20

.

"Naoya-sama, we–"

"Quiet. Did I give you permission to speak?"

Maki-san's mouth closes with an audible click, but it's clear to see that the girl is rebelliously grinding her teeth in silent protest against her clan heir's command. Zenin Naoya, on his part, dismisses her entirely as he refocuses his attention on Shiki and the Fushiguro siblings–

No. On Fushiguro Megumi, specifically.

That won't do.

Before the young man can get any further than opening his mouth again, Shiki swiftly steps forward and calmly interposes herself between them, directly in front of Megumi-san.

"The Zenin Clan is not permitted to approach or solicit Fushiguro Megumi and his sister Fushiguro Tsumiki–"

"Until they are of adult age. I am aware of the agreement that was reached," Zenin-san cuts her off, his voice tinged with a thinly-veiled edge of annoyance. "But there's nothing against just saying hello now, is there?"

His eyes flick over Megumi-san again, appraising and assessing. Behind her, the younger boy is understandably tense at the clear scrutiny he is being sized up with. Shiki gives Megumi-san a gentle pat on the shoulder, and lifts her gaze towards the older sorcerer.

"That may be so, but you are not here just to say 'hello,'" she says flatly. Anyone with eyes can see that much, at least.

The young man clicks his tongue irritably.

"Presumptuous. Mouthing off to your betters without a thought –is this what the Gojo Clan teaches their children?" His voice is soft and silken, underlaid with a note of something unabashedly threatening. But Zenin-san is severely mistaken, if he thinks that Shiki would be affected by his meaningless posturing. "Step aside, little girl."

… She wonders what it says, that the Zenin clan heir is unable to recognize her on sight when the two sorcerers from earlier were able to do so near-instantly.

But perhaps that's rather hypocritical of her. After all, Shiki most certainly hadn't recognized this arrogant young man upon his arrival as Zenin Naoya, heir to the Zenin Clan until one of the Zenin girls had called him by name. Then again, out of the two of them, Shiki isn't heiress to the Gojo Clan the way Zenin Naoya is to the Zenin Clan. Recognizing and being aware of persons of note from other clans is certainly useful, but not a necessity for her the way it would be if she held the position of clan heir as Zenin Naoya did.

"You overstep yourself, Zenin-san." What would he make of her term of address for him? Would the lack of 'sama' have him finally realize that she wasn't a normal clan child to be pushed around easily? Or would he become angry at the transparent lack of respect that she is making absolutely no effort to hide?

Ah, look at those narrowed eyes and clear look of displeasure aimed towards her.

… Shiki thinks that she's starting to realize why Satoru-niichan had been so clearly unconcerned with any potential reprisal from the Zenin Clan from the very beginning.

"Uppity little thing, aren't you?" he drawls. "Seems like you need to be taught a lesson."

Cursed energy swells immediately following his words, and the white-haired girl frowns. They might be standing on the less-populated outskirts of the festival stalls, but they're still in a festival –one with many non-sorcerer civilians walking the streets, and there's no way that someone like Zenin Naoya would be unaware of the potential consequences of his actions.

What does he think he's doing?

The young man's cursed energy rises, and pushes down–

And Shiki blinks, wholly unaffected by the pressure of the older sorcerer's cursed energy. Judging by its force…

…

… Is something like this meant to send her to her knees?

Utterly ridiculous.

Shiki has only ever kneeled for one person, and Zenin Naoya is not someone she has any intention of bending knee to.

The Zenin Clan heir frowns at Shiki's complete lack of reaction, and there's suddenly a sharp increase in the heavy force exerted by his cursed energy. It's still nothing notable to Shiki, but behind her Megumi-san starts swaying unsteadily, and Tsumiki-san's breathing is starting to come in short, sharp pants.

… Really, he can't even keep his cursed energy solely focused on her? Getting others caught in the crossfire like this…

How sloppy, Zenin-san.

Shiki sighs and shakes her head.

"Chin up, stand straight," she says lightly to Megumi-san, turning around and casually patting the younger boy on the shoulder. She uses the point of physical contact to extend her own cursed energy over the boy in a protective veil, before he actually ends up on his hands and knees from Zenin Naoya's carelessness.

Megumi-san stumbles, gasping. It must be a startling sensation, to suddenly find himself abruptly freed from the crushing weight of Zenin-san's cursed energy. Shiki can sympathize, recalling with some nostalgia the memory of her first encounter with Gojo Isao and his cursory attempt to cow her into submission so long ago.

That wasn't really relevant to anything at hand here, though.

Shiki also takes a second to hand her goldfish to Tsumiki-san, using the movement to smoothly extend a second protective barrier over the younger girl. Shiki then pauses for an extra moment to surreptitiously check Tsumiki-san's current condition as she does so –the girl might be unusually resilient to cursed energy for a non-sorcerer, likely due to her closeness with her brother, but that didn't change the fact that she was still a non-sorcerer civilian. And non-sorcerers tended to be 'fragile,' if she remembers correctly from her lessons.

"Breathe," Shiki commands. "… Don't worry. Everything will be fine."

There's a distinctly white pallor to Tsumiki-san's face when she looks up again with wide, panicked eyes. But aside from that, the girl appears to be mostly fine after the effects of Zenin-san's cursed energy are negated by Shiki's own. Megumi-san quickly steps over to support his sister as Shiki draws back, but she does not miss the slight tremble to Tsumiki-san's body all the same.

Shiki turns back towards Zenin Naoya. There's a scowl on the young man's face, but aside from that there is an undeniably sharp look in his eyes as he visibly re-evaluates her.

"You're… tch, I see how it is. So your clan assigned you to watch Toji-kun's son?"

Seems like he's finally caught on, then. But even so…

"You're being quite rude, Zenin-san," Shiki says pointedly. She doesn't bother addressing his question at all, and the unspoken rebuff does not go unnoticed; the man's eyes narrow.

