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thehighpriestess1 · 8 months

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Be Mine : The confession Pt.2

Summary : Amongst confessions and "accidents" Niko finds out just who Gojo Satoru really is.

Pairing : King Gojo x knight reader

Genre : Fuff, angst, yandere themes. Minors Do Not Interact! 18+ ONLY!!

Masterlist : Previous

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The horse trotted forward as the cold wind blew strands of your hair back. Niko silently rode beside you occasionally glancing in your direction. But both of you were lost in your own thoughts. You looked ahead at the sight in front of you and your shoulders dropped. Gojo was riding next to Princess Kiyoko of the Yasuo clan. You thought about the conversation he had with you before this excursion, he had told you that the only reason he agreed to this four day excursion was because of the laws he passed in the favor of non-sorcerers. It was all a give and take, he had said. You hadn’t asked him for an explanation but once he told you that he was not going to marry the princess and this was just a diplomatic visit you realized that you did need that explanation. You chewed on your bottom lip as his words rang in your ear, I did this for you, What did he mean by that? What did he mean by giving you the necklace? In your heart you hoped that it meant what you thought it meant but your brain rationalized otherwise.

“They look good together”. Niko commented. He had no intention of coming on the excursion but when the council ordered him to accompany the princess he agreed.

“Mmhmm”. You sighed and looked the other way.

“Are you still mad at me?”. Niko asked as he trotted closer to you. “I don’t know Niko, what do you think?”. Your flat tone made Niko’s heart ache. He knew he messed up when he declared publicly that you were his girlfriend at Amante’s party. You hadn’t spoken to him in a week and this excursion was his last chance to salvage his relationship with you.

“Y/n, I really didn’t think it would be that big of a deal to you”.

You scoffed, “You would have known had you spoken to me about it first!”.

“I..I didn’t think I had to, okay? You told the King that you were in love with me! You didn’t ask me then”.

You looked at him with your mouth hanging open, “Are you serious right now? You..oh god!”. You huffed in disbelief. “It was a lie!”. You spoke through gritted teeth. “I told you it was a lie! I didn’t publicly declare that you were my boyfriend! I didn’t make anything ‘official’! I said it in front of the King! Not our lifelong friends!! There’s a difference!”.

“I..”. Niko sighed. “..I know! But..Are we not in a relationship? We have been with each other our whole lives y/n! No one understands me better than you and I can bet that no one understands you better than I do”.

“If you really understood me, Niko, then we wouldn’t be having this conversation! And only because we have been with each other all this while does not mean that we should get married or that we are in a relationship. I like you but..not in a boyfriend way”.

“Well you liked me enough before you started working with him. So I guess we both know what changed! If you hadn’t met him then we..we would be together now and you know it!”.

You gripped the reins rightly and took a deep breath to calm the anger rising inside you. “You know what…you are right. I did change when I met him. I realized that a friendship is not transactional, I realized that not every sorcerer is the same, I realized that I deserve to be ..taken care of”.

Niko scoffed, “Wow..you really are something y/n! Only because you got an ounce of attention from the King you think you are too good for me?”.

Your heart beat loudly in your ear and you thought you would faint any moment from controlling your anger. The view ahead of Gojo laughing with the princess didn’t help either. You swallowed harshly and your breath quivered.

“Fuck..”, Niko muttered under his breath, “..I didn’t mean that y/n..”. He spoke softly. He was hurting on the inside. All of his plans, to propose to you once the two of you settled in the palace jobs, buy a nice house, and have kids,were blown away by Gojo Satoru. He had witnessed first hand what happened to you after Naoya Zenin and he did not want the history to repeat itself. And now he had hurt you even more, he cursed at himself. Lately everything he did blew up in his face. He didn’t know how to act around you. He was desperate and jealous but he still cared for you.

“Go fuck yourself Niko”. You glared at him and moved ahead.

The convoy wasn’t big as the princess wanted the whole affair to be minimal and private. A trait she shared with Gojo. The main convoy consisted of Gojo,, Princess Kiyoko, You, and Niko. Two chefs, four servers, two of princess’ handmaids, rode behind the main convoy. You looked at Gojo who was now helping the princess get off her horse. She was pretty with waist length auburn hair and emerald-colored eyes. Her skin reflected light and the light blush on her cheeks made your stomach churn. Why was he being so courteous to her if he didn’t want to marry her? But then it hit you, he had said that he was not going to marry someone he didn’t know for the sake of power so the council decided to let the King and the princess spend time so he could get to know her. You looked at the princess again and you knew without a doubt that she liked him..a lot. This day was really testing you.

By some cruel fate, instead of four tents, the servers had only packed two tents. The four of you stared at the man as he explained that he was ordered by the council to arrange only two tents for the convoy and two tents for the chefs,handmaids and servers. Your heart clenched, there was no way the princess would share a tent with Niko, so that leaves for her to share the tent with either you or Gojo and had you been in her place, it was evident whom you would have chosen.

Gojo gritted his teeth. He knew why the council was doing this, for the longest time he had given them the freedom to function autonomously but now it looks like it was time to remind them why he is the King. It was clearly a plan to get him to marry the princess, As if they couldn’t have made it any more obvious they had sent Niko. He knew that Niko was not here for the princess but rather for you. He had heard of the stunt that Niko had pulled at a party and he was sure the council doubted his relations with you. It just made sense. But now the real challenge stared him right in his face, was he going to let you and Niko share a tent?...No way in hell.

Gojo smiled politely and dismissed the man, he turned towards the three of you with the same smile, “Princess Kiyoko, I apologize for the inconvenience. I assure you that you would be at utmost comfort”.

“Please Satoru, I told you that you can call me Kiyoko”. She spoke softly. Her voice made you wince, it was soft, polite, but trained. Were they on a first name basis already? You thought to yourself. How lucky she is to freely call him by his name. An honor not many receive.

“It’s very Kind of you Kiyoko”. Gojo felt guilty about talking to her and after every sentence he would glance at you to read your face but ever since the trip had started you have had a blank expression on your face. “But One of the tents is bigger so I would stay there with y/n, and Niko. While you can stay comfortably in the other tent”.

Your and Niko’s eyes widened and both of you stared at each other and then at Gojo. Niko clenched his fist behind his back and tried to maintain his composure. What is Gojo trying to do now? Spy on you and him? Or will he try to make him look stupid again? Niko cleared his throat and stepped forward, “Your-highness, With all due respect to your decision I believe that it would be best for you and the princess to stay together. It is also a matter of security for the princess and we can surely not leave her alone”. Niko smiled.

Gojo stared at Niko and wondered how upset would you be if he killed Niko right now? He frowned and looked at you, “Y/n”.

“Yes, your-highness”. You bowed and stepped forward.

“Do you have a suggestion to take care of the princess' security and fix the problem?”.

You sighed. “Umm yes, your-highness. According to the royal protocol a knight must always be present with a royal born. So Niko is right, we cannot leave the princess alone. But at the same time if both your-highness and the princess were to share a tent then Niko and I would need to stay outside the tent the entire time which is not feasible either. But if your-highness, myself and Niko were to share a tent then Niko and I could take turns keeping guard outside the princess’ tent and that way both your-highness and the princess will always have a royal guard”.

Gojo beamed proudly. That’s his woman! Smart and articulate. He smirked, “Well at least one of you carried your brain”.

The princess smiled at you but it didn’t reach her eyes. “Do you have any other suggestions?”. She tilted her head and asked you.

“Yes Princess, If you are willing then you and I could share a tent”.

Upon your suggestion the Princess scoffed, “As if I would share a tent with a com-!”. As soon as the words left her mouth she immediately looked at Gojo. “I..I meant that..I am not allowed to”.

Gojo chuckled. “That’s alright Princess, we will go with y/n’s suggestion”.

The two tents were on the two sides of the ground around 100 feet away from each other. The tents for servers and chefs were on the right side of the clearing. In the center was a canopy that was yet to have a dining table under it. Tall trees surrounded the ground and Gojo had immediately casted a protection around it.

Niko, Gojo and You stood inside the larger tent and stared at the two beds kept on either side. Two tents and three beds, Gojo thought to himself, the council must be really desperate. The tent was large with two separate changing areas at the far end of the tent. A round wooden table was kept in the center with a fruit bowl on it. “It’s good that the two of you will work in shifts”. Gojo commented as he walked over to the left bed.

“Only at night, your-highness”. Niko added, implying obviously that you and him will be together for the rest of the time, and walked over to the right one, leaving you standing near the table.

Gojo turned around and looked at you and so did Niko. Both of them stood at the foot of their respective beds and beckoned you to come over with just their eyes. You hesitated to move, on one hand there was Niko whom you were mad at and did not want to be around at all. On the other hand was Gojo whom you were also kind of mad at because he hadn’t given you any attention ever since the trip started and it all contradicted his behavior from a few days ago where he said that he changed century old rules for you. Even if you wanted to, could you really choose Gojo in front of Niko? Could you really share a bed with the King even if Niko was not around? You had a feeling that if you choose Niko then Gojo might get upset, but did he really have any right to be upset at you after flirting with the princess all day?! Even if you absolutely didn’t want to share the bed with Niko, you were left with no choice so you gingerly made your way towards him ignoring the hurt and anger on Gojo’s face. You let your bag drop at the foot of the bed and slopped down on it. You were tired, mentally and physically.

Gojo saw the victory smile on Niko’s face as you made your way to him. It did not make any sense, why would you choose Niko? Why would you choose Niko when he was right there?! When Niko pulled the string letting the dividing curtain fall between the two sections of the tent, Gojo’s fists clenched by his side. Now he could not even see you! He could barely make out the silhouette casted on the curtain in between but he could tell that Niko lay down next to you. His breath quickened, just picturing you lying next to him made his heart burn.

“Niko!”. Gojo commanded.

“Yes, your-highness”. Niko pushed the curtains aside and stepped on his side of the room.

Gojo stared at him, he had to engage Niko somewhere , “I want you to go to the river and get fish for dinner”.

“The servers have carried the best fish our-”.

“I want fresh ones”. Gojo cut him off.

Niko pressed his lips together and bowed his head before walking out. He huffed once he was at a distance from the tent. As he stared back at the closed tent he realized that he hated Gojo Satoru.

You immediately walked over pushing aside the curtain and looked at Niko walking away. “I’ll go help him”.

But Gojo stepped in front of you and slowly took your hand in his, “Are you mad at me?”. He whispered in the gap between the two of you.

“No, your-highness”. You withdrew your hand and looked down.

“Yes you are. That’s why you have been so cold to me the entire day”.

“I am not mad at you”. You spoke softly.

“Really?”. His lips turned up.

You could feel the space around you heating up quickly. “Ye..yes”.

“Then why did you choose Niko, hmm?”. Gojo asked softly.

“I could not possibly share a bed with you, your-highness”.

Gojo scoffed, “And why is that?”.

You looked at him like he had lost his mind and stepped back, “Because you are the King!”.

“I..”. Gojo was at a loss of words. “...fine! But I want this curtain off! I don’t want any funny business in this tent!”.

“That’s disgusting! And I would never …do that with you present in the same room!”.

“Wow! So you would do that if I wasn’t here?”. Gojo squinted.

“Don’t you have other things to do? ”

“Like what?”.

“Like…go impress the princess or whatever”.

“I..I will!”.Gojo asserted. Why were you not denying that there was anything between you and Niko? He wanted you to deny that one thing and yet you were here blaming him. He scoffed and walked out of the tent.

You watched him leave with your mouth hanging open and rolled your eyes and shook your head in disbelief. Why does he even pretend to care?

The moment Gojo was a few feet away from the tent realized how wrong he was to walk away. He could see that you were not having a good day and instead of letting you take your anger out on him he has probably added fuel to fire. He would have stopped and turned around right away but Kiyoko was now walking towards him in her changed dress. “Looks like you did not have time to freshen up”. She spoke sweetly as she approached him.

“Yeah…didn’t get a chance to”. Gojo smiled awkwardly.

“Your tent too crowded for you?”. She scrunched up her nose.

Just by one person, Gojo thought to himself, “No, not at all. Just had to take care of some business”. Gojo’s mind was still on you, why would you think that he was flirting with the princess? Did he do something wrong?

