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lightlycareless · 1 year

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First, it hurts— Chapter XXV [part 2]

(part 1)

Naoya Zen’in x Fem!Reader

While arranged marriages are not uncommon in the jujutsu community, it was strange to receive a proposal from none other than the Zen’in’s, nonetheless your clan accepted and before you knew it, you were married off to Naoya.

Your new purpose was clear: to serve and submit, to be seen and not heard. To forget any sense of individuality in favor of obeying your husband.

Will this marriage ever flourish into something else? Will it change…for better or for worse?

Chapter warnings: misogyny, mentions of violence, a lil bit of fluff, a bit of gore too? mentions of blood. slight implication of sexual acts. And I think that's it 😣.

A/N: Hi, not much. :> here's part 2 of chapter 25!

Without any further ado, happy reading! 🥰

Masterlist ➸ Chapter 26

Ao3 link.

To say that Naoya was furious was an understatement.

He was beyond frustrated, irritated, betrayed .

Naoya felt as if all of his efforts and good intentions culminated in nothing.

Starting with the deception of his foolish aunt who attempted to appease his good humor with lies of his supposed well behaved wife, as if her training paid off, followed bi your entertaining willingness to play the part, only to reject him once more.

But that wasn’t the shocking part, no; he’d unknowingly given you the benefit of the doubt, because even after all the fiery demonstrations of your personality and disdain towards him, your husband still believed that you had the acumen to act accordingly to your new role, behave like a proper human being and respect him and all that he stood for.

Only to find out that that wasn’t the case when you unfoundedly decided to injure him.

And as if that wasn’t enough, he also had to face the fact that you’ve been intermingling with the likes of his brother.

Because why else would you reject him, if your body hadn't already been soiled by the hands of another man?

Naoya was completely blinded to the possibility of any wrongdoing on his part, by virtue of his skills, intellect, as well as all that he’s provided for you, that was just simply not the case.

And he intended to set that clear the very moment you decided to rip away from him and scurry into the depths of the night, soon after he recollected himself and bursted through his bedroom door, vision engulfed in red as he plotted the various ways he intended to discipline you… had he not come to the screeching halt contrived by the intimidating, yet drowsy, imposing presence of his father.

Naobito, haven’t given much care to acknowledge Naoya’s attendance, for he was simply walking across the hallway with the intentions of going to the bathroom, or getting some midnight refreshment before going back to his chambers, that is, until the moonlight framed his youngest son’s face in a way that revealed in all its splendor the nasty, throbbing scratch on his face.

The leader of the Zen’in clan couldn’t stop himself from finding amusement behind his youngest son’s injury, more so when he’d continuously prided himself to be the kind of perfectionist that never allowed a single strand of hair to fall where it did not belong.

So to see that his endeavors were thwarted by the innocent pursuit of his wife, was something that Naobito could only react with a scoff, drowning Naoya in humiliation, before jumping right back into his itinerary.

His father’s reaction was enough to dissuade Naoya’s fiery temperament towards you, although temporarily, under the pretense that he was yet under his father’s rule and, if he were to put another charade as the one that he’d enacted the day he took you to the doctor —and in the middle of the night, must he add— who knows what his father would’ve chosen to do in addition of your death sentence. Probably a conviction for himself as well.

Thus, with much irritation, Naoya solely limits himself to go towards the nearest aid kit and get his scratch tended for, disinfecting the injury with a plentiful dosage of alcohol on a cotton ball, hissing as he gently dabbed into it and let it do it’s work, before moving onto placing a bandage to cover the wound—he’s sure that the servants will notice such change first thing in the morning.

But he couldn’t care less, and in a way, it will help him to never forget your indiscretion, one that he’ll deal with once morning comes.

He eventually returns to his room, but not before thrashing and yelling his frustrations out, loud and alarming for everyone to notice, until he deems having enough and laying onto the futon, where he would proceed to stare into the ceiling before he marvelously falls asleep.

In that way, you and Naoya were very similar.

It was a mystery how he managed to get a wink of sleep at all, considering that his heart never once stopped beating loudly against his chest, reeking of anger, to the point that it made his head throb. And yet, he did, probably under the forced pretext of having to keep a top condition to be able to partake in the next part of his promotion.

Nonetheless, he still couldn’t get over the fact that you’ve actually gone ahead and bit the hand that fed you, and seemingly without any remorse.

His anger for you was so evident, so intense, that even the servants in charge of getting him ready for the day were overwhelmed by the sheer aura of his hostility, pushing them to walk around eggshells when tending to him, keeping their conversation to the minimum, as well as their inquisitive gazes away from the blatantly obvious injury on his face, for the simplest accident, the simplest mistake that were to occur this moment, would end up in them getting fired, if not worse, dead.

The adversity seemed to pass rather… quietly, much to their relief.

Naoya did not mutter a single word while they were present, intently focused on whatever it was that tormented his mind. Although rumors were already starting to spread.

Some believed to have seen you burst out of his room, but not without previously yelling at your husband to get away from you , closing the night with yells of his own alongside the noises of flung goods, the only thing his staff could personally asses to, for the first thing they noticed upon entering his chambers (besides the heavy air of aggression surrounding him) were scattered clothes, books, and the intermittent presence of slits across the walls and floor, presumably made at impact.

And now, in addition to that, the injury that they were absolutely sure you’ve given him.

Still, the servants were glad that even when one of them proceeded to ask their rutinary questions, specifically what he wanted to eat for breakfast, Naoya solely responded with the usual (although in a condescending tone, but nothing they haven’t seen before) before heading out of the room.

His staff didn’t bother to ask where he was to be, for logistical purposes, opting to leave him to his own devices and heading over to prepare the next segment of their responsibilities, primarily to get him ready to leave the estate once more, as well as relay what they’ve seen to the rest of the staff, who were dying to know the emotional status of their master—whether to feed their own morbid curiosity and discover the bigger picture of the tumultuous story of Y/N and Naoya, or to prepare themselves accordingly, it didn’t matter.

Naoya’s first stop of the day was Ranta.

The young man who had heard from Jinichi that things between his friend and his wife hadn’t gone as well as he anticipated (although he already suspected such) much to his dismay.

A shriek escaping from his lips upon seeing the injury of his face.

“Naoya!” Ranta cried, rushing towards Naoya to meet him halfway. “What happened to you?!”

“Take a wild guess” Naoya seethes as he continues walking over to his friend, heedlessly passing through the servants that are quick to get the message and step aside to avoid the boisterous stomps of the angered young master, lest they want to suffer from the receiving end of his antagonism—those that weren’t quick enough were soon tossed to the side by the harsh collision of his shoulder and a stern “Back off!” making the servant quickly apologize before retreating.

“Calm down, Naoya!” Ranta would attempt to ease his nerves “They’re just doing their work” he’d promptly gestured to them with the swift movement of his hand to leave them alone, to which they obliged without second thought.

Now in the solitude of the vicinity, the long haired man finally approaches the subject at hand in a more comfortable footing.

“What happened last night, Naoya? How did you get that… scratch?” he asks “The servants are saying all kinds of things already!”

“Maybe you should ask that bitch what happened” Naoya curses and Ranta flinches at the crass remark.

“... Bitch ? You mean… Y/N?” Ranta prods, still baffled to hear Naoya used that derogatory name on his wife, although not one far from his vocabulary.

Still, he’s unnecessarily compassionate enough to give Naoya the benefit of the doubt, believing the usage behind that word to be out of annoyance instead of… well, genuine sentiment.

After all, he, above anyone else, knows how much Naoya fought to have you by his side. All that he’s done to obtain your hand in marriage—and how frequently you’re in his mind. There are even days where you’re the only thing he could think of!

And he's also seen how affected, although greatly defensive, he was when his father called for your future death…

Yeah, that has to be it.

Naoya’s just angry, that’s all. It’s a natural response to have after being attacked by the one he cherishes, and Ranta believes he’d have the same reaction.

Doesn’t mean he likes how quickly Naoya was to call you… a bitch , but he’s understanding.

“Who else, Ranta?” Naoya scowls “All that I ever wanted was to spend the night with her, but no , she had to be dramatic about it, and not only that, she had the nerve to attack me!”

“What?” Ranta faltered “Y/N?” Did he hear that right?

You, the woman the servants have grown to be greatly respectful of… had it in you to hurt him?

Did he miss something?

“Do I have to repeat myself for a third time?” Naoya frowns, and the young man shakes his head immediately “She did it! And I don’t know why! She was docile, quiet, up until that point. Something…. Inside just snapped and she pushed me away, but not without scratching my face!”

‘I’m… sorry Naoya” Ranta murmurs “I… I’m just shocked, I never thought… Y/N would be capable of such a thing” more so when this wasn’t the first time you and Naoya had spent the night together. What did possibly change?

“Why wouldn’t she? She tried to kill herself the other day, didn’t she? Alarming the fucking estate for nothing” Naoya derides. “We… don’t know” Ranta shyly counters “That’s just what the servants think…” or thought, because they’ve long changed their tune about you. And even if that had been true, he was glad that you were unsuccessful. Naoya might like to indulge in his anger and go unrestricted with his insults towards you and your less than desirable actions, but he knows that the moment you’re gone, he’ll be virtually inconsolable.

“I don’t care” Naoya responds, no longer interested in the servants comments for he’d always considered them beneath him, instead, he decides to focus on what he’s let slide for far too long “Have you seen her? Where is she?” he urgently asks. “I haven’t” Ranta responds truthfully by shaking his head “I’m assuming she’s with her staff, getting ready to eat something…?”

“Is that so?” Naoya frowns, he finds it pathetic that you’re capable of going on with your life, as if nothing had occurred, unattending the fact that you’ve attacked him . He wishes he could be that irresponsible. His mind then goes to the second obvious matter that he needs to know about “And what about Naoaki ?”

“He hasn’t left his room” Ranta muses “Has he even arrived? He left yesterday to tend to his duties… I don’t know”

“He’s probably with Y/N, isn’t he?” Naoya guesses, and Ranta’s eyes go round.

“Wait, don’t jump into conclusions now, Naoya” he advises.

“Where else would he be? He’s probably rushing to her to see what pieces he can still salvage”

“ Naoya… that’s cruel to say about your wife” Ranta frowns “...I’m sure she didn’t mean to… hurt you. She was probably startled, that's all! You have to consider that it’s been a while since the two of you were together and she probably needs to get used to you—”

“No” Naoya interjects, mystified to hear such stupidity come from his best friend, more so when he knows the truth. “She’s fucking him, I know that”

“ What? ” Ranta’s face was drained of all color “Did she… tell you?”

“No” Naoya reestablishes once more, finding no incredulity in his baseless accusation “But why else would she reject me so harshly, if there wasn’t someone else to begin with!”

Naoya's frustration almost made him look as if he were to cry.

