𝑲𝑰𝑵𝑮𝑫𝑶𝑴 𝑶𝑭 𝑴𝑨𝑳𝑰𝑪𝑬 ⇢ Gojo Satoru

𝐂𝐇𝐀𝐏𝐓𝐄𝐑 𝐗𝐗𝐗𝐕 - 𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐃𝐀𝐑𝐊𝐍𝐄𝐒𝐒 𝐁𝐄𝐋𝐎𝐖

KINZOKU MIKAZUKI'S FEET HURT. The sorceress paused, flexing her toes momentarily in an attempt to rid herself of the pain. Although the pair of combat boots she'd chosen were comfortable enough, said shoes hadn't been made for trekking around in abandoned sewers, a fact that was becoming more apparent by the second. Gojo watched the woman, a soft smile on his lips as he recognized the anxious tick.

The pair had been walking on a straight line for what felt like forever – but had actually been only around four hours, which was long enough to make even Satoru's large feet feel sore. Mikazuki kept walking, taking in the strange nests around them along with the stray rats that crawled on each side of the line, following the wastewater into the dark abyss in front of them.

Mikazuki had never been afraid of the dark – as a Kinzoku, she had been born into it. But something about being trapped in a narrow tunnel at least 5 feet underground with little to no room to breathe or move felt terrifying enough to make the sorceress pause. Satoru noticed it, but there was very little he could do to soothe her, not that he particularly wanted to.

A cold gush of air filtered through the tunnel and Mikazuki shivered, pulling her jacket tighter around her shoulders.

"Gods, it's freezing down here." The sorceress pointed out as she avoided a mix of wet toilet paper and other disgusting bodily fluids. "Did the report say anything specific about the special-grade Curse?"

The tunnel in front of them narrowed, and soon the pair were forced to walk shoulder to shoulder. Mikazuki held her breath as she felt Satoru's tall frame softly bumping against her side. It had been a while since she and Gojo had been this close to one another, and for once, Mikazuki did not welcome the touch – not when she dreaded what could happen were she to slip.

Satoru sighed, shuffling for a moment before pulling out the tablet once again. The sorcerers halted heir steps to look at the glowing screen, the details of the report glowing brightly in the otherwise completely dark shaft.

"Not really, just that it hates sunlight and eats human flesh." Satoru announced nonchalantly and completely ignoring the chill that run up Mikazuki's spine.

Flesh-eating Cursed Rats. Okay.

"Lovely." Mikazuki said sarcastically as she pushed past a spider web.

The sorceress could feel crunching under her feet – along with the multiple rat carcasses that blanketed the floor, a bunch of what looked like clumps of flesh lined the walls. Mikazuki paused, inspecting the large pouches of skin-like material with a careful eye.

"It seems the rats hatch from these eggs, maybe we should torch some while we're at it." She proposed, eyes still focused on the strange mass which seemed to be pulsating like a heartbeat, whatever was inside rattling like a snake.

Satoru paused, he too looking at the strange eggs before vigorously shaking his head.

"No, they'll just keep on coming. Our best chance at completing the mission is killing the mother." The sorcerer settled his gaze on Mikazuki, expression soft. "Can you sense anything?"

The question was not meant to be derogatory, but appeared that whatever fell out of Satoru's lips was either the wrong thing to say or downright insulting in the sorceress' opinion. Mikazuki pressed her lips into a thin line, the tendrils of her Eternity branching out into the darkness before them. The tunnel went far deeper than any of them had anticipated, and although the presence was faint, she could still feel it.

"Yes." Mikazuki answered calmly, carefully stepping around another strange fleshy egg before staring back at Satoru. "The Curse energy is faint and there are many more rats ahead, but I believe we're on the right trail." The sorceress paused, taking a deep breath as her eyes fell once again on the man. "This tunnel is falling apart, there's no way for us to fight in here. We'll have to lure it back to the surface."

The idea didn't particularly appeal to the sorceress, but Mikazuki knew there was no way they could possibly fight the Curse in such a tight space – at least without causing some major damage that would certainly affect the city above them. Satoru resumed his walk, carefully eyeing the eggs as he stepped through the wastewater.

"I could always take care of it." He proposed easily.

Mikazuki tilted her head to the side, expression souring at the idea.

"Is that why Léa sent you?" The sorceress asked, her voice filled with mistrust and a bunch of other emotions Satoru didn't care to unpack. "To handle it?" She added.

To handle me. She didn't say, already knowing Gojo wouldn't do her the kindness of telling the truth. That man was so far up Léa's ass, he could see his white hair whenever she talked. His loyalty to the Magistrate didn't make any sense – especially after they had made him do. They turned him into a murderer, just like they did with her. Except, he cooperated while Mikazuki was sent into exile.

Maybe Satoru wasn't so stupid after all.

Gojo clicked his tongue, annoyance flickering on his gaze.

"Why do you always need to complicate things?"

Mikazuki's' eye twitched, but the sorceress composed herself, trying to keep calm while she continued to walk ahead and refusing to dignify Satoru with a look.

"I'm not the one playing games and using you like a chess piece, Satoru." She answered curtly, her voice laced with venom despite the fact that she wasn't saying anything but the truth.

Still, it was a truth Satoru was not ready to face, and so instead of bowing down to her words, he simply rolled his eyes.

"No." He cut, his voice cold as ice. "Instead, you're the outlaw sorceress hellbent on destroying the Magistrate and everyone in it."

It was a reproach as much as it was a warning, yet Mikazuki didn't heed it, finally turning back to stare at the sorcerer directly. The flame of his lighter flickered, the reflection of the fire glowing in Mikazuki's golden eyes like the rays of the sun. The rats around them scattered, as if sensing the tension between the two.

"Why do you always defend them?" Mikazuki asked plainly, frustration clear in her voice. "They made you a murderer, and yet you refuse to acknowledge it."

Geto Suguru had been his first victim, but who was to say he would be the last? It wouldn't take long for the Magistrate to ask this of him again – to kill someone for their benefit, to fight the battles they were too cowardly to face. And maybe he was okay with it, but the Satoru she used to know would have been appalled at the mere idea of it.

Gojo Satoru wasn't a murderer.

Unlike her.

"It's more complicated than that–" Satoru tried to speak.

"No, it's not!" The Kinzoku cut quickly. "Léa hides behind these walls of bureaucracy and tradition, but the vow she makes us take is nothing more than a gilded cage designed to control us." Mikazuki hesitated, voice quivering when she finally spoke again. "She made you kill Suguru."

It was like a punch in the gut. That reminder, always with him, no matter where he went – even here, fight feet under with no air to breathe. Satoru licked his sleeps, straightening his back before setting his gaze on Mikazuki's golden one.

"That was my choice."

Mikazuki's expression softened, like she was talking to a child, someone who didn't know better. But Satoru did know better, and so he refused to be looked down in such a way.

"But was it really when the alternative awaiting you was death?"