Kiyoko could sense a tension in him and stepped forward and took his hand in both of hers’. “If you want to talk about anything..anything at all. I am right here for you, Satoru”. She brought his hand up to her lips and kissed it gently.

Gojo froze, not because the kiss blew him away, not because his heart skipped a beat, he froze because he felt like he cheated on you. He withdrew his hand immediately like it was burnt. “I..that’s sweet of you princess. If you may excuse me I forgot something in…I.., I shall see you for tea”. Gojo gave Kiyoko a pressed smile and marched to the tent.

“y/n!”. Gojo screamed as he entered the tent but was shocked to find it empty. He ran his hands through his hair and hoped that you hadn't seen the interaction between him and the princess. “Fuck!”. He screamed and kicked the table, if you were not here then there was only one place you could be. Why did he act like such a fool?

You marched towards the river with tears in your eyes. You saw them. Clearly! God you were such a fool. You hated that you hated it. You hated that you cared. You hated that you had to come to this excursion. You hated Niko. You hated everyone! And for the first time ever in your life you hated that you were not a sorcerer…

“Oi! Niko!”. You called out as you came out of the woods and saw Niko sitting on a rock with a fishing pole. He turned around and gave you a tired smile.

“What are you doing here?”. He asked as he watched you climb over the same rock where he was sitting.

“I came to help you”.

“Oh really?”. Niko raised a brow. “What happened to your ‘a knight must always stay with a royal born’ ideals?”. Niko mocked you.

You glared at him. “Have you really not read the Knight’s manifesto? It says that in an event of an out of palace visit, which this excursion is, a knight must always be present with a royal guard from sunset to sunrise! And from what I can tell, we still have two hours to sunrise”.

“You’re such a nerd”.

“Is that all you've caught?”. You asked, ignoring Niko’s command and looking at the nearly empty bucket.

“I thought you were mad at me”. Niko added.

“I am. But I don’t want to stay with him right now”.

Niko shrugged. If you were mad at Gojo then he was not going to let this moment slip. “Fine, help me then”.

“But I need a favor from you”.

“If you forgive me then I will do anything”. Niko smiled.

“You promise?”.

“I promise!”.

“Fine I forgive you but I want the night shift”.

“What do you mean?”. Niko frowned and turned towards you.

“I mean..I want the entire night shift. I don’t want to be alone in a room with him”.

Niko’s concern grew serious. “Why? Did he do something to you?”.

“Ugh! Can you just… do this? No questions asked? I am having one of the worst days here”.

Niko chuckled, “Alright. You can take the whole shift but I will come to check up on you”.

“Suit yourself”.

You and Niko walked back and saw Gojo and the princess having tea under the canopy set up in the middle. You wanted to walk away but the princess beckoned you to come over. Niko gave you a reassuring smile and took the bucket from your hand and made his way to the chef.

“Hello y/n”. She smiled cheerfully and then scrunched her nose at the smell of the fresh fish.

“Hello, Princess”. You tried your best to feign a polite smile.

“Why did you go fishing?”. Gojo asked, looking at you.

“I thought Niko could use a hand”.

“Can Niko not fish without you?”. Gojo asked, sipping his tea.

“Of course he can, your-highness”.

“You didn’t take my permission”. Gojo kept the cup down and looked at you.

“Come on, Satoru! Stop grilling the poor girl!”. The princess lightly smacked his hand and Gojo smiled at her. “If you say so, Kiyoko”.

“May I be excused?”. You kept the fake polite smile on your face.

“Yes, darling”. The princess smiled but not at you, her eyes were still fixed on Gojo.

You bowed and took a step back before turning away. Poor girl, Darling ,ugh you hated when she referred to you like you were a mere handmaid. You are the royal knight and yet she made you feel like nothing! You could hear her complimenting his eyes in the background and swallowed your tears. Your heart clenched and your now the pain traveled through your entire body.

You walked in the tent and saw Niko sitting on the edge of the bed. “Hey”. He smiled tiredly.

You stood silently in front of you. One look at you and he knew. He knew in his heart that yours has been broken. “Oh god…”. He whispered under his breath.

“I..”. You were drained. “...I don’t know”. You dragged your feet and sat beside him. “I have never felt like I was not enough but now…I..”.

“Hey hey hey…”. Niko took your hand in his, “..you are enough. More than enough”.

“I am enough for me but I will never be enough for him”.

“Y/n…”.

“Let it be Niko. Nothing you can say will make me feel better”.

“I don’t think anyone can ever feel enough in his presence”.

You stared at him silently as you let his words sink in. He was right. Who could ever feel enough in his presence, who could even compared to the magnetic field around him? You looked at him, “Not even you? What did he do to you?”.

“I just..I wish that I was as strong and influential as him”.

“Why?”. You frowned.

Niko chuckled, “You won’t understand. He has everything I want…and more. Everything is so easy for him..No one holds any power in front of him. If he asks me to leave then I’ll have to leave. If he tells me to give up something I love…I will have to. Do you think that you can go right now and ask him to come fish with you?”.

You shook your head.

“Can you even sit on the same table as him and have dinner with him..publicly?”.

“No”. You whispered.

“Can you assert your power without his permission?”.

“No”.

“He can change all the rules he wants but some things just won’t change. You are only as free as he wants you to be”.

That night you didn’t see Gojo and Kiyoko come out of her tent. Maybe they had their dinner together inside, away from the eyes of commoners or maybe they didn’t. You could not even enter without his permission and it solidified Niko’s comments. Since Gojo was not in the tent, Niko insisted that he take the half shift. It wasn’t easy but he could see that you needed it. When he had come to wake you up, Gojo was asleep and you didn’t bother him.

-X-

The clouds casted a gloomy shadow over the land as the four of you stood on the farmland. All you felt like now was a piece of furniture that could protect in the time of need. You stood next to Niko and watched with hawk eyes as Gojo stood behind the princess and helped her correct her aim. Her bow was not steady, even you could tell now, whether it was intentional or not was hard to decipher. But her shrill laugh as another arrow landed barely few feet away from her made you wince. Niko sighed next to you and you pressed your lips and looked to the ground to hide your smile. He was just as bored as you were, maybe even more.

You clenched your jaw and suppressed a yawn, You barely slept and the morning shift was beginning to take its toll. Niko showed up three hours after your shift had started. Said, he couldn’t sleep either. The two of you sat and talked the whole night just like old times. There was no awkwardness and no anger. Eventually you fell asleep and when you woke up, you realized you had Niko’s cape around you and Gojo standing in front of you. He didn’t say much and left but you could tell he wasn’t particularly happy. Was he mad that you fell asleep while protecting his princess? His concerns be damned, you were off duty and he had no right to reprimand you.

You sighed as well as you saw the princess gently hit Gojo on his arm. “What are we even doing here?”. You murmured under your breath.

“She is faking it right?”. Niko asked, Raising a brow.

“Seems so”. You shrugged.

“Can he not see it?”.

“Maybe he can”.

“So he likes it when women fake it”.

Niko’s comment made you snort but you covered it up with a cough. You turned around immediately towards the forest and cleared your throat as you tried your best to control your laughter.

Gojo and Kiyoko turned around at the same time and looked at the two of you. Niko gave them a reassuring smile, “She’s alright your-highnesses, She smoked too much last night”.

You hit Niko’s arm while still turning away from them. You had to take consecutive deep breaths to calm yourself down. You turned away and gave them a pressed smile. “I am fine and I..don’t smoke”.

Gojo looked coldly at you and then smiled the most diplomatic smile, “Why don’t you join us?”.

You and Niko exchanged confused looks and then shrugged in agreement.

“Yes! I want to see the two of you in action”. Kiyoko chirped happily.

You and Niko walked over to the small tent under which the two of them stood and bowed curtly. Kiyoko handed you her bow and Niko picked up the spare one. Both of you challenged the other one just by looking at each other and began adjusting the bow to your liking.

“How long have you guys known each other? You two seem close”. Kiyoko asked, sitting on the velvet chair while Gojo stood on the side scrutinizing your every move.

“Almost, all our lives, Princess”. Niko smiled.

“That’s so romantic!”. She clapped her hands in excitement and you internally rolled your eyes.

Niko looked at you with a shit eating grin plastered across his face and then at the Princess, “Thank you, Princess”.

“You two should get married already, right y/n?”. Kiyoko nudged you to engage in the baseless conversation.

“Uumm..”. You looked at Gojo and then at Kiyoko, “...yeah. Whenever the time is right..I guess”. You checked the bowstring and nodded to yourself.

“Once Satoru and I get married, I will make sure that the two of you get married as well”.

Your heart sank and you and Niko looked at each other wide eyed while Gojo looked at the princess like he was about to blow her brains off.

Niko could sense the tension on your face, “That’s really sweet of you Princess, but you are condemning me to a lifetime of bullying”. He winked at you.

“Oh come on now!”. Kiyoko waved her hand in the air, “You two are going to be so happy together”.

You turned towards her and smiled, “You are right princess, Niko and I will get married right after you and his-highness get married, only if the two of you would be kind enough to officiate our wedding”. You gave Gojo a sarcastic smile and he squinted his eyes at you.

“Absolutely yes!”.

You took your stance at one spot and Niko stood a few feet away. The two targets were kept around 50 feet away with concentric circles drawn on a white canvas.

“You think you can beat him ,y/n?”. Kiyoko asked.

You shrugged, “He is the best archerer I know, so it won’t be easy”. You relaxed yourself and took your aim.

Gojo’s body tensed. He had heard you praise Niko but you had never called him best at anything. How could Niko be the best for you?! Why was Niko best for you?! Only he had the right! Only he deserved that privilege!

With a wooshin sound your arrow missed the bullseye by mere millimeters. Gojo saw the frown and irritation on your face and let out the breath he was holding in.

Niko chuckled and took his aim. “Let me show you how it’s done y/n”. His comment made both you and Kiyoko chuckle while it made Gojo grind his teeth. He wanted to see just how ‘best’ Niko was. He was convinced that you were just exaggerating but his jaw went slack as Niko’s arrow hit the mark perfectly.

“Told you he’s the best”. You smiled at Kiyoko who clapped for Niko and you did too. Niko bowed in front of you and you ruffled his hair.

Gojo stepped forward and took the bow from your hand. “It’s only fair if I get a chance too, right?”. He said as he looked only at you.

You remained silent and stepped aside to let Gojo take your place.

“How about we have a little competition?”. Gojo smiled at Niko. The tension between the three of you lay thick in the air as Niko looked at you as if asking for permission.

Kiyoko got up clasping her hands in front, “Yes! Let’s have a competition! But what would the winner get?”.

“There is nothing that his highness lacks, I can hardly give him anything”. Niko added.

Gojo hummed and looked at you through the corner of his eyes, “what do you think y/n? What should we compete for?”.

You looked at the three sets of eyes looking at you and bit the inside of your cheeks. “I..Perhaps we should let the Princess decide, after all she is our guest”.

“That’s so sweet of you y/n! The winner will receive a small gift from me”.

“Fair enough”. Gojo said and took his mark and so did Niko. “Five arrows, the quickest and the most accurate wins”.

“Yes, your highness”.

You stood back and watched both of them side by side.

One after the other the arrows swooshed cutting through the wind and you could hear the sound of them landing on the mark. The two men were giving it their all. Within seconds it was over and you could see Niko’s shoulders rise and fall as Gojo stood straight like a tree. Gingerly you and Kiyoko walked forward and your jaws hit the floor.

While Niko landed all the arrows on the bullseye, they were stacked on top of each other. On the other hand Gojo’s each arrow pierced through the previous one landing at the bullseye. You stared wide eyed, it was clear that Gojo’s precision was unmatched.

Kiyoko leapt with joy, “Satoru won!”.

Niko chuckled and looked at Gojo, “You are the best archer. Your-Highness”.

Gojo turned and looked at you hoping to see some excitement or happiness on your face but his heart dropped when he saw that it was blank. Something severe was definitely bothering you and the sooner he gets to know it the better it will be.

You had begun to smile at Gojo but Kiyoko wrapped her arms around his neck and placed a kiss on his cheek. “Your gift! I knew you’d win!”. She exclaimed and your smile dropped.

Gojo wasn’t ignorant and he hated Kiyoko now more than ever. He could see how her behavior affected you. When a simple compliment towards Niko could make his blood boil then he could not even imagine what Kiyoko’s behavior did to you.

