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Chapter Text

The past two weeks after Yhwach's death had been a breeze for Ichigo. She'd been enjoying her freedom by moving out of her childhood house and currently staying at her granduncle's magic store. Of course, Isshin was against it at first but quickly lost as he had no stand on any of her decisions, since she has been making her own damn decisions all of her life, vehemently telling her no wouldn't end pretty. Besides Karin and Yuzu supported her as they knew their older sister being idle in her home city will slowly kill her. 

Her friends being perplexed by how fast she moved on from the war didn't go unnoticed; from already deciding what university she wanted to attend, the studies she majored in, and what she was going to do after graduating. Ichigo doesn't shy away from abroad about her education: she was going to the University of Edinburgh, taking an archeology major, and becoming an archeologist after graduating. 

They say she was too rash but she knew better. She is going on an adventure. Like Bilbo Baggins!

She appreciated that Uryuu was the only one who didn't comment, everyone in Urahara's Shop, respected her choices.

Soul Society actually does have a problem with her leaving Karakura 'defenseless' but with her newfound cousins giving her diplomatic immunity, they couldn't do anything about it except giving the town actual shits to give.

After all, she promised to live her life after Chaldea.

"Hmm, maybe I'll visit Kirshctaria when I'm in London. Didn't Pepe-san say he finally engaged to Ophelia?" Ichigo mused alone in the empty store.

"Hey, Ichigo, are you- Gah! For the love of--" Isamu jolted in surprise, instinctively putting his hands in the air, when he saw what his grandniece had been doing this whole time, "Do you have to play with your rifle on the counter?!"

"I'm not playing, I'm fixing it." Ichigo rolled her eyes, replacing the rifle's fried converter chamber with the newly crafted one, "Besides people will look at me if I did it in the park."

"That's not what I mean!"

I know. She playfully throws a smirk.

"Just do it in a safe distance. That thing can kill a god, for God's sake." Isamu gets around from the firearm's trajectory. 

"Yhwach's not a real god. I don't even want to waste Black Barrel on him even if get my hands on it."

"I don't understand what you just said and I don't want to know!"

Spoilsport. Ichigo snorted, "Anyway, you were asking something?"

Isamu harrumped, his face shriveled up a bit to redeem annoyance as he folded his arm inside his haori. He looked contemplative before finding his voice again.

"Are you free next week? If yes, will you accompany me to visit some relatives?"

"... To announce Yhwach's death?"

Considering Isamu had been busy telling his family and friends who have Quincy connections, it might be that.

"To announce Yhwach's death." He confirmed.

Yhwach's death was like the Berlin Wall came down for the Quincies who weren't part of his faction. Part of it or not, they get the burnt of it courtesy of Auswählen—An act that effectively reaps them of family members. While there were Quincies who had sworn to Yhwach that essentially defected, they had done the deed of in partaking his blood, which marked their souls and the next generation; making it almost impossible to be free from his influence.

Ichigo still remembered how the council of Quincy in Lyon refused to land aid. Not only they are some of the last out there, but they're helpless about their situation. Why bother living or helping when Yhwach can easily reap their life? Heck, why bother living at all? And to be fair, that's fair enough. They wanted no more 'stupid' death over the fake god, even when she compromised that she only needed one arrow from every one of them, they still thought it was a useless endeavor. 

Imagine her shock when they changed their minds and arrived at Soul Society to aid in the war. They don't care whether they are Echt or Gemischt, they were just there to exist and fight. They were neither on Soul Society nor the Sternritter, they were on her side.

When it was finally over, their cathartics was an understatement. Singing loudly 'Ding-dong, the wicked witch is dead. Wake up, you sleepy head, rub your eyes, get out of bed!' from the Wizard of Oz, that she could hear as she was recovering in the Fourth Division.

They don't care if the remaining Sternritter heard it or take offense—one thing for sure, Bazz-B certainly didn't when he joined the singing band. He was like the only chill Quincy Ichigo had ever known. 

(For the record, Uryuu wasn't chill, he's tense. Like his father.)

Isamu didn't miss out on the wave of euphoria either; relief plastered on his face knowing that his family's death was finally avenged. 

Amidst all of that, Soul Society was still processing that there was another group of Quincy who didn't want anything to do with Yhwach from the very beginning and the view of the celebration was understandably jarring.

And amidst all that, Ichigo is just glad that she can graduate High School in peace.

"Why next week? Why not now unlike the other?" Ichigo asked as she packed away her sniper rifle; a sight that her granduncle truly appreciated.

"Well, you see, I have to make an appointment to meet this side of the family. They're mainly consisted of Sorcerers."

"But we already descended from Sorcerers," She frowned. 

"No, not like our Western ancestors. They are Jujutsu Sorcerers."

"... Jujutsu... As in Curses? Ashiya Dōman's type of people?" 

Dealing with Caster of Limbo wasn't fun in Ichigo's experience, despite the first-hand taste of Merlin's antics.

"Hey, now I'm not sure what Ashiya Dōman even looks like..." Isamu fell quiet and made a swift gesture with his hand as in 'y'know', "Did you meet Ashiya Dōman during your...?"

"He's a clown that was a total shady bastard, naked while hanging on the ceiling."

"I'm sure jujutsu society is shady but I'm more concerned about the naked on the ceiling..."

"Oh, you're right to be. Worse, he thought it was funny."

"Right..."

Ichigo let out a long sigh and dismissively shook her head, "Never a dull moment in this family. Am I right?"

"I think you're the one who made it weird," Isamu pitifully grimaced.

Ichigo is no fool. Every society has its share of shadiness. For there is no society that was not built on blood, sweat, and tears.

For example, her country; Japan.

Another example; Soul Society. Yes, despite Byakuya Kuchiki and Kaien Shiba are known to be good people, it does not mean that they're nice people. Not to mention that they're also the leaders of their society, hence effectively had to play their part in political seats and often had double standards. They say no one can separate the association of 'Clan' with sin.

Cousins who are part of shady society is just one of the many stories of Ichigo's life. So, what's some more? It's no different than choosing toppings on her ice cream.

A few days before departing to visit their jujutsu sorcerer relatives, Isamu took it upon himself to explain how Ichigo's family has ties with them and the basic structure of the jujutsu society. It started when the first Six-Eyes user married a Heian period Kurosaki—who at the time was not called Kurosaki, instead, it's the kuge Tachibana clan; Ever since this union, the Gojō Clan has the Kurosaki family as a consideration in choices of a spouse. This was based on two reasons; The Kurosaki family was known to produce powerful heirs and their long-time relation.

Ichigo can't help but curse at the mention of the kuge Tachibana Clan; the smallest of the four powerful clans, other members of said powerful clans were the Minamoto, the Fujiwara, and the Taira. These are the Japanese aristocratic class that dominated the Japanese Imperial Court in Kyoto during the Heian Era.

She can't believe that her family probably used to have a courtly stint with Raikou-san's family.

Historically, the Tachibana and Fujiwara continued to jockey for power in the imperial palace, ultimately leading to a rebellion that lasted from 939 to 941. While members of the Taira and Fujiwara clans initiated the rebellion, the Tachibana were scattered by their efforts to suppress the conflict, and their power waned thereafter. The Tachibana do had the satisfaction as a branch member of the family from Iyo Province, Tachibana no Tōyasu, executed Fujiwara no Sumitomo.

Do underline the word scattered as one of them eventually married one of Sugawara no Michizane's sons. Supposedly, it was a low-ranked noblewoman of the Tachibana who married Michizane's son, which does make sense considering the man was historically known to be demoted, stripped of his ranks, and exiled.

In a poem that is known only to Michizane's descendants, written to commemorate the marriage, he said that it was a view that beat even the grandest event held in the imperial palace. One of his many daughters took it upon herself to write down an unbiased view of the party and one of the most memorable details is that Michizane and the Six-Eyes user, recently became in-law, super drunk, and duke out sorcery battle on a hilltop.

"And then not long after, the Tachibana noblewoman's brother made a scandal for marrying Satsukihime, known as Takiyashahime, Taira no Masakado's daughter, whom he found unconscious in a swamp with a giant frog!" Isamu exclaimed as it was his favorite part of the story, "Your great-grandfather used to mime it when the cousins came for a sleepover."

Ichigo realized that her family was always chaotically aligned. They made such scandals quite numerous times, while not always about courting the enemy's scions, sometimes it was about marrying foreigners. Her three-times great-grandfathers married a Scottish-German sorcerer—who also has Quincy's ancestry and also the reason why she is related to Harry—and her ancestor during the Edo period married a fellow Quincy who was a Christian.

Funnily, the latter was not the reason why she related to Uryuu. That was because the sister of her four times great-grandfathers married the Ishida. The Ishida were called 'Ishida' because they were related to the samurai Mitsunari Ishida.

"Wait, hold on, is the mundane Gojō Clan the same as the jujutsu Gojō Clan?" Ichigo asked.

