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Tsumiki has always sported a smile on her face.
Sometimes it was there so that the owner of the small shop in front of their rundown apartment took pity on her and her brother, Megumi, and gave them free snacks. Other times it was to soothe her brother when he claimed he saw monsters in the alleys. She smiled when Gojo took them in. Smiled even when her heart wanted to ugly sob.
She always smiled so that people can not see the sadness behind her eyes, to hide the stain of dry tears, to protect herself from school bullies who used to make fun of cry-babies.
She has gotten mad a few times when Megumi was being rude or a brat. She has cried in front of Gojo when she had a full meal for the first time in months.
But, she has never been angry.
And she’s so, so angry right now that she could kill.
She, Fushiguro Tsumiki, the embodiment of benevolence and kindness was harboring such thoughts.
All because of two people – Megumi, her brother, and Saturo Gojo, her (sort of) father.
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Fourteen years-old Tsumiki was in the kitchen and has spent a good amount of time preparing their food, humming a joyful tune while doing so. It was a new recipe she has seen on YouTube and was excited to have her family members try it. She was setting the table when her two most cherished persons returned from their regular training sessions.
The main door opened and Megumi entered. Instead of greeting his sister like usual, he stormed off into his room, not waiting for his mentor to enter, and slammed his bedroom’s door shut. Saturo didn’t mind, instead he did exactly what his ward had done. He, too, stormed into the house and headed towards his youngest child’s door.
“Megumi, open the door! We are not done talking yet.”
He shouted while his left hand tried fiddled with the door’s knob aggressively and the other hand slammed harshly on the door.
“GO. AWAY.!”, Megumi snarled from inside.
“Open the damn door, Megumi, otherwise you don’t know what I’ll do.”
Megumi bristled at that and slammed the door open.
“Don’t try to fucking threaten me, you moron. I am not afraid of you. Leave me alone.”
“It’s a warning not a threa-
“Umm..Gojo-san, Megumi, what’s the matter?”, Tsumiki asked timidly.
Gojo froze in the middle of his shouting and turned towards the girl. He had completely forgotten about her presence, mind too preoccupied with rage. His senses came rushing back to him at her small voice and he took in his surroundings. The air smelled of delicious meal and the dining table was ready to eat. Tsumiki stood in front of him, worry evident in her face. He took in a deep breath to calm himself down for the girl.
“Nothing. Let’s eat. I am hungry.”, said Megumi and marched towards the dining table.
Megumi was considerate enough not to worry his sister with his problems, although he knows it’s futile with how much the girl seems to worry about him all the time. He decided it was not worth the efforts to fill her in about his argument with Gojo. He was simply too mad.
Gojo and Tsumiki seemed to understand his intentions and settled down at the dining table and began serving themselves food. Megumi had already started eating not bothering to wait for the others, just shoving all the food down his throat.
The atmosphere inside the apartment was tense. Saturo kept quiet instead of teasing and annoying Megumi like usual. He did not ask Tsumiki about her day or any new development on the project she’s been working on since the last week. This was the third time in the last 20 days that they were having a tense meal all because of the two males in Tsumiki’s life. She cannot bear this tense silence anymore. The last two times she had played as the mediator but today she’s done playing the nice one. Today she gets to the bad one. She has had enough.
Her patience was already wearing thin after the second time. But now?
Now,
It finally snapped.
“Will any one of you tell me the reason behind all this shouting.” She stated instead of questioning. Her eyes were glaring holes in her bowl and her chopsticks were squeezed tightly in the right hand. Any more pressure and they’ll break just like her patience already has.
“Ask Gojo because he seems so keen on meddling with my life.” Megumi replied, venom dripping from his tone.
“If by meddling you mean looking after you then yes, I am keen on doing so and I will keep on meddling with your life.”, Gojo replied, just as aggravated as the twelve-years old in front of him.
They both were glaring daggers at each other. Saturo can’t understand why the boy is so hellbent on excluding him from his life when all he’s ever done is take care of him and his sister since the past six years or so.
“Well, I don’t need you looking after me. I am capable enough of taking care of myself. So, just fucking leave me alone.”
“Too bad then. I am your legal guardian and the only one who can save your ass from expulsion which you keep getting on the verge of due to your never-ending fighting tendencies.”
“I don’t need you saving me.”
“You don’t have a choice.”
“I do and it’s keeping you away from me as much as I can.”
“You little-
“STOP. JUST STOP. STOP FUCKING ARGUING. ALL. THE. DAMN. TIME.”, Tsumiki roared.