“You are exceptional, Your-highness!”. You smiled and bowed your head.

“Thank you”. Gojo spoke with barely any emotion. He didn’t want to be exceptional, he wanted to be best for you and until he hears it from your mouth his heart would not rest.

“Maybe y/n should give a little token of love to Niko as well? As a consolation prize?”. Kiyoko smiled and winked at Niko.

“There’s no need for that!”. Gojo intervened.

“Oh come on Satoru! Let’s help the love birds”.

Tears formed in your eyes as your heart clenched and clenched. The world was spinning too fast around you and yet you felt still, frozen in time. You felt like a pawn in their game, no decisions were your own, no one even asked if you wanted to do the things they asked you to do.

Maybe Niko and Kiyoko missed it but Gojo could see how you smiled to prevent the tears from falling out. Kiyoko made you cry…she was going to pay for it. “Y/n is not a consolation prize, Kiyoko. Any man in the entire Kingdom would be lucky to have a woman like y/n fall in love with him”.

Kiyoko scoffed and then laughed, “Of course! I was just joking y/n. I hope you’re not offended”. She smiled sweetly.

“It’s alright Princess, and thank you for the compliment, your-highness”.

-X-

You could not sit at the same table as Gojo and Kiyoko but to your surprise he didn’t eat with the princes. She insisted for the longest time but he refused with a smile.When Gojo had told her that all of you would have dinner together Kiyoko made a face that was not hard to read and to his unfortunate luck you were right there and you had saved the whole situation by laughing like it was a silly joke. Maybe it was her reaction that killed his appetite because it certainly killed yours.

As promised Niko was in the tent now and you sat under the canopy to keep an eye on Princess’ tent. Her handmaids slept in the same tent in smaller beds and surprisingly she had no problem sharing a tent with them. They were like her ‘friends’, she had said. You sighed and began carving the wood with your pocket knife.

The grass always seemed greener on the other side, right now as you sat out in the cold with an empty stomach, the fatigue had begun to catch up to you. You looked at the tent and groaned as you imagined Niko sleeping inside. Lucky bastard.

“I think you would starve before you freeze”. Gojo’s voice rang from behind you. You turned around and saw him walking towards you with a tray. He kept it on the table and sat down beside you. “Eat”. He commanded as he slid one bowl of ramen towards you and kept one for himself.

“I’m not-”.

“Eat first, fight later”. He cut you off as he placed a pair of chopsticks on your bowl.

You sighed and looked at the food and hesitantly picked up the chopsticks. You and Gojo ate in peaceful silence. You didn’t realize but you were starving and having food in your stomach made you way less irritable. You looked at Gojo and he looked like he was famished as well.

“Can I talk now?”. You asked as you slid the empty bowl away from you.

“Sure”. Gojo smirked as he turned towards you and rested his head on his palm as he placed his elbow on the table.

“Why are you here?”.

“I wanted to eat. I was hungry”.

“Why didn’t you eat with the princess?”.

Gojo smiled. “I would never sit at a table where you are not respected”.

You were taken aback by his statement.”For how long will you eat without the future queen?”. You retorted. Your slurred speech told Gojo how drained you were.

“Who told you I eat without her?”. Gojo smirked.

“Huh?”.

“Nothing. Is Niko still the best archer?”.

You took a deep breath and nodded, “For me, yeah”.

Your comment left a bitter taste in his mouth, “For you?! What does that mean?”.

“I didn’t mean to offend you”.

“Why is he the best for you?”.

“Because…he helps me improve and gives me constructive criticism”.

Gojo scoffed and looked away, “Even I can do that”.

“Yeah…but you were..kind of busy today”.

Gojo looked at you again, “Your right foot was off the mark by 5 millimeters and the string was too tight for your arm strength. You focused more on the force than on the accuracy and your fingers were also off by 1 centimeter. How’s that for constructive criticism?”.

“Now you sound like you are criticizing me”. You pouted.

“I..”. Gojo bit his lip and shook his head. “No. I am not criticizing you. I am just…”.

“Telling me where I was wrong?”. You raised your brows.

“No!”.

You chuckled, “It’s alright. I understand it”.

“So?”. Gojo raised a brow.

“So?”.

“Nothing!”. He grunted and turned away.

“You are the best archer”.

“You mean it?”.

“Yeah”.

Gojo smiled widely. He could finally be at ease.

“She would make a good queen ”.

“No! That meant nothing to me. I am not one bit interested in her. I would rather give up being the King than marry her”.

You chuckled. “Okay”.

“I mean it! She is a classist who can not think beyond her vanity”.

His comment made you laugh. “That’s a bit harsh, don’t you think?”.

Gojo huffed, “I am being very subtle. You have no idea how difficult it is for me to spend time with..someone like her”.

“I think I do”. You smiled sadly.

Gojo frowned, “What do you mean?”.

You didn’t want to snitch but you were too tired to even argue anymore. “When we were returning from the field, she told me that…she told how lucky I was to have a man like Niko fall in love with me, I..I don’t even think Niko is in love with me but I asked her why did she think so..and you know what did she say?”.

“What?”. Gojo’s eyes were fixed on that one tear drop on your lash line that could topple over any minute.

“That..I was smart but girls don’t get love by being smart and I should put some effort into my looks”. You chuckled and sniffled. The teardrop finally toppled over and Gojo clenched his fist. “She even gave me this..”. You took out a potion bottle from your pocket and kept it on the table. “ and said that it would help me clear my skin of the scars”.

Gojo picked up the bottle and his blood went cold. “Did you use it?”.

You shook your head, “No. I was going to but then I thought if someone can’t love my scars then he can’t love me. I would rather stay alone than change anything about myself. Is it too egoistic of me?”. You scrunch your nose and smile with droopy eyes looking at him.

“No”. Gojo kept the bottle in his pocket. “There is nothing you should change about yourself”.

“Yeah”.

“I’m sorry for everything she said and did. It wasn’t right”. Gojo looked at you with utmost sincerity.

You stared at him and smiled sadly, “Don’t do that”.

“What?”.

“Don’t apologise on her behalf. It makes me think you two are close”.

Blood rushed to Gojo’s face, you..were…jealous...“We are not”.

“Then don’t let her call you by your name. Save it for the one you love”.

“Okay”. Goji smiled.

A cold wind blew and Gojo noticed the shiver in your voice. He took off his heavy cape and without a second thought wrapped it around you.

“Your-highness, I am-”.

“If you take it off I will behead you”. Gojo said flatly.

“Okay”. You pulled the ends of the cape and relished in its warmth. “But aren’t you cold?”.

“No. I have my infinity on”. Gojo shrugged. You stared at him blankly and Gojo straightened up. “You don’t know what infinity is? Do you?”.

You shook your head.

Gojo put his palm forward and stretched his finger out, “Go ahead, try to touch me”.

You looked at his palm in front of your face and then at him, “Seriously?”

“Yeah. Seriously. Go ahead”. He gently shook his palm,

You brought his hand forward and tried to touch his palm but your eyes widened when you felt like you had touched an invisible wall. “What..the..fuck?”.

Gojo laughed at your reaction. “This is infinity”.

“This is all around you?”. You tried to poke your finger between his finger but you couldn’t pass through.

Gojo nodded his head. “Yeah”.

“Wow…Is it like a ..barrier?”. You frowned and now tried to grab his wrist but you couldn’t.

Gojo watched you amusingly. You looked like a kid exploring a new toy. “Yes but no”.

“What does that mean?”. You finally looked at him. Your sleep and tiredness ,long gone by this new discovery.

“Hmmm it is not a solid barrier. It simply decreases the speed of the approaching object to the point that it never reaches me”.

Your mouth formed an O and you nodded your head. “So…are you also ..fireproof?”.

Gojo chuckled. “I am also waterproof”.

“Woowww…this has to be your coolest ability!”. Your eyes widened. You tried punching his hand but it hit a jelly-like wall.

“I also have the coolest domain expansion”. Gojo boasted. Your every compliment made his chest swell.

“I don’t know a lot about domain expansion but I know it varies from sorcerer to sorcerer”.

“You’re right about that”. Gojo agreed.

“What else can you do?”. You asked wide eyed, now more interested in his hidden abilities.

“Hmmm..I have six eyes”.

You pulled back and looked at him like your eyes were about to pop off, “You have six eyes?! Where?!”.

Gojo threw his head back and laughed. “No, not real six eyes. But the ability is called "six eyes””.

“Ooohh..”.

“Yeah. I can keep an eye on anyone I want from anywhere I am”.

“So..you can see what is going on in the palace right now?”.

“Yes”.

“And you can check up on anyone?”.

“Yes”.

“Can you see the future?”.

“No”. Gojo smiled and shook his head. “I wish I could though”.

“Can you kill a curse at the palace sitting here?”.

“I can do that but the attack can destroy everything in its path. So I don’t do that”.

“I see..that makes sense”. You pulled the cape closer to you. “Can you fly?”.

“Yes”.

“You can fly?!”

“Yes I can”. Gojo beamed. He loved the innocence on your face. You looked like an amused child who was just beginning to learn about sorcery.

“For real?”

“For real”.

“How high can you fly?”. You shifted in your seat excitedly.

“How high do you want to fly?”. He asked with a smirk.

“You..you can fly with other people?!”.

“Yes”.

“Woah…you’re so cool”.

Gojo stared at you with a proud smile on his face. “Do you want to fly?”.

“Yes”.

-X-

The wind blew your hair back as you rode behind Gojo. You were sure you were not going towards the nearby town as it was the other way and neither were you going towards the river, but you followed him through the forest and into the grasslands and followed him as he rode alongside the river and you stopped when he stopped at the edge of a cliff. You got off your horse and stared at the sky. It looked like someone had arranged each star by hand and carefully placed the moon in the middle. It looked big and illuminated the land beautifully.

“Where..where are we?”. You walked over to Gojo but your eyes were still fixed on the moon.

“It doesn’t matter”. He said. His breath was labored and he was hesitant to meet your eyes.

“Are we really going to fly?”. You stood in front of him now.

Gojo smiled, he liked the sound of we. “Yes. we are going to fly”.

“I..don’t know what to do”. You said. His cape was still wrapped around you and dragged behind you as you walked.

“You don’t have to”. Gojo chuckled. “Just..trust me,okay?”

“Okay. I will trust you”.

“Good. Now I want you to close your eyes and not open them until I say so. Okay?”.

You took a deep breath and nodded your head, “Okay!”.

Gojo stepped behind you and leaned down to whisper in your ear, “Close your eyes”.

You took a deep breath and closed your eyes.

“No peeking, okay?”. He spoke softly as he stepped closer to you.

Your breath hitched the moment you felt the warmth of his body envelope around you.”No peeking”. Your body tensed as his hands wrapped around your waist genlty. You felt lighter like you were being picked up off the ground but your foot was still flat on it. You felt the air change first, it was lighter, fresher, slightly warmer. But a cool wind blew past you and you immediately clutched his hand.

“It’s alright..You’re safe”. Gojo spoke softly.

“May I..open my eyes now?”. You asked.

“Yes..”.

Your eyes flickered open and you sucked in a sharp breath as you realized you were staring directly at the moon. It seemed bigger and brighter, some birds flew past you and you flinched back making Gojo tighten his grip. “It’s okay”. He said smiling to himself.

“Oh god..I..I am flying. I am flying!”. You shrieked with happiness.

Gojo chuckled behind you and watched the stars reflect in your eyes.

“Can I..look down?”. You craned your head back and asked.

“I suggest you don’t. You might get sick”.

“Right! I should not look down!”. You looked around at the mountain tops and the stars and the birds. It felt like a magical dream. “This is..beautiful”. You sighed.

Gojo smiled. “Am I forgiven then?”.

You tried to turn around and Gojo moved you in his arms so that you were facing him. If you thought the scenery was beautiful then Gojo was magnificent. His white hair ruffled with the wind and you could see every star in his deep ocean eyes.He looked like the moon incarnate. You swallowed and let out a shaky breath. “For..what?”.

Gojo pulled you closer and your hands rested gently on his chest. “For letting another woman touch me?”.

Goosebumps rose on your skin and you could hear your heartbeat in your ear. “Why..why would you need to be forgiven for that?”.