"Why yes, they can't stay rich if they only dabble in jujutsu," Isamu said matter-of-factly, "They still serve as the Imperial family's historians; in the modern era, they're the country's viscount."

"Do they live on their own made districts like Wizards?"

"Nope. This brings us to the Three Great Jujutsu Families and how they coexist with modern Japan."

The three great jujutsu families are pretty interesting as each of them is a descendant of Japan's Three Great Onryō. Respectively; the Zen'in Clan is the descendant of Taira no Masakado, the Gojō Clan is the descendant of Sugawara no Michizane, and the Kamo Clan is the descendant of Emperor Sutoku. These three distinguished clans have existed for over one thousand years, having already existed by the Heian Era. They are very much integrated within the Japanese government and were vital in establishing the memorandum regarding the obligations of jujutsu sorcerers. The head of Jujutsu Headquarters is appointed by the Prime Minister based on nominations from the Big Three.

(Ichigo can already smell the political game there.)

That is a lot of duty for their dear Prime Minister of Japan; while does not exactly handle all of it, there were exactly two clear supernatural societies (although the Witches and Wizard preferred to be referred to as the Wizarding World) in Japan and they needed to be aware of every incident, since, aside from the added paperwork, they need to report to the Emperor of Japan of all people.

"If the Kamo Clan is the descendant of an emperor does that make them the Imperial family's weird magic cousins?" Ichigo snorted at the thought of the seemingly normal Imperial family, having cousins who made things fly.

"Ichigo, we are all the Imperial family's weird magic cousins."

"Are we sure the Imperial family is that mundane? Not secretly able to control fire since they're the descendant of the Sun Goddess?"

"Unfortunately yes, they're mundane."

Ichigo huffed dejectedly. Age of Man indeed.

Isamu fingered the edge of the mahogany table he used to lay the document of the family history, "To be honest, I want to use this chance to introduce you to the family as they did not know that you, and your sisters, existed. Since you had prior experience interacting with the aristocracy, I need you to be the first to meet them. I don't want Karin and Yuzu to have a terrible first impression because the Gojō Clan can be quite intense."

"I understand, you don't need to worry about it." 

If Ichigo can shock Byakuya by being able to talk diplomacy, then the Gojō Clan is just another day in the office.

"Also, you're the only one who can bailed out if things go down horribly. Prepare for a fight if the occasion arises." 

Ichigo is unimpressed.

"But enough of that. I want to know about your opinion on jujutsu?" 

Jujutsu has a strong presence within the Japanese supernatural world and its peak was during the Heian period, it was the Golden Era of Sorcery. It might have something to do with Japan still having its Gods while the rest of the world's already retreated. Ichigo knows that was not the whole case as the Heian period was not simply the Golden Era of Sorcery, it was the Golden Era of everything supernatural as Demigods (or any Half-Being) were practically still a thing. People in that era did not think the same way as people nowadays and everyone could contest their skill or abilities to their heart's content.

Nowadays, Curse Arts (呪術, Jujutsu) is the common term given to the practices that one would expect from the traditional (and very clichéd) witches and shamans. Things that fall along the lines of potions, medicines, spirit exorcism, and curses that use a material medium. At least, those are what the western Magus generally thought of it since they did not in in-depth knowledge of it.

Wizards and Witches also use potions and medicines. Curses that use a material medium fall under voodoo. Although spirit exorcism might be a bit of a stretch and could end up as Forbidden Magic in their view. Still, it does not make them a Jujutsu Sorcerer. 

For Jujutsu Sorcerers, Jujutsu is an arcane based on how to utilize Cursed Energy, said to be a cumulative of negative emotion. Though their methods fall under the category of Hōjutsu—not the firearm, the Taoist Arts—a type of arcane to fight against Demon, the Japanese equivalent to Fangshi. Finally, Onmyōdō is one of the Thaumaturgical Systems that is predominant in Japan and a variant of the Chinese school of Thaumaturgy that uses the concept of yin and yang as a foundation; it also holds the deepest roots in jujutsu society.

Onmyōdō is supposedly the blunder within the Mage's Association, as the Japanese organization (which turns out to be the jujutsu society) that uses this Thaumaturgical System has few connections with them, so the Association has difficulties working in Japan.

However, Ichigo suspected that western Magus were unsuited at it because Jujutsu Sorcerers have their sorcery heavily connected with their faith. It is not like you can put together Magus whose magecraft is Pagan based, with a priest who uses Sacrament, and a Sorcerer who believes in Shinto-Buddhism in the same room; that's undoubtedly catastrophic.

"From what you tell me, it seems that jujutsu sorcerer treated their jujutsu as its own thing..." Ichigo tucked her hand under her chin, pondering the information, "Are sorcerers keen on finding out why they call it cursed energy, to begin with?"

"They used to. Although the Gojō Clan, who were scholars, were the only ones who dug deeper into it. They discussed a power source aligned with negative emotions given the epithet 'Curse' was merely an easy answer. The Zen'in and the Kamo told them that it was a waste of time to gloat on such a thing so it was never brought up."

"Huh, how very narrow-minded, though expected from a society that values strength more than knowledge. But the Gojō Clan is correct, calling energy empowered by negative emotions was an easy answer, nevertheless calling it a 'Curse'."

To never question why sorcerers bother using such impure energy to enact miracles in the first place is ignorance. To know the truth, one must see the beginning, or...was everything so lost in history that there's no trace of it and present civilization is too lazy to scour it again. Anthropology is a lost art these days. Well, supernatural anthropology to be exact. If there was a Department of Lore in Japan like the place Daybit's father worked then Ichigo would've joined instantly. 

Nowadays, curses are just a special energy that can be used by a minority which happens to be centralized in Japan. It's no different than the effect of the first humans discovered fire and as a result, created the civilization that we know today.

Unless they call Cursed Energy by other names... Akasa, Dynamis... Does that mean the Jujutsu Sorcerers are entelechies?

Ichigo smirked conspicuously, "Hah, this took me back, I used to have to ponder it myself since it's rare to have a conversation with the same topic."

"About Cursed Energy?"

"No. The energies that make up the Universe."

Isamu gaped, "The Universe? Isn't that numerous steps too far from the Cursed Energy?"

"Think about it, were the Six-Eyes simply a coincidence? Surely you can't conclude that negative emotions resulted in such eyes? That's a lazy answer."

Ocular Magecraft is a juicy topic worldwide. It varies from which God said humans descend from or which God you made a pact with. Only one type of Eye can emerge at a times they are connected to the reality.

Two people cannot have the same type of eyes while being alive at the same time, if they do, it will create a paradox. 

Ichigo knows of Balor's eye—Cú Chulainn's Fomorian great-grandfather—which is a progeny of the Mystic Eyes of Death Perception, the people who own these eyes are in another reality and thank God for that because her own reality is already a mess.

So what a Six Eyes can do and why etch itself in the world of jujutsu sorcery? 

"It's not a lazy answer if it's enough for them. Besides, there's another matter of innate techniques," Isamu continued his lectures, "Why the Kurosaki wasn't a jujutsu sorcerer was because we lacked innate techniques; unique abilities congenitally engraved into the user's body, specifically in the right prefrontal cortex of the brain. Most jujutsu sorcerers are born with an innate technique that manifests around the age of five or six, which continually carves its formula into the user over time."

"Oh, The Third Eye phenomenon, yeah I'm familiar with it." Ichigo knows how people can be very familiar with it since many religions have their text about it, "So their abilities are determined by lineage, like a Magus who can only use Spells based on their Origin."

Political marriage is in the air.

"They can learn. But since their abilities can exorcise curses anyway why bother learning the traditional way?"

"Define traditional."

"Skills that everyone can use, there's barriers technique, cursed weapons, sealing. Yes, these are important but your innate techniques define you anyway. For Jujutsu Sorcerers, there are some criteria; you need to be able to see curses, be born with cursed energy, and have an innate technique. You can have more than one but four is the limit or you'll fry your brain. Though one can become a sorcerer without an innate technique, as the first two, is the very basic of what a jujutsu sorcerer is."

Geez, Ichigo knew how rotten societies can be but still...

"So for Jujutsu Sorcerers; a teenage girl who can call upon Heaven for a headless, gigantic, six-legged cow, breathing lightning because turns out she's Indra's daughter; or a boy no later than five allegedly able to command weak oni to do his bidding and not counting that has something to do with his mother being a kitsune is an innate technique?" She scoffed loudly, "And what? Pissed themselves when they turn out to be an actual Half-Being?"

"Yes... Don't say that in front of them though, unlike you, they never had concrete proof that there's some girl who can summon a headless lightning cow. Though commanding weak one had some variations in histories."

"I can hear them scream 'Get out of here with your historical inaccuracies!' at me already."

"Exactly!" Isamu exclaimed, then he got quiet as if foreboding, "... Who were you talking about?"

"Ushi Gozen and Abe no Seimei."

"Right."

"Ushi Gozen is Minamoto no Raikou, they're the same...being all along."

Isamu's twisted like a circus, trying not to scream while processing that information.

