บท 32: Chapter 32

"Will you walk with me?" the man asked cordially. A request instead of a command, not a tone Jiki would have expected with one with so much power. Before Jiki could form a response, Shoko replied in his stead.

"Of course he will, we're just about done talking." She turned to face him, and with her long bangs blocking her face from the man, she mouthed to him in a serious tone, 'Play nice.'

He thought about it. He wanted to refuse the man on sheer impulse. The council of higher-ups was a relic of the far past, and the sheer thought of them brought up another council he would've wished dead. Yet this single man was the one person who had been vocal about his support for Jiki, and that was enough reason to hear the older man out at least.

He nodded at her in acceptance, so she gave a curt bow to the man before walking off. "Don't forget to come for that check-up!" With that parting shot at him, she turned around a corner, leaving him alone with the man.

Jiki turned his attention to him and eyed the stranger once more.

"How can I help you, Goro-san?" he questioned, tone blank and face passive. He could not say why, but just seconds after meeting the man he could tell there was something off about him. He was an expert at reading people, a skill borne from his eyes and experience

His intuition formed from a lifetime of peering underneath the underneath tugged at his senses, in the same way he knew Tobi's whimsicality was a fake.

The man smiled in response once more and started a slow walk past the cherry blossom tree they had begun under. Jiki followed a heartbeat later.

"The weather this time of the year is nice. The ending of autumn and the beginning of winter. It has some significance in the jujutsu world too." The man tilted his head to gesture at Jiki. "It is a time of change, where the old die and where the new rise, where the powerful fall and where new power rises. This is a time to prepare for the death that winter brings, don't you think?"

He had not expected a philosophically minded higher-up in the slightest. The man spoke with an age that didn't match his features. His eyes still squinted as he peered back at Jiki expecting a response.

"All things end, Goro-san. All things change." An answer, yet one that rang as hollow as Jiki wanted it to be, and judging from the empty smile the other man sent him, he could tell he knew it. It was not the answer the man was expecting. He was familiar with this sort of battle, the weapons of nobles and politicians and another battle ground of its own and not one Jiki frequented but like all things, his genius shown through.

The man turned back to look ahead of them, before asking his next question, finally getting to the point of the conversation.

"How confident would you be if you were forced to face Geto Suguru?"

Jiki sent a glance at the man to assess his motives before replying, unfortunately, the man had control of his facial expression to match his. Only instead of leaving his face an empty canvas like Jiki preferred, he shaped it into a mimicry of perpetual amusement. Like he knew a joke no one else knew.

"If I'm unfortunate enough to, I will." His reply was curt. He didn't enjoy the thought of facing his one-time friend. That it was an inverse of his past life with him being the loyal one as opposed to the traitor and future massacre plotter, what a dark twist. It would've been a more amusing scenario if he found his pleasures in morbid humor.

"Yet you've saved his life once. I would think you would reject the notion of facing him as an enemy this time," the man continued, allowing his brow to squeeze in confusion. It was a perfect replication of the emotion 'confusion'.

One that would've escaped his attention If it wasn't so smooth, so finely done. Like a carefully shaped clay mask that was done on the spot. Yet his spinning black tomoe in a pool of red picked up on it with some difficulty, experience deciphered it.

That was what exposed the man as unnatural in the end. What firmed Jiki's already formed bias and paranoia. His sheer perfection.

"Tell me, Jiki-kun. Can you look into the eyes of a man that you once saw as a friend and kill him for the good of the world?" the man questioned.

Jiki thought of a father who strived to push him to be better than he was, a mother who tended to his ails and comforted him the few times when he was weak enough to let it show.

A cousin who loved him with everything he held dear and bequeathed his prized eyes to him.

A girl who saw him simply for what he wished every other person did; a young boy with old eyes who still wished to live like everyone else's.

The blacksmith who crafted his first kunai, the old woman who made sure to pass him dangos every morning with a knowledge of his sweet tooth. The old veteran potter who taught him how to maintain his tools, and showed him how to throw a kunia for the first time.

All of them were dead; their blood staining his hands up to his elbows and marring his soul forevermore. A clan of blood relations that loved and cherished him, wiped out in one night by his hands and that of his accomplice, with the sole living member, a child of barely seven years.

Could he kill Geto? The old man asked. He had done worse for less.

"I saved a Geto that believed in the sanctity of life and the noblesse oblige expected of Sorcerers, in protecting non-sorcerers," he trailed off before continuing. "This is not that Geto."

