The King's Queen

Chapter 30

Your eyes stared at your companions in confusion. They reflected your stare, 'Why do these two know the fortune teller?' You tilted your head to the side, as your e/c eyes zeroed in on Takehito specifically since you had come to terms with the fact your pinked haired master knew just about everybody in the empire for whatever convoluted reason.

Most of the empire was also familiar with him, through rumours, propaganda, or meeting him personally. The latter mostly ended with the people taking their last breath.

"Enough gawking at each other, little miss curse is still around and as such I will let the one who didn't kill her the first time have the honour to rectify themselves." Shimizu cut through the tension with ease as he stared off into the distance, in the direction of where the voice had momentarily come from.

He let out a sigh before turning his blind gaze back to your group, "So which one of you dealt the finishing blow and forgot to use jujutsu?" He asked as he narrowed down to you and Sukuna, who mind you stood there with a malicious smirk____ similar to the one he donned the day the two of you me-

'Ah... that's why it sounded so familiar
.' You mournfully thought as you hung your head low, now you were dealing with the vengeful spirit of Kato Leiko, of course the crimson eyed man beside you was grinning from ear to ear like a child who just received their favourite treat.

"Sukuna-san, it's not appropriate for a sorcerer____ especially of your calibre___ to be so sloppy. Please fix that." Shimizu reprimanded the still grinning bastard. The man just let out a gruff laugh before sprinting towards the curse_____, not before setting you and your sister firmly on the ground. With a sigh, Takehito looked expectantly at you. You rose a brow, questioning why he was looking at you.

"Would ya mind following your lover, I need to speak to the blind guy." He crouched down to your ear due to his height. He coyly covered your ear slightly as his breath sent involuntary shivers on your skin. If it wasn't for the angle, you would have seen the visible smirk that graced his painted lips.

You grimaced as your cheeks dusted with a deeper rouge. You knew you couldn't blame that on the weather. You shrugged_____ this caused you to remember you literally had someone on your back, "Fine, I will go, but could you take Mitsuki off my hands. I don't think Sukuna is going to go easy on Kato-san, and I would rather not hav-" "Say no more!" Takehito cut you off before grabbing your sister off your back swiftly into his awaiting muscular arms.

"I also think it's for the best, Takehito and I have much to discuss. Speaking of which, I will not tolerate you berating my disability young man. I expect you to act in line." He spoke calmly. However, his words were sharp and promised pain if taken lightly. 'He's completely different from the man I met before.' You mused the thought as you compared him back then____ carefree, detached yet empathetic, to now_____ authoritative, strict, and calm.

It was quite disorientating, seeing one face yet two personalities. Like an actor removing his mask after the performance.

Seeing as your presence was no longer welcomed, you rushed to where Sukuna had quickly disappeared off to.

As the two men sized each other up, Takehito smirking like his typical suave self____ trying to mask how his eyes held a much darker glint, and Shimizu's face falling flat but his eyes despite the fog looked intrigued at the vision only he could see.

You had already left.

To cover more ground, you channelled some cursed energy into your legs before taking leaps into the air. The way the negative energy flowed through your circulatory system brought a much appreciated warmth into your body.

Even with how big your cursed energy reserves were, you had opted to not using it to keep you warm. It wasn't about strategic reasoning but rather an emotional bond between your childhood and unbearably low temperatures, allowing for the cold weather to be a welcomed occurrence.