"You okay, oji-san?" Ichigo asked amusedly.

Isamu let out a noise between a squeak and groan, "I will be."

Aside from the story session after dinner, Isamu made Ichigo help him prepare omiyage which consisted of his cousin's favorite home-cooked food, and buying a lot of Wizarding candies, saying something about the Gojō Clan's heir fondness for sweets. She was sure he was trying to give the heir cavities unless the heir was diligent in teeth hygiene.

Satoru Gojō is the heir's name and Isamu recalled him with fondness equal to the kid's love for sweets that he was a brat.

The heir is four years younger than Ichigo making him thirteen-fourteen-ish. If her memory serves, before her Chaldea days, she too was a bratty thirteen-fourteen-ish-year-old. She was the delinquent type of brat who ran around Karakura knocking goons out of daylight for mocking her for her foreign appearances.

So what kind of brat Satoru Gojō is?

Guess she only has to see the little cousin in person. 

In a sense, Ichigo has met Curses. She's been calling them Wraith. Whenever she visited central Tokyo she often saw these ghostlike forms that were bereft of life; sometimes they were whispy or resembled a bog, desperately clung around people. When she tries to get close to them, they often run away which makes her certain that those wraith can sense how dangerous she is.

Ichigo despises the capital city for a lot of reasons; those casting agents who will chase her around, offering to be an idol or a model; the suffocating atmosphere, not because of the people, but the lack of divinities presence in the land; such is the fate of being the hubbub of countless humans.

One can say, no wonder.

Japan is indeed cursed as a nation.

The day the two Kurosaki are ready to depart, a black Mercedes-Benz is waiting in front of Isamu's shop. The driver, Yosuke-san, a middle-aged man in a black suit greets Isamu and Ichigo politely (formally), and helps them get the omiyage into the car. He then explains, mostly to Ichigo because this is her first time, that the drive to the Gojō Clan's estate is going to take a while as the estate is located near the foot of Mount Takao.

When Ichigo asked Yosuke-san why they were going to Tokyo instead of Kyoto, the driver was quite surprised. She may not be a sorcerer but she can put two on two regarding their history; every mess in the Heian era will always have a base in Kyoto, hence its old name; Heian-kyō. So the driver answered that the family often emigrated to Tokyo for easier access to Curse Hunt. 

It didn't escape her notice that Yosuke-san san glanced at Isamu, probably wondering if he told his grandniece about the most likely Kyoto-base Gojō Clan's estate.

Ichigo can't remember the last time she had the leisure of being driven, her dearest memories were a tank in her Chaldea days and borrowing Ryuuken's car that she drifted around Karakura. This is just a small taste of what it feels like to be rich in modern-day Japan.

Is this Ouran High School level yet? She thought they were going to use public transport to get there, instead, the Gojō sent a car complete with a chauffeur.

Turns out that simply knowing Gilgamesh does not change her common people's mindset.

She is a commoner. Damn, how unworthy she is.

It was interesting that the Gojō estate was located near Takao Mountain. The mountain is closely associated with the Shinto-Buddhist tengu, renowned for Shugendō and there is a Buddhist temple located on the mountain which attracts visitors who pray to the tengu for good fortune. It's very convenient to have a Buddhist temple near their house for cleansing rituals since they deal with Curses.

Speaking of whether the Shugendō is real or is a cover for the Gojō Clan, or the Gojō Clan is also a part of it, maybe she should contact Pepe-san about it.

Maybe they also take profits from the mountain for being a tourist attraction. Who knows, a smart rich family must have invested in everything. Being the descendant of Sugawara no Michizane, that is like, forty generations of generational wealth.

How is it that his family retains being rich? That guy was exiled and demoted from his aristocratic rank. If they were not once ever get bankrupt then the cash management must be super good.

Well, he's known to be smart, so he's probably super crafty in life.

From the long drive, the sceneries changed to the metropolitan infrastructure of Hachiōji city. Ichigo tried to entertain herself by reading the road Wayfinder; Sanrio Puroland, Tama Zoological Park, Tokyo Summerland, Takiyama Castle Ruins, etc; while making notes that she might want to visit if she had the time. Then the sight swiftly turned into hilltops filled with trees when reaching the mountain area, the car took a turn onto a road shrouded by bushy trees, it was a tunnel, and briefly, she could sense a crafted artificial dread that probably felt like a real one for normal people.

Getting out of it, she was immediately served with neverending rows of plum blossoms. At first, she was like 'Wow, someone must have been fond of plum blossoms' and then she realized that said person was Sugawara no Michizane himself, as he mentioned his love for the said plant in his poem.

What did the legend say? That a plum blossom tree flew to his grave so it could stay with him forever. He may as well had a plum blossom fairy as one of his concubines.

Her senses got ticked again by something ancient. It seems to be a barrier; old, sturdy, with a side taste of thunder and once again, plum blossom; no, not plum blossom specifically, but the liqueur umeshu.

As Yosuke-san announced their arrival at the Gojō Clan estate, Ichigo saw the kamon of a triple pine tree with branches on a regal gate, and the car parked in the front yard of a traditional Japanese mansion. Two more servants came out to open the car door for her and Isamu; now dressed in gray kimonos instead of suits which made the clan less yakuza; said their welcome, then immediately dealt with their omiyage on the car trunk.

The sight of the Gojō Clan estate, in Ichigo's opinion, kind of trying to outdo the grandeur of Kuchiki's mansion. Then again she was able to pull a comparison because she knew what Byakuya's house looked like. Other people would just be in awe if this was their first time.

The clan has the advantage of constant cool air for being located at a higher altitude, the noise of the bamboo water fountain -shishi odoshi- echoed through the front garden, pine trees pruned neatly to resemble clouds, and for some reason, sunflowers seem to be a theme in the soil patches. Numerous types of sunflowers are planted in coordination as if trying to say their best hello to the guests, the purple and white irises that were planted around it, as if trying to tone down the yellow looked like exasperated companions. Whoever the gardener is, Monet gets nothing on them.

The estate also has the freedom to own several huge trees without its overwhelming garden composition there is cherry blossom, plum blossom, peach blossom, and occasional purple from wisteria flower. Early spring made these trees receive early blooms for the flowers, in its peak, it will be a sea of pink. The Momiji red and ginkgo gold trees will take their place in Autumn. Sharing with the mountain's inner landscape; on the far right side was the view of a rocky cliff covered in moss with natural water strewn down on the surface and faintly, Ichigo could hear the noise of a waterfall.

All of that and it is still only the view of the front side of the mansion.

Ichigo becomes conscious of her outfit which consists of a green blouse with ruffled sleeves and beige wide pants, wondering if it is appropriate enough for this occasion; it isn't like she's in Soul Society where wearing the black uniform is sufficient enough.

"Your clothes' fine, just don't wear jeans, or cousin Michizuki will give you a dirty look for the rest of the day," Isamu assured.

Based on the name alone, Ichigo had no idea if Michizuki was a man or a woman.

"I'm wearing this because it's combat-friendly," She slightly whispered.

"I know the feeling."

After grabbing all of the omiyage from the car, the servants guided the Kurosaki inside the abode. Ichigo kept mentally pointing out the similarities of luxury that her Kuchiki cousin owned too; barren of plastic furniture, the ink and ukiyo-e painting, the calligraphies, the bonsai trees, and the random but expensive pottery ("What is Soul Society equivalent of Ming dynasty?"). The major difference was the touch of human technologies; air conditioners, water dispensers, lamps powered with electricity, telephones, televisions, and so on.

The windows, most of it as she observed, were updated with tempered glass for better protection against the winter season, layered with the shoji windows to keep the traditional vibe. There are few such buildings in Tokyo, except temples or samurai clan houses, because of the maintenance cost, so renovating the insulation system for the whole mansion must have cost a lot of money. 

This house could be originally not owned by the Gojō Clan, they must've bought an old samurai house, judging by the old wood on the ceiling. She couldn't quite make out the crest carved on one of the plank but she was sure that's not a pine tree sigil.

Isamu whistled lowly to catch Ichigo's attention when the servants led them to a room. Before that slides open the door, two new presences already entered Ichigo's senses. A man with a bamboo forest surrounds him and a woman shrouded in fog; they're fighters.

The door slides open to reveal a tall man, almost rivaling Chad's height, who seemed to be in his late thirties. He has tidy deep black hair tied in a small ponytail, a long handsome face shape, and wears square glasses on top of his tawny brown eyes. He is wearing a deep dark blue kimono with a repetition of a white geometric pattern at the bottom, accompanied by green-leek haori.

Beside him is a woman who seems to be a head shorter than Ichigo; she has rich brown hair that is put into a bun, locked with a jade hairpin, her facial feature is a stern beauty, though her eyes give out a warm gaze. Her fuchsia kimono is decorated with gold fan patterns.

They were husband and wife judging by the rings on their finger and their eyebrows rose high when their eyes landed on Ichigo.

The one whose being stared at wondering if there was something on her face, maybe a bird poo from outside that she did not notice.

