𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐥𝐚𝐬𝐭 𝐥𝐚𝐮𝐠𝐡 // 𝐠𝐨𝐣𝐨 𝐬𝐚𝐭𝐨𝐫𝐮

chapter 4

mentions or descriptions of; abuse, hallucinations

➴➵➶➴➵➶➴➵➶➴➵➶➴➵➶

She didn't understand why she felt like this now of all times. No, she hadn't had this feeling in years, not after they beat it out of her.

Sitting awkwardly between Gojo and Itadori, she didn't have it in her to show any interest in the food presented before her. The two other students sat opposite her, and Kugisaki showed the same enthusiasm as Yuji towards the food. With bright grin on their faces, the two dug in and Megumi murmured a polite 'thanks' before also digging in. Gojo leaned back to the left of her, watching his students with a small smile on his face, a strawberry lollipop appearing in his hand out of nowhere. Unwrapping it with ease, his head tilts back and pops the sweet treat in his mouth.

With a heavy heart, Rei looked down at her hands, wringing them together. It was still there, the blood, thick and warm on her hands and she stared down with horrified eyes.

"Here," Gojo states, suddenly handing her a lollipop, "try this." Rei hesitates, and Gojo grabs her arms and gently pries her hands apart, instead placing the stick of the sweet in her left palm directly having already unwrapped it for her. She holds it up— it's a tinged pink colour, almost like Yuji's hair.

Bringing it into her mouth, Rei shivers in delight with the stimuli of sugar and strawberry dancing around her tongue. There was so many interesting new foods here! Bringing the stick to the side of her mouth, she lightly bites down to find out that it's a hard sweet, biting down too hard would probably hurt her teeth.

With her mind successfully distracted, Rei raises her eyes to the ceiling, and thinks about introducing these lollies to Kakashi, and Gojo Satoru leans back with a light smile.

The kids had gone, and the sweet had dissolved much to Rei's disappointment. They both walked under the night, streetlamps illuminating the surrounding area with a glow. A comfortable silence had enveloped them into a sense of lull, the spring night warming up Rei considerably. Or, maybe that was just that barrier she felt the man expand around her earlier.

"What is that?" She breaks the silence with a slight hesitance before pushing through. The man lets out a confused noise, hands in pockets as they walk side by side in a casual manner. Their footsteps are loud, and they muffle the chaotic silence of Rei's brain.

"Hm? What is what?" He replies, licking his lips and turning left. She follows.

"That... thing." Rei struggles to find the words. "The aura? Around us." The following silence seems to be one of shock, and she almost feels guilty for bringing it up. Sniffing lightly, she wonders if she had asked something wrong.

"... You can sense it?" The tone is questioning hidden with light surprise, footsteps becoming muted as they both focus on the conversation.

"Am I not supposed to?"

"Well... It's incredibly rare for someone to be able to feel this." It's almost accusatory, his response, and Rei hums lightly. Avoiding the gaze that seems to be pointed towards her quite frequently during the time they are together, her lips purse as she thinks about her response.

"I'm strong." She returns, a simple fact in the conversation. She realises how conceited and self-centred that makes her sound, but it's true. The grass is green. The sky is blue.

Rei is strong.

The male lets out a laugh, short and bursting and she raises an eyebrow at his underestimating of her once again.