less amused by Satoru’s repetitive sermon «Hinata would hate me if I ever tell her that»
You smile. Even if they’re annoying as hell from time to time, you couldn’t imagine a life without them.
“Welp, we’re not here to talk about videogames, we’re here to do something far more interesting” Your sister says, clasping her hands together and the noise is enough to draw your and Satoru’s attention back to her.
She looked excited, eager, however, there was something behind the recognizable enthusiasm in her eyes—more than looking forward to spending time with her equestrian friends, she was waiting for what came afterwards, like dessert after a meal.
What could’ve irked your sister so much, to the point of wanting to plot something against Satoru?
A question that does nothing to narrow down the possibilities, when it comes to Satoru of course.
After all, it’s… him that you’re talking about. With him in the equation, it could be anything really. However, considering that it was only Satoru that got invited, and not Geto or Shoko , means that he was the only one involved.
Yet again, doing nothing to pinpoint a possible cause. Well, whatever it was that has your sister bothered, she kept it a well-guarded secret.
“What are we going to do?” Satoru queries, oblivious as you expected him to be. “Are we going to the movies? Shopping? Perhaps some fine dining on this wonderful day? I didn’t bring any fancy clothes” He begins to trail off.
“Nope” She shakes her head, a grin parting her lips. “Something far much better, something that the two of you have been pushing to the side for far too long—but not anymore”
“Oh no, I know that face” Satoru’s voice shivers “Don’t tell me… you’re planning on taking us—”
“Horse riding? Yeah” Hinata announces as she presses her eyebrows together. Sure, she might’ve been somewhat accurate with her hints but she didn’t expect Satoru to catch on to it quickly. The thought of Satoru dangerously approaching the uncovering of her intentions is enough to have her anxiety creeping through her spine, a sensation that she compares to being pushed down to a lake of ice cold water. “You guessed pretty quickly”
“I mean, you’re not a very interesting person, Hina-chan. You kind of only have like, 1 trick. Do you even like anything else?”
Hinata lets out a long sigh of relief, proceeding by rolling her eyes. Seems like her concerns were for naught, and they soon fall to into irrelevancy once she realizes that Satoru was only being his usual rude self. «At least my cover is still safe» she attempts to console herself «I must be careful with my words from now onwards»
“Yeah, whatever” Hinata dismisses him and Satoru chuckles “Anyways, just follow me into the stable, I’ll give you all the details once there”
And by the way Satoru obediently follows him, without questioning her anymore or shooting her one of his traditional jabs, it’s evident that he wholeheartedly trusts Hinata with his safety, and thus, the idea that she might be planning his demise seems nothing more than a fallacious possibility.
That, of course, is not even close to the truth.
“A quick and easy stroll, something to stretch the horse’s legs, nothing more, nothing less” Hinata says as the group arrives at the outer section of the estate, just past the north wing and into the familiar wooden door that guards the storage room—the place where all safety gear for today’s activity was to be found.
Hinata might be planning something mysterious, but that doesn’t mean she’ll do it precariously.
“Are you planning on taking Ume?” You ask, carefully observing your sister as she slides the storage door open, stepping aside to let you and Satoru in first, before going in herself and closing the door behind.
The first thing that you notice upon stepping inside is that the room had remained virtually the same since the last time you were here, and that had been years .
If anything, the more noticeable aspects would have to be the curtains of a different color, as well as the new location of the same wooden table that’s always been there, and the addition of a picture frame, carrying the portrait of your mother alongside her favorite horse, Ume . You smile at the picture before focusing back onto your conversation with Hinata “She’s… quite old”
“I was hoping you’d help me with that” Hinata smiles upon noticing your glance on your mother’s picture—she’s the one that placed it there upon noticing there was nothing of her there, considering that she was the one that actively spent most of her time tending the stable. Although she suspects this was her father’s doing, still mourning her absence. “I just need you to take her on a stroll, she might be old but she still needs to move from time to time”
“I thought that was what we’re going to do anyways?” Satoru interjects.
“ Without a rider” Hinata scorns “You’d know if you focused on anything else than just being annoying”
“How old is Ume by the way?” You step in, hoping to put a stop on this senseless bickering before it grows too big to control. They weren’t even married yet and they’re already acting like an old couple. Oh, what their future awaits…
“Hmm, I don’t know, maybe like… 17-18 years old? She’s around Ren’s age so… no, a bit older, since she was only a pony when mom received her”
“Oh, really?” you reflect on her age—had Ume really been around for that long?
“Yeah, remember what mom said? Dad got Ume for her as some kind of wedding gift, and Ren was born roughly a year after”
“Hmm, guess the math does add up” you acknowledged “Looks like Ume has been with us for far longer than I can remember”
“That’s why we have to take good care of her! She’s like a part of the family now” Hinata cheers “You’ll help me, right?”
“I… guess” you murmur, crossing your arms “I don’t… know if she’d want me though, she always looks far more comfortable with you”
“That’s because you always run away from the stables, if you’d spent more time with me, then you wouldn’t feel that way”
“I won’t do more than accompany you from time to time to feed her, if that’s what it takes for her to like me”
“Ah! That’s it!” Hinata sings as enlightenment dawns in her mind ”Maybe next time you can feed her!”
“Nope” You frivolously shake your head “What if I get my hand bitten off?”
“Gah! What is an old horse like her going to do?” Hinata replies skeptically, as if the mere question brought great offense to her “I wouldn’t ask you to do something if I thought you’d be in danger”
And with that comment, you can’t help but feel a bit guilty for the way you responded. At the end of the day, her invitations always came from a place of wanting to spend her free time with you, as little as it may be, doing what she likes before diving back into work.
From a news perspective, you conclude that you’ve secluded yourself a bit sternly from her.
“Alright” With a new purpose, you confidently walk over to the closet you rightfully assume most of the gear to be and unlock the doors, eyes scanning through the carefully organized entourage of protective gear “Do I even have things for myself anymore?”
“I don’t think so” Hinata guessed as she too heads over to the closet and glances over your shoulder “It’s been quite a while since you’ve been on the actual saddle, so maybe you’ve already outgrown whatever you had? Well, you’re not going to use them today since you’re only going to walk Ume—Satoru, on the other hand, needs at least helmet”
“Oooh, is there a special helmet just for me?” Satoru chides in, his towering height skips him the need to lean over your or your sister’s shoulder by looking over your heads instead.