"Isamu-oji wasn't kidding when he said you looked like Isago-oji, you got his hair," said the tall bespectacled man.

"I guess so..." 

Ichigo almost sighs in resignation. Once again I'm being equated to a dead family member whom I allegedly resembled with. Isamu did show her the photo of her grandfather and honestly, rather than her, the one who resembled the man more was Yuzu. 

She heard a low thump and from the shift of the wife's body, it seemed she kicked her husband's ankle, silently scolding him for making Ichigo uncomfortable.

"Ah, where are my manners? I'm Shogo Gojō, and this is my wife, Agata. We welcome you to the Gojō Clan's abode."

After the newly dubbed Shogo said that, he and his wife, Agata, bowed.

"Oh no, no. I mean, the pleasure is mine," Ichigo bowed back bashfully, "Agata? Like Agatainukai no Michiyo?"

"Ah, so you know your history," Agata smiled, "Yes, I was named after her."

Isamu giggled though, "You'll soon find out that this girl swallow historical records for breakfast."

Ichigo throws her granduncle a dirty look.

"Is that true? Shall we contest it on a trivia game later? I would like to know the depth of your knowledge, Kurosaki-san."

Shogo challenged, sparks glints in his eyes.

"Pleasure all mine, and please, just Ichigo."

"You can call me Shogo then. Anyway, Isamu-oji, what brings you here? You don't exactly explain over the phone except for bringing a piece of good news."

Ichigo then respectfully stays quiet when her granduncle takes a long deep breath, like he always does to recompose himself before delivering the news of Yhwach's ultimate defeat.

"Shogo, your brother's killer is dead."

Shogo and Agata suddenly froze in their place as if they had been hit by a spell. He gaped for a bit before gathering his whole self.

"He's dead. The madman is dead?" Shogo croaked.

Isamu nodded. 

"You missed the sight of the Quincies singing The Wicked Witch is Dead from The Wizard of Oz," Ichigo added, hoping to break the tension.

She was taken aback when Shogo laughed hysterically as he sank to the ground, taking off his glasses, and kept laughing until his tears came out as his wife dutifully consoled him.

After Shogo and Agata collected themselves, they immediately ushered the two Kurosaki into a different side of the mansion with a new kind of spirit. Almost barreling onto numerous servants on the way. While at that, the servants stole a glance at Ichigo since she was a new face in the household.

Their gazes are bordering scandalous, which is an absolute confirmation that she might be talking with the head of the clan and she just made him cry. 

They quickly averted their gazes when Agata sent them a scolding look.

Maybe Agata is the clan head then.

Ichigo wasn't sure if the Gojō Clan enacted absolute patriarchy or if women could be the head too. Her examples were Kuukaku and Yoruichi; though there were significant differences; for it is normal for the Shiba to have a female head, the Shihouin wasn't; Yoruichi was the first female head of her clan.

Either way, the husband or wife has the highest standing in the Clan. Not that she was not used to talking with the head of authority since most of her cousins are the heads of their respective clans and she was casual with most of the captains of the Gotei 13.

"He's dead? As in dead, dead?"

Shogo sure is excited by asking a lot of questions during the walk.

"Yes. How we sever his cycle is a long story though," Ichigo patiently indulges him.

"He's not going come back as a Curse and wreak havoc again?"

Come back as a Curse? Is he being literal? I swear I didn't hear that wrong. Ichigo blinked a few times, "If you mean he won't reincarnate again. Then yes."

"I mean you smite his body, right?"

Isamu coughed to cover his laugh at that. Not that it's funny. For him knowing how his grandniece smithing Yhwach was beyond his comprehension until now.

"Anata." Agata's firm tone reprimanded her husband, "We can talk about that further after we see Kaa-san."

Shogo pouted childishly, his head dipping in sorry.

They arrived in a room where no servants didn't linger around, with Agata on duty slid open the shoji to reveal an engawa where an elderly lady and a teenage boy with stark white hair were lounging around at the front of an enormous pond filled with Koi fish and several Arowana.

The boy is somehow able to snatch the omiyage the Kurosaki brought in that is filled with magical sweets before even the servants present it to him; he opens a box of chocolate frogs and the confectionary leaps in the pond direction.

Ichigo was just about to start worrying about the fish eating chocolate, which is highly frowned upon, only for the chocolate to stop midair and float back into the boy's hand as he bites the head off.

Telekinesis? 

Is that the Gojō Clan bloodline innate technique?

Also... What the Hell is going on with that boy?

He is difficult to discern. Exponentially ethereal, lacking connection with the physical world, and his blue eyes are very much the reflection of the sky itself.

That is a Jewel-rank Mystic Eyes.

"That thing unnerves me," The elderly woman comments about the frog snack.

"Ha! And they say Wizards aren't twisted." Isamu smirked, seemingly in triumph.

Ichigo silently shared the sentiment. The wizards of witches who created the chocolate must have been so keen to know the sensation of eating life frogs that they thought that recreating the sensation was a good idea.

She can already hear Sirius accusing her of not understanding the appeal of it.

The elderly woman stood up with a regal movement that could make every inexperienced maiden jealous. She took notes of each detail of Ichigo's entire being, framing her face with both of her palms. Before she could say anything, the boy beat her into it.

"You're cursed."

Suddenly the yellow bird who diligently sang unceremoniously stopped.

Ichigo felt a vast fortress as the white-haired boy,  beaming at her with a face filled with curiosity and interest. He stared at her with that eyes of Sky. With that, there was an easy conclusion that the boy outclassed his parent's strength.

She can feel the world wax their poet about the boy.

Boy... Our beautiful boy. 

Ichigo blinked her senses away.

Isamu facepalmed.

Shogo, Agata, and the elderly lady are very resigned.

"Satoru, must you?" Agata pinched the bridge of her nose.

"What-!"

Ichigo cuts the boy's retort and levels a stare to that Sky.

"I'd be more surprised if I didn't. Can you describe the curse to me?"

The boy cocked his head to the side, "I'm not sure. It's weird. It doesn't seem to form onto anything."

"I see. Your eyes are pretty."

The boy tries not to blush, obviously he fails. 

"Satoru, that was rude." The elderly lady scolded, "I'm sorry about him."

"No harm done."

Ichigo waved it off and noticed subtle glances the elderly woman exchanged with Shogo and Agata.

"I knew this would happen," Isamu sighed skyward, "Ichigo, this is my darling cousin, Michizuki Gojō, and her grandson, Satoru Gojō. Also known as Shogo and Agata's one-and-only brat."

"I'm not a brat!" Satoru growled.

"You are and you know it!" Isamu shot back.

A bickering battle between a man in his late sixties arguing with a young teenage boy enacted.

Ichigo could see the similarity between them, it seems the blood of a Kurosaki ran in the brat's vein after all.

Ichigo and the current main Gojō family are not immediate cousins, they are the scion of her third times' great-grandfather's brother, Taijin Kurosaki. It was expected from an aristocratic clan for intermarriage between cousins. Michizuki married her distant cousin, a fellow Gojō, who was a descendant of Kurosaki who married into the clan in the Muromachi period.

Was that Kurosaki a jujutsu sorcerer? No, he was a Wizard and was a very enthusiastic botanist as he planted a hidden plum-cherry blossom in the mountains, allegedly trying to create a blue flowering variety.

Did he succeed? No one knows.

But that was out of the topic. The reason why Isamu wanted to visit the Gojō Clan was to spread the news of Yhwach's death because turns out, there used to be a Quincy among them. 

For the upcoming conversation, Michizuki sends his grandson with a servant to escort him out, this receives disgruntlement from the boy, who is away while clutching his boxes of snacks.

Somehow Ichigo is positive that's not going to last, either Satoru bulldoze his way in or kicking and screaming.

"Tell me, Ichigo-san, do you have a sibling?" Shogo asked.

"I have two younger sisters. They're twin."

"I was a twin too. My brother's name was Shuta Gojō. To hide his existence within the jujutsu society, he adopted the Kurosaki surname," Shogo sipped his tea that was prepared by his wife, "There was a taboo in the jujutsu society; twins were seen as a curse. One is the stronger one and the other is the weaker one. Shuta and I weren't like that, we were individuals with our sets of power. It wasn't until we were older that we realized that we were born into a different world and fated to fight in a different kind of war, except he didn't even get the chance since a lot of Gemischt Quincy was..."

"Auswählen." Ichigo finished bitterly.

Shogo nodded forlornly.

"He died the same day your mother died. It's almost surreal, he was just lounging in the garden one night and then there was this light descending from the sky hitting him, and then he wasn't breathing anymore. I didn't even see it. Satoru was the one who witnessed it and told me. He was five. I thought we were lucky to be able to grow up and die in the way he died. Different path it may have been, still he chose to fight. If he had been alive, he might be there, in the war, fighting Yhwach with you."

"Even if it meant he had to kill his fellow kinsmen, the Sternritter?" Ichigo asked neutrally.

