𝑯𝑶𝑼𝑺𝑬 𝑶𝑭 𝑺𝑶𝑹𝑹𝑶𝑾⇢ Gojo Satoru

𝐂𝐇𝐀𝐏𝐓𝐄𝐑 𝐗𝐕𝐈𝐈𝐈 - 𝐒𝐎 𝐈 𝐒𝐄𝐄 𝐘𝐎𝐔 𝐀𝐆𝐀𝐈𝐍 𝐈𝐍 𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐃𝐀𝐑𝐊 𝐒𝐈𝐃𝐄

THAT SAME AFTERNOON AND after a long morning of meetings and endless preparations for the mission, Gojo Satoru found himself back on the training pit. The young Gojo heir was tired, dark circles under his eyes while yesterday's hungover still clung to him as he positioned himself as carefully as he could, shirt off and barefoot on the mat. He was shirtless, his lean musculature perfectly detailed while his white hair stuck to his sweat-stricken face. If he closed his eyes, he could still taste the alcohol in his mouth, a shiver running down his spine as the cool air hit his naked back.

Today, he wasn't alone. Instead, on the other side and similarly dressed, Satoshi inspected his brother's movements, gears turning in his head as he calculated his next move with lethal precision. The younger Gojo was quiet, his ocean everblues focused on the footwork while his own shirt was discarded at the edge of the padded floor.

They were training on the indoor area today, yet the summer heat was still unforgiving enough for the pair as sweat trickled down their backs. Satoru had been smart, plugging the AC on as soon as they stepped into the gym, but even with the constant wave of fresh air humming from the machines, everything in here was permeated with a layer of insurmountable heat.

Satoru didn't mind, keeping his fists high in front of his chest in a mix of Krav Maga and boxing while the blood in his veins ran hot. Something about these sessions felt familiar and comforting, the quiet of the training ring being the only thing capable of keeping Satoru's mind off the oncoming mission.

The Magistrate had been tracking the Beldam for months, so what was another two days? Their train was set to depart the following Monday early in the morning and they'd arrive at the hotel right before nightfall. Satoru didn't particularly care about the specifics, all he wanted was to pull out his Hollow Purple and take that thing's head clean off its shoulders. Mikazuki was there as back-up, to pull him out of whatever spell the Beldam chose for him.

Although Satoru wanted to believe he didn't need any help, he'd seen what those things were capable of, and he wasn't about to jeopardise an entire town for the sake of his ego. He and Kei had already lost so much fighting those things... this was the last one and Satoru was more than ready to give it the death it deserved.

It was easier like this, avoiding his thoughts while focusing all of his energy on besting his brother. Satoshi kept on getting better and better, his movements fast as lightning while his head remained cool. He was a stark contrast against Satoru at the moment, with the sorcerer's mind being a complete mess of unresolved emotions swimming through his thoughts.

He was unfocused, a fact that did not go unnoticed by Satoshi as he lunged forward, taking advantage of that opening on his brother's defence and pummelling through it a little to easily for Satoru's comfort. Satoshi's fist slammed into the older Gojo's stomach. The movement was hard and precise, a hint of Cursed Energy glowing in his knuckles before they were buried under Satoru's glistening skin. The special-grade buckled, pain radiating through his abdomen while adrenaline buzzed through him.

A hit like that on any other sorcerer would have been fatal, but even as Satoru regained his breath, he could hear Satoshi cursing in the background, an annoyed growl escaping his lips. The hit had been dead-on, or it would have been, were it not by the invisible barrier that encapsulated Satoru at all times. His Infinity had flared up on instinct, the vacuum of space wrapping around him like a cocoon as soon as it sensed Satoshi's approach.

"I thought we said no cursed bullshit!" Satoshi reminded; his tone blanketed with annoyance as he positioned himself on the other side of the ring. "If that was a real hit, you would have been in so much shit."

Satoru rolled his eyes, quickly schooling his expression before he straightened himself. Still, his brother was right and, with a flicker of his fingers, the barrier around him faded into nothingness. The air around him shifted, both the terrible heat and constant jet of fresh air caressing his skin.