Chapter Text
She remembered when they first met. It was a mild, warm day. Day one of the yearly exchange between the Kyoto and Tokyo technical schools for Jujutsu. She was a first year while he was a second year.
Early 2006
It was her first time at the other Jujutsu school in Tokyo. Whoever won the previous goodwill event hosted the current year’s event, so apparently her school had lost. Like Kyoto’s campus, this one was large and well disguised—she noticed as her green eyes took in her surroundings. There was a peaceful air to it that—
”Who said you could walk in front of me, woman?”
Reina glared at the young man who shoved passed her, making sure he bumped shoulders as he took his place in front of her as they walked. Her fingers twitched at her side, the urge to smack the back of his head tempting, but she knew better than to take his bait, especially in the presence of other people.
”That asshole has it coming,” came the whisper of fellow first year, Mibuchi Kana. “Just wait.”
Reina’s lips quirked upwards as she glanced at her classmate who walked beside her through the corner of her eye. Like her, Kana was subject to his less than gracious attitude toward women, but unlike her, Kana only dealt with him at school.
At fifteen, after years of living in the Zenin estate, Reina was fortunately (unfortunately) used to Zenin Naoya’s ways and the mindset of the clan.
Not only was she an illegitimate child born into the Zenin clan, but she was a female born into a clan that devalued the opposite sex. Her only saving grace was being blessed with an above average amount of curse energy. Without that, she would have been considered the second blight to her father’s name.
Her cursed energy first manifested shortly after her fifth birthday when she noticed her first “monster”. Her father must have had eyes on her because once hints of curse energy and a possible technique manifested, she was whisked away to the Zenin compound. Up until then she had been living with her mother.
She was five years old when she met her father, Zenin Soichiro, for the first time. He was a tall, well built man with a rugged face. Hellish would be the only way to describe the time spent with him. He was rough with her, seemingly taking out his frustrations with the failure of his second son, her older half brother, on her.
She honestly didn’t understand how such a brute of a man managed to charm her delicate mother, and given the Zenin track record with women, she had a feeling charm wasn’t exactly the right word.
”Oof-“ Reina made a small noise as her front collided with the clothed back of her fellow clan member.
He turned his head slightly, just enough for her to see the corner of his narrowed eye. Reina rolled her eyes, stepping into back before crossing her arms over her chest.
Their group had come to a stop once they reached the top of a large set of stairs where they were greeted by their Tokyo counterparts. A group of seven students to match their group of seven, and the principal and respective lead teacher.
”Ah, look who it is,” came an almost purposely obnoxious voice. “Zenin-san and Kamo-san, long time no see!”
Reina’s ears perked up as she peeked over Naoya’s shoulder, her eyes landing on the white haired, sunglasses clad student waving teasingly in their direction. She had never seen him before but she knew from description alone that this was the Gojo Satoru.
Naoya huffed but gave no other sign of acknowledgment, Kamo Saruhiko, an upperclassman of hers, did the same.
Typical, she thought at the exchange. Even the children of the three major clans kept up with tradition; the Zenin and Kamo putting aside their differences to collectively dislike the Gojo.
”Enough of that,” said the lead teacher of the Tokyo school as he clasped his hands together. She would later learn his name was Yaga Masamichi, the man who would eventually become principal of the Tokyo School for Jujutsu.
”Yes, let’s save all that for the event,” their lead teacher, Matsumoto Shinobu, agreed.
The Tokyo teacher continued, “The first round of the goodwill event, the group battle, will begin at noon. Until then, both schools are to relax in their respective areas.”
Reina munched on some crackers as she listened to Matsumoto-sensei go over what the objective and plan was for the group battle.
”Every year is the same, it’s a battle to see who can exorcise the second grade curse first before time runs out. If time runs out and the second grade isn’t exorcised, then it’s whichever team has taken out the most lower grade curses,” she explained.
