Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

Gojo Satoru was useless, you quickly learned on your first day. 

Not that you hadn’t met him before, of course. It was just different, because now he was your fucking teacher. 

“Why so glum, hun?” Ino swings an arm over your shoulder, leaning into you. 

Ino was.. an adequate classmate as well. You as well knew Ino before classes had started, and he annoyed the shit out of you. But, he was here. So now he gets to hear you complain. 

“Why is Gojo so fucking stupid? I mean, he knows I can’t hear. But no, he likes to say shit out of my sight on purpose to make me mad!” You threw your arms up in frustration, causing Ino to lean off of you. 

Now not hearing did not mean you were deaf. There were just.. certain precautions you had to take due to your technique. 

Ghost manipulation. Sounds cool, but to you, it kind of sucked. 

Using commands, you were able to control spirits to do as you please. It also allowed you to do a lot of fun pranks. 

Now, ghosts were not cursed spirits. You couldn’t see them, hear them, or anything. You could just sense when they were under your command, and move them around. 

Most of the time , you couldn’t see and hear them. However, for some unknown reason, if your hearing was exposed to the world— the ghosts would know. 

Then you would see them. And hear them. And it opened a doorway straight into your body. And  being possessed was not fun. 

So now, you walk around with big bulky headphones that only allow you to hear muffles of speech. Ergo, if anyone was more than five feet away from you— you better hope that whatever they’re saying isn’t that important. 

Bluetooth rocked, though. You could just blast music and ignore people however you please. 

And Gojo promised he would find you a better solution, but for now, he spent all of his money buying you the nicest noise canceling equipment he could get his hands on. Plus a bit of cursed energy embedded into it helped as well. 

So when he was in class instructing, facing away from his students— making it impossible for you to understand what was going on, it pissed you off. 

Just a little bit. You were competitive. And getting the best grades would be a bit challenging if you couldn’t hear the lesson at all. 

Ino snorts, “It’s because you’re easy to piss off. I could literally feel you fuming next to me. So could Kaede.” 

Ah. So that was her name. 

Your fellow first year student, the only other first year excluding you and Ino. 

You didn’t know much about her. Other than that she was an uptight clan kid with an agenda. Hell, you didn’t even know what her technique was. 

Considering she had come from the Kamo clan, it narrowed down the possibilities. 

The only thing that surprised you about her was her insistence to only call her by her first name. It was sort of strange, considering her last name was supposed to be some honor. But, no complaints from you. 

Tokyo was not her first choice either. The Kyoto school was full, so she didn’t have a choice. 

You laughed at the thought of a clan kid not getting what they want. 

“So, everyone knew I was suffering, and didn’t do anything about it? Some comrades you guys are.” You retort, walking to get ahead of Ino. 

He laughs at your steaming figure, “You can’t blame me. It was funny, dude. But damn, can you stop walking so fast?” 

“I’m hungry.” You yawn, speeding up at the thought of food. “And I like my food fresh. Who knows how long it’s been sitting in the cafeteria.” 

“You do know that it’s all frozen food that they cook, right?” 

“So? It’s still food that’s hot.” You enter the cafeteria, relishing in the aroma of food. 

“You’re weird.” Ino grimaces, grabbing a tray and getting behind you in line. 

You both make your way to your seats, and waste no time stuffing your face. 

“Yeah. What guy wouldn’t love that?” He teases over mouthfuls. 

You pause your bites, giving him a glare, “I could literally burn your insides right now.” 

He grimaces, “Please stop. I’m eating.” 

“If you’re being gross, I’m not going to sit with you two.” 

Ah. Lovely Kaede. 

“No complaints from me.” You swallow, “Do whatever the fuck you want.” 

That earns you a wack from Ino, who’s more friendly than you are, “We’re not. Please, sit.” He scoots over, allowing her more room. 

She takes the seat in silence, bowing her head before placing napkins on the table like she’s about to eat the most gourmet meal of her life. 

You snort, causing her to stop, “Is there a problem?” 

You share a look with Ino, who turns to hide his laughter. 

“I mean,” You swallow, “I know this is not the nicest meal you’ve had in your life. So what’s up with the eccentrics?” 

She curls a brow, “This is just manners , probably something you’re not well adjusted to.” 

“Yeah. You’re right.” You take a swig of water, “But are you telling me if you walked into a McDonalds right now, you’d pull out some nice candles and flowers— and hell—” You chuckle, “—maybe polish some silverware while you’re at it?” 

Ino bursts into laughter, blowling his cover. 

Kaede turns red from the teasing, making a stand. “I’m not sitting here.” 

You wipe your tears, grabbing her arm to stop her, “Wait. I’m just messing with you, dude. Don’t leave.” 

She sits back down in silence, allowing the laughter to die off as the three of you continue eating. 

“I wouldn’t do that at a Mcdonald’s, by the way. I wouldn’t even dine there.” She mumbles, causing you to lean in closer to hear her better. 

Ino repeats her words back to you, “Oh.” You snort. “Did that really bother you that much?” 

“And if it did?” She glares loudly at you. 

“Get over it, I guess. I can’t imagine that’s the worst insult you’ve been told in your life. Shit, it’s not even considered an insult. I’ve said worse things to Ino.” You finish off the last crumbs on your plate. 

“She has.” Ino agrees, messing with the empty cup next to him. 

“Whatever.” She looks away, “I wouldn’t even feel insulted by a deaf girl anyway.” 

You laugh, “Oh, and I should feel insulted by some blood freak?” 

She slams her hands on the table, goading you on even further. “This blood freak could take you on and win any day. Bitch.” She sits back down. 

Did she just? 

Now, fighting comes easily to you. You had a habit of being a little too mean with too little care in the world. 

But anytime someone opened their mouth and proceeded to call you a bitch , they didn’t see the light of day again. 

And Kaede was no exception. 

You stand, reaching over to grab this girl out of her chair and show her no mercy. But, by the time you grabbed her collar, Ino intervened. 

“ So I was invited to this party tonight!” He nervously laughs, watching the two of you glare at him, “wouldn’t it be fun? The three of us, y’know— having a good night on the first day?” He proceeds to remove your hands from her collar, mumbling something along the lines of please god don’t fight , allowing you both to sit back down. 

“Really?” Your anger dissipates, “Sorcerer or non-sorcerer?” 

“Non-sorcerer.” He cringes, “But, he’s cool. We kicked it back in middle school.” 

You gather up your dishes. “I’m down. As long as there’s alcohol.” 

“You’re fifteen.” Kaede glares at you. 

“And?” You retort, “If I’m dying young, I might as well live it up a little. Even if it’s with a bunch of sweaty teenagers.” 

“Well, I’m not having anything to do with this.” Kaede crosses her arms across from you. “You two can gladly get into your own trouble.” 

“Fine. Again, do whatever the fuck you want. If you wanna live a boring life to make your daddy proud, go for it. No one’s stopping you.” 

She slams her tray down on the table, anger once again bubbling to the surface. Ino opens his mouth to prevent another outburst, when—

“ First years ! Time to spar!” Gojo bellows from across the cafeteria. 

You smirk at her closeness, standing and taking your leave. 

“I’m going to fucking kill her.” Kaede snarls at your retreating figure. 

Ino nervously laughs, “Maybe don’t get too heated from her. It just eggs her on even more. She’s cooler than you think.” 

“I seriously doubt that.” Kaede dumps her trash away and leaves. 

I don’t get girls , Ino thinks while following closely behind. 

-

“Causing trouble again?” Gojo speaks ahead of you. 

You continue walking, unaware that he had even spoken. 

He turns, furrowing a brow, causing you to look up at him. 

“Why are you looking at me like that?” You shoot him a look, erupting a chuckle out of him. 

He repeats his words, facing you now. “I asked if you were causing trouble again.” 

“Oh, I forgot— you’re a fucking doofus. I can’t hear you if you’re not facing me . In case you forgot , my hearing is limited to twenty-five percent.” 

He lets out a devilish chuckle, coming to walk next to you so you could hear him better. “My bad.” 

“ My bad ,” You mimicked, “But maybe I was. Why do you care?” 

“I don’t.” He hums, “Just curious when I saw Kaede’s energy flaring like a rocket. I was intrigued.” 

“Yeah,” You snort, “She’s a hoot.” 

He hums at your response, stopping on the track field waiting for Ino and Kaede to catch up. 

“Okay!” He beams, “I’m sure you all know how this works. No usage of your technique, just simple fighting. Who wants to go first?” 

You and Kaede both raise your hands. 

Gojo grins. “Perfect! Have at it, ladies.” 

You turn to smirk at Kaede, who scowls at you. 

You take your stance, popping your joints, “I should let you know now—” You face your head down, tying your hair out of your face. 

“No one calls me a bitch.” 

Kaede launches at you with a growl, causing you to shift out of the way with a chuckle. 

“I can’t watch this.” Ino faces away from you two. 

Gojo grins, “Who do ya think will win?” 

Ino hums, contemplating for a moment. “Well, me and her are pretty evenly matched. I don’t know how Kaede fights, though. But between those two—” He turns back around for a second to watch the banter, “It’s a clan kid versus a street kid.” 

“Sounds like fun.” Gojo crosses his arms. 

You jump at Kaede’s advances to knock you down, coming back around to swing at the sensitive point behind her knees. 

“Damn.” You huff. “You kind of suck for a clan kid. What happened to all that big talk?” 

She spits on the ground, coming back up to bang your head into hers, dizzying you for a moment. 

She smirks at this, finally being able to knock you off of your feet, causing your head to recoil off the ground. 

You breathe in deeply, enhancing your senses. 

Left. 

You dodge her punch, quickly opening your eyes and switching your positions, so now she is pinned beneath you. 

