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Shoko never wanted to have children. She just wanted a simple life; getting paid after a long shift, using the money to pay the bills and a few drinks, sleeping and eating just to stay alive. It was like she was spending the time waiting for her death to come. The idea of having children made her shudder. She couldn’t handle the responsibility, the commitment, and the attention they would need.
“You know you have zero experience and zero knowledge about raising kids or parenting, right?“ Shoko questioned Gojo’s decision to take these two kids under his custody while he himself was still underage. Well, money can buy anything, but still, taking care of other human beings was an uphill battle.
“I know,“ Gojo grinned. “That’s why I need your help.“
“And you're aware that I’m as clueless as you are, right?“ Shoko gave him an annoyed gaze. She knew it wasn't completely true, but doing it twice wouldn’t make it easier. Peeking inside the examination room, Shoko sighed when she saw Megumi and Tsumiki sitting solemnly, one on the bed and the other on the chair. They seemed confused. Who didn’t? A weirdo suddenly picked them up and brought them here.
“Two is better than one.“
It took all of her not to slap him.
“Didn’t you get Geto involved?“
Gojo scratched his head. “I want to, but I couldn't find him. Don't you think he's been acting strange recently?“
“We have to talk to him. He might want to get involved.“
“You’re right.“
Then, Geto jumped on the bandwagon, he even followed in Gojo's footsteps by adopting a pair of twins who were almost executed by whole villagers two years later. Shoko never saw this coming. At the age of nineteen, she ended up involved in co-parenting four children with her two best friends.
She didn’t ask for this. But no matter what, Shoko couldn’t hate the kids. Megumi was a calm kid, he seemed more composed than his ‘parents’ trio’. The way he acted more mature than his age made Shoko realize that his early life wasn’t easy. Luckily, he had Tsumiki who was the sweetest, she had a good heart and always cared for her siblings. She was the only kid who never complained about Gojo’s ruckus behavior. Apparently, she reminded Shoko of Geto.
Nanako was a chatterbox like the female version of Gojo.
Once, she asked Shoko, “are you Geto-san’s girlfriend?” which made the trio burst into laughter. The eldest of the twins might be the most difficult to deal with but she was a loyal friend who kept the company of her siblings through thick and thin. Meanwhile, Mimiko was the wallflower with a sharp mouth. Gojo said that she was Shoko’s carbon copy.
Geto often made a joke, “Mimiko’s traits take after her mother,“ which implied that Shoko has been considered a maternal figure for them.
Since then, the four of them have been under Shoko’s care every time their ‘father’ went on a mission. On a daily basis, she was the one who helped them do their homework, took care of them when they were sick, bought their clothes, educated the girls when they got their first period, and even she was the person whom Megumi looked for when he wanted to talk about his first wet dream. The only thing she couldn’t do was cook. Luckily, Gojo and Geto were good at it.
At some point, when they were finally aware that they were different from kids who have normal and functional families, they asked Shoko a funny question.
“Why didn’t you marry Geto-san or Gojo-san?”
Apparently, having quality time together as a whole family wasn’t enough for them. The kids needed a solid status, people they call father and mother.
“How about you call Gojo otou-san and Geto okaa-san?” Shoko enjoyed teasing them.
“But I know, Gojo-san didn’t want to lose you the most!” Tsumiki was the first to pick a side.
“So did Geto-san!” Nanako didn’t want to lose.
Shoko laughed, she felt like Gojo and Geto were proposing to her through their kids.
“Geto doesn’t want to lose Gojo the most, and vice versa. Not me. Maybe they don’t want to lose me too, but it’s because they need me to heal their sorcerer allies. It’s transactional.”
Shoko suspected the kids also confronted Gojo and Geto because they started to go on dates less and less. Every time Shoko asked why none of their girlfriends lasted long, they would say that the kids acted up around them. It seemed the kids didn’t like their lover and tried their best to make the women they dated uncomfortable. Gojo and Geto spent more and more of their spare time in Shoko’s working room. Even Gojo brought an expensive bed that he put in the room, so he could hang out cozily while watching Shoko work. Not to mention that her room was also full of Geto’s books that he left there. Sometimes they were so sweet and brought her some food or coffee, another time they would be so clingy falling asleep on her lap or her shoulder.