”Are you listening, Kana?” Third year, Kamo Saruhiko questioned, his dark gaze directed to the brunette beside Reina who was nonchalantly filing her fingernails.
Kana nodded, “Yeah, yeah, defeat the second grade curse before the other school does yada yada.”
Saruhiko rolled his eyes as he reprimanded her, “You should be paying more attention, first year.”
”Why?” She questioned with a raised brow. “Worried you’ll lose again like last year, Saru?”
Reina almost cringed feeling the sudden shift of energy in the room. Everyone knew Saruhiko hated that nickname and Kana always chose to exploit that. She was all attitude, and if sorcerers could be given a grade based on sassiness she would be at least a grade one.
”Kana, please.” Reina sighed, lightly elbowing her in the side.
”Enough of that,” Matsumoto-sensei spoke, breaking the tension in the air. “What’s your course of action to win this year? Not that I doubt your capabilities, but Tokyo has two special grade sorcerers that gave you all trouble last year.” She directed the question at the second and third years.
”Unfortunately, that Gojo Satoru will always be a problem.” That came from the only other third year in the group, Kogane Kosuke. He was of average height and build with short red hair that brushed the top of his ears. He was one of the more levelheaded of her classmates.
“And it’s likely he’ll be accompanied by Geto Suguru, another problem,” second year, Watanabe Natsuo, chimed in.
”They work well as a team, so we can assume they’ll most likely be paired up,” second year, Sato Harumi, added.
Saruhiko brought a hand up to his chin as he spoke, “It’s best if we avoid them at all costs.”
Reina listened as they spoke. She already knew from what she’d heard around the Zenin estate that Gojo Satoru was an anomaly born with both of the inherited techniques of his clan. His strength was a given that she didn’t doubt, especially since Zenin clan leaders acknowledged it. Her upperclassmen’s words only solidified that.
It was quiet save for the sound of the wind rustling leaves as they walked through the densely packed forest. The Kyoto school opted to split up once the teachers made the overhead announcement that the group battle had begun. Somehow (no one else wanted to be partnered with him) Reina ended up with Naoya as her partner.
”We should try going in another direction,” Reina suggested. They’d been walking for some time and had yet to run into any cursed spirits or students from the other school, not that she was complaining; however, she did want to win.
Naoya came to an abrupt stop and glanced at her over his shoulder. Reina stopped as well just a few steps behind him. She found that Naoya was more inclined to be an asshole when they were alone, so she had chosen to walk a few steps behind him, not wanting to be reminded of “a woman’s place behind a man.”
”I don’t recall asking for your opinion, woman,” he sneered.
“I was simply making a suggestion, Naoya.”
”Talking back, hafu?”
“Don’t call me that, you bastard!” she bit out. She hated that disgusting word with a passion. She’d heard it wherever she went in the Zenin compound from her cousins to her own father.
Matsumoto let out an exasperated sigh as she watched the scene unfold on the screen. Her second and third years were already a handful, but this group of first year students was something else. Not only did Kana have an attitude as big Mount Fuji, but Naoya and Reina, who had both been enrolled by the Zenin clan, couldn’t go ten seconds without getting into some sort of altercation if they were left alone.
If it wasn’t one thing it was the other. Why couldn’t her students just get along? It made her wonder if she and her classmates were like that when she student over ten years ago. Sadly, most of those classmates from then had been casualties to the cruel reality of the jujutsu world.
”That Zenin boy is at it again, I see.” Principal Gakuganji spoke, none too pleased.
”Naobito’s son, isn’t he?” Principal Tsukuachi of the Tokyo school pondered.
”Yes, and he takes after his father in typical Zenin fashion,” Gakuganji confirmed.
A female alumna of the Kyoto school and one of Matsumoto’s surviving classmates, Sugimoto Ayuka, sighed as she leaned back in her seat to observe the scene. “That Zenin clan is just ridiculous, really.”
”Stuck in tradition,” Tenzin Jin, the male alumna next to Ayuka, added.