The good news about fighting a clan kid was that they didn’t have Gojo’s secrets. Ergo, they didn’t have to fight blindfolded multiple times while fighting Gojo. 

You laugh, raising your fists to truly unleash your fury. 

Most people aren’t aware of the pressure points that sit directly below your kneecap, and sitting on them not only hurts like a bitch, but you can't move your legs when triggered. 

You wiggled your legs below Kaede’s knees to really get in there. 

Kaede screams, clasping her hands to slice across your cheek— stunning you for a moment. 

“ And we’re done! Kaede, no usage of your cursed technique! You lose!” Gojo shouts from across the field. 

You wipe the blood now dripping toward your mouth, and smirk at the fuming girl, “Sore loser, huh? Go figure.” 

“I hate you.” She curses on the ground beneath you. 

“Yeah.” You stick her hand out of her to take, “I’m not too fond of you either.” 

She stares at your hand, not taking it. 

“I’m not gonna do anything. Just take the fucking hand, dude.” You wave your hand in the air. 

She looks one last time, before finally taking it. 

“You get too heated when you fight. That’s why you lost.” You place your other hand on top of hers, staring directly in her eyes. “You’re crazy talented. But all of that anger you have built up is your weakness.” 

She rips her hand away from you, scoffing, “Whatever.” 

You smirk, “Ino! Come here so I can beat you up!” 

-

Ino sighs, “Another win for me.” 

“Shut the fuck up.” You scoff next to him, walking back to your dorms, “You just had more energy than me today.” 

He leans his head toward you, “Excuses, excuses. But, are you still down for that party tonight?” 

“Yeah.” You look up at him. “When is it?” 

“We still have a couple hours.” He straightens up. “But can you make amends with Kaede, please? I’d really like to convince her to go.” 

You groan dramatically, “I didn’t even do anything, though.” 

Ino gives you a look. 

“Fine.” You look away from him, “Don’t blame me if the granny still doesn’t want to go.” 

He shoots you a wink and watches you walk down toward the girl’s dormitory. 

You knock on the door that has a sign plastered Knock, Please!— and wait for it to swing open. 

It doesn’t, causing you to tap your foot in impatience. 

You knock again, “I know you’re in there! Open the door!” 

You come to knock again, but instead are met with a very annoyed Kaede Kamo. 

You bite your lip to suppress laughter. Don’t be a bitch for once. 

“What is it, deaf girl?” 

You click your tongue. “Can I come in? Promise I won’t bite.” 

She stands for a second, before moving out of the way. 

You walk in, inhaling the scent of lavender and lemon. Her room was relaxing. It was extremely tidy to no surprise, with light decor. 

You observe the room, and plant your eyes on the BABYMETAL poster on her wall. 

“What?” You laugh to yourself. 

She turns to see what you’re talking about, before glaring back at you. “What’s the problem?” 

“No, it’s just—” You laugh again, “I didn’t expect you of all people to be into BABYMETAL.” 

She looks away from you, taking a seat at her desk filled with makeup and skincare. “So? They’re good. I don’t care.” 

“No, they are. I agree.” You smirk, leaning on her bed stand. 

She pauses applying her moisturizer, glancing at you from her mirror. “You like them too?” 

You plop down on her bed. “Uh, yeah. Are you kidding? These headphones come in more use than you’d think.” 

If you weren’t paying attention, you would’ve missed the smallest quirk of her lips. 

“Anywho, I wanted to talk to you.” You lay down on her bed. Damn, this feels better than mine. 

“Okay. Talk.” 

You sigh. “I don’t know if you hold a grudge against me because of what happened today, but if you do, I guess I’m sorry or whatever.” 

You watch her body shake up and down, furrowing your brows at her figure. 

Is she.. laughing? 

“Oh my god!” She places a hand over her mouth. “I can’t believe this. What did I do to earn an apology from you of all people?” 

You scowl at her. “Yeah. Take it for granted, because you won’t get it again. But you should come out with me and Ino. I swear it’ll be fun.” 

She sighs, turning her chair to face you. “In case you didn’t notice, I don’t have the free will to do whatever I want. If we get caught, I won’t just get a scolding from Yaga or whatever.” She turns her chair back around, “I’ll get scolded by my family. Which is ten times worse.” 

You observed her somber tone, contemplating. You did genuinely want her to come out with you. Kaede was fun to rile up, and you wanted to know more about her. So what the hell could you say to convince her to go? 

Plus, you didn’t really have many friends that were girls in your lifetime. You doubt she did either. It would be nice to have a girl best friend. Even if she did hate your guts. 

“Well, I don’t really have any solutions for you. Besides this—” You sit up, gaining her attention. “You could either come out with the risk of being caught, have a good ass time, or stay here. Stay here and go to bed at nine, wondering if you really would’ve had a good time, full of regret.” You hop off the bed, heading toward the door. 

You turn around one last time before exiting. “Choice is up to you. Do what you want. Not what someone else wants.” 

You open the door, watching her lingering eyes as you leave. 

She probably won’t go. But whatever, you tried. 

You pulled out your phone to text Ino, but heard a door open behind you. 

You turn, met with the sight of Kaede once again. 

“When’s the party?” She questions. 

-

If you told yourself a year ago that you would be getting ready for a party with a girl, being girly at that, past you would’ve laughed in your face. 

You observe Kaede plumping her lips, making adjustments to her hair all at once. 

You finish off your makeup, putting in your piercings, putting the hardest part off until last. 

Your hair. 

Let’s just say having headphones around your ears all the time made it a bit difficult to make your hair look nice. 

And it’s not like you could just take them off to at least give it some volume. You could never take them off. 

You sighed in frustration, turning away from the mirror. 

When is Gojo going to find this said solution? 

Kaede glances at you from the side, “What the hell is wrong with you?” 

You scoff, glancing back at her. “My hair. Can’t do shit to it.” 

She smirks, leaning up off the counter. “Turn around.” 

You quirk a brow, observing her coming behind you. “You’re not going to give me some granny hairstyle, are you?” 

She scoffs, dropping your hair. “Do you want help or not?” 

You look away from her, mumbling. “Yes.” 

“Okay. Then shut up.” She picks your hair back up and begins working. 

Surprisingly, she did not give you a granny hair style. 

You actually.. looked good. 

“There.” She ruffles your hair a bit, giving it a few adjustments. “Done. What do you think?” 

You scoff. “Were you a hairdresser in your past life?” 

She walks back toward her side of the mirror. “I’ll take that as you like it.” 

You smirk, picking up your outfit off the counter. It looked good. 

Kaede steps out, allowing you to change and for her to find an outfit of her own. 

You take one last look in the mirror to make any last adjustments. Damn. I look hot. 

You weren’t doing it for anyone in particular. Just for yourself. Because it feels good to go all out. 

The door opens, and you’re met with Kaede— who doesn’t look like she’s going to a party. 

“Absolutely not.” You grab her arm. “You’ve got to have something in here.”

She scoffs at you, dragging her toward her closet. “What’s wrong with what I’m wearing?” 

You turn around, observing her look once again. “Dude. You look like you’re dressed for court ready to fight over child custody.” 

She rolls her eyes, watching you ruffle through her closet. 

Ah. “Here.” You throw a top at her. “This’ll do. Put it on.” 

You turn around, until she clears her throat for you to look again. 

“Damn!” You grab her shoulders. “Now you look like a party girl.” 

She playfully slaps you on the arm, before Ino bursts in the room. 

“Finally! You two look great. Can we go now?” 

You hook an arm around Ino’s. “Yup.” 

“There’s a sign on my door, y’know!” 

-

Now, sneaking out of the school was mainly easy. 

Of course, Gojo could sense your cursed energy leaving. But, luckily— he wasn’t an asshole. So, he didn’t care. As long as you didn’t get into any trouble. 

But Yaga on the other hand.. Had a room that looked directly over the exit of the school. 

You observed Yaga from the window on the outside stroking his beard. Gross. 

You felt the presence of two eyes glaring at you, causing you to turn your head to both sides. 

“What?” 

“Uh— we can’t do anything here. Use your ghosts to distract him.” Ino whispers next to you. 

“You planned this out already, didn’t you?” You turn your head at him. 

He winks, “I never go anywhere without a plan.”

You roll your eyes, concentrating your energy— enough to not make your presence known, but to move your ghosts around a bit. 

You breathe in deeply. “ Rise.” 

It was such a surreal feeling; all of that control. You felt like the commander of your own army, or a pop singer controlling a crowd— knowing whatever you asked, they would do. 

Your eyes dart to the glass vase in the hallway outside of his room. Bingo. A shaky hand raises, causing the vase to levitate. 

“Holy shit.” Kaede whispers. 

Ino snorts, “It never gets old!” 

“Shut up.” You whisper back. You turn your hand, watching the vase follow the direction you command the ghosts to do, before slamming your hand down— causing a shatter. 

Yaga bolts up, turning toward the hallway. 

“ Go!” You whisper, sending the three of you darting past the window, and out of the school.  

You laugh from the adrenaline, feeling the wind rushing past your ears. “Ha! We did it!” 

“Oh my god.” Kaede pants. “I think I’m gonna puke.” 

“Save that for later.” Ino swings an arm around your shoulder. “For now, we have a party to get to.” 

The walk to the party wasn’t too terrible, it was a simple five minute train ride, and a ten minute walk from there. 

The three of you approach the house, feeling the bass of the music vibrate on the street. 

You could feel Kaede’s nerves. 

“Hey.” You hook an arm around hers. “Chill. You’ll be fine.” 

She gulps, nodding her head as you all enter inside. 

