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Tapping his fingers against his knee, Gojo watched out the car window as the world flew by with disinterest. The crowded city disappeared in the rear-view mirror as buildings gave way to miles of forest and winding roads. They still had another hour or so before they'd make it to their destination, the heavy traffic of Tokyo having slowed them down significantly.
The threat he'd been called in to fight was a pathetic, low-grade curse causing a ruckus in some old, abandoned hospital. Access to the building by non-sorcerers had already been handled by the higher-ups, with the curse securely contained within. All Gojo needed to do was stroll in and eliminate the threat.
It was hardly worth the effort, let alone what was turning into a two-hour drive, yet Gojo had forced a smile and accepted the job without much complaint. With his power, the curse was nothing more than a bug Gojo could crush under his shoe, which made it the perfect mission to bring Megumi along. Turning his head away from the window, Gojo glanced at Megumi through the rear-view mirror, the corner of his lip quirking up into a smile.
Megumi looked as bored as Gojo felt, his head resting against the window as he watched the world through unfocused eyes. He wore the pair of red headphones he'd gotten last Christmas, the music loud enough that Gojo could pick up the occasional beat and warbled voice. Unlike Gojo, Megumi wasn't exactly thrilled about spending the day accompanying him on a mission, something he made a point of voicing every time Gojo dragged him along. Regardless, Gojo remained undeterred and steadfast in his decision.
Megumi had started middle school a few weeks ago—his kid was growing up fast—and Gojo needed to ensure that he was prepared for the day he finally joined Jujutsu Tech. When it came to his Ten Shadows Technique, Megumi proved to be a swift learner. By seven, he'd completely mastered his divine dogs and successfully tamed the swarm of rabbits. Now, at twelve years old, Megumi has added Toad and Nue to his roster, with the Great Serpent their current focus.
Megumi's skills were improving fast, his desire to summon and tame all ten of his shikigami still as strong as the day Gojo had told him about his technique. However, with him growing older came one big hurdle. Megumi no longer wanted to become a jujutsu sorcerer. On top of Megumi being your average, moody preteen, Gojo now had to deal with the struggle of getting him ready for a world he wanted no part of.
If living a normal life was an option, Gojo would have gladly allowed it, but in harsh reality, Megumi didn't have a choice. The only reason Gojo was able to stop his sale to the Zenin clan was due to the expectation that when he was old enough, Megumi would join and train at Jujutsu Tech. With the deal officially sealed seven years ago, the higher-ups would never allow Megumi to live a life outside of their own, especially not after inheriting the Zenin clan's prized technique. As much as he's come to hate it, Gojo had no choice but to continue guiding Megumi toward a life of pain and heartache.
"Are you sure about this?"
Ripped from his thoughts, Gojo's eyes drifted toward the driver's seat. Kiyotaka Ijichi sat behind the wheel, his attention trained on the road ahead. When his eyes briefly flickered toward Gojo, he couldn't miss the note of concern written across his face. Since day one, Kiyotaka had been against Gojo bringing Megumi along, worried that the kid wasn't ready and that some of the missions were too dangerous. This wasn't the first time—and surely wouldn't be the last—that Gojo had to answer this question.
"Of course, why wouldn't I be?" Gojo asked, waving his hand dismissively when Kiyotaka opened his mouth in protest. "Don't worry, the curse is barely a grade three. Megumi could probably kill the thing with his eyes closed."
Kiyotaka looked uncomfortable as he asked, "You don't actually plan on making him fight…do you?"
"No, not yet," Gojo said, his demeanor turning serious as he glanced back at Megumi. "He's still got a few years left of being a kid. These are just introductions to get him used to things—make sure he isn't overwhelmed when the time comes. The sooner he gets desensitized to how hideous some curses are, the better."
"As long as he's safe."
"Are you kidding?" Gojo grinned. "He's got the world's strongest sorcerer to keep him safe! Nothing's gonna hurt that kid while I'm around! So stop worr—"
Gojo jerked forward in his seat as Kiyotaka suddenly slammed on the brakes. The seatbelt dug into his chest as the car screeched to a halt. Gojo caught the tail end of something long and covered in feathers darting into the underbrush, his six eyes trailing the cursed energy as it scampered further into the woods. There was no mistake—
"Was that—"
"A grade one curse."
It stopped moving about two kilometers away, its cursed energy flaring as it sized them up, no doubt sensing Gojo's strong energy. The radio crackled to life, and an ear-piercing wail resembling metal scraping against metal came through the speakers, causing Gojo to wince. It lasted only a second, the curse's energy returning to its normal state. It took a few steps in their direction.
"Keep driving," Gojo instructed as he kept the curse in his sights.
Had they been closer to the city, Gojo would have considered stopping and eliminating the curse, but with Megumi in the car, he didn't want to take any unnecessary risks. He'd put in a call regarding the curse when they arrived at the hospital and let some other sorcerer take care of it.
Kiyotaka nodded sharply, his foot barely pressing down on the gas, when the sound of a car door opening caused him to freeze. Eyes widening, Gojo's head whipped around in shock, his heart dropping as Megumi climbed out of the backseat of the car, his headphones slipping off and falling onto the asphalt.