”I should go break it up” Matsumoto spoke, wincing as she watched Naoya shove Reina’s head back against a tree.
The young girl had amazing potential as a sorcerer-Matsumoto knew this because the Zenin family didn’t often enroll female members unless they had an impressive amount of cursed energy and/or a powerful technique. In Reina’s case she had both, but unfortunately she had trouble regulating her cursed energy when using her technique, made worse by her fatal flaw. Her emotions.
It was something Matsumoto had worked hard with her on since Reina first became her student, but it was still only a work in progress. While Reina didn’t have many triggers, the few she did have always got a rise and Naoya knew just what they were. Once she was riled up it was hard to get her back down.
”No, stay here,” Yaga stated as he tilted his head toward another screen to the left. “It looks like two of my students will be crossing paths with them soon.”
Matsumoto looked at the screen Yaga was talking about and wanted to scream when she saw which two students he was talking about.
Great.
Naoya was fully turned around at this point, a nasty look on his face as he regarded her.
”Who do you think you’re talking to, mutt?” He growled out, stepping up to her rather quickly and grabbing her by the face.
Curse that speed of his.
She flinched as he pushed her back, her clothed back hitting the rough bark of a tree. His fingers dug into her cheeks as he shoved her head back and leered down at her.
“We allowed you to play at being a Jujutsu sorcerer and now you’ve forgotten your place?”
”We?” Reina countered, words coming out slightly muffled as he squeezed her face. “Your father and my father allowed me to become a Jujutsu sorcerer. You didn’t allow me anything, you’re just a boy.”
At that Naoya growled, “Watch your mouth.” He sneered, his fingers digging even deeper into her cheeks. His nails would definitely leave marks later. “Half bred mongrel.”
Mutt. Half breed. Mongrel. Hafu. Words she detested, and words she’d heard most of her life in the Zenin clan. While they would take anyone into the clan if it meant increasing their power, they made it known she was different from them, the outcast, especially Naoya.
Her body moved on its own, the palm of her hand making harsh contact with his cheek. The force behind it causing his head to turn in the direction of the momentum.
The whole forest seemed to go silent for a moment. In that moment, less than a second, the brief look of shock that had washed onto his face turned into rage. His hand let go of her face only to travel down and wrap around her neck.
The slight elation she felt after slapping him was quickly replaced with panic as his fingers painfully dug into the skin of her neck.
”N-Naoya!” She gasped, eyes widening as her hands reached up to grab at his to try and loosen their grip.
”You bitch,” Naoya practically growled, as he leaned forward and pressed his body closer to her. It was even harder to find her breath with the weight of his body constricting her chest.
”You seem to have forgotten your place ever since my idiot father and uncle let you come here. Do I need to remind you of the only thing a hafu like you is good for?”
”B-bastard…” She choked out, nails digging into his hand to try and loosen his grip. “P-people…are…watching.”
He leaned back to watch her now reddened face and raised a thin eyebrow. “Do you think I care? Let them watch as I teach you obedience, mutt.”
Reina glared at him as best as she could through blurring vision. She was beginning to feel light headed and her legs were starting to feel weak. She really hated him.
”N-Naoya…” Her voice came out raspy, barely there as she tried to get in oxygen.
”Huh? I thought we were supposed to be fighting the other school’s students and cursed spirits, not our classmates.” Came a new, vaguely familiar, voice. She wouldn’t have been able to see who it was with Naoya blocking her view, but the black spots in her vision weren’t helping either. In fact, she was going to pass out any second now.
And as if sensing that she was about to become dead weight, Naoya released his grip, his hands dropping to his side as he stood up straighter.
Gasping for breath and legs on the verge of giving out, Reina fell forward onto his chest. Her head falling just under his chin and fists digging into his shirt as she tried to hold herself up.
”Stay out of it, Gojo,” Naoya warned, sending a glare at him over his shoulder only to realize that as predicted, he was with Geto Suguru.
