a/n: BYE IT'S BEEN SO LONG SINCE I UPDATED THIS KJSDNSDKJFHS I AM SO SORRY. Apologies if everyone is even more out of character, I'm a little bit rusty 😩 I'll definitely update more often over the summer so hopefully I'll get better with writing for JJK LMFAOOO

Another thing: there will be original characters in the story (not sure if I mentioned this earlier). Obviously they won't be the main focus, because I'm not that kind of author and I find it annoying in other stories when they are, but using original characters helps me in developing the canon characters properly as well. I apologize in advance if that sort of thing annoys you 💔 I do try my best to make them realistic and not irritatingly Mary-Sue-ish, because that would bother me as well.

You had never been in a public high school before, so this was a new experience. It was deserted and cold, the moonlight an eerie silver color. You weighed the merit of running back to the safety of Gojo's embrace. The tears that threatened to gather in the corners of your eyes meant that there was some value to the action, but your pride would not allow for the cowardice. So you determinedly kept walking, ignoring the heavy cursed energy pressing down on you, choking your lungs until breathing was a chore and it felt like you were wading through syrup.

Whoever this sorcerer was, he was breathtakingly powerful, and you questioned Gojo's judgement at sending you to face him alone. You and your thin silver needles. Their musical clanking in your pocket, muted but noticeable, was the only thing comforting you as you walked. They would probably not do much against a special-grade, but it was still soothing to know you had something with you. It was like — like a security blanket of sorts, but a threadbare one, the type that would do little to warm someone but was nice to cling to anyways.

"Room 313," you said to yourself, allowing yourself a moment of distraction and pulling out your phone. Gojo had forwarded you the email with the PDF containing the mission details; you had been surprised to find out that the higher ups used emails to communicate, but it made sense enough when you thought more about it.

The sorcerer and his pet curse were estimated to be located in Room 313, a science classroom. Perhaps they were something of a science experiment gone wrong; you snickered at the thought that a chemical shower could've prevented all of this quite neatly. It was a naive and uninformed take, but as you were nearing the classroom rather rapidly, you preferred to be amused than wetting yourself from fear.

The final few steps were the hardest, and not for the first time, you wished that you were not alone, that you had some companion making this easier. Maki, with her nearly abrasive personality, or Toge's kind smile and calm experience; you would even take Panda, though you barely knew him. The cuddly bear would at least be a solid barrier between you and an enemy, but as it was, Gojo's whole plan was to teach you total self-reliance. Which was well and good, but at the moment, you had barely any skills to rely upon, so this was sort of a silly idea on his part, really.

Even his half-baked plan of you trying to charm the sorcerer was easy to poke holes in — not only were you engaged, it had been an arranged relationship, carefully planned out at dinner tables by your parents and several Kamo clan elders. You and Noritoshi had little to do with it; actually, the only role you had played was accepting the ring he gave you and appearing at parties when told to do so. You had no experience with being charming. Also, you still wore your engagement ring on your left hand. You hoped the sorcerer would not notice it, but you also did not want to take it off. It would feel too much like cheating if you did so.

The door to Room 313 creaked open ominously. You winced — there went any ideas of sneaking up on the sorcerer. If he had not known of your presence beforehand, he certainly did now. Reaching into the pocket of your uniform, you let your fingers curl around the small box of needles you had brought with you.

There was no attack nor sudden blast of energy. The room was silent and still, bar a faint sniffling noise. Aware that you could be walking into a trap but not really having much other choice, you entered the room and looked around.

Clearly, the sorcerer was a master of disguise. You could not make out a trace of him, not in any of the chairs and not at the teacher's desk. Indeed, the room seemed all but deserted, except for that infernal sound, like a child that had lost its mother. Perhaps this was a trick of the curse — it would drive you mad with its strange, pathetic cries and then strike when you were distracted.

This was a little bit infuriating, and your footsteps ceased to be the light, graceful walk you had perfected since childhood. Instead, you were stomping around the room like a petulant toddler, muttering swears under your breath. The fear had been mostly pushed down by anger — though, this might've been the curse's influence as well...you resented the creature and its sorcerer for manipulating you so thoroughly when you could not so much as see them. How unfair!

It appeared as though the room was clear; you were about to call Gojo and then leave when you heard a rustling. You froze, eyes widening as you remembered in a rush that you were facing a special-grade sorcerer and his special-grade curse. You wished you could go back to the irritation, but your earlier fear had made itself prominent again.

You slowly turned to face your foe. It was a boy — briefly, you wondered how you had missed him earlier — pressed against the wall under the window. He was hugging his knees to his chest, and though most of him was nondescript, fading into the shadows, the one thing that stuck out to you was the shade of his irises.

They were a distinctly poisonous blue, the same dark shade as dart frogs from the Amazon, shimmering with crystal tears that fell onto the lavender-tinted shadows under his eyes. Dark lashes brushed against his cheeks as he blinked at you. You blinked back.