“Hey!” Ino shouts over the music, gesturing to what you would assume would be his middle school friend. 

He runs over. “Ino, my man! Glad you could make it.” He turns to look at you and Kaede. “Who’s this?” 

He pats a hand on Kaede’s shoulder, introducing the two of you. 

“Oh, cool. Well, I’m Hiro. Nice to meet you guys.” He points toward the kitchen, “There’s not much left, but you guys can go drink. It’s just that way.” 

“Thanks, Hiro. Nice to meet you.” You say, walking toward the kitchen. 

Ino dangles on top of you from the kitchen counter, observing the liquor. “Hey, let’s do shots!” He shouts. 

You smirk. “Hell yeah.” You pour the glasses, passing one to Ino. 

Kaede observes the glass for her in your hand, hesitating. “I don’t know.” 

“Oh, come on.” Ino says. “At least just do one shot. Get the experience.” 

You throw Ino’s arms off of you, giving her a look. “Remember what I told you earlier. Do what you want, not what someone else wants. It’s up to you.” 

She looks one last time, before grabbing the shot and taking it in one go, erupting laughter from you and Ino. 

“ Damn ! My turn!” You take the shot, with Ino following behind. 

You all laugh at your grimaces from the bitter alcohol, before stepping out to dance. 

-

Drinking felt so good. Life was hard, as always, but with the alcohol making you feel light on your feet, everything just felt so good right now. 

Your body moves to the bass of the music. You couldn’t understand a single lyric, but you felt the vibrations of the song, making it enough for you. 

You look at Ino, who was having just as good of a time, “I’m going to sit down for a sec.” You shout over the music. 

“Okay.” He responds, returning back to his dancing. 

Your eyes watch Kaede sitting alone on the couch. Scoffing, you take a place next to her. 

“Why don’t you come dance?” You ask, watching her turn her head toward you. 

“I dunno. I like the couch right now.” She slurs, causing you to chuckle. 

“Okay. Me too.” You lean back with her, before you feel someone sit next to you. 

Curious, you turn, seeing a man. “Hey, what’s up?” 

“Hey.” You respond dryly. 

“I’m Misao. Friend of Hiro’s. Heard you guys knew Takuma?” He tilts his head. 

“Yeah.” You click your tongue, feeling the dryness of your mouth. “What ‘bout it?” 

“Nothing. Just wondering if you guys wanted to smoke.” He waddles the blunt in your vision, causing you to raise your brows. “I’ll be upstairs with a few other friends if you want to join us.” 

A snort escapes you. “Yeah. I’m coming.” You turn to Kaede. “Hey.” You shake her, watching as she peels her eyes open at you. 

“I’m going upstairs. If you need anything, come find me.” 

She giggles. “Okay. I’m coming.” 

You laugh back, “Okay.” 

You stand up, following Misao up the stairs, toward a bedroom that had about five or six people in it. 

A girl about a year older than you looks at you. “Oh! You’re Ino’s friend, right?” 

You sigh, watching Misao take a hit of the blunt. “ Yes. Yes, I am only Ino’s friend and I have no other identity.” 

A few laugh at the joke, as the blunt gets passed around. When it gets to you, you inhale— savoring the feeling of your heart pounding and your limbs melting. 

You were never someone that was shy around people you didn’t know. You’d talk to anyone that would talk back, just as long as they didn’t piss you off too much. 

After about two rounds of baseball, laughing from stories about Ino’s middle school days, you take one last hit before preparing to head back downstairs. 

You feel a tap on your leg, before turning to see it came from Misao. 

“I’m talking to you.” He snorts, “Why don’t you just take those headphones off?” 

See, this was why you weren’t too fond of hanging around non-sorcerers. You weren’t exactly Geto Suguru when it came down to it, but you just hated being asked the same question. 

And worst of all, you still hadn’t come up with a plausible lie. 

“Because I don’t wanna.” You laugh in his face, causing him to scoff. 

“Okay, but you can’t even hear me with the damn things on. What’s the point of even coming to a party if you’re just walking around with some headphones on?” He peers at you, genuinely curious for answers. 

“Because I have free will. So I do what I want. Maybe your voice is too annoying to register with my brain.” You lean back, hearing laughter around the room. 

“Yeah, okay.” He snorts, leaning down toward you. “Just take them off.” 

You gasp, coming to protect your sanity, before he rips them off. 

Allowing your doorway to open. 

Help me! 

Hello? Can you hear me? 

Mom! Where’s my mom?! 

You gasp, feeling your body shake on the ground. It was as if people were touching you— everywhere. Screaming in your ears, peeling your skin open, you wanted to scream for help. 

But you couldn’t. You couldn’t move from the shock of exposure. 

“What the fuck?” Misao steps back, dropping the headphones. 

Ino walks in laughing with Kaede, before turning pale. 

“ Shit! Get the fuck out! Gun! Someone has a gun!” He rushes over to you, hearing the screams of people rushing out of the house. 

Kaede gasps as someone steps on your headphones, breaking them. “Ino!” 

He turns, worried expression plastered on his face, looking down at the broken headphones. “Oh, fuck. Fuck—” 

Kaede watches him pace around the room, as you twitch uncontrollably on the floor. 

“ Ino!” She shouts. “What the fuck do we do right now?” 

He takes a deep breath, relaxing his body. “Okay. We still have about three minutes before she gets really fucking scary. I got everyone out of the house, but—” his glare turns serious as he looks at Kaede. 

“We need to call Gojo.” 

Kaede’s breath hitches in her throat. “Why can’t we just.. cover her ears?” 

Ino sighs, tilting your body so you don’t choke on any saliva. “Because it doesn’t work like that, unfortunately. And her headphones are broken. So now, we can just hope Gojo gets here in time.” Ino puts the phone up to his ear, listening to the dial tone. 

“Hey. Yes. Mhm. Yeah, you need to come now.” He rubs the crease in his brow. “Okay. Bye.”

“What’d he say?” 

“He’s on a fucking mission in Osaka. It’ll take him a few minutes to get here. Shit!” He stands up, watching you open your eyes. 

“Go!” Ino grabs her arm, as Kaede watches your body slump up unnaturally from the ground. 

The pair run to the opposite side of the second floor, shutting the door behind them. 

Ino pants against the door, “We can’t leave. We don’t know what’ll happen to her if we just leave her here.” 

“So, what?” Kaede whispers back. “We just run and hide until Gojo gets here?” 

“Pretty much. Sometimes she’ll just be paralyzed from the spirit possessing her. But, other times—” He flinches at the sound of glass breaking. 

“She’ll just kill anything in her sight.” 

Kaede widens her eyes in fear as footsteps come closer to the door. She turns, looking for an escape, but there’s no window in the room. 

Who doesn’t have a window in their room?!

Ino braces himself as the door bursts down, knocking him to the ground. 

“Run!” He rasps. 

Kaede looks at your bloody figure, glass pieces poking out of every inch of your body. You were terrifying . Your eyes looked inhuman, as every muscle in your face twitched. 

You screamed, a demonic growl hinted in tune, as you launched at Kaede. 

She screams, dodging your advances, before hurtling toward the bathroom. 

She feels your footsteps follow behind her, as she runs inside the shower in an attempt to trap you. 

It doesn’t work, of course. 

The shower turns on as you accidentally flick the switch, soaking both you and Kaede. 

She grabs the shower head and turns it at you, pointing the water pressure directly in your eyes. 

You roar, grabbing the shower head and throwing it— completely ripping it from the wall, allowing mountains of water to flow in. Kaeda screams as you push her head into the ceramic wall. 

She feels the throb of her skull and blood dripping down her scalp, before Ino shouts. 

“Hey, bitch!” 

You turn, a low growl escaping you before dropping Kaede’s body to the floor. 

Ino curses and runs away as you leave Kaede, chasing after Ino. He makes a sharp turn around the hallway, hearing you crash into the wall and break a few bones in your arm. 

“Shit.” He grimaces, continuing his chase, “Where the fuck is Gojo?” 

You scream once more in frustration, causing the entire house to shake. 

Ino runs into the kitchen, dodging you from across the island. He cringes at your arm, hanging unnaturally, before a knife is thrown in his direction. 

He swipes his head under, chuckling, before you throw your arm— sending several knives in his direction. 

It sends him flying back, pinning him against the wall. He grunts as he feels a knife shoot straight through his arm. 

You slowly approach him, every footstep shaking his body, as he tries to get himself to move. 

“C’mon.” He grunts. “Don’t tell me you’ll be the one to kill me.” 

You grin eerily, before halting. 

Ino throws his head back. “Oh, thank god.” 

“You’re in some big trouble, missy!” Gojo shouts from behind, waiting for your attack. 

You launch at him, before he knocks you unconscious; throwing your body over his shoulder. 

“Everyone okay?” He asks, walking over to pull the knife out of Ino. 

Ino hisses at the sting in his bicep, “Never better.” He snorts, rolling his arm around. “No civilian casualties. Though, Kaede might have passed out upstairs.” 

Gojo hums in response. “Go grab her. I’ll teleport us back.” 

Ino walks toward the stairs, before pausing, “Her headphones broke. So what now?” 

Gojo looks at you over his shoulder. “Don’t worry.” He grins. “I’ve got some tricks up my sleeve.” 

Chapter Text

Oh, fuck. 

Talk about a bad hangover. Your body hurts everywhere. And worst of all, you got possessed. 

Just great. 

You attempt to open your eyes, but flinch at the bright lights. 

“Turn the—”

What the fuck? 

Could you not hear yourself speak? Were you even talking at all? 

What if I’m—

You shoot up with a gasp, observing your surroundings. 

Shoko walks up to you saying something, but for the love of god— you can’t hear. 