“Why do I feel guilty then?”.

You averted your eyes and stared at the embroidery on his collar. “I..I don’t know. Maybe because you..you love another woman”.

“If I loved another woman, why would I apologize to you?”.

“I..I..”. You stuttered and were at a loss of words. Was he implying what you thought you were implying?

“Do we still need to pretend?”. Gojo asked. His own mind was blaring sirens. He didn’t want to just sit back and wait for you to come over to him. He wanted to show you how much he wanted you, how much he loved you, how he was pretending to be fine with the distance and rules between the two of you, no more, he was not going to pretend anymore. Every time the two of you had to maintain a distance because of the social setting, his heart ached and burned. All this time he thought that loving you from afar was tough but now he realized that having you so close that he could sense every tension in your body and yet not being able to do anything about it killed him. He knew he was risking it all, he knew he was being hasty, he knew you might turn around and never see him again, he knew he was being selfish but this was his last resort. The agony of not having you would kill him eventually so it might as well be now.

“I love you”. He whispered. Softly. Securly. In those three words he poured 20 years of love and want.

Each second of silence made fear grow in his head. When he couldn’t bear it any longer he placed his index finger under your chin and tilted it up. “If you don’t feel the same..tell me right now. Everything will go back to normal”. He swallowed painfully. He searched your eyes for answers but his own biases worked against him. Of course you wouldn’t be in love with someone like him. Why would you? You are sweet and kind and beautiful and he is just the King. That’s all he is. Maybe you pity him. Maybe you hate him. You didn't particularly like sorcerers and he was the strongest so why would you even like him? He felt stupid for risking his life on the line now. You would surely leave him now, resign, start a new life with Niko! Oh god what had he done..

“And..”. You finally gathered courage to speak. “..what if I do?”.

Gojo’s eyes widened and you felt his heart race under your palms. “You do?”.

A tear rolled down your eyes, “I..do”. Your words quivered.

Neither of you spoke for a while and the silence was filled with the sound of gushing wind.

“You do?”. Gojo asked.

“I..I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have said anything…”. You looked down immediately, realizing what you had just done.

“y/..”.

“No!”. You cut him off. Your chest heaving with panic. “I..I need to go. I need to get down!”.

Gojo’s mouth hung open. Did he hurt you? Did he do something wrong? “Please..calm down”.

“No! I..how do I get down?”. You looked at him and he realized that you were serious.

“Okay..just close your eyes”. Gojo spoke softly. Even though you were standing close he could feel the distance growing. As soon as your eyes were closed Gojo brought you back on the ground.

When you felt your feet touch the ground you opened your eyes without Gojo having to tell you anything and Immediately stepped away from him. You began walking towards your horse without waiting for Gojo. Tears rolled down your eyes as you tried your best to not fall to ground bawling. What had you done? You confessed your love to the fucking king!

“Y/n wait!”. Gojo called out to you. He jogged up to you and grabbed your hand. “What happened?”.

“I..I need to go!”. You refused to look at him and tried to get his hands off yours.

“No! You cannot just..”. Gojo blinked and the tears rolled on his cheeks, “..You can’t just say that and leave”.

“I can’t but you can!”. You finally looked at him with quivering lips. “You can say whatever you want and do what you want but please…please Satoru, for the love of god don’t give me false hopes”.

“Y/n..oh god..no no no..I..I mean-”. Gojo held both of your hands and rubbed his thumb over the knuckles.

“It doesn’t matter”. You stepped back pulling your arms away from him. “It doesn’t matter. Don’t tell me anything. From now on, don’t tell me anything. I don’t want to know your feelings. I don’t want to know ..anything!”.

Gojo’s shoulders dropped and heart sank. He didn’t know what to do. It felt like all the doors he opened to get to you were now being shut on his face one by one. All the walls he broke , now up stronger than ever and he was losing hope with every passing second. He could not lose you. Not now. Not at this point. He stepped towards you but you stepped back. “I..I am sorry if what I did hurt you but my words were true. Please..just talk to me. I..Please”. His whole body shivered and shrunk as you refused to meet his eyes.

“I need to go”. You got on your horse and turned it around while Gojo stood there watching you, panicking, cursing himself. No, this was not going to be the end of your story. He was not going to let you have any bad memories of him. He didn’t care how much it hurt him as long as you were happy.

“Stop!”. Gojo yelled as he caught up to you.

“I don’t want to!”. You yelled back.

“I..there is a curse near by.Behind us! We need to stop!”. Gojo frowned as she said it, making it look like he was scolding you. But in reality he knew that it was the only way to get you to stop. In return all he had to do was let one of his ‘pet’ curses chase him.

You looked back and saw the bear shaped gigantic curse chasing you and immediately came to a halt, pulling out your sword in the process. “Get back!”. You yelled at Gojo and kept your eyes focused on the monster. But before it could even get within your attacking range, you collapsed on the ground.

-X-

Naoya grunted as he swung the chair to the other side of the bakery. He coughed and sneezed as the dust enveloped him. With light off and shutter down, one might wonder what Naoya Zenin was doing in a bakery that has been closed for decades? But only he knew why he had taken away this bakery from you. Under the garb of an engagement gift Naoay wanted the access to your clan’s secret technique that would make him more powerful than Gojo Satoru. A technique so rare that not many people even knew about its existence or working. But he knew. He glared at the broken down pieces of furniture as he recalled the day he heard his father talk to your grandmother and how she told him about the technique that is passed down once every five generations and that meant that it was passed down to you.

Naoya knew more about your life, by reading the letters exchanged between his father and your grandmother, than you did. He knew that both of your parents were sorcerers but your grandmother wanted to keep you away from the battlefield so she lied to you. Everything would have gone well if only his stupid uncle would not have gotten in the way and told your grandmother that he was only marrying you for the curse technique. Everything went downhill from there.

He pulled out drawers and shelves and threw them on the floor when he could not find the scroll he was looking for. The scroll was the missing piece of his puzzle. With a loud sigh he collapsed on the dingy couch and looked at the ceiling. He wouldn’t have cared for this stupid scroll now if only Gojo hadn’t brought those laws! What was she even thinking? Does he really think that sorcerers and commoners are equal? Like they have an equal right to live? He scoffed and turned around when he saw an old frame with your family photo. It looked too well preserved and definitely looked like it was made of a finer quality wood.

He squinted and walked over to the wall and his eyes widened when he realized that it was not actually a frame but a thin safe disguised as a frame. How could he have missed this! He turned it around and unclasped the lock at the back and smiled devilishly when instead of the back of the photo he saw four scrolls stacked on top of another.

-X-

You opened your eyes slowly and found yourself lying on the soft plush bed. Your head was pounding and you grunted as you tried to get up.

“No no no no..”. Gojo said as he immediately rushed to you followed by Niko. “Don’t get up yet”. He put one arm around your shoulder and the other on the blanket as he tucked you back in slowly. “How are you feeling?”. He asked.

You stared at him and Niko and tried to recollect what happened but your mind was blank. “I..don’t know..what happened to me?”.

Niko sat down on the other side and took your hand, taking you aback, “It doesn’t matter. You are fine now”.

“I..I am fine? But..what..”. You turned to Gojo for answers.

“How much do you remember?”. Gojo asked.

You took a deep breath and tried to dig out the latest memory you had. “We were having dinner and talking about your techniques and..”. You trailed off as the following memory was just a blank.

Gojo sighed and petted you gently on the head, “It’s alright. You are right, we were having dinner and then we got a notice about a possible curse attack”.

“Curse attack?”. You frowned as you tried to force any memory of the attack.

“Yes. We were on the way when we were attacked and you jumped in front of me and got hit on the head”.

“Are you…are you hurt?”. You asked, looking at him.

“No. I can’t believe you would do something like that when I had asked you clearly to never jump in front of me”.

“I..I am fine. Really”. You tried to force a smile.

Niko looked between you and Gojo and something felt eerily off. Last night when Gojo walked into the camp carrying you in his arms it didn’t look like you were hit by a curse. Your arms and hands were fine. Even your clothes and shoes were fine. Above everything, it was strange that you had lost just a portion of your memory, like someone had deliberately trimmed that part and stitched another one in its place. “It’s quite funny that y/n got a chance to step in the way of attack before you could kill the curse..your-highness”.

“Niko!”. You frowned and gripped his hand. “It was my duty”.

Gojo smiled at you and then turned to Niko. “I did kill the curse but… unfortunately it had already attacked y/n”.

“And you weren’t fast enough to save her? Or if I may be brave enough to say that your intentions came in the way”. Niko raised a brow. He didn’t care anymore if Gojo would demote him. He was going to show you just how selfish Gojo Satoru is…and can be.

Gojo’s anger flared but he tried to retain the calm exterior. Niko was deliberately trying to make him look bad, or worse incompetent in front of you! “Are you implying that I didn’t want to save her?”.

“Niko! This is my job!”. You squeezed his hand to signal him to stop. “I am sure his-highness tried everything to save me”.

Gojo remained silent. Niko was sowing the seeds of hatred in your heart and he couldn’t do anything…yet.

“You are right y/n”. Niko chuckled. “It is your job to risk your life to protect the King and not the other way around, and at the end of the day you were just doing your job and I am proud of you for that”.

Gojo gritted his teeth. He knew exactly what Niko was implying and after Kiyoko’s shenanigans, Niko’s interference was the last thing he needed. It was not a win-win for him, he could not let you have that memory and suffer and this was not the ideal but the only solution he had. His only win was that now he knew you felt the same. “I am sorry y/n..I-”.

“No. Please don’t apologize. I mean it”. You smiled reassuringly at him and Gojo’s heart filled with warmth. It was a bittersweet feeling, on one hand he was happy that you were not mad at him but it hurt him that you did not expect him to protect you, that you don’t see him as a shield but rather as someone who needs to be protected.

It hurt him that he had to be the one to do this to you but he had to. He had no other way, he could not lose you like that. He got scared and desperate and god he would bleed for you just to make up for the pain he had to cause you .“I need to talk to y/n, alone”.

Niko looked at you and you nodded at him. “I’m fine”.

As soon as Niko was out , Gojo's shoulders, he could not look at you anymore, the guilt began to consume him like a tidal wave, “I’m sorry. I am so sorry!”. He muttered as he took your hand in his’.

“It’s fine, It’s really fine”.

“No no no. It’s not! I..Please forgive me y/n”.

You frowned, “Wh..no. I mean you don’t have to ask for forgiveness. I..you didn’t do anything”. Your words only hurt him more and pressed his lip tightly and looked at you. Your eyes softened when you saw his glossy ones, “I am fine. I am really fine”. You tried to reassure him.

“I..couldn’t protect you”.

“You don’t have to. It’s my job to do so and I am sure you did the best you can to get me to safety”.

Gojo could not say anything. He knew it was all his fault. He should not have confessed, he should not have hurt you, he had never felt this guilt in his life, and you still loved him, and cared for him enough to reassure him, not knowing that he was a monster and he didn’t deserve an ounce of your care.

Gojo took a deep breath and cleared his throat. “Make a wish”.

“What?”.

“Make a wish. Anything”.

“Anything?”. You asked innocently.

“Yes”

.“I don’t want to see Princess Kiyoko ever again”. You bit the inside of your cheeks as you spoke. You were half expecting to be reprimanded and half to be laughed at. But you couldn’t tell him not to marry her.

“Granted”. Gojo smiled. “You should rest now”. He stood up to walk away but you held his hand instead.

“Are you really okay?”. You asked.

“Yes. I am”.

You looked at him not believing a word he said. “Satoru…”. You took his name softly, hoping to appeal to the side of him only you knew.

Gojo’s heart skipped a beat, “Ye..yes?”.

“Can you please stay till I sleep?”. You would not admit it but you were scared. Scared of the memory you lost and scared of being alone not knowing what you had forgotten.

“Of course I will”. Gojo sat back down and pulled the blanket up softly tucking you in. “I am right here. You don’t have to worry”. He tucked the strand of hair behind your ear and smiled as he felt you relax. He stayed there till you fell asleep and continued to warm your hand with his’. When he was sure that you were in that sweet deep sleep he leaned down and pressed a kiss on your head before letting go of your hand.