Megumi and Gojo were stunned. The girl has never raised her voice at them, let alone yell. They stared wide eyed at her. Her eyes were dark, full of blazing anger. She was finally letting out all the anger she had to swallow down to be the bigger person. The calm one.
“Just stop. I am so tired of both you arguing all the damn time. Shouting, yelling, screaming at each other every minute of the day.”, she said furiously. Her eyes were beaming with fury and unshed tears.
“Tsumiki, calm dow-“, Megumi attempted to say but she cut him off.
“Don’t tell me to calm down when you don’t do the same.”, the girl yelled, glaring at her brother.
“Tsumiki, hey-“, Gojo tried to placate the girl but she cut him off too.
“NO, Saturo. I won’t keep quiet today. I am so sick of being the only reasonable person in this household when you are the one who’s supposed to be it. Both of you are such self-centered assholes that I’ve had enough.”, Tsumiki confessed with a barely suppressed anger.
“Have you guys ever thought how all your screaming and shouting affects me? Have you guys ever wondered how I must feel when I see two of my most cherished people fight in front of me? Hurling words that are too hurtful at each other without a second thought? Did you guys even consider that I was there too? Do you guys even care about me? Care enough to notice the efforts I put into preparing each and every meal? Did you notice that I had tried a new recipe today? I was so excited to hear your reviews and improve but instead what do I get? This. This awkward, tense dinner, for the third-time in the last twenty days. And I am so damn tired now. So tired. I am always subjected to just sit and listen to all the crap you spew at each other without a care in the world. Only ever focused on returning the hurt the other has thrown towards you.”
Tsumiki has started getting worked up. Her fists are trembling at her sides. Her breaths are coming in short gasps. But she carries on because she knows that if she does not release all her pent-up emotions today, she’ll forever suffer in silent agony.
“I already feel guilty enough for not being a sorcerer.” There. She said it.
She finally said the thing that’s been eating her alive since Megumi started his training and came home with bruises, uncaring even if they were minor ones.
Gojo would never hurt or let anyone hurt one of his kids. She was sure.
Gojo opens his mouth to object but Tsumiki sends a glare his way and he promptly closes his mouth. She continues,
“So, I make myself useful by handling the chores. Keeping my grades up at school so Saturo does not have another burden on his already weighed down shoulders. I keep the house clean and food ready so that Megumi can focus only on his studies and training because I know worrying about such chores will take a toll on him. I don’t complain when Saturo does not come home for more than three days. I don’t say a word when Megumi’s being stubborn, even though it pisses me off, because I know he’ll come around eventually. I pretend that it doesn’t hurt when you talk about jujutsu things, play with shikigamis I can’t see, feel and see things which I can’t.”
She takes in a deep breath to continue,
“I’m not saying all this so that you guys will feel that I’m doing you a favor. I am saying all this because I want only one thing from you guys in return. Just one.” Her voice has gone calm now. Cracking at the end of her speech. Tears that were threatening to fall from her waterline finally found their way down her cheeks.
“All I ever want from you guys is to stop fighting. I want my brother and my adoptive father to get along. For my sake, for each other’s sake. Just stop fighting and saying all this nonsense to each other.”
She tips her head backwards to stop more tears from flowing and to catch a break for herself. She turns towards Megumi to address him, her eyes soft and comforting like always, and says,
“Gumi, I know you’re are going through a phase now. Your emotions are all haywire. You are realizing things you haven’t before. I understand all of this must be hard on you but shutting Saturo out, the only one who can help you, is not the right thing.”
She inhales takes Megumi’s hands in her own to say the next thing which she knows is still a vulnerable topic for her brother.
“Saturo’s not leaving, Megumi. He’s not like our father or our mother. He will not abandon us. He’s here to stay and has been proving this true since the last six and a half years. So, you can let go of your fears and trust him, okay? I promise he won’t leave you, right Saturo?”
Gojo, who had been in a haze repeating his daughter’s words in his mind and trying to process it all, blinked and nodded. He approached his kids and knelt in front of them. His took of his bandages off to let them know that what he’s about to say is all sincere and true.
“Yeah. I am sorry, Megs, for shouting at you during the training. I was already having a bad day and then I got a call from your school complaining about you getting into fights again and then you proceeded to behave like a brat, refusing to cooperate during the session and adding to my headache. It all got too much and I took it out on you instead of handling it like a real adult. I am sorry. That was not right of me. But you need to stop getting into fights just because someone threw a can on the floor instead of the trash can. Fighting is not always the answer, okay?”
Megumi took a few seconds to process both of the elder’s words and then nodded.