"Ho, is that why you'll face him then? To protect the non-sorcerers?"

Jiki ignored the question and continued walking beside the man. He would face Geto for a single reason, a selfish one. Aiko. She had no place in the world he sought to build; therefore, he would stop him from creating such a world.

He had lived a life of selflessness and sacrifice already. One where he put the many over the one. The rational thing, the altruistic and selfless thing. He deserved to be selfish, even if it was just this once. Yet his reasons were not one the man needed to know.

Instead of ignoring the man's question, he countered with his own. "What do you think about this, Goro-sama?" This might be the one time he would have to see what was behind one of the enigmatic higher-ups and how they thought.

The man mused for a bit before replying. "He has an admirable goal, you know."

Jiki's eyes drifted to the man once more, and he asked for confirmation. "Geto?"

The man nodded in affirmation, losing some of his false imitations and finally opening his eyes to look far off into the distance before continuing.

"It takes something truly special to try to change the world in your own image. To twist, force, and drag the world screaming into a future only you can see." He trailed off as he seemingly sunk into his memories, before turning brown eyes to face Jiki, continuing his speech. "In the old days, a special grade ranking was not just achieved due to how powerful you were. It was gotten by how you applied that power in the world."

"You approve?" Jiki asked, his attention focused on the man. And like a switch, the fake yet perfect smile blossomed on his face once more. That moment of true self and vulnerability, hidden behind his perpetual mask. But Jiki had seen the crack.

"Not exactly; let's just say I have a similar end goal but a differing method."

Jiki slowed down to consider those words. They were not the thoughts he had expected from one in the council: a gathering of old, decrepit men and women stuck in their ways and refusing to see the world for anything else.

That one of them considered pioneering a change set the man off as a separate entity, something different. It was up to time to show if that was good or bad.

"We've written Satoru off, you know," the man continued, seemingly more interested in continuing the conversation and shifting it from his slip-up.

That reveal was an interesting tidbit of information, one that drew his attention back into the conversation. They were just rounding around the cursed armory, heading closer to the classrooms and training field.

"We do not expect Satoru would have it in him to put an end to this threat. He has failed us once already. We have cause to believe he would falter once more if he was forced to confront his one-time best friend again. Yuki has refused to pick up our calls or answer our summons. That leaves us with you, Jiki. Unlike your cousin, you have proven yourself pragmatic in a way, one that leads to trust... regardless of a few dissenting opinions."

"I see…"

"When the time comes, we hope you'll be the one to lay our poor misguided friend to rest," the man replied before looking down at him and giving him a sickly smile. "And do be careful with the body. If you turn him into a pile of ash, we won't be able to prove his identity, which might further draw attention to your loyalty, of course."

He moved to reply before a voice called out in a yell as they walked past the armory.

"Jiki, where've you been? We've started practice!" Panda shouted and waved at him excitedly. He must've been on the way to supply the rest with the sparring equipment.

The cursed puppet had sparring tools in his hands: a polearm, an axe, and a katana, all dulled or wooden, uncaring or, more likely, unknowing of the heavy conversation he was having.

Ignorant of the war that was shaping up in the background of their more mundane lives, if traveling into the city and exercising curses every five days could be called mundane.

He gave a brief wave of acknowledgment at the panda before turning back to face the elder.

The older man still had that weird smile on his face, with his head tilted to the side and eyes focused on Jiki himself like he was watching the most amusing thing.

"They seem to love you," the man spoke up once more. Jiki gave the man an empty stare to match his, trying to decipher if there was a threat in that statement, before finally giving it up. Perhaps he was letting his bias and feelings cloud his judgment. The man had not done anything... yet.

"If that will be all, Goro-san…" The man thought on his leading question before inclining his head shortly.

He gave out a curt bow before turning on his feet and walking away. Yet he knew the man's eyes remained on him, and as he walked off, the man seemed fit to give out a parting word.

"I've enjoyed watching you grow immensely, Gojo Jiki. You're a curiosity that I've not had my fill of yet. I do hope you do not disappoint."

He could feel those eyes piercing deep into him, scheming and making an attempt to unravel him, how he ticked, and why he did. That was what half the conversation was about, even that one moment of vulnerability the man exposed seemed calculated in hindsight.

He didn't realize how tense he was around the man until he could feel his muscles and nerves relaxing the further he walked away.

And yet he was brought back to those brown eyes… he would never mistake them, especially now that he had seen them once before, eyes that held nothing but desire.