"...We don't know if that’s true" Ranta attempted to console, still not willing to die on the hill that you'd been unfaithful to your husband… even if your relationship had turned to be less than desirable months into stay at the Zen’in estate "She's probably still… tense around you. You’ve been away for missions and evaluations, why don't you try spending–"

"That shit again, Ranta?" He scowls, dumbfounded to hear the familiarity of his friend’s naivety when it comes to a marriage of his status. "It was her who attacked me! I won't apologize for something that she did"

"No, I meant… Why not talk it out? You know how communication is the best solution for all problems" Ranta suggests, much to Naoya’s amusement.

"As if that got me this marriage in the first place” he rolls his eyes, and Ranta decides to not argue for the heir just proved a point "But… I think you might be right. Maybe I do need to talk to her, get her to confess the wrongdoings she's done against this marriage, so as to stop looking like a fool to my father!"

"Have… you seen your father?” Ranta frightfully asks—if there was one thing Naoya was most sensitive to, aside from your presence, it had to be Naobito. The young heir always despised him, for one reason or the other. He’s stated many times how he can’t wait for the old man to die and get his rightful place on the top. It’s a mystery how he hasn’t determined to fasten up the deed by doing it himself.

«I should keep that to myself» Ranta precariously muses «Unless I want a coup to start inside the family»

Anyways, to think that Naobito hasn’t been made aware of what happened last night up to this point was foolish to believe so. As the clan leader, he was probably the first person that knew of everything. Ranta dires to think what his master is thinking about this whole situation, probably finding amusement in it, as well as disappointment for the poor management of his son’s marriage.

Have the elders commented anything on Naoya’s relationship with you as well? Probably so. Hopefully, they’ll never voice their opinions to the heir, unless they want to risk another conflict inside the estate.

"Last night" Naoya recounts "Right after Y/N left the room. I attempted to catch up to her, but I stumbled into my father instead"

Oh, it all made sense now. The reason why Naoya was so defensive.

Asides from the anger he felt for your betrayal, he also had to deal with the looming threat of his father’s position.

Naobito isn’t a figure that acts without… previous thought—when he wasn’t drunk.

Ranta doesn’t presume that Naobito was intoxicated at such late hours of the night, less if he found it in himself to walk around the estate, near his son’s bedroom.

There had to be a reason why he was lurking in that place, at that time… and such, Ranta was quick to assume that it was him trying to fish a misstep at the moment it occurred, and use it against his son.

Which he was successful on.

Naoya had his own conflicts to deal with, and from the same person that tormented you as well. And it saddened Ranta that instead of bringing the two together, only seemed to distance you apart further.

"Did he say anything?"

"No. He just scoffed and left" Naoya responded. Well, at least this situation wasn't made worse by his father’s uncalled comments.

"...Then maybe it's best if you let this moment cool down" Considering Naobito’s intervention, Ranta considers it best to approach you under other circumstances, something that confuses Naoya.

"Weren't you the one that told me to seek her out?"

"Y-yes but… but if you were to start an argument right now, you'll only get distracted from your exam!" Ranta fretted, feeling that Naoya was, besides angered by you, silently pressured by his father's presence to rush and deal with this small insurgence on your part, to perhaps… get him off his game? He hopes not. "And we still have to get your things ready, don't you have to be at the school by tomorrow?"

"I do" Naoya agreed, finding some kind of sense behind Ranta's words for the first time, however, it’s not enough to quench the necessity he had from seeing you before he left.

He felt physically incapable of leaving the estate unless he obtained the appropriate conclusion to your gimmick.

And his morning hunger, evident by the growl of his stomach.

"Let's get something to eat first" Ranta says, noting his stomach's growl "...Get your mind off things"

"Whatever" Naoya begrudgingly accepts and the two start making their way towards the kitchen… however, not as quietly as Ranta would’ve liked.

Naoya was all aware of his staff's tendency to gossip on things that didn't pertain to them, whether being something they heard from the nearby village, to more important matters like the issues of the Zen’in clan, and while he'd gone on with his life without giving it much care, since he'd always considered their opinions to be beneath his… today was different.

Their mouths seemed to be filled with one topic, and one topic only.

And that was, much to his astonishment, your well-being.

Naoya might've not noticed that this had been the hotly debated issue since his return, too high in his arrogance and meetings to care for anything else, but now that his mind was a bit… clearer of the fog of his delusion, it all became so evident to him.

He could now correlate their cheery behavior to their actions and words.

And it was… annoying. The way that everyone would whisper positive things about you, instead of the one that outranked you— him .

He's in a bad mood today

When is he not?

Poor Y/N-san… did you see how frightened she was today? She didn't even eat!

Oh, poor thing. And with good reason! Did you hear what happened last night? Naoya-sama was yelling and thrashing his room, if I were Y/N I would be scared too!

Ranta held back Naoya, just by sheer luck, from him snapping at them.

He could see it coming from miles away, evident in the squint of his golden eyes, trailing down to the tightening of his jaw and finishing in the clench of his hands. Naoya wanted to throw himself over them and shut them down for commenting on things that they didn’t know.

And while he was absolutely right on his last assumption, another edge of Naoya's feeling’s unsheathes.

Naoya was, without any question, angered that they were commenting on him. But above all… he was offended that they… they didn't see he was a victim too!

The physical evidence was there , a large reddening stripe hidden underneath a bandage, marking his cheek from one edge to the other. An indication that he was assaulted by you , the woman they blindly held at the epitome of innocence and admiration.

Wasn’t that enough to kick you down from the high pedestal they placed you in? And recognize him instead?!

This understanding fixed him in a position where he has to resentfully admire that you're capable of being nice, just not to him, seemingly out of pettiness. And this, unlike you, doesn't hurt him, it infuriates him.

But his anger didn't reach an alarming new level, that is, until he heard that you were also starting to get along with the rest of his family members… Jinichi being the newest addition.

But even if she was frightened… she still found it in her to be nice to Jinichi-sama.

Didn’t she bump into him ?

Yes, but did you see the look in his face? He was really gentle with her, I think he even called her little one .

Something more to be amazed by! He always keeps distance from the rest, even from the other masters… but our Lady Y/N isn't like them, it’s obvious that he’ll want to bask in her kindness!

I haven’t seen this since Lady Tomoko!

Oh, that was it.

Naoya heard enough .

He was willing to let their comments slide, keep you venerating you as some kind of saint , even when they were clearly wrong— after all, everyone is allowed to make their own mistakes, right? Even if some abuse that right.

But when Jinichi was brought into the conversation, Naoya lost it.

It's just what he needed, just exactly what he wanted to hear.

To know that you’re not only intermingling with his brother’s, but with his cousins too.

Had it been Toji, he would’ve understood. He’s far superior than any of the other members this clan had ever seen, it was still a mystery why they hadn’t recognized his strength, but that’s not up to discussion now.

But Jinichi ?

How low could you possibly get?

Were you intending to pass through all his relatives, just to spite him?

It’s now evident that he won’t be able to push this to after the exam.

It had to be dealt with now .

"Wait, Naoya!" Ranta attempted to reach out to him, place his hand either on his shoulder or arm, or wherever he could get a grip from to cease his movement, but Naoya, considered to be one of the fastest sorcerer's in the community just under Gojo and his father, was unmistakably out of his league. And there was nothing he could do as he saw the parting vision of his back disappearing into the distance.

Your husband could only see red as his mind was set in searching for you with the intention of drilling an explanation for your lascivious behavior towards his family, using the whispers and rumors of the surrounding servants to guide him towards the location they presumed to see you in just a few minutes ago.

It wouldn't take long before his rushed footsteps would eventually lead him to your location, a garden inside the confines of your mobility, and just exactly where he expected you to be.

Brow furrowed and teeth painfully clenched, he felt like he was going to break into two when his eyes belatedly fell on the visage of your back… alongside the company of one that only made his anger flourish more under the fiery tempests of his mind—his wretched older brother, Naoaki.

There was no doubt in his mind that the two reunited to make a mockery of him, the fool you’ve created out of your actions to humiliate him before the estate, his father.

He's losing his footing as your husband, as the heir, by allowing you to go on without repercussions, worst of all, permitting to commit adultery with his brother!

It was time to end this silly charade and set you back in place, where you belong, once and for all.

And just as he was rushing towards your location, there was something, a noise, so fleeting, yet vivid enough to catch his attention.

A noise that he’s never heard before, at least not from you. One that he’s only imagined time and time again, longing to one day be the source of it, but that moment has yet to appear.

A noise that, even in the quietness of its tone, is capable of filling the hallways.

Your laughter.

What many consider to be the most genuine representation of happiness, coming straight from your mouth.

You're laughing.

But there’s not a trace of deceit, nor one of mockery, coming out of it. Whatever it is that his wretched brother said to erupt this kind of reaction out of you, must’ve been something genuine.

Naoya freezes at the moment your chuckle grazes his ear as a weird sensation begins to settle in the pit of his stomach.

He doesn't know what it is, but… it's never like he's felt it before, and yet, it feels all so familiar. He’s experienced this void , this bitterness sometime in the past, but he can’t recollect when.

Could he be experiencing jealousy?

No, that couldn’t be. The all-talented, recognized heir of the Zen’in clan never had the necessity to envy others, for he’d always obtained what he wanted.

…

Either way, it's a thought that he wants to get rid of, just as he’d done with the rest many times before, as he forces himself to continue walking towards you. Mind set to confront you, whilst preparing to do the same with his brother, the one which you moved comfortably closer to.

And suddenly, your laughter stops, at the same time your face begins to calm down.

The cheerful, giddy Y/N he saw moments ago is long gone, and is now replaced with one whose face is clear of nothing more than… regret? Sorrow?

It's a face that he's all too acquainted with, for it seems the only one you’re amenable to give him, if not the emotionless one, nothing like the one you graced his brother with just a few seconds ago.

Your husband believes you to be hunting his brother’s pity, but even then… it doesn’t seem right.

You’re not saying anything as you simply allow Naoaki to hold you closer to him, with him moving strands from your face. The two seem to exchange words, unintelligible to him due to the ringing in his ears, before a smile appears on your face.

Something that gives him the understanding that .. You’re not thinking about him.

Your mind is not anywhere near him.

His eyes then fall onto Naoaki, hoping to find some kind of lie behind them, as usual. But there’s nothing dishonest about either. He solely seems to be focused on you, worried about you.

It’s at this moment that he realizes… he…

What does he realize?

That you two are simply enjoying each other’s presence, no words, no gestures, more than the necessary…—nothing? In the silence that speaks louder than words?

And by some unknown force, Naoya can't do anything but stand there, drowning in this newfound emotion that clenches his heart with pain, as he continues to stare at the two.

He doesn't know what it is, nor does he want to deal with it. And this frustrates him.

He wasn’t to go ahead and strip him away from you, return you to your place besides him but… he can’t.

He’s rendered immobile as he’s approaching an unwanted stage of his emotions.

But even in the most strenuous moments, just as sorcerer's are taught, Naoya is still able to snap out of it by quickly remembering his exam.

He can't let this disturbance interfere with the future of his career.

Even if a part inside him, I'm the deepest corner of his mind, is yelling at him to stop this madness and act upon seeing his brother discreetly move you closer to him.