You can’t hear anything. 

Did they really remove my eardrums? Oh, god. You’ve messed up before, but the idea of never being able to listen to music again devastated you. 

Ino’s voice. 

Shoko’s hand waving in front of your face interrupts your thoughts. Then, she continues speaking. 

Does she not know I can’t hear her? 

“I can’t fucking hear you!” You shout, watching her flinch. She turns her head to the corner, and you follow— watching Gojo laugh. 

You furrow your brows, before watching the two of them banter. 

Okay, this was irritating you. 

“Hello?! Earth to me! What the fuck is going on?!” You were probably shouting enough for the whole school to hear, but you didn’t care. 

Gojo laughs harder, practically falling out of his chair. 

You watch Shoko rub her forehead, before writing something down on a piece of paper and displaying it to you. 

Gojo blocked your hearing. 

Oh. Well, it was better than having no eardrums. 

“I’d rather have my headphones. I don’t even know if I’m talking right now.” You pout. 

Gojo wipes his tears (under his bandages?), saying something else. 

You flip him off, jumping when you feel someone else touch you. 

Ino.

His face is contorted into worry; wide eyes trace your figure up and down while his hands stay placed on your shoulders. 

It was hilarious. He was speaking to you, of course— and you couldn’t understand a single word. 

You feel your chest rumbling with laughter, watching him smirk and tilt his head at you. 

He turns to Shoko, before turning back to you, and laughing. 

Okay. Now everyone was laughing at you. Which you didn’t find funny. 

I hope to god I get this fixed before Kaede sees me. 

Kaede. Where was she? 

“Hey. Where’s Kaede?” Your loud voice causes Ino to flinch, before he grabs his chin in thought. 

And speaks . 

You give him a glare, before he grabs Shoko’s notepad, giggling. 

He flips it around. Sleeping. 

Okay. So at least you didn’t kill her. 

You look toward Gojo, “Okay. Give me my headphones. I feel like I’m locked in a silent room.” 

Gojo looks away. 

“Hello?” You grab your throat, feeling for the vibrations. “Did you guys hear me?” 

Ino grabs your arm, smiling— as you watch Shoko turn the notebook toward you. 

They were destroyed. 

“What!?” You shout, “Are you serious? I can’t go on like this forever!” 

You watch both of them turn their heads toward the door. Following, you see a very angry Kaede. 

She’s looking directly at you. You watch the movement of her lips with amusement. 

Well, she looked worse for the wear. Then again, so did you. You didn’t need a mirror to know you looked like shit. 

You watch her falter, before bursting into laughter. 

Great. Now she knows. 

“Gojo, if you don’t get this fixed— I will have ghosts haunting you for the rest of your life.” You scowl, watching Kaede fall to her knees. 

Ino places a hand on your shoulder, probably trying to reassure you with some sob story of his own. 

You slap his hand off, “Very aspiring, Ino!” You shoot up, marching toward Gojo. 

He puts his hands in the air, pointing behind you. 

You turn, looking at Ino— who holds up the notebook. 

Gojo has a plan. 

-

This plan of his was interesting. 

After being healed up from Shoko, you all headed to the classroom. 

And now, you’re looking down at what looks to be rotten earplugs. 

Gojo laughs at your grimaced expression from above, sliding a note for you to understand. 

I’ve been researching. These were used against the Inumaki clan. They’re cursed embedded earplugs, so you should be able to hear perfectly clear. Without the interference of ghosts. You’re welcome! ^_^

You crumble up the paper, slowly picking them up. 

Why were you scared? 

Whatever. If anything happened, Gojo was here. 

You just really didn’t like being possessed. 

You place them inside of your ears. 

“—some sleep. And then she was— Oh! Welcome back to the real world.” Kaede smirks next to you. 

You breathe heavily, looking away, waiting for ghosts to come and prickle at your body. 

“Shit.” Ino curses, “Did it not work?” 

“No,” You respond, “I’m just waiting for my demise.” 

Gojo laughs, “I’ll be honest. I didn’t even know if it would work. This was a test!” 

“Oh my god.” You grab your chest, “Your voice is even more annoying now that I can hear it better.” 

“Ha, ha!” Ino slaps you on the shoulder. “She got you good, Gojo.” 

You flinch at his loudness. Everything was so loud now. It made you uncomfortable. 

“Are you guys always this loud?” 

Ino frowns, while Gojo reassures you. “It’ll take some time to get used to. You’ve been wearing those monstrosities for a while now.” 

Great. Now you were behind. 

Maybe you should have Ino scream in your ears until you get used to it. 

“I remember a buddy of mine had to wear hearing aids after a car accident.” 

On second thought, maybe not. 

Gojo claps his hands. “Okay! Time to talk Exchange Event! Who’s excited?” 

The three of you groan. 

“I thought the first years didn’t participate in the event.” Kaede crosses her arms from her desk. 

“ Correct!” Gojo shouts, “But, excluding you three, we only have—” He pauses momentarily, counting to himself, “Three other Tokyo students that can fight at the moment. So, to make it evenly matched, you guys are doing it this year.” 

“Great.” You reply, mimicking Kaede’s position. 

“Oh, c’mon! It’ll be fun, you guys. Plus, we’ll win. And this is a chance to get promotions.” 

Kaede beams up at this. 

“Is that Zen’in bastard going to be there?” You snarl. 

That Zen’in bastard means Naoya. Despite your demeanor, it was really difficult for you to hate anybody. But you truly, from the depths of your soul, hated him. 

“He’s a third year student, so yes. Any other questions?” 

Ino raises his hand. 

“None? Great! Let’s go to the meeting, party people!” Gojo snaps his fingers and walks out the door. 

Is he really twenty four? 

“What the hell, man!” Ino throws his hands in the air, standing from his desk. 

You snort, standing with him. “You should know that raising your hand does nothing for Gojo.”

“Yeah, whatever. I just can’t wait to watch you beat the shit out of Naoya.”

You smirk with him. 

“Who the hell is Naoya?” Kaede questions, following you both out the door. 

You share a puzzled look with Ino, before looking back at her. 

“You’re telling me, that you— a Kamo, don't know the Zen’in clan’s golden boy?” 

She looks up at you. “I grew up sheltered.” 

Ino and you snicker, wrapping an arm around Kaede. “Oh, this is gonna be good!” 

The three of you walk outside, faced with the crowd of several alumni from the Tokyo school as well as other spectators. 

“Oh my gosh!” Ino whispers, yanking you aside. 

“What?” You shout, annoyed at his demeanor. 

“Look.” He points at a blonde man, dressed in a suit. “Nanami freaking Kento! He’s here!” 

You observe the man unamusingly. “And?” 

Ino steps back. “And? He’s like— the coolest sorcerer of all time.” He sighs, watching Nanami from afar. “I’d give anything to work under him.” 

In all honesty, you had no clue who he was talking about. Plus, you couldn’t care less about earning the impression of anyone here. 

You open your mouth to speak your truth, but Ino speaks over you. 

“Oh, god. He’s coming over here. Shut up.” 

You scowl at Ino, turning around. 

“Hello.” The man bows, “My name is Nanami Kento. It’s wonderful to meet you.” 

You watch the man bowing, before Ino slams your head down, making you bow with him. 

“Nanami. It’s great to meet you. I’m Ino Takuma.” 

“Yes,” He straightens his tie, “I know who all the students are. I just recently came back to sorcery, so I’d like to observe you all in action. If that’s alright.” 

“I don’t care.” You respond, “I’m only here because I’m forced to and I like punching people.” 

Nanami sighs, “You must be the one with Ghost Manipulation.” 

What the hell is that supposed to mean? 

“Your technique is very interesting. I look forward to watching you fight.” 

You raise your brows at the compliment. 

“If you’re not staff and students, please return inside and make your seats. The event should be starting soon.” Yaga shouts. 

“Well, I’ll be watching. So good luck.” Nanami takes his leave. 

“Wow. He’s not as boring as I thought.” You say, watching his retreating figure. 

You turn to Ino, who has his jaw dropped. “You just got a compliment from Nanami! Are you crazy!?” 

“She is.” Kaede retorts, coming to stand next to you. 

“And where the hell did you go?” You argue, crossing your arms. 

“Oh. I talked to this girl who has some kind of future technique. She was pretty cool.”

“Some future technique,” Ino mutters, “But it’s no Nanami Kento! Who she—” He points at you, “Just got a compliment from.” 

You roll your eyes, about to argue, before Yaga shouts at the three of you. 

“First years! Get over here!” 

You all run over without a word. 

Yaga sighs, pulling his sunglasses off. “You’re lucky we don’t have enough students to do this without you. But know this. You are all on thin ice!” 

Kaede and Ino shrink, while you quirk your brow.  

“I’m serious! The minute the event is over, you’re all on probation. No missions, classes, nothing. You are to eat and sleep here, nothing else!” 

“Sir, yes sir!” You salute, amused at his punishment. 

Ino coughs into his palm, attempting to hide his laughter, while Kaede looks one step closer to tears. 

Yaga glares at you momentarily, sighing, before walking away. “I’m going to speak with the teachers. Go formulate a plan with your fellow students.” 

“I’m never going back home.” Kaede monotones. 

You laugh into your hand, “Oh my god! That was so funny. He was like a drill sergeant!” 

Ino snickers with you. “Did you see the vein in his neck? I was literally dying trying not to laugh!” 

“Well, look what the cat dragged out.” 

Your laughter immediately ceases, a scowl forming on your face. 

Naoya. 

“Naoya!” You turn. “I was wondering what that smell was.” 

Ino smirks. 

“If it isn’t Where the Wild Things Are, Ed and Lorraine’s newest case, and a Kamo.” 