As if all of those hadn’t annoyed her enough, Gojo and Geto started to act possessively. They would give her a lame comment that she had a bad taste in men every time she dressed up to go out with a guy.
Shoko wasn’t stupid. She noticed their acts and intentions. Moreover when they used the kids to approach her. But, no matter how hard they tried to persuade Shoko to accept one of their fathers, she always averted the topic as her way of refusing. Until finally she thought she needed to take drastic measures.
“Please don't say you love me, 'cause I won't say it back,“ she said coldly to each of them separately.
Christmas Eve 2018, they’re having a party in the hall of the faculty. From the first until the fourth year students were gathered. Staff and teachers who had no family event were there too. Even Nanami also came. Everyone was having fun in the excitement of the party, except the woman in the white lab coat. She just stood in the corner of the room with the fourth glass of champagne in her hand, hawking at her friends. Geto was having a chit chat with Principal Yaga and the second-year students. She could see Yuta's adoring gaze at him. Shoko scoffed when she saw Gojo tease Nanami in front of Yuuji and Nobara, which made her wonder where was Megumi. She found him sitting on the couch, throwing a cynical glance at Gojo.
Shoko's lips formed a thin line at the thought that Gojo and Geto were still on good terms with her despite her straightforward rejection even before they had a chance to declare their feelings. To be honest, she was sure it felt nice to be in the arms of one of them, feeling the sense of safe place they offered. But, she knew if she accepted their love, it would leave a pain and scar for the rest of their life.
After the last sip, Shoko put the glass on the table. She silently stepped out of the party, avoiding the unwanted attention from the others. She believed that no one would notice that she left the party, little did she know that Gojo and Geto caught her withdrawal through the corner of their eyes. Even though they sensed something strange with her, they decided to enjoy the party a little longer before running into her later.
She didn't want to ruin the party. So, like a cat who realized its impending doom, she looked for a secluded place. Shoko stopped in front of the nearest tree of the torii gate. They would find her here late at night or tomorrow morning. She sighed and bent over to sit and lean back at the trunk. Inserting her hand into her pocket, she found her cell phone and recorded a voice message.
“Megumi, I think I owe you an explanation the most. You might be confused by what I'm saying after this.“ Shoko inhaled deeply and took some moments to strengthen herself. “I thought that the hell would freeze over before I would fall in love with one of them. But, that night when Gojo died, I realized that I love them. So in love that I was willing to exchange the remaining life span I have to turn back the hands of time and save them. Luckily, things didn’t go any worse than the other life we’ve lived. So, tonight I need to pay the price…” Shoko stopped for a while and smirked as she remembered the good times she spent with her two idiots in both universes. She was glad there were many safe too in the way, including the kids and their friends. If only she had more life span, maybe she could save Haibara and that Amanai girl too. “Megumi, can you do me a favour? Tell them I will marry both of them in hell. A frozen hell.“
Gojo and Geto ran madly in panic. Their blood ran cold as memories from their other universe flooded their minds. Something that Shoko didn't know was that they would recall the remembrance from the life they had before she used her reverse technique to reverse her lifetime so she could go back to the past to save them. Megumi rushed to tell Gojo and Geto about the voice message Shoko sent to him. They needed to find Shoko immediately as they were running out of time, this night was the moment when Gojo died and Shoko did the exchange.
Suddenly, they stopped and looked at each other in horror when they felt a curse energy vanish abruptly from the direction of the torii gate. They broke out in a cold sweat as they continued running faster, afraid that what they feared had happened.
Both of them were at their wit's end after they found Shoko sitting under the tree, she closed her eyes serenely, and her figure bathed under the moonlight. She looked beautiful more than ever. Slowly, Gojo and Geto get near to her. Fear overtook their minds though they already knew that their nightmare had happened. They've lost her. Geto's tears streamed as he touched Shoko's left cheek and Gojo's hand touched her right. The silver-haired man called her name in a bloodcurdling scream.
Shoko was always left behind. They ended up leaving her alone. But the table had turned. This time she took her turn and she was the one who left them.