“I am sorry too, Saturo and Miki. I am sorry for lashing out unnecessarily. I won’t do it again. I promise I’ll try to get into less fights but I can’t help it when those ignorant imbeciles don’t listen.”
“It’s okay, Gumi. You two apologized to each other, that’s enough for now. Just try to sort things out through healthy communication instead of fighting, ok?”, Tsumiki said and smiled at her family members and turned towards the kitchen to put the dishes in the sink.
Megumi and Gojo shared a look between each other and stopped the girl from going into the kitchen.
“Tsumiki, wait!” they both said in unison.
The girl stopped and stared at them confusedly.
“We didn’t talk about your feelings. I don’t want them to get un-addressed. Let’s all go sit on the couch and talk, shall we?”, Gojo said and headed towards the sofa, Megumi on tow.
Tsumiki hesitated, but followed the other two.
Gojo and Megumi sat on the opposite facing sofa-seats while Tsumiki sat on the longer one so that all of them could face each other directly.
“Let’s start with reviewing your new recipe first. The noodles were delicious, Miki. I noticed that they were not the usual ones. The taste was really good and I loved every bite of it and I would’ve licked my fingers clean had this argument not taken place. I am not saying this just to comfort you but because that’s really what I feel. Megs, what about you?”
Megumi nodded his head in agreement and complimented her dish. Tsumiki thanked them both. Gojo continued.
“Now, about you not being a sorcerer. Miki, that isn’t something you can control, you are born with it. Don’t fault yourself for it. I would have loved you the same even if you were a sorcerer. My love for you isn’t defined by you having powers or not. It’s unconditional.” Gojo reassured her because it was important for his daughter to understand that he appreciated her presence. “I would love you even if you were a worm, I would be your parent worm then”, he added to lighten the mood and bring a smile on Tsumiki’s teary face.
It worked and she let out a little laugh. Gojo’s lips upturned a little too.
“You know I always feel guilty seeing you doing all of the household chores when you’re still just a kid. I would have hired a helper but then I could not have potentially trained Megumi properly. You are such a sweetheart, my little girl. You keep it in mind to dim the living room lights when I return home from missions so that my six eyes won’t get overstimulated. You don’t know how much I appreciate you simply being there. Listening to your talks calms me dowm after a hard day. I love listening to you talk, knowing about your day, your achievements and everything. I am so, so, proud of you. I am sorry that you felt like we didn’t care about you. But we do. We really do.” Gojo said, remorse filled in his tone.
“Yes, I am sorry too, Tsumiki. I didn’t want to hurt you but I did it anyways. I am really sorry for my behavior not just today, but for the past couple of weeks I have been rude to you and Saturo. I am sorry for saying that I don’t need you, Saturo. It’s not the truth.” I’ll always need you left unsaid.
“You are forgiven Megumi and I am really sorry too. To both of you. I should have been rational and should’ve controlled my emotions better but I failed and hurt you both in the process. Forgive me, please? I also really, really need you both in my life. I did not save you but you guys saved me. I have never really expressed it before but I am really grateful to have such beautiful, kind-hearted children in my life. I don’t know where I would have been if not for you guys coming to save me when I was at my lowest. I love you guys.”, Gojo finished and strangely his cheeks felt grow wet. Huh!
“We love you too, Saturo”, Tsumiki said and Megumi reluctantly nodded.
Gojo opened his arms for a group hug and they both immediately got up from the couch and went into his arms readily. The adult pressed a kiss on each of kids’ forehead and hugged them tightly to his chest.
God. He loves these children to bits and pieces.
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The next day, Gojo brought a special kind of specs for Tsumiki. They have recently developed these cursed energy infused spectacles for one of his non-sorcerer students. The specs allow its wearer to see curses and cursed techniques.
Tsumiki would finally be able to see her brother’s shikigamis and feel included during their jujutsu talks. It’s the least he could do for his girl.
When she first sees the Divine Dogs, Tsumiki has such a bright expression on her face that it heals something in Saturo.
She’s awestruck with the wolves and it seems her emotions are reciprocated by the little animals. She laughs and pets them, runs around the house with them. Megumi joins them in their shenanigans and the four of them spends the whole afternoon playing around with the shikigamis.
Sometime in evening, Saturo joins them too and the atmosphere around the apartment fills with unbridled joy and happiness, contrary to the day before.
Tsumiki is happy. Genuinely happy.
This time the smile on her face is real, born to show raw happiness not mask the hurt.
She hopes she could freeze the moment in time and keep it with her forever.