You pucker your lips, chuckling. “Anyone ever told you how awful your insults are? I mean, c’mon! I’ve got like— at least ten insults other than Kamo for Kaede.” 

“You’re not helping.” Kaede whispers to you. 

“I wasn’t trying to.” You whisper back. 

“Being a Kamo is an insult enough. A disgrace of a clan.” 

“Oh,” You tilt your head, “And being a Zen’in isn’t?” 

“It’s not.” Naoya argues back. “Zen'in are the best, after all.” 

Kaede snorts, causing him to turn to her. 

“What the hell are you laughing about? Daddy didn’t hit you enough at home?” 

You freeze. 

“Excuse me?” You say, testing him, as you approach his figure. 

Kaede attempts to walk to stop you, but Ino stops her. 

“Just watch.” He says. 

“I don’t think I want to.” She cringes, whispering back. 

“I think you heard me.” Naoya grins at your angered expression. 

“No,” You step up to him. “I don’t think I did. So say it again.” 

“Didn’t you almost kill your friends the other day, demon girl?” 

You laugh, “Didn’t daddy forget to tell you what a bastard you are this morning?” 

Naoya drops his smile, “The fuck did you just say to me?” 

You grin. “I think you heard me.” 

Naoya slaps you across the face, alerting the attention of everyone around you. 

You grab your face, raising your hands— as he shoves you backward. 

“Hey!” Ino shouts, running toward you. “Get your fucking hands off of her!” 

You stand, walking back toward Naoya, before a hand is placed on your shoulder. 

“Naoya.” Gojo states. “Always a pleasure. Save the fighting for the actual fight though, will ya?” He grins. “I know you’re sensitive, but use those emotions elsewhere.” 

“Control that wretched bitch student of yours.” Naoya coughs, straightening his uniform. 

“I’m gonna beat your fucking ass!” You shout, attempting to launch at him once more, but Gojo’s grip is tight on your shoulder. 

He turns your body around, leaning down to whisper in your ear. “Ignore him. Save it for later.” 

You look at Gojo, before retreating back to the rest of the students. 

Ino smirks at you. “Don’t worry.” He sighs, “I can already see it now. Naoya crying, pleading for your mercy.” 

You sigh with him, “What a view.” 

“I didn’t need your help, y’know. I’ve been insulted worse than that.” Kaede whispers softly. 

“Oh, like saying you enjoy fine dining at McDonald’s?” You snicker at her annoyed glare. “Kidding. I didn’t do it for you, though. I did it for myself.” 

It was partially true. But you viewed Kaede like a sister, so yeah. It was for her. 

But you would never admit any of this to anyone. 

“Okay. The game has been decided. Today you will be playing Capture the Flag. ” 

You smirk. Hell yeah. 

Yaga continues, “There will be two bases, and your job is to capture the other team’s flag, returning it to your base successfully. There will be curses, of course. Mainly Grade Threes. And one Grade Two.” 

“And please remember,” Utahime pipes in, “That this is simply a friendly competition. Nothing more.” 

Ah. You loved Utahime. She was so pretty. 

You loved all pretty women, honestly. Except for Mei. She was more of a creepy old businessman in the body of an attractive woman. 

“Yes Ma’am!” You shout, earning a grin from Ino. 

Utahime smiles at you, before retreating back. 

“Okay,” Yaga begins, “Head to your bases, and the game will begin soon.” 

-

You don’t know any of your senior’s names. 

They did most of the planning, because Ino sucked at plans, and you didn’t really care. 

Kaede wasn’t really sure what to do. 

For some reason, they told the three of you to be on the defensive side, while they stayed at the base guarding the flag. 

Whatever. You responded. Works for me. 

So here you were, Kaede and Ino on both sides— ready to kick some ass. 

“I’m nervous for some reason.” Kaede pipes up. 

You glance down at her. “Don’t be. Me and Ino are right here.” 

“I don’t need your help!” She shouts, and jumps at the sound of a whistle going off. 

“Again, not helping you!” You shout over your running. “It’s just teamwork, dude!” 

She scoffs, running off to the left, while Ino takes the right, and you run straight down the middle. 

You exorcize a few curses along the way, until you start floating. 

What the hell? 

A laugh interrupts your thoughts. “You must be demon girl.” 

Lord, give me strength. 

You scoff. Must be some kind of gravity technique. Easy enough. 

“Rise.” You command, adjusting to the power coursing through your veins. 

“Y’know, you should ask Utahime to help you all with insults,” You pause for a brief moment, “—because good lord! They suck!” 

The boy scoffs at you from below, while you make your move. 

“Down.” Your body falls to the ground, as you launch at your opponent. 

He attempts to dodge you, but you pull him back in from your ghosts, slamming your head into his own. 

He winces, pulling back, before your body tilts sideways— speeding toward the left. 

Shit! “Right!” You shout, sending your body back toward the right. 

He attempts to send you back in the opposite direction, but you stop him. 

This guy is pissing me off. 

You command your ghosts to push him into the tall tree behind him, stunning him for a moment. 

You don’t waste a second. 

You rush over, punching him repeatedly— all while using the extra boosts from your ghosts. 

You cackle, until he raises his hands in defeat. 

Unnamed Kyoto Second Year: Retired. 

“Gojo, where ever did you find such a violent child?” Mei snickers. 

“Oh, just wandering on the streets.” He responds gleefully. “Isn’t she a hoot?” 

Mei flicks her braid, “That she is. Maybe I should take more walks around the streets.” 

Gojo hums, ending the conversation there. 

He turns, watching Nanami become ever so slightly more invested in the fight. 

Gojo grins. 

I’m almost there. 

You could see the base in your line of vision. Probably still fifty or so feet away, but no matter what— you would win. 

You hear the sound of a grunt, and stop running. 

Ino! 

You rush over, seeing his bloodied figure against the tree, before you’re knocked to the ground. 

“You are all so weak.” Naoya curses from above. 

Oh, I’m gonna beat his ass. 

You look up at Ino, who grins— sending you a message. 

Do it. 

See, you and Ino had few similarities in your techniques. But, you’ve done quite a bit of experimenting to learn which ways could your techniques work best together. 

You prepare to move as you watch Ino pull down his beanie. 

Naoya laughs, “Do you really think your technique stands a chance against mine?” 

“Nope.” He grins, still slumped against the tree. 

“Kaichi!” 

You watch the beast form into air, as you move yourself off the ground, kicking Naoya in the face in the process. 

Naoya’s speed was challenging to you. Which is why you loved fighting him so much. 

You follow his quick punches, moving your fists across your face to block. 

I just need to get him close enough. 

Your body moves backwards from the force, as Naoya relentlessly pushes you closer and closer toward the tree. 

Boom. 

You swipe your leg underneath his own, and he swiftly dodges it.

“Ha!” He laughs, coming to hit you once more. 

You had to be perfect with the timing. Otherwise, this wouldn’t work. 

Everything moves in slow motion as you watch Naoya’s energy move throughout his body. 

“Now, Ino!” 

Naoya moves his eyes toward the slumped boy against the tree, which means it’s your move. 

“Rise!” You command, and waste no time using all of your force to pin him up against the tree. 

The perfect attack for Kaichi. 

Your hands tremble as you watch Naoya struggle against the force, causing you to cackle. 

Ino summons Kaichi through his fist, shooting straight through Naoya’s collarbone. 

Now, you couldn’t injure another student to the point of death. But, the collarbone hurt, and would most definitely leave him injured enough not to fight anymore. 

Naoya lets out a scream, groaning and grabbing where Ino hits. 

You grin at the injured man, walking over. 

“Hopefully, daddy watched your performance today!” You yell, and earn a glare from Naoya. 

You snicker, before running your kneecap straight through his nose— hearing a crack. 

“Bitch boy.” You curse, spitting in his face, before walking to go help Ino. 

“Ouch!” Ino exclaims, “Your forearms, dude.”

You follow his line of vision, seeing bruises battered along your arms from Naoya’s punches. 

“So?” You continue walking, and reach down to help him up. 

He grins from below, “Wouldn’t it hurt if someone just—” He reaches up to slap right where your bruises are. 

You hiss, retracting your arms back. “Bitch! I’m not helping you anymore.” 

“Wait!” He laughs, “Please. I’m sorry. But my butt hurts, and I want to get up.” 

You turn, smiling at Ino before pulling him off the ground. 

“Let’s go get that damn flag.” 

-

“Congratulations, Tokyo!” Gojo cheers, walking out of the building with everyone else following behind. 

The win was easy after Naoya was knocked out. Kyoto thought it would be a wise idea to leave their weakest fighters at the base, while sending everyone else to capture Tokyo’s flag. 

It was an awful idea. But at least you got to take down a few more people. 

Kaede had come across two other Kyoto students, one giving her a bit of a hard time. 

You snicker looking at a very angry, bruised Kaede. 

“I already knew we would win,” You brush your hair over your shoulder. “It was easy.” 

“Yeah,” Ino mimics you. “Easy.” 

“I don’t know what either of you are talking about. Do you see me!” Kaede exclaims, gesturing for you two to look over her bloodied body, “I was fighting an invisible guy for over an hour!” 

“But you still won.” Ino retorts, earning a scowl from the angry teen. 

Gojo walks over to the three of you, pulling you aside. 

“Someone would like to speak to all of you.” He turns to the man walking behind him toward you. “Everyone, meet Nanamin!” 

You furrow your brows, Ino gasps, and Kaede just stands there. 

“We already met him earlier. What about it?” You ask, crossing your arms. 

“Please do not call me that Gojo.” Nanami practically growls, taking off his glasses. “I would like to speak to all of you, if that would be okay.” 

