𝑬𝑴𝑷𝑰𝑹𝑬 𝑶𝑭 𝑮𝑶𝑳𝑫 ⇢ Gojo Satoru

𝐂𝐇𝐀𝐏𝐓𝐄𝐑 𝐈𝐈𝐈 - 𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐃𝐄𝐀𝐓𝐇 𝐎𝐅 𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐔𝐍𝐂𝐔𝐋𝐓𝐔𝐑𝐄𝐃

GETO SUGURU WAS DEAD – or at least he should have been, according to sorcerer extraordinaire Gojo Satoru, who had killed the man with his own two hands, sorcery and cursed energy be damned. In truth, the reality of it was far more complicated than what any of them could have possibly understood. Besides, it wasn't like people like them – people who exhumed power like the sun gave out heat – could die. Not really, anyways.

So, Geto Suguru was kind of dead.

Suguru smiled, leaning back against the deck chair, enjoying the blazing sun and the quiet murmur of the waves in the distance. He sensed the curse before it even materialized, its grotesque body appearing out of thin air in the middle of the beach.

In Suguru's eyes, Twisted was an ugly cursed spirit; it had no limbs and no eyes, its form misshapen and far less humanoid than the rest of his questionable allies. The three rows of sharp teeth were also off-putting, the putrid smell that emanated from its crooked mouth foul enough to make the sorcerer flinch away.

Part of him wondered why he had decided to ally himself with this particular curse; Twisted was very childlike, the remnants of the human it had once been peeking through the cracks despite the fact the curse had long lost its humanity. The curse was also a blabbermouth, keeping it quiet had proved to be quite the challenge and a fruitless endeavour in the end.

However, Twisted was also strong. It wasn't nearly as powerful as Mahito, but it was definitely on par with Hanami and maybe even Jogo.

"I told you to keep a low profile." Suguru greeted, snapping shut the book he'd been reading.

His demeanour was calm, but Twisted had spent enough time with the human-like presence to know it was nothing but a well-constructed façade. The curse scratched the back of its head with one of its appendages, similar to an arm if it weren't for the twisted skin and pulled muscle that made up the deformity.

"I know." It said, its voice shrill and inhuman, the sound like claws against a blackboard.

Suguru hummed, his small black eyes following the curse as it unceremoniously plopped down on the sand. The fake dimension Mahito had created was nice, the beach was beautiful and the water warm, the blazing sun turned the sand hot to the touch. The sorcerer had enjoyed it the first couple of days, but he was quickly growing bored of the scenery.

"I told you," He started again, his tone serene but curt. "not to kill anyone yet, especially someone with a high profile like a special-grade sorcerer."

The curse shrugged, no longer listening to Suguru's words and playing around with the sand instead. The sorcerer sighed, gaze wandering to the water. Speaking to Twisted was a fool's errand, the curse was as hard-headed as the boy who had created it once was.

Suguru didn't mention the fact that he knew Keisuke personally – or at least the fool whose body he was currently inhabiting did – there was no point for either Curse to know of his past. The sorcerer made sure to keep it under wraps, aware of the possible ramifications that could come with it.

He was no longer a sorcerer, not after what he'd done and after his best friend killed him with his own bare hands, discarding his body somewhere nice – somewhere the real Suguru would have liked. Well, joke's on him, because now he had a nice body and mind to call his own.

Really, The Magistrate should have tried to cut the loose end themselves, but that was probably cutting it too close, so they sent Gojo Satoru instead. It was a mistake that had cost them dearly, especially when they realized the sorcerer hadn't destroyed the corpse like he'd been instructed to, setting Suguru's body in a nice field instead, too caught up in the friendship they once shared. Satoru had always been weak like that, a sentiment this new Geto did not share.

"I didn't want to kill him." Twisted piped up, its voice small as it continued to play with the sand, its childlike behaviour a stark contrast with its grotesque appearance. "He asked me to."

At this, Suguru quirked a brow, suddenly interested in the subject.

"He did?" He parroted, his usually relaxed position shifting to something far more alert. "What exactly happened, curse?"

Twisted shrugged again, taking a moment to pull its thoughts together. Suguru watched the curse patiently, waiting for it to speak. It took longer than either of them expected, but in the end, the curse finally deigned to talk.

"I told him about our plans." Twisted announced happily.

The sorcerer winced, he shouldn't have told the curse so much, especially knowing just how chatty it could get. Unfortunately for him, the plan required Twisted's special skills, otherwise he would have already exorcised the talkative curse a long time ago. Damn him and his overcomplicated plans.

"I told him everything." The special-grade continued, unbothered by Suguru's poignant silence. "And, when I was done, he kneeled on the ground and asked me to end him."

Out of all the curses Suguru had allied himself with, Mahito was the one who knew the most. He was far smarter than his counterparts, and he was clearly in touch with his human side despite the fact that he was a curse. Suguru had shared parts of his plan with everyone, but not enough for them to make out the bigger picture.

Except, apparently, Kinzoku Keisuke had been able to figure it out, and instead of calling for reinforcements, he had asked to be killed.

Why? What did Keisuke know that would make him go to such lengths?

Back when he was still a student at Jujutsu High, Suguru had mainly kept to himself. He was Gojo's partner, and the two worked together pretty well. He also had the opportunity to work with Mikazuki; she was a force to be reckoned with, and the sorcerer found himself falling for her, if only momentarily. In all those years he had spent at the school, he had barely interacted with Keisuke, but he still knew him enough to know suicide by curse was not something he would ever do.

Unless... No, that's impossible.

"What are you thinking?" Twisted asked, its voice loud enough to snap him out his thoughts.

Suguru hesitated, he didn't feel like that was a question he could answer at the moment. He was thinking many things, so many his brain could barely catch up with his mouth.

"Did he say anything?" At Twisted's bewildered expression, the sorcerer clarified ."Keisuke; did he say anything before you killed him?"

The curse titled its head to the side, expertly sifting through its memories, trying to pinpoint what Keisuke's final words had been. It was hard, Twisted had already killed at least a dozen people after murdering him, going on a rampage to fill its need. All the memories were jumbled, too many bodies and faces, mixing together in a sick and twisted reminiscence.

"Yeah." The curse finally said, a small smile on its face. "He said to tell his sister hi for him."

Oh. Suguru thought, blood boiling as he realized exactly why Keisuke had let himself be killed so easily. The man had figured out their plan, and knowing he could do nothing to stop it – knowing the Jujutsu society was too weak to defend itself and that The Magistrate would eventually fall, Keisuke had done the only thing he could think of.

He died.

He died – knowing that it meant his sister's exile would be lifted.

He died – knowing his powers would be transferred to his twin, knowing this would make her stronger, unstoppable.

Kinzoku Keisuke died so that the Jujutsu society could survive.

With that single selfless act, he had saved the world and probably ruined Kenjaku's plans along the way.

That little shit.