The shore we looked out over that day, I still remember it now
Words engraved on the sand, your silhouette
The waves, coming and going against my feet, washing everything away
In the evening's calmness, only the twilight passes through
"[ NAME ], you decent?" Gojo calls from the bedroom.
You ask him teasingly, "Does it matter?"
"Yeah, 'cause Suguru's in here too."
"Oh."
That cools you off considerably. Oops.
You face yourself squarely in the mirror. You hardly recognise yourself now that you've swapped uniforms with Amanai. Her pleated skirt brushes against the tops of your thighs, and your hair is harsh and darkened with dye. From a distance, you could almost pass for her – which is exactly what you're going for.
You dance out into the bedroom, spinning around on your heels so that both Getou and Gojo can take you in. It doesn't escape your notice how Gojo rakes you over from head to toe with a heated, appreciative glance. Your pulse skips. You know that look, understanding that you've given him a little buzz he's struggling to process. Pleasure rushes through you. Even Getou seems taken aback when he gives you a quick once-over.
Pulling his gaze away from your face, Gojo asks, "You clear about the plan?"
"Both plans?" At his nod, you smile. "I'm clear."
Plan A includes you posing as Amanai's body double for the trip back to Jujutsu High; although the bounty on her head is due to be lifted in precisely five minutes, you'd stubbornly insisted on adding this as a precaution. And, recognizing the stubborn gleam to your eyes and the determined tilt to your chin, Gojo and Getou had agreed pretty quickly to spare themselves from getting pulled into an argument.
Plan B, on the other hand, includes possibly fighting Master Tengen if Amanai doesn't consent to the merger. You'd discussed it with your friends the night before. All three of you had bantered ideas and plans until you were all too tired to think straight, but you had all agreed that there was only really one course of action to take.
Loathe as Gojo is to admit it, he's developed a soft spot for Amanai, a fact which makes you smile every time you think about it. Of course, thinking about this sends your thoughts scattering to a few years down the line, where you inevitably imagine Gojo caring for a child, a thought which both thrills and terrifies you. Would he treat his child with the same absent affection? Would the world even be safe enough to have a child?
"Earth to [ NAME ]?" Gojo slides his arm around you and brushes his lips over your temple. His fingers flex into your waist. "You ready to go?"
"Ugh." You pull a face at the thought of having to take yet another plane back to Tokyo, but you brighten almost instantly when you remember the luxurious first-class suite. You're already looking forward to the opportunity to kiss your boyfriend the way you need to. From the smile curling the edges of Gojo's lips, you suspect that he knows exactly what you're thinking. "Yeah, yeah, let's go."
As expected, the flight back home passes quickly, in a blur of tongues and hands and breath that is never quite enough. It's easier than ever to pretend that nothing else exists but this, but the two of you.
Stepping out of the plane has you yanked harshly back to reality. The logical part of you knows that the bounty has been lifted, and that Gojo won't let anything happen to you, to any of you, but the tense set to your slender shoulders never relaxes as the busy streets of Tokyo whizz by.
At some point, Amanai grabs your hand and doesn't let go. There's no feeling left in your fingers – if anything, her grip seems to tighten the longer she holds on. A knot tightens in your gut. You wonder if she's having second thoughts; your eyes meet Getou's, and you know that he understands exactly what you're thinking. Absently, your thumb strokes over Amanai's knuckles.
Plan B it is.
You release the tension from your body with a sigh, wilting briefly into Gojo's side when you see the familiar red gates of Jujutsu High. You feel the smallest shiver, the tiniest energy change as you step over the threshold. It feels good to be home.
Still, you feel someone watching you, an itchy, uncomfortable feeling that you can't quite shake.
Getou's face mirrors the guarded happiness that must surely be present on your own. "We can take it easy for a bit now, everyone. We're inside the barrier."
"That's great!" Amanai's voice is too bright, too forced. It grates harshly upon your ears. "So we're safe now!"
Kuroi exhales in relief.
Getou glances over at Gojo, sees the irritation splashing across his face, and promptly offers his friend an encouraging smile, even as the set to his shoulders shakes with the force of his suppressed laughter. "Satoru, thanks for your hard work."
"No more!" Getou's thanks is received with chilly reserve as Gojo dispels his Cursed Technique in a manner that screams volumes of his displeasure. You muffle your laughter, your eyes bright with adoration and affection. "No more babysitting!"
Amanai lets her anger take the reins. This time, her reaction seems genuine, more like her old self. That makes you smile. "What the hell?!"
The ghost of your smile is still frozen on your lips when you see the sharp point of a blade erupt through Gojo's chest. His blood splatters across the cobblestones. Red. So much red.
Heal.
You have to –
Your eyes meet his for the briefest of seconds.
Just as your lips form his name, a loud crack of sound jolts through you, reverberating off the brick and ringing in your ears.
An explosion of pain.
The last thing you hear is Gojo and Getou screaming out your name in anguish, right before everything fades to black.
