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

109 - Hundred And Nine

[T]here was little that could unsettle Satoru Gojo, the strongest sorcerer of this era.

But when Principal Yaga handed him an assignment involving strange occurrences in Takashima, a small city near Kyoto, he didn't hesitate to take it on. It wasn't just another mission; it was personal.

For one, Takashima was close to Kyoto, the place you called home. But more than that, he couldn't shake the feeling that these reports of curses attacking people in hordes might be connected to your situation. And buried under his usual carefree demeanor was a need to uncover the truth about you.

The mission itself was a frustrating dead end. He'd wiped out the curses without breaking a sweat, but not a single clue was left behind.

If he'd known it would be this pointless, he would've stayed by your side, ensuring you were truly okay. Even though Shoko had sent him a message saying you were back on your feet, he needed to see for himself.

More than that, he needed to talk to you.

The harsh words he'd thrown your way still gnawed at him, and he knew an apology was long overdue.

When the car finally arrived to pick him up, Gojo slid into the back seat, expecting the usual solitude. Instead, he found a familiar face in the front passenger seat.

"Oh, hey Iji—wait, Nanamin?" There was a hint of surprise in his usual cocky tone. "What are you doing here?"

Nanami didn't bother hiding his irritation either, a deep frown creasing his brow. "I could ask you the same thing."

"I was on a mission, obviously." Gojo's voice carried its usual lightness. "But why are we sharing a ride?"

Ijichi, sitting tensely in the driver's seat, quickly jumped in. "Apologies, Gojo-san. Nitta-san is on another errand, and with the students on a mission, there's no one else available. Since you're both headed the same way, I thought it best to pick you both up."

The strongest sorcerer leaned forward, interest sparking in his blindfolded eyes. "Huh? You're headed to the hospital too?" he asked, his tone shifting from playful to serious.

"Yes," Nanami responded, his voice even, though his expression remained stoic. "I've been visiting Y/N's friend every day. Something about the situation doesn't add up."

"Oh? Like what?"

The blonde adjusted his glasses, his gaze sharp. "I investigated the car that collided with Y/N and her friend. There were traces of cursed energy—special grade—on the wreckage. But the strange thing is, the driver was already dead hours before the accident."

Gojo's eyes narrowed, the gravity of Nanami's words sinking in. "A dead driver, special grade cursed energy... That's not just strange. That's intentional."

"Precisely," Nanami agreed, his tone firm and matter-of-fact. "Someone wanted that accident to happen, and they didn't care who got caught in the crossfire."

The atmosphere in the car thickened with tension. Gojo, usually so casual and carefree, leaned back, his expression turning thoughtful. "Who was the real target?" he mused aloud. "Y/N or Yuki?"

"The likelihood points to Y/N's friend," Nanami responded, his tone as steady as ever, though there was a sharpness to his words.

A heavy silence fell over them again, thick with unspoken concerns. Gojo broke it first. "I spoke with Shinji once."

"Yuki-san's husband?"

"Yeah," Gojo confirmed with a slow nod, lounging back in the seat as if the conversation was casual. But his eyes, hidden behind his white blindfold, told a different story. "He mentioned something about Y/N being cursed. Said anyone who crosses paths with her ends up dead, one way or another."

Nanami's eyes narrowed. "I've spent time with her too. I can say with certainty—she's not cursed."

Gojo's lips curled into a faint smirk, one that didn't quite reach his eyes. "Exactly. Whatever it is that's targeting her or killing those around her, it only goes after the weak—the non-sorcerers."

The blonde's gaze sharpened, quickly catching on to Gojo's line of thought. "It's trying to isolate her," he stated, the pieces falling into place.

"Indeed," the strongest sorcerer agreed, his voice unusually serious, a rare moment of alignment between the two.

The implication was clear. This wasn't just about curses or sorcery—it was personal.

***

As the car rolled to a stop at the hospital, Gojo was already out, casually holding a package. He'd picked up some souvenirs for Yuki—because why not? Though he had no clue what new mothers actually needed, he figured it was the thought that counted.