"Megumi, get back in the car!" Gojo shouted, his order going unheeded as Megumi walked toward the back of the car. "Megumi!!"
He'd barely gotten his seatbelt unbuckled when he felt it, a sudden shift of cursed energy. Gojo threw the car door open with enough force to shatter the window, a metallic crunch ringing out as it broke free of its hinges. The second his feet connected with the asphalt, Gojo was sprinting, throwing himself between Megumi and the forest. Skidding to a halt, Gojo reached back and grabbed a fistful of Megumi's hoodie, holding him in place just as the curse came bursting out of the treeline.
The ungodly creature emitted a soulful wail as it froze in its tracks. Five pairs of blank, milky-white eyes stared past Gojo at Megumi, letting out a low whine as its centipede-like body curled and coiled in agitation. Sharp, hook-like limbs beckoned almost pleadingly, those eyes never losing sight of their prey. Behind him, Megumi moved forward, but Gojo's grip on the kid's sweater kept him safely shielded.
"Megumi, listen to me, I need you to stop messing around and get back in the car, now!" Gojo all but growled as the curse inched forward, its limbs twitching as it tried to find an opening around Gojo.
When Megumi didn't move, Gojo dared a glance back, his lip twisting into a snarl. Gojo's eyes met Megumi's, and his blood ran cold. Instead of bright emerald eyes, Gojo stared into a pair of milky-white, soulless eyes. His grip tightening, Gojo turned back toward the curse, his energy shifting into something darker, almost suffocating. The curse shrank back, its feathers quivering as it emitted another harsh cry, like a scared animal attempting to intimidate a far more dangerous threat.
Gojo barely heard the sound of Kiyotaka getting out of the car and rushing over as blood pounded in his ears. Watching as the curse kept its filthy eyes glued to Megumi, Gojo saw red as his knuckles turned white from how hard he was holding on to Megumi, his kid. It was Kiyotaka's hand touching his that signaled it was safe to let Megumi go. Trusting he would get Megumi a safe distance away, Gojo focused all his attention on the curse.
Its eyes jerked sharply, feathers ruffling in anger as it rounded on Gojo. In one swift movement, the curse darted forward, its legs skittering across the ground as it rushed him. Side-stepping out of the way, Gojo seamlessly severed all of its legs with a flick of his wrist, the curse howling in agony as its body crashed and scraped across the ground. With cold, calculating eyes, Gojo watched as it writhed, its long body twisting and flicking in all directions.
Another flick of his wrist had the lower half of the curse severing into pieces, blood and feathers flying as its scream echoed throughout the forest. In one last, desperate attempt, the curse lunged at Gojo, its face peeling back to reveal circular rows of sharp teeth.
"Cursed Technique Reversal: Red."
In a bright flash of red, what remained of the curse disappeared, leaving behind only flecks of blood that splattered the nearby trees. Only when its cursed energy completely disappeared did Gojo calm down, taking a deep, measured breath. His heart rate returned to normal just as he caught sight of Kiyotaka emerging from the woods on the opposite side of the road. When he didn't see Megumi with him, Gojo sprinted over.
"Where's Megumi?"
"He's—He's right over here," Kiyotaka nervously stammered as he led Gojo back into the treeline. "I don't know what happened. After you used red, he just collapsed."
Rounding a large tree, Gojo's heart stuttered when he saw Megumi lying unconscious against the base of the tree. Megumi's cursed energy was still strong, if not a little subdued, but that didn't stop Gojo from rushing over. Crouching down, Gojo pressed two fingers to Megumi's neck and let out a sigh of relief when he felt a steady pulse. More hesitantly, Gojo reached up and gently peeled back one of Megumi's eyelids.
Though they were a little hazy, Megumi's eyes were once again that familiar, emerald green. Whatever that curse had done to his kid, it seemed to be gone along with it.
"Is he going to be alright?" Kiyotaka asked.
"Yeah, he'll be just fine. I don't sense any of the cursed spirit's energy lingering around."
He couldn't see any of it, either, which was a good sign. Curses that cause long-term effects will often leave behind some residual energy, even after being killed. Megumi may still experience temporary headaches and fatigue after having that thing fuck with his head, but those were easy to handle—those weren't life-altering like some of the shit he'd seen.
Hooking an arm under Megumi's legs, Gojo picked him up bridal style, keeping his head safely tucked against his chest as he followed Kiyotaka back to the car. The back door was still open, Megumi's headphones broken on the ground, cracked in several places. Gojo kicked them aside—those were easily replaceable—and gently laid Megumi across the back seat. Megumi didn't stir once; the kid out cold. Ruffling his hair, Gojo smiled softly before shutting the door and turning toward Kiyotaka.
"I want you to take him to Shoko, have her check him out as a precaution," Gojo instructed as he walked around to the other side of the car. Glass crunched under his feet as he grabbed the broken door and forced it shut. "When you get back, give me a call."
"What about you?"
"I'll go on ahead and finish the mission." Gojo grinned, a predatory glint in his eyes. "They want a dead curse, oh, I'll give them a dead curse."