~ Chapter 21 ~

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Eight days had passed since their mission was a failure. Yui had convinced Sachiko to stay at the Gojo estate with her, and despite her worries, she was relieved to return home. Their reunion was full of tears from the mother figure and laughs from the young woman, who had since recovered significantly from her injuries. 

Their days were quiet as the pair caught up and took time to be in each other's presence. Yui was surprised by the girl's growth. She was not the young girl she had sent off to high school. Not only has her face and body matured considerably, but her mannerisms are more refined, and her confidence has blossomed. Though she still had a few years left, any fears Yui harboured of Sachiko not being ready for the world were diminished. The only thing that worried her was the sudden detachment from her emotions. 

Yui was no novice to dealing with Sachiko's turmoil and trauma-influenced emotions. Since they had reunited, the older woman had noticed the false tones and smiles the girl offered to soothe the woman's worries. Yui only offered her own, an attempt to allow Sachiko to work her own way out of her rut, but it seemed this was a deeper issue. For the last couple of years, Sachiko and Satoru relied on each other for emotional support, but the girl seemed nervous at the thought of seeing her betrothed. 

Satoru had been home since Sachiko arrived. He had attempted to see her, but she disappeared and could not be found until he left to return to the school. Yui and Satoru's parents couldn't find a way to resolve this issue except to wait for the pair to make their way back to each other. 

"Yui, I'm going out for a few hours," Sachiko said, poking her head into the dining room where her caretaker was eating some morning tea. She wore a lovely floral dress and sneakers, her normal attire when going out with Satoru. Yui sent the girl off with a smile. A date would be perfect to get them out of their silence, Yui hoped. That's until Satoru walked through the door an hour later. 

The woman paused with a half-folded towel in her hair as she stared at the boy, astonished. He looked at her with a confused look before continuing into the house. Yui looked back at the towel before throwing it onto the unfolded pile and following after the boy. Satoru was marching straight to Sachiko's room when the woman called for him to stop, "Yui, I know you are just trying to keep her happy, but she can't give me the silent treatment. We need to talk about what happened that day, what she saw and why she won't even see me." 

"But-" Satoru opened the door to find an empty room. It had been organised as usual for Sachiko's room; the only evidence of her being there was a few different outfits thrown on the bed. He walked into the room and glanced at everything until his eyes landed on the landline phone and the note beside it. Yui entered after him, "She's not here. I thought you both went on a date. She was dressed up and looked so nice. She normally only makes that kind of effort for you." 

Satoru clicked his tongue as he picked up the piece of paper. It was the one she had shown him after her brothers had tracked her down. He placed the paper down and turned to Yui, who watched him confused. Was she seeing someone else? "She's gone to see her family." 

"The Chiyo family?!" Yui asked flabbergasted. Satoru began walking out, and Yui followed behind him, noises of disbelief filling the air as they walked down the hallway. She stopped and  threw her hands up, "Why on Earth would she see that evil family?" 

"No, she went to see the Hanabusas. I don't know if she told you, but her brothers contacted her. It seems she has finally gone to visit them." Satoru said, glancing back at her. As he turned away, Yui caught the sad look on his face. She walked forward and touched his shoulder, "I'm fine, I just want her back." 


Sachiko could feel her heart pounding against her chest. She followed behind her eldest brother, Haru, towards the garden at the back of the small Hanabusa estate. To the outside, the estate seemed unkept and overgrown with various plants, but to Sachiko, she felt like she had walked into a paradise. Haru glanced back at her with a comforting smile as he gently took her hand. 

As they rounded the corner, the pathway turned into an open area with manicured trees and bushes. A woman and a man stood together with their back turned to the siblings. Yumiko and Nobu Hanbusa. The middle child, Daichi, stood beside the woman, rubbing her back comfortingly. "I don't know if I can do this. I've seen her. I made sure I watched over her, but coming face to face with the child I abandoned..."

Daichi's eyes fell onto his siblings, and his hand dropped from their mother's back. Sachiko let go of Haru's hand, walking forward alone. Tears welled in her eyes as she got closer and closer to the parents she had lost, "Mum. Dad." She said quietly, making both adults stiffen. The woman turned around, their black eyes met, and tears started falling from both. Her mother looked the girl up and down before engulfing her tightly.

"You're so beautiful!" Yumiko cried as she held her daughter in her arms for the time in over 14 years. "Oh, my little Sachiko," She wept as she softly patted her daughter's hair. The three men watched with smiles on their faces as the two women, almost identical, reunited. A feeling of relief flooded Sachiko as she melted into her mother's embrace. She had dreamed of this moment since she was young but almost gave up when her mother ignored her at the function. 

Yumiko released her girl and brushed her cheek with her thumb as their eyes fell on Nobu Hanabusa. His brown hair and green eyes stood out against the dark features of her wife and children. A warm smile appeared on his face as he embraced his youngest child and only daughter. His tears fell onto Sachiko's exposed shoulder, "We have waited so long to see you again."

They spent the afternoon catching up as Sachiko told her about her situation, sparing no details except the few Gojo family secrets she has been told over the years. She was also the one to deliver the news that she had, in fact, inherited Curse power transmutation. They knew she had inherited a technique, but the one considered the rarest. Despite the girl being well-known within Jujutsu Society, the Chiyo and Gojo family were able to keep some of her details private. 

Her father and mother lived a simple life, running the estate with a non-sorcerer business funding their day-to-day expenses. Neither of her brothers had inherited offensive techniques, so they decided not to pursue a Jujutsu sorcerer career. Haru works for their father, while Daichi attends regular high school and plans to attend university to become a teacher. They were the last surviving members of the Hanabusa family. Her brothers were the future of the family, and they were excited to be able to revive their family name. 

As it got later in the afternoon, her mother excused them and guided her into the small library in the house. It was tiny compared to the Chiyo family's, but this one felt much more cozy and loved. No dust was seen except on the book that her mother reached for. "I'm sure you've already attempted to seek answers about our family, and it would have been unsuccessful. My mother pretends she is knowledgeable, but since our written history was destroyed, her aging mind has slowly forgotten our beginnings." 

"She revealed a few things. Things I wish I had never been told," Sachiko said, making her mother freeze for a moment before she turned to her daughter with a small smile. She dusted off the book with her hand and held it out towards her daughter. "We are part curse, and I have inherited our first ancestor's curse power." 

"So she must have confirmed it with him. Just count your blessings that the Gojo family purchased you. If it had been any other family, you would have been taken back and given to Noritoshi Kamo."  Yumiko said as Sachiko took the old book from her hands. She looked at her mother confused before she looked down at the cover, 'Death Paintings'. She opened it up carefully. The cover and first few pages were black with soot. "This was the only book I could save as a young girl. It may not be our direct history, but it speaks all about Noritoshi Kamo, the first inheritor of your technique and the death paintings that were created. They are held at Tokyo Jujutsu High. Master Tengen holds great respect for the Hanabusa family. Remember that." 

"I thought you said that Noritoshi Kamo would have gotten me? How is he involved with the first ancestor? She lived almost one hundred and fifty years ago." Sachiko asked, confused, as she closed the book. 

"We don't know either. He is documented speaking to our family throughout the generations. He seems to be immortal. I've never met him, but I know that Fumiko has." Yumiko says as she guides her daughter back out towards the gardens. Before they exit the house, she turns to her daughter. "You need to be careful, my darling. The Gojo family has had a hard time protecting you. Soon, you will have to look after yourself. I know you love Satoru Gojo, and I'm sure he will return these feelings, but you cannot rely on him to protect you. Trusting anyone that much will be your undoing. Be strong." 


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