"Shuta hated the Sternritter, they killed his foster family after all. Shuta was your grandfather's student, he and your mother trained together. If fate was kinder, you would've known him. Instead, the Ishida got Masaki's custody. We could've fought tooth and nail for her to stay with us but back then, we all thought the same thing; enough for blood and let Masaki learn her heritage with the right people."

"Shuta was offered a place in the Ishida, instead, he sought tutelage from Isago's in-law in Hokkaido. He and Masaki fought, they had different worldviews." Michizuki filled in.

"Different worldviews?" Ichigo questioned.

Isago and Michizuki hesitated for a moment.

"It's fine. My mother died a long time ago. I loved her, I know she was her own person and so, made her decisions."

"Hmm, Shuta and Masaki were some of the strongest Quincies to be born in their generation, they can be an absolute manpower but... Shuta wanted to fight, but Masaki didn't; she didn't want to become a Quincy anymore. Shuta berated her that even if she didn't want to be one, she could never be free of the legacies. She said being a Quincy is only about fighting and she's sick of it."

Ichigo had a share of stories with Ryuuken about her mother. Aside from how she was betrothed to him, he told her how Masaki was slow to improve in her Quincy studies. He even admitted that despite this, Masaki was potentially stronger than him.

Her very talent to be a natural-born fighter didn't only come from her father.

Somehow Ichigocan guess her mother's past decisions affected how she decided to raise her children. In the view of the supernatural societies, whether it's Soul Reaper, Quincy, Jujutsu, or Wizard; not teaching their children about their way is seen as blatant ignorance.

In these kinds of society, raising your children simply with love it's not enough. It's the same as telling children to ride a horse without telling them how.

That's why she had the conscience of learning how to run first before walking.

Every action, no matter how small or big, has consequences.

"That's why, when Isamu-oji said about Masaki's children, imagine our surprise that you exist." 

Ichigo laughed lightly at that. Yeah, she exists. But after knowing the bigger context about her birth, she too, is surprised that she can exist. A child who can cross between worlds without an intermediary is an Age of God phenomenon. Even if she told everybody she knew, they barely understood the significance of it.

It's the reason why, sometimes, she preferred the company of Master Scáthach to her friends.

"So...how did Yhwach die, if I may ask?" 

Ah, the dreaded question.

Not many asked for the details. A lot of them were just glad that he was dead. But a jujutsu clan thought otherwise.

"Do you..." Isamu started, his lips twisting, "Do you want the plain version or the very much in-detail version?"

The jujutsu sorcerer stared at him weirdly.

"What does that mean, cousin?" Michizuki raised one of her gallant eyebrows.

Ichigo rolled her eyes at Isamu being dramatic. She held out her hand to summon her beloved black sword, presenting it so everyone could see it.

"Enough, Oji-san." Ichigo glared at him and cleared her throat, "First you must know who and what Yhwach is. He was a being that was made by the Quincy of Eld in an act of salvation. He wasn't named, people around him were the ones who started calling in the name of their God. The source of the problem was that he sought purposes, but like any living being, one day he would die. He wanted to live and yet he fears death. He is found a coward in the face of mortality. The very people who created him became the anchor of his existence. Subjecting himself to reincarnation, he thought that living again was so painful that he waged war on the Soul Reaper to take the Soul King's throne. He forsook his people just so that someday he wouldn't live again, and made the end of living itself to be his purpose. That's what Yhwach is; he was a vain being who shouldn't been created and who Yhwach is; no one, for he wields no real name."

The three Gojō's eyebrows went high at that explanation.

"I'll cut to the chase of how I end him. The key point of defeating Yhwach was to overcome his Almighty. With Almighty, he can see infinite possibilities, and abide by the future he saw in his design to affect his opponents. I have to do something that is somehow, outside of his Almighty's comprehension. So, I summoned a being that is classified as an Outer God when he arrived on Earth...for help. Thankfully we're not on Earth, we're at the pocket dimension that is slowly being compressed, designed to self-destruct. I can summon the Outer God without a paradoxical intervention and ask him to strike Yhwach, strip him to his very core. I travel into the core to fight the regular Yhwach and with this blade, I strike him. Rendering him to be this little babe who never grew up in the first place. The door of the beginning opened and I gave him to them. So no, Yhwach wasn't killed, what I killed was the madness. Madness that reap us all of loved ones."

Ichigo shrugged indifferently. Her tone must be quite resolute even though her heart quenched and the face of the Gojō Clan member in disbelief made it worse.

"So yeah...think you all are crazy enough to process all of that?"

Shogo tip his head to the side in confusion, "Wait, so Yhwach wasn't the Father of Quincy? So the history was false?"

"Very much false."

"So who was the first Quincy?"

"No one knows. Outside Yhwach's faction, some believed their existence was as old as the Tower of Babel. At least, that's what they say."

The shoji door suddenly slammed open to reveal Satoru who had previously been forced to be absent, a sugar quill hanging in his mouth.

"YOU KILLED A GOD?" He exclaimed in excitement, "YOU MUST TELL ME EVERYTHING!"

Ichigo's hand was grabbed and she felt her body zipped away from where she was sitting. Fucking Hell! This child is strong!

"Satoru, come back here!" Shogo shouted at his son, "Dammit, was he listening the whole time?!"

"He's getting crafty with his infinity," Agata patted him on the shoulder, knowing it was no use to chase after their son.

"It's fine. I think it may be a good thing. I can tell you that a boy with Six-Eyes is not going to deter her that easy. "Isamu exhaled dourly. His grandniece's long talk made him very tired, "Please give Ichigo some time before you want more info. It may not look like it but her mind is spent."

"And dealing with Satoru won't tire her more?"

"No, he just wants his newly-found enigmatic cousin for himself, given his habit of escaping the compound, he might coerce Ichigo to go with him."

Agata sighed and wondered if she should reheat the cold tea or make a new brew.

"... Ichigo, is she alright?" Michizuki asked carefully.

"Her actions don't come with consequences. The ups and downs are like holes being patched. She has a strained relationship with Soul Society's governing bodies, but her cousin from a neighboring area gave her diplomatic immunity. She's not on speaking terms with her father but her sisters supported her. Some of her friends have a super civilian way of thinking and need time to understand why she left Karakura."

"Ah yes, she mentioned Soul Reaper, Soul King, and you said Soul Society. The Quincies' mortal enemies... Masaki's husband, he's..."

"Yes, a Soul Reaper. And I don't like him." Isamu vehemently scratched his un-itchy neck, chugging his cold tea, "Man comes from the aristocratic part of Soul Society, and yet his gut is like a wet paper bag. He thinks I dislike him because he's a Soul Reaper. Stupid buffon, I hate you as a person. I tried to respect his decision of wanting to raise Ichigo in how a normal human girl is supposed to be, but the more she tried, the more she strayed from it. So she says fuck it and her father doesn't like that... And there's the other thing..."

Michizuki gestured to her cousin to let his heart out.

"Ichigo was...—call it a person, caught in an unfortunate time—thrown into a situation that able to make her end Yhwach in such a way. She's actually gone over the top about it. It's the very reason why Soul Society's governing body had beef with her; by ending Yhwach, she made Soul Society godless too."

"Huh? What, how does that work?" Shogo blinked in confusion, "Soul Society still exists, right?"

"Yes but for them, it's more of a principle of things. They wanted a being that they were able to see, touch, and confine; in their belief, the Soul King was the lynchpin of the world. The end of the war made Soul Society connected to this beginning but that's the trick question, Soul Society was always has been connected to it. Here's the shitty technicality, the principle of things, since their Soul King doesn't exist because of it, technically Ichigo killed their Soul King, so they want her to be executed and I kid you not, replaced him."

"Wait, isn't that similar to how Master Tengen's..."

"Similarity aside, this is a different realm with its own problem. So the diplomatic immunity I told you before, was a promise that if Soul Society decided to execute or use Ichigo, they would declare war on Soul Society."

"Oh wow..." Shogo said in awe.

"Good for her," Agata agreed.

"Bright side of things, folks!" Isamu toasts his cup in the air.

"Then why did the Soul King stay even though the realm was fine if he wasn't there?" Michizuki inclined her head to the side in wonder.

"I don't know. Ichigo explained to me that it is his fate to be chained and he accepted it. The war was destined too she said; Soul Reaper and Quincy are destined to be in opposition, and have to accept it when the conclusion is empty because there was no real winner. These were not her words, she merely repeating what had been said to her. And I swear if anybody just regards her as someone who has been through a lot, that's a fucking understatement."

God, Isamu needed a strong hard drink after this.

"I saw Shuta and Masaki. After Yhwach's death, all the souls he had taken over were released. They're finally free. And as simple as the war ended; life goes on."

"Tell me! How is it that you were able to kill a god?" Satoru asked enthusiastically.

"Yhwach's not a real god." Ichigo repeated the sentences for the nth time, "Why are you so interested in defeating a god? Cause' your ancestors get deified and you want to beat him?"

Satoru grinned, "Because I'm the strongest!"