“ No . Although I probably should’ve with that big head of yours…” she snickers as she reaches for the nearest helmet. A black colored one of a matte material with light scratches on the top, revealing heavy usage.
If this wasn’t enough to dictate that the helmet was hers, the peculiar sticker of a sunflower on the left side would.
“This is mine—hold it for me?” she says, handing it over to you as she reaches for the next one, this time, with less signs of wear, barely visible unless inspected with a magnifying glass, almost as if it was taken straight out of the box, but with another noticeable sticker on the left side: a lotus . “And you’ll wear this one”
“Oh, is this Ren’s?” Satoru asks upon noticing the flower “It looks quite big, are you sure he doesn’t have a bigger head?”
“ Ha! ” Hinata chortled “The nerve to say that, when it’s impossible to ignore that nest of birds you have on your head”
“Hey! My hair is well groomed, must you know” he attests “It’s quite popular with the girls”
“You have no game, Satoru. I’ve seen it. You’re lucky I’m forced to marry you”
“See? It worked”
“You two already bicker like a married couple” you murmur under your breath. What you thought to be a comment for yourself ended up being heard by the couple before you, making Hinata's face twist into one of surprise and embarrassment whilst Satoru’s beams into one of a cheerful grin.
“We do not!” she cries back, face now ruby red “How can you side with Satoru, Y/N?! My own sister!”
“Hey, hey! I’m not siding with anyone!” You laugh nervously.
“Oh, you wounded me, Y/N-chan! How am I to overcome this painful betrayal, how am I to move forward with my life, knowing that my cute sister-in-law rejects my relationship with her own sister? A place in her family? What will the Gojo’s say once they learn that the L/N don’t want me anym—"
«Oh, god» It’s now your turn to feel the embarrassment «They’re both so dramatic!»
“Anyways” You cough, setting a distraction to distance yourself from this act “Is there anything else that we need to get?”
Hinata snaps out of her trance and plunges back into recollecting the rest of the stuff, zeroing on getting everything ready to continue on with her plan, almost as if she were trying to avoid the fact that she’d blushed because of Satoru…
Either way, it’s no use to dwell on what’s basically assumptions, and once everything was set, the trio make their way out of the storage room and onto the far side of the room that once opened, revealed a breathtaking landscape of a warm summer day; an ocean of green leaves and fragrant grass, all underneath a cloudless sky.
And in the distance, the presence of a small wooden barn can be seen, which is possible to be reached thanks to the connecting stone path.
It’s been so long since you’ve seen this part of the estate that you can’t help but be captivated by its natural beauty—a scenery so astonishing, you’d almost find it pitiful that it would be the stage for Hinata’s hidden motives.
Moving forward, the group follows down the designated road and onto the stable, where Hinata decides it appropriate to begin gearing up..
“Y/N had a helmet, right?” Satoru asks as he places the helmet on his head, immediately feeling that it needed adjustments—something that he took as your brother having a much bigger head, a petty remark that remained in his mind as to bring it up later and torment your sister with it. “If so, what sticker does she have?”
“I did, but I never placed a sticker on it” you respond, helping him adjust the straps on his helmet.
“We had different colored ones back in the day” Hinata explains “Mine was yellow”
“And mine was [favorite color]” you add.
“It’s easier to find more… attractive helmets when you’re gearing a younger rider, I don’t know why they turn monochromatic when it’s for bigger sizes—adults just have to make everything so dull ” Your sister complains “And custom made are so expensive, that’s why I just place a sticker on it! At least it keeps the fun, you know?” she taps at the sunflower sticker.
“I guess…?” Satoru raises an eyebrow, only boring adults like her could find fun in such a thing “Anyways, why won’t you join us today, Y/N? I’m sure you’re much better than me”
“I never liked doing this because I always felt like I was going to fall, or worse, get stomped to death. I only did this once with my mom, and I had enough” your mind goes back to the picture your father took of that fateful day your mom placed you on top of Ume, the same one you were crying your heart out for sitting on top of a huge animal.
The one that you’ve kidnapped from the family album and stored it away from any prying eyes, secured in one of the many cabinets in your room.
“Wait, what?! Stom—stomped to death ?!” He replies with a cry “Don’t make me nervous Y/N! Does that mean I’m going to fall?!”
Hinata can’t help but roll her eyes at his evidently fake reaction. The cynicism of him.... It makes her wonder how the inner mind of the great Gojo heir works if he’d only started worrying about that now .
“No, you won’t. Because you’re going to ride with me” she declares, having adjusted her helmet long ago whilst Satoru was panicking.
“W-what?” Satoru stammers, and when he once felt despair, there was nothing but relief, for his savior, Hinata L/N, had come to his rescue with a suggestion that implied more than she was letting on.
A gesture that he considered so… intimate, loving, that he couldn’t stop his cheeks from burning “Oh, Hina-chan… I—I don’t know what to say… that’s so unexpected and… romantic…”
“Stop it!” Hinata shrieks, putting a halting screech to his shojo-like fantasy “I’m only doing so because I don’t trust you with the horses!”
“Sure, sure” Gojo dismisses, looking away as a pout forms on his lips “I too would be shy if I were to be close with my beloved…”
“Alright, sure, whatever you say Satoru, just put the helmet on!” Hinata huffs and heads into the stable.
All that she wants to do is leave Satoru’s antics behind and move on with his plan, and what better way to relax her than personally greeting each and every horse inside the stable, by gently patting their manes and doting on them?
And she did just that, sharing her limited amount of minutes between each and every single one, commending their good health as well as their responsive nature, which had been the same adoring one she’d given them.
She continued to do so, that is, until she came face to face with the one that held a special place in her heart, the one that she considers part of the family, her favorite, the one and only…
“Ume!” Hinata bubbled as soon as her eyes landed on the familiar figure of the brown horse came into view, carefully skipping ahead (so as to not alarm the more sensitive horses) towards her and lunging over to hug her neck once in her grasp.
“Oh, Ume, how have you been?! It’s been so long since I last saw you! I hope the caretakers have been treating you well” Hinata reflects on all the time she’s spent away due to school and overall life as a sorcerer. She likes it, but she regrets the fact that she can’t be with her family as much as before.