“I don’t have anywhere else to be, so.” You respond curtly, earning a wack from Ino. 

Gojo lets out a giggle, before explaining, “Nanamin was recently assigned to an investigation.” 

“Yes,” Nanami takes over, “I know you are all currently suspended for a month, but—”

“A month?!” The three of you exclaim. 

Nanami sighs. “Yes. A month. As I was saying, that would be fine. But I would like the three of you to intern under me during this investigation.” He pulls out a piece of paper, unfolding it. 

“I took notes today on each Tokyo student. Who would be most ready to take on a professional sorcerer mission, and I was advised to choose students to intern under me.” 

You could feel Ino exploding. 

“And despite you all being first years,” Nanami pauses to turn and look at your seniors, “I was most intrigued by you three. I’ll have to catch you up after your suspension, and you’ll still have to keep up with your schoolwork, but—”

“Yes! Oh my gosh, yes!” Ino boars, jumping up and down like a little schoolgirl. 

You snort, watching Nanami’s stoic expression. 

“Okay. That’s one. What about you two?” 

“Yeah.” You smile. “Sounds like a blast. But won’t the investigation be practically over by the time we can get involved?” 

“I doubt it.” Nanami places his glasses back over his eyes. “You’ll see why when you are all out of suspension.” 

“Kamo?” Nanami questions, looking at the quiet girl. 

Kaede thinks for a moment, before answering, “It’s Kaede. But okay.” 

“Then it’s settled.” Nanami passes the paper to Gojo. “You can look over my notes and reflect in the meantime. I will see you all in a month.” Nanami turns, leaving to approach a female sorcerer. 

Ino snatches the paper out of Gojo’s hands, immediately reading through it. 

“Ha!” He drags his finger along the lettering, “He said he wasn’t even sure what our senior’s techniques were!” 

“I don’t either, so.” You respond, peeking over to read. 

The technique Ghost Manipulation requires extreme control, and skill, which I believe this student fulfills all the needs of her technique. She understands the importance of teamwork, but could use some work on professionalism. 

“Professionalism my ass!” You pout, “Who cares about that?!” 

Ino gapes, turning toward you, “Do you seriously not take any compliments or what?! He complimented you again!” 

You roll your eyes, watching Kaede wince at her notes. 

“Could use some more control? Seriously?” She backs away from the paper. 

“You got a compliment too! Like, come on guys. If anything, criticism from Nanami is a compliment in itself!” Ino exclaimed. 

“He’s not wrong though, Kaede.” You smirk at the girl. 

“See?” Gojo interrupts, snatching the paper out of Ino’s grasp, “Aren’t you glad you came today now?” 

“I’m still suspended, so I really don’t care.” You pout, looking away from your teacher. 

“Yeah.” He snickers, “Nothing I can do about that. You guys only got a lighter punishment because Nanami needed to choose someone from the Tokyo school.” 

“That’s considered a lighter punishment?” Kaede questions. 

“In fact it is.” Gojo hums, “It was supposed to be four months.” 

You all cringe. 

“But!” He claps his hands, “Go see Shoko, and shower. Because you all stink!” He snickers, walking off. 

Kaede discreetly sniffs herself, before grimacing. 

“Wait,” You turn to Ino, “What did yours say?” 

Ino smirks with pride, “That I’m wildly impressive, and extremely talented!” 

You and Kaede give him a look. 

Ino sighs, “That I could use work on professionalism and discretion.” 

You laugh, “He’s right!”

“Whatever. Let’s go see Shoko.” Ino pouts, as you all follow him inside the building. 

You were kind of excited to work under Nanami. I mean, a professional sorcerer investigation?! 

You couldn’t wait. 

-

What you were unaware of, was that during the time of this investigation, one of the three of you would die. 

Chapter Text

One month was dreadful. 

You don’t think you’ve ever thought about killing people more in your life. 

Specifically, Ino and Kaede. 

Ino had a tendency to be really annoying when he was bored, and Kaede acted like she was being held captive in an interrogation room. 

“Ino.” You warn. 

He clicks his tongue for the upteenth time, “What?” 

“If you don’t stop clicking your fucking tongue.” You growl, turning to the confused boy. 

“Really?” Kaede stands, looking accusatory at you. 

“What the hell are you looking at?” You yell, angered by her expression. 

“Do you have any idea how loud you’re breathing right now?” She crosses her arms, huffing, “Well I’ll tell you. Loud. You sound like a kid with asthma.” 

You glare at her for a beat, contemplating— before you all burst into laughter. 

“Kaede,” You clutch your stomach, “I’ve gotta stop hanging around you so much. I’m starting to rub off on you.” 

“No.” She sits back down triumphantly, “I’m just better at insulting than you think.” 

“Yeah, okay.” You shuffle through Uno cards, ready to play your twelfth round, before Yaga busts in. 

“Kaede.” The three of you turn, “Can I speak with you for a moment?” 

Kaede turns to the both of you, but you and Ino just shrug. “It’s probably nothing.” You say, placing the cards in your lap. 

“Yeah.” She nods, standing to leave and enter the hallway. 

“I feel like you’re cheating.” Ino smirks, leaning an arm around the matted couch. 

You shuffle through the cards, smirking back at him, “And why would you think that?”

“Oh, I dunno—” He leans his head back, “Maybe because you’ve won every round and shuffled through the cards every time.” 

You giggle, “No. It’s because I’m good.” You feel the cards run through your fingertips as you shuffle them once more. 

“Hey.” He says, causing you to pause and look up at him. “How are the ear things going?” 

“Honestly, I forget they’re even there.” You sigh, “I’ll always miss my headphones though. They rocked.” 

He laughs, “How? You looked like a dork, and half the time I had to translate words back to you.” 

“I looked like a dork?” Your eyes trail up and down his body. “Yeah. Okay.” 

He recoils, raising his eyebrows, “What the hell does that mean?” 

You brush your hair out of your face, “Well—”

“Kaede?” Ino looks away from you. You follow, seeing the clearly distraught girl. 

“What happened?” You question, watching the girl recklessly gather her things. 

A shaky sigh escapes her, “I have to go back home. Yaga said they wanted to see me.” 

You stand off the couch, “No you don’t.” 

She laughs, pausing to look up at you. “No? Do you even hear yourself right now? Yeah, you’re right.” You listen to her tone become more hostile, “Let me just— ignore my family. Then everything will go away. Why didn’t I think of that?” 

“Yeah, actually.” Your voice becomes louder, “That’s exactly what you do. You don’t owe those fucks anything.” 

“Oh my god!” She laughs, throwing her bag on the ground in the process, “Look. I don’t know what impression you have on any of the clans, but they don’t just get ignored. I fucked up, and now I face the repercussions for it. I told you, so I don’t know why you’re all shocked about it right now.” 

“No, I remember.” You reply nonchalantly, “You still don’t have to do it. If you went there, and came back hurt, I would literally go and kill every single Kamo in existence.” 

She drops her bag again, pausing for a moment. 

“You know what? I get it.” She walks closer to you, “You probably were some rebellious little child that got her phone taken away by her parents when she was a kid. Well guess what? That’s not my life. So get out of this little wonderland of yours that I can just simply ignore my family.” She scoffs, turning back around. 

“Are you serious?” You scoff, approaching her retreating figure, “You have no idea what my life was like. In case you didn’t notice Kaede, no one here had a happy little childhood. Except for Ino, ‘cause he’s weird.” You glance over an Ino, who gives you a look. “So get off this high horse, and just listen to me.” 

“No!” She shouts, finally turning around, “Just leave me alone! You can’t do anything. I went out, broke the rules, and now I’m being punished. And sure, maybe we would’ve been fine if you didn’t become a freaking demon, but that doesn’t matter now, does it?” 

“No. It doesn’t.” You fold your arms over your chest, “But despite my whole demon incident, you had a good time, didn’t you?” 

She looks away, not answering. 

“Exactly. You should be able to be a kid. So,” You walk away from her, “I’m fixing this now.” 

“Can you just stop?” Kaede pleads, attempting to stop you. 

You turn to face her, “No. I’m going to prove you wrong. That you can ignore your family. Just give me an hour, and if it doesn’t work— then laugh in my face or something.” 

She scowls at you, “One hour. But it won’t work.” 

“Watch me.” You say, exiting the room. 

Kaede groans, turning to a very amused Ino, “Why didn’t you say anything?” 

He throws his hands in the air, “I’ve learned to not get involved when girls fight. It only ends badly for me.” 

“Ugh.” She whines, plopping back down on the couch. 

If there’s anything that you hate, it’s being wrong. 

Which is why most of the time, you weren’t. You always found hidden loopholes, or unknown information that automatically made you win an argument. 

Kaede was wrong. And luckily for you, you already had the perfect solution. 

You grin, entering Gojo’s office. 

You groan seeing an empty chair. 

Great. Now you had to go on a manhunt to find the freak. 

“What do you want?” Gojo’s voice from behind causes you to jump. 

You turn, seeing the man chewing on a bag of chips, and drag him to his chair. 

“Hey! I just got these!” He whines, before plopping down on his desk. 

“I need you to do something.” You state, sitting down in the chair across from him. 

“Yeah?” He throws another chip in his mouth, “And what’s that?” 

“I need you to talk to the Kamo Clan and tell them to leave Kaede alone.” 

He laughs, throwing his head back before answering, “Okay.” 

“Really?” 

“No.” 

You whine, throwing your palms over your eyes, “Why not?” 

He snickers, before leaning on his desk. “Clans don’t work that way, kid. There’s only so much I can do. I’d have to elaborate more than just stating leave Kaede alone, y’know?” 

“But like,” You glance away for a moment, “You kinda can. You sorta did that with me.” 