Kiyoko was going to pay for what she tried to do to you. Giving you a vial of poison that could possibly kill someone with no curse energy, her aim was clear to Gojo now. He tolerated her disrespect, he tolerated her flirting, he tolerated her attempts at trying to get you and Niko together, but she had gone too far now.

Niko sat under the canopy in the middle and watched Gojo march out of your tent with a familiar vial in his hand and straight into Kiyoko’s. He scoffed at himself, this is who Gojo really is. He might be the strongest sorcerer but deep inside he is just a weak little nothing who had to rely on a commoner to protect him. He knew now that Gojo didn’t love you, he was just trying to get you to fall for him for sport. That’s all what this was to him, a game. But not for him, to him you were everything and watching you put your life on the line for someone like him made him consider dangerous options. He thought about Naoya’s offer…it seemed tempting now. Dethrone Gojo Satoru and start a new life with lots and lots and lots of money away from the politics of the kingdom, away from Gojo Satoru, with you. But it still bothered him why Naoya wanted his help dethroning Gojo. The Zenin clan was just as powerful and he did not know what he could add to the plan but now he was tempted to accept the offer on the table. He lit up a cigarette and began finishing the carving that you had started.

He threw his cigarette on the ground and crushed it under his feet as he began walking to your tent but stopped as he heard a loud shriek from the princess’ tent. People ran inside the tent and screamed. Niko witnessed the panic as Gojo Satoru walked out with the calmness of still water. He looked at Niko through the corner of his eyes and kept walking towards your tent.

Niko ran and stepped in front of him, putting his arm on Gojo’s shoulder. “What did you do?!”. Niko asked as his breath quickened. Gojo pushed his arm away and kept walking towards you. Niko ran up to him and stepped in between him and the entrance of the tent. “No. You can’t enter before you tell me what you did!”.

“Keep your voice down, she is sleeping”. Gojo spoke calmly as he looked down on Niko.

“What-”.

“Let me remind you”,Gojo spoke sternly,”That you are refusing entry to the King, do you want me to kill you?”. He smirked.

“You can’t hurt y/n”.

Gojo’s rage filled eyes had shiver run down Niko’s spine, he growled at him, “I would never harm the future Queen of this Kingdom”.

Gojo walked past Niko leaving him standing there wide eyed, mouth hung open and to his horror he saw the princess running out of her tent with her face disfigured, crying, weeping blood, and for the first time he witnessed just who Gojo Satoru was and what he could do.

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thehighpriestess1 · 8 months

Text

Be Mine : Wounds

Summary : With a little help from a close friend Gojo gets a deeper insight into y/n’s feelings. He loved her, watched her from afar but failed to see her pain, but now that he has, who dared stop him?

Pairing : Yandere King Gojo x Knight reader

Warning : mentions of traumatic relationships, physical abuse, bleeding, injury, yandere themes. Minors do not interact. 18+ only.

Ask box 🦋 Master list

You stared at the ceiling of your childhood bedroom as tears rolled down the corner of your eyes. The confession had left a bitter taste in your mouth and now you regretted saying it. You remembered Gojo’s face as the words had left your mouth, it had gone paler and a look of hurt was evident on his face. But maybe you were being delusional and his face was just the same. When he offered you a one week medical leave you did not refuse it. Any time away from him was appreciated. You couldn’t stand being in the castle and after that excruciating night you packed your bags and came straight here. But it turns out the ache in your heart was not tethered to a place. You turned on your side and looked outside the window, far away you could see the ivory tower you climbed out of glowing on top of a hill. The castle always looked beautiful at night but it was also the loneliest place at night. Somewhere within those castle walls Niko was lying in his bed, he would be discharged tomorrow and maybe his company would help you feel better.

You looked at where his balcony would be, now that you had been there you knew exactly which balcony led to his chamber and which led to his office. Is he asleep right now? Or is he with the woman he loves? Does he even think about you? Or is he too occupied with her? Does he still have the Omamori? You closed your eyes and let the tear roll over the bridge of your nose. You were not going to fall in love with him, you reminded yourself. No matter what happens, you are not going to fall in love with him.

Gojo sat on the plush chair,on the balcony, with his feet propped up against the foot rest. His eyes were closed and head rested against the edge of the chair. To a passerby it would look like he is simply resting, but the faint tear at the corner of his eyes would prove otherwise. He could see you clearly, tossing and turning in your bed. Were you having trouble sleeping? When you gazed out of the window it felt like you were looking straight at him. Ever since you had left Gojo could hardly eat or sleep. He was always angry, always hurting. He had never felt more lonely. He knew your confession was half hearted, he knew it wasn’t the truth, and yet the words pierced his heart. If you didn’t want to be with him then there was nothing he could do. He would love you from afar all his life if it meant that you’d be happy. But why weren’t you happy then? Why were there tears in your eyes? Were they for Niko? He wanted to cradle you, kiss your tears away, love you until you forget what pain feels like.

-X-

You were in the middle of brewing your morning coffee when you heard the knock on your door. Wiping your hands on the apron around your waist you opened the door and squealed when you saw Niko standing there with his ever charming smile and wrapped your arms around his neck. Niko’s hand immediately rested at your waist as he lifted you off the ground and stepped inside.

“Oh god you are okay!”. You got down and stepped back to look at him.

“Better than before!”. Niko smiled and kept his duffel bag on the couch. “I smell coffee”. He scrunched his nose and tilted his head.

“Settle in, I’ll get you some!”. You smiled and immediately walked inside the kitchen to wash another cup. “Are you on medical leave?”. You asked, wiping the cup with a cloth.

“Yes I am!”. Niko replied from the living room. “I guess it’s well earned”.

You chuckled and poured the coffee in two mugs and brought them out on a tray. “I was really worried about you, you know?”. You said with a concerned frown as you kept the tray on the table and sat down next to Niko on the couch.

“I know. You were also very stupid”. He said as he sat sideways to look at you and tucked a strand of your hair behind your ear.

You sighed and looked down at your lap, “I wish I could explain why I did that”.

“You don’t have to. Just promise me that you would never do something that stupid again”.

You rolled your eyes and picked up your coffee mug, “Fine! I promise!”.

Niko smiled at you as he sipped his coffee. He was glad that you were on leave as well. Now both of you could actually spend some time together without interference from anyone.

“By the way..what really happened that night?”. You asked, keeping the mug back in the tray.

Niko sighed and bit the corner of his lip. “I don’t remember a whole lot but Commander Kento and I reached the sector with everyone and then we split into two groups when we reached the diner. He left with two men and two men stayed with me. I had just crossed the roundabout when a lady came up to us and asked me for help as a few curses had taken over her building..”. Niko took a sip of coffee and his eyes were fixed at a spot on the couch, “...at the same time two curses came out of nowhere so I sent the two men with her and fought the two curses”.

“Were they the ones that attacked you?”.

Niko shook his head and looked up at you, “No. When I was done with those two, a third one..I believe he was a grade 1, materialized from where I was standing and held my foot and just..”. Niko raised his hand in a swinging manner and chuckled, “ ..swung my in the air. I tried to fight it but the other tentacles grabbed my arm and it spewed something on me and it left”.

“It left?”. You frowned.

“Yeah, just like that. It just left”.

You stared at him with your mouth agape. Curses just don’t leave.

“Next thing I knew..I was in so much pain that I could barely breathe and when I opened my eyes I was in the hospital”.

You nodded your head, it was possible that the trauma had distorted Niko’s memory. “Did you wake up right before I got there?”.

“No”. Niko grunted and put his cup down. “I had awoken almost 30 minutes before that”.

“Oh..when did he get there?”.

“Surprisingly he was there when I woke up”.

“What?!”.

Niko chuckled, “Yeah. He was there when I opened my eyes and then he ..questioned me about what happened and what I remembered and then you showed up”.

“Oh..did he..see you again after that?”.

“Noppeee”. Niko grabbed the tray and proceeded to talk to the kitchen and kept them in the sink.

You sunk further into the couch and ran both your hands through your hair. You had been debating telling Niko about everything that had happened with you.

“What has been up with you?”. Niko asked, coming out of the kitchen and looking at your lost-cause expression.

“So much…I don’t even know where to start..”. You said bleakly.

“Start from the beginning..what happened after you left with Gojo”.

You took a deep breath and began telling Niko everything that happened with you. From the curse to waking up in his bed to the Omamori and the library. You told him about the other woman and your conflicted feelings and how you told Gojo that you were in love with Niko only to stop yourself from developing any feelings for Gojo. Now that you were putting things into perspective you realized how stupid your decision was but it was too late.

Niko listened to each word carefully. He wasn’t surprised that you were feeling this way, this is what men like Gojo do. They care till they want to care and then they discard. Your feelings didn’t mean anything to Gojo and Niko could bet that Gojo had a bet going on where he makes you fall in love with him and then break your heart. But he had a feeling that there was something more sinister going on here.

“Am I being too delusional and reading too much into this?”. You asked, fidgeting with your fingers.

“No, I think you are right to feel uncomfortable. He should understand that he is the King and even if he wants to be your friend there are certain boundaries that you just can’t cross. If he fails to see how his caring or over-caring nature is making you uncomfortable then maybe he is not really your friend and he has some other motive behind all of this”.

“I wasn’t exactly..uncomfortable. To be honest, I don’t know what I feel and how to put all of it into words..”.

Niko took your hand in his’, “It’s alright. You don’t have to think about him while you are here, okay?”.

You smiled and nodded your head. “Okay”.

-X-

Gojo lay on his bed with his one arm covering his eyes and another in Shoko’s hand as she took his pulse. Ijichi, who had been by Gojo’s side since you had gone on leave, was excused as the King wanted to see as few people as possible.

“When was the last time you slept properly?”. Shoko asked.

Gojo replied with a sigh. He had no idea. All his time was spent either dealing with the most important work or keeping an eye on you. Sleep didn’t hold importance in front of you.

“Oi, Satoru! I asked you something!”.

“Ugh, I don’t know, okay?”.

“When was the last time you had eaten a full meal?”.

Gojo groaned in response and Shoko assumed it was the same answer. “Look, I don’t know what your deal is but if you continue this then we will have to find a new King”.

“She loves him..I think”. Gojo slurred. He removed his hand and turned to look at Shoko. His eyes were red and puffy and it deeply worried Shoko.

“So?”. Shoko raised a brow.

“He loves her too”. Gojo swallowed harshly.

“So?”.

“I..I can’t live without her”. Gojo sniffled.

Shoko took a deep breath and ruffled his hair. “It’s fine. If you really love her then don’t give up”. It was unlike Shoko to speak softly and give advice on love. But Gojo had done the same for her and she was just paying him back.

“I don’t know what to do”. Gojo shook his head and looked up at the ceiling.

“You should stop keeping an eye on her. It’s draining you”.

“I can’t. I could have lived without her had I never met her, but now..now I can’t. You know, whenever I am unaware about what she is doing or where she is, I feel like I am drowning. But as soon as I see her I feel like I have made it to the surface again”.

“Satoru…she will be here soon. You just have to wait a few days”.

“No!”. Gojo groaned. “You don’t understand! Anything could happen to her! Someone could try to hurt her or kill her. You don’t know her Shoko, she is extremely stubborn and doesn’t think twice before risking her life! What if something happens and I am not there to stop her?! No..No..”.

“Fine”. Shoko spoke calmly. “I understand. I will help you but only if you get better”.

Gojo’s eyes widened, “Will you? Really?”.

Shoko rolled her eyes, “Do you want to see her or not?”.

“I do I do I do!”.

“Fine. She will still be on medical leave though and you can…maybe meet her for..I don’t know! We’ll see! God I regret this already”. Shoko began packing her bags and Gojo sat up straight.

“What if she doesn’t come?”. Gojo asked.

“Tough luck then!”. Shoko said and got up pulling her bag over her shoulders. “But till then..no more of the”, Shoko pointed at his eyes and swirled her finger, “..six eyes thing”.

“I promise!”. Gojo smiled.

Shoko had known him for over a decade and knew when something was up. “Swear on y/n. Swear on y/n that you would not use your six eyes”.

Gojo’s shoulders dropped and he rubbed his eyes. “FIne. I swear on y/n I will not use my six eyes until she comes”.

“Good!”.

“Shoko?”. Gojo called out as Shoko was at the door.

“What?”.

“If she comes…would that mean she loves me?”.

