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The sun was hot on her skin, like a kiss from the universe reminding her she wasn’t as untouchable from mother nature as she liked to believe. Maki squinted up at the giant fireball in the sky and challenged it. She could survive more than a little heat, after all she had protection anyway.
“Can you move? You’re hogging the whole umbrella.” Panda was currently attempting to huddle under an umbrella meant clearly for humans and not giant bears. It was the only sun protection they had brought for their day at the beach.
As Jujutsu Sorcerers, they didn’t get to have beach days, they barely had weekends and often times they were on call for missions anyway, meaning they couldn’t stray far from the school grounds.
So, this trip was kind of a once in a lifetime event for them. And she wasn’t about to spend her day roasting in the sun.
She scoffed. “Me? Don’t you have some sort of natural protection considering you’re -oh I don’t know- a bear?”
“Salmon.” Inumaki nodded, pushing himself further up against Panda who pushed against Maki who pushed her flush up against-
“Yuuta, tell Maki she’s being unreasonable.” Panda urged. “She probably won’t even get burnt due to her superhuman abilities.”
Maki rolled her eyes, but her attention was drifting off like it was tied to one of those giant inflatable pool toys that Inumaki had insisted they bring but had quickly been pulled out to sea. Due to her current wardrobe -a green bikini top that Nobara had loaned her that didn’t quite fit right and shorts that felt too short for public- their current predicament was interesting.
“I-I don’t-” Yuuta started, his voice vibrating through her body with how close they were. “I mean I think-”
Panda sighed, rubbing his eyes.
Maki’s lips quirked, hiding a smirk. Panda knew he was fighting a losing battle. He’d been trying to recruit Yuuta to the dark side for years, but Maki knew he would never choose anyone else’s side in an argument, even if he liked to play devil’s advocate sometimes.
“We can’t all fit.” Maki deadpanned. “Right Yuuta?”
“Well, I’m sure he wouldn’t want his friends to burn either.”
Maki turned to look at Yuuta who was looking between them, she noticed he was also making intense eye contact with her. Weird.
“Maybe we can take turns?” He suggested. “Two of us can use the umbrella and then we can switch so the other two get a turn?”
Maki mulled it over before nodding. “Ever the diplomat, Okkotsu.”
Panda reluctantly agreed but insisted he have the first turn.
“So, who’s going to wait with me?” Panda asked, a shit eating grin plastered on his face. “Yuuta?”
Yuuta’s eyes flew to Maki in a way that made her cheeks burn a little. He always looked at her before anyone else when a decision had to be made, almost like he wanted to check in with her first.
The truth was -and she’d never admit it out loud- she wanted to spend the day with Yuuta more than the others. When Gojo had mentioned that the area they’d be in for an upcoming mission was near Okinawa beach, she hadn’t thought anything of it. Luxuries like lounging at the beach weren’t even on her radar.
But he’d told Yuuta that the beach meant something to him- apparently-, and Yuuta being Yuuta, well…
“Who cares about some beach?” Maki grumbled, packing away her cursed tools with the attention a mother might use for a newborn. They were her babies, after all. They were sometimes all that stood between her life and a curse killing her.
“Well,” Yuuta said, his eyes looking up at the sky, “Gojo-Sensei told me that beach was important to him. He said it’s some of the last happy memories he had.”
Maki rolled her eyes, turning her attention back to the boy before her. He was so oblivious to the hold her had on her, she was sure at this point he could ask her to do anything, and she would.
“We have important missions here. Jujutsu Sorcerers don’t get leave to play at the beach anyway.”
“Well…”
“Yes?”
“Gojo-Sensei already approved our leave. Panda and Inumaki’s too, he said he wanted us all to enjoy it together.” He smiled sadly. “He said something about wanting us to enjoy our youth.”
Dammit.
“And you want to go?” She asked, her voice dropping all the annoyance it held a minute ago.
He stared up at her, well he stared down at her now, -his recent growth spurt putting him well above her now- but she always got the distinct feeling he was gazing up at her. “I do want to go, Gojo-Sensei is kind of like my family and I want to see the place that holds so much importance to him. And…”
“And?” She asked, crossing her arms across her chest.