"Please don't come any closer," he whispered. Your phone clattered to the floor, Gojo's contact still pulled up, and you did not have the self-possession to do anything but scream. Loudly, shrilly, it was altogether a terrible first impression. The boy reached his hands out as if to silence you, but this only made you scream louder, backing up quickly, unsure of what method he'd take to shut you up.

"You — don't — touch me! Don't touch me!" you said, gasping for air and pointing at him accusingly. He wilted, shoulders sagging. You did not falter. You would not fall for one of his tricks.

"I wasn't going to," he muttered miserably, "Or else she'd kill you."

"Well, all the more reason for you to stay away! What are you doing, creepily appearing like that? Are you the sorcerer? Are you the one who hurt all of those people?" you snapped. He covered his ears at the barrage of questions; you scowled firmly. He was piteous, but you did not dare let this sway you.

"I've been here the entire time. You just didn't notice, and I didn't want to call attention to myself in case she noticed," he said finally, quietly, "And I don't know what a sorcerer is. Rika hurt those people. Rika always does. She's trying to protect me."

"Is Rika the sorcerer, then?" you said, "Odd name for a high school boy. Wait! Are you a high school boy?"

"Yes," he said, "Rika's not a high school boy, though. She's a girl. Or she used to be, at any rate."

"Used to be," you said, your racing heart calming, the adrenaline fading as the boy proved himself to at least be a willing conversationalist. He had not tried to attack you yet, so as long as you kept your guard up, talking to him could prove productive. "So she's the curse, then."

"I guess so," he said, nodding his head towards the closet door, "She's in there, probably. If you want an interview or something."

"No, thanks," you said, wrinkling your nose at the blood trickling down the floor, "I'm assuming she attacked someone and they're in there? No matter, we have people at the school that will take care of them soon enough. They'll live. Probably."

"That's good," he said. He seemed genuinely cheered up by this, which you found odd.

"Can you put her away or something? All of her cursed energy is uncomfortable," you said. The boy shrugged.

"I wish I could, but she doesn't ever listen to me. She'll probably leave soon," he said.

"Okay," you said, "I guess I'll just wait here with you until she does."

"Why?" he said. You sighed heavily, sitting down across from him — a safe distance away, to be sure, but the sitting served to put the both of you at ease.

"I've been tasked with retrieving you, you see. Which will be much easier to do without a special-grade curse floating around, trying to kill me," you said.

"Oh. Alright," he said, "Though it might be a while before she goes."

"Tell her to hurry up," you said, confused that he wasn't questioning you a little more, "If you want her victims to survive, at least."

"I can try," he said, furrowing his brow, "Rika, please go away."

There was a garbled cry from the closet; it grated on both your nerves and your ears, but the boy seemed to understand.

"What's the verdict?" you said, raising your eyebrows.

"I don't know," he said, "Hopefully soon."

"Wonderful," you said under your breath, "Well. I suppose we should at least introduce ourselves. I'm Y/N L/N. You can call me Y/N."

"Yuta Okkotsu," he said, sounding nervous, as if introductions were something he was not practiced in, "Yuta. Just Yuta is fine."

"Nice to meet you, Yuta," you said, politely enough that the lie was believable.

"Nice to meet you, too, Miss Y/N," he said. Your face scrunched.

"Um, I think we're the same age, so please don't call me Miss," you said. He ducked his head.

"Sorry, you just look so formal and official in your uniform. It feels odd to think of you as my peer," he said awkwardly.

"If I'm not mistaken, you're probably leagues more powerful than me," you offered, "So you may think of yourself as above me, if you wish."

"N-no!" he said immediately. "I'm not above anyone!"

"I was just joking, relax," you said, amazed at his vehement disagreement. Before he could respond, there was a crackle of static electricity, and then the cursed energy vanished from the room. You let out a sigh of relief, allowing your body to release the tension coiled in every one of your muscles and then springing to your feet. Yuta seemed surprised at the sudden motion but did not try to follow. You ignored him, retrieving your phone and calling Gojo.

"Hello?" he said.

"Gojo! Useless oaf, you can come up here now," you said.

"You've been hanging out with Maki too much. I can't believe my sweet little Y/N is insulting me now!" he said.

"Sorry," you said, out of habit more than anything, "I didn't mean it."

"I was just joking, relax!" he said, hanging up instantly. You made a sour face at the dark screen, not appreciating your own words being thrown back at you — not that Gojo knew he was doing that.

Once Gojo arrived on the scene, things got done very quickly. The boys that had been attacked by the curse, Rika, were sent to be healed by various Reverse Cursed Technique users, including your family. You wondered what your father would think when he found out that you had been instrumental in rescuing them.