And it seems that the horse feels that way, because Ume responds by neighing and eagerly brushing her neck against your sister.
“I miss you too” she says, carefully placing her fingers on her mane and petting her “And guess what? We’re taking you out today! On a stroll! Are you excited?”
Ume neighs once more, seemingly understanding your sister’s words, out of excitement. It’s been so long since she was taken out, at least by one of the L/N siblings, and she can’t wait to spend this wonderful day with either of them.
“Y/N, can you pass me the bridle?” Making haste of her time, Hinata asks you as she points to a nearby depot just a few feet away from her location, where you’re able to instantly spot the requested item. “And the leather reins as well”
“Sure” you nod, heading over to complete your request and head back over to your sister.
At the closeness between you and the mare, you inevitably lock your eyes onto Ume’s.
A normal, mundane gesture that passes unnoticed by Hinata, but not for you as you suddenly feel a shift it the atmosphere, and not exactly one that you’d call ideal.
From feeling comfortable, perhaps a bit like a fish out of water for it had been so long you’ve been there, you start to feel tense…endangered.
All because your mind believes to be seeing Ume looking straight into your soul, decisively, intimidatingly wondering whether to bite your hand off or stomp you to death…
Thoughts that become ludicrous as soon as Ume stretches over to your direction, using the tip of her head to reach as far as she can, in hopes that you’d pet her too.
“Aw, look! Ume wants you to pet her” Hinata notes, and at the sudden gesture, you retract away from her. “Don’t be like that, just place your hand on the top of her head and you’ll be fine”
“Don’t push it, sis. I’m already doing too much out of my comfort zone by talking her out on a stroll…” you murmur, and Hinata sighs.
“Alright, can’t deny that” She says, looking back at the horse “My sister is a bit afraid of you, but there’s nothing to fear, right? You would never hurt her”
You looked away, feeling a bit embarrassed for how grossly sweet she was talking to Ume, leading you to land your eyes on Satoru, which you expected to see twisting his lips into a grimace of revolt or disgust, perhaps even a smirk of mockery towards your sister.
However… none of that was to be found, and instead, he remained… serious while intently looking at your sister.
There were moments where you’d forget that even with his… aggravating nature, he was still capable of being a decent human being when it came to personal matters.
Ume had remained off limits when it came to his jabs, for he knew what she represented when it came to your mother, thus, he limited himself to solely observing his surroundings.
However, that wouldn’t last long once Hinata handed you a prepared Ume and made way towards the next horse.
One that demonstrated that Ume was being anything but intimidating.
“We’re taking Dio today”
It was at this moment that you knew that Hinata was planning something serious .
“Dad’s horse? That Dio?” the way your voice frets makes the alarms in Satoru’s head go off.
“Wait, that means something?” He asks.
“No, of course not” Hinata protested, hurrying to keep her cover, which was almost revealed due to your quick observation “Y/N just… doesn’t like that horse in particular, right?”
“I mean… I’m not fond of many…?” you falter, and your act unknowingly convinces Satoru to not give your question any more attention than necessary.
“I just wanted to try something different” Hinata explains “It’s been a while since I took him out for a ride, and dad asked me to take him out so… why not?”
For a wide variety of reasons, you’d wish to say.
Of all horses… Dio was… well, peculiar, to say the least.
Ever since he arrived at the L/N estate, he had earned quite the reputation amongst habitants and caretakers alike.
Beginning with the fastest speed and strength of all horses that have ever lived in the stable, as well as being blessed with good genetics that easily earned him the possibility of entering the equivalent of a pageant .
However, his name didn’t strike you as a concern because of his supposed beauty or skills… It was his personality that made you worry.
Dio, the magnificent dark stallion that your father brought as a possible partner for Ume, from the very first day that he arrived, hated every living thing inside the stable. Whenever possible, he’d neigh and startle the caretakers by grabbing the food out of their hands and tossing it away, even attempting to bite them if they got too close!
And let’s not even talk about his failed partnership with Ume, whose gentler nature never allowed them to get along. It got to the point that Ume would run from him the moment she noticed he was near—and with that, any chances to breed foals was effectively discarded.
The only two who had been to tame the beast had been your father, and Hinata subsequently, through much hard work and dedication; his personality became tamer when around them, giving the false impression that he’d calm down, only to be struck by realization by an assassination attempt under it’s hooves.
Thus, a silent agreement came to place, reminding everyone to keep away from him, unless it was Eiichi or Hinata.
Your assumptions of Gojo doing something unthinkable gain more ground by each passing second—but she couldn’t be planning on… murdering him… right?
“Are you sure that’s ok, Hinata?” you whisper over to your sister, low enough to keep away an already nervous Satoru at bay, but loud enough to show your concern. “What are you planning?”
“Oh, nothing” she voices innocently as she proceeds to place the necessary equipment on Dio “ That you need to know yet ”
You shiver, and for the second time that day, a sting of fear strikes your body upon hearing her words.
You can see it now, a side of your sister that she rarely reveals to others stepping into the picture.
The mature, always the bigger person aspect of your sister is long gone, and in return, a vengeful one takes its place. One that’s eager to serve justice towards those that wronged her and by all means necessary.
To see her act so secretly, yet evidently threatening…
For the first time in your life, you pity the unsuspecting heir of the Gojo clan.
Once both horses and jockeys are set and ready to go, Hinata takes point and leads the group onto a large, spacious area of the meadow, void of any obstacles, to seemingly take the horses into a stroll.
You’d suggested a change of scenery, like going into the trails or even visiting the nearby waterfall.
Although appreciative of your participation, Hinata declines your offer, explaining that going deeper into the nearby forest with an older horse can put them into a difficult situation if Ume got injured, thus, remaining in a somewhat plain terrain where all involved could freely act was the best way to go.
She’d also wanted to keep the majority of control of what she’s going to enact, for the forest offered too many disturbances that could bend her plan in a way that she wouldn’t want to—but she wouldn’t tell you that , of course.
“Do you even know how to get on a horse?” It’s an inquiry that feels inconsequential considering Gojo’s imposing height, but your sister nonetheless finds it necessary to ask him, perhaps out of concern for his safety or Dio’s, your father’s stallion, or to make a mockery of him.
Whatever it was, Satoru responds nonchalantly.
“Just gotta jump on it, right?”
