The Weaver of Fate (A Satoru Gojo Love Story)

Chapter 3

Months passed and Shirazaki maintains a facade of cheerfulness, but the cracks are starting to show. She was being sent to missions to observe her skills, her precision and her loyalty, along with the students and sometimes other teacher. During a mission briefing, Gojo announces a new training regimen – a brutal one focused on pushing students to their limits. Shirazaki grits her teeth, enduring the pain, but a tear escapes her eye unnoticed. Later, alone in her room, the dam breaks. Tears stream down her face, a choked sob escaping her lips. The dream of camaraderie, of a place to belong, feels further away than ever.

Training sessions become a blur of exhaustion. While Gojo praises Kugisaki and Maki for their natural talent, Shirazaki's victories come through sheer grit and determination, hours spent honing her skills in solitude. One evening, she stays late to practice a complex hand-to-hand combat technique. Exhausted, she collapses on the training mat, tears stinging her eyes. A rustle from the doorway – Gojo is watching, a stoic expression on his face. Before she can say anything, he turns and leaves without a word. The feeling of being unseen, unappreciated, intensifies the burn of her tears.

Next week, news arrives – a Jujutsu High alumni dance is being held. A flicker of excitement ignites within Shirazaki. Maybe, just maybe, this could be a chance for something different, a night of normalcy. She hesitates, then approaches Gojo, hoping for an invitation. His response is a nonchalant, "Sounds fun. Maybe I'll crash the party if I'm not too busy." Disappointment washes over her. Does he not see her beyond the role of a colleague, a subordinate? The dance loses its appeal, replaced by a dull ache of longing.

A month later, hearing Utahime's arrival in the school, Shirazaki stumbles upon Gojo laughing and chatting with Utahime on the training grounds. They share a playful exchange, a comfortable intimacy that stabs at Shirazaki's heart. Memories of her own buried feelings – the stolen glances, the yearning for connection – flood back. Suddenly, the weight of her unspoken affection feels suffocating. Retreating unseen, she vows to bury those feelings deeper, to build walls so high that even Gojo wouldn't be able to see through them. She left the place without uttering a single word.

A particularly gruesome mission lasting for a week leaves Shirazaki shaken. The image of a young cursed spirit, its form twisted by hatred, replays in her nightmares. The guilt of her past, the knowledge of the darkness she unleashed, resurfaces with a vengeance. She seeks solace in the library, desperately searching for answers, for a way to outrun the demons within. As she collapses into a chair, a book falls from the shelf, landing at her feet. It's an ancient text on memory manipulation techniques. A single, chilling thought takes root in her mind – a way to escape the unbearable burden of her past, and perhaps, to escape Jujutsu High altogether. She shook her head and moved passed the book, unintentionally moving her past.

The next mission goes awry, a powerful curse spirit unleashed. In the ensuing chaos, Shirazaki makes a split-second decision, utilizing a dangerous unexpected technique to subdue the threat. It works, but at a terrible cost. Exhausted and injured, she stumbles back to Jujutsu High, expecting recognition and answers of her new technique from Gojo. However, Gojo's reaction is a simple, "Good job," followed by a quick dismissal for medical attention. The sting of his indifference cuts deeper than the wounds on her body. Was she just a tool, a means to an end, in his eyes?

The next day, upon hearing her newfound technique, Gojo makes a rare promise – to personally train Shirazaki in a powerful technique he claims will elevate her skills to a new level. Excitement bubbles within her, a beacon of hope in the darkness of her disillusionment. Days turn into weeks, but the training never materializes. Gojo is perpetually "too busy" or "called away on a sudden mission." The disappointment is a bitter pill to swallow, shattering the fragile trust she was starting to build. Late at night, after a particularly gruelling training session, Shirazaki stumbles upon Gojo in the courtyard, gazing up at the moon. Hesitantly, she approaches him, hoping to connect, to share a moment of quiet camaraderie. He barely acknowledges her presence, lost in his own thoughts. Unable to hold back any longer, she blurts out a confession of her struggles with her amnesia and her powers, her tears glistening in the moonlight. Gojo turns, his expression unreadable. Then, in a tone devoid of warmth, he says, "Everyone has their burdens, Shirazaki. Learn to deal with them. You are a Jujutsu sorcerer after all" The weight of his emotional detachment crushes her spirit, leaving her alone with her tears under the indifferent gaze of the moon.

Thatnight, Shirazaki has a nightmare – a chilling premonition of a powerful curseuser infiltrating Jujutsu High. She wakes up in a cold sweat, the detailsvivid and unsettling. Convinced of the threat, she rushes to a sleeping Gojo,pleading with him to take precautions. He dismisses her concerns with adismissive scoff, "Don't be ridiculous, Shirazaki. You must beoverworked." His lack of faith in her intuition, the dismissal ofher genuine fear, chips away at the last vestiges of her loyalty

A/N: I (a massive Gojo Satoru fan) am not portraying Gojo as an asshole. He wants what's best for his students and also for Shirazaki. Yeah, there are something that is holding him back but that's another story. I hope you enjoy the story. Happy Reading XD