You and Gojo were currently being driven back to the school by Ijichi, who was a sorcerer given the unfortunate task of being something like Gojo's personal assistant. Gojo himself was in the passenger seat, which he had reclined so far back that he was practically lying down. It was impossible to tell with the white bandages covering his eyes, but there was a good chance he was asleep. You were in the backseat, behind Ijichi, and currently on the phone with a worried Noritoshi.

"What was he thinking? You might've been killed!" he said.

"I'm the one who wanted to be a sorcerer," you reminded him, picking at your nails, cleaning microscopic pieces of dirt out from beneath them.

"That doesn't mean you go and fight special-grade curses!"

"It was pretty easy, I just talked with some kid the entire time," you said. Gojo's shoulder's shook with silent laughter, which meant he was awake. This was good, because you had several questions to ask him — once you were done with talking to Noritoshi.

"That's besides the point!"

"Noritoshi, I'm fine. If I were in Kyoto, I'd tell you to come check on me to ensure such a thing, but I'm not, so you'll have to take my word for it. I was with Gojo the entire time, anyways, do you think he would've let me get hurt?" you said.

"Yes?"

"You're not wrong on that count, actually," you said, more towards Gojo than anything. The man in question clutched his heart as if wounded.

"Sorry, I didn't catch that. What did you say?"

"Nothing. Look, I was never in any real danger, and doing stuff like this is part and parcel of sorcery. Your concern is appreciated but misplaced; save it for when — if I ever really get hurt," you said.

"I still don't like it, but as long as you're alright..."

"I am," you affirmed.

"Fine, then. Be safe."

"You, too," you said, hanging up before he could create another reason to worry for you. "Gojo, I have a question."

"What's up?" he said.

"What's going to happen to that kid? Yuta?" you said.

"Aw, are you worried for him?" Gojo teased. You glared at him.

"Hardly. Just curious; don't you think it's natural to wonder how my first mission will turn out? Or at least semi-first mission," you said.

"If the higher ups get their way? Execution. He's too powerful to be kept alive, or so they'll reason. I expect he's been imprisoned at the moment, somewhere where he can't use his cursed technique and where his curse, Rika, can't manifest. Then they'll kill him and the monster in one cowardly fell swoop," he said, all playfulness gone from his tone. It was heavy and sad now, and you looked away, staring at the trees through the window as they blurred past.

"Oh," you said, "Execution. I see."

"Hardly feels fair, does it? He's the same age as you," he said.

"He's a special-grade sorcerer with an equally powerful curse attached to him," you said, leaning your head against the cool glass of the window, "It's probably for the best. The higher ups know what they're doing."

The same higher ups that were content with you never leaving your future husband's home. The same higher ups that allowed your engagement to Noritoshi, even though the both of you were still children. You were not so sure that they knew what they were doing, after all.

That night, when you slept, you dreamt of poison-blue eyes weeping a mournful lament, as if you were the one that was going to die.

After last night, your mission with Toge was the opposite of nerve-wracking. For one, you would not be alone, and furthermore the curse you had to deal with was only a grade 3 — which was nothing, not when compared to Yuta and Rika.

Yuta and Rika. You hoped they would at least find some peace together in the afterlife. It was a mean thought, but what else could you wish for? It wasn't like you had the power to stop the higher ups from executing the boy, and no matter what, the girl was a curse. Perhaps death would be a release for her. If you were in her place, you were certain that you'd want to die. Trapped for the rest of your days as a monster — what sort of a half-life was that?

"It says here that we have to rescue this girl from a curse or something," you said to Toge as the two of you walked into the building, "Seems very fairytale inspired, wouldn't you say?"

"Salmon," he agreed absentmindedly.

"Oh! And she's related to a well-known sorcerer? Supposedly she's visiting from America, that's where she's from. She began showing symptoms of having a cursed technique, so they sent her here to train with her cousin, but he's so busy that he left her alone, and of course an untrained sorcerer's a magnet for curses, and now she's somewhat stuck," you continued.

"Salmon," Toge said, reminding you that he had read the report as well.

"Oops, sorry, it just makes me feel better to reread it out loud. I don't mean to suggest that you're unprepared," you said. He just shrugged as if to say it was no big deal. You beamed at him before returning to the email. "Hey, I know her cousin! He comes by my family's house to get treated rather frequently. He's pretty nice — his name is Kaito. Doesn't surprise me that it's his cousin in trouble, though, he's notoriously dedicated to work. Actually, that's probably why he's always at our house, he's always biting off more than he can chew..."

You couldn't recall what Kaito's cursed technique was, but it didn't matter — it wasn't a guarantee that the girl would have the same one, and even if she miraculously did, she would still be unable to utilize it, so it was a moot point. You did remember that he was rather handsome. But this was not helpful, so you pushed it away, internally chiding yourself for the deviant thoughts.

Making your way through the building, you cursed Kaito for leaving his cousin alone on the top floor of the giant skyscraper. You were certain the girl didn't care — she was probably lounging about in her penthouse, or at least as much as she could without getting killed by the curse, but you were on your thirtieth flight of stairs and feeling a bit murderous.