Shoko stared at him and sighed, “Maybe”. She shrugged, “but it would definitely mean that she cares about you enough to leave her friend.. whatever his name is”.

-X-

You picked up the apple from the pile and inspected it, the tote bag on your shoulder was already digging in your skin but this was the last purchase for the day. Niko was still back at your home. You didn’t ask him to come with you but you hoped that he would at least offer. But when you told him that you were going to get groceries he simply handed you his list with a goofy smile. So now here you were, packing his apples.

“Hey!”. A woman's voice called out from behind and you turned around to see a woman with straight brown hair and a beauty mark under her eye smiling at you. She seemed familiar but you couldn’t exactly recollect her name.

“Yes?”. You asked, turning away from the pile of apples.

“You don’t remember me ,do you?”. She asked as she walked over to the pile and picked up the same one you had before.

“Don’t take that, it’s bad”. You replied nervously, feeling embarrassed at being caught. “I’m sorry I don’t really remember you”.

“I am Shoko Ieri. I treated you a few days ago”.

Your mouth formed into an O as you remembered Gojo mentioning her name. “Right! I’m so sorry! Thank you so much for treating me!”. You chuckled nervously.

“How are you feeling now?”.

“Better. Much better”.

“That’s good. Any friend of Satoru’s is a friend of mine”. She winked at you and began walking in a different aisle and you walked by her side.

“You’re friends with him?”. You asked, adjusting the tote bag as the pain had begun to travel from your shoulder to spine.

“Yeah. Since childhood. So I couldn't really say no to him when he brought you! God it looked like he was going to have a heart attack”. She rolled her eyes.

Though she had a stoic face her smile was warm and reassuring but yours dropped. “You..didn’t want to..”.

“Oh no no no. It’s not like that”. Shoko turned towards you and shook her palm vigorously and you giggled at her embarrassed face. “It’s just that I don’t treat non-sorcerers. Not that I can’t, but the council wanted to keep the medical history and conditions of sorcerers separate from the non-sorcerers”.

“Oh…”.

The two of you began walking again as Shoko continued, “But Satoru can get really persistent when he wants to and he basically refused to leave until I treated you”.

You smiled sadly as you adjusted your bag again, “That’s sweet of him”.

Shoko sighed,”Yeah but now I have to treat him. He is the worst patient ever!”.

You stopped walking as Shoko stopped a few steps ahead and turned towards you, “What happened?”. She asked, feigning innocence.

“What happened to him? Is he hurt?”. You asked, trying your best to hide the anxiety rising inside you but Shoko could read your face like an open book.

“I wish it was simply a physical injury, it would have been easier to treat but he has just..exhausted himself completely. I am afraid if he does not stop and take care of himself it can be really detrimental”. Shoko looked around and walked over to you and whispered in your ear, “I am not really supposed to discuss his physical state because he is you know what but it’s really bad. He can hardly get up and still insists on working”. She backed away and gave you a sympathetic nod.

Your shoulders dropped as you imagined him lying alone in bed, sickand with no one to talk to. “Do you think I could..maybe see him?”. You asked hesitantly. “I don’t get my badge back for another two days so I can’t really get into the castle grounds”.

Shoko nodded and pretended to think for a moment. “It’s really tough to enter the palace grounds then”.

You bit the inside of your cheek and looked down, “Yeah. If I could send a message through-”.

“But I can help you!”. Shoko cut you off before you could get another idea. “Only if you really want to..I don’t want to pressure-”.

“I do! I want to!”.

“Okay, I can write you a consultation slip and you can use that to get inside”. Shoko smiled and you reciprocated.

“Yes. That would be really helpful!”.

Shoko opened her purse and took out her notepad and seal and within seconds handed you the consultation slip. You took it from her and stared at it. Did she just write all of this now? She is really the best doctor in the kingdom. “Thank you so much doctor!”.

Shoko smiled, “Please feel free to call me Shoko”.

You smiled and nodded your head, “Okay Shoko”. You looked back at the slip and frowned, “Wait…but this is for today”. You looked up at her, confused.

“Oh I’m sorry, I’m on leave for two days starting tomorrow”.

You pressed your lips and stared at the slip.

“Is everything okay?”. Shoko asked, tilting her head forward.

“Yeah. Everything is fine. I better hurry I guess. Bye Shoko!”. You laughed nervously and ran off in the other direction.

Shoko stood there, staring at you run, “Hook,line, and sinker. You owe me Gojo!”. You chuckled and walked away whistling.

-X-

You kept the heavy bag on the table with a grunt and moved your shoulders. “Niko!”. You called out and Niko walked out of the bedroom with a book in his hand.

“You’re home! I was so hungry!”. He said, stretching his neck.

“I need to go”. You tied your hair into a ponytail and made your way towards the bedroom, pushing past Niko.

“Wait! Where are you going?”. Niko followed you into the bedroom. You stood in front of the wardrobe rummaging through your clothes. You knew you couldn’t tell Niko that you were going to see Gojo as he would try to talk you into not doing it and you had no time for debate. The castle gates would close in an hour and you needed to hurry.

“A friend of mine is really sick so I am visiting her. I might not come back tonight”. You replied examining your white shirt. It would have to do. You pulled out your black slacks and coat and made your way towards the bath.

“Wait!”. Niko grabbed hold of your arm as you were about to pass him again. “Is it Amante? I’ll come with you!”.

“No!”. You shook your head. “It’s not Amante. It’s..Shoko. She is the chief Medical officer and..she is the one who ..who treated me and..I think that it’s only fair that I visit her now that..you know..she is unwell”.

Niko scanned your face, “How did you become such close friends?”. He asks, frowning at you.

“She is the chief medical officer and works closely with the King. There aren’t a whole lot of women on that side of the castle”. You replied, sternly. “Now let me go”. You shrugged your arm away and walked into the bath slamming the door behind you.

Niko didn’t buy your story and stood outside the bath with his hands on his hips. “What about dinner?”. He asked.

“What do you mean, what about dinner? I got the groceries! Cook it yourself!”. You replied ,taking the top off of your head.

“God y/n! I am starving here and not only are you late you are also leaving!”.

“You are not a child Niko! Cook for yourself!”.

“But I like it when you do it for me!”. Niko walked back and sat on the edge of the bed.

You got out with your dirty clothes in your head and your face flushed, “You did not even do the dishes from noon! I did! I got the groceries! I have been cooking and cleaning all this while! It won’t kill you to at least cook for yourself for one fucking night!”. You yelled and walked past him again and picked up your messenger bag and shoved the slip inside.

Niko sat in silence and watched you put your boots on. “Are you going to see him?”. He asked, looking blankly at you.

“Oh for fuck’s sake Niko! Stop acting like a jealous boyfriend!”. You spat out and stood up to put on your coat.

“I thought that’s what you wanted me to be”. Niko walked over to you and gently fixed the collar of your coat.

You swatted his hand away and took a deep breath, “I want you to be understanding”.

“Are you mad at me?”. He asked softly. “Just …don’t burn the house down while I’m away”. You smiled and walked out the door.

Niko stood at the doorway and watched you climb down the stairs. Something was different. In the days that he had spent with you, even though you were with him you had a far off look in your eyes. Whatever it was, he wasn't just going to sit and let another man take you away from him, even if the other man is a king.

-X-

Gojo sat at his table in his robe and trousers. His one hand holding the scroll in front of him and his other supporting his chin. If he can’t keep an eye on you then at least he can read about you. He had deployed his most trusted spies to gather information about you the day Shoko told him about your dormant technique and what he found made his blood boil. If he acted hastily it would cause a civil war in the Kingdom but god was he so close to doing it. His mouth twitched as he read about things that he was sure you were unaware of.

A faint knock on his door had him groaning in response. He didn’t want to see anyone right now. And chose to ignore it hoping that whoever it was would go away but the second knock had him gritting his teeth. “Go away Ijichi! I don’t want dinner!”. Gojo yelled and focussed his attention back on the scroll in his hand. Fucking Idiot, he muttered under his breath. He was more irritated than usual today, partly because of your history and partly because of the promise he had made to Shoko.

When he heard the knock again he tossed the scroll on the table and marched towards the door, determined to severely reprimand the person who dared disturb him. With his anger at its limit and his head pounding, he yanked the door open and within seconds everything calmed down. His anger evaporated, his headache subsided, his heart beat returned to normal, “Y/n?”. He asked, questioning himself, wondering if you were really here or were you a mirage.

“Your Highness”. You curtly bowed. You looked up at him and your heart clenched. His eyes were bloodshot and his cheeks sunken. The eye bags were a clear indication of lack of sleep and the pale skin indicated that he was essentially starving. “May I come in?”. You asked, snapping Gojo out of his thoughts.

“Yes”. He stepped aside and you walked in, gripping the strap of your bag with both of your hands.

Gojo closed the door behind you, “What are you doing here?”.

You lifted up the consultation slip, “I had come to see Shoko and thought I should check up on you”.

Gojo took the consultation slip from your hand and walked over to his desk smiling to himself. Shoko really outdid herself. “Missed me too much?”. He smirked as he sat down on his chair and with a flick of his hand sealed the scrolls in a cylindrical tumbler.”..or did your boyfriend bore you already?”.

You pulled the chair and sat down on it with a scoff, “I leave for a few days and this is what you turn into?”. You raised a brow at him making Gojo chuckle. You noticed now that he was essentially shirtless and you tried your best to not let your eyes wander too far. You felt like a ticking time bomb from the moment Shoko had told you about Gojo but now that you were here, you were concerned and yet at peace. Even back at home with Niko, you were always a little anxious and on the edge but with him it felt like the outside world did not exist.

“I had been busy”. Gojo replied.

“..and sick”. You added a smirk.

“Yes, sick”.

“..and annoying”.

Gojo tilted his head and squinted at you with a smile, “Who told you I’m being annoying? Who dared complain about me?”.

“Shoko”.

Gojo chuckled,“Oh, yeah I have been annoying her”.

“And the way you yelled at me thinking I was Ijichi makes me sad for him”. You shrugged.

Gojo rested his face on his palm and leaned forward on the table. “Yeah. I am a terrible boss”.

“Oh you don’t have to tell me that, I know”. You scrunch your nose and look at him.

Gojo sighed, he missed you so much. He missed being teased by you, he missed your smile, he missed your laugh, me missed your voice. “That’s why you came to check up on me? Because I am a terrible boss?”.

You laughed and shook your head, “Just wanted to see what I’d have to deal with when I get back to work”,

“Oh, Is that so?”. Gojo raised a brow at you while still retaining his amused smile.

“Yes!”.

“Okay then”. Gojo quipped and leaned back in his seat. “Now that you have seen, you may go now”. He shrugged.

The playful smile on his face told you that he didn’t mean it but you were not going to concede to him so you picked up your bag and stood up to walk away. “As you say, your-highness”. You bowed and turned around to leave.

Gojo sat on his chair with a wide grin plastered on his face, “If you think I am going to stop you, you are wrong”.

“I don’t want you to stop me”. You replied without looking back but as you reached the door the doubt crept up in your mind. Was he really not going to stop you? Anyway it was too late to turn back now so you pushed open the door to walk out but somehow you were walking back inside his office. You froze as you stepped in and looked at him wide eyed.

“I thought you were leaving”. Gojo said, biting his lower lip.

“I..”. You looked back and saw the hallway, “..was”. You walked back as you closed the door but as soon as you turned around, instead of coming face to face with the painting on the wall right outside his office you were staring at him sitting on the desk.

“You’re still here?”. Gojo questioned in a mocking way.

“I..”. Maybe the stress and hunger had gone to your head. “..am”. You turned around and pushed the door open but again you were walking inside his office. “Okay..what’s happening?”. You looked at him.

Gojo shrugged as he rested his face on his palm , “If you don’t want to leave you can just say so”.

You scoffed, with your hands on your hips you looked at him, “You are doing this, aren’t you?”.

Gojo smiled widely, “I am just sitting here, watching you leave”.

“Okay, Okay okay..I will leave for sure now!”.

“If you say so”. Gojo chuckled.