"Boy, that doesn't mean anything to me."

Turns out Satoru nabbing her from the adults wasn't enough, he needed to get Ichigo far away from the mansion that they ended up in Sanrio Puroland. She never visited the theme park before and the change of atmosphere was nice... Except for the part, where Satoru made her pay for the ticket entrances since he is a minor who can't own a credit card. The little piece of shit.

Satoru somersaulted to stand on the roadside guard to tower over Ichigo as if prophesizing the future height he inherited from his father. The coincidence that there was no security to stop what he was doing was almost magical.

"Oh, I know! Isn't that interesting? You see me like how other people see strangers for the first time." 

"You mean like a person?"

"Yeah, like a person. Strange, right? What's even more strange, you're not a jujutsu sorcerer."

Ichigo is positive that Satoru is projecting his trauma on her. His speech pattern is blunt like an insensitive kid who fight adults that always trying to undermine him, she's not a prime example because there was peers within her community. Satoru didn't have that, he made all of his choices of how interacting with peoples and even if there was multiple relatives within the clan, the most powerful heir often singled out.

Yet, as an heir of a prestigious jujutsu clan and while putting him into a precarious position, there's part of him that is sheltered. The spoiled prince who had no concept of poverty, that's obvious since the Gojō Clan will never ran out of money anytime soon.

"Are you a wizard?"

"No."

"Are you a Quincy?"

"No. Only lineage wise."

"Are you... Oh, I know. A monkey?"

"No, I'm the monkey's cousin."

Satoru laughed, "Wow, you're good. I like you."

He jumped from the railing and land in front of Ichigo, staring at her with his childish youth.

She bent down and mimicked him.

"So, what are you?"

"I guess you could say... A ponce that was touched by death."

Chapter Text

With Satoru's Six Eyes, Kurosaki Ichigo is admittedly a strange reading. Despite his previous declaration to her of being cursed, no curses were lingering around her; not even small-time curses like Fly-Head. She possesses only a smidge of cursed energy which is not enough to be classified as a sorcerer. She wasn't a full-time Quincy like his late uncle, and yet, had a more concrete lineage than him, so she should have been manifest as one. However, he had learned that nowadays, concrete lineage doesn't always guarantee pure heirs.

He got the chance to observe and graze the skin of Ichigo's hand when she handed him his shares of ice cream. It was then that he noticed that she got a swordsman's hand. It's the familiar coarse surface that resulted from countless hours of wielding a katana that he often saw on the members of the Yagyū clan. Underneath the long sleeves of her blouse is the well-toned muscle of a martial artist and glimpses of fading scars.

So she's an accomplished swordswoman and martial artist. Despite how plain her spiritual reading is, Satoru can feel that she exudes power. It's neither ambient nor thrumming out of her body, he just knows. Nothing makes sense about her, even Shuta-oji exudes some sort of energy as a Quincy.

How was she able to slay the fake-parasite-wannabe God such as Yhwach? For someone—something that was able to leave his mark on souls, reaping lives from an unknown distance, had his come-back sung as a lullaby, was surely powerful.

Maybe she has some unknown Heavenly Restriction? No. As his father emphasized when announcing that Kurosaki would visit, Ichigo wasn't a Sorcerer; Heavenly Restriction wasn't a thing for her.

Satoru may have overheard the stuff back at the mansion; Overpowering Almighty, summoned an Outer God, a pocket dimension that is slowly being compressed; they're fascinating but at the same time, completely foreign to him.

What were they if they weren't some jujutsu sorcery phenomenon? 

"Geez, you need to cease your inner turmoil or you might combust, kid."

Ichigo chuckled at the startled white-haired boy as she pocketed her phone. Karin and Yuzu were so jealous when she told them she was in Sanrio Puroland and made her promise to bring back a lot of those mascot merchandise when she got back.

A back while she was on the phone, she sensed rots that were directed from countless different directions to Satoru; spiced in bloodlust and envy; and the smell of steel covered in dried blood was received from miles away; these guys bringing weapons in broad daylight.

The bounty hunters and assassins don't seem to make any lethal movements, just observing. 

"Did you know about this?" Ichigo asked neutrally. Guessing that with his Six Eyes, Satoru knows about their presence already.

"About what?" 

"Them."

She made swirling movements in the air with her hand as if trying to swat flies. 

Satoru tried to get what she meant for a second before finally getting it.

"Oh, so you can sense them too."

His tone was blase, completely disinterested in the danger.

Well, they do say that clan kids are built differently. Isamu said that Satoru was the first within the Gojō Clan to inherit simultaneously Limitless and the Six-Eyes for the last four hundred years. A bounty worth over a hundred million was put on his head after he was born.

Ichigo was inclined not to believe the phrase 'the day Gojō Satoru was born, the balance of power shifted'. She wasn't sure if they meant it metaphorically, like a Geiger counter went haywire by the combination of Limitless and Six Eyes, or if every jujutsu Sorcerer out there was intricately able to sense the power shift itself.

The analogy that Curses grew in power in response to that to balance out the power is the same as when figure skaters all started adding more revolutions to their jumps due to one athlete and at the same time not.

Satoru was born and did not suddenly become a professional athlete. His birth was connected to an outside means. He's tied to a fate.

I f all jujutsu sorcerers can feel the shift within the gauge of their human senses, then all sorcerers are connected because they're using the same cursed energy, the same Thaumaturgical System ... A Leyline?

— Ichigo smacks away the impromptu arcane engineering, it's not like she's back in college again. Damn, old habits die hard.

"So...what do you mean by summoning an Outer God to defeat Yhwach?" Satoru's tone is full of curiosity.

Ichigo chuckled again, this time with pure amusement. Oh, he's gonna love this.

"I summoned a dragon."

Satoru stopped licking his ice cream, "You mean like a shikigami?"

"How should put it... I fought with a transdimensional dragon. He gave me his boon—a pact, of sorts; that I could call for his help when I truly needed it. Since he can't exist in a normal mean, he sent an avatar instead. An avatar that was influenced by my imagination when summoned. Considering shikigami are by definition non-living entities that were given "life" when the creator pours supernatural energy, in a way, my summoning was similar to shikigami summoning, except the avatar had a lifeforce by itself."  

The young sorcerer stared at Ichigo like she was insane.

"On second thought, I'm more interested in how all of those words come out of your mouth."

"Truth is often stranger than fiction," Ichigo simply beamed. 

"Oh, really. I dare you to make it weirder." 

"Why yes. Would you believe that Bahamut; the Dragon King, the Warden of Light, the Draconian, Bladekeeper, sometimes an asshole; is my friend?"

Sometimes an asshole is right, considering Ichigo fought Bahamut until the sword-obsessed reptilian God got fed up with her.

"What are all of those...—Is he a video game character? And how did you get to fight a transdimensional dragon in the first place?"

"Short version: I have bad luck. Long version: I have a stroke of very very very very bad luck," Explaining Bahamut is one thing but if Ichigo had to explain the whole arcane technicality about her past situation, her tongue would get stiff, "Listen. If you keep asking, you're going to get a never-ending lecture on Hebrew mythos; the point is, Yhwach is gone. One egomaniac down for the world to deal with. End of story."

Satoru chomped his ice cream for a moment before he went for it again.

"So if you're not a Quincy, what are you? You said you were a ponce that was touched by death."

"I'm just a human with enormous spiritual power. With that power, I made myself into a fighter, and through the process of it, I experienced death."

Experienced death...?

"You mean like, you lost in a fight?"

"Ah, no... It's a bit taboo for me to talk about it," Ichigo's tone indicated to drop the topic, "Maybe you should be more curious about why your ice cream hasn't melted yet. Unless you want to stay in the park until it closes." 

Satoru turned to his ice cream that hadn't got the chance for the wafer cone to be eaten. Remember how long it had been since he'd been eating from the moment Ichigo bought it for him. It's been at least twenty-five minutes and the frozen beverage hasn't melted whatsoever, not even a runny liquid coloring the tissue.

How is it not melting?

"Did you do something?"

"Who knows? Finished it, kid. I got stuff to buy for demanding little sisters."

Satoru was known as a frequent escapee from the estate, so when he reached the streets, he always succeeded at ignoring people's stares. Maybe because the stares became two-fold with Ichigo, whose appearance is unusual too. Her above-average height and her thick-braided red hair, paired with his stark white hair and blue eyes, sure attract a lot of attention. Satoru mostly trailed along while Ichigo was busy picking up the goods that her sister wanted which they sent a list by email; occasionally picking up some random item that they might liked.

Ichigo fashioned herself with Gudetama and the stuff she bought was mostly stationary based. She even asked whether Satoru wanted anything but he declined since he's not that much of a fan. When he brought up that he wanted cakes, she said they could get the themed desserts at the cafe.

Satoru thought that she was a bit of a troll. At the cafe, one of the staff who worked at the cashier tried to speak English, thinking that they weren't Japanese. Instead of telling their intended nationality, Ichigo just played them by speaking English too.

