𝑹𝑬𝑨𝑳𝑴 𝑶𝑭 𝑺𝑯𝑨𝑫𝑶𝑾𝑺 ⇢ Gojo Satoru

𝐂𝐇𝐀𝐏𝐓𝐄𝐑 𝐗𝐈𝐗 - 𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐓𝐑𝐔𝐓𝐇 𝐈𝐍 𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐈𝐍𝐊

THE TWO FELL INTO AN AMICABLE YET HARSH SILENCE, the sun rising in the distance as the light came in through the window. Of course, the moment didn't last long. The Kinzoku took a deep breath, tracing the lines of her own tattoo and following Yashiro's fingers across her skin.

"It's not the questions that bother me" she admitted eventually, a hint of hesitation mixed with resignation hiding behind her voice

Yashiro quirked a brow.

"The memories, then?"

The Kinzoku nodded. Ieiri Shoko had said it best herself; ten years was a long time, and during that whole period, Mikazuki hadn't been alone – at least not fully. She had the twins, eight or nine months after being exiled, in a shabby hospital (if it could even be called that) in the slums of an Argentinian city she couldn't name. Seventeen hours of labour with a midwife who couldn't speak a single of word of English – let alone Japanese.

And then, she didn't even get to hold them. It was her choice, of course. The twins would have never been safe there (The Magistrate has eyes everywhere) or at home, under the shadow of the Kinzoku Clan. Instead, she shipped them off to Niko, whom she knew would raise them as her own. They were safer, that way, but it didn't mean Mikazuki didn't think of them; didn't love them. That's why she got to the tattoo – a constant reminder that, once upon a time, she'd been a mom.

All of these were things she hadn't told a single yet – not even Shoko, her best friend, knew of those ten years in exile. But something in Mikazuki shifted that morning as she stood over Yashiro's hips, the warmth of his eyes as inviting as the kindness in his words. The sorceress debated with herself for a minute, but it didn't take long for her to make a choice. She took Yashiro's hand, pressing it against the side of her thigh, right over the tattoo.

"Yes" she answered carefully, trailing the black flowers with his fingers "I got these done after my babies were born. A carnation for my daughter and a marigold for my baby boy" she paused, hesitating momentarily "Unfortunately, it seemed fate had other plans for them"

Fate was cruel, but The Magistrate was far worse.

"I'm sorry" Yashiro spoke honestly, growing quiet as he continued to touch her, hand resting against the warm skin of her side.

The sorceress shrugged.

"It's okay. I made peace with it a long time ago"

The lie spread out her lips easily, a well-practiced smile appearing on her face instead. Her babies weren't dead, but this didn't mean The Magistrate – or even Asahi himself – wouldn't hesitate to kill them were the news of their parentage shared. This was the reason why Niko took them in. It was also the reason why Mikazuki was ready to destroy it all.

For the sake of her babies. Her twins. Her family – the real one, not the one the Kinzoku tried to manufacture into existence, hoping the fantasy would be real enough to make her care. It wasn't.

Mikazuki pulled away from the man, turning until she was facing the other way before lowering the shirt until it pooled around her waist. The sorceress held her hair out of the way, the words inked over her spine coming into view as she smiled lightly. Yashiro looked at the tattoo, marvelled by the way the words flowed down her back in a straight vertical line, ending halfway through her tailbone.

The lawyer stared, reading the careful lines spoken across her skin. It was in Spanish and although the quote was covered with a postcoital layer of sweat, he was still able to read it easily enough. Yo no hablo de venganzas ni perdones, el olvido es la única venganza y el único perdón. Mikazuki smiled, chest rising as she inhaled sharply through her nose.

"Do you like it?" she asked, shaking her ass just enough to elicit a small laugh from the man.

Another tattoo born during her exile – another reminder of the jackals waiting for her at home, pretending to be a family when it was anything but. Yashiro nodded, sitting up in the bed before pressing his chest to her back as he lowered his lips to her shoulders, a trail of kisses following the sharp line of her spine and trailing down. A shiver ran up Mikazuki's back, mirroring the path of small kisses left by Yashiro as he worked his way up instead. The sorceress closed her eyes, leaning her head back until it rested against his shoulder, his lips moving to her neck and devouring the skin there.

She could feel herself growing hot again, the jab of Yashiro's own pleasure sharply pressed against her backside. She would have gladly lost herself in it, were it not for that familiar sting at the back of her conscience, a small flicker of a warning at the edge of her consciousness. Mikazuki's half-lidded gaze fell on the window of the room, her golden eyes catching the ghost of a man lingering at the other side.

The Kinzoku stiffened, all the fun melting from her expression as her eyes turned hard. Yashiro paused his ministrations, feeling the change in mood almost instantly.

"Is everything all right?" he asked carefully, halting his movements while his lips continued to hover over her skin.

Mikazuki nodded, slowly pulling out of his grip and buttoning the front buttons of the shirt. The sorceress slid out of the bed, picking up her phone from the nightstand and the tattered pieces of last night's dress. She turned to Yashiro, a fake pliable smile playing on her lips as she reigned in the worry lingering in the back of her mind.

"Yeah, I just remembered there's this call I gotta make" she lied hastily, waving at the phone as she turned the knob of the balcony door "Work thing, sorry" she lied.

Yashiro didn't ask anything else, simply nodding and watching as, once again, Mikazuki disappeared into the morning sky. The sorceress stepped out into the balcony, stuffing the dress and the phone into her bag before she turned to the rooftop. Yashiro's room was on the last floor, with nothing but a bunch of AC units and water reservoirs standing on the roof above. Still, Mikazuki held her hand out, her Goldslayer materializing out of the air as she gripped it tightly.

The Kinzoku jumped on the roof, a nice burst of Cursed Energy pulling her up as her bare feet hit the gravel. The figure didn't move, simply staring at the woman with a pleased expression on his face. For a moment, Mikazuki considered punching it out of his face, but after staring at the man for at least a good five minutes, she put her sword aside, keeping her voice tight as she looked at him.

"Mikazuki" he greeted, smile widening as he watched her eyes narrow.

"Suguru" she welcomed in the exact same tone.