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"I saw you in my dreams."
Gojo chuckles at the words, a flirty smile appearing on his face as he tilts his head up to look at the person that's speaking to him. He can't help the way his eyes briefly widen when he sees your face, recognizing you as the very person he was sent to find.
He understands that Yaga wants to give him a distraction, a getaway from all the shit that has happened to him in the past few years. But going undercover at the University of Tokyo to locate you, a supposedly important jujutsu sorcerer, wasn't exactly how he wanted to spend his post-high school years. Now that you're standing in front of him, he can't really find it in himself to complain. Not when he realizes just how pretty you are.
He quickly composes himself, leaning back in his seat before motioning for you to sit. You glance at the seat across from him uncertainly, refusing to move. There's a conflicted look on your face as you scan your surroundings, almost as if looking for an escape route. You look like you regret speaking in the first place.
"I'm flattered, really," Gojo says, shamelessly checking you out over his sunglasses. "But that's kind of a cheesy pickup line, isn't it?"
Your nose scrunches up at you look at him, and you stutter a few times as you lean against the table. Gojo watches with an amused smile that quickly drops when you finally gather your thoughts. "Ew! That was not an attempt to flirt with you!"
There's a moment of silence before you sigh and slip into the seat across from Gojo. You place your elbows on the table, head in your hands as you stare down at the table. Another minute passes before you look up, making brief eye contact with Gojo's sunglasses before fully laying your head down. "Listen, this is gonna sound crazy."
"Try me," Gojo says, smirking as he leans forward. One of his elbows rests on the table, check in hand as he watches you struggle with your thoughts.
He's never met you before, hell, he hasn't even seen you before this moment, but the faint cursed energy that surrounds you lets him know exactly who you are. You're a member of the Zen'in clan, labeled as missing when your parents fled a couple years after you were born. The discovery of your prophetic dreams had made you an instant target, and you had been so well hidden from society that even Gojo and Yaga had had a hard time finding you. There was absolutely no information on your childhood or adolescence, and the only way they had managed to locate you was due to a wayward curse you had taken upon yourself to exorcise. The recent spike of your cursed energy had caused an uproar in the jujutsu community, and a race had begun to see who could get to you first.
Between Jujutsu High, the Zen'in clan, the higher-ups, and a special grade curse, Gojo thought he was the best option.
"Okay, come on," Gojo says, standing up and stretching before pushing his chair in. You finally look up, frustration visible on your face as you stare at him. Your expression quickly morphs into confusion when Gojo gently grabs your arm, tugging you up from your seat and slinging your bag over his shoulder before interlocking arms with you.
"Where are we going?" you ask, stumbling after him. He's taller than you, and you find yourself struggling to keep up with his long strides.
"We're gonna go get some coffee!" he says, smiling at you. "I know a place. Besides, I wanna know all about those dreams you had of me."
"You don't think I'm lying to you?" you say, eyeing him skeptically. "Or that I'm crazy?"
Your question goes unanswered, but the look he sends you makes your stomach twist with nervousness. There's a glint in his eye that catches you off guard, and you find yourself wondering if he knows more than he's letting on.
Your mind races as he walks you off campus, chatting your ear off as you go. He doesn't receive a single response from you, yet your silence doesn't seem to bother him. If anything, it only motivates him to talk even more, and you find yourself almost enjoying the way he doesn't let the silence last more than a few seconds.
"Oh look! There it is," Gojo says, fully capturing your attention as he motions towards a small café. It's a small, charming place, one street over, visible through the alleyway the two of you are currently standing in front of. You come to a full stop when he makes a move to walk down the alley, inadvertently pulling him back to your side when he realizes you won't budge.
"What's wrong?" he asks, leaning down to catch your eye. You're met with a startingly blue gaze, and you shift from one foot to another as you tear your eyes away from him. "Oh, I know! I bet you're nervous for our date!"
"This isn't a date!" you snap, finally pulling your arm away from him. You can feel a headache coming as he giggles, shoving his hands into his pockets as he walks into the alley. "Wait!"
Gojo halts at your words, turning around to fully face you. He watches you curiously as you take a few tentative steps forward, a shiver running down your spine when you enter the alley as well. There's a coldness seeping through your bones as you approach Gojo, and when you turn to look behind you, it feels as though you've left the busy streets of Tokyo completely.
"What's wrong?" Gojo asks, the smile still on his face as he observes your reaction. You're almost certain that he knows something you don't at this point.
"This alley," you start, wringing your hands as you take a step back. "This is where we were. In my dream, I mean."
"And what exactly were we doing here?" Gojo asks, his teasing tone earning a scowl from you. "This alley is quite inconspicuous, and we're all alone."