Red stained his cheeks, but he didn’t look away. Yuuta had grown in more ways than one, his confidence slowly but surely seeping out.
“Well,” -he scratched the back of his head- “I also want to spend time with you without worrying our lives might be in danger.”
Maki could feel a blush creeping up her neck.
“A-and the others. Of course.” He said matter-of-factly.
She rolled her eyes, gently shoving his shoulder. “Of course.”
They’d finished packing up their weapons and dropping them off at the tools shed when Maki realised, she hadn’t given Yuuta an answer. She slowed her steps, watching him.
Maki hated taking breaks from missions and training. She hated normalcy. She hated anything she perceived as weakness, and taking breaks was always something she thought of as a weakness. She didn’t need breaks, and when she used to, she would just push through anyway, dealing with the pain and burnout down the track.
It was unfortunate that her true weakness was standing right in front of her. The way Yuuta seemed to be able to reach inside her brain and rewire it was truly something that needed to be studied, and the way he didn’t even know he did it was what was truly astounding.
If anyone else asked her to step outside of her comfort zone, she’d laugh at the attempt. Maki’s resolve was ironclad. It couldn’t be bent or broken from other people’s opinions or requests.
So why did she find it impossible to say no to him? Why did she feel lighter and happier when he was around? Why did she question her ideals when he offered her new perspectives?
She’d trained him in combat, but he’d taught her so many invaluable things about herself. And he didn’t even know it, was so oblivious to it that he didn’t even think himself special.
“Alright.” She said. The sound of her voice splitting the comfortable silence.
“Alright?” He asked, his face etched with confusion.
His hair was always messy after training, it would fall across his forehead like it had a mind of its own. Maki always had the intense feeling like she should reach out and touch it, push it back into place and demand it stay put because it made her heart beat too quickly. But she never did.
“We can go on your beach day.” She said, like it was something she didn’t want to do. Because if she was being honest with herself -a very rare occurrence when it came to Yuuta- she did want to spend a day with him where she didn’t have to worry about curses, where they could be somewhat normal. Or as close to it as they ever could.
Yuuta smile immediately reached his eyes and if she wasn’t sure of her choice before she was now. “Maki… thank you.” He said, his voice so earnest and full of relief it made her pause. She realised then that if she had said no, if she hadn’t have wanted to, he would have never mentioned it again. He would have accepted it and moved on.
Maki realised in that moment that she was more screwed than she had originally thought where Yuuta was concerned.
“Well, don’t leave us hanging.” Panda said, dragging her attention back to their current predicament- who was going to wait with who.
“You and Inumaki can have the first go of the umbrella.” Yuuta said, standing up slowly. And even though it was already hot Maki immediately felt the loss of his warmth.
Panda smirked. “Oh really?” Panda’s beady eyes shot to Maki. “Is that just your roundabout way of saying you want to be with Maki?”
Yuuta paled.
“Shut up, would you?” Maki stood up as well, taking off the towel that she was using to cover part of herself earlier. “Your times ticking.”
She could feel Yuuta’s gaze on her, causing her cheeks to feel hot. She silently cursed Nobara for lending her this stupid outfit. Maki didn’t think it was appropriate to be wearing at a public beach, but Nobara had assured it was.
Maki watched as Panda and Inumaki made themselves comfortable under the umbrella, propping up their towels and raiding the snack bag where they stored all their food and drinks.
She decided she might as well go swim.
The beach was busy, but she imagined it could get much worse than it was. Families and couples spotted the shore, their gazebos and umbrellas creating a mosaic effect. Maki hated that she had to admit it was a beautiful beach. The water was so blue it looked almost fake, nothing like the murky beaches they had in Tokyo.
“It is beautiful, I’ll admit.” Maki said, her eyes raking over the crystal blue horizon, her feet feeling warm due to the white sand beneath them.
“Yeah, so beautiful.” Yuuta’s voice sounded dazed, causing Maki to snap out of her beach-induced trance and face him.