"What do you–"

"If you have any inquiries regarding Fushiguro Megumi's welfare, then you may address such concerns with Daisaku-sama, after having made the proper arrangements for an audience beforehand," the girl cuts him off without hesitation, her voice flat and perfunctory. "We will be taking our leave now."

But before she can even move a single step–

"Hah, leaving so soon? I think not," the Zenin Clan heir's lips suddenly stretch into a mocking grin, and he spreads his arms out. "As a Zenin sorcerer and as clan heir, wouldn't it naturally be my responsibility to safely see the Gojo Clan's wayward charges returned to them? Unless you mean to tell me that your clan knows of this little… venture."

Shiki feels a brief twinge of annoyance flicker in her chest at the smug expression on his face. But then, this isn't exactly something that's particularly difficult to deduce in the first place. No sorcery clan actually allows its members to attend festivities like this, given the known side-effects of prolonged exposure to cursed energy in non-sorcerers. And with the distinct lack of any accompanying adults supervising Shiki and the Fushiguro siblings…

Clearly, the young man is more than capable of putting two and two together.

"Is that a threat, Zenin-san?" If the heir of the Zenin Clan raised a ruckus over this… the Gojo Clan would definitely lose face for allowing Shiki and Megumi to sneak out to the non-sorcerers' festival celebrations as they did, no matter that Shiki had been keeping a careful eye on everything, Megumi-san's cursed energy included.

… Honestly, if they were talking about the negative impacts of cursed energy on the surrounding festival-goers, then it was Zenin Naoya causing issues here, what with his earlier attempt to force Shiki into obedience.

Regardless. Being discovered like this also had the potential to reflect badly on Satoru-niichan, which was… not ideal. Shiki would prefer to not hand over any additional ammunition to the Gojo Clan's elders, given the current circumstances.

"A threat?" Zenin Naoya laughs tauntingly. "Now why would it be a threat? I'm only offering to protect you. So what will it be, blessed child?"

Ah. That was most definitely a threat, then.

Shiki already knows that the Zenin Clan isn't pleased with Satoru-niichan running interference and removing Megumi-san from their reach. It's not so surprising to see the Zenin heir instantly capitalize on this golden opportunity to flaunt the Gojo Clan's shortcomings, to drive a deeper wedge into the existing cracks while simultaneously openly airing the Gojo Clan's negligence towards children under their care.

If Zenin Naoya accompanied Shiki and the Fushiguro siblings back to the Gojo Clan, or said anything about their presence at the festival tonight, then things would definitely become a mess. The self-satisfied and eminently gleeful light in his eyes indicates that the young man is also well-aware that he holds every advantage in this situation.

… Or he would, if it were not for Shiki being the child standing here in front of him tonight.

"'Protection,' really." The white-haired girl leans back and deliberately shrugs, a careless motion. "Don't you have a better excuse?"

"I believe you're misunderstanding something here," Zenin-san's voice drips mockingly, patronizingly. "You think you have a choice?"

"Certainly. It's you who misunderstands the situation here, Zenin-san. We have no need of your protection," Shiki says calmly. "Because you're weak."

Her words are clear and simple, her tone sedate and even.

It's a sharp contrast to Zenin-san's reaction; the man's face visibly contorts at Shiki's matter-of-fact statement. Rage, anger. Zenin-san is most definitely offended by the insult, going by the looks of things.

Good. That is what Shiki was attempting to go for…

"Blessed child or not, you think you can get away with saying something like that to me?" Zenin-san hisses, clearly offended by the blatant disrespect. As if there is anything about him that is worth respecting, honestly… "Know your place!"

Shiki doesn't even blink. "Know yours, Zenin-san."

Zenin Naoya might be a decent sorcerer in his own right, and heir to the illustrious Zenin Clan on top of that. But the truth is–

In a world filled with curses, the only meaning is in strength.

Shiki wonders what it says about the Zenin Clan, that even their clan heir doesn't seem to be aware of it, the way a sorcerer should. Because it's really quite obvious, isn't it?

Zenin-san's entire body blurs into movement–

Dodging him would be easy. Zenin-san is fast, but not that fast. However, simply sidestepping his rage-fueled strike would also mean putting the Fushiguro siblings at risk, particularly when one took into consideration Zenin-san's clear disregard for any collateral damage in his surroundings. Cutting his lines… is not a particularly good option. If Shiki kills the Zenin heir, then the Zenin Clan would undoubtedly riot, and Satoru-niichan really does not need that added to his plate on top of dealing with the clan elders.

Which really only leaves Shiki with one choice here. It's also the option that she had been aiming for by provoking Zenin Naoya in the first place.

The little girl loosens her hold on her cursed energy for a split second.

It's not any specific technique –just the release of raw, unfiltered cursed energy, with all the crushing weight of what something cursed truly implies. And unlike Zenin-san, whose meager attempt at intimidating her had been unfocused and messy at best, Shiki's cursed energy hits the older sorcerer precisely.

The effect is instantaneous.

Zenin-san falls with a heavy thud, directly in front of Shiki's feet, right before he can touch her. His sudden fall sends the sleeves of her yukata rippling harshly back behind her from the force of it, and she can feel loose strands of her hair being blown away from the fox mask covering her face. There's a soft gasp behind her, and she's aware of the Fushiguro siblings stumbling back in surprise–

But Shiki remains unmoved.

The little girl regards the older sorcerer beneath her feet impassively. Zenin-san had managed to catch himself on his forearms at the last minute, preventing himself from falling face-first on the ground. But hunched over on his hands and knees before her as he was…

It makes a rather embarrassing picture for the Zenin heir, to say the least.

"There is no need for such courtesies, Zenin-san," Shiki tells him, just to really drive in the indignity of his current position. The young man's head snaps up immediately, face twisted with rage and humiliation. Frustration. And through it all –shock, disbelief.