He sees you….vulnerable, comfortable, and most of all, happy with him. All things you’ve never been to your husband, but he seemingly attempted to provoke from you, much to your rejection.

He'd always wanted to see the kind of woman that would support him, reassure him, bathe him with compliments, and acknowledge his achievements… but perhaps, never will.

Because you're doing this to someone else.

A image so hurtful , that Naoya feels like he wants to cr—

No .

He can't let this angsty emotion distract him any further. He doesn't have the time, he doesn't need to deal with this, nor it's his responsibility to do so.

Emotions are your realm of expertise, not his.

More importantly, Naoya has the expectations of the elders and the rest of the family to fulfill, rather than to deal with your errant, adulterer behavior at this moment.

He’s already on the way to become the most promising sorcerer of his clan, and that’s all that should matter now.

The emotion he feels right now is nothing more than a obstacle, one that he renounces to give any second more of his attention as he abruptly decides to turn around and head back to his previous location, completely ignoring Naoaki’s suspicions for unknowingly having caught his presence, before relegating his finding to a simple falling leaf.

But even then… he couldn't stop this mystery from aching in his heart, not even Ranta, who was quick to notice how demure his friend had turned after escaping his grasp so furiously , but not with the occasional snarky remark here and there, could offer any form of comfort. Distract him from the tormenting image of you showering someone else with kindness, while all that he received was your back, your tears, your rejection.

But it doesn’t matter.

It’s all underneath him anyways.

Once he's back as a full-fledged grade 1 sorcerer, no one, and he means no one will be able to ignore him anymore.

He’d be able to demand whatever he wants, whenever he wants it. He’d be on his way to the highest ranks in the jujutsu community, that even your family will have to concede to whatever he wants, just as he did in the past.

And you’d be no exception.

Perhaps this way, you’d be able to finally recognize the mistake you’ve made by giving others the attention they clearly didn’t deserve.

He’s willing to give you, his errant wife, another chance.

Even if the uneasiness of your absence as he departed the estate one last time, pushed him to think, if only briefly, otherwise.

It’s been years since he set foot in the jujutsu technical school found in Kyoto. His alma mater.

Or so that’s what it feels like. 19 year old Naoya Zen’in hadn’t visited the school since he graduated 1 year ago, when he was 18 years old, thus, not the overly dramatic time he claimed to experience.

The last time he recalls being here had to be when he came back to finish some paperwork regarding his graduation—simply because he had to oversee matters personally , and not under the representation of a faceless servant— as well as to obtain more information regarding the requisites to take the grade 1 exam (something that he always considered unnecessary, since his skill was outstanding on it’s own… but apparently not as impressive enough to skip the whole process) as well as obtaining information on a yet unknown, political matter.

Other than that, Naoya really hadn’t envisioned ever coming back.

Considering that he didn’t even intend enrolling in the first place.

As the heir, he was given an endless list of opportunities to develop his skills, from homeschooling with the top of the top elite sorcerers, willing to invest their time in teaching the unformed mind of the Zen’in heir, to rumors of a private sorcery school, and finally, the most obvious and accessible one of the bunch, either of the technical schools.

Naoya ended up choosing the last option, not solely because he wanted to get out of the house (although this was a very influential factor on it’s own) but rather, because he’d heard that the Gojo heir had enrolled in this school itself, and that was an opportunity he could not waste, to see if he was as good as the elders liked to complain.

Getting to know you was a plus.

Either way, returning to his school, as much as he was deep in denial… felt like a second home to him.

Every hall, every classroom, as similar as it was to the school in Tokyo, just didn’t feel the same when it came to the ones in Kyoto. Every little nook and cranny filled him with the kind of nostalgia of his student days he continued to travel across the school grounds to the dorms, and into the room that was assigned to him.

The campus had remained virtually the same ever since he left, with the small addition of new decorations in his bedroom, or the different flowers the gardeners decided to place for this year—although for naught since winter was already on its way.

Circling back to the dorms, most of them remained largely empty due to the low number of sorcerers enrolled in the current year, as well as the school’s temporary closure for the exam’s development.

Given this current circumstance, and his high scoring on the first part of the exam, it bequeathed him the liberty to choose whatever room he desired—and without having to share.

Once he set his personal belongings in the room, he made way towards the meeting hall where he was asked to wait for further instructions regarding his exam.

There, he’d reunite with the rest of the sorcerers that were intending to participate in the next assessment, faces that he’d recognize from Tokyo, although in smaller quantities for not everyone had the same fortune as him.

Eyes were quick to fall on his figure as soon as it passed the frame of the entrance, for he was the last one to arrive there. Ironic for the fastest sorcerer in the room, but Naoya didn’t care—all of these people were simply there for him to use as stepping stones towards his goal.

And it seemed that they didn’t care for him either, for they didn't even bother greeting him as they had for the others, gazes quick to pass by him before going back to their previous activity, although the bandage of his face didn’t escape their curiosity—and perhaps even mockery, for the animosity that Naoya presented the last time he saw them was enough to rupture any possible friendship from flourishing, thus, forcing to search for any opportunity to return his belittlement.

And that seemed to be through muted snickers and whispers about the evident injury in his face as he made way to the front of the group, much to Naoya’s irritation.

Well, it’s not like either were going to spend much time together after the promotion was done; it was only a matter of waiting for the proctor to come along, which he did a few seconds after Naoya’s arrival, and have him announce the procedure for the next block of the evaluation, get done with it, and move on.

“For this part of the examination, all of you will have to complete a hostage situation caused by a special grade curse user” The man that was set to detail their examination begins as soon as he sees the last applicant arrive, whilst looking through the papers set on his wooden clipboard “You’re going to be judged on your speed to get the situation under control, damage control, as well as stealth”

Naoya hummed in disapproval, for he heavily disliked hostage situations, mainly because it implied him having to walk around eggshells with civilians, who were often the ones caught in this sticky situation, if not the main perpetrators. And let’s not even get started about having to check their medical condition, although there was a branch solely dedicated for that, he only had to be the connecting point. Either way, he disliked having to treat them gently until the medical division arrived and deal with their obnoxious questions of what just happened? When he could just kill the curse and move on with his life.

And then… the dreaded paperwork…

Ah, well, if there was one thing he was looking for, it was having to fight a spurious curse user. He always did like a good brawl, it’s the perfect excuse to show of his strength.

Nonetheless, he knew what he was getting into—grade 1 sorcerers were often assigned to the hardest missions in the community, compared to those of lower rank who were given the simple tasks of exorcizing curses, keeping areas clean of any activity, or reporting back to headquarters, all to make life easier for civilians.

It didn’t mean he had to like it, but if he were to be part of the community, he had to play by the rules.

And besides, for the things he didn’t like doing, he could always hire someone to take care of it, while he did everything else on his own.

Keyword: alone, just how he believed he would complete the exam.

But is it really a jujutsu examination if there isn’t some kind of twist?

“And you will do it in teams ”

Naoya frowns as he condemns his bad luck.

“Zen’in” The instructor calls, and Naoya is quick to recollect himself and place his attention to the man before him “Because you’re the one with the best grade, you’ll go first”

Naoya nods. At least that was for his benefit.

“You’ll be paired with Nakagawa” your husband doesn’t recognize the name quickly enough to believe it came from a respected clan inside the jujutsu community, moving him to assume it pertained to a low-ranking family of sorcerers, or worse, commoners.

To corroborate this hunch, Naoya turns his head over to the person he assumes to be his partner, thanks to the mirrored action coming from said person, followed by the light scowl of anguish, caused for being paired with someone famously known for being difficult, just like the Zen’in heir.

Nakagawa can’t help but feel that this had been a set up of some kind. For he knows his grades weren’t what many would consider extraordinary, but enough for him to pass to the next stage.

Was the school intending to fulfill some kind of failing quota, by pairing the worst with the best?

Not necessarily.

The instructor couldn’t care less about who he paired with who. If it had been up to him, he would’ve written all the names of the participants in little papers, toss them in a bowl, pull out pairs, and leaving fate to decide the arrangement of the teams.

But he was obliged to admit that he paired hopeless Nakagawa with Naoya because he knew that the Zen’in heir would virtually carry whoever he was paired with to success.

This decision was made because jujutsu headquarters requested him to approve as many as he deemed capable, for there was an urgent crisis to attend that needed more than capable hands to perform rougher missions—Geto’s insurgence had inspired an alarming number of sorcerers to turn against the community they sworn to protect, thus, there was only so much a a few grade 1 and special grade sorcerers could do before things started getting out of control, and the Japanese community found it in themselves to start looking for help from other countries.

Had it been in his power, the instructor named Masuji would pair everyone with Naoya and get this done quickly—but he also had a responsibility to the community, and that came with overseeing the quality of those that were to take the exam.

If it was less than desirable, then no level of urgency could push him to approve those he considered methodically incompetent. That would turn out to be more detrimental than beneficial in the long run, and he wasn’t about to be responsible for any future disaster they might conceive after they left the school.

Thus, after the rest of the sorcerers were paired up in teams Masuji considered effective, Naoya and Nakagawa made their way towards the main entrance of the school, and awaited for more details about this fictitious scenario, which was to take place on the entirety of the school, for added realism.

Masuji a stood before them, mission description in hand, and started:

“After killing all of the sorcerers inside the school, the curse user has taken the entire campus hostage, alongside a few highly influential civilians, and made it its own personal hideout . The criminal took haste to release all curses from their confinements, and are now starting to roam into the city—and if that wasn’t enough, he’s also decided to threaten to kill all hostages, less the basement where all cursed tools are stored, is to be opened” The instructor recites in a way that gives off the impression that he’s gone through this same manuscript nth times by now, probably because there hasn’t been a better precedent to replace it. “It’s your job to stop the curses from reaching the city, as well as coming to an arrangement with the curse user to prevent him from killing any more civilians—he’s already killed 2, leaving 3 behind. Jujutsu headquarters can only do so much to explain the disappearance of 2 politicians before the civilians grow too leery. Good luck”

Naoya wants to roll his eyes. It’s more than obvious that this is a highly exaggerated, cartoonish situation of a real mission, for he has the impression that curse users are far more conscientious when it comes to their attack, as well as crueler.

But the jujutsu community had the fame of being… exorbitant when it came to these matters, although the current crisis placed a temporary halt to their antics, starting by preventing proctors from creating exams where applicants could actually die.

Back then, grade 1 exams were the easiest way to cleanse sorcerers from those they considered too weak to be on a higher rank. And would’ve continued to do so, had they not faced a drought of sorcerers.

Outside of that, Naoya considered that this exam would be a piece of cake. The hardest one could arguably be the theoretical one, and he already proved it to be nothing more than a simple, open-ended quiz of things he was all too knowledgeable about, just as expected of a sorcerer of his preparation

Nakagawa, however, begged to differ. And not because he doubted his skills (although the tiniest part of him did) but because he really didn’t want to deal with both insurrections of a hostage situation, and the reprehensible Naoya, at the same time. But this was nothing more than a test, nothing to fear. Many had completed it before him, and many would continue to do so after.