He was looking right at her. His blue eyes staring at her so intently, she felt like she was looking into the ocean again. She’d always thought Yuuta had ocean eyes, the kind of blue that couldn’t be summed up as easily as saying they look like the sky. No, his were the type that looked like they held a depth that was just out of reach, dark and light blues merging like the sea.
He coughed, shaking her once again from a trance like state. Did this beach have some magical properties she wasn’t aware of?
“The beach- I mean.” He said, scratching the back of his head.
She frowned. What else could he have been talking about?
They made their way over to the water, Maki cursing Panda the whole time for having chosen a spot so far away from the shoreline, Yuuta laughing and assuring her that they could move the umbrella when it was their turn. Maki disagreed, their friends could suffer the same way they had, especially Panda.
When they reached the water -finally- Maki stared out into the distance. She wondered if Gojo just liked this beach because it was so annoyingly perfect, or if there was another reason.
“Ready to swim?” Yuuta asked.
She turned to say yes, but it was like her voice had been stollen and placed into one of the shiny shells they had spotted earlier. She opened her mouth, closed it, opened it again. She felt like a damn fish.
Yuuta had taken his shirt off to swim, placing it gently on the sand. Maki knew she worked him to an extreme level but…
“You’re ripped?” She asked, her voice seemingly returning at precisely the wrong moment.
Her eyes scanned over the boy before her that she once nicknamed bean sprout. Well, she was certainty eating her words. He was sculpted as if a divine being had reached down and moulded him piece by piece. He was still lean, but his shoulders had broadened, and where she used to think him scrawny before, she now saw lean muscle mass the rippled up his arms, over his torso and down his stomach.
“W-what?” He asked, his cheeks growing redder by the second.
She realised then that she had never really seen him without a shirt on, not in a while anyway. She supposed there was the time she’d walked into his room when he was getting changed to tell him to hurry up so they could train. But he’d had his back to her and was a fumbling mess as he shoved on his unform in record speed, so she wasn’t exactly focused on his physique.
“I mean, what were they feeding you in Africa?” Maki asked, trying to tear her gaze back to the water.
“Uh, food?” He seemed confused by the question.
Maki let out a breath and focused back on the crystal blue water. She didn’t even wait a second before walking towards it and diving in. Friends weren’t supposed to gawk at other friends like that. She clearly needed to cool off.
The water was deceivingly cold, awakening every nerve in her body as she dived beneath the surface. Maki had never had the opportunity to swim so freely, the Zenin wouldn’t allow it and there weren’t many pools in Tokyo.
She was so stupid. Staring at Yuuta like that. She hated how much she struggled to keep him at arm’s length. The line between friends and something more was meant to be clear, drawn in the sand and so obvious that one couldn’t mistake it. And Maki had always thought this to be true, she could always see the line with her other friends because she never thought to cross it.
The line between her and Yuuta was as blurred as a drunk person’s judgement after a week-long bender.
Maki felt the water ripple beside her and decided to resurface, she couldn’t hide forever after all.
When she bobbed her head above the water, she found Yuuta doing the same, and despite herself, she smiled. The feeling of being weightless and free, even if it was only for a day, was flooding her brain with stupid endorphins.
“It’s cold.” Yuuta said, his hair all wet. Her fingers itched to reach out.
She remembered the line they ventured too close to more often than not and stopped herself.
“Yeah.” She agreed. The water was so clear she could see the bottom. They weren’t very far out but she started to wonder if any sea creatures came this close to the shore.
“Gojo-Sensei told me that sometimes there’s sea cucumbers here.” Yuuta said, as if he could read her mind.
Maki burst out laughing, such a rare occurrence that it felt foreign.
Yuuta smiled back. “What? He swears its true.”
Maki leant back in the water, her body acclimatising quickly to the temperature. “Well, when I see one, I’ll believe it.”
“That’s fair.” Yuuta nodded before diving under the water again.
Maki let her body float on the surface of the water for what felt like forever, her eyes staring at the cloudless sky, her body being warmed by the sun’s rays. She felt weightless in a way she had never truly experienced, her mind tried redirecting her thoughts to upcoming missions and new training regimes she could implement, but it was like something was blocking it.
