Mirror Eyes & Bright Blue Skies | Jujutsu Kaisen

ⅩⅩⅠⅠ. Hope Torn Apart

Gojo lay on his back, staring up at the ceiling from the training room's floor. A bright, orange-y light filtered into the room through the windows, a beam of which had been slowly traveling across the floor toward him and had finally struck the corner of his sunglasses.

Gojo huffed and turned onto his side.

Ikuko should've been here by now, he thought to himself as his fingers tapped the floor impatiently and his gaze flicked to the door expectantly.

But then, Gojo shot into a sitting position, frowning at his fingers as if they'd betrayed him.

"What's wrong with me?" He huffed again, "If she doesn't show up, I get a day off!"

The statement didn't please the white-haired man as much as he'd thought it would. Instead, his thoughts drifted to Ikuko. He imagined her walking through the door, a smile on her face as she came up with some excuse for why she'd been late, apologizing profusely and accenting her words with a bow or two. Gojo would then, of course, tease her. As a blush would start to creep onto her face and as she'd start to hesitantly snipe back a snarky comment, he'd then lean in, grab her waist, hold her tightly. He'd feel the warmth of her body pressed into his own even as he pressed his lips against hers—

"Nope."

Gojo stopped the thought in its tracks, jumping to his feet and storming out of the room for some fresh air. Despite his best efforts, though, the warmth in his chest followed him out, and the frustration and confusion bubbling in his stomach seemed to grow in response.

The kiss was a mistake. Simple as that.

He knew himself, knew that he was a horny bastard. That's all it was. Hormones and lust.

But the scene kept replaying in his head. He watched again as the dying light struck Ikuko's eyes and hair and face, making her seem to glow. The smile on her face... she had been happy, sitting there, just watching the sun set, and then she'd turned to him, inched closer to him, and he hadn't pulled away. She'd kissed him. He'd kissed her back.

And ever since then, he'd wanted to do it again.

No, Satoru, get your act together. You can't do that to her.

More than anything, after that kiss Gojo had been afraid. Him, Gojo Satoru, the most powerful sorcerer, felt fear pierce his veins as he'd looked down at Ikuko's expectant gaze. More than anything, Gojo had been afraid to hurt.

The path he was on was not a kind path, he knew. Its cobblestones were dark and bloody and painful with every step; he'd paved it that way, and he couldn't imagine a world where Ikuko looked at this path, saw his heart, and took his hand.

It was in this state of mind that Gojo walked into Ieiri Shoko's clinic.

"Shoko-san, have you seen Ikuko today?"

"No."

The woman's reply was immediate, though she didn't even look up from what she was doing. It was only then that Gojo noticed she was tending to Maki

Gojo crossed his arms, "Are you sure?"

"Yes," she replied, then straightened after fixing a bandage to the black-haired girl's knee. She turned her gaze on Gojo, giving him a once-over, "You look worked up over something. Is it the elders again?"

"No, no," Gojo uncrossed his arms, loosening his posture and waving his hand with a smile, "It's just that my beloved student missed our training session. I haven't seen her since we got back from our trip, so I just thought I'd try to check in, make sure she didn't pass out and end up here."