“I hope that wasn’t serious” Hinata raises an eyebrow “Place your dominant feet on this pedal” she points to the one on the right side of the horse “and propel yourself upwards, from there, you should be able to swing your other leg over the saddle with the momentum, and that’s basically it— here, let me do it first, it’ll be easier to help you up”
And before you’re able to react, Hinata was already on top of the horse and sitting on the saddle, just to show the level of comfortability she had in this area of expertise.
Had it been you trying to get on top, you’d probably still be stuck to the ground, wondering if there was any other way to get there instead of parkouring your way to the top.
Your sister adjusts herself to sit comfortably on the saddle, and once set, looks down to Gojo.
“Here” she says, stretching her arm towards him “I’ll pull you up”
“Am I going on the front, or the back?” he responds. His hand is making way towards Hinata’s, that is, until he feels the heavy gaze of your father’s stallion on him—a piercing look that only warns him to back off. Satoru retracts his hand, and Hinata subtly smiles at the interaction, her plan evidently working.
“The back, obviously ” Hinata proceeds to reach out for his hand and pulls him towards her, Satoru inadvertently forced to jump onto the horse, lest he wants to crash into it. “I’m leading the horse”
“Does that mean… I’ll be… hugging you?” Satoru murmurs, putting on the act of a blushing bride as soon as he realizes the seemingly compromising position he’ll find himself from this moment forward.
“I knew where this was going” Your sister bickers under her breath “You can hold me, or the saddle, whatever makes you comfortable”
“Do you do this often with other men? Do you let them hug you too?” Satoru suddenly asks, jealousy interlaced in his voice—but it’s nothing more than an act, as most things often go with him.
“Do you think I have time to meet other men, with all the work we gotta do?” Hinata frowns. “I wish I could afford meeting someone, maybe they won’t be as annoying as you ”
“You can start with Y/N’s friends! I’m sure one of them will catch your interest” Gojo curbs the ball towards you and you flinch. You’ve been so engrossed in their conversation (and avoiding getting eaten by Ume, apparently) that you’d almost forgotten you were there in the first place.
“Hey, don’t bring me, or my friends, into your circus” you chuckle “I’d rather be in my room than here”
“And what for?” Gojo raises an eyebrow “So you can play that new game? All Pokémon games are the same, just with a different cover art”
You sigh, noticing that he was being… uncharacteristically more annoying today, almost as if he were trying to provoke either of you.
You know how bad this would sound if spoken out loud, but you really can’t wait for Hinata to show him his place.
“ Anyways , are you ready?” Hinata asks, carefully placing her hands on the horse's dark mane and petting it. Judging by her gesture, you come to the understanding that in reality the question was intended towards Dio, and not Satoru. Not that the last would’ve known or care due to the way he responds soon after.
“Yep” He grins, giving her a thumbs up “Locked and loaded, whenever you’re re—”
Hinata doesn’t even allow him to finish his sentence before she swiftly whips the leather reins against the horse, the third call for the star of the show to start its performance.
There’s no preparation, no warning, not even a second to breathe, nothing that could help Satoru cope with the fact that your sister had planned on startling him—no, scratch that, frighten him by the stallions impressive reach to stop speed in less than a second, leaving nothing but a cloud of dust and your startled face as testimony of their presence.
It’s only a matter of seconds before Satoru’s shrieks become apparent, his voice traveling alongside the wind to warn each living existence of his great dislike of the equestrian activity.
You’d muffle your laugh, thinking of his reaction to be nothing more than outrageous. Who’d think that the man who always tried his hardest to look cool and dark would really let himself go like that? It’s a memory that will always be ingrained in your mind, one that you’d be able to bring in the future as blackmail, and you’re eternally grateful that Hinata brought you to witness it!
“Holy shit, Hinata!” You laugh, unsure if she’d be able to hear you but you still go on anyways “Was this your plan all along?! To scare Satoru??”
“Yes!!” Hinata chortled back, a reaction that only made Gojo scream louder “It’s been my plan ever since!!”
“Hinataaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa!! Stop!! Stop!! ” he wails, pushing his head against your sister’s back as he attempts to hold on tighter to her, seemingly feeling the speed of the stallion grow impossibly faster and faster; was this even possible, or was it the adrenaline pumping in his veins that made him believe so?!
And to make matters worse, it seemed that the horse was also enjoying making Satoru suffer from the way it would jolt and rattle from time to time, movements that would earn him an additional streak from the white-haired man, a reward likened to applause for the performer.
All of this made Satoru wonder if even the horse was on board with the plan! Did Hinata and the stallion plan this?
And by the way you laughed, were you also knowledgeable of this?! That’s why you did nothing to stop her—even though you hated it as much as him?!
But those were subjects that would remain unsolved as Hinata made hasty work of her equestrian knowledge to push Gojo onto a new level of fear, doubled down by a now revealed cause.
“This is what you get from that time in the forest!” she hisses as she continues to gallop across the meadow “You—your little prank gave me a rash that I couldn’t cure for days!!”
But Gojo, as much as he wanted to respond and explain that it was never meant to get to that level, can’t do much through his pumping heart and deafening screams but murmur prayers for all of this to end.
“And to think that Geto was behind it too! I can’t believe I trusted you both! ” She condemns “Geto was lucky to sense I was planning something when I invited him over, but you didn’t! Because at the end, even after you brag yourself to be some almighty being, the strongest you’re really, really stupid!!” she concludes with a victorious laugh. “I win this time!!”
To say that Hinata was drunk in arrogance was an understatement, however, it was with a somewhat justifiable explanation.
Before she’d fallen into this pit of overconfidence, she was disappointed. Very disappointed. She thought that by entering jujutsu high, things would start to change—after all, everyone that enters that school knows they’re on their way to becoming professional sorcerers, thus, a level of maturity is expected… right?
But she was to be slapped across the face with the harsh reality that not everyone was to be as dedicated as her—or stuck-up, as Satoru would call her— and if anything, this was just like any other school environment, with brash and careless students that just wanted to enjoy their youth, and not worry about the future!
A statement that became evident when these two goofballs did what they did.
Nevertheless, far from harboring feelings towards the perpetrators, she held them towards herself, for thinking that these dorks would know anything about common sense and respect.
Well, she knew she couldn’t expect much from two boys that thought of themselves as men . And if that’s how they wanted to play, then that's what she’ll do.