Maybe the beach really was magical, maybe it forced you to focus on the present and didn’t let the future loom over you like some dark cloud.
She felt something swim under her and Yuuta resurfaced beside her. “Were you swimming under me?” She asked, suddenly very aware of the fact her clothes left little to the imagination.
Yuuta flushed. “No- I mean yes, but I was looking at the sea floor.” He looked nervous.
“Just spit it out, Okkotsu.” She liked teasing him by calling him by his last time every once in awhile.
“Okay, but you have to trust me.” He said, sucking in a breath. She noticed his hands were behind his back.
She turned to face him, her eyes scanning his face. Did he really even need to ask? He was the only person she trusted without question.
Maki nodded. “I trust you.”
“Okay, close your eyes and hold out your hands.” He said, his smile giving away how happy he was.
“Okay.” She said, her voice hardly there. She allowed her eyes to drift shut and held out her hands.
With her eyesight temporally gone, her other senses intensified. She could her the lapping of the shore, the way the waves crashed, people laughing and talking in the distance. She could feel the water moving around her, the sun warming her face, and the way the sand was so soft under her feet.
Yuuta gently grabbed her hand, the unexpected contact causing her to jolt a little. His hand was so cold as he moulded her hands into the position he wanted them in. “Okay, are you ready Maki?” He asked, his voice sparking every nerve in her body.
“Mhm.” She nodded.
Something wet was placed into her hands. It was a little bit slimy, but the shape was weird.
Please don’t be a sea cucumber, she prayed. Although she doubted Yuuta would do that to her.
“Okay, you can open your eyes.”
Maki opened her eyes to find a bright orange star in the middle of her hands. Her eyes flew to Yuuta’s. “A star fish?”
He nodded. “I’ve never seen one in person before… when I was a kid, I always used to look for them when my family went to the beach. I just couldn’t believe that there was something so special and rare just waiting to be found.” His eyes flicked between the star fish and hers. “My little sister always called me stupid for wasting my time, saying they didn’t want to be found, they’d rather be left alone. And my parents would ask me why I didn’t look for something more interesting…”
Maki’s lips quirked as she stared down at the creature. It was so bright, a stark contrast to her hands and the blue water. It had a few marks on it, like it had been through something. Yuuta would like star fish; he had a thing for loving things that he thought were underappreciated.
“But?”
“But I always thought they weren’t given enough credit. They’re amazing. Just like how they don’t have any blood, but they can regenerate their limbs using sea water.”
Maki was starting to wonder if she was feeling jealousy over a damn star fish. The way Yuuta’s eyes lit up when he was talking, it was like someone was dousing fuel on her burning heart.
“Impressive.” Maki said, bobbing the star shaped creature under the water.
“Sorry.” Yuuta said, blushing. “I’m probably boring you.”
Maki wondered if he knew that she would listen to him talk about how many grains of sand were on the beach if he only asked.
She shook her head. “Not at all.”
Yuuta cupped his hands around hers, under the star fish. “It’s just… they defy all odds, you know? They don’t let what they don’t have stop them, they just use what they do have and keep going. I really admire it.” His eyes bore into hers now, so intensely that she was sure he was trying to tell her something.
Maki’s heart was beating so fast she was sure Yuuta was going to notice soon. How could someone be so pure in this screwed up world? And how could a damn star fish make her want to burst into tears. What was wrong with her?
“We should put it back.” Yuuta said softly.
Maki nodded and gently passed the star fish back to Yuuta, watching as he dived under the water. “You really are too good for anyone.” She whispered into the breeze.
When Maki and Yuuta finally made it back to the umbrella, Maki was covered in sand. And she was hot, and she was hungry. A lethal combination.
Panda and Inumaki were sipping on the tea that she had packed while they laughed and read whatever manga they were currently into. The laughing stopped as they stared up at Maki who glared down at them. “Move.”
“Aw, already?” Panda pouted. “But I’m just getting to the good part. You see, in the last manga I was reading, I was really rooting for these two characters to get together, and this one is about their grandkids!”