And when the bell signaled the beginning of the exam, Nakagawa was quick to approach Naoya with a plan.

“We should set a curtain around the school to prevent curses from escaping” he suggests, but instead of receiving the acknowledgement he expected, Naoya simply dismisses his suggestion by mocking his suggestion.

“If you had the skill for it, you wouldn’t have to tell me” Naoya says, before proceeding to create the essential curtain used in all sorcery missions.

Emerge from the darkness, blacker than darkness. Purify that which is impure.

A dark barrier emerges from the top of the school grounds, stretching to the furthest limits of the campus, before pouring down onto the ground, showing Naoya’s excellent control and usage of sorcery whilst the sky turned as dark as night.

Nakagawa blinks, astonished to see his partner's level of expertise when it came to covering the whole school, something that now that he thought about it, Naoya just might’ve been right when it came to questioning his skill.

However, there was undeniably an infinite list of ways to bring it up to his attention, without being so rude…

“What now, Zen’in-san?” Nakagawa asks out of genuine interest of coming up with a plan, but the loner that was to be Naoya Zen’in, had no interest of entertaining him as he made way towards the innards of the campus.

“Wait, Zen’in-san!” The black haired, round faced man cried as he rushed towards your husband. “We have to work together, or how are we going to rescue the hostages?!”

“You do know they aren’t real hostages, don’t you?” Naoya frowns “They’re probably hired actors that have been paid well enough to not question anything of their surroundings, if they’re not crash dummies instead”

“I know that” Nakagawa counters back, if he already disliked Naoya, he thinks he’s starting to hate him. “Look—I’m not happy with this arrangement either, but let’s just make the best of it, ok?”

“Don’t talk to me as I were a child” Naoya smirks, amused by Nakagawa flimsy attempt to promote companionship, before his face switches into a somber one of seriousness “Keep up, your I’ll leave you behind” he threatens, and regains his space towards wherever he was intending to head.

“Can you at least tell me where you’re going?”

“Isn’t it obvious?” Naoya scoffs “The curse user is in the basement, probably still trying to unlock the basement—which is surprising to me that he hadn’t been able to do so, is he even a sorcerer?”

“And what about the other curses? Shouldn’t we exorcize them first before we head anywhere else?”

Naoya rolls his eyes.

“Is it necessary for you to ask so many useless questions?!” He snaps “The curtain I made prevents them from going out!”

Nakagawa’s throat constricts, more so because there is another question that he wants to ask… much to Naoya’s disappointment.

“But we shouldn’t let curses roam freely, there might be more victims around—“

“I didn’t know I was being tested on my knowledge, alongside my skills!” Naoya said with fake amusement, a grin on his face as he continued to jab at his partner “Are you perhaps an undercover instructor? How sneaky !”

His partner deflates, pout on his mouth as he mutters “I’m not”

Naoya rolls his eyes, continuing to walk towards the location of the basement, where he had long sensed, through all the remnants of cursed energy and fog, the strong presence of a sorcerer.

As the Zen’in heir and his partner continued to walk through the many secluded halls of the campus, his mind was reflecting on the possible enemy that he would encounter, and how to attack him. Something that didn’t take much space in his mind, for Naoya was arrogant enough to assume that his speed-based skill would allow him to deal with the strife as quickly as possible. If he didn’t give the enemy the chance to attack, he didn’t have the necessity to unfold an acutely detailed plan.

Although he just might, because he was dragging extra weight in the form of an ignorant teammate, who after going through enough waves of humiliation, decided to keep silent to avoid riling Naoya up any further. He’s not going to take any chances that could ruin his exam, and subsequently, make him repeat it.

Less if there was a possibility that he’d have to retake it with Naoya .

Nonetheless, Nakagawa made it his secret mission to be attentive as Naoya covertly was to their surroundings, as he pushed down the nagging reminder of unfettered curses seemingly running around the campus, presumably attempting to escape the barrier, before exhausting all their efforts and turning their attention to the one behind said curtain.

The young brown haired man wanted to leave Naoya to tend this problem, before it became too big to ignore—The Zen’in heir might be strong enough to deal with various curses at the same time, and even if that was to be expected of the rank they were to obtain, it was also important to appropriately administer their resources. Wasn’t it common knowledge that it’s always best to deal with mobs first, before going for the main boss?

But not for Naoya, who continued to stroll his way towards the basement, confident enough to ignore any future suggestions from his teammate, as well as believing this to be the most direct course of action.

Nothing seemed to distract his attention from his destination, that is, until he started to walk through the corridor of classrooms—an unfavorable location for the stress that represented to students, and an even eerier place now that the school was under a shrouding spell.

But that… didn’t seem to be the only thing that halted both men in their tracks. The two (although more actively from Nakagawa) had been diligent enough to look for anything they could consider… strange. Whether fresh remains of cursed energy, symbolizing the nearby presence of a curse, or another enemy, they had to be attentive to all possibilities.

One that was set to appear before them, in the form of a frazzled breathing, coming from the insides of one of the many chambers.

“Do you hear that?” Nakagawa dares to ask as his shoulders begin to tense.

“Yes—shut up” Naoya hisses as he tip toes towards the nearest door, focusing on sensing the thing on the other side. Was it a threat, or a possible victim? Your husband couldn’t uncover, for all that he felt was the lingering cursed energy of the supposed sorcerers that were killed by the curse user, as well as the curses that roamed the campus before setting their sights on the nearby city. Could it be a civilian?

Naoya finds it necessary to inch even closer towards the room he thought to be harboring the author of the noise, to the point that he carefully placed his ear against the paper wall, taking a clear, louder sample of a constrained exhale.

“Hhhhaaghhuuu—“

Naoya’s eyes jolted wide open upon coming to the realization of what’s on the other side of the door, but before he’s able to turn around and inform his partner, the creature is quick to burst through the paper wall with a thunderous screech and lunge it’s body towards your husband, who, thanks to his cursed technique, is able to avoid its assault and put enough distance between the two, allowing him to start devising a plan of attack as well as observing the physical descriptions of said curse. A ghoul-like creature, a bald head with empty eye sockets and pale greenish skin on its bony structure. There is a set of small fangs falling down from the upper side of his mouth to make up for the absence of teeth in the rest of its mouth.

Another obvious characteristic of the curse would have to be it’s long black nails on both hands and feet, the ones that Naoya would interpret as its weapon in question.

Its humanoid form is enough to give Naoya a basic impression of the type of curse that he’s dealing with, and he would’ve gotten to a conclusion right then and there, if he didn’t have another matter to look after.

His partner, Nakagawa, didn't have the same luck as Naoya, for the distance between the adversary and him was too close to allow him to promptly out of it’s path, relegating him to be on the receiving end of his aggression, had it not been by the Zen’in heir’s quick thinking, who used his technique to push the man out of the way… that might’ve just been his fate.

“What the fuck are you doing?!” Naoya yelled as his sights returned to the cursed enemy before him “Get out of the way!”

Without permitting him to defend himself, Naoya proceeds to enact nimble work of his cursed technique, by appearing before it quickly touching it with the palm of his hand, trapping the curse inside one of his many frames—locked down to either follow its rule, or suffer the consequences.

The curse inevitably chose the last, as expected of mindless curses as Naoya liked to call them, by punishing him with a swift yet critical punch just in the middle of the frame, breaking the enclosure and sending the ghoul-like-creature to the other side of the corridor, effectively destroying it for good, but not without going out with a bang.

Even if the curse was on the other side of the room, the finishing explosion in which it’s body decided to go out managed to reach Naoya’s presence, tainting his traditional attire with a dark colored gooey liquid, which did nothing to prevent a scowl of disgust from appearing on his face.

Naoya took haste to rub away any evidence of its existence, as much as he could, before muttering to himself.

“They must be getting desperate”

“Desperate?” Nakagawa, who was equally affected by the curse’s bodily reaction, asked as hE rubbed the stains out of his clothes “Who is?”

“Nothing” Naoya frowns, realizing he’d spoken out loud.

His mind goes back to the mission report.

It was stated that the curse user had killed the sorcerer's found inside the school to obtain complete control of the building… but they were never given the details of how .

The air surrounding them was filled with heavy amounts of cursed energy, something that Naoya didn’t find out of the ordinary, for that’s how it usually felt after a jujutsu conflict occurred.

However, he did manage to feel a peculiar… dark edge when he was traveling across the school. One that was typically found violent curses, specially if they were created under intense circumstances.

A finding that kept him on his toes, trying to find some kind of meaning behind this sentiment, until it suddenly became clear to him by the presence of the ghoul.

These were the vengeful spirits of the deceased sorcerer's – but not the ones from the fabricated story the instructor decided to tell them.

This was an actual deceased sorcerer, although a weak version of them due to the ease Naoya had to defeat it, which HQ decided to harvest for their own use, instead of giving them a peaceful redemption, for some… strange reason.

It was almost unethical to keep vengeful spirits around, if not to analyze them, since the elders of the community often radicalized their decisions when it came to them: it was either exterminate them, or… exterminate them. There is no other option.

So for Naoya, this was a signal that they were becoming reckless, frenzied by their need to prepare sorcerers to deal with the rising insurgency.

And he can’t help but feel excited for it.

Finally, a challenge worthy of his attention.

"Was that… a vengeful spirit?" Nakagawa eventually comes to a conclusion on his own—he might’ve not been the smartest one when taking the theoretical exam, but he still passed.

Naoya keeps silent, walking forward. Nakagawa frowns.

"If you want this to work, you have to tell me what you're thinking"

"I do not" Naoya responds "Also, get out of my way— if you cross my path once more, I won’t hesitate to let you die"

«How insufferable, how does he even get along with anyone else?» Nakagawa groans inwardly as he continues to walk behind your husband, who feels nothing more than excitement to see the kind of person they put to take the main role of villain.

Oh, did they actually manage to get a curse user to play the part?

Or perhaps even the infamous Geto Suguru?

That, of course, it’s just his delusion speaking. Naoya doesn’t think he’ll be given the privilege of becoming the hero of the jujutsu community so easily—but he’ll get it someday.

For now, he’ll focus on the exam at hand, and the continuous attack of curses that began to rise ever since they encountered that vengeful spirit back then. Hordes of curses would begin to round up at their vicinity, mercilessly attacking them one after the other, only to die in the same way.

Naoya, as much as he was flourishing under the battle, he began to feel hindered from achieving his long-term objective, which was reaching the location of the one behind it all.

A fiery urgency that only grew stronger and stronger by each frame that he created, and all that stamina that he burned, starting to feel that he was going nowhere. And that wasn’t a hill that he was going to die on.

It’s at this moment that Naoya decides to thrown caution to the wind and skip ahead of the large crowd of curses that started to gather around them once more, something that Nakagawa noticias only a few seconds after it happened, filling him with the dread of abandonment that forces him to yell his desperation and reprimands against his former partner, who only ignores his questions in favor of seeking the quick close of this mission.