There are ways of training one's capacity and refining one's control over their cursed energy. But by and large, cursed energy is something that is largely set in stone from the moment of one's birth, hence the sorcery clans' obsession over bloodline and pedigree. Clearly, Zenin-san hadn't expected Shiki's cursed energy to be as strong as it is, out-clan child that her background technically painted her as.

More fool him, then, considering that Shiki has been consistently called the blessed child by the Gojo Clan from the very beginning.

This misunderstanding on his part would explain why he'd assumed he could get away with carelessly throwing his weight around in front of her earlier, though. It might've even worked, had Shiki truly only been a minor daughter of the Gojo Clan with nothing else to her name.

Unfortunately for Zenin-san, that wasn't the case.

With this one act, she had ensured that there was no way for him to speak of the events that had occurred tonight. Not unless he wished to also make it known to everyone that Zenin Naoya had fallen to his hands and knees in front of Gojo Shiki. Despite their being on the outskirts of the festival, less-populated did not mean unpopulated, and they were still standing in a public area. Shiki can already sense curious gazes from unknowing passerby glancing in their direction. If Zenin-san means to deny this–

Well. Good luck with hiding that in any sort of investigation.

Clan sorcerers tended to be prideful and arrogant, particularly those from the Three Great Families. So if this became widely-known… then there's no doubt that it would be a disgrace and utter embarrassment for Zenin Naoya, as clan heir.

Would he risk all of that? Just for the chance of getting one over the Gojo Clan? For the possibility of stirring up trouble for Satoru-niichan during Obon, at risk to his own reputation?

Shiki crouches down in front of the man so they are level with each other, neatly folding her arms over her knees. "Zenin-san. How about we keep this a secret? You never saw us here tonight –and we never saw you, either."

That would be the best outcome for everyone involved. With this new leverage in hand, their current situation was no longer unilaterally one-sided in Zenin-san's favor. And unless Zenin-san was someone who cared nothing for his status and position, then he would–

Oh.

Shiki notices the cursed energy coiled in the man's hand before he moves; her head snaps back, and she can feel the displacement of air on her face that misses her by centimeters. The little girl deftly spins, vaulting backwards in a low flip as she rises to her feet again.

… It seems that she's misread the Zenin heir. Had she gone overboard in provoking him? But she hadn't thought that his anger would outstrip rationality–

"You might've caught me off-guard earlier, but trying to threaten me is a very bad idea, Gojo-chan," the young man says tightly, voice clipped. His eyes narrow. "Let's put things straight. Your best option here right now is… to…"

Anger bleeds into astonishment, then swiftly peters out into silence. Zenin-san's brows furrow as he regards Shiki, slowly rising to his feet again as he stares at her. But why is he–?

Ah, her mask.

Although Shiki is unscathed from his surprise attack just now… Zenin-san is holding her fox mask in his hand. Shiki's face is currently bare to the world –as are her eldritch blue eyes. It's the eyes again, isn't it?

… That still doesn't quite entirely explain his reaction, though. Surely this is not Zenin-san's first time seeing cursed eyes.

The way that Zenin-san looks at her isn't quite the same as the way the Gojo elders do, but there's a sense of… objectification to it, all the same. Like how someone might look at a shiny new bauble, almost, but that's… no, that's not quite right, either.

…

… Whatever it is, Shiki doesn't like it.

Zenin-san slowly licks his lips. "You. Have you ever considered that someone in your situation… to the Gojo Clan, you'll ever only be a–"

"N-Naoya-sama!" A panicked voice rings out from the side; one of the Zenin girls. Mai-san? "That's the Gojo Clan's blessed child, y-you can't–"

"Shut up."

It happens in the blink of an eye; the fox mask shatters into pieces in Zenin-san's hands, and the man promptly flings out his arm. The jagged shards are hurled directly towards the girl who'd spoken, who flinches as she raises her arms in front of herself. But her attempts are futile. It's clear to see that the splintered fragments flying towards her are imbued with the man's own cursed energy, and they–

–fall harmlessly, hitting the ground with an unceremonious clatter.

… Shiki hadn't done anything. But, she recognizes the cursed technique that had protected the Zenin girl, that all-too-familiar unnatural shimmer flickering in the air before fading entirely.

Fluctuation.

Then, that could only mean–

"Good evening, Zenin-sama," a familiar voice sounds in the nighttime air, accompanied by a sickly cough. Gojo Yuzuki steps forward, even more pale-faced than usual, and performs a perfunctory bow to irritated-looking Zenin-san. "As it is currently Obon, the Gojo Clan requests that all sorcerers be mindful of and moderate their usage of cursed energy, particularly in populated areas. Your cooperation and compliance is appreciated."

If looks could kill, Yuzuki-san would be dead from the glare that the Zenin heir gives him. "You dare to interfere?"

"Of course not. I would never presume to do so, Zenin-sama," Yuzuki-san responds politely. Though it's slight and near-unnoticeable, Shiki catches the way that the boy's eyes linger on the Zenin girls, to check for any injuries. They seem to be a little rattled but still alright, thanks to his timely intervention.

The defensive applications of Fluctuation are quite useful –this, Shiki knows from personal experience.

Yuzuki-san's eyes slide back to hers, and the older boy holds her gaze for a split second; he then looks towards the Zenin heir.

"Zenin-sama, I have been tasked with collecting Shiki-ojousama and returning with everyone in a timely fashion," he bows again. "Though it may be discourteous, please excuse our departure."

Yuzuki-san briefly inclines his head towards the older sorcerer, who does not look any less incensed by this unexpected turn of events.

Then, the boy turns back to Shiki.

"Ojou-sama," he says simply, and bows respectfully.