But this time, yellow-slitted eyes that cried of greed were exchanged with dull brown eyes that hid the same sin.

Unfettered and unrestrained desire.

The man had let it slip for only a moment, yet he was familiar enough to recognize it. He knew what followed such avarice.

The man's presence was known to him now, and like every scenario he was forced to face, the cogs and wheels in his head were already moving and looking for an adequate response.

"Who was the creepy man?" Panda questioned the moment he got close enough that the cursed puppet didn't have to shout at him to be heard.

"One of the higher-ups," he replied distractedly. He walked along with the cursed puppet for a moment before realizing how uncouth he was being.

He tapped the giant ball of fur on the sides, and when Panda turned to him, he slipped out a couple of the weapons the cursed puppet was overburdened with and carried them in his own hands.

Panda gave him a fanged grin in response to his aid; there was no true need for thanks, especially not among friends.

…

He swung his wooden sword at an angle that would've taken off Maki's head if it was a real blade. But first of all, he would've had to accomplish the monumental task that was even touching the amber-eyed girl.

She took a smooth step back and dodged the blade, but he was ready for it; he flexed his knees, smoothly transitioning into a lunge before shooting forward blade-first and faster than she could've possibly expected, unguarded and careless as she was.

She deflected the blade with a lazy swing of her staff, and with a smirk plastered on her face, she lashed out with a high kick, one that was too fast to dodge, so he tumbled back, giving away the advantage he had gained in getting inside her staff range.

She spun the wooden implement of torture with an easy grin and sent a feint at his face. One he fell for because he lifted his sword to block it.

A low sweeping strike slammed into his shin and sent him tumbling to the ground in a mess once more. The black fur boot that slammed into his side sent him rolling further away with his head coming to rest plastered to the grassy field.

With his body aching from bruises, he refused to think about how many times he was in this position.

"This is the third time today, Yuta. You're getting better."

Unfortunately for him, Maki must've had some unconfirmed special-grade mind-reading abilities because she read him like an open book and replied to his unvoiced thoughts.

He considered faking unconsciousness, just to escape the embarrassment if nothing else, till she spoke up once more.

"Huh, Panda must've managed to find Jiki. Now we can get some idea about what the hell is going on."

He forced himself to his feet in an attempt to look somewhat presentable to his fellow special grade and classmates.

Panda called out with a wave even this far from them; the cursed puppet's voice rang out, "Maki, Yuta, look at who I found on my way." He pointed his wickedly curved claw at the white-haired teen beside him who managed to look graceful and refined even while carrying the ungainly sparing equipment.

Once again, Yuta was forced to reconcile the difference between the two prominent Gojo's he had come to know, and he had come to the obvious conclusion that one of them was definitely adopted.

Similar finely chiseled features and rumored abilities aside, the two cousins were nothing alike. Where Satoru always had a smile on his face and an upbeat attitude to put an early morning riser to shame, Jiki was detached and indifferent, like he was aside in a way.

If he was being honest with himself, he did not like the easy menace of those black and red eyes and had not found the courage to look him in the eyes yet. They had nothing on the serenity that were his left cousin's electric and soothing blue eyes.

The white-haired teenager's eyes roved over them, categorizing and calculating with a lazy glance. Those half-lidded eyes noted him and discarded him in the next second, looked above him and behind him for a second longer before focusing on Maki and staying on her for another split second longer.

"Emi and Toge?" Jiki asked, voice soft.

"On their way, do you know why everyone is acting weird? The teachers and even the few independent sorcerers that stay around have all been clustered in the hub for hours now." Maki questioned, but he had known the girl enough to realize it wasn't truly a question.

Somehow she knew Jiki had something to do with it and was pressing him for the information.

The white-haired teen remained silent for a while, those judging eyes narrowed the slightest, the only proof he had that the teen was giving the question a thought and weighing it before he spoke.

His eyes relaxed as he came to a decision.

"There's a war coming," Jiki stated succinctly.

"A war?" They all asked simultaneously.

The other teen shrugged uncaring, like he had not just upended their worldview. Yes.

"In broad terms, and in as much as it can be applied in this scenario," Jiki replied to them, his expression perfectly blank, masking his feelings on the matter, yet Yuta could see the glimpse of something in his eyes, something hard and dark.

...

They returned to their spar, and even with the changed atmosphere that came with such dreary news, everyone seemed eager to train harder.