He couldn’t permit the overseers of this test to obtain entertainment at his sake, nor to show that he wasn’t capable of handling such a mission with efficiency in mind.

After all, he’d been understanding up to that point of what’s to have someone tagging along with you—but wasn't it in the jujutsu protocol to discard those that were less than capable of handling situations like these? Maybe that was another criteria to evaluate, and he’d only discovered so now.

Not like the evident reason why he was paired with his useless teammate in the first place: they wanted him to ride the coattail of Naoya’s success, get two sorcerers promoted by the efforts of one.

And he’d be damned if he allowed someone unworthy to cling onto the prestigious name of the Zen’in.

Thus, Naoya began to use his technique to travel quickly across the estate, and onto the familiar entrance of the cursed basement, and facing, once and for all, the man hidden behind his lair of malice.

Upon sliding the doors of the entrance and entering the crime scene, Naoya is quick to scrutinize his surroundings.

It's carefully tended to make it appear as if someone had actually been murdered in this location, with fake blood and limbs scattered around, as if to add realism to the picture.

The existence of the deceased vengeful spirit is enough to falter his thoughts, leaning him to morbidly believe that the school had committed to go all the way and put actual extremities on the premises.

Grotesque, but nothing that his time as a sorcerer hadn’t prepared him for already.

Taking one additional step deeper to the dimly lit room, his attention is diverted to the distant corner of the right, where, cramped one besides other, are the rest of the 5 hostages—3, just as the instructor declared in the beginning. Seems that Naoya was in time to save the rest..

Their eyes are covered with a black blindfold, and while their hands are tied behind their back with metal handcuffs, their legs being no exception. To finalize, they also held gags against their mouth—it seems that their captor was intending to render them useless, as if they were not in their daily lives.

Upon hearing the approaching footsteps of Naoya, the hostages are unable to stop the trembles and whines coming from their body, a convincing and realistic performance of someone who has yet to identify this new person as a friend or foe.

Naoya doesn’t believe they are actual civilians, because it was too much of a hassle to involve someone who wasn’t knowledgeable of the jujutsu lifestyle, more so to convince them to not question or confide in others what they just experienced—and subsequently deal with human rights if something went… wrong.

Instead, he believes them to be low graded sorcerers who were offered this job in exchange for freeing up community hours—which they played so nicely. If their career as a sorcerer never took root, maybe they could become actors.

But what they’re out there doesn’t matter, it’s what they represent that has Naoya’s complete and undivided attention.

“It took you long enough” The sorcerer set to the play the curse user in his fabricated scenario said nonchalantly, appeasing the role of an unimpressed villain—further playing into the fantasy of a hostage situation— as he appeared from the shadows.

Now that the person behind the act steps into the light, it is when Naoya is able to distinguish who it is… much to his disappointment.

It was none other than one of his previous teachers from when he used to be a student— an older, yet quite athletic, man of black hair with subtle streaks of gray, named Ibuse.

“What?” The man asks upon noticing the look of letdown from his previous student’s face. “Were you expecting someone else?”

“Yes, I did.” Naoya curtly replies, not wanting to entertain the man any longer. Well, if it served to console him, his teacher was known for being one to take risks. At least the battle will be entertaining.

“Where is your little friend?”

Naoya doesn’t respond; as much as he dislikes him, he knows well enough to not rattle out on his partner's location. The mission’s priority came over his personal matters… as if he hadn’t abandoned him back there.

“I see” The villain muses “Well, my menagerie of curses will take care of him soon enough. By the way, did you like them? What I did to your silly comrades? It was quite hard to get to kill them without using any jujutsu, but for someone like me, that’s easily achievable”

Naoya has to commend the actor’s commitment to playing his role, because certainly, he doesn’t know anyone else that could go to those humiliating lengths just to get the message across. Maybe if he gave a shit for other sorcerers outside of him, or Gojo, he would actually consider taking the bait—but he’s not so… can they get back into the actual exam?

It seems that the sensei felt an aspect of animosity coming from Naoya, because it doesn't take him long before he’s reciting the next part of the carefully rehearsed script.

“I’ll set the civilians free and recall all curses if you open up the basement and let me take all cursed tools” He nudges with his head over to the basement door, which was secured with different kind of seals, as well as an enchanted lock for extra measure “And to urge your consideration, I’ll be killing off a civilian right now”

The hostages in question attempted to sell their part by crying and whimpering louder, muffled efforts thanks to the gag in place, as they squirmed against the floor.

“As you can see, I’ve done the same with the other two, so my words are not to be taken as a jest”

Naoya squinted his eyes “And what if I don’t agree?”

“Then I’ll kill you—both of you” he darkly deliberates “You’re not the first sorcerer to reject my proposal, and it’s seems that you won’t be the last” he smirks “And that little scratch of yours will be the least of your worries—let me guess, your new wife?”

A low blow that rubs him the wrong way. A comment so brief, gathered from the rumors of Naoya’s marriage, made with the sole intention to rile him up.

It wasn’t anything personal, nor factual. The man was simply trying to press Naoya’s button’s to test his capabilities to remain cool under stressful situations. No offense was intended to either party.

But had he known Naoya’s background prior to his arrival at the school, then maybe, he would’ve given a second thought to his opinion before opening his mouth.

This would be the third time someone brought up your aggression to his attention, in a tone of mockery… and he’s getting tired of it.

Tired of being remembered that you attacked him, that you don’t care about him, that you’d rather be with his brother, his cousin, than to give him the rightful place of your husband.

These memories are enough to fill him with blinding ire, to the point he no longer considers negotiating with him for the sake of the metrics to be evaluated, and goes straight for the kill.

The curse user, having taught Naoya in his school days, has always known Naoya to be hot-blooded, so his reaction was somewhat expected… disappointingly. This will definitely cost him points at the evaluation, but not enough to outweigh the demonstration of his skill.

Remembering how his technique works, he’s quick set all the distance permitted between the two—and while that Naoya can easily narrow it down in a matter of seconds, it’ll still give him enough time to place obstacles between the two, make it hard for him to reach him, starting by releasing more curses.

Ibuse reaches out for the bag on his back and takes out a small bottle, covered head to toe in talismans, before abruptly ripping each and every single one of them, to eventually toss the bottle onto Naoya’s direction.

With a deafening boom, a large snake-like creature covered in glistening yellow and red scales makes its appearance. The crashing impact of its body against the wooden floor causes the last to tremble strongly, to the point that the captive civilians are unable to do anything but cry and recoil in fear—a noise so sharp, that Naoya can’t help but groan dissatisfaction, but not enough to snap him out of his growing destructive rampage.

Upon coming to closer inspection, Naoya is able to distinguish the appearance of a face on the top section of the body, specifically donning female traits that became more and more distorted as the creature began to slither across the floor and onto to the nearest biggest source of cursed energy, a direct threat, which was to be the Zen’in heir—and above all, not a vengeful spirit.

Even through the murkiness of his anger towards you, Naoya is still able to get a rush of adrenaline when he sees the exam finally turn into something interesting.

He had enough of the endless chatter and ridicule of people that didn’t even know him, nor cared to be acquainted with.

It all felt like the unskippable intro from an anime he’s seen over and over again, but now that it was over, he was ready to get down and dirty.

The first thing that he does in this recently started battle is to avoid the bite the cursed snake attempted to give Naoya, jumping to the other side of the room, before proceeding to analyze the enemy.

The cursed reptile was a bit… too large, compared to the size of the chamber the battle was to take place, to his liking. An awful position to be in when it came to minimizing the damages to the surroundings, as well as ensuring the security of the hostages.

But those are things that other, sl ow sorcerers had to worry about—not him. It’s one of the upsides of his technique, he just has to be faster than whatever the other party was going to do (while considering that they might counter, which is highly unlikely thanks to his speed), and victory will be assured.

Why did he even bother with the other curses in the first place?

Thus, without having anything else to consider, Naoya goes straight onto the snake and touches it with his palm, immediately freezing it on frame. He then prepares himself to attack said cell, aligning it to when the blow is given, it will replicate onto the cursed user, who, because Naoya is too fast for the human eye to observe, was unable to predict the sorcerer's next course of action and was rooted in the same position.

The momentum Naoya obtained due to the previous use of his technique, as well as the imposed distance, is enough to give him the necessary force he needs to land a critical blow onto the target, breaking the frame in countless little pieces, and releasing an injured curse straight back onto the environment and in route of the cursed user who struggled to keep up with Naoya’s speeds, as well as the overwhelming density of the curse's body, forcing him to painfully crash against the wall behind him, rupturing it.

It’s at this point that the battle turns into one of no opposition, just as Naoya expected and the villain miscalculated— he’d kept the image of the young, ignorant Naoya who had yet much to learn about jujutsu, perhaps giving him the benefit of the doubt and waiting for him to return a bit stronger, but never to this level.

Something was ignited inside Naoya that gave him this unfiltered amount of strength, and the man refuses to believe that it had been the simple mention of his wife. There was something else lying underneath the angered facade of his previous student, and it was an opportunity that he could exploit—if he recovered quickly, for even after all that happened, Naoya still intended to play by the rules, and that meant neutralizing the curse permanently. He still had a chance!

Knowing such a requirement, Naoya is quick to head over to the sluggish cursed snake, who was struggling to raise its body after the impact, and freeze it once more in frame.

In its current state it wouldn’t take much to exorcize it. Just another quick blow with considerably less momentum, and it’ll be gone.

Ah, he could see it now, the glory he'd receive once it was announced that he'd successfully passed the second part of the exam and obtained the long awaited rank of grade 1 sorcerer. From there, it's all uphill, success, glory, wealth, recognition!

The jujutsu community will finally be able to give him the place he'd always earned alongside the strong likes of Satoru, and the unofficial recognition of his cousin Toji. The only two he'd ever deemed as his equals.

The. Elders will officially classify him as the youngest sorcerer in his family to have obtained such rank, and subsequently, recognize him as one with unmatched talent, that they might as well skip ahead and strip his father of his title and give it to him!

And then you… you’d finally come to your senses and realize that you’ve been wasting your time with the likes of his brother and cousin, and give him the attention that he always demanded from you! You’ll start behaving as the wife he always expected you to be, the woman he always desired to have by his side, you’ll adore him like he’s all you ever needed, as if his efforts to subdue your clan weren’t for naught!

Cherish him as your rightful husb—

Naoya stops as an intrusive thought comes in between his rambling, freezing consciences on the spot.

The young Zen’in heir was more than comfortable falling into the pits of his delusions, imagining a world where you would finally succumb to his desires and obey him, but…

Would you?

Would you finally… look at him?

Will this be the decisive moment where you would finally… respect him as your lawful companion, give him the attention, the care… he deserves from you?

You didn't even bother saying goodbye to him when he left the estate for today's examination, nor did you show regret or concern for having hurt him, you didn’t even bother asking if he had a good night, opting to go ahead and act as if nothing had occurred.

But with his brother. Flourishing alongside his presence with the energy he’s never felt from you. A vulnerable side that you—you seem to torment him with.