"I've been a lot more irritable recently," you mused, "Maybe I should stop spending so much time with Maki."

"Bonito flakes," Toge said.

"I'm glad you think that. At least someone appreciates it; Gojo certainly doesn't," you said. You were surprised that you were able to interpret him already, but he was so expressive with just his eyes that it was not that difficult at all.

He had pretty eyes, the soft purple like mountains shrouded in mist. Far softer, far kinder than Yuta's. They were almost magical, but you didn't want to stare at them for too long — it would be odd. You doubted Toge would appreciate it very much; Noritoshi certainly would not.

Observing him in a more stealthy manner, you often tried to discern if he had feelings for anyone. Not for Maki, that was for certain; they were friends for sure, but you also got the sense that Toge — and Panda, for that matter — was slightly scared of her. It was fair, you were also a little terrified of the girl at times, but it was an affectionate sort of terrified.

He was also not really interested in you, you were confident in that. He was a good friend, without a doubt, and you enjoyed spending time with him, but his gestures were unfailingly platonic. This was probably self-preservation on his part; if he were to actively pursue you and you told Noritoshi, he would basically become a pariah in jujutsu society, if not worse.

Your engagement ring was heavy on your finger, a reminder of the fact that Toge's love life was none of your business. You were going to be married to a kind man; what did it matter who your classmate cared about?

Actually, you were somewhat nosy, though you liked to put it down to being observant. Things like gossip were interesting to you, loath to admit it though you were. Who liked who, the latest scandals — you were a bit of a stereotype with regards to such affairs. That was all this was; you would be just as involved if it were Maki's relationships you were digging into.

Unfortunately, Maki had absolutely no interest in anything resembling romance; you were the person she liked talking with the most, and by that, you meant you were the only person she allowed herself to smile around, instead of her usual frown. And Panda was a panda, which did not lend itself much to anything juicy, meaning you were stuck speculating about Toge.

You could always ask him, but what would he say? Nothing, probably, just look at you strangely and laugh off the uncomfortable question. Even now, his eyes kept flickering to you curiously. He was obviously confused about what you were so deep in thought about, but you were not about to enlighten him, and the silly little scenarios you made up kept you company as you continued to march up the endless stairs.

Maki had been disowned by the Zenins, but you remembered there was another Zenin girl your age — Mai? Perhaps Toge was fond of her. She had been polite enough when the two of you had met, and she had congratulated you on your engagement, if not a little brusquely. Though this was not necessarily her fault, as Naoya had appeared almost instantly to shepherd her off. The Zenin clan did not have much of a good reputation when it came to how they treated their women, so you hardly blamed Mai for any perceived shortness, but even with that, you could not see someone as gentle as Toge getting along with her especially well.

You were just about considering calling Noritoshi and asking him to name his female classmates when you realized you were at the door of the penthouse where the girl was trapped. Toge looked at you expectantly; you snapped out of your daydreaming and realized you would be stuck explaining the situation to Kaito's cousin. Maybe that was the real reason you had been assigned to the mission, for Toge certainly didn't need help with exorcising the measly curse.

"They should just call me Gojo's human resources representative," you said, exhaling when you came to the realization, "I'm basically just a glorified secretary. Tagging along on missions to make friends with people."

Toge patted you on the head. "Mustard leaf?"

"Ah, it's alright. I'll get over it," you said, "Besides, I'm sure this isn't all I'll be doing forever. It's just until I'm more experienced, right?"

"Salmon!" he said cheerily, opening the door and marching into the penthouse. You followed after.

"True, everyone starts somewhere, so this definitely isn't permanent," you said, stroking your chin, brow furrowed, "I'll get to be independent soon! Though I don't know how much I'm looking forward to that; really, I'm a little bit worried —"

"Tuna!" Toge interrupted you. You froze and looked at the floor. The tiny grade 4 curse you had been about to trip over looked back at you with large, insect-like eyes. You shuddered and pulled out a needle, poking the creature with it. It deflated like a balloon before dissipating into nothingness.

"Sorry, I'll be more careful," you said. "I guess we should probably try and find this girl. Hello? Anyone home?"

There was a thud from what you assumed to be the master bedroom. Exchanging looks with Toge, you began to walk over to where you had heard the noise, him by your side. Whether or not it was her, it remained that someone or something was in the bedroom, and as the sorcerers on duty, it was somewhat your responsibility to check on it.

You threw the door open and narrowly dodged a frying pan flying at your head. You slammed the door shut again and glanced at Toge, who seemed equally as taken aback. You cracked the door open again, only a little.

"Get back, you stupid, ugly, creepy monster!" a feminine voice shouted. You pouted and looked at your arms.

"Am I really that ugly looking?" you said.

"Bonito flakes," Toge assured you. You flashed him a grateful smile.

