Fragility (Jujutsu Kaisen)

~ Chapter 14 ~

The street lights were the only light source as the girl walked home from her quick journey to the store. Sachiko walked through a residential area with her headphones on. The sound of her footsteps and the swishing of the plastic bag broke the silent air as she danced back to the school. She was advised not to go out alone, but it was the same route that she and her friends took each time they went to the store. She knew the way, like the back of her hand. 

The previous night, she and Satoru had gone out on a date. He had surprised her with tickets to an exhibition at the National Art Center; it wasn't Satoru's scene, but Sachiko thoroughly enjoyed it and his constant ridiculous interpretations. He made her laugh most of the night, earning them a few glares and a stern invitation to leave. With the night ending early, they ended by getting late-night ramen before heading back to the school. 

Sachiko was hoping for another kiss, but neither had attempted anything since he suddenly kissed goodnight. She knew that she could just as quickly kiss him, but whenever she built up the courage to do so, the timing wasn't right. Satoru had invited her to spend time with him and Suguru for the evening, but she told him she already had plans with Yu and Nanami. The truth was she hadn't seen them at all. 

They usually spent their Saturdays together but never reached their usual spot under the tree near the field. Sachiko had swung by their dorms in the morning; she could have sworn she heard someone rummaging around, but neither answered. So, for the first time in months, she had a day all to herself, which scared her. She didn't like being in her own company; she found that her head always felt so overburdened with questions and revisits of the past. Being with others helped her avoid those thoughts. It was as though her brain harboured those for when she was alone and in the dark. She wanted to tell Satoru, but they spend so little time together that she doesn't want to ruin the mood when they are. 

As the day droned on, she finally decided to take a trip to the store to get some snacks so she could watch a movie in her dorm. She stopped and pulled her headphones down as she reached a large crossing. Glancing both ways, she stepped into the street but stopped when someone called her name. Sachiko glanced around but saw nobody; the voice wasn't familiar, and she wondered if she had just mistaken a lyric for her name. 

"Sachiko Chiyo?" A voice said again; she turned to her right suddenly and backed away, startled. Two figures stood cloaked in the shadow caused by the buildings. Her mind flashed back to their previous mission and the two figures that disappeared from view as though she was dreaming. The two figures stepped forward, revealing two young men. They looked only a few years older than Sachiko, with black hair and green eyes. Their features were strikingly similar to Sachiko's sharp, traditional complexion. The taller of the pair stepped forward; he had no malice behind his eyes, just wonder. "I can't believe it's you. I know it is, but you look really well." 

"Who are you?" She asked, her eyebrows scrunching in confusion as she stayed on guard. The smaller one stayed back but seemed to have the same level of curiosity. He glanced at the taller one and gestured for him to do something. Sachiko glanced back at the one closer as he pulled out a picture from his pocket; holding his hands up, he held it out to the younger girl. She took it carefully and glanced down at it. There was a family of five. The only person she recognised was her mother; she had seen the pictures of her at the Chiyo estate, but the others were strangers. A man with brown hair and green eyes was beside her mother. He held a small baby in his arms while two boys with black hair and green eyes stood before them. 

There was no denying that her parents were both very attractive, but she and the two boys had taken after her mother. Sharp features, small faces and straight black hair. All the qualities of traditional beauty in Japan. She glanced up at them and then back down at the picture; they were the two boys. "This is my m-"

"Our mother, Yumiko Chiyo and our father, Nobu Hanabusa. Sachiko, we're your older brothers. My name is Haru. I'm the eldest, and this is Daichi." The taller one said, stepping closer as he gestured to his younger brother. Sachiko looked up at them, confused as tears came to her eyes; she didn't know she had siblings. She didn't know anything except that her original name was Hanabusa. "We have been following you for a bit. We're sorry if we scared you yesterday, but if the Hanabusa, Chiyo or the Gojo family find you we spoke to you. We could get in a lot of trouble, so we needed to catch you alone,"

"Why did you come?" She asked, still taken aback by the sudden news. She held the picture against her chest as Daichi stepped forward, and Haru put his hand on his back. Without another word, Sachiko threw her arms around Daichi. He stumbled back, shocked, before wrapping his arms around the girl. Haru quickly joined in with the hug. The three of them fought back tears as the siblings reunited. "I didn't even know you existed," 

"I remember meeting you when you were first born. I was about five. I was there the day they took you away. I didn't know what happened then, but they never brought you back. I didn't know that you had been sold," Haru said, tightening his grip on her as his other arm went around their brother. Sachiko held onto their shirts as she finally let her tears fall. She didn't understand why she was crying. She couldn't decide if she was overwhelmed, happy, or devastated that she had missed out on growing up with her brothers. 

Daichi let go and grabbed Sachiko's arm tightly, gaining her attention; he looked steadfast. "You're not married yet, are you?" He asked. Sachiko shook her head, and both boys' shoulders dropped in relief. "We still have time to help you then; we will get you out of this situation, sister. We couldn't be there for you then, but we are here now," 

"The Chiyo and Gojo family will pay for what they have done to you. I have only met our grandmother once; she was a horrible person, and I dread to think of the people she sold you to." Haru stated. Sachiko glanced between them, confused. She started laughing, which got a strong reaction from the boys, who looked like they were being pranked. "Sachiko, this is no laughing matter."

"I agree the Chiyo family deserve to be taken to the deepest depths of hell, but the Gojo family, they had been nothing but kind and protective of me. You could say it's because they paid for me, but they are my family." She said they looked at her surprised and questioned who she was set to marry. "I'm engaged to Satoru Gojo, the Six Eyes and Limitless wielder. He is also my best friend, and I am very much in love with him. So I don't need to be rescued, but I would really like for you both to be in my life."

"I cannot tell you how happy I am to hear that. I will never be able to forgive the families for not allowing us to be together, but I- We would love to be your brothers, but we have to be careful. The Chiyo family are the ones to fear; you would know what they can do." Haru said they could hear a car driving down the road. They pulled her back into the shadows as Daichi scrambled to get a piece of paper from his jumper. He grabbed Sachiko's hand and placed it in her palm before closing her fist. She glanced up at him from her hand and then at her eldest brother. "We have to go, but there are our numbers and address. Anytime Sachiko, we are a family once again." 

With that, the two boys left her in the street as though they were strangers who had stumbled into each other. She watched them walk away before she quickly continued back towards the school. She had brothers. A family, a proper one. She wanted to meet them immediately, but she knew they were right. The Chiyo family would disapprove of their interactions, and she didn't know how the Gojo family would feel. Yet, she knew she couldn't keep this from Satoru.