… Shiki doesn't like her friend lowering himself to her, even though she understands why. It's because they're standing in a public space, and he wants to make it blatantly obvious to Zenin-san that Shiki's position in the Gojo Clan isn't something so easily overlooked or dismissed. She also doesn't like that Yuzuki-san is out and about like this, evidently in search of her. Part of the reason why Shiki hadn't brought Yuzki-san along to this particular venture in the first place was because she knew that his failing health meant he was prone to reacting negatively from activities involving physical exertions.

But of course, it's not as if she can say any of this in front of Zenin-san, given the current situation.

"Yuzuki-san," Shiki nods politely in return. "I understand. Shall we–"

"None of you are going anywhere," Zenin-san says flatly, his voice commanding in a way that brooks no room for any argument. "You think you can just walk away like this?"

… Shiki is amazed at the man's confidence, really.

"This isn't your decision to make, Zenin-sama," Yuzuki-san responds. His voice is soft, but there is something steely underlying his words.

"Oh, but it is," Zenin-san's voice drops darkly, almost as if he is about to–

"Says who? You?"

Shiki blinks.

Then whirls around towards the new voice with a sudden burst of something inexplicably bright in her chest, "Satoru-niichan!"

She is greeted by the unexpected sight of her white-haired cousin waltzing up behind to them with an easy stroll, grinning brightly. He's wearing a light blue yukata and a dark pair of glasses, and stands out easily from all the rest of the festival-goers… especially with all the non-sorcerers giving their little gathering a wide berth.

… Shiki really hadn't expected to see her cousin tonight, given how busy she knew him to be. What was he doing here?

"Shiki! My adorable little cousin," Satoru-niichan flashes her a brilliant smile, then turns to deal with Zenin-san. Who is abruptly looking a lot more unsure of himself, with Satoru-niichan's arrival on the scene. "Zenin Naoya… picking on children, are we? Tsk, tsk. Do I need to have another word with your clan about respecting boundaries?"

"You are mistaken," the other sorcerer responds after a slight pause, suddenly a lot less confrontational than he'd been mere moments ago. "I wasn't doing anything of the sort."

"You weren't were you?" Her cousin briefly lowers the glasses obscuring his eyes, crystalline blue eyes gleaming preternaturally with just the faintest hint of something undeniably warning. "Lying is rather unbecoming behavior, wouldn't you agree?"

Zenin-san grits his teeth, but wisely remains silent.

Satoru-niichan snorts derisively, and slides his glasses back up. "Run along, Naoya. You're lucky that I'm in a good mood right now. But if I find any Zenins sniffing around the kids again –trust me, you're not going to like the consequences. Is that clear?"

Stubborn, mullish silence.

"I said, is that clear?"

"… Crystal," the other sorcerer finally says grudgingly with a sigh. Shiki flicks her eyes suspiciously between him and her cousin –Zenin-san is looking a little decidedly stiff, his body coiled and tense. And Satoru-niichan is still smiling.

"Great! Glad we've sorted things out." The white-haired young man claps his hands together. "Off you go, then. Shoo, shoo."

Zenin-san spins on his heel and leaves without another word. The twin Zenin girls both bow deeply towards Satoru-niichan, before hurriedly trailing after their clan heir with visible reluctance. Shiki can't say that she blames them.

… She's never stopped to think about things like this, but it really looks like she lucked out with Satoru-niichan being the Gojo clan heir, instead of someone like Zenin Naoya.

Or rather, clan head, currently.

"So," her cousin starts casually in wake of Zenin-san's departure, "Want to tell me why you thought it was a great idea to sneak out without a single word to your favorite Toru-nii? You're lucky that Yuzuki was the one to find your note, you might've given Kiyohira a heart attack otherwise. Not that I'm complaining, or anything."

"I didn't want to alert any of the elders, since they would've made things difficult," Shiki responds, feeling faintly guilty now that Satoru-niichan is standing right in front of her. Everything made sense in her head, but for some reason seeing him like this makes her feel like she's still made a severe mistake somewhere. "And… we wouldn't have been gone for long. You were busy, so I didn't want to distract you, either."

"Silly little thing," Satoru-niichan's hand pats down on her head, ruffling her hair affectionately. "No matter how busy I am, I'll always have time for my favorite little cousin."

Oh. That's…

Shiki tilts her head up to look at him. "Really?"

"Really," the young man confirms. "Honestly, I can't believe you snuck out to a festival without me! I could've been here enjoying the festival with you kids instead of going over the boring logistical details for tomorrow again with Utahime. Who needs to go over the exact same checklist twenty times, anyways?"

"… We got you some castella."

Satoru-niichan perks up at the mention of sweets, "Castella?"

"Tsumiki-san has it," Shiki had passed the boxed cakes over to Tsumiki-san along with her consolation goldfish earlier. "… When did you notice we were missing?"

"Oh, I noticed the instant the three of you left the second layer of wards around the clan's holdings," her cousin answers, distracted by the castella cakes that Tsumiki-san hurriedly hands over to him. Yuzuki-san takes the cue to step over and check on the Fushiguro siblings, who both look to be a little shaken by the encounter with the Zenin heir. "I wasn't too concerned, since you were with the Fushiguros… I didn't realize you guys came all the way down to the festival, though, I thought it was just lantern-watching nearby. Yuzuki was sneaky enough to pass your note to Utahime, who then passed it on to me under the elders' eyelids, so ta-da! Here we are. And just in time, too apparently. Was Naoya bothering you guys?"

"Zenin-san wasn't a problem," Shiki says, entirely truthful. Sure, Zenin Naoya had been rather irritating to deal with, but he did not pose any real threat. Not like… "We ran into two other sorcerers earlier, though, before encountering Zenin-san. I don't know if they were curse users or not… Do you happen to know anything about a 'Kaori' and a 'Souren?'"

Satoru-niichan chews on a bite-sized castella cake. "Off the top of my head, the names aren't ringing any bells. Did something happen?"