With much reluctance, she’d lower herself to their level and prove to them that even by playing by their rules, she’s still better .
And after careful planning and rehearsal, she finally did it.
It might not have been as hazardous as the one he performed on her, but it’s sufficient enough to give him the message that she’s not going to take it anymore—and certainly not from him!
This moment might go down as a short-lived, countable victory against him, but it’s one that she’ll make the most of—Hinata will never make him forget it.
“Wait, Hina—Hinata!!” Gojo continues to yell, hands now scrambling from your sister to the saddle as they precariously searched for a beacon of stability to uphold his stance on the horse, but because the jockey had resorted to exploit a combination of bumps and speed to disturb her companion as much as possible, Satoru was left with hopelessness and a continuation of his shrieks.
“Hinata—Hinata wait!” He’d gasp, throat hoarse as he’d envisioned one of his worst fears coming true ”I think I’m going to—”
You might’ve not been close enough to hear the rest of his yells, or make out through his lips if he’d said anything else to your sister, but even at your distance and inexperience, you were still capable to distinguish that the way he was quivering on the saddle was not normal by any means.
And by the way his body was struggling to keep up with your sister’s agile friskiness, as well as him continuously failing to find a secure spot to hold on to, it was only natural that disaster would ensue.
Hinata had long crossed the limit where her prank was no longer fun, and noticing that she was too deep into her revenge to care what was happening behind her, it was decided that you needed to step in.
“Wait, Hinata!” You cry, waving your arms in the air while attempting to move somewhat closer so she could either hear or see you better, but with enough care to not let go of Ume or startle her.
Unfortunately, it seems that your mother’s prized mare was also aligned to Hinata’s intentions, for she doesn’t move more than an inch upon sensing the your harsh pull on her reins, misjudging it as an act of aggression and retaliating by pulling back against you “Not now Ume! I need to stop Hinata!— Hinata!! ”
You cry harder, but it’s too late.
When your sister finally decides to turn around and tend to the reason for your call, Satoru was already leaning over to the side, and before you can warn her to help him, his body hits the ground.
The loud thud is enough to snap Hinata out of her vengeful trance, and with her quick thinking and extensive knowledge of the activity, she efficiently avoids any further damage to the young man by guiding the horse away and preparing the horse to slow down.
“Satoru!” Hinata gasps, sternly pulling on the reins “Yield!”
The majestic stallion eventually comes to a complete stop. Hinata expeditiously jumps down from the saddle and rushes towards Satoru’s crouching body, who was tightly embracing one of his arms against his chest as he wept out of pain.
“Satoru, Satoru, can you hear me?” Hinata manages to ask through the thundering noise of her heartbeat in her ears as she carefully moves closer to him “Satoru, are you ok?”
“I—Hinata…I—I think I broke my arm” He weeps and Hinata’s blood runs cold as fear instantly settles in the very fabric of her core.
Her vision blurs as the consequences of her actions begin to unfurl before her, but she doesn’t let this happening to extend more than necessary.
She needs to focus on the emergency before her, and she needs to do it now .
“Y/N! Get the doctor!!” She cries as she wipes away the sweat from her forehead—Hinata’s desperation has her wishing she could move Satoru onto the estate and get him the help he needs, but she knows best to not move the patient unless the professional allows it, thus, she’s forced to voice her frustration onto you “ Hurry!! ”
Knowing well that time is of the essence in these urgent matters, you make haste to tie Ume onto a nearby wooden post so as she wouldn’t run away (although her old age wouldn’t permit it anymore, but you weren’t to take any risks) before sprinting back into the estate, crying and demanding for the family doctor to be called immediately , giving no further explanation to members of your clan whom grew worried upon seeing your pale face, aside that you needed the professional quickly .
Sumire, your closest friend, seemingly apparated herself out of nowhere and onto your side after briefly hearing the whole commotion from just a few rooms away—and unlike the rest of the habitants, she doesn’t ask anything, she simply reaches for the phone and calls the doctor.
“What happened?!” Sumire cries as the phone begins to ring, hands trembling as a million of terrible scenarios flash across her mind “Are you ok? Is Hinata-sama ok?!”
“Yes, yes we’re fine but… Satoru… he’s not!” You whimper and the revelation of the Gojo heir suffering a deadly injury is enough for her blood to run cold as well.
Once the doctor is on the other side of the line, Sumire urges him to come as quickly as possible to tend to an emergency. Luckily, for the man who had labeled himself to be just a phone call away (also known as the nearby village), wasted no time to confirm his presence there and hung up.
It goes unsaid that the main motivator for him to not ask for any more details was that the L/N clan was one of his highest paying clients, meaning that if you or anyone from the house needed him, he’d be there in a matter of seconds, just like what happened soon after he’d received your call, making way to your home’s main entrance, where you and Sumire barely greeted him before hurrying him towards his patient, who remained on the ground loyally accompanied by your sister who tried to ease his worries by reassuring him that the doctor was on his way.
Due to his many years of experience, the doctor only needed a brief inspection of Satoru’s arm to confirm his dreadful assumption, which places the last nail on Hinata’s coffin of regret and sorrow.
However, bureaucracy was still needed to make this statement official, thus, once he declared it was safe to move Satoru into a more appropriate setup, you, your sister, and Sumire carefully transferred him into the ambulance previously called by the doctor and transferred him into the nearest hospital with utmost secrecy—as much as it was allowed—for Satoru requested this matter to be kept a secret until he decides whether to tell the elders of his clan what happened… or not.
In any other circumstances, such as pertaining to jujutsu matters like a mission or a school assignment, that would’ve been the first course of action. But because the precede of his injury had been in an informal setting, and of petty revenge… it was a matter that had to be taken care of delicately.
Thus, it was agreed between everyone present that this be to be kept a secret, at least until everything cooled down. The servants that heard of the commotion, but not witnessed it directly, were also tasked to feign ignorance.
And now that all that was set… Hinata now had to face the consequences of her actions.
“How… bad is it?” Hinata asks for the nth time during that visit. The doctor has grown rather… annoyed by her repetitive inquiries, but just as stated before, because her family is one of the best paying ones, he doesn’t show his irritation.
