𝑬𝑴𝑷𝑰𝑹𝑬 𝑶𝑭 𝑮𝑶𝑳𝑫 ⇢ Gojo Satoru

𝐂𝐇𝐀𝐏𝐓𝐄𝐑 𝐗𝐋𝐕𝐈 - 𝐇𝐄𝐀𝐓 𝐈𝐍 𝐀 𝐒𝐓𝐎𝐕𝐄

KINZOKU MIKAZUKI CLOSED HER EYES, expecting her body to hit the compact concrete below. At the speed she was falling, her body would splatter against the floor, her insides spilling into the sidewalk and she would die. Just like Keisuke, but with far less drama and probably more blood. The sorceress slammed her eyes shut, preparing herself for the inevitable.

Instead, her body hit a blanket of liquid gold, the material dipping around her as her back gently hit the ground. Mikazuki let out a sigh of relief, looking up at the starless sky and thanking whatever entity had just saved her.

Mikazuki climbed down from the makeshift blanket, looking around her as the gold shifted in the air, turning and swirling around her. She then looked up, watching as the flamed engulfed the rooftop, black smoke billowing into the sky as the metal grinded from the heat.

Mikazuki reached out with her Eternity, the tendrils of gold quickly scouring the place before gathering back in front of her empty-handed. There was no sign of the Curse, meaning it must have fled after the attack, probably regrouping its strength before doubling back.

The sorceress tsked, turning back towards the gold and opting to look for her companions instead. She'd seen Yaga jump out of the way, and although she could not feel Gojo anywhere close, she knew his Infinity probably absorbed most of the blast.

As she expected, Satoru was the closest, his signature weak but recognizable enough she could follow its trail. Once Mikazuki reached the other side of the building, she let out another sigh of relief. Satoru appeared to be unharmed, although his clothing reeked of smoke and ashes. Unlike Mikazuki, he hadn't jumped away, instead teleporting himself to the ground like she should have done, but I guess old habits die hard.

The sorcerer rolled his eyes, smoothing down his shirt before looking up, his blindfolded gaze finally landing on the woman.

"Yaga is out." Gojo informed, his tone flat as he glared at the sorceress. "Which means it's up to you."

Mikazuki straightened her back, staring at the man with a visibly angry expression.

"What is that supposed to mean?" She asked, hands resting on her hips as she glared at him, the gold in her eyes just as everchanging as the mass of liquid gold currently levitating around her, specks of the substance resting on her skin like paper wrap that broke into smaller pieces.

Satoru chuckled, turning to face the woman.

"Come on, Mikazuki. I'm not the one who just let himself be blasted by a curse."

He said easily, a grin on his face like this was the sort of behaviour he expected from her. Somehow, this only managed to anger Mikazuki more, and instead of stepping back like she should have done – they still had a Curse to track and exorcise – she stepped into his personal space, sparks flying as her gold met the resistance of his Infinity. They were less than four steps away now, something The Magistrate would surely frown upon were they there to witness it in the first place.

"If I remember correctly, you're the one who didn't see the attack coming." She gritted, her face mere inches apart from his, her stare boring into his soul.

"I'm not the one on trial here." Satoru quickly refuted, unwilling to look away as he stared at her through the blindfold, a headache already building itself in the back of his head. "The Magistrate is looking for any excuse to throw you back into exile, and you're a fool if you think they won't succeed."

Mikazuki let out a small chuckle, both surprised at Satoru's stance and at her own reaction. Instead of continuing with this pointless argument, the sorceress stepped back, the gold shifting into a less threatening shape and moulding back into its original shapeless form. Gojo looked down, noticing for the first time the slight limp to her steps. Mikazuki scuffed, quickly covering her left leg before pushing herself off of the wall.

"You're injured." Satoru mumbled, pointing at the sorceress' battered clothes and at the obvious limp.

It wasn't a question as much as it was a statement, yet Mikazuki was not ready to acknowledge it yet, opting to ignore the comment and continue scouring the area. The industrial belt was far too large for the both of them, and even if they split up – which Mikazuki was sure The Magistrate would not approve of – it would take hours, maybe even days, to clear out the whole area.

The two soon entered a narrow passageway, a locked door on one end. Mikazuki limped to the steel door, noting the rusted lock on the front and the singed footsteps on the ground. The trail was weak, but it was clear the Cursed Spirit had travelled the path recently.

"If you're hurt, you're only going to slow us down. I'd rather not have to deal with the extra burden. Let me call a cab for you." Satoru continued as he leaned by the door, watching as Mikazuki fumbled with the lock.

Was that all she was to him, a burden?

Cursed Spirits could faze in and out of walls, a skill most sorcerers lacked, meaning the only way into the complex was currently through that door. Mikazuki groaned, smashing the lock against the wall and watching as the chain quickly fell apart.

The woman smiled triumphally, pushing the heavy air tight door and motioning for Satoru to step inside. The sorcerer bowed his head, entering the room and waiting for his eyes to adjust to the darkness. Mikazuki followed suit, the sound of the door closing behind them echoing in the dark.

Satoru looked back, the shadows of the room receding as his Six Eyes adjusted to the dim lighting, the only source of light coming from a narrow opening on the ceiling, probably to air out of the room, although ,judging by the smell, it wasn't working as intended. Usually, he would just blow the entire building up using any of his Cursed techniques, but, unfortunately for him, they were in a densely populated area, which meant the matter needed a more delicate approach – which is probably why The Magistrate had sent for Mikazuki in the first place, although Satoru didn't doubt there to be some ulterior motives behind that decision, too.

His stare locked on Mikazuki's leg, and even through the darkness, the sorceress could tell what he was staring at.

"I'm fine." Mikazuki spoke, her voice barely above a whisper as she followed the line on the wall, nearing another round door, although this one didn't appear to be locked. "If you want me to go, you're going to have to try harder. This is just an old injury acting up."

She pushed, the void that greeted her on the other side ominous. The place smelled of cigarettes and burnt flesh, yet Mikazuki pushed through it, stumbling into the darkness. Satoru followed, he too entering the room and noting the terrible smell that lingered in the air. The sorceress halted her steps, pressing her ear against the wall as she allowed the gold around her to do the same, following the vibrations of the Cursed Spirit. The creature was clearly trying to conceal itself, but whatever mechanism it had in place to do so were not enough to deter her Eternity.

Mikazuki pushed herself off the wall, stumbling slightly before quickly regaining her balance. She could feel Satoru watching her through the darkness, the pain in her leg growing with every step, but Mikazuki refused to show any sign of weakness, especially in front of someone like Gojo Satoru, sorcerer extraordinaire.

Satoru opened the next door, pushing the heavy metal with a powerful kick before entering another room. The awful scent kept getting stronger the further they got into the belly of the building, the metal around them warm under their touch as the darkness grew blacker, the light from the entrance barely visible by this point. Although Satoru could see mostly fine thanks to the Six Eyes, Mikazuki found herself struggling, one hand tracing the wall at all times to orient herself.

"You didn't have a limp, before." The sorcerer pointed out, gesturing to her left leg.

"No, I did not." She answered easily, wanting to be done with the conversation altogether.