𝑲𝑰𝑵𝑮𝑫𝑶𝑴 𝑶𝑭 𝑴𝑨𝑳𝑰𝑪𝑬 ⇢ Gojo Satoru

𝐂𝐇𝐀𝐏𝐓𝐄𝐑 𝐗𝐕 - 𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐖𝐎𝐑𝐋𝐃 𝐃𝐎𝐄𝐒 𝐍𝐎𝐓 𝐑𝐄𝐕𝐎𝐋𝐕𝐄 𝐀𝐑𝐎𝐔𝐍𝐃 𝐘𝐎𝐔, 𝐒𝐀𝐓𝐎𝐑𝐔

KINZOKU MIKAZUKI STRAIGHTENED HER BACK, her golden gaze lingering on the hallway as she followed a group of dishevelled kids running around the corridor. It was Tuesday morning, which meant the school was packed with students, even during the summer months.

Most of the kids running around the place weren't actual kids, but teenagers and young adults who had already pledged their loyalty to The Magistrate. Of course, there were always a couple of youngsters here and there, but the large majority were there for mission reports and Jujutsu training.

The Kinzoku School for the Gifted had always served as a safe haven for Jujutsu Sorcerers, although it wasn't the only institution to do so in Japan. There were two other schools with similar tasks, one down in Tokyo and its sister school in the city of Kyoto.

Together, the three academies were charged with educating the new generation of sorcerers, Doors and Windows per the word of The Magistrate. Mikazuki clicked her tongue at the thought, blood bubbling with anger. The Council of Magistrates was so intertwined with the Jujutsu Society it was nearly impossible to tell them apart, and if one fell, then the other one would eventually follow.

Mikazuki took a deep breath before smoothing down her shirt, eyes scanning the large hallway in front of her, the embers of Endless scouring the rest of the place, gold silently parading through the meandering corridors of the school. The sorceress had spent very little time within its halls, and yet she knew every single one of its secrets. This would soon be her legacy, another part of her father's empire that would eventually end up in her pocket.

Being the biggest of the three Jujutsu institutions, the Kinzoku School was often overcrowding with sorcerers from all over the world, and since it was the only one with a large functioning dormitory building, it was also used as a base where sorcerers could live with their families.

Mikazuki wrinkled her nose at the idea. The sorceress had never been big on family, especially after what hers had done. Her father had been absent for most of her childhood and her mother's job as the headmistress of the school kept her away most days. Part of the sorceress had learned to resent the school with its shiny floors and its vaulted ceilings, and the crest of The Magistrate stamped on the windows.

To her, the school was nothing but a gilded cage. A comfortable one, but still a cage nonetheless.

"I miss this." Satoru confessed, his voice suddenly breaking the silence that had settled between the two. "It reminds me of the good ol' days." The sorcerer leaned back, head hanging from the bench as the rays from the sun hit his white hair.

Mikazuki didn't answer, unwilling to dwell into the trivial conversation when she was already done with him. Gojo Satoru didn't mean anything to her anymore. He was just a memory, a fragment of who she used to be, and no matter how much he tried, she wouldn't let him in this time. He'd already destroyed everything she had to give, and whatever she felt for him once was nothing but a distant ghost.

"Were we as annoying when we were their age?" Satoru asked with an irritated tone as he watched a bunch of kids zoom across the hall, their laughs echoing on the corridor they were currently sitting in.

Mikazuki shrugged, her golden eyes trailing on the group. Part of her would have liked to say no, but she knew for a fact they had both caused plenty of trouble back in the day to the point where Yaga-sensei would sometimes send them on an assignment just so he wouldn't have to deal with them.

"Probably." She went for the safe answer, gaze now falling on the small gap between their bodies. "Some of us still are." She added, a small smile playing on her lips at the cheap quip.