Striding towards the hospital, he noticed Nanami just stepping out of the car when Ijichi remarked, "Huh? What's Nitta-san doing here?"

The offhand comment made both sorcerers freeze, their eyes darting in the direction Ijichi indicated.

Nitta was stepping out of her car, and as she spotted them, she quickly approached, offering a respectful bow. "Gojo-san, Nanami-san, what brings you here?"

The strongest sorcerer's usual carefree grin appeared, but there was an edge to it. "We're here to visit someone."

Nitta nodded, but her next words made the unease in Gojo spike. "Oh, I drove Y/N-san, Shoko-san, and Utahime-san here. They wanted to—"

The strongest sorcerer didn't wait for her to finish.

In a flash, he was already sprinting towards the hospital, throwing a sharp command over his shoulder. "Nanami, check the perimeter. Make sure nothing's off."

The blonde didn't need to be told twice. With a terse nod, he too immediately jumped into action, while Gojo tore through the hospital corridors, blindfold off, searching for familiar curse energy signatures.

The place was unnervingly quiet, almost deserted—something was definitely wrong.

When he finally found Shoko, she was standing in the corridor, looking around with a hint of confusion on her face.

"Shoko," Gojo called out, skidding to a stop in front of her, urgency radiating off him. Normally, he wouldn't bother with the formalities, but there was something off about this whole situation. "Where's Y/N?"

Shoko blinked, startled by his sudden arrival. "Satoru, what's going on?"

"No time," he snapped, his voice hard. "Where's Y/N?"

The brunette could tell he wasn't messing around. Gojo was rarely this serious, and it set off alarm bells in her head. "She said she was going to the restroom, but she's been gone a while. Utahime went to check on her. Why? What happened?"

Gojo's jaw clenched, his instincts screaming that something was horribly wrong. He didn't reply, didn't even slow down. He just tuned into Utahime's curse energy and sprinted off again, leaving a very confused Shoko behind.

"Satoru, wait! What's going on with Y/N?" Her voice echoed down the hallway, but the white-haired sorcerer was already gone.

Tracking your curse energy was an almost insurmountable task for even the strongest sorcerer.

The hospital, a maelstrom of negative emotions, was suffused with a dense cloud of cursed energy, making it hard to pinpoint your exact location. Adding to the complexity, the blocker earrings you wore masked your energy further, causing an intense throbbing behind his eyes as he fought to sift through the overwhelming tide of malevolent signatures.

When Satoru reached the rooftop, chaos unfolded before him.

The Six Eyes were struggling to keep up with the onslaught of cursed energy flooding the space. Every step he took felt like a descent into disaster, the weight of dread sinking deeper into his chest as he forced the door open.

His breath caught in his throat at the sight that met him on the rooftop.

You were at the edge, your hands pressing against Utahime, who was dangerously close to falling. The scene deteriorated rapidly as you shoved her over, and before Satoru could even process anything, you followed after her.

Time slowed to a crawl.

His body reacted on instinct, reaching out desperately. He managed to grasp Utahime's shirt, but his fingers missed as he tried to catch you.

As you fell, the look in your eyes cut through him—a mixture of accusation and resignation.

It was as if you were silently screaming that you'd always known he wouldn't be there when it mattered most, that he had chosen Utahime over you. In that split second, his world felt irrevocably shattered.

Just before you could hit the ground, a blur of motion intercepted you. Nanami's strong grip pulled you back from the brink. "Way to show your recklessness, Y/N," he chided, his voice steady despite the tension.

You didn't respond, your mind numb from the cascade of emotions and events. The curse spirit, the near-death experience—none compared to the deep, searing pain of knowing Gojo hadn't hesitated.

He had forsaken you, choosing someone else over you in that critical moment.

The shock on his face was unmistakable—a painful acknowledgment that, in that crucial moment, you had been his second choice.

The hurt of knowing this was more than you could bear.