It's only for the faintest of seconds that the nasty feeling he felt back then comes back at him at full force, completely distracting him from the task at hand… but allowing him to finally recognize it.

It’s the pain of his heart breaking.

But not everyone was going through the mental ordeal he was, less a creature made from negative emotions.

The cursed snake notices the slightest hesitation coming from Naoya and takes it as its moment to attack, fangs first and directly onto your husband’s chest.

However, the instigating screech from the creature is enough to pull Naoya down to the halting realization that he's still in the exam, and with the sense of urgency to assure his survival, as well as cursing his naivety to allow himself be distracted by your emotions , Naoya is quick to set the cursed enemy into one of his many frames and toss it and onto the other side of the room.

The impact made from the combination of the travel speed and distance, alongside the impulse of his anger, will be enough to put an end to this enemy and allow him to finally obtain the promotion he trained so hard to obtain.

The adrenaline returning to pump through his veins forces him to wonder how he even allowed you to distract him once more?

You, the woman that never seemed to be impressed by anything, attempted to ruin his life in another way. Did you want to destroy him, just to be happy?

As if he’ll allow it.

However, he’s unable to realize that he’s already done so himself.

Too entrapped in the pitfalls of fixing his mistakes, as well as having to face his deep emotions at the wrong time, had led Naoya to briefly forget what the motive of his mission was. And he seemingly continued to be oblivious about it, as he made way towards the defeated sorcerer and claimed his victory.

A man who —having attentively observed the ups and downs of Naoya’s oscillating behavior before him— could only stare at him with the ghastly expression of someone who has seen the worst of the worst.

A reaction that causes Naoya to smirk in pride, falsely believing to have proven the lengths of his strength.

Only to have his reality come crashing down like a bucketful of ice upon realizing the weight of his mistake.

“Naoya!!” The man yelled as he attempted to push himself up from the floor, struggling and whimpering due to his hurt status, an image that only served to stroke Naoya’s ego.

“What? Still have it in you?” He would continue to jeer, completely oblivious to what’s behind him. “Let’s cut the garbage and give me the—“

“Suspend the exam!!” Ibuse interjected, and it’s at these words that Naoya begins to sense something off.

“What the? Why are you calling off the exam?!” Naoya chides as he strides closer to the examiner, who, dropping off the act of villain, proceeds to berate him.

“What have you done?!” Ibuse continues to yell “How could you have done that?!”

“What do you—“ And then, he hears it. The subtlest of moans coming from behind him. The example of what arrogance can do to a mind, the mistake he committed because he couldn’t face the consequences of his own actions.

The reason he failed the exam.

Underneath the burdensome weight of the cursed enemy, lay the crushed bodies of the sorcerer's that willingly played the role of civilians for this day’s examination. The image of a careless sorcerer, who had the task of protecting them, but instead… opted to put them in the danger that was supposed to keep them away from. A scenario that Naoya failed to explain, but not from the eyes of all the examiners present.

Distracted by the sentiments of his downfall, Naoya had forgotten that the initially intended to throw the cursed snake onto a different side of the chambers, away from the hostages and preventing them from getting any damage, effectively keeping the sanctity of the mission.

But for a moment, Ibuse saw him falter. Deep in thought, something dangerous passed through his eyes, as Naoya suddenly decided to discard the hostile onto the same direction of the victims, forcing them to release a shrieking noise from them as they were impacted by the force and weight of the enemy, before quieting completely. Something that the heir didn’t hear, for he was seemingly too distracted by the imaginations of his mind’s eye.

A fault that Naoya could see all too clearly now, face dropping upon realizing his mistake.

He’s quick to rush to the aid of the victims underneath the debris, see if they were still alive, only to be scolded away from the instructor.

“Stay back!” He scorned, and Naoya yielded. “Do not get near them”

“I—I—“ Naoya stammered, but his teacher was having none of it. Instead, he focused on finishing off the curse that was pretty much still alive, and checking the vital signs of the people underneath it, if they had any, as well as the damages.

“What are you doing? Lift the veil!" The man would demand Naoya upon seeing him silently stand beside him, to him be complied immediately, the veil vanishing soon after. He goes back to checking the status of the affected people, heart beating painfully against his chest as he sees a bleeding wound, which he proceeded to contain with the pressure of his hand, as well as countless broken bones "Looks like they're all alive, but their pulse is faint, almost nonexistent. Let's hope that your curtain didn't hinder the medical staff on their way here"

"Let's – lets hope not" Naoya murmurs, eyes intently fixed on the unconscious people before him. He might not know much about medicine, but was sure that their status was highly critical. And all because of him .

"What happened?!" A familiar voice coming from the entrance is enough to snap Naoya out of his trance and look at it's direction, it was Nakagawa, who first questioned why the curses stopped attacking him, before making his way as fast as possible to the basement upon hearing the suspension of the exam through the speakers, and the eventual banishment of the curtain. All things that could only represent a bad omen. "Why is the exam suspended?" He asked, yet to see the injured bodies on the far right side of the room.

"Your partner decided to attack the civilians" Is all Ibuse confesses as he continues to tend the sick to the best of his capability.

The air around the three seems to shift as Nakagawa lets the statement sink in, before finally exclaiming.

"What?!" He rushes over to Naoya, gripping the collar of his shirt and rattling him.

To say that he was disappointed, offended that the cocky bastard of Naoya had boasted about being the best, and went ahead to do the dumbest mistake… he was angered, for a lack of better words–he felt like he could choke him.

"You idiot!" He continued to berate the Zen'in heir, who in return, remained immobile out of shock as he permitted his partner to expert his frustration onto him "What the fuck was going on in your head?! You–you failed us the exam and almost killed them!"

But Naoya can't find it in himself to answer as he continues to stare at the gruesome scene unfolding before him, further developed with the addition of medics and the rest of the institution who limited itself to look at him with disdain having his expectations disappointed, alongside failing the jujutsu community.

The highest ranking student, the one that held their expectations, as well as one of the most promising sorcerer's of the next generation, had committed a mistake that would immediately set him to be court martialed, if not permanently suspended from duties.

And he knows that, which only makes the ice cold realization of his mistakes sink in his mind all the more painful.

A shocking contrast of what he'd always received in life.

Ever since he began to show the first signs of a talented sorcerer on the way, his actions began to be met with extra criticism. Something that never bothered him, for he'd always delivered:

His good deeds were commended, yet expected. But even then, they'll still give him the recognition he wanted by simply standing there, which made nothing but fill him with arrogance.

To think that failure was something that he'd taste in his life was a fallacious thought, a lucid dream only commendable in the craziest of nights after hours of drinking.

Not something that would occur simply because he got distracted… by the fleeting thought of his wife and her adamancy in rejecting him.

So when the star student fell, he fell hard .

Thus, it didn’t come to anyone's shock that the news made it’s hasty way towards the Zen’in estate, making its rounds by gracing the ears of each and every staff and member alike, bringing forth all kinds of reactions: from frivolous looks from the jealous relatives who were attentively looking for his downfall, to the appalling faces of the servants who feared for their livelihoods.

Mountains and mountains of responses, that became too hard to ignore, eventually arrived at your acknowledgement.

To think that you’d be alive to witness the rumors of his failure was astonishing, for a lack of better words. Impossible even.

But judging the frantic looks on the servant’s faces, or the complacent one from his distant relatives, there was no denying it.

It was evident that you had to run for the hills, unless you wanted to become the punching bag of your husband, who you were absolutely sure was sodden in rage.

“I have to get away” You assertively inform Mariya as you continue to watch the servants rushing from one side to the other, all whilst mumbling to themselves that the worst is yet to come.

“I’ll let the contractor know that there was an emergency and that you won’t be able to finish today’s meeting” Mariya responds “If he hasn’t gone out to check the whole commotion”

You feel your hands begin to tremble at the mere notion of Naoya coming closer and closer to your direction, probably with a worse mood than before now that he had to deal with your transgression , as well as the unforeseen failure of his exam.

“Go to my chambers” She adds “He won’t expect you there, and if you stumble into Tatsuro he can help you even more—I already told him what happened and we agreed to come up with a way to keep Naoya away from you”

“Mariya… you and Tatsuro are risking too much but—” You fright “but what if it doesn’t work?”

“We know what we’re getting into, we’ve known since we started working in this place” She reassures you with a tight smile “Now go, I’ll let the contractor and Junko know—she must be going through hell right now anyways”

“...That’s not good” you note.

“There’s nothing we can do right now, more so when Naoya’s already here, far earlier than anticipated and with terrible news” She responds “Go, I’ll take care of the rest”

And without a second to waste, you start heading to the general direction of the staff’s living quarters. Maneuvering through countless servants who, upon seeing your worried face, keep out of your path of safety.

Not everyone held the same positive regard as they did, but even those against you couldn't help but feel pity.

A sentiment that harbors particularly strongly inside a person, the same one who stayed behind just to reassure no harm would befall you, or at least… prevent it from worsening.

“Y/N!” A familiar voice, whom you quickly recognized as Naoaki, calls from behind you. You stop, urgently snapping your head towards his general direction to welcome the man who as soon as he heard that Naoya was back, with a failure under his belt nonetheless, sprinted in your search “Y/N! I just heard, are you ok?”

“I’m—I’m fine Naoaki” you gasp, trying to recuperate all the breath you exhorted from running from the south wing of the estate, where the kitchen was found, towards the east wing, or halfway there because Naoaki met you before you even arrived. “Did you hear? Naoya is— he’s back and he failed!”

“I know” Naoaki breathes “That’s why I’m here. I won’t let him lay a finger on you again”

“...Have you… seen him?” your voice trembles as you ask, fearing that Naoya might be haunting Naoaki, and unknowingly, leading him to you.

“No, I have not” Naoaki shakes his head “I only know what the servants have told me, that he’s still at the entrance”

“Ok, ok” you sigh, feeling a weight lifted from your shoulders—at least he doesn’t know your location just yet. You might still have time to complete your escape.

“Where were you going?” He asks “What are you planning to do?”

“Mariya told me I could go to her room, and if Tatsu—“ you stop, remembering the vow of secrecy you made to her “And if I deem it necessary, I can stay there”

“No, that’s too dangerous. Naoya might expect you to be there. Follow me, I know where we can hide” he proceeds to swiftly grab your hand and start pulling you away from your current location, and onto the direction of one of the prohibited sections of the estate, a limitation imposed by your husband.

And an alarming fact that you feel that, although smart in one way, it would only add to your punishment if ever caught.

“No, wait, Naoaki! I—I at least have to tell Mariya that—“

“This is just amazing!” A voice thunders through the premises, quick to disrupt your conversation with Naoaki and pull both's attention onto the author behind the yell.

Your eyes widen as your face pales upon acknowledging the intimidating figure of Naobito. It seems that the news of Naoya’s failure finally reached the ears of his father, evident by the scowl on his face.

But that wasn’t what frightened you the most, to the point of heightening your grasp on Naoaki’s hand, to the point that you’ve pressed crescent moons on his skin, making him whine at the discomfort.