“If he rests, I presume he’ll heal at around 6 weeks the earliest” The doctor reiterates as he continues to set the last adjustments of Gojo’s cast—the x-ray that was performed at the hospital confirmed the status of his broken bone and it’s severity, thus, the necessity of such a procedure. Another symbol that will forever haunt Hinata for her ill decision making. “It’s very important that he doesn’t do anything that might stress the arm, for it might not heal appropriately”
Hinata swallows, succumbing deeper and deeper into the pit of her regret, which only becomes darker as the doctor continues to explain Satoru’s situation, who, in return, has kept quiet in the face of pain, and possible anxiety for not being able to live out his life as he’d done up to that point.
The only thing that keeps both of them at ease is that they won’t go back to school until roughly 6 weeks, meaning that they will be able to keep this little incident a secret from the prying eyes of Jujutsu HQ, and their friends… because if any of them got word of this, it would travel around Japan like a wildfire, and by then it would be too late to make any excuses to cover it up.
That is, of course, unless they’re assigned missions…
Anyways, Satoru really couldn’t care less about facing the elders. If anything, that’s an affair that he considers even more tiresome than having to go to the hospital, get his arm checked, and stay at the L/N estate until it heals. If anything, he could take this whole thing as a sort of vacation from his clan!
Ah, if only you and your sister could have this naïve optimism.
“He’ll be able to leave the hospital in a few hours after we get his health insurance info and invoice ready”
“Oh, um, that’s fine” Hinata says in behalf of Satoru “Since I’m his fiancée I’m entitled to have all that information, just give me a few seconds and I’ll bring them to you”
“If that’s the case, you can just mail them to me and we’ll work from there”
And with that, the days seemed to pass awfully, regretfully slow , specially for Hinata, whom upon receiving Satoru in her house, has spent most of her time actively trying to avoid facing him at all costs, shamefully reprimanding herself for allowing such childish revenge to get the best of her and subsequently get him injured.
Her predicament worsened when the truth of his actions was brought to the Gojo’s and the L/N’s attention, earning her an earful from both, which was abruptly ceased thanks to Satoru’s and Eiichi’—your father’s—intervention.
The first argued that this was none of their concern, for it was only an incident and that Hinata wasn’t acting with the set intention of hurting him, while the last defended that they were simply spending time together in order to bond, as the couple they were to become in the future, and given their expected lifestyle, it was only a matter of time before one of them got injured.
However, your father would secretly confide to you that he was somewhat pleased with Satoru’s current predicament, for he never liked how rough his future son-in-law could be with you and your sister. Maybe this would give him the understanding to control himself… and now that women should be treated gracefully, displaying how oblivious he was at the fact that your sister was the one that got him in this entanglement in the first place.
As time passed, Satoru began to notice that Hinata was trying to avoid him, and would attempt to work a cheerful way to approach her, as well as you so that neither would remain gloomy all the time. After all, who looks forward to spending the summer with a broken arm and no friends? No one, that’s who.
But it didn’t work—Hinata would continue to ignore him, sharply turning around whenever seeing him on the other side of the hall and going the opposite direction.
And you… well, you’d kept rather quiet about the whole ordeal. The only times you tried to talk to your sister and reassure her that it wasn’t her fault that this happened, she would only tell you that she shouldn’t have done anything in the first place and exit the room.
You’d continue to approach her, but it was all for naught as their relationship seemed to become more and more distant with each passing day, making you believe that perhaps the only time they’ll ever talk to one another is when they’re exchanging vows on their wedding day.
Well, just because your sister doesn’t want to talk to him anymore doesn’t mean you should do the same.
Satoru needed support in this difficult time, thus, hoping to make his day more entertaining, you decide to bring him one of the consoles you believe to be his favorite—a PlayStation 2— with a few games, and set it up in his room. Although you briefly stopped yourself from time to time, wondering if he’d be able to do much due to his cast. Well, intentions are what always mattered anyways. If not, he can see you play.
Asides from trying to make his days more distracting, you were also looking for alternative options to speed up his healing process, such as contacting Shoko.
You knew this was going against the initial agreement between Satoru and your sister, but you really couldn’t stop from feeling miserable at their obvious distancing, or the pause his life had to make, and hoping to mend things between them, you thought that getting Shoko involved would be a good option.
Maybe your sister just needed to see Satoru all healed up to finally get over that emotional blockade she’d set between the two, leading to the two of them to talk about everything that happened, and before you know it, things will be back to normal!
A plan that was never set to occur, for Shoko had informed you that she unfortunately lacked the preparation to reconstruct bones with her technique, citing “I’ll only learn how to do that in medical school, and I have yet to graduate jujutsu high so… yeah. Besides, this experience will help Satoru build character” and that’s how your conversation with her ended.
“Ah, well… it’s not good to expect Shoko to cover up for all injuries” you conclude as you walk towards Satoru’s temporary room, attempting to comfort yourself “She deserves to enjoy her holiday as well, besides, if the doctor said it’s nothing too critical, his body should be able to do the work on it’s own”
You eventually reach the familiar guest room door, and while carefully balancing the console and controller on your other hand, you proceed to slide the door open, silently to not rattle Satoru awake if resting, or just to not seem disrespectful of his privacy.
However, the sight that received you was far more extraordinary than anything you would’ve expected.
It was so shocking, that all you could do as a reaction is drop the items into the ground, the sonorous crash ringing in your ears, as you exclaim:
“SATORU?!—Wha—Wha—How…. WHAT ARE YOU DOING?!”
How do you even begin to describe what you say?
Satoru, in all of his glory, is laying on the floor, watching some random show on the T.V. before him—which was one of the first things he requested as soon as he moved into the guest room— while eating one of the snacks you presume some of the servants have brought moments before.
By a simple glance, it was nothing uncommon. An ordinary day for the injured Satoru.
However, here’s the catch. The reason why you were so startled in the first place.
He was resting on his seemingly injured arm… without a cast.
Having been startled by the sound of the crashing console and your shrilling call of his name, the man wastes no second to hurriedly push himself up from the ground and nervously grin, the expected reaction of one being caught in the act.
“Oh, hey Y/N-chan!” he calls, voice trembling as he walks towards you in an effort to explain himself, if such a thing was even possible. “It’s—It’s a miracle! My arm is cured!”
“Cut the garbage! What is going on?!” You snapped, slamming the door behind you to avoid any onlooker setting their eyes on this… undesirable scenario until you get a proper explanation, and cornering him back to his spot.