The little girl slowly shakes her head in the negative. "They didn't… do anything. But… something about them felt off. I don't really know how to describe it. I couldn't sense them at all until they were right in front of me."

Her cousin frowns, "I'll look into it, then. Any defining features to watch out for?"

"'Kaori' is a woman with a line of stitches across her head," Shiki mimes drawing her own finger across her head, where she'd seen those strange stitches on the unsettling sorcerer. "'Souren' is a man with dark hair, and he has this… heavy, solemn sort of aura that affects his surroundings. But it didn't seem like it was powered by his cursed energy… not entirely, at least…"

"Hmm." Satoru-niichan makes a thoughtful sound and pops a bite-sized castella cake into his mouth. "Shouldn't be too hard to find them, if they're that distinctive. I'll take a look around. Man, what are all these sorcerers doing out here? Why is everyone running around like this during Obon, of all times?"

"That's what I'd also like to know as well," the little girl sighs, faintly aggrieved. "I thought sorcerers usually avoided festivals, so there would be a low chance of us running into trouble with anyone here…"

"There, there," her cousin pats her on the shoulder. "Here, have a castella cake! Take it from me; everything is always better after some sugar."

For emphasis, the white-haired young man nods sagely.

"… But I don't like sweets?" Shiki responds, bewildered.

Satoru-niichan heaves a gusty, exaggerated sigh. "Y'know, that's what I thought at first, too."

.

.

They end up returning to the Gojo residence in Kyoto soon after being found by Satoru-niichan. Shiki makes sure to thank Yuzuki-san for his part in leading her cousin to them, to which the older boy responds with a dry, 'You're welcome, please don't do it again.'

And also, a little more quietly with a lowered voice, "It's not like you to be so… impulsive. Can I ask what made you decide to sneak out to the festivities this year? … Was it the Fushiguros?"

Shiki shrugs. "True, if it wasn't for them, I would not have gone. But I was also… curious, I guess."

Yuzuki-san tilts his head. Then, softly, "… What was it like?"

Shiki blinks questioningly. "You didn't take a look around yourself while we were there?"

"I was a little more preoccupied with finding my missing friend," the boy responds wryly.

"… I'm sorry for the trouble."

Yuzuki-san shakes his head. "How many times do I have to remind you that it's completely unnecessary for you to apologize for every little thing?"

He doesn't actually sound annoyed –the words are more spoken out of habit than anything else, by this point, and Shiki hides a small smile behind her sleeve.

If it wasn't for his frail health… Shiki thinks that Yuzuki-san would've enjoyed seeing the festivities, too.

The boy sighs heavily. "I can't believe you decided provoking Zenin Naoya was a good idea. You know that things are rather sensitive between the Gojo and Zenin clans right now!"

"Zenin-san didn't exactly give me very many options."

"I know, but even so…" Yuzuki-san shakes his head, "Hopefully he doesn't hold a grudge over this. Although, knowing what the Zenins are like…"

Shiki isn't particularly concerned –like she'd mentioned to Satoru-niichan, Zenin-san is not a threat.

"It doesn't matter," she tells Yuzuki-san. "The Kamo Clan isn't particularly fond of me already, so what's one more?"

The boy looks at her tiredly, "That's not exactly reassuring, Shiki-san."

Unlike Yuzuki-san who is worried but resigned, the Fushiguro siblings are harder for Shiki to read. For all that Tsumiki-san and Megumi-san had seemed to enjoy themselves during the festival outing, it appeared that the unexpected encounters with other sorcerers had ended up souring things. Both of the Fushiguro children are unusually quiet the following morning, Tsumiki-san more so than Megumi-san.

Shiki… doesn't know what to say. 'It's not your fault that we were accosted by multiple sorcerers' seems rather obvious. The same goes for 'It's not your fault I decided to sneak us out to the festival.' Tsumiki-san and Megumi-san had convinced her, yes, but neither of the Fushiguro siblings actually possessed the capability to force Shiki to do anything. Particularly not if it was against her will.

She says as much to Tsumiki-san, although she's unsure if it's effective in any way whatsoever, given the watery eyes that are turned on her afterwards. Shiki awkwardly makes her excuses and escapes to attend the training session that Satoru-niichan had arranged for her.

… Technically, it's a 'training session.' In reality, though, it's more of a casual break where Shiki is led to a table with tea and leftover castella cakes, and introduced to a young woman with long dark hair and warm brown eyes. The woman is wearing the traditional dress of a shrine maiden, a white kosode and scarlet hakama. Going by that dignified, graceful air, Shiki would not be surprised to learn that she is a trained priestess–

"This is Iori Utahime! An expert in ceremonial rituals and dances, and part-time sorcerer on the side," Satoru-niichan introduces cheerfully, "Utahime, this is–"

"I am a sorcerer!" The illusion of dignified grace instantly shatters; Iori-san whirls on Satoru-niichan with an incensed expression. "When will you learn to show some–"

"–Shiki, the cutest little cousin you'll ever see–"

"–for heaven's sakes, act like–"

"–don't hand her a knife, unless–"

"–no sense of respect! You're always–"

Shiki blinks disconcertedly, and slowly takes a long sip of her tea as the introductions devolve from there.

… It takes a while for things to finally settle down again. Iori Utahime turns out to be one of Satoru-niichan's upperclassmen from the Tokyo jujutsu school. The woman is a Grade 2 sorcerer who is also well-versed in traditional performances and rituals, to the point where she is actually more often called upon for those than exorcism missions… which explains Satoru-niichan's comment earlier, much to Iori-san's ire.

It also explains why Satoru-niichan had brought Shiki to meet her in the first place.

"If you've got any questions about the okuribi, ask away! Utahime is very experienced with this sort of thing."