The insult you had ready dies on the tip of your tongue as you notice movement behind Gojo, and his eyebrows furrow as he notices the sudden change in your demeanor.
"So, in my dream we were here. And you were in danger. I couldn't do anything to help and you—," you cut yourself off, nervousness coating your words as you start to close in on Gojo. You ready yourself to fight, remembering every detail about your dream as the curse lurking in the alleyway reveals itself. You curse to yourself as it notices you, and you absentmindedly note that it seems be a grade 1 curse.
"And I?" Gojo asks, curiosity coloring his words as he tilts his head in confusion. He hasn't moved at all, and you find yourself wondering if he can sense cursed spirits. In your dream it seemed like he could.
You inhale sharply as the curse lunges, and you notice too late that this scene isn't playing out the same way it had in your dream. Tou throw yourself at Gojo, eyes wide with panic as you realize you're just a bit too far to reach him.
"You have to move!" you shriek, your heart pounding as Gojo simply grins at you. He raises his hand silently, fingers twisting as he mutters something under his breath. The curse is killed instantly, and you find yourself collapsing to your knees as you look at Gojo in shock.
"Y-you—"
"Me!" Gojo cheers, cutting you off as he approaches you. He hauls you onto your feet and loops his arm with yours once again, guiding you past the disintegrating curse and emerging on the other side of the alley. You spare another glance back at the corpse, swallowing harshly before turning to look at the sorcerer standing next to you.
"Who are you?" you ask quietly. The smile doesn't slip from Gojo's face as he holds the café door open for you, following closely after you and guiding you to an empty table.
"How about we order first? And then I'll answer all of your questions," Gojo says, picking up a stray menu and flipping through it casually as if he hasn't just taken down a grade 1 curse with ease. He notices your stare but doesn't comment on it, instead choosing to place the menu back on the table before waving over a server.
"Can I get a slice of cake with two forks? Oh! And two glasses of chocolate milk please."
Gojo twiddles his thumbs as the two of you wait for your order, and you find yourself fully studying him for the first time since you approached him. He's sitting casually, leaning back slightly in a relaxed manner as he hums a song under his breath. When he notices your stare, he sends you a small grin and proceeds to go back to observing his surroundings.
He's much too relaxed for someone who just had an encounter with a curse, and you realize that he truly does know a lot more than you originally thought.
"Here's your order!"
Gojo thanks the server enthusiastically as you mutter your appreciation, your hands closing around the glass he pushes towards you without much thought.
"So, who are you?" you finally ask, repeating the question that Gojo had ignored earlier. He laughs at your words, grabbing one of the forks and taking a bite of cake as he extends the other one to you. He waits for you to grab the fork, using his own to pick up another piece of cake before he notices you don't make a move to take it from him.
"What? You want me to feed you instead?" he asks, eyelashes fluttering as he gives you a flirty smile. He places the fork meant for you back on the table, leaning in closer and bringing his own fork to your mouth. "I guess that would be more date-like. Okay, say ah!"
His enthusiasm dies down when he notices the frown tugging at your lips, and he deflates in defeat when you push his hand aside and reach for the other fork. You fiddle with it for a couple of seconds before placing it back down and looking at him with a glare.
"Who are you?" you demand once more, your eye twitching in annoyance when Gojo opens his mouth. You have no doubt he's about to say something stupid. "If you don't tell me, I will scream for help."
His mouth clamps shut as he studies you quietly, taking another bite of the cake before sighing.
"My name is Gojo Satoru," he finally says, holding his hand out to you as he introduces himself. You place your hand in his hesitantly, a gasp leaving you when he brings your hand up to his mouth and presses a soft kiss against your knuckles. "And you, you're a Zen'in."
Gojo watches as your eyes go wide at his words, and you yank your hand out his grasp before looking around nervously.
"No, I'm not," you say quietly. "I've never heard that name in my life."
You receive a funny look from Gojo, and he crosses his arms before snorting. "Yeah, ok. I totally believe you."
"How do you know that name?" you say quietly, your eyes still scanning your surroundings. Your shoulders are tense, and Gojo can tell that you're seconds away from sprinting out of your seat and away from him.
"It's a pretty well known name in the jujutsu world," Gojo responds, his head tilting as he looks at you questioningly. "So you know about curses, but not about the clans?"
"Sorry, I'm afraid learning about the politics of the jujutsu world was the least of my worries," you reply sarcastically, rolling your eyes as you do so. Gojo thinks it's kind of endearing. "The information on curses was much more important, so I kinda just tuned out my parents when they gave me that lecture."
