𝑲𝑰𝑵𝑮𝑫𝑶𝑴 𝑶𝑭 𝑴𝑨𝑳𝑰𝑪𝑬 ⇢ Gojo Satoru

𝐂𝐇𝐀𝐏𝐓𝐄𝐑 𝐗𝐗𝐗𝐈 - 𝐖𝐇𝐄𝐍 𝐈𝐓'𝐒 𝐀𝐋𝐋 𝐒𝐀𝐈𝐃 𝐀𝐍𝐃 𝐃𝐎𝐍𝐄

KINZOKU MIKAZUKI HUFFED OUT AN ANNOYED SIGH. The sorceress bit her lower lip, looking down at her watch before frowning. Forty-minutes. That was exactly how long the Kinzoku heiress had been waiting for Satoru. It was nearly midday, and although the sun was beginning to drift down Mikazuki knew punctuality had never been Gojo's forte. He was the kind of man who cared very little for these types of things – Mikazuki wouldn't be surprised if he arrived late to his own wedding, which was set to take place at the end of the year, shortly after young Eshima's eighteenth birthday.

Mikazuki pursed her lips at the thought, a strange bitter taste settling in her mouth. Satoru's engagement was his problem, but even with a spark of jealousy, the sorceress couldn't help but feel sorry for the Zenin heiress. Marriage was an adventure – one Mikazuki herself would soon find herself in – but it wasn't the kind of journey she wished for such a young girl. Of course, the whole thing had already been arranged, and just like the Magistrate hadn't cared about her condition when she was exiled, they didn't seem concerned with Eshima's age.

The sorceress licked her lips, adjusting her sunglasses before glancing back at the sun. The sky was clear, not a single cloud in sight. Still, Mikazuki could feel a storm brewing in the distance. The rumbling of a car echoed in the distance and the sorceress turned, watching as a sleek black cruiser stepped into the cracked driveway.

Gojo Satoru stepped out of the Toyota, softly closing the door and putting on an amiable smile for Ijichi. Mikazuki watched the sorcerer intently, her expression blank as he made his way towards her. Ijichi set his eyes on the pair, letting out a sigh and slowly backing away. Once the two were alone, the sorceress rolled her eyes, golden gaze settling back on Satoru.

"I thought you weren't going to show." The heiress commented plainly, a small smile playing on her lips before tapping the screen on her phone, checking the time one more time. "You're almost forty minutes late, I would hate to report your behaviour to The Magistrate."

Mikazuki would, in fact, love to do such a thing. But being on bad terms with Satoru wouldn't do her any good, especially when things were already rocky with both Léa and Asahi. The sorceress had never been one for allies, but right now she was running out of options, and I her plans went on as she had outlined, then she would surely need to have some powerful sorcerers on her side. Destroying the Magistrate wasn't going to be an easy task.

Satoru sighed, removing his sunglasses momentarily to look at the sorceress. He seemed tired, dark bags hung under his eyes and deep lines framed his otherwise clear face. Mikazuki observed the man, seizing him up and wondering exactly when the Gojo heir had decided to drop his childlike personality.

"Whatever, it's not like the Curse is going anywhere." Satoru answered nonchalantly, glasses falling back into place as he looked around the area.

Mikazuki crossed her arms in front of her chest and huffed, glaring at the sorcerer once again.

"We don't know that." The heiress retorted, her tone calm but laced with a hint of irritation ."You might not give a crap about punctuality, but I do." She pointed out, golden eyes still levelled on Gojo, as if daring him to challenge her words. "Three people have already been killed."

Mikazuki narrowed her eyes, yet Satoru ignored her advances, yawning loudly instead. The sorceress rolled her eyes, adjusting her position and taking another good look at him. She'd worked with the man enough times to read his moods easily, yet for once it seemed the armour Satoru carried around himself was thick enough to keep her out.

Still, Mikazuki shifted her weight to her good leg, pursing her lips as she continued to glare at him.

"Am I boring you?" She asked, a devilish smile playing on her lips.

To Mikazuki's surprise, Gojo didn't answer with a witty remark or a quick retort. Instead, the sorcerer sighed, rubbing his eyes furiously.

"I just didn't get much sleep last night." He brushed his hair out of his face, eyes red from a night spent awake. "Turns out weddings are a pain in the ass to plan."

The sorceress' expression faltered momentarily, a conflicted look passing over he features before she melted back into her usual blank face. Mikazuki was no longer willing to be Satoru's victim, let alone let him see exactly what an effect those words had on her. Just because she wasn't over him yet didn't mean he had to know. For now, the heiress had no intention to pour out her heart to Satoru, especially when he'd already done such a good job at shattering it the first time.

Mikazuki adjusted her leather jacket, a soft smile appearing on her lips, a hint on genuine empathy flashing across her golden eyes.

"Congratulations on the engagement." She commented, her tone delicate and far more honest than she'd originally planned. "Eshima-san is a very lucky girl."

Satoru huffed out a small laugh, Mikazuki's words echoing inside of his head like a never-ending reminder of his situation.

Girl. Not woman.

At the end of the day, the choice hadn't been his. Sene was the one who had agreed to the union, and Léa was the one who planned it in the first place – join the clans, she'd said, but Satoru was not foolish enough to think that was Madame Dubois's goals. No, she was far too clever for such a simple plan.

Léa wanted him to care. For Eshima, for their future children – anyone. And then, the threats that hung over his head would no longer be simple hypotheticals, but true opportunities to keep him on a tight leash – not that his current position wasn't already precarious enough.

But his loyalty to the Magistrate was limited, and Léa knew this.