"Whoa, where do you come from?" The cashier asked in broken English.

Ichigo charmingly laughs, "From England!"

Satoru's sweat dropped.

Before going back to the estate, Satoru was confused when Ichigo suddenly handed him her phone, telling her to take a photo of her with the Hello Kitty. When she posed cutely with a peace sign he saw her mouth move; her voice was so low that he couldn't hear what she said. No doubt so was the person inside the mascot custom. Then she told him to at least pretend to take a leisure walk with her around the park.

Along the way, Satoru kept seeing her discreetly talking to someone that wasn't him. He had no idea what she was doing. Is his distant cousin crazy? He darted his sight to the space where Ichigo kept whispering and yet he couldn't see anything.

They kept walking and walking, taking photos of every interesting sight. Sometimes Satoru is told to make space in the middle for something when they have to rely on other tourists to take their pictures.

Before he can ask what it is all about, Ichigo hands her phone with the screen showing their recent photo.

"What am I looking at?"

Ichigo points to the space between them, "That's a ghost."

Satoru observed the photo, checking for the paranormal orbs phenomenon, and found nothing. Ichigo then supplied that the ghost wasn't that strong to be able to enact such effects on photos. Okay, this is...new. Kind of giving him the ideas of what her cousin's deal was.

As far as he can remember, Shuta-oji never told him that he was dealing with ghosts. He always said that he was dealing with malevolent spirits. The choice to fully embrace his Quincy heritage made him move out and sparse in visiting.

What's more, Satoru never saw him in action. 

It wasn't until Ichigo found a corner hidden from the public eye that she was able to raise her volume when talking to the ghost.

"That took a while. I don't want those hunters to get a glimpse of any of this. Forgive me, obasan, I don't want anyone finding out that I could send you away... Oh, him? He's my cousin." Then Ichigo became bashful, waving her hands to deny, "No, I'm not a Gojō. We just share a common ancestry. Please, stop bowing."

Satoru widened his eyes at the implication, "The ghost knows who I am?"

"Yeah, she's been following us for a while...well, you, to be exact. Obasan, you can't stay here for much longer. If you do, you'll start to shift into a mindless beast."

"Mindless beast?" Satoru inquired.

"I'll explain later."

Satoru was going to ask again and missed his chance when Ichigo shoved her hand into a blank space and pulled out a daito; the unusually black blade, the tsuba was an incomplete circlet, and the handle was the same dark color as the menuki being blue. At the end of the pommel is a blue tassel tied in a knot that resembles a flower. The act itself stuns him. He didn't see any cursed energy being manipulated to open a portal.

The sword wasn't something he could determine with his Six Eyes. It's not a cursed tool, it looked like any weapon without a cursed energy; simply a normal object. 

Ichigo smiled warmly at the ghost, which stressed Satoru since he couldn't see them.

"Calm down. I'm not going to stab you. The pommel of the sword simply needs to tap your forehead," Tapping the butt of the sword to emphasize the need for safety, "Now, are you ready to pass on?"

Silent.

"Alright, take your time."

Ichigo nodded in understanding and Satoru lightly dragged away by her, a few steps back from the supposed ghost position.

"What's wrong with the ghost?"

"The reason why these souls don't immediately go to the afterlife is because of their regrets," Ichigo rested her hands on the sword's pommel, the blade clinked on the floortile, "Maybe they feel sorry for leaving their family members, or maybe they think they haven't done enough in life, who knows. Strangely, this Soul was more confused as to why she didn't get cursed after dying." 

"Those whose deaths are cursed have the possibility of having their spirit corrupted and transformed into a vengeful spirit," Satoru informed as he was taught Shinto custom regarding how to honor the dead, "Even then, cursed deaths or not, sorcerer bodies were cremated, to avoid others for using the corpses . If there was a sorcerer that was able to curse a Soul so that able to anchor curses; they have to be pretty powerful. "

"She died peacefully then, just can't let go of life. I can see why she was confused about not being cursed; the soul is not the spirit, and the differences couldn't be seen by the naked eye."

"But you can, touched by death that you are," Satoru added.

"That I am," Ichigo concluded and whispered, "Want to see the exorcism process?"

Satoru enthusiastically shook his head up and down.

"First, I need you to be respectful. I'm making her be a spectacle for you, so stay quiet, and unless she addresses you, don't say anything. Second, you need to trust me. I need you to turn off your barrier and let my spiritual energy cover you."

Satoru blinked warily, "How do you know that...my barrier is on?"

"You can say that you reek of it."

"Huh, what does that mean!?"

Satoru stares at the hand Ichigo offers, weighing the risk before grabbing it. He feels energy that wasn't cursed energy start to envelop his body and finds a similarity in the use of his Infinity with the shrouding.

The sensation made him instinctively close his eyes. It's blue and bright; akin to being forced to face some distant star in the galaxy. There's freedom. Fear it or embrace it.

It is the energy that makes Ichigo... Ichigo.

When he finally opens his eyes; he sees a transparent figure of a fretting old woman that he doesn't recognize her. Yet for a sorcerer to die an old age, she's a lucky one.

"Have you made your decision?"

Satoru feels self-conscious holding hands with Ichigo as they approach the old woman. He tries not to blush.

"I..."

The old woman's voice is like a husk.

"I'm ready."

Ichigo tapped the pommel of her sword onto the ghost's forehead, leaving a mark of light that soon spread to her very being. Her form turning into a sphere of light, went up high before disappearing.

"... Where do you think she'll end up?"

"That's not up to me to decide." Ichigo shrugged, dismissing her sword that looked as if dematerializing, "I'm going to let go. Blink your eyes to ease the transition."

Satoru felt a bit dizzy when his hand was let go and followed the advice.

"How... How many times you did this stuff?"

"The what? Acting as a medium for lost souls? I lost count. Giving people an equivalent of glasses to see them... Hmm, technically twice on individuals; the first one was the soul of a brother of a friend back home and the second was my sister Yuzu. You're the third."

"I'm the third? That's a low probability of success and you do it. Isn't that reckless?"

"I know it will work. I uh...used to be able to share the trait with eight different people in an instant," There was a noise of Ichigo's phone vibrating and she took it out of her pocket, checking the message sender, "We should go back. Your parents send a car."

Satoru exhaled indignantly, "Oh come on, we can just use the subway! They don't need to do that. How did they know that we're here anyway?"

"I tattled our location to Isamu-oji."

Ichigo giggled at her younger cousin's betrayed expression.

***

Exiting Sanrio Puroland doesn't make Ichigo relieved; the bounty hunters and assassins are still around. The numbers significantly reduced but the danger level isn't lowering. By the occasional suspicion she caught on, those killers must've been trying to determine her association with the Gojō heir. A random girl from Karakura Town suddenly hangs out with the pseudo demigod of the jujutsu society, the gossip will spread in nano-seconds in their circle. She's been with Satoru for a whole day; the speculation already spreading.

A servant of the Gojō Clan named Takeru; looking younger than Yosuke-san and wearing the same black suit; greeted them when they made it outside. Satoru, still disgruntled, hands the man all the bagged goods he holds and walks away; hands in the pockets of his hoodie like a moody teenager.

This boy gets mad just because she tattle their outing site and for not going home using the subway. A typical short-tempered brat and considering his possibly constrained upbringing, it's quite understandable.

Ichigo inwardly grimaced remembering her Chaldea days. Was I that bad?

She felt guilty for those Servants she summoned in the early Chaldea years. She was a very difficult child and they had to deal with it at the same time as saving the world gig. Heck, even Romani complained of how stubborn she is. He had to control himself so he doesn't burst his frustration when most were already on the verge of wanting to hang her upside-down on a tree...or ceiling.

"This is what we get for putting a stubborn teenager with minimal or zero Magecraft background and had the attitude of 'don't fucking tell me what to do'!.

Emiya said, totally not having his war flashback about his own Holy Grail War while Cú Chulainn (Lancer) was behind him, laughing his ass off.

Meh, she turned out alright.

"Were you and Gojō-sama having a good time?" Takeru asked, not offended by Satoru's bratty attitude at all.

He was also trying to take the goods that Ichigo brought, which she politely declined because she was not used to the upper-class treatment.

"We got along fine until being told to go home."

Takeru simply nodded, "Please, don't be angry at him. He doesn't have a lot of friends."

"I'm not..." Old Ichigo probably had a shouting match with Satoru already: "He's spoiled but lonely."

Modern society as a whole strikes pity at anything. Back then, they only pitied the lower caste, today; the sheltered, rich or not, kid is a target too. Nowadays, not knowing the trends can be weaponized. Satoru can handle it because his family is martial-oriented, but a jab is a jab.

"I have to inform you that the head of the clan insists on you and Isamu-sama staying. Your granduncle agreed."

"Ah... I don't bring changes."

"We'll provide it."

Of course. Ichigo refrains rolling her eyes.

dread

Ichigo freezes in her tracks.

Takeru is ahead, noticing her not following him. 