There’s no way this was a dream, for the thunderous thud of the console against the tatami floor was enough to snap you conscious. There was no possible way that he would’ve healed this fast, 2 weeks into his injury.
That is… no, did he… could it be that he developed another technique?!
What?! Of course not! And even if he did, why did he remain quiet?!
Unless…
This was all a lie to begin with?!
“Does Hinata know about this?!” You cry “Does she know you—” he abruptly silences you by placing his hands over your mouth.
“No, of course not!” He whispers. “And you must promise me she won’t know!”
“Adnh wky wl aa gre t tht?” you groan. Satoru silently mouths a small o and proceeds to remove his hands from your face.
“Oh yeah, sorry—say that again?”
“And why would I agree to that?!” You hiss, and in less than a second he attempts to push his hands over your mouth once more, but unwilling to act as his fool, you move away from him.
“Keep it down, Y/N!” he warns, seemingly wanting to discuss this secret in secrecy. “Or I won’t tell you anything”
“...Fine” you groan, begrudgingly accepting his conditions with a pout. “What the hell is going on, Satoru? And why doesn’t Hinata know about this?!”
“Because she can’t! That’s the best part if you ask me, she hasn’t figured out anything at all!” He beams, clearly proud of his… fiasco? “All according to plan”
“Huh? Wait—waitwaitwaitwait, all according to
plan
?” you interrupted “What do you mean according to plan?!?”
“Oh yeah, right—guess the cat is out of the bag” Satoru says, going back down to the futon, patting on an empty spot before him, as if inviting you to sit down beside him. You’re hesitant to accept, but the shock of being bombarded with this new version of the truth is enough to push you down and relax. “So… where do I begin?”
“From the start!” you smack him in the arm “Was this all fake?! Were you even hurt?!”
“Ouch—Kind of!” he attempts to cover himself from your sharp blows, only to end up chuckling when he realizes they're weaker than he expected—enough motivation for you to try harder; and you accomplish so successfully “Ouch!” he releases a genuine whine followed by an attempt to cower from your attacks, which only stopped after you deem the message to have been clear. ”Ok, fine—You see… It all started a long time ago, after your sister and I went on a mission with our classmates. It was quick and easy, nothing much to worry about, that is, until the incident happened. But that doesn’t matter either! It was just a little prank, so we mo—”
“Uh, incident ?” you cautioned skeptically “What incident? What the hell did you do to get my sister so angry in the first place??”
“Oh, she hasn’t told you? Guess that’s a story for another day” Gojo winks, and you’re more than ready to demand an explanation from him, but before you’re able to jump on his case, he continues on with this fanciful retelling of the facts. “Anyways, I moved on from the prank, we all did actually. I don’t think it was that serious, but your sister however… did not. When I noticed that she started acting weird towards me and Geto, that’s when I knew that she was planning to do something”
“And you never thought of apologizing for whatever you did, instead of assuming she was fine with it?” you frown.
“I mean—Now that you put it that way I feel kinda bad! But she went on with the prank anyways, so can you blame me for her holding onto grudges??”
“That still doesn’t explain how you knew she was going to do this ”
“I’m just that good” A confident demeanor emanates from his voice, but you’re not easily impressionable, less with the man who was torturing your poor sister with guilt, and he’s quick to catch on. “Fine, I might’ve slowly planted the idea in her mind”
“What do you mean?”
“I knew she wanted to do something to get back at me, but in order for me to still have the upper hand in this prank war I needed it to be something I could control but was alluring to her too, thus… whenever I could, I would bring up that I really disliked horse riding!”
His mind takes him back to an ordinary school day, one that saw them receiving a handful of math assignments —since jujutsu high was still expected to teach them “ normal ” classes like any other school— to finish that day.
Finding this to be his cue, Satoru proceeds by quickly browsing through the seemingly endless pages with an uninterested facade he considered very convincing, followed by an obnoxious groan that allows him to sell the part of lazy student to both the teacher before him, and your unsuspecting sister.
“Man, this sucks! Thousands of math problems to solve in less than an hour? Why do we have to do this? We’re going to be sorcerers!” Satoru would protest, tossing the papers down onto his desk “Well, at least it’s not horse riding, I'd much rather do this than that ! Talk about being boring…”
The teacher wasted no second to reprimand the young man for his frivolous reaction and unwanted commentary, a moment Hinata took to silently eye him and astonishingly wonder how he managed to make such a comparison—one thing was clearly out of the other’s league!
And while she might’ve thought of this as an unprecedented happening, Satoru was enjoying the first signs of a successful manipulation.
“Or like the other time we were classifying curses and I compared the smell of one of the curses to a horse! You should’ve seen the look on her face! If looks could kill…” Satoru sighs, like an old man remembering the golden days of his life. “When I eventually received her call inviting me over to the estate, I knew she’d taken the bait, and from there, the rest is history!”
“Uuuuhhh, I think you missed a few steps there, Satoru” you pointed towards the arm that, until a few minutes ago, you believed to still be broken. The biggest plot hole in his retelling “What about your arm? We were there when the doctor said you broke it, we saw the x-rays too!”
“All fake” he states matter-of-factly. “Everything”
“Wait, does that mean you… you somehow involved the doctor?!”
“Yep! I called him a few days before and let him know what I was planning to do, he obviously rejected my idea, but after I managed to convince him with a generous price, he agreed to it almost immediately!” Satoru beams, as if bribing a medical professional was something to brag about. “Although he did make me promise that I wouldn’t reveal his involvement in this, or he would get fired… Anyways! I wanted to bring in my own doctor, an actor actually, to avoid all that stuff, but I thought it would be more convincing if I brought along a familiar face”
“And what if I decided to call another doctor? The hospital, hm? Wouldn’t that mean your little plan was going to fail?”
“I planned ahead for all possible outcomes, I managed to get all the contacts of other doctors that had tended your family in the past, as well as the local hospital! There was no way I would allow this to fail”
«Satoru has too much money in his hands—money that he should be using for something better!» you quietly conclude at the ridiculousness of his commitment. «And yet, it still doesn’t explain why his arm is not broken!»