It was Naoya’s presence that erupted this reaction from you.

You couldn’t run away from him in time; he was finally here.

“Just exactly what I was looking forward to!” Naobito continues to scream as Naoya defeatedly follows him, head down, and lips shut, silently listening to the critical opinion his father had of his performance.

The image you expected for someone that had spent days, weeks, if not months to prepare for this moment, only to have it stripped away from him.

“We have to go” Naoaki whispers as he pushes through the pain of your clench, to gently tug you in his direction. “We have to go now ”

Your eyes quickly trail down to Naobito’s left arm and the bottle of sake that was in its palm, giving you the understanding that the man had been abruptly interrupted and pulled out to receive his son in less than desirable conditions. Something that almost made you feel pity for Naoya, as you finally decide to follow Naoaki’s lead and get out of this place before their attention catches up to you.

“Another failure of a son!” He yells, as you begin to walk away, his voice becoming more and more distant, to the point that you feel him effectively vanish from your earshot, that is, until a sharp noise manages to halt you on the spot.

You and Naoaki stare at each other for a quick second, before you slowly start to turn around and look back at the men you’ve left behind—only to gasp loudly at the sight before you.

The bottle of sake was long gone, and not because Naobito had decided to place it away for future enjoyment, no. It had been nothing like that.

In a spat of ire, or perhaps intoxication, Naobito had decided to show his physical disappointment by crashing the glass bottle against Naoya’s body, leaving a young man both startled, but speechless, as he stood there, humiliated and battered, all whilst soaked in alcohol.

“And for the most fucking stupid reason!” Naobito continues to deride, without care if anyone noticed his aggression “Do you even have anything to say for yourself?!”

Naoya continues to remain quiet, eyes still glued to the floor, as he permits his father to further berate him, for deep inside him, he knows that he was speaking the truth.

There were no words for him to excuse his actions nor his performance. He had allowed himself to suffer a moment of weakness in one of the most important times of his life.

Your husband had effectively turned into a disgrace of the Zen’in clan, just as the rest of his relatives were quick to call him as he defeatedly returned home.

He felt desolate, crushed, he’s at the bottom of the barrel and there was nothing that could help him get back on the top.

Not even your presence, which he caught wind of just by the corner of his eye, doubled down by your sharp gasp, could save him.

Noticing you made the turmoil's of his emotion come back, worsening his already aching mind to the point where he feels like running away.

He wishes to think that he could go to you at the end of his father’s rampage, to seek comfort from the only person that was supposed to fill that role, but when he sees you standing beside his brother, anxiously looking at him as you hold his hand tightly against yours, he knows that he’s asking for the impossible.

The top was a lonely place, yet the bottom was colder. With the first, he at least had the attention of others who either looked up to or envied him, wishing to be him or plotting his demise—it didn’t matter. He’d still live inside their heads one way or the other, as they’d continue to have his name on their lips.

But once in the depths of the ocean of failure, no one would waste their time looking at a nobody .

Perhaps the only person that he hoped to not see as he returned to the estate was you.

He wonders, are you relishing on his misery? Are you going to make fun of him with his brother? Probably.

It’s been noted various times, over and over again, that you're willing to be kind to everyone, but not him.

He’s not deserving of that, he comes to assume, even if he were your rightful husband.

Maybe by doing this, you’ll finally feel some sort of amusement towards him.

“Answer me, bastard !” Naobito’s hands hurls towards Naoya’s shoulders, attempting to rattle some answer out of him, but the young man who has lost all hope to fight back, allows his father to disturb him, before throwing his body down to the floor, a loud thud ensuing after the contact. “What? Now you’ve gone silent, boy? You always had something to say” he scoffs.

But not today. Naoya has gone dry, there’s nothing to say, nothing to feel. After all, the two things he wanted the most in the world were effectively stripped away from him. The bright future of his career, and now, you.

This marriage was a failure, and you sought out affections from someone else.

His brother got to you first, he won you over— and you looked happy with him.

Something that, no matter what he did, only served to remind him that no matter what he did, you were never genuinely interested in him.

But these thoughts weren’t to stop the punishment that was on his way, or the fact that you were going to walk away from him any moment now.

Because that’s what your mind, and Naoaki, were telling you to do.

To see Naobito act as cruelly as you’d always imagined he was capable of, proven by Naoaki’s past, was terrifying for you, to the point where you were frozen in the spot. You hated the nauseating feeling his pure presence brought to you, to the point you felt like you wanted to cry.

But at the same time… you never thought Naobito would be capable of acting in such a way with the man you’ve always considered to be of the same caliber as him—as cruel, as ruthless, and most of all, merciless.

You always envisioned Naobito to be rather… compassionate when it came to Naoya, his favorite child, as well as the sick way they seemed to get along when together.

But… this was different.

Drastically different from what you imagined.

Naobito was looming over your husband the same way you imagined he loomed over Naoaki when he was attempting to torment his younger brother Naofumi, when he had lost all his inhibitions and, instead of giving the patience any good father should have for his sons and explain that things are not as they seem… decided to be violent.

There was a heavy aura radiating from the clan leader, which pushed Naoya to stay rooted on the floor, in a crouching position as if trying to protect himself from the gazes of everyone around him.

The image before you was too pitiful, too painful, that you could almost feel Naoya’s pain inside you.

Keyword, almost .

Because after all that was said and done, this was nothing compared to what Naoya had done to you.

Naoya had berated you, assaulted you, called you a wide variety of disgusting names and forced you to do the same for your family for his own sick pleasure.

He prided himself in calling you his wife, and him your husband, but treated you nothing alike of the sort.

You were nothing more than a piece of meat for him, that has been forced to go through so much pain for some unknown reason, claimed to be adoration! And now… it seemed that he was getting his long-overdue karma.

You couldn’t help but observe the unfolding scene before you with some sick version of accomplishment. Finally, Naoya would know what it feels to be tormented by those with higher power, be under their mercy, be forced to be used by them as some kind of toy for their sick pleasures and suffer .

“You’re pathetic” Naobito said, holding back the urge to spit on the woeful form of his son “A poor excuse to be called my son, less, my heir”

“We have to go, Y/N” Naoaki repeats upon sensing his father dangerously approaching a higher level of aggression. He attempts to urge you by placing his hand behind your back and carefully guiding you away from the treacherous men. “Before they notice we’re here and they find it in themselves to hurt you again”

You don’t put up much of a fight when he attempts to sway you from the scene once more, but not enough to keep the sounds that would continue to haunt you.

“You had one job, but you’re not even capable of doing that, are you?” Naobito continues “I let you do whatever you want, marry the woman you want, and then what? You place our name in shame .

You’re just like the rest of your brothers, the best of the worst if you must, a completely useless sorcerer who had the fortune of carrying my name. But had I known you would turn out to be like this, I should’ve let you die with your mother when you were born”

The world seems to stop spinning when he utters his last insult.

You’ve heard all kind of cruel words come from the members of this family, your husband being the main partaker, but you… you never imagined the clan leader, the one that showed his blatant favoritism for the youngest of his children, would be capable of showing that kind of animosity to another one of his level.

You’re unable to continue walking as the sourness of his words forces you to take a moment and analyze the sudden surge of feelings building up inside you.

And then, it hits you.

The sourness settling on the pit of your stomach wasn’t only because of the disgusting implication from Naobito’s part regarding the mother of your husband, and the wish for the death of his youngest for something so simple as failing an exam.

It’s a vivid representation of Jinichi’s words from that night.

There’s so many things this clan has done against its own members, it doesn’t make sense trying to make an understanding out of it, does it? A family as old as this one is bound to grow resentful at one point or the other, even those that you think above it all have probably suffered one way or the other.

And the most shocking, burdening realization that made your sensitive heart wince.

Naoya’s face, in the only moment that he allowed himself to look up to his father, held the same countenance that he carried the moment your death sentence was announced.

The one of a frightened, desolate child, the face of an innocent boy that has been wronged in his life—under no good excuse.

He reminds you of Naoaki, of Naofumi. Of you .

Jinichi was right .

How could you believe that in this vipers nest, Naoya would be exempted from the cruel acts of his family? Growing up in an environment like this hurts everyone inside it!

And to think that you were finding comfort in the suffering of others, a sort of sick relief—it was wrong.

It wasn’t for you to decide justice for others, violence was never the answer!

But it was for Naobito, and by the looks of how he was preparing himself to reach over to Naoya, he was more than ready to enact it once more.

This was wrong.

You’d continue to repeat to yourself as Naobito got closer, and closer to your husband,

This was wrong.

But he hurt you, he made you feel like you were anything less than a human worthy of respect.

This was wrong.

But because you suffered, does it mean everyone else has to suffer as well?

This was wrong .

And standing in the sidelines was wrong as well .

“Y/N!”

You don’t know what came over you, nor what happened after you went through this last thought, but before you knew it, you were rushing towards Naobito and attempting to grasp the arm that he was planning to strike his son with, as hard as your feeble body compared to his could, even going as far as to use your legs as leverage to fight against his overwhelming strength.

The combination of quick footsteps, as well as hindering weight holding his arm back is enough to snap both the leader of the Zen’in clan and your husband temporarily out of their trance and redirect their attention onto the origin behind this sudden change of events—you.

Upon noticing his wife’s involvement, Naoya can’t help but allow a glimmer of hope and shock become visible in his eyes, a small smile appearing on his lips as he begins to toss aside the sour thoughts he had regarding you and your alleged disdain for him, one that disappears as quickly as it became evident, for he wasn’t out of the woods yet.

Naobito, on the other hand, remained emotionless as he continued to stare down at your struggling body. You know that silence owing from the men of this household meant no good, and you believe to make out a threatening air in his stance as you continue to hold him down.

“Naobito-sama” You breathe, powering through the knot of nerves in your throat as you decide to appease to his title “you—you mustn’t—!”

The leader of the clan keeps silently judging you, and you take this moment as his order for you to proceed.

“You mustn’t— mustn't hurt him” you plead once more “… please ”

Perhaps it was the teary-eyed look on your face, or your pathetic squabbling, that has Naobito finally breaking character and allowing a chuckle escape from the confines of his lips as he abruptly returns his arm to his side, making you flinch.

“Ah, Y/N-chan” Naobito greets, clearly amused by the sudden change of events, more so from the wife that he’s considered to be largely absent from his son’s life, as well as irresponsible for lacking on both her duties to her husband, as well as fulfilling her role to the clan. Did she perhaps have a change of heart? Who knows? “It’s good to see you here after all that happened! I was beginning to wonder where my adorable daughter ran off to”

The moment he opens his mouth you’re received with a nauseating breeze of the alcoholic stench in his breath, confirming your suspicions of his intoxication. “Who would’ve guessed that all I needed to do was bait you with your husband to see you again” Naobito then returns his arm back to his side, in a rather harsh manner, that has you flinching your hand away from, and heightening the fear you had for standing before his seemingly omnipotent presence.