"Thanks. Hey, lady, we're not the curse! We're jujutsu sorcerers sent to help you," you called into the room.

"That's the oldest trick in the book!" she said with a scoff. You had never felt the urge to smack somebody as strongly as you did at that moment, "Is there some sort of Captcha security system for humans?"

"Are you an idiot? Curses can't talk! Isn't that Captcha enough for you?" you said.

"Actually, high level ones can, and anyways why would I believe anything you say? You're the curse, you'd only gain benefit from lying to me," she said. She was unfortunately right about both things, so you could only grind your teeth in aggravation.

"Your cousin's name is Kaito?" you said.

"Anyone could tell you that. The house is in his name!" she rebutted.

"There's a certain point where street smarts circle back around to just stupidity," you said, pinching the bridge of your nose, "Do you have your phone with you?"

"Duh, no way would I hole up in a bedroom without it," she said.

"Okay, I'll request to follow you on Instagram and then you can see that I'm real!" you said, "What's your username?"

"Tullia.Ferraro," she said. "Good luck with that one! This is a stupid way to prove your identity, what kind of a — oh."

"Did you get the request? I'm Y/N_L/N," you said.

"Yeah," she said reluctantly, "I guess you're real. You can come in, I won't attack you."

"Thank you," you said, standing and opening the door, walking in. You were met with the sight of the girl, crouched behind a bed, wielding another frying pan. In the back of your mind, you wondered how many she had stored away in the bedroom. She was pretty, with cactus-green eyes and dark blonde hair neatly woven into two thick braids, loose strands escaping and framing her delicate face. "Now, I'm here to —"

You were interrupted by her shrieking and throwing the pan. This time, it was not at you but at Toge, who was too surprised to dodge. It struck him in the face before he could do anything, and he slowly fell backwards. You gaped at him in horror when you realized she had knocked him unconscious.

"There," she said, sounding satisfied, "I got rid of that thing that followed you in."

"That thing was my partner!" you said in dismay, "My far more experienced partner, who was the one actually meant to save you! I was just here because he's a cursed speech user and needed a translator."

She at least had the decency to look abashed. "Oops?"

"Oops?" you screeched. "This is my first mission! We're well and truly screwed, you know that? Might as well just hand ourselves over to the curse at this point!"

"I could hit it with another frying pan?" she offered.

"How many of those do you have with you?" you said.

"...a lot. Kaito's a bit of a cook, and I panicked and grabbed a bunch before barricading myself in here," she said.

"Uh-huh. I can see that," you said, filing away Kaito's cooking habits to be considered later. "Okay, we need a strategy. Not only is Toge out for the count, we're going to have to look out for him while we fight. Do you have a cursed technique?"

"Supposedly, but I have no idea what it is! Kaito said he'd tell me, but he never did," she said.

"Your cousin is a frustrating man," you said. Any fond feelings you previously had for Kaito were rapidly disappearing.

"And a shitty guardian," she added.

"That, too," you agreed, "Seems like this is going to be up to me. We need to figure out where the curse is located, and then we need to exorcise it. And by we, I mean me."

"I can help. It's my curse, isn't it? I know some basic curse theory. It's manifesting from some fear I have or something, right?" she said.

"It's not that simple," you said, "You're not going to be aware of it; if you are, then it's not a deep enough fear that a curse could manifest from it."

"At least it's a start," she insisted, "Come on, Y/N, I can help!"

"How do you know my name?" you said.

"You just requested to follow me on Instagram," she reminded you.

"Oh, right. You're Tullia, then?" you said.

"Yup, that's me!" she said.

"Fine. Tullia, please watch Toge and make sure nothing happens to him while I look around the apartment," you said.

"Alright. But please don't leave me," she said.

"What? Why would I leave you? The entire point of me being here is to help you," you said, crossing your arms.

"I know, but Kaito was supposed to help me, too, and look where that ended up!" she said. You narrowed your eyes.

"I suppose you're right. I won't go anywhere, don't worry," you said, "Just stick with Toge. He can be your insurance policy, if anything."

"Alright," she said again, timidly sitting next to Toge and placing a hand on his red forehead, wincing when he groaned slightly in his sleep. You prayed he did not have a concussion, even if Shoko could probably reverse it rather quickly.

Now you had to figure out where the curse was lurking. It wasn't in the master bedroom, but you had an idea beyond that. This wasn't a particularly high-levelled curse, so you doubted it would be incredibly inventive or tricky. Having talked with Yuta last night and seeing Rika, the thought was already in your mind, and Tullia's trembling voice confirmed your idea.

Striding towards the coat closet, you felt a pit forming in your stomach. You weren't actually scared, which meant that your theory was probably correct — this was the effects of the negative cursed energy coming from Tullia's curse.

Abandonment — that was what this was. Kicked out from her family's home in America and sent across the world to train with a cousin that she most likely did not know very well, and then left behind by that exact cousin to face an unknown threat.