“Don’t care.” Maki said, her face impassive.
“But don’t you get it? The author is confirming they got together!” Panda beamed, holding up the black and white pages towards her.
“Wow, groundbreaking stuff.” Maki rolled her eyes, leaning down to get a drink.
“The water is really nice guys.” Yuuta said. He’d put his shirt back on, much to Maki’s dismay and relief. It was hard to keep her eyes at head level.
“Tuna mayo?” Inumaki asked.
Yuuta shook his head. “We didn’t see any of the sea cucumbers that Gojo-Sensei mentioned.”
“Salmon.” Inumaki said, his voice sounding disappointed.
“Maybe you and Panda can look for them.” Yuuta suggested.
Yuuta’s suggestion got the pair to leave, but not before Panda droned on about his stupid manga. He’d left it behind anyway, she’d seen it lying next to the snack bag.
“Urgh, I hate sand.” Maki said, trying to set her towel up in a way that didn’t have sand rushing in any time she moved.
“You do?” Yuuta asked as he set up his towel too.
“Mhm.” She nodded. “It’s coarse and rough, and irritating and it gets everywhere.”
“Yeah, I guess it is kind of annoying.” Yuuta agreed. Maki noticed with annoyance that his towel was double the size of hers, and no sand seemed to dare try and infiltrate his space.
She threw her towel to the side and climbed into his. “Your towel is better.”
They laid there in silence for what felt like forever. The umbrella a welcome reprieve from the sun’s harsh gaze. Still, it was hot, and the heat from the sand was getting to her, even through Yuuta’s towel.
She suddenly remembered her past self was a genius and jumped up to check the snack bag. She just had to pray that Panda and Inumaki were as predictable as she thought they were.
Maki grabbed out a lunch box that had ‘Maki’s, touch and you die’ sprawled across the front. She opened it and sure enough it was empty. Well, she’d hurt them for that anyway, but she smiled smugly that they’d fallen for her trap.
She reached in and grabbed out the other lunch box that just read ‘Yuuta’s’. She opened it and found two ice blocks inside, insulated just enough to be somewhat solid.
“Yuuta.” She called out. “Catch.”
She watched as he looked up and caught the ice block she’d thrown in his direction. She grabbed her own before closing the lunch box and shoving it back into the bag.
“What? How did these not get eaten?” Yuuta asked, staring at her in amazement.
“I knew those two would eat whatever I had in my lunch box, but they think you only eat boring food so they wouldn’t bother with yours.” She shrugged, ripping off the wrapper to reveal a half-melted orange ice block.
Yuuta laughed. “I feel like I should be offended.”
Maki sat down beside him, nudging him with her shoulder. “Maybe a little, but they got to eat Kugisaki’s most recent attempt at baking, and we get these.”
Although, she still wasn’t sure who got the short end of the stick, because Maki’s ice block was currently melting quicker than she could eat it. A sticky drop of orange fell and landed on her thigh.
“Add melted ice blocks to things I hate. It’s right there under sand.” She said, wiping herself off with her towel.
Yuuta laughed but his voice sounded strained. Maki looked up to find him staring intently at her. Maybe she wasn’t the only one being affected by the lack of clothing being warn today.
“Are you okay?” She asked.
He nodded. “Y-yeah. I’m fine.”
There was something bugging her. Something she’d been thinking about since Yuuta had placed that star fish on her hands and then lit up brighter than the sun. “Yuuta?”
“Yes, Maki?”
“Were you trying to tell me something, earlier?” She nodded towards the water where she could vaguely see Panda and Inumaki splashing about. Even though they annoyed her at times, it was a welcome sight to see them having fun.
“Uhhh…” He scratched the back of his head. “I think I did it all wrong-”
They stared at each other for what felt like an eternity. And usually back at school she would break the silence by saying something, hating the lingering awkwardness. Today, though, she basked in it.
The tension between them felt like a wire that was about to snap. And maybe this beach really was magical, because for once Maki didn’t care about the past or the future or what mission she had next or whatever implications could come from what she was about to do.
She felt like only lived for the now.
It felt like the whole world could end tomorrow but coming to this beach would somehow make it okay.