”Nah, I don’t think I will.” Gojo’s voice almost held a playful lilt to it. “What do you think, Suguru?”
”I think you shouldn’t be so rough with girls, Zenin.”
Reina’s ears perked up at the new voice. The only words she could think of to describe it were mellow and sweet, like music to her ears. His voice brought a therapeutic wave of calmness over her that she’d never felt before.
”Tch.”
Reina felt Naoya shift, his left hand reaching out to grab a fistful of her hair. Her already bruised neck strained as he forced her to look up and meet his furious gaze.
”I’m not done with you.” He sounded even more angry than before, as if it were her fault the two Tokyo students showed up. “We’ll finish this later, mutt.” He threw her aside and was gone before she even knew what had happened.
She groaned after landing a few feet away on her side, just missing the thick root of a tree that surely would have bruised her even more than she already would be. She closed her eyes and released a heavy breath. She felt like screaming, like cutting something down with her prized cursed tool and screaming.
Fuck him. That bastard.
Not only had he embarrassed her in front of the opposing team and whoever was watching the cameras, but he left her alone with the two special grade sorcerers they were supposed to avoid at all costs.
Footsteps. She heard footsteps coming towards her, the two special grades without a doubt. She was only a grade three on her way to a semi-grade two. Realistically she wouldn’t be able to take on one of them, let alone the both of them.
”Ouch. That looked like it hurt.”
She opened her eyes and angled her head to see Gojo Satoru standing at her feet, peeking down at her through his dark glasses with a smirk.
His accomplice, Geto Suguru, was a bit closer to her, a look of concern on his face, as he asked, ”Are you alright?”
Reina’s lips opened slightly as her eyes drifted over him to take in his appearance. The first thing she thought as she looked him over was that the sweet, calming voice fit him perfectly. The second thought she had was that he was incredibly handsome, one of the most handsome men she’d ever seen. His hair was tied back in a loose bun, but she had a feeling he’d look beautiful with his hair down.
”Nice panties by the way. A little spicy for a school event though.”
Reina’s green eyes snapped back to the smirking Gojo before looking down and seeing that the bottom of her skirt was up flipped upwards after having been thrown back by Naoya.
Her eyes drifted back to Geto who looked at her sheepishly, the small upward tug of his lips letting her know he too had seen them.
Heat immediately rose to her face, the embarrassment she already felt increasing exponentially at the thought of these two boys, and probably everyone watching the camera, seeing her underwear.
”Here, need help?” Suguru offered his hand out to her, which she gingerly accepted.
Once she was back on her feet, she immediately smoothed down her uniform and brushed out any dirt or leaves that may have been on her. She shook her head back and forth a couple times, hoping nothing got tangled in her curls.
Now standing in front of them, their eyes on her, Reina felt small. She was in no way a small woman, being five foot seven, but both boys were tall, taller than Naoya who stood just an inch or two above her.
Reina shifted on her feet and clasped her hands together in front of her. She had no clue what to do. The group battle was still in progress, meaning at the moment Geto Suguru and Gojo Satoru were still her enemies, but they helped her.
”Um,” she murmured, looking at the two warily. “Thank you, but you didn’t need to step in.”
”No need to thank us,” Suguru said with a smile.
”Yeah, I can’t stand that Zenin brat anyways,” Satoru added. She thought it was ironic how someone who was a teenager was calling someone who was roughly the same age a brat.
”By the way, who are you?”
Reina’s brow rose at the question. While the question was very much valid, the way the white haired boy said it came off slightly rude.
”What he means to ask is: what’s your name?” Suguru corrected, shooting his classmate a sharp look. “You weren’t at the event last year so you must be new.”
Reina nodded her head as she responded, “First year, Zenin Reina.”
”Zenin?”
Present
Now, years later, he stood tall in front of her, with his hands casually in his pockets. A blast from the past she never had any intention of ever crossing paths with again.
”It’s been a while, darling.”