Your earlier annoyance faded, and you felt bad for the girl. She was just scared and alone in a hostile world, forgotten by the people meant to care for her the most. You thought about your father, who had all but sold your hand in marriage off to the highest bidder and then made you Noritoshi's responsibility. If Noritoshi had not been as good as he was...perhaps you and Tullia had more in common than you initially thought.

The curse you were faced with was humanoid, its figure vaguely resembling a dark haired woman you assumed to be Tullia's mother. There was a ghastly grin so nonhuman on it, though, that it was obviously the farthest thing from a person. It was mumbling disjointed nonsense under its breath, not exactly understandable sentences but bone-chilling in the similarity they bore to something intelligible. When it noticed you staring at it, it let out a cackle before shifting between forms, trying to decide upon one that would hurt the most.

Your parents. Your cousins. Noritoshi. Gojo. Maki. Toge. Panda. It even shifted into Yuta's figure for a second; this made you scowl at the audacity. He was probably dead at this point — you could not see the higher ups hesitating for very long. How dare the curse take on the form of a murdered boy?

Executed, you reminded yourself. There was a reason he had been killed. It wasn't murder if the law condoned it.

"Dissection," you said coldly. The curse was trapped in Yuta's form, its eyes widening. They were not the same poison-blue you remembered; the richness of the color was gone, clouded over with cursed energy. It was a cheap copy, and you laughed as its weak spots glowed green.

It let out a wail as you sent a needle flying into its heart, collapsing at your feet. You looked down your nose at it, snorting in dry amusement.

"I met him once. Did you think you'd hurt me by pretending to leave? I don't care about him. If you really wanted to make me upset, you should've tried to stop me from being a sorcerer. There's nothing I hate more than people that treat me like I'm weak," you said as it crumbled into dust, "Idiot curses. Can't even scare people properly nowadays."

Tullia was shaking Toge's shoulders when you rejoined them. He was starting to stir, lashes fluttering as he awoke. You watched impassively as he opened his eyes and was met with Tullia's concerned expression.

"I'm sorry for knocking you out, Mr. Inumaki, sir!" she said, clasping her hands, "Really sorry! Please don't, like, try to kill me for your honor? Or jail me or anything? I think you'd win in a duel! Or maybe not, I mean I did knock you out with a frying pan. But I won't again! Promise!"

"Mustard leaf?" he said, dazed, his cheeks turning pink. Your jaw dropped. There was no way —

"What does that mean?" she said, turning to you in confusion. Toge's eyes followed her, and you suppressed a gasp.

"He's asking if you're okay," you said, watching the two of them, feeling equal parts put-out and excited. It was obvious to you that Toge had developed a crush on her, which made your love for drama feel quite satisfied. But it also hurt your feelings — why hadn't he fallen in love with you so quickly?

Well, probably because you were engaged already. Even still. You fought back the urge to sniff haughtily and resolved to be happy for your friend. Tullia was kind of an idiot, but if someone as good as Toge liked her, then there was obviously more to her than met the eye. He was, if anything, an excellent judge of character. Though you did wonder if he was as excellent as you had thought — after all, his first impression of her had literally been a frying pan to the face. Perhaps this was less a crush and more a concussion speaking.

"Oh, I'm fine! The question is, are you okay?" she said.

"Salmon," he said, clutching his head and gingerly standing.

"That means yes," you supplied helpfully.

"Great to hear! So you won't sue me?" she said. Toge looked at you. You shrugged.

"Probably not. Accidents happen, and Toge's too nice to sue anyone," you said.

"Salmon," he said again, nodding and then immediately wincing. You cringed.

"Although you might have to help nurse him back to health. Looks like you gave him a concussion. Have you ever thought about trying out for a baseball team? You've got a good arm," you said, leaving her to fawn over Toge, who looked happy about the attention, and calling Ijichi to take all of you back to the school. You doubted Kaito would mind if Tullia went; actually, you didn't even know if he would notice. Judging by the state of the house and Tullia's fear of being left behind, he probably wouldn't.

"Gojo's introducing a new student right now," Ijichi told you, "So you'll have to make your way to the classroom by yourself. Will you be alright?"

"Sure, I'll be fine," you said, slipping out of the car once he had parked, "Have a nice day, Ijichi. Thanks for being as prompt as always."

His chest puffed out in pride at the acknowledgement; it was probably uncommon. Gojo was not one to thank people. "Of course, Y/N. Let me know if you need help again."

"Will do. Tullia, can you help Toge to the infirmary? He knows the way, but I'd feel better if he had someone with him, in case he, uh, faints or something," you said, throwing your friend the bone, winking at him once Tullia's back was turned. His eyes widened and he shook his head furiously at the implications. You only chuckled and watched them go fondly. If anyone deserved to be with someone they actually cared about, it was him.