“You were not a clan kid. The higher ups wanted to kill you.” 

“Okay, and?” You tilt your head, “The higher ups are the clans.” 

He sighs, throwing another chip in his mouth. “You’re not gonna let this go, are you?” 

“Nope.” You pop your lips, “I’m proving someone wrong.” 

“This doesn’t have anything to do with Akane, does it?” 

You flinch at the name. 

“No. And what about—”

“Megumi wasn’t in the Zen’in when I found him.”

You sigh, leaning back in the chair— counting the dots that splatter across the ceiling. 

Kaede wasn’t too far off when she stated you were a rebellious child. 

If rebellious meant collecting bounties on the black market, then sure. 

Which is kind of ironic, considering you grew up in a religious family. 

Your whole identity was pure irony, honestly. 

You were an only child, and the only sorcerer in your family. So, when you started hearing voices and seeing monsters at the ripe age of four, your parents told you to pray. 

Praying doesn’t do much for spirits and curses, you learned. 

Your first possession happened when you were seven. It was the middle of the night, and you were on your fourth night of no sleep— when a ghost finally realized that your body was more than just warm flesh. 

You woke up on the street after that. No idea where you were, where your parents were, nothing. 

Hearing those damn voices again. 

You stood up, and observed a convenience store. Some music sounded nice to you. 

You flinched at the sound of glass shattering, a pair of headphones launching into your arms— the force knocking you off of your feet. 

What the hell? 

You hesitantly placed the headphones on, when it was finally quiet. 

Then you had to run from the police and a very angry gas station clerk, but that’s not really important. 

Imagine your surprise when you finally made it back to your house, with your family, to find it empty. 

They left me. 

Your parents already weren’t quite fond of you, and you knew that. You were disobedient, the opposite of what they wanted in a child. Seems like possession finally did it for them. 

You should be upset. You should be crying, ready to give it all up, but you weren’t. You felt nothing. 

You walked away, looking to see what you could do next. 

The two years on your own after that were the happiest years of your life. No parents to worry about, no certain agenda you had to follow— just you. 

You had to learn how to use your technique. Because the convenience store was not the only incident that occurred. 

So, after a mumbled Google search in your local library, you learned just exactly what was wrong with you. 

You weren’t the only one who could see monsters. 

Several clicks later, and a few additional searches— you found it. 

The sorcery black market. 

You could kill these monsters, and make money off it. 

There were even bounties for people on it. 

Riko Amanai, it read— a young girl, and the bounty was insane. 

Could you really kill people? 

A few bounties later, you learned you could kill people. You refused to kill women and children, just greedy old men that deserved to never see the light of day again. 

Your technique was awesome. Despite having to wear cheap old headphones to function properly, once you got the hang of things— you felt unstoppable. 

Best of all, it was impossible to trace any killing back to you. You carried around a bag of sewing needles, and one of those zipped straight through the heart— dead. 

And once you got your earnings, it felt like the best high you had ever been on. It was addictive, scrolling through and reading about some old accountant that had pissed some politician off, and now they were wanted dead. 

Until you weren’t on your own anymore. 

Aiko Suzuki, it read— Wanted dead: 1.4 Million Yen. 

Fuck yes. You slammed the laptop closed, watching the said man drink and laugh with what looked to be his coworkers. 

You opened your bag, preparing to zip the needle straight through his chest. 

“Rise.” You whispered, feeling your heartbeat rise— adrenaline roaring through your veins. 

You moved the needle around with your hand, going to take one last look at the man in the building below you. 

Bingo. An opening, just go straight through the—

What the? 

A girl, probably around your age— snooping through the window. 

With that same bounty opened on her phone. 

Oh, hell no. 

“Hey!” You whispered as loudly as possible, watching her continue scrolling. 

You picked up an empty styrofoam cup, launching it at her head. 

It lands with a bonk, causing her to flinch and look up at you. 

You smile and wave, “That’s my kill.” 

She sends you a scowl, before running toward you— and climbing up the building you were perched on with ease. 

Your eyes widened, slowly backing away— It was what, twenty feet? And this girl was just running up the building like it was nothing? 

She makes it to the top, tackling you to the ground. 

“Hey!” You fought her as she tried to pin you down, “Dude! What the hell are you doing?” 

“This is my kill.” She growls, pinning your arms behind you, “Not yours.” 

You breathe heavily, watching the rage fume in her eyes, “Okay.” You pant, “I think we got off on the wrong page here.” 

She slams your arms back down on the concrete, “No. I don’t think we did. I’m making my intentions clear. So go away.” 

“Ow!” You yelp, feeling the scrape of your skin, “Okay, okay! Listen. I haven’t eaten all day today, so what do you say we split this, and get some nice wagyu beef? Hmm?” You plead with the girl, attempting to move your arms. 

She stares at you for a moment, before turning her focus onto your bag of needles, “Why do you have a bag of needles?” 

You smirk, “Wanna see something cool?” 

And that was how you met Akane. 

You learned about her technique, something along the lines of slowing down time and making her body lighter. 

It didn’t make sense to you, but if she could run up buildings, cool. 

She made fun of your headphones, obviously. At least she thought your technique was cool. 

You asked her if she wanted to work with you. It would be nice to get the extra help, but also..

You felt lonely. 

She hesitated at first, but you were damn good at making an argument. 

Both of you being orphans may or may not have been brought up. 

So now, at the age of twelve, you and Akane were an unmatched duo. 

You started taking on more advanced bounties, ones that were worth tens of millions. 

You were probably the richest child in the world. 

You scrolled on your familiar laptop, you and Akane hiding out in an abandoned building— looking for your newest kill. 

“Holy shit.” You exclaim, clicking on the newest bounty. 

Naobito Zen’in, it read— Wanted dead: 500 Million Yen. 

You couldn’t even count to 500 million. 

Akane peeps over your shoulder, before snatching the laptop from you. “Do you know who this is?” 

“No.” You look up at the curious girl, “What, some famous celebrity?” 

“No.” She looks down at you, “The Zen’in clan. One of the big three clans in sorcery? Do you have any idea what big of a deal this is?” 

You yawn, “No. Must be something considering what a big buck it is.” 

She grimaces, placing the laptop back down in your lap. “I don’t think we should do this one.” 

You shoot her a puzzled look. Akane was always wanting to do something risky. That’s what made working with her so fun. “Why not? We’d probably never have to do any of these again if we got the kill.” 

You watch her energy flicker with anxiety, her teeth gnawing at her lips, “I’d rather commit murders for the rest of my life than risk getting caught by the Zen’in.” 

“Well that’s a statement.” You roll over, “C’mon ‘Kane, you know either you or I could always get us out if we were in any danger. We should at least try.” 

You wish you would’ve listened to her. 

Both of you made your way to some building north of Kyoto, and you had never seen so many security guards in your life. 

Akane runs back up to you, “I scaled it out. He’s by himself. There’s just a ton of his guards here.” 

“See,” You look over at the girl with a smirk, “It’ll be easy. I’ll distract them with my ghosts, and you sneak in. I’ll follow behind.” 

She looks at you one last time, a last minute plea— We can still back out of this. 

You look at her back. It’s fine. We got this. 

She nods at you, before disappearing into the trees. 

You summon your ghosts easily, slamming two bodyguards into each other— watching Akane slowly trickle behind each move you make. 

You listened to the whistle of your needle slicing through chests, trying to sense Akane’s energy. 

Where the hell did this girl go? 

You move faster, until the outside of the building is clear, moving in. 

You’re careful to be light on your feet, using your ghosts to almost levitate you off of the ground— it’s enough not to strain and exhaust you, but enough energy to conserve for a fight. 

A trick Akane taught you. 

You sense her cool colored energy, flickering in and out inside of the building. 

Like a light switch, and someone was turning it on and off. 

You kill a few more guards as you enter inside the building, trying to reunite with Akane before moving further. 

“Hey.” A voice behind you echoed, causing you to jump. 

You turn. Akane. “Geez, dude. You scared the shit out of me. Where’d you go?” 

“Sorry.” She whispers— so light, if you were any farther you would’ve missed it. “I was trying to hide my energy. Still haven’t mastered the skill, though.” 

You snort, “Yeah. Definitely not.” 

“We should—”

Squelch. 

You watch the hand that burst through her chest, grimy filled with blood, both metaphorically and physically— retract from her. 

Slowly. 

She died instantly, her eyes becoming lifeless quicker than you noticed her body filled with a fist. 

Her fragile body collapses to the ground, but you don’t hear it. You hear the sound of a buzzing— maybe from the air equipment, chirping in your ears. The sound of her chest being punctured, the sound of your heart breaking in two, it was—

You release a grunt, feeling your body hit the wall. When did I get pushed? You look up, all of sudden ever so aware of the multiple men with robes surrounding you. 

But you didn’t see that. You saw Akane. 

Waited for her to just get up off the ground, brushing it off with some joke— before killing everyone in her sight, to just get up. Please get up. 

You’re shoved again, watching the blood pool from her body. She’s so small. How does she have that much blood? 

You’re pushed again and again, not even realizing how injured you’re becoming, just hearing those damn words. I don’t think we should do this. 

Someone picks her body off the ground. 

Then, you lose yourself. 

You don’t remember how violently you killed those guards, probably more anguished and gory than you had ever done before. 

Well, when you came back to it— crossing over an abandoned arm and what looked to be an intestine— you left. 

Walking back to that damn building. 

What made it even better, was that Naobito wasn’t even there. The bastard left as soon as Akane retreated from her first scaling. 

When Akane died, you lost any care in the world of being discreet. You wanted everyone to know who you were, wanted everyone to fear you. 