Maki sparred with Panda and a returned Emi at the same time. He had expected it, but she really was the strongest person among them.

Even without unleashing her fur-hilted blade. She had an intensity to her. Her movements were sharp and animal-like, twisting like a snake to dodge Emi's blade while retaliating at the same moment with a swift jab at Emi's midsection.

He still remembered the way she danced around the grade one curse a few days ago. Splitting open skin, meat, and bone like a butcher at work.

Yuuutttaaaaaa

And like a phantom echo at the back of his head, he could hear Rika's voice once more. It seemed the sheer act of allowing his attention to drift called her displeasure. One that could only be softened by gently rubbing the tarnished silver ring. A sign of the love they shared years ago.

With his appeasement done with, he raised his head to watch the continued spar, Emi had bowed out after that particular blow, and Toge had taken her place indecisively.

His purple eyes moved around like he was not sure what exactly he was doing here, which was understandable somewhat, the platinum blonde rarely had a reason to participate in such heavy close combat.

Everyone seemed to be working so hard. All his friends were trying their hardest to get stronger to protect each other and it reverberated in him heavily, forcing him to get to his feet, despite the ache he could feel in his muscles. He could not sit and rest back while everyone was training.

Everyone except for him that is.

His gaze drifted to the side a bit, watching the Gojo heir paint under a shade, meters away from them. He had never seen the other teen join their spars. The most he had seen the white-haired teen do was a slow kata before transitioning into long meditations that lasted till the next class. Perhaps he was not a close-range fighter just like Toge.

He had never seen the boy even lift a sword.

"Do you want to go again?" He heard Maki's voice above him and he looked up to see her sweet stained face peering down at him.

The sight of her clothes hugging her body so tightly due to her sweat made arousal slowly blossom till he heard that voice once more.

Yuuuttttaaaaaaaa.

Shaking off such thoughts and fighting off the heavy blush that was quickly forming on his face, he realized he had been sunk in his thoughts for longer than he thought.

Everyone was exhausted, even Panda was spread out wide on the floor a few meters from him, Toge was gulping down water by the mouthful, and Emi looked passed out.

The only one who seemed ready to continue the sparring was Maki; her stamina was nearly inexhaustible.

"What about him?" He pointed at the white-haired teen who had transitioned from painting to laying under the tree with his eyes closed, seemingly asleep. "I've never seen him join us in sparing."

"You want to spar with Jiki?"

He nodded his affirmation. Even if he was not as close as the other special grade, he still wanted to help him out. Jiki could not avoid close combat forever, even Toge strived to engage in it often.

When he didn't get a response, he turned his head to look at the still awake trio of Panda, Maki, and Toge, giving him a strange look, right before Maki barked out a laughter that had no humor attached to it.

"Spar against Jiki?" She gave him a look before bursting out into laughter once more.

"Come on now Maki, he has not been here for long, he doesn't know," Panda interjected as he walked forward to lay his thick padded palm over Yuta's head, before tilting his head down to face him.

"But to answer your question, Yuta-kun, you do not get to spar against him."

"Why not?" He asked with a confused frown. They were not making much sense.

"Because Jiki does not spar, Yuta. He fights. You're not anywhere close enough to get into the same ring with him."

"Why not, it's just a friendly spar." His confusion was written on his face because Panda sighed and Maki spoke up instead.

"A spar is supposed to give a chance for the two participants to learn and improve their skills." Maki started.

"In this case, there is such a distance that a spar would prove redundant. Usually, Jiki would join in just to help us polish our skills, but he's been focused on refining one of his techniques," Panda continued more gently. "You're talented, Yuta, more talented than most. I'm sure one day you'll get that chance. Sooner than you think too."

"Salmon," Toge added his two cents from the ground, giving him an encouraging look that bolstered him more than the simple words did.

"Yuuuttttaaaaa figgghttttt soooonnnnn."

"Sureeeee," Maki dragged out the word with with a laugh, "till then." She continued and tilted her head down at him, her eyes hidden in the shadows of the glasses she wore.

"You spar with me!" She finished with a smile that was all teeth.

He turned wide eyes to Panda and Toge; the duo gave him a thumbs-up simultaneously before falling and getting hit with sudden unconsciousness. The betrayal.

'Monsters, inhuman monsters the lot of them.'

Those were his last thoughts as Maki grabbed him from the scruff of his jacket, dragging him back into the sparring ring they had created in the grass.

Monsters.

November 28th, 2017. The calm before the storm.