And then there was you. You kicked the dirt as you made your way to Gojo's classroom. It wasn't that you didn't like Noritoshi; he was a good person, and as far as future husbands could go, he was perfectly agreeable. Certainly, it was better than someone like Naoya. But you didn't love him. You didn't feel butterflies in your stomach or a sense of warm belonging when you thought of him. He was more friend and partner than a dearly beloved significant other.

Things could be worse, but still you found yourself wishing that you could've fallen in love with someone, experienced the silly flusteredness and shy tripping over your words, the longing stares and the thrill of reciprocation. You looked at your engagement ring. It was beautiful. It was a reminder. You almost wanted to take it off.

But you didn't. You were a good girl, the heir to the L/N name. This was your only contribution to your family. So you left the ring on and pushed your sentimental thoughts away. Anyways, who would you fall in love with here? Gojo? He was too old. It would be wrong, and you could not view him as anything more than a chaotic older brother figure.

When you opened the door, you were surprised to see four people in the room instead of the expected three. Gojo stood behind his desk, his trademark white bandages wrapped around his eyes, while Maki brandished her spear at someone and Panda had his fists — paws? — raised in a combat stance. Both of them looked surprised to see you, but you were not focused on them, for at the front of the classroom was the one and only Yuta Okkotsu.

"Aren't you supposed to be dead?" you said. This did nothing to break the tension in the room; if anything, it only mounted. Yuta squeaked.

"Y/N!" he said, darting to hide behind you.

"Um, hello," you said, "What's going on here?"

"How was the mission? Where are Toge and Kaito's cousin?" Gojo said instead of responding.

"Er, she gave Toge a concussion, so she's helping him to the infirmary," you said.

"How?" Maki said.

"Frying pan to the face," you said.

"That'll do it," Panda said, "Did she think he was a curse?"

"She did," you said, "It was a mess, but the curse itself wasn't that strong, so I was able to take care of it. Oh, and don't tell him I said anything, but I think Toge's quite taken with Tullia — that's the cousin's name."

"Wow. Never thought he'd be into that type of thing, but different strokes for different blokes, I guess," Panda said.

"Can we get back to the subject at hand?" Maki said, "Although we'll definitely be revisiting this later."

"Right, I'm a little confused. Weren't you supposed to be executed by now?" you said, twisting to face Yuta.

"Gojo told me he could help me control Rika better and free her from her curse," he said shyly, "He managed to hold the higher-ups off."

You weren't sure why you felt so much better about this outcome. You put it down to a general distaste for the higher ups and then nodded.

"That's good to hear. And yeah, if anyone can help you with Rika, it's Gojo. He's the strongest," you said.

"She gets it!" Gojo said.

"Y/N, this kid is dangerous," Maki warned, "Can't you sense it?"

"I can," you said, "I think as long as we don't attack him, Rika will stay away. That's correct, right, Yuta?"

"I think so," he said, voice still soft.

"Okay. One more question," you said. "Why are you hiding behind me?"

"You're the only one I know. And they seem like they want to hurt me," he said.

"Gojo wouldn't let them," you said.

"Would I?" Gojo said.

"Shut up, Frosty the Snowman!" Maki said, pointing her spear at him instead. He raised his hands in the air as if to prove his innocence, fooling just about nobody with the act. Well, maybe Yuta, who did not know Gojo very well yet.

"You'll be alright. Look, Maki, Panda, I'm fairly certain he's a nice kid. You all are scaring him," you said, placing a tentative hand on his shoulder. Yuta screwed his eyes shut, as if expecting Rika to appear, but nothing happened.

"He should be scared," Maki snarled, "Listen, wonder-boy —"

"Is she talking to me?" Yuta whispered.

"I think so," you whispered back.

"Hey! Quit whispering!" she said, "As I was saying, if you step one toe out of line, I'll kill you myself — that's a promise. And don't stick so close to Y/N! She's engaged, and her fiancé is crazy powerful. He won't take kindly to you making heart eyes at her."

"Maki," I said, "Stop. Don't you think he's nervous enough as it is? Let him be."

"Sorry," she said, though it was obvious she was only apologizing for your sake. "Whatever. Screw this, I'm going to go train. Come on, Panda."

It was an obvious dismissal. You rolled your eyes, knowing her tough guy act was nothing more than just that: an act. She felt threatened by Yuta — you were all aware of the sinister energy lurking in and around him — and was posturing so that he did not turn against her. It was unnecessary, in your opinion.

"Can I come?" Yuta said. The effort to befriend the prickly girl warmed you to him, even though you knew it would be futile.

"No," Maki said, storming off, Panda waving to you as if his friend had not just thrown something of a tantrum. Yuta watched them go forlornly, and you bit your lip, debating your next move. Finally, you turned to Gojo, who was spinning in his chair like a child.

"I can show you around the school, Yuta. Unless Gojo has already given you a tour?" you said, directing the second statement to your teacher.