It kinda came to bite you in the ass later. 

Imagine your surprise, munching on some takeout— scrolling for your newest kill, when you see yourself. 

Your name, your face— set at 800 Million fucking Yen. 

Yeah, this wasn’t good. 

I mean, Akane did warn you. Sort of. The clan must be really pissed at you and really rich. 

They spelled your name wrong too. Even better. 

Maybe I could fake my death and get my own bounty. 

No, that wouldn’t work. 

So, you opted to chop your hair off, and wear a mask. 

It honestly worked better than you thought. 

Or so you assumed. 

Back at square one! You thought, perched on top of a building killing your fourth businessman of the week. 

You imagined Akane walking through, intervening on your kill— tackling you to the ground again. 

I don’t think we should do this. 

Akane. You thought, speaking to no one, as if she would appear— her coolness calming the flames of your own. 

You felt bad, because you didn’t cry. Everyone grieves differently. Well, they shouldn’t. Everyone should cry and mourn and become lifeless when they lose someone like Akane. 

But you didn’t. You simply killed, and moved on. Which was unfair. Why didn’t you cry? What did Akane do to the world? Why wasn’t it you? 

You let out a low tsk, coming to prepare yourself to launch in and rip this man to pieces. 

I don’t think we should do this. 

“Do you have any idea how hard it was to find you?” 

You jump, coming to position yourself with your ghosts. 

I wonder if Akane is under my command now. 

You simply stare at the white haired man, waiting to launch an attack. 

He’s.. different though. Your entire body screamed at you to run, but you never ran. 

One thing you knew was that this guy was strong. 

“Seriously!” He laughs, leaning his head back in the process, “For a kid as young as you, you’ve got some head on your shoulders.” He flashes you a smile. 

You scowl at him. “I’ll kill you. Before you even get that damn bounty of mine.” 

He comes to laugh again, a more somber tone behind it, “Oh, my. You think I care about some bounty? I’m more interested in you, sweetheart.” 

You watch his sunglasses perch off his nose, revealing the bluest of blues you’ve ever seen. 

“How do ya feel about wagyu beef?” 

You never said no to wagyu beef, and sometimes— you question if Gojo saw you and Akane all those years ago. 

“Imagine my surprise,” He swallows obnoxiously from across you, “When I found out some kids beat the crap out of the Zen’in guards. I mean—” He scoffs, “Not even my students could accomplish something like that.” 

You stare at him expressionless, watching him continue to chew and swallow on the rich meat. 

“Needless to say,” He messes with his chopsticks in the air, “You’re in some trouble, missy. Like, huge! They even sent me after you. That’s how I know it’s a big deal.” 

“And?” You ponder, coming to finally pick at the sizzling beef, “Does it look like I care?” 

“I mean,” He adds, coming to add another slice to the grill, “Your hair looks different. So that means you’re at least trying not to be found.” 

“How do you feel with your partner gone, though? Any more angry?” 

You freeze, listening to the laughter and chatter of other customers in the restaurant— the sizzle in your ears becoming ever so slightly louder. 

I don’t think we should do this. 

“No.” You deadpan, coming back to focus. 

“No?” He questions, his energy overwhelming your own— filled to the brim with curiosity. “Is that why your killings started getting violent out of nowhere? Akane, huh?” 

You shatter the glass in your hand, erupting silence from partygoers— just the sound of sizzling. 

You stare at the bleeding hand for a moment, brushing off the glass that trickles in your palm, “Don’t say her name.” 

Gojo waves off a concerned waiter, “Yeah? Why not?” 

“What’s your game here, dude? You want something from me? Money?” 

He continues dining, ignoring the stares and whispers filling the room, “ God , money . No, I don’t want your money. I want to give you an offer.” 

You slowly peer at him, watching the sparkle of his eyes observe your every move. 

“Become a sorcerer. You're up for execution, but I can stop it. All you have to do is say yes.” 

And that was that. 

At least Akane didn’t have to meet Gojo. She would’ve hated him. 

You laugh at the thought of Akane snapping at Gojo. 

You peer back at your teacher from across the desk, fiddling with the empty bag of chips. 

“Gojo.” You add, breaking the void of silence. 

“Hm?” He ruffles in his desk drawer, on the search for another bag. 

“How long were you watching me for? When I was a kid? Did you know I liked wagyu beef?” 

He pauses for a brief moment, clean bandages looking up at you. “No. Why? I didn’t know about ya until after you got all scary.” 

“Oh. It’s nothing.” You leaned off of the chair, “But seriously. Go talk to the Kamo’s. Just tell them not to punish Kaede. She wouldn’t even have gone to the party if it wasn’t for me.” You feel yourself rambling, but don’t stop, “Just tell them to give me a punishment instead. I don’t care.” 

Gojo opens his fresh bag, laughing softly at your words, “Fine. I’ll do it. But they won’t punish you, you know. They’re just going to give Kaede a hard time.” 

“Great!” You stand, “That’s enough for me. I’ve won the argument.” 

You leave, heading over to find Kaede. 

Ha. In your face. You smirk at the thought of Kaede beating red from defeat. 

You follow the trace of her energy, back to her room. Scoffing at the sign, your hand comes to swing it open— but she beats you to it. 

“I wi—”

“Look.” She speaks over you, “I’m sorry about what happened when you were a kid. But I’m not Akane. I’m my own person. So please, stop trying to help me so much. 

I don’t think we should do this. 

“What?” You tense, feeling your energy flicker and flare— setting flames to the ground around you. “Where did you hear that name?” 

“Ino told me.” Her voice sounding nothing more than pity, fingertips at your wrists twitching, “I’m sorry for assuming. I shouldn’t have done that. But you won’t be able to find a solution, so please, just give it up.” 

You blink for a moment, seeing the lifeless warm eyes you hadn’t seen outside of dreams. 

You walked off without a word. 

“Hey,” Kaede’s voice fading in and out of your ears, “Where are you going?” 

Ino swings around the corner, eyes becoming wide at your angered energy— overwhelming the room. 

“What—”

You slam his body against the wall, hearing a grunt— mirroring the same one of yours all those years ago, “What the fuck is wrong with you?!” Your voice filled with raw, buried feelings. 

Ino comes to a sensus, probably to reason, but you were just so angry, that same craving you felt for killing coming to the surface. 

Your grip moves his body once more, watching his head recoil above your own, “That’s my life. My fucking life! I trusted you, I—” You felt something wet on your face, when did I start crying? 

You never cried. 

Ino looks at you, tense silence filling the hallway, a look of worry etched on his face. “Hey,” He says, softer than ever before. 

You felt Kaede’s amber energy flicker with irritation, and glance back, “How does it feel?” She says, challenging, coming to approach you, “How does it feel when someone tries to intervene with your life? It doesn’t feel good, does it?” 

Your eyes twitch, blood filling your vision— She was so small, how did she have so much blood? 

“Kaede—” Ino attempts, becoming free from your grip. 

I don’t think we should—

“C’mon!” You shout, fists flying before you can ever process, “Since you think you know so much about my life, why don’t I show you how I made it around on my own?” Your fist burns as it hits her cheekbone, bruising the skin that lays smoothly. 

“Stop!” Ino exclaims, running to pull you off. 

“Launch!” You shout, hearing the sound of wood splintering from the impact. 

Kaede lets out a scream, coming to slice at your cheek over and over and—

I don’t think we should do this. 

You aren’t even aware of the situation anymore, just becoming a puppet— a force controlling the fury of your fists. 

Someone’s shouting, saying something— but you can’t hear. 

You feel the slice coming to pierce at every inch of your body, not being able to stop you. 

You’re being lifted off of her body before you know it, watching the blood trickle off of your body— not feeling anything. 

Then, you fall unconscious. 

-

“Seriously,” Shoko begins, you watch her flick her long hair over her shoulder, cold hands touching all over your body, “Do you all want a longer suspension or something? You girls couldn’t have insulted each other instead?” 

I could have, you thought, but don’t dare speak out loud. 

Gojo snickers from beyond, you follow the overwhelming intensity of his presence, to find him in that same chair, “You get so angry! It’s funny. I’ve never witnessed a real fight between students before.” 

You sense the tacky amberness, and follow, to see Kaede facing away from you, her body doing nothing more than moving up and down from the inhales and exhales. 

“You’re lucky Nanami chose you for that damn internship.” Shoko adds, reminding you of her presence, “Otherwise, I’d probably never see you again.” 

You still can’t find the voice in your throat, past events replaying in your mind over and over. 

“I’m sorry.” 

You jump, and turn to see Ino, sitting on the clinic bed. When did Shoko and Gojo leave? He keeps distance, shame pooling off his lanky figure. 

“‘s fine.” You retort, not in the mood for conflict, “I snapped. It’s my fault.” 

“No, I—” a sigh leaves him, “I was trying to get Kaede to hear you out. I was on your side. But I shouldn’t have shared a story that wasn’t mine.” 

A story that wasn’t mine, a story, as if Akane was nothing more than a dream, those killings, her coolness that you craved so badly, grief that felt almost nonexistent—

“No.” a voice adds beside you, reminding you of Kaede’s presence, those violent punches, “I was mad. It’s literally my fault. Gojo told me what he did, and I don’t have enough gratitude to thank you. So I deserved those punches. You were right.” 

You grin, feeling the numbness wash over you, “Yeah. I was right.” A laugh escapes you, followed by another, “I was right! I completely forgot!” 

Ino and Kaede share a look, before Ino adds laughter with you. 

Kaede snorts, wincing when an injury echoes with pain, “Yes. You were right. I was wrong.” 

As laughter echoed louder than ever in the cold clinic of the school, Akane’s voice quieted in the depths of your soul.