Iori-san ignores Satoru-niichan completely in favor of picking up her own teacup, and blows gently on it before taking a sip. The entire motion is smooth and graceful, the way Shiki has only observed in her tutor for tea ceremonies.

… That Satoru-niichan is actively encouraging Shiki to ask any questions to Iori-san implies that he trusts her, despite the seemingly-antagonistic nature of their relationship with each other. And the way that she berates him with zero hesitation in their banter… Satoru-niichan is the Gojo clan head. Iori-san must be aware of the sort of weight that the Gojo name carries; the woman knows that Satoru-niichan is the 'honored one,' and what it implies. That she is able to overlook it all and comfortably interact with him like this…

For all of Satoru-niichan's apparent lack of confidence in her strength as a sorcerer, it does not seem to affect his confidence in her as a person. Shiki doesn't think that Iori-san is anything like Geto-san was –is– to Satoru-niichan, but it's clear that he trusts her to a significant degree, even if it's not quite the same.

So.

"Hello, Iori-san," Shiki folds her hands on her lap and bows politely to the young woman. "It's a pleasure to meet you. I will be in your care."

Iori-san seems a little startled by the greeting, but quickly recomposes herself. "The pleasure is mine, Gojo Shiki."

"Just 'Shiki' is fine."

Disconcertingly enough, despite the agitation and impatience that she had displayed earlier with Satoru-niichan, Iori-san's attitude and personality turns out to be more or less the same as Shiki's impression of the woman –refined, elegant, and graceful. Iori-san is also very knowledgeable about the various traditions and rituals relating to Obon, and her explanations are concise and easy to understand. Better than some of the tutors that Shiki has had, actually, and Iori-san blushes lightly when Shiki informs her of that.

"That's very kind of you to say," the woman demurs, raising her teacup for another dainty sip and covering her face from view at the same time. A maneuver that Shiki makes a mental note of; it seems like something that would be useful if she ever needed to hide her face or fill in a pause during a conversation over tea.

"It's just the truth." Iori-san is a good teacher. Talking things through with someone clearly knowledgeable like this also eases some of Shiki's own anxiety regarding her role, which–

…

… oh. Had… had that been Satoru-niichan's goal behind introducing Shiki to Iori Utahime like this?

The little girl glances suspiciously at her cousin, who seems content to watch them silently from the sidelines. Satoru-niichan catches her eye and flashes her a quick smile, but says nothing –which is as good as a verbal admission here, really.

Something in Shiki's chest warms at this realization.

… Despite the numerous unexpected distractions at the festival last night, Shiki has been working hard for this all this time. She's done all the preparations she could.

Shiki is ready for this.

Or at least, as ready as she'll ever be.

.

.

The okuribi is the last event of Obon, in which the three-day festival finally draws to a close. In Kyoto, the Gozan no Okuribi is a popular event with many attendees coming to witness the grand, spectacular view. Five giant bonfires are lit upon the mountains surrounding the city in this culminating event, each forming specific shapes and characters.

The first is the dai character, lit on Nyoigatake. Then, following dai, myo and ho are lit at Matsugasaki. After that, the funagata is lit on Nishigamo, flames forming the shape of a boat –a symbolic vessel for deceased spirits to travel upon. The hidari daimonji is then lit on Daihokusan, and finally, the toriigata on Mandarasan.

Each bonfire burns for half an hour to forty minutes, and each successive fire is ignited five to ten minutes after the preceding one. Once the ritual has been completed in full, it signifies that all visiting spirits have returned to the netherworld once more, amidst the flickering flames.

There are specific families responsible for performing this crucial task, tirelessly carrying out their duties generation after generation. They are the ones to organize and conduct the ritual for the Gozan no Okuribi that is as much a tourist attraction as it is a spiritual ceremony.

But the Three Great Families are the ones to organize a final, secret okuribi –a sending flame specifically for sorcerers.

Sorcerers differed from their non-sorcerer counterparts simply by virtue of their cursed energy. While all humans possessed cursed energy to some degree, a sorcerer was defined by their capacity to generate and contain it. To channel it into various techniques. If the cursed energy that a non-sorcerer possessed could be described as a candle flame flickering in the night, then a sorcerer's would be a brilliant bonfire.

The final okuribi involved a very specific ritual. Music, drums. Calming chants, for pacifying restless spirits. Most importantly–

A bonfire, blazing brightly. There would be a curtain barrier drawn over everything, to hide the ceremony from the eyes of non-sorcerers, but sorcerers would light their own bonfire, and send forth a representative. Said representative would carry with them strips of cedar in a bamboo torch, light it in the bonfire, and then–

Dance.

A dance to show gratitude for the brave sorcerers who fell in their line of duty. To show respect and acknowledge their suffering. To light the path forward for them to move on in death, lest they linger and become curses on this plane in their own right.

Both the final bonfire and the dancing would last for the same duration as the bonfires of the non-sorcerers' Gozan no Okuribi. Half an hour to forty minutes.

And that would be Shiki's role: Dancing.

… Typically, this would be a task assigned to a veteran well-versed in performing similar rituals of import. However, given that the majority of those in the Gojo Clan who were skilled in such traditional arts were aligned with Takatomi-sama, who did not support Satoru-niichan at all, somehow the candidate for this role this year ended up being Shiki.

Satoru-niichan had asked her, and Shiki had accepted the role. It wasn't as if she minded helping her cousin, and… she could understand his reasoning for it.

First, the dancer in question had to be a Gojo. The Three Great Families took turns being in charge of the final okuribi each year; for such a vital role to be handed off to an outsider implied incompetency on behalf of the clan in charge. Which explained why Satoru-niichan hadn't simply asked Iori-san to take on the demanding task. It wasn't a role that could be assumed on the fly, either, requiring significant training and preparation beforehand, which narrowed down the list of potential candidates even further.