“What about the fall? You couldn’t have faked that—if anything, you couldn’t gotten hurt for real”
“All planned, little sister” he gestures to his cast “Because I am someone who appreciates the genuineness of a performance, I knew I had to give a convincing act for your sister to believe she’d injured me beyond reasonable doubt! Thus, I prepared myself with all necessary methods to perform a fall without hurting myself! Or keeping it to the minimum if I do get some kind of injury.”
He proceeds to explain that he took a few horse riding classes to familiarize himself with the horse and its movements, as well as how to lessen any chances of injuries if he were to somehow fall, such as switching his body in a certain angle so as to distribute the impact of the fall throughout the protective gear.
To secure his depiction, he even called Shoko , without giving much explanations of course (for he knew she would tattletell to Hinata) on what kind of concussions could lead to a broken arm, just so he could replicate them under a safe environment.
And as he continues to explain the intricacies of his malicious plan, you feel yourself being pushed down to the muddy waters of disbelief, still struggling to believe anything of the things Satoru had just confessed to you.
You knew Satoru Gojo to be petty, annoying, arrogant… the host to many negative qualities a man could have.
But this ?
This was on a whole ‘nother level.
He’d really gone out of his way to plan all this just to get back to your sister before she even had the chance to do so herself.
Just when you thought Satoru couldn’t be any more unpleasant, he goes ahead and shows you that he, in fact, can be worse.
“Do you even hate horse riding at all?” you dare to ask, believing that maybe his dislike was also a ruse from the very beginning.
“With every inch of my existence” Satoru admits “It was a very difficult task for me to not bore myself to death when doing all this, but I think it was worth it!”
“Why did you even tell me this? What if it was someone else that walked into your room? Was that according to your plan as well?”
“You know I can sense energy, right? I knew it was you from a while ago so I had nothing to worry about—as for your other question… It's quite lonely at the top. I planned all of this in secret, not even Geto knows about it! And I couldn’t bear the thought of someone not recognizing my success, so I decided to tell you” he smiles “You and I are the only ones that know the complete truth”
“That’s awful Satoru! Do you even care for how worried my sister is?? She’s been unable to do anything because she feels guilty for hurting you! She doesn’t even want to see you, but now that all this is a lie—”
“You’re making me feel like a jerk now that you say it that way…” Satoru pouts.
“Good! You should feel bad!” You double down “… The only right thing you’ve done right is when you stepped in for my sister when your family was basically harassing her!”
“And they shouldn’t have gotten involved. Nobody can mess up with my future-wife but me” He frowns.
“…How convenient to call her your wife, as if you hadn’t done what you did” You cross your arms “And now what? I hope you’re planning on apologizing soon”
“I will, I will, but you gotta promise me to not tell anyone! Especially your dad, he’s going to kill me if he learns I’ve been messing around with one of his daughters”
“Nice way to phrase that, champ” you wince in disgust “Fine, as much as I hate your prank and everything you’ve done to my sister, I’ll keep quiet, but only if you apologize”
“Thank you, Y/N-chan! You’re the best little sister I never had!” he lunges forward to take you into his arms, but you move away from him before he can even grasp you with his fingers. He whines in dismay as a bigger pout appears on his lips.
“Get apologizing, or I might even tell Ren about it too” you cautioned.
“Oooooh no, that won’t be necessary” Gojo trembles away from you at the mention of your older brother, who, in his own merit, can just be as frightening as your dad whenever angered. It goes unsaid that of all your siblings, Ren is the one that tolerates him the least .
“I’ll do the right thing now that you’ve made me see where I’m wrong. I mean, I was planning to do so I just didn’t know how to make the grand reveal, but don’t worry about it, I’ll do it!”
You find his response to be… cheesy, to say the least, with the feeling that he was simply playing along with your requests.
But that’d be the least of your concerns now that everything was revealed (meaning that he wasn’t injured, thank god) and he got what he wanted. From this point forward, all that you needed to do with Satoru was keep a close eye on him and hold him to his word.
Thus, once you made peace with the fact that your brother-in-law was a lil piece of shit, but was planning on apologizing to your sister, you proceed to recollect the items you distraughtly dropped onto the floor after this screeching revelation and handed them over to Satoru, under the excuse that he should be able to set them up himself , now that his “broken” arm was in perfect condition, before waving him a quick goodbye and heading back to your room with the intention of resuming the match you paused in order to visit him.
However, just as Satoru had managed to fool your sister, you had managed to play the fool as well.
When you stood there, listening to him reveal all the details of his preposterous revenge plan, you slowly came to the realization that his transgression, although primarily directed to your sister, affected you as well.
This wasn’t something of a first occurrence—Satoru had gone back and forth with your sister when it came to annoying her and vice versa, however, your sister had always taken the stance of the bigger person and ignored him for most of the part, that is, until she reached her breaking point and decided to do something about it.
Something that fell in her unforeseen failure.
Nonetheless, there is one thing that they never accounted for when they were too entangled in this cat and dog pursuit.
And that was… that you’ve been witness to it all.
You’ve miraculously remained uninvolved in their affairs, allowing you to play the part of bystander, or confidant for when the moment required it, such as today with your sister, who although might’ve not given much detail of what she was planning, she uncharacteristically revealed that she was working on something, or Satoru, who gave you his complete testimony on why —although partially— he did this, and how.
You were treated like an underdog of sorts, a person they consider far out of their circle, someone who is not interested in their lifestyles, thus, not someone worthy to rope into their madness.
Acts that lead them to lowering their guards and becoming sloppy when it comes to guarding secrets around you.
And while their assumption wasn’t that farfetched, as you weren’t really that interested in playing this game of chase they have going on, (or courting, as some weird elders would often describe it as) you couldn’t deny the upper hand this whole incident has given you.
It’s the perfect opportunity to make a plan of your own to make him repay for this little insubordination he’d committed against your sister—against your family.
Nobody could ever see it coming because they often spent their time underestimating you.
A smile appears on your lips as you set your mind into your new goal.
You’ll take advantage of this unprecedented position for as long as you can, carefully observing the unwary Satoru and exploiting his weaknesses.
You’re in no rush. After all, he’s staying at your house.
And you weren’t empty handed. You had assets to exploit, unaccounted allies such as your best friend Sumire, and your older brother Ren, who you knew would jump at the first opportunity to humiliate Satoru, just as he’d done in the past, to count with.
Oh, he would never expect this from you.
You’ll teach Gojo to not mess up with the L/N clan, that is, unless he’s willing to take the heat.