“And as much as I am moved to see you rush to his rescue, I’m still not convinced by it. I mean— it’s no secret that you two don’t get along, so pardon me if I seem confused” he remarks condescendingly.

You don’t know where he’s intending to go with his words, but if there’s one thing that you’re absolutely certain of the way he’s threading, is that you’re not going to like it.

“Care to tell me why I should not punish him for his failure, or both for your transgression?”

There it was. The reason why you felt so dreadful. The reason why Naoaki wanted to get you away from this situation as quickly as possible.

But you’re already here—much to your enlarging fear, and if you were aiming to stop this charade, while escaping virtually unscathed, you’ll have to commit.

“Because… Naoya-sama he—he… mustn't be punished be—because I—” you stammer, becoming lost one the first words escape your mouth. You were growing unsure that anything would work to escape this interrogation… unless, that is, if you agree to take the mantle —just one more time— of Zen’in woman and remember your worth to this family. The only reason you’re still alive, and use it to your advantage for the first time ever “I was bothering him—him with my health, my cramps , the reason why my—my husband was angry that night” you exaggerated, hoping to add veracity to your statement “he—his mind was with me, about my ability to bear children and—and because I insisted so much that I—I was feeling unwell… he— he naturally got distracted”

“Are you implying that I should punish you instead?”

Your face and Naoya’s goes pale immediately, much to Naobito’s delight.

“The—the exams are capable of—of being retaken… right?” You mutter “In—in 6 months”

“So?” Naobito smirks “What is it that you’re trying to say, dear daughter? That I should wait for him as I’m waiting for you to prove your worth?”

“Give—give him another chance” You plead with a strained voice “Naoya-sama is… is a talented sorcerer, of far more value than me. I’ve seen it myself! My—my clan recognizes his talent, the community recognizes his talent… and he—he shouldn’t be left behind because of my mistakes”

Naobito laughs. This is certainly becoming more interesting than whatever anime he watches in his free time—and without having to pay for it!

He would’ve never guessed that inside that broken marriage of yours and his son, you would actually hold some care for him in one way or another. Perhaps your indoctrination inside the estate was finally beginning to bear fruits. Or maybe it was because women were considered to be naturally sensitive, motherly , towards their surroundings, and you just needed the right push to awaken that instinct. Nonetheless, Naobito can see it now. Before you notice, you’d be another walking representation of Junko, and who knows? You might harvest that burning necessity of earning their favor, which you were already starting to show, just like the mother of two presented throughout her life.

Well, whatever it was planned for the future, Naobito didn’t pay it more mind than a few seconds.

Now that this conflict had been essentially put under control, the leader of the clan feels his boredom returning, for he no longer found fun in tormenting his son, not when you’ve sourly interjected to rain in his parade.

That, and the growing resentment for remembering that he’d allowed his anger to break the bottle of sake he was previously enjoying was enough to grace him with a new motivation, but not before giving one last kick to the already dead horse.

“It’s shameful that you can’t even deal with your own mistakes, Naoya” His father spats as he fixes the creases of his yukata “A woman , of all people, has to come to your rescue”

You swallow the humiliation from this interaction as Naoya remains quiet, as he always did when his father spoke, silently observing Naobito disappear into the labyrinth of hallways before him.

It’s after a few seconds that his footsteps become invisible to his earshot, finally giving him the silence that allowed him to think.

He knew it.

In the deepest corners of his mind, he knew it.

He should’ve expected it—he… knew that what’s thinking wasn’t possible—couldn’t be possible.

There was no way you’d seemingly grace others with kindness, but find it in yourself to ignore him completely.

It just doesn’t add up. You’d care for everyone, but not your husband ? The man you’re bound to legally, the one that has tended to each and every one of your needs—being food, medicine, entertainment, a bed…?

Of course not, because that’s now how emotions work. That’s not how your emotions work. You can’t pick and choose who you’re going to be kind to or not. A woman of your grace was to be known to be equal to everyone, even if it meant socializing with the likes of his brother.

That relationship started because you felt pity for him, didn’t you? You felt like you could fix him. It’s hopeless, but a woman as naive as you wouldn’t know any difference—that’s why he had to step in as your husband and help you stray back into the right path!

It was rather unfortunate that all this had to happen, but he finally got the answer he was looking for.

You do care for him.

But if that was set to be the undeniable truth… Why are you crying?

Why are you still trembling in fear, even after his father was long gone?

Why are you turning away, almost as if you were trying to avoid making eye contact with him, as you make way to an approaching Naoaki, instead of making sure that he was alright?

Why—why are you walking away from him?

“Y—Y/N” Naoya calls through a strained throat as he pushes himself from the floor, stopping ever so abruptly as he comes into the presence of Naoaki, who, without giving him any care as well, places his hand behind your back and starts to gently guide you away from him

“Y/N” It’s Naoaki calling your name, softly, timidly, almost as if muttering your name in vain were the highest form of sacrilege “Are you ok? Are you hurt?”

“I—I want to go to my room” you whimper back “I—I want to go ho—“

“Y/N” Naoya calls once more but you ignore him once more. Frustrated that he’s not receiving the response he seeks, he calls out a bit more sternly, desperately. “Y/N”

Flashbacks of past incidents and his capabilities render you immobile immediately. Only Naoaki’s warm hand on your body is capable of calming this icy sensation engulfing your body, but even then, you feel it’s not enough to feel secure from Naoya.

In fact, not ever seemed to be enough when it came to him.

Not even risking your life, although with much regret, was enough for him to recognize your merits and silently retreat for the day.

‘What—what do you want?” You whisper, clasping your hands together, as you persist in keeping your face hidden from him.

Your husband… doesn't know what to say after all that occurred. He went through a wide range of emotions, all in two days. But even then, he can’t find it in himself to accept the goodness in others, and instead of thanking you for your actions, he decides to interrogate you.

Why couldn’t he just say thank you and leave you alone?

“Why….” He begins, as if testing the waters “Why did you do that? You—you know this could only be taken as a transgression against my father”

Offended by the ill-timing of his brother’s question, Naoaki decides to step in.

“What kind of question is that, Naoya?” He frowns “Are you really that—“

“You know better than anyone that what Y/N did was dangerous!” Naoya, offended that his brother had decided to ask as your speaker, interjects “My father can make her life a living hell if he wanted!”

His words feel to you like a slap to the face.

“Is that what you think?” you say, still unwilling to look back at him “Is that what you think your father is capable of doing?” Is he… really that delusional?

Apparently so.

“Did you not see what happened?” Naoya argues “That was highly careless of you, Y/N! He could’ve beaten you right then and there if he wanted! Make your life a nightmare had he said the word!”

“Worse than you’ve already done, Naoya?” you ask, and your husband blinks in disbelief.

“Worse… than I’ve done?” He asks. Had you not been put through another emotional turmoil, you would’ve believed that he sounded hurt by the comparison to his father. “But all I ever wanted for you is your safety, your wellbeing! And you… you keep rejecting me. To compare me to my father is baseless accusation, he can make your life a living hell if he—“

And you chuckle.

You couldn’t believe your ears, and this time, you don’t think your knot of emotions are playing any influence in your perception.

Truly, even after all you’ve done, Naoya is not one to reflect on himself and see his flaws.

You’ve given up on him, you’ve given up in making him understand that this marriage is only going downhill.

Not that you were trying to make him understand such a thing with your recent actions, for you’ve only done it because it was the right thing to do—not because you wanted to defend Naoya in particular.

But… It's fine.

It’s fine if he wants to keep acting the fool. Attempt to hurt you over and over again.

Nonetheless, you have to set one thing straight. You won’t allow him to continue tarnishing your name again, simply because he was too blind to look beyond his own nose.

“Is that so?” You say with a strained voice “You see… I find that impossible to be, because..”

You begin to turn around, intending to see him, and the desolate look of your face, accompanied by the cascading tears which had effectively drenched your cheeks at that point, finally become visible to him.

It’s an aching sight that has his heart jumping to his throat, rendering him speechless as he continues to interpret the look on your face as the most heartbreaking you’ve ever worn in this marriage.

It’s not one he would consider coming from a wife who had just gone to great lengths to protect her loved one, of the kind person everyone around him called you.

It was the face of a woman who was tired of being hurt all the time—by the one that was to protect her.

And the words that you expelled next would help him understand, if only a fraction, of the pain he’d given to you.

“I’m already in hell”

Naoaki doesn’t allow any further interaction to occur between you and your husband as he gently guides you back into the living quarters, and into your room, where Naoya knows you’d undoubtedly seek the comfort of his brother.

A position that should be his, but yet…

Even when you found it in yourself to give him benevolence, if only for the briefest of moments, you… you didn’t do it out of particular fondness for him, or because you actually wanted to.

In fact, as soon as you stepped in between him and his father, you face gave away the fact that you truly regretted ever coming to his aid.

And with the way he attempted to seek you out, get a word in with you, only to be received with rejection once more by how you’d glance away from him as soon as caught air of his figure, or how you’d turn around as quickly as you realized that he was in the same room, this statement grew heavier and heavier on his mind.

The servants would continue to take your act of bravery and admire you for it, basking you with questions of concerns, alongside special treatment to mend the fact that you’ve fearfully stood up to the highest power inside the Zen’in estate, further distancing you from him.

Others, as supportive as they were of your actions, weren't as attentive to you. Opting instead to turn their sights and efforts onto Naoya, and condemn the fact that you had to speak up, after all he’s put you through, as if he weren’t capable of doing so himself.

He had to commend the staff and family members that remained relatively quiet after everything went down, specially those that limited themselves to only comment on his performance on the failed grade 1 promotion.

But even with these restraints, he knew they were talking ill behind his back. After all, he was the walking, vivid example of a contradiction of his life, a failure of a Zen’in heir.

They wouldn’t even bother to ask how such a thing happened, nor should they. After all, they just cared that he failed. That the man that would reproach them every opportunity he had, came back to the estate, tail between his legs, and openly admitted to have let down his family. And that was something to boast about.

Each comment, each murmur, down to the smallest conversation, felt like the constant stand and twist of a dagger, repeated over and over again, drilling into his head the remembrance of how… alone, he truly was, now that he didn’t fit the expectations of the Zen’in clan.

Rip him off of the Zen’in heir title, and he had nothing, no one. Not even you . Even if your name was signed in the legal counteract that represented marriage upon court—it meant nothing if you were in the company of someone else.

And just as every day, when there is nothing more for him to do and he wants to escape from the inquisitive eyes of his clan, he goes to bed.

Alone, defeated, laying his body on the futon that he’s gone to appreciate as… cold, now that you’re not here.

Not even the comfort of his soft blankets are enough to warm the iciness that your absence has given him—or the reality of your decision.

He’s left dreadful, rotting in the confines of his mind, to ruminate on everything that transpired since he offered his I do’s .

And, for the first time ever, Naoya wonders if perhaps… he’s the reason why this marriage is failing.

#naoya zenin #naoya zen'in #naoya x reader #naoya zenin x reader #naoya zenin x your #jjk naoya #naoya zen'in x reader #series: first it hurts—

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