Unbound By Love's Grace [Gojo Satoru x Female Readers]

4 ~ Four

[T]he rhythmic clack-clack of heels striking the ground shattered the heavy silence, each echo ricocheting off invisible walls in the dim tunnel. Darkness receded slowly, and the muted contours of the innate domain sharpened around you, familiar yet bleak. Chains hung from an unseen ceiling, swaying as if waiting to pounce.

But that was the least of your concerns. You had a singular, nagging thought: 'How did I end up back here?'

You paused, fingers skimming your arms, pressing lightly along your ribs. Intact. Nothing broken. No blood, no bruises. You looked... untouched, whole—an impossible outcome given what you'd just faced.

Rewind. The realization settled with a bitter aftertaste. You must've triggered it somewhere between that memory fragment and reaching for the younger, nearly unscarred version of yourself.

"Right back to square one, huh?" you muttered to no one, a whisper swallowed by the void. If not for your technique, you'd almost believe you'd been hallucinating. But it was real. All of it. You'd nearly died.

Part of you—the cautious part—chastised the reckless decision to reveal your location so brazenly. And yet, as you felt your curse energy pulse within, wild and scorching, you knew you'd make the same choice. Again and again. You drew it up to 75%, pushing, ready.

A hollow shriek pierced the silence, and the air felt electric. Same scene, same sequence. Chains rattled, the piercing wail of something hateful and ravenous closing in fast. But this time, fear had evaporated, replaced by an eerie calm—a void where panic should've thrived. You'd been here before. You'd looked death in the eye, and now, that edge, that terror... it just wasn't there anymore.

You sidestepped, and the curse's chain shot past, striking empty air. Effortless. In a twisted way, it was almost... predictable.

Realization settled in—you could see everything now. Each move, every calculated strike it made, unfolded like the pages of a story you'd read a thousand times. The curse was fast, unnaturally so, but now, it was like time itself had slowed, like the steps of a dance you'd mastered. *Had you grown stronger? Or was this something else?*

The curse lashed out again, chains slicing the air, then lunging forward with its sickle-like arms. Every strike missed, slipping by you like fog through fingers. There was no resistance anymore, no sense of risk. Only power—your own and an unyielding, coiling energy beneath the surface, waiting to be let loose.

A laugh bubbled up from your chest, low and dark, spilling out before you could stop it. "Is that really all you've got?" The words tasted venomous, cruel—a tone unfamiliar to even yourself. Yet it felt... liberating. You'd lost your sense of restraint, and in its place was an intoxicating surge of something fierce, a thrill born from pushing the edge.

Another attack, another effortless dodge. You dipped just beneath the strike, feeling the cold slice of air against your skin as you sidestepped again. You landed a punch, then another. The curse stumbled back, and you watched its sickly form writhe, but no, punches wouldn't do. It'd take something stronger. Something final.

"Pathetic," you spat, feeling the insult leave your lips before you could stop it. And there was something vicious in you now, something barely contained.

The curse froze, its hollow eyes narrowing with a hatred that pulsed through the shadows around you. It opened its maws and released a shriek so loud it shook the walls, and then—chains burst from the walls and ceiling, converging on you with ruthless speed.

They coiled around you, wrapping tight, squeezing. But just as quickly, an invisible force seemed to surge from within, surrounding and cloaking you, devouring the chains, turning them to ash. Your cursed energy felt different now, wild and volatile, nearly too vast to contain.

So, this was the creature's advantage in its own domain?

A twisted laugh escaped your lips, breathy and dark. You could sense it now—this visceral surge. Bloodlust.

Just as you prepared to turn the special grade into nothing but ash, a deafening crash erupted to your left, the wall crumbling in a storm of dust and debris. You barely flinched, steady in your stance as if this were somehow... safer. The cursed energy in the air surged even stronger, rippling against yours, deliciously potent.

And then, unmistakable—his presence.

His familiar voice cut through the haze, playful and bright, like he'd just shown up at a party. "Guess who's here to save his amazing girlfriend?"

There it was, that unmistakable, over-the-top cheeriness. Gojo's presence washed over you, filling the room with an electric hum. You turned slowly, ignoring the special grade completely, as if it was nothing more than a shadow in the corner of your vision.

Figured he'd show up right on cue. You wondered how he'd react if he knew just how close you'd been to dying a few minutes earlier.

Through the settling dust, Gojo's figure came into view, his expression flickering between assessing the room and eyeing you. His gaze scanned over you quickly, searching for any damage, but his expression shifted, relieved—and maybe even a little impressed.