Satoru-niichan would've had no trouble doing it himself, if push came to shove, but then that would've been a political and social disaster. The clan head himself, taking on a role that was meant to be assigned to lesser clansmen? Dancing and putting himself on display in a performance for all sorcerers to see?

… Shiki gets the feeling that this sort of humiliation and power-play is exactly what Takatomi had been angling for, when the Gojo Clan's specialists in this area all mysteriously became unavailable during Obon. Either Satoru-niichan would have to appoint an unqualified candidate and face the negative repercussions, or go up and perform himself, which… really wasn't any better, honestly.

To be perfectly blunt, Shiki doesn't consider herself to be the best choice for this task. While she knows how to dance and does genuinely enjoy it, her 'extracurricular' lessons all come as distant secondaries to swordplay. Shiki understands why this is the case: Her ability with a sword is tied to the effective utilization of her cursed technique, which is directly correlated to her chance of survival as a sorcerer in the future.

Unfortunately, it means that Shiki is confident in her skill wielding a blade, but not much else.

Is she still panicking a little bit? … Maybe.

But despite everything–

"I trust you," Satoru-niichan had said, back when she'd quietly questioned him if he was sure, asking her to do this. And how could Shiki possibly not respond to that unwavering faith and confidence in her?

…

The little girl breathes in deeply. Then breathes out, a long exhale.

Shiki lifts her head and walks forward into the firelight.

There is an impressive bonfire crackling merrily in the middle of the forest clearing. And around the clearing, there are thin folding screens, ostensibly to give the illusion of privacy to sorcerers viewing the ceremony and to the performers themselves. Lanterns are strung upon the branches, illuminating areas where the bonfire itself does not reach.

It's quite a spectacular bonfire; towering easily five times Shiki's height, flames licking hungrily into the air in a crackling inferno.

"Ojou-sama."

The girl acknowledges the servant who approaches her with a silent nod. He responds by bowing and lowering himself to present her with a long length of bamboo, one affixed with strips of cedar wood in the torch attached to its end.

"Thank you, Choki."

The man bows again, even deeper than before, "It is an honor to be of service, ojou-sama."

Shiki takes the long staff in hand, and strides towards the fire.

The searing heat is scorching as she approaches, but a thin barrier of cursed energy is enough to block it out. There is a brief moment when the delicate cloth mask on her face flutters dangerously as a nighttime summer breeze whistles past, casting up a small shower of glowing amber sparks into the air in its wake.

It's a good thing that her clothes have been specially treated –not to the same extent as armor, but they were much more durable than regular clothing. Her white kosode and dark blue hakama remain pristine and untouched.

Without any further fanfare, Shiki lowers her torch into the crackling bonfire. It's only the work of moments before the torch itself is aflame, burning brightly.

… This is it, then.

Shiki turns around, and slowly raises the blazing torch into the air.

Drumbeat.

One, two. Slow at first, because it's meant to be calming. To invite wayward, wandering souls to the fire. Shiki slides her foot forward and glides with each beat, every movement slow and deliberate as she slowly circles around the bonfire. She turns, drawing the torch behind her in a trail of crimson flames, for the performer is meant to take on the guiding role. To illuminate the path forward, so deceased souls may move on and find peace in their final rest.

It's… a curious thing. These souls are dead, so they must move on –yet at the same time, given their restless return to this mortal coil, did that not mean they were still irrevocably attached to life?

Dead, but not. Yet not quite living, either.

The increasing tempo of the drums sound thunderously in her ears, and Shiki can feel it down to her bones. She breathes quietly, in and out, and the surrounding heat scorches her lungs. It makes her alive.

Shiki is alive, yet these souls are not.

They are dead, but still clinging to life so desperately, the way only the living can. The way that only those who continually fight, fight, fight can. They crave it –the warmth of life, all the little joys and happinesses that life is composed of. Even the pain and the anger that comes with living, because it's familiar. It's all they know, all they were ever meant to process and understand.

The human experience is an intensely dynamic one. It consists of all manner of activity and stimuli, sensations and emotions, but it's a state of being that is only meant for those who are alive. Without it, there is absolutely… nothing. There's nothing left. Nothing at all.

Nothingness.

Emptiness.

And it's frightening, for those who know nothing else.

… Ah, so that's why this is a pacification and sending ritual all mixed into one, isn't it? Because humans fear death. No, it's more than that. It's more like… like human minds are not meant to comprehend it.

But it's something that Shiki understands very, very well.

This sudden realization loosens something inside her. It lightens her footsteps, as she spins and twirls and leaps into the air, and Shiki is keenly aware of herself being connected to these converging souls, simply by virtue of that very same emptiness dwelling in her core.

And for a split second, everything is crystal clear.

(In the aftermath of it all, Shiki will look back on this moment with no small amount of confusion, and wonder what she had been thinking at the time. Her recollection of it will be a blur, the fire and the dancing. The simple epiphany that she'd reached beneath the stars.

But in the here and now–)

Shiki stomps her feet and kicks up into the air in a nimble flip. Flames swirl around her body, scattering a thousand glowing golden embers upwards into the nighttime sky.

And for the very first time since she'd woken up with these cursed eyes of hers, she finally feels at peace.

.

.

Extra.

.

"Oh my."

The words slip out from her mouth without any conscious thought. Iori Utahime stares, wide-eyed, and feels her voice die in her throat from the extraordinary sight before her.

And what an extraordinary sight it is.

Countless shimmering golden lights slowly rise upwards into the nighttime air; kaleidoscopic stardust glittering in the inky backdrop of the night sky, as the white-haired little girl responsible for it… continues dancing obliviously. How is she remaining so calm?!

This exceptional phenomenon is one that Utahime recognizes instantly, even through her stunned shock. It's a sign of a successful sending –a truly successful sending, rather than a token ritual with only superficial suppression effects. The sign of a sending ritual that truly lays tormented souls to rest, releasing them from the curses binding them to the mortal realm, so as to allow them to move on.

