Kodoku

Chapter 23

The night was dark and quiet, the air thick with the tension that had gripped the city for days. Itadori, Panda, and Inumaki moved silently through the shadows, their footsteps barely making a sound on the cracked pavement. The two women from Tenjiku followed close behind, their eyes wide with fear and uncertainty. They had bid tearful goodbyes to their friends back at Yaga’s HQ, knowing this might be the last time they saw each other. Now, their only hope lay in the boys who had promised to get them to safety.

Itadori led the way, his senses on high alert as he scanned the streets for any sign of danger. They had been careful, checking and double-checking that Gojo was asleep and that Geto was nowhere in the building before they made their move. The last thing they needed was to be caught by one of the two most powerful sorcerers in the city. They had seen what Gojo was capable of in his current state, and the thought of facing Geto was enough to make their blood run cold.

As they reached the edge of town, Itadori felt a small sense of relief wash over him. They had made it this far without incident, and now Todo and Okkotsu were waiting for them with a car to take the women the rest of the way. The Zen’in clan’s territory was just a few blocks away, and the boys knew they couldn’t afford to be caught anywhere near it. The Zen’in were always on the hunt, and if they found out about the escape, they would stop at nothing to capture the women and make an example out of them.

Todo and Okkotsu stood by the car, their expressions grim but determined. They had agreed to this dangerous mission because they knew it was the right thing to do, but that didn’t make it any easier. The Zen’in clan was ruthless, and if they caught wind of this, it could mean the end for all of them.

The women thanked the boys with tearful smiles, one of them placing a sweet peck on each of their foreheads as a token of gratitude. Itadori, Panda, and Inumaki watched as the car drove off into the night, feeling a sense of accomplishment but also a deep, gnawing anxiety. They had done what they could to help, but they knew this was only a small victory in a much larger, much deadlier war.

As they walked back through the empty streets, Itadori broke the silence, his voice quiet and thoughtful, “It’s strange, isn’t it? We haven’t seen any Zen’in around lately.”

Panda nodded in agreement. “Yeah, I noticed that too," he said, glancing around, "But it’s probably because we've been quiet too. They've probably been laying low, trying to avoid drawing any more attention since Megumi died.”

Inumaki hummed softly, nodding his head in agreement. The silence between them was heavy, filled with unspoken thoughts and unaddressed fears. They all knew the stakes were high, and that any misstep could lead to disaster.

After a few more moments of silence, Itadori asked quietly, “What happened to Hakari?” The question hung in the air, the weight of it pressing down on them like a lead blanket.

Panda was quiet for a long moment before he finally spoke, his voice low and filled with a sadness that made Itadori’s heart ache. “If Hakari’s still alive… he probably wishes he wasn’t," he said softly.

They walked in silence after that, each of them lost in their own thoughts. Inumaki sniffled quietly, wiping at his eyes before pulling out his phone. He typed a message and showed it to the others: “I wish we would have just called for backup that night.”

Itadori and Panda both nodded, their hearts heavy with guilt. They had been told time and time again that the war wasn’t their fault, that they couldn’t have known what would happen. But it was hard to shake the feeling that they had played a part in it. If they hadn’t gotten into that fight, Fumiya wouldn’t have died. If they had been more patient, Hakari wouldn’t have lost his mind.