You kept your eyes fixed on him and walked backward until your back touched the door. You stretched your one hand back and pushed the door open while staring unblinkingly at him. You put one foot out of the door and then another and then another and let the door close in front of you covering his face slowly. You stared at the door handle and you were sure that you were outside now. You took a step back and then another and then another and now you could see the walls round the door in your periphery and relaxed. But another step back and your back collided with someone and you turned around to see Gojo smiling down on you.

“You’re still here?”.

“Huh?”. You looked around and suddenly you were back in his office. “HOW?!”. You looked around while Gojo laughed.

“Well if you don’t want to leave then have dinner with me”. Gojo replied nonchalantly and walked over to the door leading to his chamber whistling a happy tune.

You watched his back and smiled widely. “If you wanted me to stay you could have just said so, there was no need to make me feel dizzy!”. You jogged up to him as he held the door open for you while still whistling.

Did you purposely step on his foot as you walked by him? Yes. Did he know that? Yes.

“You can still leave if you want to”. Gojo smiled as he slid his hands in the pocket and began walking beside you.

“And drive myself crazy? No way!”. You folded your arms over your chest and walked beside him.

Gojo looked sideways at you and smiled. You were here. You came. “How has your leave been so far?”. Gojo asked instead of asking why were you living with Niko.

“It’s been alright”.

“Have you been resting well?”.

“Mmhmm”. You replied with a pressed smile. You wished you were resting well but instead you had to look not only after yourself but also after a grown child who couldn’t cook, couldn’t wash dishes, couldn’t even get his own groceries or even accompany you to get it. You liked Niko, he has been your friend for as long as you could remember but the past few days made you realize how foolish it was of you to try to fall for him.

The two of you walked into what looked like a small kitchen with a wooden table with two chairs on one side and stove and shelves on the other. A part of you dreaded having to cook again. You had just felt at ease and you were not the biggest fan of cooking, but to your surprise Gojo didn’t ask you to do it. He walked over to the stove and opened the shelf on the side pulling out a cook pot.

“Are you..are you going to cook?”.

“Yeah”. Gojo replied, humming to himself while taking out vegetables and rice from another shelf. “I can’t cook anything fancy so don’t expect much”. Gojo winked at you.

You took your bag off and kept it on the floor beside the table and walked over to him, “Let me help you”. You went to pick the mushroom to chop it but Gojo held your wrist just before you could grab it.

“No”.

“Why not?”. You looked at him with a pout.

“You don’t look like you are the best cook”.

“That’s presumptuous!”. You scoffed and backed away.

“It’s an observation”. Gojo shrugged and began chopping.

“Oh really? If anything I should be the one to doubt your cooking because you are a King!”.

“You mean to say a King can’t cook?”. Gojo raised a brow and looked at you through the corner of his eyes.

You pouted and dug your heel on the floor, “I mean..you don’t have to”.

Gojo reached over your head and pulled out a metal container. “I like cooking for myself. They make too much and most of it goes to waste”.

You were taken aback by his response. It was true that the royalty and nobility always had elaborately set tables with the finest food and the most exquisite wine and much of it did go to waste and here was the sorcerer king cooking for himself.

“I��m a simple man y/n”. Gojo gave you a smile and you reciprocated.

“I thought you weren’t hungry”. You leaned on the counter by your elbow and raised your brows making Gojo chuckle.

“I wasn’t but then I used too much energy playing with you”.

“Ha! So you agree you were playing with me!”. You pointed your index finger at him.

Gojo turned towards you with his hands on his hips and towered over you, “Did you just point your finger at the King?”.

You looked at your finger and rought your hands behind your back immediately.

“Good girl. Now go set the table”. Gojo corked his head towards the table and you immediately picked up the plates.

Gojo brought two bowls of rice and a large bowl of gravy and put it on the table. Your stomach churned with hunger and it smelled heavenly. Gojo poured it over the rice and kept the bowl in front of you and did the same for himself. You took the first bite and Gojo knew by the look on your face that he had hit the mark.

You wondered how something so simple tastes so good? Was there a secret ingredient? But soon that thought was overshadowed by the image of Gojo cooking all alone in the kitchen and sitting at the very same table and eating in silence, it felt lonely. He had friends, you knew that now, but his stature hardly allowed him company. You wanted to eat every meal with him now, if not as his partner then at least as his friends. You didn’t want him to eat alone. You didn’t want him to drown himself in work to the point of exhaustion. You didn’t want him to be the King or the strongest sorcerer, you wanted him to be just Satoru for you. A friend. You felt guilty for everything you did and wondered if you’d ever be able to make it up to him.

You ate and listened to him talk about his day and everything he did while you were away and you were sure you could listen to him for hours. You didn’t want to ask him about the other woman, as long as you don’t ask about her you could be his friend. If he ever talks about her then you’d listen. You didn’t know whether you were in love with him or were about to fall in love with him, but you didn’t want to run away anymore. If he ever betrays you then you’d curse yourself for staying, if he ever hurts you then you would find it in your heart to forgive him. But you would not run away anymore.

As the night progressed you found yourself sitting on the carpeted floor with two empty bottles of wine between you and Gojo, laughing as he almost trips the third half empty one. You laughed into your goblet as Gojo tried his best Ijichi impression and laughed some more as he tried to mimic Shoko. You had learnt many things about him this night, he had the power of illusion, he is an amazing cook but a terrible impressionist, he is an annoying patient but good listener, he hates the fanfare that comes with being a king, he likes this very specific brand of wine, he is good at reading people but terrible at card games, he had the most beautiful eyes but they held so much sadness that sometimes you couldn’t look at them,his mom made this very specific stew when he got sick,and above all, he needed a haircut.

Gojo learned many things about you too, you don’t express your feelings with words but your face says it all, when you try not to blush you press your lips together, you were terrible at card games but he loved losing to you, even with years of seeing bloodshed you still had hope in your eyes,you owned a necklace with a sun pendant but you lost in a battle, you don’t notice it but you pout like a child when things don’t go your way, you pass out after three bottles of wine, you always lean into his touch, and above all, he knew by the way you held the collar of his robe and stopped him from leaving you all alone in his bed, that you were not in love with Niko.

-X-

When you woke up the next day your head felt like it was tied to an iron chain. You looked over and saw Gojo sprawled over the couch with one leg dangling over the handrest and the other halfway on the floor. You didn’t remember walking over to his bed, in fact you didn’t remember much from last night. But you were glad that you did not wake up next to Gojo. You got out of bed and picked up your coat and bag silently, careful to not wake him up and made your way out of his room.

While you rode out of the castle gates you were filled with a sense of dread. You didn’t want to go home and explain to Niko where you were. You didn’t want to fight with him but given his nature you knew it was inevitable. But today was the last day of your leave and tomorrow you’d be back to work tomorrow.

“I’m home!”. You announced tiredly as you let the bag drop from your shoulder on the floor. The house was surprisingly clean and smelled of freshly brewed coffee.

“Welcome home!”. Niko said coming out of the kitchen with two cups of coffee and a plate of freshly cut fruits.

You dragged yourself to the couch and plopped down on it,”At least you didn’t burn the house down”.

Niko smiled and handed you your cup, “I’m sorry, I took you for granted and I should have helped you”.

You chuckled as you took the first sip of coffee.

“How’s Shoko?”. Niko asked.

“Hmm?”. You raised your brows behind the cup.

“Shoko, you had gone to see her, right?”.

“Yeah. She is recovering. Might be on leave for a few days”.

Niko nodded and studied your face. “Why do you look hungover?”.

“Jeez Niko! It’s 7:00 AM! Spare me with the interrogation!”. You rolled your eyes in annoyance and it pinched Niko. You had just gotten home and he did everything you had asked him to do so why were you still mad at him? He remained silent and let the coffee do its work, perhaps you were just tired…

-X-

You stood by Gojo’s side in the assembly hall as all the council members sat around a multi layered oval balcony. The main council members sat around a large rectangular table in the center of the court with Gojo sitting in the center. You could see Niko and Amamnte standing by the wall and you wished you could go and stand by their side but Gojo had insisted that you remained by his side. Emergency council meetings were rare and as a first time attendee it overwhelmed you. Every head of the clan, every minister,every knight was present here. But the presence of one man made sweat beads roll down your forehead. Gojo knew that being here wouldn’t be easy for you but he wanted you by his side to show the man that you were above him now.

“Nice to meet you, your-highness' '. Naoya Zenin smiled like a feline as he gave a half bow to Gojo. Gojo did not like the way his golden eyes drifted towards you ever so slightly. The Zenin and Gojo clan had a tough history and were often at war with each other over reins of the kingdom but one battle settled it all. Till this day the Zenin clan believed that they lost the battle because of Gojo and now that they were forced to bow to him they were determined to make his reign as antagonizing as possible.

“Zenin”. Gojo acknowledged his presence with a straight face. Naoya smiled and took his place on the right side of Gojo and looked at you every once in a while.

The head of council stood up to start the meeting, “I welcom-”.

“Hikaru-san!”. Gojo called out to the man who was standing on the podium.

“Yes, your-highness?”. He turned around and bowed down to Gojo.

“Please arrange for all the Knights to sit, this meeting will run long”. Gojo smiled as the court was filled with murmurs and gasps. But no one could deny it and soon chairs were brought for all the knights to sit. Ijichi gestured for you to take your place by other knights but Gojo gestured to Ijichi to bring your chair by his side.

You bent down and whispered in Gojo's ear, “Your-highness, With all due respect I can’t sit by your side…on this table”.

Gojo looked at you like you were insane, “With all due respect, do as I say and sit down”. He whispered. You and Ijichi exchanged nervous looks and eventually caved in to Gojo’s demand. You hesitantly sat by Gojo’s side and felt all the eyes on you. You swallowed nervously and looked at Amante and Niko who were just as shocked as you were. You tried your best to control your nerves as the meeting started. One trade deal after another, One opposition from Naoya after another, you had no business being here and your anxiety was beginning to creep up. Everytime anyone looked at Gojo they also looked at you and you felt like an accessory.

“-we have been getting reports of a possible marriage between the head of Minamoto clan and the daughter of clan head of Yasuo clan”.

Gojo looked up at Hikaru from behind the paper he was holding, “Send them my regards”.

“Your highness, perhaps you don’t understand the gravity of the situation, Yasuo clan is our major importer and Minamoto clan is a competitor”.

Gojo sighed and kept the papers down, “Hikaru-san, if you are suggesting that I marry into the Yasuo clan then you are mistaken”.

“Your-highness”, Hikaru spoke with diplomatic politeness, “You are of age and the Kingdom needs an heir, council members believe that the lady from Yasua clan would be the most suitable”.

Gojo gritted his teeth, “What is her name?”.

“Yasuo”. Hikaru smiled.

“What is her first name?”. Gojo asked.

A heavy silence fell over the room and everyone exchanged nervous looks. Gojo looked around the room, “Is there anyone, anyone from the esteemed council or otherwise, who could tell me the first name of this woman from the Yasuo clan?”.

Naoya chuckled, “Does her name really matter, your highness?”.

“Do you think it doesn’t?”. Gojo smirked.

“Not at all. The Yasuo clan has a strong curse technique and this woman carries it. Having an heir with the techniques from the Yasua clan and Gojo clan could be very beneficial for the kingdom”. Naoya smiled.

Murmurs of agreement echoed around the room.

“If the council’s concern is that of an Heir then I assure you all that the technique of Gojo clan would be passed on”.

“Your-highness”, Naobito Zenin, father of Naoya Zenin spoke up, “Marrying into Yasuo family would not only ensure a strong heir but also seal our trade ties, it would be killing two birds with one stone”.

“Naobito-san, I assure you once again that the Minamoto-Yasuo coalition will not be a threat to either the trade or the future of this kingdom”.

Naoya chuckled and you glared at him. You could not believe just how vile and disgusting the council could be. As for Naoya, he was truly the worst.

Naoya looked at you and smirked, “Perhaps we must trust his royal highness”. Naoya’s agreement with Gojo surprised you. “..But let it be on record that the King is acting against the council’s advice and the consequence of his action will be on his royal conscience”. Naoya closed with a smile.

You could hear a snickering echo and you wanted to rip out everyone’s tongue. Gojo could sense your anger and placed his hand on yours to calm you down. “Yes, please let it be on the record that I am acting against the council’s advice, especially against the advice of the head of the Zenin clan”.

You stood with your hands behind your back outside the door waiting for Gojo to be done talking to a few council members when you were interrupted by him.