Gojo chuckles, shaking his head slightly at your words. He leans forward without much thought, holding out three fingers as he speaks. "There's three big jujutsu families that exist. There's the Kamo clan, the Gojo clan, and the Zen'in clan. You and I belong to two of those. And all three of them are looking for you."
You shift in your seat at his words, giving him a wary glance before shrugging nonchalantly. "So you found me first. Now what?"
There's a slight nervousness to your tone, causing Gojo to frown. He shrugs, grabbing his glass and taking a drink. "I dunno. I wasn't sent on behalf of the Gojo clan. I was sent by Yaga Masamichi, the principal of Tokyo Jujutsu High. We have no plans to turn you over to the higher-ups, if that makes this situation any better."
"Then what do you plan on doing?"
"Now that, I also don't know," Gojo confesses. He notices the look of irritation on your face and chuckles. "All we know is that your power is too strong to be left unchecked. Now, I'm not necessarily kidnapping you, but I am asking you to return to the school with me and speak with Yaga. We think there's a way that your dreams could help jujutsu sorcerers know what they could possibly be dealing with on a mission ahead of time."
"I don't think that'll be possible," you mutter, frowning down at the table. You seem lost in thought, and Gojo gives you a moment of silence before he speaks.
"What do you mean by that?" Gojo's voice is soft, his eyebrows knit in concern as you give him a worried look.
"I mean that I don't think my dreams are reliable," you whisper, panic lacing your words.
"They're prophetic dreams!" Gojo yells quietly. "What do you mean they're not reliable."
"Ok, look," you say, pausing to reach for the half-eaten slice of cake. You finally take a bite, eyes lighting up as you hum with delight. "That is good! Ok, anyways, I don't think my dreams are truly prophetic."
"That's literally not possible," Gojo argues, eyes wide in disbelief. "It's a part of your cursed technique! Everyone knows that the Zen'in clan members with this ability are never wrong."
"Well they are now!"
"What do you mean by that?"
"I mean that my dream wasn't accurate," you explain, taking another bite of the cake. You ignore Gojo's confused look, sighing before pushing the plate back towards him. "That dream I had of you? Yeah the real-life scenario didn't play out the way it was supposed to."
Gojo's stare hardens as he processes your words, and he pushes the cake aside as he looks at you questioningly. "What do you mean it didn't play out the way it was supposed to?"
"You were supposed to die," you confess, your voice no louder than a whisper. The silence between the two of you is heavy, and you wonder if your admission was much too harsh. "In my dream, the curse attacked you after I failed to protect you. I don't know what changed."
"Well, I'm the strongest sorcerer alive, so there's your answer," Gojo says, an uncertain smile on his face as he tries to lighten the mood. "Besides, I had to step up my game. I wasn't going to leave someone as precious as you to defend yourself."
His efforts pay off as you huff out a laugh. It's weak, but it manages to dispel the heaviness that had been previously present.
"Listen," Gojo begins, his tone uncharacteristically serious for the first time since you've approached him. "I'm not trying to freak you out or anything, but that's incredibly strange. There has never been a Zen'in prophetic dream that didn't come true. I really think you should speak with Yaga, or Tengen. But I won't force you to."
"Tengen?" you ask, confusion on your face as you look down at the table. "Who's that?"
"Long story," Gojo breathes, making the decision to let Yaga fill you in on that. "But what do you say? I'd really like to figure this out, but I kinda need you in order to be able to do that."
There's a moment of hesitation on your end, and Gojo finds himself tensing up as he waits for you to speak. He's almost certain that you're going to decline, and he's afraid that once you walk out of the café, you'll be gone forever once again. His fears are dispelled when you look up to meet his gaze, determination clearly visible in your eyes as you nod.
"Okay, I'll go with you."
"Great!" Gojo says, his grin reappearing as he stands. He places a small wad of cash on the table before walking around the table to you and offering you his hand. You've barely slipped your hand into his before he tugs you towards him, his grin getting wider as you bump into his chest. You don't get the chance to say anything before he's walking out of the café, throwing a cursory glance around before heading down the street. "Let's get out of here. We shouldn't stay in one place too long, just in case."
Gojo chatters endlessly once again as you presumably head towards Tokyo Jujutsu High, and you find yourself staring at him as you recall your entire day in your mind. Gojo Satoru had single-handedly disrupted the course of fate, and neither one of you had any idea as to how.
You can feel a headache coming on the longer you stare at him, and you finally look away when he glances back at you and gives you a charming grin.
You have no idea who Gojo Satoru is, but if he has the power to change the course of your prophetic dreams, then you're determined to find out more about him.
And he sure as hell wasn't going to complain about that.