Those who have passed are at long last released unto their final rest; blessed lights of purest gold, scattered unto the skies, to illuminate the radiant path forward–

This is exactly word for word what Utahime has come across in one of her rare historical texts on purification ceremonies. She has never thought that she would have the honor of witnessing a sight like this in person, though… never mind that the one to bring forth this phenomenon would be Gojo's 'cute little cousin,' whom he'd asked her to give, "Just a few pointers to! Shiki is great at picking things up quickly!"

From the sharp intakes of breath and fierce muttering that Utahime can hear exploding from the surrounding sorcerers, it's clear that nobody expected this. At all.

"This is unprecedented. Has there ever been any sorcerer of the Great Clans that–"

"That's the blessed child. That's the Gojo Clan's blessed child, isn't it? How in the world–"

"The lights, the ritual, did the child really–?"

A low chuckle next to her ear breaks her out of her dazed shock and inadvertent eavesdropping.

"Nice job Utahime! I knew it was a good idea to direct Shiki to you for some extra advice."

Utahime tenses from the sudden attention that lands squarely on her shoulders as a direct result of that statement. While Gojo's words were an unmistakable confirmation of her abilities that added a direct boost to her reputation for the study and performance of traditional rituals, the truth was–

"I had nothing to do with it," Utahime responds stiffly. She knows what she covered in her conversation with the unusually bright little girl, and this most certainly hadn't been a part of anything whatsoever.

Gojo laughs, an obnoxious sound that grates on Utahime's nerves. "Aww, c'mon, don't be like that. No need to deny anything."

Deny it? Utahime is barely able to hold herself back from openly scoffing. It was impossible to deny already –the clans all had their ways of keeping tabs on each other, and it would easily be the work of moments to confirm that Utahime had truly met with Shiki, prior to the girl's performance tonight. The contents of their conversation would remain secret, since Gojo had been present the entire time, but given what he'd just said out loud for everyone to hear–

Was he trying to help her, or give her an aneurysm? With Gojo, this sort of thing was always hard to decipher. And this type of attention from the sorcery clans that he'd drawn to her… it had the potential to be very useful if she could play her cards right, but it could also just as easily backfire on her if she wasn't careful.

Ugh. Why did Gojo have to be like this? Would it kill him to actually try to talk things out for once, before charging ahead and expecting everyone else to stumble along blindly while working things out on their own?

… Admittedly, it wasn't likely, given the irreverent man-child's behavior in all the years that she'd known him.

Thank goodness his personality hadn't rubbed off on little Shiki. Despite the uncanny similarities in their coloration, their personalities were mercifully nothing alike. Utahime has always had a soft spot for children, but she doesn't think she would be able to deal with two Gojo Satorus.

It had been a relief to realize that Gojo Shiki was soft-spoken and polite –a far cry from a certain someone who she could name.

… Utahime has heard rumors about the girl before, prior to meeting her. The blessed child. Going by looks alone, she honestly wouldn't have pegged the girl to be Nanami's niece, but genetics could be funny like that. Although Shiki looked more like Gojo's sister than Nanami's niece, at least her personality held more similarities to Nanami than Gojo, which was really the most important thing here.

And aside from that… her abilities…

…

It wasn't like Utahime didn't know about the whispers of Gojo Shiki being the so-called 'second coming' of Gojo Satoru. But it was something that was a little hard to buy into –the jujutsu world already had its hands full with Gojo Satoru alone. And now the Gojo Clan was claiming to have a second one? Was this their way of trying to compensate for their lack of active sorcerers, compared to the other Great Families?

Looking at the golden lights rising into the air, at the white-haired girl dancing with an almost otherworldly grace in the center of it…

Is it true? A second Gojo Satoru?

Gojo Satoru was Gojo Satoru because of his gifts, his powerful cursed technique and his near-omniscient cursed eyes that cemented his unparalleled superiority as a sorcerer, his boundless cursed energy that–

Cursed energy.

Utahime startles as a sudden thought occurs to her. Despite her apparent ability and talent, Shiki is still so young, and factoring this unexpected phenomenon of golden lights, if the girl's cursed energy couldn't keep up–

"Gojo, there's still well over half an hour of everything remaining," she drops her voice and whispers urgently. "Shiki's cursed energy, will she even be able to–?"

"Don't worry about it," Gojo waves a hand dismissively as he responds to her worries in a perfectly normal tone of voice that's wholly unconcerned. "Shiki might only be nine years old, but in the Gojo Clan, her cursed energy far outstrips everyone but me. It's not a problem."

Utahime sucks in a sharp breath, feeling a chill run down her spine despite the heat of the roaring bonfire and the summer night. Gojo Shiki's cursed energy reserves were second only to Gojo Satoru?!

"I… see," she says, feeling a bit faint, instinctively looking out towards the dancing girl once more.

Graceful steps. Fluid movements. The young girl is light on her feet, in a manner that's less seen in children and more in practiced dancers –or skilled sorcerers.

Pale skin. White hair. And, though her face is currently covered by a veil of white cloth, cursed blue eyes. Not quite the same as Gojo's Six Eyes, but if the rumors were to be believed… then the girl's eyes were quite powerful in their own right.

… Utahime thinks she's finally starting to understand why Nanami hadn't seemed to be any less stressed even after having reunited with his little niece. With this sort of ability, this level of raw power, and the keen attention of the Gojo Clan…

…

Gojo Shiki has a rough path ahead of her, that's for sure. Utahime finds herself rather fond of the girl –if only because Shiki is polite and respectful and yes, cute, as long as you don't stare too long into her eyes– so she'll probably try to keep an eye out for the girl in the future, when she can.

Although with a cousin like Gojo Satoru watching out for her, maybe that was a moot sentiment.

… Maybe.