HAVEN || SATORU GOJO

XII

IT WAS A SCORCHING HOT SUMMER DAY, the kind where the air was thick and heavy, and the sun beat down mercilessly. The kind of day where they could feel the sweat forming on their skin just by stepping outside. The kind of day where the only relief came from jumping into a pool or sitting in front of an air conditioner.

The sun hung high in the sky like an angry god, its rays piercing through the atmosphere like fiery arrows. The air was suffocating, thick with humidity and the scent of wilting flowers.

The world seemed to be holding its breath, waiting for the relief of a cool breeze or the salvation of a sudden rainstorm.

In the distance, the sound of cicadas rose and fell like a chorus of tiny violins, the only accompaniment to the sweltering symphony of the day.

Rieka stared out the window. It felt so stifling.

It was September, just a month after Gojo had perfected his Infinity and reversal technique.

And a month after the influx of curses.

It had been an excruciatingly busy summer with the influence of constant calamities .. cursed spirits crawled around like bugs.

She laid in the hospital bed with a sigh. "Suguru .. are you angry?"

Gojo wanted to be there the most .. but he was still stuck in the Philippines after his trip to India, not having been back to Japan in over a month.

The man sat there, skinning an apple by her bedside.

Shoko had been out of town for weeks now, traveling left and right with Ijichi and Mei Mei to go to the places that needed her ability the most.

They were at their busiest time right now.

"I don't understand .. Rie."

She tilted her head. "Understand ..?"

A slam from his fist shattered the porcelain bowl. It surprised the woman as she jolted, covering her ears.

"How could you help them .. just for them to hurt you?" His voice was quiet but it shook with anger, an overdue amount of bountiful anger.

She began to soften a bit, bending over to pick up the sharp shards of glass.

"No good deed goes unpunished, Suguru. Humans have lived their lives in fear, they have since the beginning of times, that's how we constantly evolve. The unknown is terrifying. Curses are terrifying. They're things only we can see .. so it's not abnormal for it to seem like an omen."

"They just felt threatened .. like animals. They can't help their primitive instinct of fear."

"Even if it is cruel .. kindness and generosity are still worth pursuing .. even if they don't always produce the outcomes we're hopeful for."

"But they were shaved down to their wits end, Suguru. I could feel it. The fear of their home being taken over .. they just wanted to protect something they love. Just like how you're feeling now."

This was the woman who had carved out her own destiny from a tapestry already woven for her by fate .. and instead now, she spun her own tale .. her own life that she led.

She wasn't as angry anymore with the world .. not even with humans.

Consuming souls allowed her to see two sides of the same coin.

"But how does it give them a reason to try and kill the person who saved them and their home!?" His hand bled out as he continued to ball it up into a fist.

Rieka grabbed the man's hand, gently easing it, taking the napkin to apply pressure onto the cut.

"It doesn't .. but they'll learn, they'll feel guilty and realize their actions."