𝑫𝒀𝑵𝑨𝑺𝑻𝒀 𝑶𝑭 𝑺𝑶𝑼𝑳𝑺 ⇢ Gojo Satoru

𝐂𝐇𝐀𝐏𝐓𝐄𝐑 𝐗𝐗𝐗𝐕𝐈 - 𝐀𝐋𝐖𝐀𝐘𝐒 𝐈𝐒 𝐅𝐎𝐑𝐄𝐕𝐄𝐑

KINZOKU MIKAZUKI RETURNED TO THE BALLROOM LESS THAN ONE HOUR LATER, her black gown drenched in fresh golden blood while her small steps echoed across the empty hallway. The sorceress inhaled sharply, hiding behind a column while a pair of giggling shamans hurried down the corridor. Although Mikazuki couldn't care less about appearances, she was still careful enough to be seen while she was still covered in blood, her gown ruined by Himari's angry fingers clawing at the fabric. Her little chat with the sorceress had gone unnoticed by everyone, but the state of her dress was another matter altogether.

Mikazuki flipped her hair back, gathering the hem of her dress in her hands while she walked across the hallway with quick steps. She could hear the chatter from the party filtering in, the glowing orange light of the chandeliers spilling into the dark corridor she was currently hiding in. These passages had been designed for the servants, so they could come and go completely unseen and without disturbing the party happening in the grand ballroom. These corridors were a mess of halfway steps and sharp turns, all of it plunged in complete darkness. Most of the guests of the birthday party didn't even know of its existence, which is why Mikazuki had chosen to use this path to hide herself and avoid everyone's prying eyes.

The woman was a mess, whatever was left of her alluring gown falling to pieces with each step she took. The sorceress tried to ignore the sick feeling settling at the pit of her stomach, the blood smeared on her delicate features turning to a dark shade of ochre as the air hit her face. Although Mikazuki was a calm person by nature, she couldn't help but feel a pang of panic stabbing at her heart. She didn't regret what she'd done – Himari deserved all she got, and she was just a stepping stone for her true goal – but the sorceress soon realized she'd walked herself into a wall.

Mikazuki was so focused on the sudden desperation that clutched at her chest that she barely noticed the two people sneaking through the corridor. It wasn't until the bright red dress appeared on her peripheral vision that the sorceress finally snapped back to reality. The Kinzoku's brows furrowed as her gaze swept over the stranger, the beautiful red gown catching her attention before she finally settled on the woman's face.

"Fuck, is that blood?" Shoko asked, the alarm palpable in her tone as she took in her friend's current condition.

Mikazuki's shoulders relaxed, her body going numb while Shoko stepped closer. The woman's hands hovered around the sorceress' gown, her face scrunching up in worry as she tried to ascertain the damage. Tajima, who had been wandering the corridors along with the doctor, surged forward, his expression wrought with worry as he stared down at the Kinzoku heiress. Shoko took a deep breath, immediately defaulting to her medical training while she examined the sorceress' face.

"What the hell? What happened?" The doctor questioned, reaching out with her hand to touch Mikazuki's face.

The Kinzoku stepped back, the extra space between the woman suddenly turning into an insurmountable chasm filled with secrets and something terribly akin to distrust. Mikazuki's breath caught in her chest and, although her expression didn't waver, Shoko still saw the doubt shadowing her golden stare.

"I'm fine." Mikazuki assured, swatting Shoko's hand away before she smoothed down the tattered remains of her dress' skirt. "It's not my blood." She added after a while.

Shoko's jaw tightened, hands falling at either side of her body while her shoulders tensed. Mikazuki wasn't an expert at reading body language, yet she still caught the change in her friend's expression. It was like watching a mirror shattering to pieces, hoping to catch one of the shards without slicing your fingers. You can't. The sorceress pressed her lips into a thin line, drinking Shoko's expression in, watching as the trust they once shared dissipated.

"It's not your blood?" Shoko asked calmly, her brown eyes cold as ice.

Tajima cleared his throat in an attempt to break the tension between the sorcerers, but no matter his actions, it wasn't enough to shatter the moment nor pull any of them away from it. Shoko was Mikazuki's friend – had been for a long time – and, although the two shared a special connection, Ieiri's loyalties had never been more divided. Tajima stayed still, unsure on what to do while he watched the back and forth between the two women.

"What have you done?" Shoko asked slowly.

The words hung in the air, but even with the tension that settled in the ambience, Mikazuki refused to let it get to her. Instead, the woman balled her hands into fists, ignoring the shattered expression on Shoko's face and pushing past the pain. Shoko was her friend, but she would never understand this part of her – she would never accept it, either.

Ieiri hadn't been there – none of them had, watching her fall apart while the whole world conspired against her. They didn't understand and, for the first time in a while, Mikazuki realized it wasn't her job to make them understand, either. This was her journey, her revenge – a road she shall walk alone. The real question here wasn't what she'd done. Shoko knew exactly what Mikazuki's simmering anger was capable of, she knew the smell of golden blood better than anyone, and she also knew what it meant.

This wasn't about what she'd done, it was about whether Shoko would stand by her side or not. Would she walk this road with Mikazuki, or would she join the crumpled bodies she was leaving on her wake?

"Exactly what I told you I would." Mikazuki answered simply, jaw locked while she tried to reign in her erratic heartbeat.

Shoko held the woman's gaze, a storm reigning chaos inside of her own heart and mind while she registered her words. The doctor was no stranger to Mikazuki's rage – she'd grown beside it, watched it fester and even fed it herself. The golden sorceress tilted her head to the side, her expression calculating, expectant.

"I'm I still your always?"

"Always." Shoko answered without missing a beat, not a single doubt in her tone.

At the end of the day, it didn't matter. None of it mattered, really. They were just a pair of girls who grew up in the violent throes of Jujutsu, protecting each other no matter what, supporting each other through the stormy days and the silent night. Shoko wasn't like Satoru, she wasn't like others who had turned their backs on Mikazuki the moment The Magistrate said so.

Always is forever, and that was a promise Shoko would never break.