“Hello, y/n”. He smiled, his eyes holding the same greed.

“Zenin-san”. You curtly bowed.

“Please, we are friends, you can drop the formality”. Naoya smiled.

“We are not friends. You are a council member and I am a royal-”.

“Whore?”. Naoya tilted his head and pouted.

Tears lined your eyes and your lips quivered. “You have no right to talk to me that way”, You spoke in a shaky breath.

“Oh, is that so? You think you have authority now because you warm his bed at night? Guess you didn’t learn your lesson last time”. He snickered, making bile churn in your stomach.

“Excuse me, Zenin-san”. You cowed curtly and began to walk away but Naoya grabbed your wrist and pulled you back.

“When will your dumb little brain understand that men like him..men like us, have no use of women like you”.

Tears rolled down your eyes as you gritted your teeth, “You could never be half the man he is”.

Naoya stared at you and let your hand go. In a flash of a moment he raised his hand to strike you and you flinched but before your cheeks could even feel the impact Naoya was thrown against the wall 5 feet away. You looked to your side and saw Gojo standing a few feet away with his hands behind his back. He made his way towards Naoya like a predator approaching a prey. You looked to the other side and could still see Naoya on the ground withering in pain. Gojo walked past you and stood directly above Naoya. Whatever hold he had on him loosened and you could see Naoya’s body relax.

“If you ever breathe the same air as her again, I would make sure it’s the last time you breathe”. Gojo growled at him.

You were frozen in your place and could not hear what Gojo said but Naoya’s fear stricken eyes and bloody nose was proof enough that it was a threat. Naoya stood up with trembling legs and within seconds it looked like nothing had happened to him. You had never understood how sorcerers did this. He scoffed at Gojo and walked away glaring at you.

Gojo turned towards you, “We need to talk”.

-X-

You followed Gojo into his office silently. You had been with him long enough to tell his mood just by the way he walked and right now you were sure he was fuming. You didn’t want to cause a scene and you didn’t know how much of your conversation with Naoya did Gojo hear. So you decided to do the best thing possible, apologize.

“I’m sorry your-highness”. You said immediately as Gojo sat down.

“What are you sorry for?”. Gojo quipped. Naoya was lucky that Gojo didn’t kill him today but that does not mean that he wasn’t going to. His hands were still trembling with anger as the scene played in his head.

“For everything that happened. Him and I..we..”.

“I know”. Gojo interrupted and stared at you. “I know everything y/n. What did he say to you?”.

You swallowed painfully and averted your gaze.

“Y/n, I want you to sit down and tell me everything he said”.

You pulled the chair and sat down with your hands in your lap, “He..insulted me and when I tried to walk away he grabbed my arm and..I said something in return and then he..”. You were angry, scared and triggered. “He is not a good man your-highness”.

“I know that. I know that it’s hard to stand up to someone who has hurt you so much in the past”.

You nodded your head and felt grateful that you didn’t have to explain to him why you didn’t stand up for yourself. Everyone who knew about your history with Naoya asked you the same question, why didn’t you defend yourself?, How could you ever gather the strength to tell them how your muscles freeze and brain shuts down whenever you are near him, how could you ever put in words the pain that man has caused you.

Gojo sighed and slid the glass of water towards you. “You don’t have to give me the details if you don’t want to, you don’t even have to answer if you want to, just reply in yes and no, is that okay?”.

You took a sip of water and a deep breath and nodded your head.

“Is he the one who took your grandmother’s bakery from you?”.

“Yes”.

“Do you know why he does that?”.

“Yes. I was..I was supposed to get married to him. His grandfather and my grandmother had arranged for us to be married. I had no idea about the arrangement until two years before the war. His grandfather and my grandmother were sure, I don’t know why, that I had curse technique, but when I showed no signs of it during the war they backed out of the agreement. My grandmother’s death certainly didn’t help..”. You took a deep breath, “But I believed that he..really loved me and I thought that he would fight for me but he didn’t. He was engaged to a friend of mine soon after and she asked for the bakery as her engagement present. So he and his family took it from me saying that since my grandmother didn’t keep her end of the deal it was only fair for them to be compensated and with their influence they took it away”.

Gojo watched you silently. “-and you filed a case against them?”.

“Yes, I did. I couldn’t just let him take away my grandmother’s love and use it as an engagement present”. You smiled sadly.

“Was he an abusive ..partner?”. Gojo asked, watching your face intently.

“Yes”.

“Has he hurt you physically before this?”. Gojo frowned.

“Yes”.

“How many times?”.

“I don’t…I don’t remember”. A tear rolled down your eyes and landed on your knuckle.

Gojo shifted in his seat uncomfortably. His own tears were on the blink of pouring out. If only the timing had been different, if only he hadn’t been caught up in the war started by his best friend. If only he had the guts to make one right decision then he could have saved you from all the pain.

“What did he say to you?”. Gojo asked, calmly.

“It doesn’t matter”.

“Y/n…it matters to me. What did he say to you?”.

“He said that I was just a..”. You rolled your eyes and let out a heavy breath, “..that I was at whore”.

Gojo nodded his head. He couldn’t think of any death that could be painful enough for Naoya Zenin. But right now he needed to keep his anger aside and focus on you. He wanted to keep you away from people like Naoya, he wanted to be your shield and he was going to be one.

“Y/n, whatever he said holds no weight”.

You looked up at him and smiled. “Yeah”.

“I mean it. You outrank him y/n”.

You smiled painfully, “Your-highness, with all due respect, ranks don’t matter as much as you think they do. I might outrank his entire clan but as long as I am not a sorcerer, a strong one at that, I will not get respected. It’s messed up but it’s true. He is not the first one to call me that, and he is not going to be the last one to do so. Even if I take your place, I would still not be respected because I am not a sorcerer”.

Gojo’s heart dropped, there were others who had said this to you, in the palace? And he didn’t know.... “What if you were a sorcerer?”.

You chuckled, “Now I am not sure if I even want to be one”.

“Why?”.

“Because I ..I would know in my heart that it is not me that these people respect, it’s my power”.

“How is it different? You are your power…you deserve to be treated equally regardless of the form of power”.

You scoffed,“If that’s true then why can’t I be treated the same as sorcerers? I too risk my life on the battlefield, then why don’t I get the same quality of medical services as sorcerers do? Do I not bleed? Do I not hurt? Why are there different living quarters? If sorcerers alone win the battles then why is the front line made entirely out of people like me? Your-highness, these people only see power when it is in the form of a curse technique. I can bet my life that none of the people in the council would last more than 5 minutes against me, and yet I am treated as a…whore? They were born with their power but I had to train day and night under the harshest sun to be where I am”.

You took a deep breath, “Do you know how much compensation a sorcerer’s family gets when he dies on a battlefield?”.

“20,000 gold coins”. Gojo replied.

“-and how much does a commoner’s family receive?”.

Gojo remained silent and embarrassed that he did not know that.

“A commoner’s family receives 5000 silver coins. It is not even enough to run a family of three for a year”.

Gojo’s eyes widened.

“Yes. It’s true. A sorcerer has the ability to heal himself but a commoner doesn’t, we fight the same enemy and yet a sorcerer receives a higher salary, better living quarters, better medical services. These prejudices are not taught in school, they are learnt by observing people around us”.

“I don’t know what to say..”. Gojo spoke bleakly. He felt like he failed as a King.

“You don’t have to justify anything to me”…You took a deep breath,“Just…don’t ever tell a commoner that they ‘deserve’ to be treated equally when you don’t do anything to promote that equality”.

-X-

Days had passed since the council meeting and Gojo had been exceptionally busy. He was often in and out of meetings while you waited outside the door. Sometimes he came out looking pleased and sometimes he came out looking pissed. But he was always moving. Elaborate gifts were exchanged between him and the council members and sometimes the meetings lasted for hours on end. You saw him meet with every council member except Naoya and you were glad that you didn’t have to see him. He didn’t talk much about work to you anymore which surprised you. Maybe all of it was on a need to know basis and Gojo finally realized just how divided this society really is. You didn’t ask him either, if you had to know then you were sure he would tell yoy

The past few days had been so busy that now you were dreading going to work. But regardless you made your way to the common dining area to pick up your daily coffee. But to your surprise the dining area was full and bustling with knights of all ranks.

“y/n!”. You heard your name called out from a corner and tiptoed to see who called you. Amamnte waved her hand above her head as Niko and Zeke stood by her side discussion animatedly. You pushed past the crowd and got to where she was standing and looked at the scroll in each of their hands. “What’s happening? Are we going to war?”.

Niko looked at you with s traight face, “You didn’t know about this?”. He titled the scroll towards you and you took it from him. You read through the very extensive and detailed memorandum sent out by the King and signed by majority of the council member and the King himself. As you read through it your heartbeat picked up. Everything that you had mentioned to Gojo was taken care of. Every unit of the force will now have equal representation of sorcerers and non-sorcerers, every foot soldier, every knight, every guard would be receive the same compensation and same level and quality of services, regardless of their manifestation of power. Discrimination based on gender, rank, and manifestation of power would be punishable by harsh labor for up to a year and at the end of the scroll was a note by the king,

We can not say we live in an equal society unless we implement those values. For the longest time, non-sorcerer members of the forces have been treated harshly and unfairly, for that, on the behalf of the government I extend my sincere apology. This amendment is a little too late for a lot of members of the force but I hope that it is implemented with utmost fairness for the sake of the next generation.

“Oh god…..”. You whispered under your breath.

“Did you know about this?”. Niko asked you again.

“No..I did not”. You looked at it with your mouth agape. You chuckled and had the widest smile on your face. You looked at Amante and she was jumping with excitement and pulled you into a hug.

“Fucking finally!”. She screamed in your ear and you jumped along with her. “Yes!!!”.

You turned towards Niko and he didn’t look too happy, “Oi Niko! Why are you sad?”.

He shrugged, “I just hope that this does not create more hatred”.

“They can hate us all they want! But they have to treat us equally now!”. Amante quipped.

Niko smiled and put his arm around your shoulder, “you’re right! We should all celebrate tonight!”.

“Yes!”, you squealed.

“How about my place?”. Amante asked wide eyed.

Everyone agreed that her place would be the best and started discussing the guest list. You wanted to invite everyone you knew and so did Zeke and Niko.

“I gotta go. I’ll see you guys tonight!”. You gave Amante a parting hug and made your way out of the crowd. Niko watched you leave with a heavy heart.

You ran through the busy halls with the scroll on your hand and happy tears in your eyes. You pushed people away and barged through the door of his office, “your-highness!”. You yelled with a wide smile on your face.

Gojo, who was standing near the window, smiled at you and walked over to you. In your happy state you jogged and wrapped your arms around his neck.

“Thank you! Thank you so much!”. Gojo’s eyes widened as he gingerly brought his arm to your waist. He felt like the world stopped on its axis the moment he held you in his arms. If only he knew that this was his reward then he would have done this long ago. He held you tightly with his one arm wrapped around your waist and the other at the back of your head.

You realized soon what you had done but you wanted to stay in his arms a little longer. You closed your eyes and smiled in content. You and Gojo let go slowly at the same time, like both of you were testing the waters, wanting to dive in but scared at the same time.

“Ummm thank you your-highness… for this”. You raised the scroll up and Gojo smiled at it.

“You don’t have to thank me”.

“I do! Do you realize that you just changed centuries old rules! And not just one…all of it!! Everyone is celebrating out there! I..I can’t thank you enough!! Everyone is praising you!!”.

Gojo studied your face, he knew it was long before he could heal your wounds but in the meantime he was going to bring you as much happiness as he could. “Are you happy?”.

“Happiest I’ve been in a while!!!”. You squealed with the widest smile on your face.

“Good. Because I did it for you”. He whispered softly.

You looked up at him, “huh?”.

Gojo’s eyes traveled from your eyes to your lips, “I did all of this for you”.

“For..for me? Wh…why?”. You stuttered.

“Do you really have to ask that?”. Gojo stepped closer to you, both his hands reached for yours and he gently brought them forward. He stared at your hands and his cheeks turned pink. “You don’t have to understand this now…just know that I did this for you”. He let your hands go and wrapped both of his around your neck, you looked down and the same pendant that you had lost years ago now shone brightly between your collarbone.

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