Chương 10: Chapter 10: Back again
Gojo sighed as he carried both Makima and Rika like sacks of potatoes. The mission had come directly from Tengen himself, which already indicated how serious the situation was. Makima was not just any child. According to Tengen, she had been born with a power never seen before—the ability to control others in a much more complex way than the Inumaki clan's Cursed Speech. She didn't need to speak to impose her will. With just a glance, anyone who lacked sufficient strength or willpower would bend to her whims.
"A ticking time bomb, literally," Gojo thought, observing the unconscious girl in his arms. As dangerous as she was, she was incredibly weakened, which could only mean that the explosion of cursed energy in the city had been caused by her. And the most curious part—it seemed to be residual energy.
"Heh, this girl is definitely dangerous," he thought out loud. "If she keeps this up, she'll soon be a problem even for me…" He stopped, smiling to himself. "Maybe I should keep her closer to me."
He tilted his head towards the other girl, Rika, who remained unconscious. He hadn't been told anything about her, but she seemed to be a friend of Makima's… Though he'd never seen someone call a friend their "dog." "They must be really close," he laughed to himself. Rika's cursed energy was considerable, though immature, indicating that either she had never used it before or had only recently awakened her abilities.
Gojo reached the entrance of the estate, where the guards let him pass without much questioning. As soon as he set foot inside, a woman came running toward him as if the world were ending.
"Oh, well," Gojo muttered, about to greet her when he saw how the woman took Makima into her arms and hugged her, thanking the gods for her return. However, her expression changed when she noticed the blood and dirt covering the girl. The woman looked up, glaring at him as if he were the cause of it all.
"Hey, don't look at me, she was like that when I found her," Gojo said, raising his hands in a gesture of innocence. The woman said nothing more and hurried off, leaving Gojo still holding one girl in his arms.
"And now what…" he murmured, looking at Rika. In the end, he let out a long sigh and walked further inside, thinking that, as much as he was the strongest sorcerer, taking care of Zenin children was starting to become a recurring task in his life.
Gojo entered the Zenin estate with Rika still in his arms. The young girl slept deeply, oblivious to the chaos that reigned in the mansion. Everyone present looked at him with a mix of wariness and fear, but, as usual, no one dared to confront him. Satoru always had that effect on others, which he found quite amusing. However, his carefree expression changed when he asked in a relaxed tone:
"Where can I leave Makima's friend?"
A servant pointed toward a nearby room, and Gojo, wasting no time, headed there. He opened the door and gently laid Rika on the bed. The girl looked tired, though not as much as Makima. After making sure she was comfortable, he was about to leave but was interrupted.
Naobito Zenin appeared in the hallway, walking briskly toward him. "Wait, Gojo. Don't leave without receiving your reward for bringing my daughter back."
Gojo shook his head slightly, without stopping. "No, it was a gift from Tengen, Naobito. I just completed a mission. Though, to be honest, you'll probably receive a letter from Tengen soon. He'll likely want you to send Makima to one of the sorcery schools."
Naobito frowned, but before he could respond, Gojo had already disappeared, leaving behind the kind of emptiness only he knew how to create. The Zenin clan leader sighed, tired of the white-haired man's arrogance. Deciding to leave the matter for later, he headed to the bath where his wife, Kaori, was caring for Makima.
Upon entering, he saw Kaori with a somber expression, bathing the still-unconscious Makima. Water dripped gently onto the girl's skin as her mother carefully tried to clean her.
"How is she?" Naobito asked cautiously, approaching.
Kaori didn't respond immediately. She seemed lost in thought, as if processing what was happening to Makima was too painful. Finally, after a few seconds, she spoke softly, her voice almost breaking. "Bad. It looks like she overused her technique somehow. She's weak, her brain is overloaded… She'll need a long time to recover."
Naobito just nodded, taking in what his wife said but without really knowing how to act. The Zenin clan's pride and expectations always blinded him to the emotional needs of his own.
He decided to leave silently, leaving Kaori alone with her daughter. Kaori continued to bathe Makima with motherly care, and though she tried to stay strong, tears began to well up in her eyes.
"Why…?" she murmured through clenched teeth, struggling to maintain her composure. "Why does this have to happen…? Why must my daughter bear so much…?"
The tears finally spilled over, falling silently as she continued caring for her daughter, the pain of a mother who couldn't protect her from the fate awaiting her.
Naoya walked through the city streets, his face twisted in a mix of impatience and frustration. He had been searching relentlessly for days, combing through every corner, every alley, every clue that could lead him to his sister. His desperation was palpable, but his pride wouldn't let him admit it. He never thought he would care so much about someone else, especially his little sister. But Makima… she had something special, something that made him feel connected to her in a way he hadn't experienced with anyone else.
Just as he was about to enter another alley, a sound stopped him in his tracks. His phone vibrated in his pocket. Quickly pulling it out, he saw he had received a message. When he opened it, his eyes widened slightly: it was from his father.
"Your sister has been found. She's home."
Unconsciously, Naoya let out a long sigh of relief. He hadn't realized until that moment just how much the anxiety had affected him. It had been several days since Makima had disappeared, and though he would never admit it, the fear of losing her had been consuming him. For someone like him, who usually viewed everything with disdain, this was a strange sensation.
Makima… that girl was strong, more capable than anyone in the clan could imagine, even more than him in some respects. Though he would never say it aloud, he admired her potential. She had something of him in her—that tenacity, that inner fire that made her unique. But still, her disappearance had driven him crazy.
Wasting no more time, Naoya began to run, pushing his way through the crowded city streets. His heart pounded, but not from fatigue, from the need to make sure Makima was okay. Every step brought him closer to home, and with it, the certainty that his sister was safe.
When he reached the estate, he practically burst through the door, not caring about the bewildered looks from the servants. The only thing on his mind was seeing her, making sure she was back, that she was okay.
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