"Nope!" Gojo said, slowing to a stop and shooting you a thumbs up, "That's a great idea, Y/N! Yuta, stay with her. She's a sweet girl. She'll make you feel really welcomed."

"I feel as if you're insinuating something, but I don't have the time nor the brainpower to figure it out," you said, "Let's go, Yuta. We can start with the infirmary; something tells me you'll be spending a lot of time there."

"W-why?" he said, following after you like a lost puppy, "Is the school dangerous?"

"Not really. But Maki is," you said. His eyes widened, and he began to shiver comically.

"Does she not like me?" he said.

"She doesn't really like anyone at first, or at least it can seem that way," you said, "Don't worry about it. She'll settle down. You can't blame her; you have to know that you're kind of scary."

"I'm scary? Really?" he said.

Looking at him, you could admit that it was kind of ridiculous to call him scary, by any meaning of the word. His eyes were soft and large, his dark hair sticking up endearingly. He shrunk away from loud noises and flinched at sudden movements, and his white shirt was baggy, the fabric draping over his frail frame.

But his shadow was moving even when he was still. This was the crux of the matter; he was not the scary one.

"Your friend is, at least. She's intimidating, and Maki just doesn't want to end up another statistic. She's only bluffing so you don't attack her, because she knows who'd win if Rika decided to pay her a visit. And you said you don't really have control of Rika yet — she only appears if you're in danger? So you'll forgive Maki for not wanting to be close to you, in case Rika appears at random and hurts her," you explained, waiting for him to catch up and then purposefully slowing your steps so that the two of you were walking side by side.

"So then why are you being nice to me?" he said.

"You're full of questions," you said, tilting your head to look at him and half-smiling, "I already met Rika, sort of. Last night. She didn't try to hurt me, so I have to assume that she won't in the future. And I won't try to hurt you, not ever, so I think she and I are on the same side in that sense. Do you think she'll hear me if I say something to her? Might as well give it a shot. Listen, Rika: Maki, Panda, Toge, and I — probably Tullia, too, I'm not sure what her whole deal is — are going to be Yuta's teammates. That means that we're on his side, just like you are. So don't hurt us, alright? We have to look out for one another."

There was a silence, and then Yuta rubbed the back of his neck sheepishly. "I have no clue if that did anything."

You smiled at him, a full, genuine thing this time. "At least I said it. I think she knows. Wanna test it out?"

"No!" he said quickly, holding his hands out in front of him. You grinned.

"Did you feel threatened by me in that moment?" you said.

"Uh, yeah?" he said. You cheered.

"And Rika didn't appear! This is progress!" you said.

"I don't know, I mean you didn't try to attack me or anything," he said. You raised your fist jokingly.

"I can do that, too," you said.

"Please don't, I really don't want to push my luck," he said. You unfurled your fingers and held out your hand for a high five.

"I was only kidding," you said. He stared at your hand blankly; slowly, you lowered it when it became evident he was not going to reciprocate. Instead, he blinked in confusion. You decided he was probably just overwhelmed and so you should not take his noncompliance personally.

"Okay," he said. You began to laugh — not in a harsh or mocking way, but as if he had told you an especially good joke.

"You're odd. Did you not have any friends growing up or something?" you said.

"No," he admitted, "Rika would chase them away."

"Oh," you said, expression softening, "Actually, neither did I. My father didn't think I needed them, so...welcome to the club, I suppose. Maki was my first friend. I'd be honored to be yours, if you'd like."

"If your fiancé's okay with it," he said.

"Maybe it can be our secret," you said, nudging him, "Noritoshi is in Kyoto, so he won't find out. If he does, I'll deal with him. Come on, Yuta, we're going to be classmates, think of how awkward it'll be if you say no! Plus, I'm the only one being nice to you. You're somewhat limited on options."

He glanced at you. You did not glance back, continuing to sedately walk forwards as if you hadn't thrown him into a crisis. You weren't sure why you were so set on being friends with Yuta. Maybe you felt a little bad for him. Maybe you felt somewhat slighted by Toge's fascination with someone other than you. Maybe you liked his strange eyes and the way he spooked at every bird and plastic bag. Maybe he was more like you than you were okay with. There were a lot of possible reasons.

"Okay," he said, offering you his hand to shake like this was a business deal, "Friends."

You took it, holding back a giggle and affording the moment the seriousness it deserved. With a shake, the declaration was sealed. You vowed to yourself that you would keep it like a contract.

"Friends."

a/n: Another shout out to everyone reading this, I'm sorry I haven't updated since literally January 😭 you all are literal saints for putting up with my mega hiatus. I did not want to go on one but unfortunately school was kicking my ass. Now that I'm finally off I promise I will not leave everyone hanging for so long 🙏🏼 feel free to leave a comment calling me a terrible person for making you all wait and then delivering with the worst chapter ever 😍 at least Yuta is in the story finally???