“I wasn’t trying to compare you to a sea creature, I swear!” He tried. “I was just saying that I admire the starfish, and I admire you.”
“Are you saying I’m like your star fish?” Maki raised an eyebrow.
Yuuta’s face went bright red. “No!” Maki couldn’t stop herself as she burst out laughing, she was sure she’d never laughed so much in her life. “Maki, I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to-”
“Just come here you loser.” She gripped his still damp shirt and pulled him towards her. Their lips collided surprisingly softly for how roughly she’d yanked him. And for a moment they were both still. For all the times they walked the line they’d never crossed it. But as the tension drained from her body, Maki realised that she never let herself have anything she wanted. But maybe today she could.
Their lips moved in sync, and she could taste the saltiness on their lips from the ocean. Her hands moved to Yuuta’s body, which felt just as firm as she imagined. His hands cupped her face gently as their kiss grew deeper. Slowly, the rest of the beach was drowned out and Maki could only register Yuuta’s name repeating on a loop in her brain.
A sudden coldness washed over her. She pulled back and sucked in a breath as she realised that she was now all wet. “What the-”
She looked up to find Panda and Inumaki staring down at them, Panda holding a bucket used for building sandcastles that was still wet. “Sorry, you two looked like you needed to cool off. It was getting really heated over here.”
Despite the blush crawling its way up her neck, she jumped up. “I’m going to kill you.”
“Tuna mayo.” Inumaki said, making praying hands and flashing her a pleading look.
“No, you’re not safe either.” Maki declared.
“It’s our turn for the umbrella.” Panda said, clearly trying to change the subject.
“Already?” Yuuta asked, his hair dripping wet and his white shirt nearly see through. Maki gulped.
Panda flashed him a grin. “Yeah, time flies when you’re sucking your friends face off, I guess.”
Suddenly a large gust of wind flew through the beach shaking all the gazebos and umbrellas. Maki watched in horror as their umbrella took flight, being dragged away by the wind to a place they couldn’t see.
“I told you to make sure it was secured.” Maki ground out; her eyes narrowed at Panda.
He smiled sheepishly and then took off down the beach, Inumaki in tow. Maki took off after them, sick of them ruining her day.
Yuuta watched his friends run down the beach and splash into the water. A feeling he couldn’t shake overcame him as he realised why Gojo had wanted him to come here, why he wanted them all to go. He grabbed out his phone and headed towards the beach, his Sensei deserved to see this.
“Hey guys, wait up!” Yuuta called after them. “Gojo suggested an aquarium to stop by before we leave!”
-
Gojo sat in his office flicking through mission files. The stack was thick as usual, with more cases than the school could keep up with. How could the higher ups expect children to work day and night with no rest? No fun? No lives?
He opened a few of the files and skimmed them quickly. “Death, death and more death.” He kicked his feet up onto his desk and tossed the files. “Blegh.”
His phone buzzed in his pocket, a welcome distraction. He pulled it out quickly.
Yuuta
Hey Gojo-Sensei! You’re right, there’s something special about this beach. Thank you again.
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Gojo opened the message, and his screen was filled with an image that caused some buried emotions to threaten to bubble to the surface.
His four second year students had taken a picture with the Okinawa beach in the background. Panda was at the back, smiling smugly. Inumaki was holding up a peace sign. Maki had her arms crossed against her chest and looked like she was hating life, but Gojo could see the way she was staring at the boy beside her. Boy in question, Yuuta had the biggest smile on his face, one that Gojo hadn’t seen him wear in years, if ever. They all looked like they were wrecked from a day of swimming and being out in the sun. All four of them though, had an air of carelessness surrounding them, that made him smile.
He swiped to the next photo and saw Maki drowning Panda in the ocean. He laughed.
Gojo heart reacted to the photos and quickly typed back a message.
Good to see you all having fun. Don’t rush back.
“Gojo-Sensei?” Yuji’s voice cut through his drifting thoughts. “You said you had a mission for me?”
“Sure do.” Gojo pocketed his phone. “Tell the other first years that you’re going to the beach.”