He shook his head, feigning exasperation. "Running off on your own, huh? You had me—what's the word?—worried for about ten whole minutes there—"

His sentence snapped short as the special grade made one last desperate lunge, coming at you with everything it had. In a flash, Gojo moved, faster than a heartbeat, reaching for you, but the moment felt different, slowed somehow, as if everything played out under your control.

You moved without thinking, raising a hand, palm outstretched just inches from the curse's face. And then, in a heartbeat, the curse dissolved, vanishing into nothingness.

The silence that followed was... heavy, the dust swirling down. Gojo stood still, his usual grin momentarily replaced by something else, a flicker of shock mingled with intrigue.

"Okay, seriously," he finally broke the silence, uncovered eye fixed on you. "Where did that come from? Thought you needed a teacher for the flashy stuff?"

Exhaling, you let the energy around you fade, letting your control dip to 1%. "I think... I rewound it?" You sounded more awed than anything, as if you were telling him just as you were realizing it yourself. "Like it never even existed."

"Yeah, I got that part," he quirked an eyebrow, his grin slowly returning, though his eyes stayed sharp, assessing. "But since when did you pick up these kinds of tricks? Wasn't the plan for me to teach you?"

You paused, feeling the unasked questions bubbling between you two. "Honestly... I don't have an answer," you mumbled, almost feeling the words slip out before you could think them through.

Should you tell him? The thought simmered in the back of your mind, lingering like an itch you couldn't quite scratch. If he knew the truth, you'd have to tell him about the close call—how you'd been seconds from fading into another cursed memory. But seeing him shoulder that kind of blame? No way.

You took a slow breath, keeping your tone steady. "How'd you even find me down here?"

Gojo's hand slid around yours, fingers weaving effortlessly as if this was routine, something he'd done a thousand times before. His gaze flicked past you to the dark, cursed tunnel stretching ahead. "Lesson three," he began, his tone almost teasing as though dredging up an old inside joke. "Innate domains—those instinctive little traps special grades throw up—are like a low-budget version of a real domain. No guaranteed hit means they're, let's say, rough around the edges. And just like any domain, they're weakest on the outside. Getting in? Piece of cake. But breaking out from the inside? That's where things get tricky."

You tilted your head, intrigued, though trying to ignore the warmth radiating from his grip. "So there's no way to bust out from inside once you're stuck?"

He shifted, his thumb drawing a slow circle over your knuckles, gaze flicking back to you with a hint of that knowing smirk. "Well, there is. With domains like these, you've got two options: exorcise the curse or counter it with another domain."

"Then what took you so long? Couldn't you just... bulldoze in here with your—what's it called?"

His lips quirked up. "A domain expansion."

"Yeah," you nodded, leaning in a bit. "Your so-called fancy domain expansion?"

A faint chuckle slipped from him, and his gaze slid back to you, sharp but amused. "Yeah, and risk you getting caught in the crossfire?" He tilted his head, that teasing glint in his eye. "To negate a domain with mine, I'd have to make sure you were... close enough to touch. Otherwise, you'd be on the receiving end, and that'd defeat the whole point of rescuing you."

The edge of his thumb pressed a little firmer against your knuckles, almost as if testing the idea, and a familiar heat crept up your spine. He smirked, noticing.

"Oh," you managed, deflecting with a slight smirk of your own. "Guess I should be grateful you didn't decide to go all 'Domain Expansion' on me just to make a point."

"Trust me," he mused, voice low, "I'd save that kind of show for a more... private setting." His eye gleamed with that teasing glint, and for a moment, neither of you moved.

Clearing your throat, you forced your attention back to the dissipating cursed energy in the tunnel, masking the unease that was starting to creep up. "Good to know you always have a plan... even if it's the long way around."

A flicker of something unreadable crossed his face, softening his usual air of mischief. "Speaking of plans—are you planning to keep me guessing?" His thumb traced a lazy circle on the back of your hand, and his gaze seemed to sharpen, locking onto you with a rare intensity. "We don't do secrets, remember?"

Your resolve wavered under the weight of his stare, but you fought to keep your voice steady. "Look, let's just handle this first," you muttered, gesturing to the wreckage around you. "Then... maybe we talk."

A dramatic sigh escaped him, but he didn't release your hand. Instead, he leaned closer, his voice dropping to a murmur. "Fine, I'll wait. But you know how this works. Once we're out of here, you're telling me everything." His grin reappeared, lazy but pointed, his words close enough to brush against your skin.

"Yeah, yeah." You mustered, stepping back to create a sliver of distance. "First things first, we find that cursed object. This place is bad news."

"Oh, I know." His grin turned roguish. "Just know that I'll make sure you keep your word."

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