The two sorcerers were sitting in a bench outside of Asahi's office. On one side and plastered to the wide column was Gojo Satoru, his usual uniform replaced by casual clothes Mikazuki had rarely seen him. On the other side and far more relaxed was the sorceress, she too wearing mundane clothes instead of the elaborate attire her mother had prepared for her. She hated Jujutsu clothes almost as much as she hated her clan, which was saying something.

"I mean, I know I was a troublemaker, but damn." The white-haired sorcerer continued as he adjusted the blacked out glasses over his nose.

Satoru had barely changed in those ten years, he was just as problematic as he had always been. His status as special-grade hadn't changed that, and his maturity had apparently gotten stuck in time as well. He had the maturity of a fifteen-year-old, not that this was news to Mikazuki, she had grown used to his antics a while ago.

The silence that settled between them was calm, the sound of children screaming in the distance drowning the soft mumbling of their breaths. Satoru adjusted his position, opening his mouth and closing it almost immediately, whatever words he was about to say squashed into nothingness. Mikazuki noticed, and for a moment, she considered to not bring it up. Of course, that thought didn't last long as the sorcerer did it again.

"If you want to say something, just say it." She encouraged, arms crossed in front of her chest as she surveyed the man.

Satoru averted his eyes, focusing on the ceiling instead. He had wanted to broach the subject since he'd first seen her, but had been too cowardly to do so. Mikazuki had done no mention of it, which meant it wasn't bothering her as much as it was him. Satoru wanted to tease her about it, but he quickly realized there was nothing to tease if she didn't care.

"About the other night, what happened at the club..." He started, words tumbling out of his mouth faster than what he intended.

The sorcerer knew bringing it up was a mistake, if only because of the images that immediately paraded across his mind: Mikazuki in a skimpy little black outfit, Mikazuki fighting him, wrestling him, her body pressed against his... Satoru swallowed at the mental image.

"Nothing happened at the club." She was quick to retort, her tone bored.

Satoru pursed his lips at the lie. Plenty of things had happened at the club; good things, very good things.

"I was there." He pointed out before his expression changed slightly. "We fought. We wrestled, and I won, but you still haven't answered any of my questions."

Mikazuki rolled her eyes, an annoyed expression appearing on her face as she turned to stare at the man. She knew exactly what had happened at the club, and although it wasn't her finest moment – seriously, what was she thinking, risking the universe just so she could get her way? – she still stood by what she'd said.

"The only reason why you won is because I let you." The sorceress retorted, breaths coming in quick as the molten gold in her gaze turned into a storm ."Do you really think I would have entered the bargain otherwise? I'm not an idiot."

Satoru cackled; head tilted back as he bared his neck. He was so pale she could see the veins running up and down, a tinted blue and purple running through his skin. He looked ethereal, like a man who did not belong in this world.

"What you are is a conceited sorceress who thinks she is above the rules." Satoru retorted, his tone turning acid as his eyes landed on the woman. "Answer my questions and then we'll be even, no more bad blood between us."

No more bad blood between us. Mikazuki scoffed, fumbling with her shirt before looking away. Did he really think he could fix this with a couple of questions? But, he was right. There was no bad blood between them, never had been. It was pure unadulterated hatred, a sentiment that wouldn't fade away simply because he got the answers he was looking for.

As if on cue, the door to Asahi's office opened, a well-dressed secretary stepping out with a forced smile on her face.

"Gojo-sama, Mikazuki-sama." She greeted the both of them, unaware of the tension that still lingered in the air. "Kinzoku-sama will see you now." She motioned for them to follow her.

Mikazuki scoffed as she stood up, stretching before glancing towards Satoru one last time. The sorcerer clicked his tongue, putting his hands back into his pockets before stalking after the woman and into Asahi's office. The memories of that night still lingered in his mind, he was unable to let go of them, not when he had seen this new side of the sorceress.

"Fine. Once this meeting is over, come find me." Mikazuki conceded, lips pursed in annoyance, begrudgingly. "But don't go getting any ideas, this won't fix what you broke."

This won't erase what you did.