Bound In Love's Curse [Gojo Satoru x Female Readers]

95 ~ Ninety-Five

"You know, I can hardly believe Principle Yaga let you tag along," Utahime mused, glancing at Shoko as they finally joined her in the room where the crater was.

"It's because of Satoru," Shoko replied, her tone casual but pointed.

Given her rare ability to use Reverse Curse Technique on others, Shoko almost never went on missions. But with Gojo around, the chances of her life being in danger were practically zero. After all, insufferable as he was, Gojo was strong enough to protect an entire nation if it came to that—figure of speech.

"Anyway, what did you both want me to see?"

"I think it's better if you see for yourself," Utahime retorted, her tone more serious now.

Gojo, for once, was unusually quiet, which was unsettling in its own right. He watched the crater with a thoughtful expression, until he finally spoke up.

"Need a hand getting down there, Shoko?"

"Sure," the brunette responded without hesitation.

Gojo then turned to Utahime with a playful smirk, his tone dripping with mischief. "Don't worry, Utahime. I'm not offering to help you."

She rolled her eyes, not even bothering to mask her irritation. "And I didn't ask."

With a casual shrug, the sorcerer bent down and effortlessly scooped Shoko up, descending into the crater with effortless ease. Utahime watched them, her eyes narrowing in mild exasperation, before she leapt down herself, landing gracefully beside them.

"This place feels like another world entirely," Shoko remarked, her voice distant as she took in the eerie, cavernous space around them.

Her gaze drifted lazily until it settled on a stack of documents, neatly piled in one corner.

Paperwork. Of course. Where else would someone like her find the real dirt?

Moving toward the stacks, her fingers brushed over the edges before she began flipping through them with her characteristic thoroughness.

For a while, her expression remained unreadable, a mask of professional detachment. But then she reached a particular folder, and a deep frown creased her brow.

Gojo noticed instantly, his attention sharp despite the casual air he projected. He sidled up beside her, peering over her shoulder with a light, teasing tone. "Find something interesting, Shoko?"

But there was an undercurrent to his voice, a tension that suggested he wasn't as carefree as he seemed. It was as if he had been waiting for this moment, half expecting what she had found.

Shoko didn't answer immediately. She closed the report, her gaze lingering on the cover as if it held some hidden meaning. When she finally spoke, her voice was unusually grim. "It's a medical report," she said, her tone steady but tinged with something darker. "Y/N's, to be exact."

The teasing glint in Gojo's eyes dimmed, his smirk fading into something more somber, a seriousness that didn't often surface. "And? What does it say?"

The brunette's voice dropped, as if the words themselves carried weight. "They were conducting research... on her innate ability. The one that lets her see into curses' memories, or... read them, maybe even alter them." She paused, clearly unsettled by what she had found. "Whoever did this, they weren't just studying her abilities—they were dissecting her mind. It's like they were trying to map out her entire psyche."

A flicker of unease crossed Gojo's face. He wasn't sure he liked where this was heading. "And you're taking it with you?"

Shoko nodded, her expression clouded by what she had read. "I have to. This could be the key to understanding her abilities—or figuring out how to protect her. But there's something else... something off about this report. It feels like they weren't just observing her. They were... searching for something. Something they intended to unlock."

"Unlock?" Gojo's eyebrow arched in curiosity, but there was an edge of wariness in his voice.

Shoko met his gaze with a nod, her placid eyes distant as if piecing together a puzzle she hadn't yet solved. "It's as if they were trying to tap into something buried deep within her."

Utahime, who had been quietly observing, finally stepped forward. Her usually stern expression softened with concern. "Are you saying they were experimenting on her? Trying to... change her?"

Shoko didn't respond directly. Instead, she carefully tucked the report under her arm, her jaw clenched. "I need to go through all of this, and then I'll brief you both."

"Fine," the strongest said, his tone low, but there was something in his voice that hinted at deeper thoughts. "But before that, there's something else I want you to see. Come with me."

He didn't wait for Shoko or Utahime to respond, already moving toward a darker area of the facility, where shadows clung to the walls like old stains. He led them to a section filled with incubators—battered, broken glass, and flickering lights barely holding onto life.

"What do you make of this?" he asked, his tone suddenly cold as he glanced back over his shoulder.

His uncovered eye, partially visible through his askew blindfold, glinted with a dangerous intensity, a rare flicker of something darker beneath his usual self.

It was clear that whatever he had encountered here had disturbed even him.

Shoko, unflinching as always, surveyed the scene with narrowed eyes.

The place reeked of something wrong, something deeply unnatural. The incubators, shattered and ravaged, seemed to pulse with the remnants of malevolent energy.

"What happened here?" she asked, her voice carrying a hint of suspicion.

The white-haired sorcerer didn't immediately answer, letting the eerie silence fill the space.

The incubators had been destroyed—no doubt by Gojo himself in an attempt to neutralize whatever twisted experiments had taken place. But it was clear he had left a few of the smaller, weaker curses intact, as if leaving a clue for her to decipher.

"Gojo did a clean-up before you arrived," Utahime informed, her tone flat. The brunette, merely nodded in understanding, her expression remaining as impassive as ever.

"You're not surprised, are you?" The sorcerer observed, his gaze narrowing as he studied his former classmate.

Shoko was always laid-back, her emotions buried beneath layers of cool detachment. But Gojo knew her well enough to decipher the subtle shifts in her demeanor, and right now, she wasn't impressed.

"Those curses," Shoko began, her voice devoid of emotion, "must be those born from the traumas they inflicted on her."

Her words hung in the air, heavy with implication, causing both Utahime and Gojo to freeze momentarily, their eyes widening.

"What do you mean?" Utahime's voice was tight, her usual composure slipping just a fraction.

"You know how sometimes people develop the ability to see curses after experiencing a traumatic event?" The brunette continued, her tone flat and clinical, as if discussing the weather.

Gojo leaned against a nearby wall, arms crossed, while Utahime kept a wary eye on the undamaged incubators, ready for any sign of retaliation.

"That's what happened here," Shoko continued, her voice almost detached, as though she were discussing a case file rather than a person they knew. "These curses are a manifestation of the prolonged trauma Y/N endured before she could even see curses or manipulate cursed energy. According to this report, it all started when she was fifteen."

Utahime let out a gasp, her eyes widening in horror, while Gojo's expression darkened, a rare frown tugging at his lips.

He hadn't known!

The pieces were starting to fall into place, and the name that came to his mind was one he hadn't expected. "Ryusaki L/N?" It wasn't a question but a grim realization.

Only a monster would experiment on their own sibling.

"Indeed," Shoko confirmed with a nod, her voice tinged with a rare note of bitterness. "He's likely the one behind all of this."

"Alright, let's get out of here," Gojo suddenly announced, an uncharacteristic bluntness in his voice.

The need to be by your side, to protect you, surged through him like a tidal wave. You hadn't confided in him, hadn't let on about the horrors you'd faced, but that only made him more determined.

"Agreed," the brunette replied, her tone clipped as she carefully readjusted the report under her arm.

Utahime nodded, her expression resolute, but just as they were about to leave, Shoko spoke again. "But don't touch the remaining curses," she instructed, nodding toward the few incubators Gojo had spared. "We might need them later."

The strongest sorcerer didn't argue. He knew better than to dismiss Shoko's instincts. But for once, he wished he could see what you saw, delve into the memories of those curses to understand the full extent of what you had endured.

"Alright," he agreed, his voice quiet but firm. "Let's get moving."