Chapter 9: Belonging

Makima stood up slowly, feeling the weight of her own exhaustion. The air in the alley was thick, and in the distance, the presence of several sorcerers began to become noticeable. She barely had enough energy left, her eyes felt heavy, but she maintained her composure. She glanced at Rika, who still wore a confused and frightened expression, overwhelmed by the new and complex emotions surging through her.

"We need to leave," Makima said quietly, extending her hand toward Rika.

Without hesitation, Rika took it. Though her heart was still full of fear and confusion, there was something in Makima's voice that soothed her, something that told her following was the right thing to do.

Behind them, Yuta tried to stop them. "Wait!" His voice rang out, laced with desperation. The young man felt as if something terrible was happening. Rika was by his side, yet something was missing. There was a void that terrified him. He knew that this girl, Makima, had something to do with it. He wanted to get closer, but then he felt a chill run down his spine.

Irritated by Yuta's persistence, Makima slowly turned to look at him. This time, her eyes shone with overwhelming intensity, far stronger than before. She had no patience left for him. This girl belonged to her now, and she wouldn't let Yuta interfere any longer. Raising her hand confidently, she reinforced her Cursed Domination technique. She knew she needed to save her energy for what lay ahead, but she couldn't let Yuta continue to be a nuisance. She wouldn't summon her chains; she didn't need that much to make him yield.

"Leave. Now."

Makima's voice echoed in the air like an unyielding command. Yuta's body shook violently, as if something invisible was crushing him. He could feel his mind fighting to resist, but the harder he tried to disobey, the more unbearable the pressure in his head became. It was as if an invisible wall was pressing him down from within, suffocating any attempt at rebellion.

Yuta knew what was happening. He knew his will was being broken. He tried to resist, his heart pounding as he watched Rika, his best friend, walk away with that strange girl. Rika... she didn't seem like herself. Fear gripped him, but he was paralyzed. Makima's eyes kept him imprisoned.

The boy who had witnessed everything took a step back, frightened. Just moments ago, Rika had been lying in a pool of blood, on the brink of death, and then that girl, Makima, healed her. It seemed like a miracle, but something about Makima was deeply unsettling. Her eyes... those eyes were terrifying.

Without another word, Makima turned away from Yuta and began to walk, taking Rika with her. The curse that had formed between them was deep, far deeper than Yuta could understand. Makima had decided: Rika was hers now.

Gojo walked with his hands in his pockets, as the night sky darkened further over the city. He had been given a rather peculiar mission: find a girl, a possible heir to the Zenin clan. It seemed like a bad joke to him. He already had enough on his plate looking after Megumi, who carried that clan's blood, and now the world seemed determined to throw more Zenin children his way to protect. He sighed, annoyed by the irony of it all.

He had received reports about a massive release of cursed energy a few days ago. An explosion so intense that it had attracted multiple curses. Several sorcerers had been sent to clean up the mess, and now, Gojo was there, sensing the same disturbance in the air. However, something unusual caught his attention. Two energies, barely perceptible but definitely present, intertwined. If it weren't him, no one else would have noticed.

Uncovering his eyes, the world became clear before him. He began to follow the trail calmly. He passed through an alley, then by a burger shop, a candy store, and even a hotel. The trail seemed endless, until he finally reached a laundromat. There they were, two girls. It was 10 PM, and both were sitting, one with black hair sleeping on the lap of the other, who had red hair.

Gojo observed them for a moment, then checked the photo he had been given. He sighed again. It was the same girl. The weariness was visible in his eyes.

He entered the laundromat, and his blue eyes met the golden eyes of the red-haired girl. In that instant, he felt something beyond the ordinary. The amount of cursed energy emanating from those eyes was immense, even though the girl seemed exhausted—not from lack of sleep, but from overuse of her power.

"Gojo Satoru, right?" Makima broke the silence, her voice calm yet tense.

The sound woke Rika, who opened her eyes and, seeing the man standing before them, became frightened. Until that moment, they hadn't had any trouble with people, but Makima had said she needed to rest. They went to a hotel, but Makima had never managed to sleep. She said that while her body was exhausted, she had never experienced the need to sleep. And what was worse, her body wasn't recharging its cursed energy normally. Makima's eyes, that immense source of power, seemed never to stop being active.

Makima stared intently at him. "I'll take you home," Gojo said calmly, unfazed.

As he stepped towards them, Makima muttered something, raising her hand toward him. She aimed at his head and released a small fraction of her Cursed Domination. Gojo tilted his head slightly, and the wall behind him violently contracted, crumbling into a small hole.

"Hey, that's not cool," Gojo replied, his tone casual.

When he turned his gaze back to the girls, they had both disappeared. He quickly scanned the area with his eyes, finding them two blocks away. "…How did they get there so fast?" he muttered, intrigued.

Makima couldn't take it anymore. She collapsed to the ground, gasping for breath, squeezing her eyes shut with the little strength she had left.

"I was too careless... I didn't realize my ability to regenerate energy was so weakened," she murmured, exhausted.

Rika, unsure of what to do, knelt beside Makima, clearly worried. Meanwhile, Gojo appeared behind them without a sound. Rika, without thinking, stepped between him and Makima. Though she didn't know how to use the energy Makima had mentioned, she put on her bravest face and raised her fists.

Gojo looked at her and nearly couldn't help but laugh at the cuteness. This girl, with her determined expression, could kill any curse… but only from how adorable she was. He stepped forward calmly.

Rika, terrified, threw a punch with all her courage. But the blow never landed. Confused, she opened one eye and saw her fist was just inches from Gojo, but it couldn't move any further.

"Huh...?" she whispered, bewildered.

Gojo just smiled and gently touched Rika's forehead with his finger, rendering her unconscious instantly.

Now, his eyes settled on Makima. If looks could kill, he would already be dust.

"How dare you…?" the girl murmured, hatred in her voice. "Die…"

Gojo felt something strange in his mind, a pressure.

"Die," Makima repeated, this time with more force, trying to activate her Cursed Domination with all the power she had left.

But, to her horror, it seemed not to affect him. Blood began to pour from Makima's eyes, and her ears started to bleed as well.

"You damned bastard! What did you do to her? No one but me can punish my dogs. No one!" she screamed, furious.

Makima was on the verge of collapse. Desperate, she tried to summon her chains, using what little cursed energy she had left. But Gojo was faster. With the same ease as before, he touched her forehead, causing her to lose consciousness.

"Whew, that was intense… God, are all Zenin like this? Scary!" he muttered with a smile, as he picked up both girls and vanished with them in the blink of an eye.