He turned back, "Kurosaki-sama, is some-"

His breath hitches when his redheaded escort is suddenly in front of him, her right hand outstretches to the side of his head. He slowly glanced to see the hand that managed to grab a throwing knife that was directed to his skull.

Ichigo moves fast to shield him, wielding the knife to deflect the incoming barrage of knives. With one hand she skillfully blocked them only for the blade she held suddenly crack into pieces, extended her left arm holding goody bags to grab Takeru by the face, pushing him to the side as one blade flew past by. She sensed the presence of the bounty hunters and assassins were gone except the remaining ones who decided to try their luck today.

She heard people whispering and hissed a curse when some started to take out their phones. These normal people can't see supernatural shit must have thought there must be an impromptu performance or something.

Clicking her tongue, Ichigo sent a wave of her spiritual pressure at the electronics and was going to summon Kon before Takeru shouted to warn his young master.

"Gojō-sama!"

Ichigo saw white fabrics flying at Satoru at high speed from a blank point on the horizon. The fabrics slowed down before hitting a seemingly crash onto an invisible force field, unfurling like a messy toilet paper.

"Cool, isn't it?" Satoru grinned smugly, "Relax. They're not going-"

"Look out!"

He's confused why instead of getting the usual awe, the reaction on Ichigo's face is a panic one. When she runs at him, Satoru starts to realize that something is wrong. He looked back to the cursed fabric that must be an innate technique to see the fabric become red and a series of written talismans appeared, flaring in gold. The fabrics exploded right in front of his face, breaking his concentration on his cursed technique.

Satoru feels his body flying, a smell of burn, and the flashing temporarily blinding him. His body doesn't hit the ground, instead he falls onto someone's arm. Ichigo's arm.

"Kon, Get over here!" She calls out.

A furry orange bunny-like squirrel with a red gem on the forehead and long three tails appeared in a blink of light, it stood bipedal while the tiny front legs were holding a bag of snacks. The face is puffy like a chipmunk munching the food that faintly smells of corn flavoring.

It stopped chewing when it seemed to realize that something had changed with the scenery.

"Wha-? Where am I? Seriously, Ichigo I was watching TV-" The cryptic creatures started ranting.

"Throw Urahara's smoking bomb at the people now!" Ichigo barked, beckoning the gathering audience.

"Oh, the forgetful one?"

"Obviously!"

Satoru watched the creature litter his snack, reached to the back of its throat, and took out a hand grenade. It pulls out the pin. He is swaying in Ichigo's hold when she moves at the speed of a professional jujutsu sorcerer, grabbing Takeru by the waist, and peace out from the scene even faster than the fastest jujutsu sorcerer.

Kon throws the grenade in the air and blinks away to follow his master, as an explosion of pink smoke envelops the area.

***

Satoru suddenly sees the city from a bird-eye view and gasps in awe. His attention then goes to the person who's carrying him. Ichigo's standing as if there was something solid in the air and considering she carries two people without heaving, she possesses some inhuman strength.

Takeru shrieked, almost dropping the goody bags.

The orange creature blinks into existence again and lands on Ichigo's shoulder.

"Yo, what's the problem?" Kon greeted, lifting his tiny paw.

"Whoa! Are you a Digimon?" Satoru beats into it. His eyes sparkled, "Can you evolve?"

"Not the time. Takeru-san where do you park the car?" Ichigo ignores her cousin pouting.

"N-Near a Daiso, m-ma'am." Takeru fumbles his words, "O-On Tama Center Minami Street."

An elongated fabric shot up in front of them, turning red. Ichigo zipped away before being caught in the explosion and it became a continuous dodging game, avoiding being collided by the shooting fabric and the following explosion in the air.

"There, I see him! The fabric came from a cursed spirit, possibly a shikigami!"

From this height to someone without the Six Eyes, Satoru looked like he was pointing at some random location. What he saw was the cursed energy on the sorcerer and the cursed spirit.

"Kon, you go with Takeru-san. Wait for us at a safe distance," Ichigo instructed.

Takeru squeaked when he got shoved with another share of goody bags, "Uhm, you're not going to drop me, aren't you?"

"No, you're flying down."

Kon jumped to the open air and shifted into a giant wolf with ashen brown fur; the red gem on the forehead and the three tails indicating that it was still the same creature. The newly shifted wolf ran beside them, waiting for Takeru to get on his back.

"Coooool!" Satoru exclaimed.

"Is this safe-GAH"

Ichigo throws the chauffeur on Kon's back.

The Gojō Clan's footman unceremoniously dangling from the side.

The familiar immediately retreated while the rider struggled to get into a riding position

"Hang on, kid."

Ichigo fixed the way she was carrying her cousin and then dived down, avoiding the shooting and explosion. When she summons the black sword again, that's when Satoru finally sees her using the bladed end of the weapon. She cut through in the middle of one of the fabrics as it turned red. The golden inscription on it fails to light because of the harm. 

The cursed spirit has a concrete ability but it should've retracted its pseudo limb because it was used by the opponent to track its position which turned out to be an alley. 

Ichigo saw a middle-aged man with a rat face and noodle mustache with his palms brought together, grinning wide. She hummed inwardly. So he's not that stupid into simply telling them his hiding spot but also luring them. Not bad.

The walls beside the alley light up with golden inscriptions and then explode.

"Oi, have you forgotten what kind of person you're trying to kill?"

Satoru lifted his right hand. The rubbles barely hit both Ichigo and him, floating with a hum of blue.

"GO, NEE-SAN!"

The middle-aged man brought his shikigami in front of him as a shield but for a fighter of Ichigo's caliber, that's nothing. He can only watch his companion sliced clean into two, the purple blood of a cursed spirit didn't even dirty the ominous black blade wielded by a woman with a flame as a hair.

The jujutsu sorcerer felt death was looming over him.

As for Ichigo...

Eh, Nee-san?

The jujutsu sorcerer stumbles as he steps back. Perhaps the observation is wrong about the woman. He thought she wasn't a sorcerer since since he couldn't sense cursed energy out of her, she doesn't wear a special tool that can make normal people able to see curses and yet, it seemed she could see curses just fine.  

"What should we do with him?" 

"I don't know, knock him out?" Satoru shrugged. Dropping the rubble by dismissing his sorcery technique.

Ichigo taps her chin, considering something, "Hey, wanna see something cool?"

The jujutsu sorcerer flinches when the woman stares at him directly in the eyes. He thought nothing about her actions before suddenly he couldn't breathe, something heavy seemed to press on him. It's overwhelming and he can feel he's starting to froth. His vision turned black before even hitting the ground.

"What was that?" Satoru poked the frothing unconscious guy, "Can you do that too to me?"

"Pressing him with my spiritual pressure. You can feel it but you probably won't faint," A three-tailed wolf with a man in a suit landed near the scene. Ichigo put her sword back into the subspace and pet Kon on the snout, smiling at the chauffeur who looked like he lost half of his life force, "Sorry for throwing you around Takeru-san. I thought you were someone with combat experience so I thought you...y'know."

"It's fine, Kurosaki-sama... I'm used to it," Takeru's arm shaking, his hand clammy on the wolf's fur.

"No need to sama me, I'm allergic to it. Ichigo's fine."

"Yes, Kurosaki-san." Still shaking though.

It's progress at least. She looked at the burn on Satoru's hoodie, "You alright there?"

"It's fine. I lost control of my Infinity for a moment." 

Ichigo pats his head, "Eh don't sweat it. For a consolation, a prodigy like you can improve by just a year. So keep practicing. Now, let's go back, I need a shower."

"Ah, right. The Head Clan wanted us to bring the sorcerer, live or dead." Takeru said as he got off from Kon.

As Kon reverts to his original form, Ichigo just realizes how jarring Takeru is with his dark suit while carrying all of those colorful goody bags.

"Round up the car. We'll wait here," Satoru ordered.

Takeru bowed and left to do what he said.

"So... Nee-san?"

Satoru's expression shrewdly changes, complete with a blush, "Don't misunderstand. You are certainly strong enough to earn it and I don't want to be called kid all the time!"

Heeee, what a tsundere. Not that Ichigo said out loud, "Okay, then why should I call you?"

"C-Call me..."

"Gojō?"

"... No."

"Satoru?"

The boy blushes more.

Ichigo grinned, "Satoru-kun."

His face is tomato red.

Kon watched the interaction nonplussed, "Ichigo, who is this?"

"Kon, meet my cute of a cousin, Gojō Satoru."

Satoru pulls the hood of his hoodie to hide his face.

"Oh, another one. Kinda wish if there was another they would be a girl."

Ichigo flicked the familiar in the nose.

Kon yelped.

"Satoru, how many do I have to tell you..." Shogo pinched the bridge of his nose, "To set up a curtain before you get into a sorcery fight!?"

The previous three got into a supernatural battle this afternoon, currently sitting in Edo style in front of the fuming Gojō Clan head.

Satoru looked away. A low tch came out of his mouth.

Takeru trembling, fearing the status of his job.

Ichigo, who feels amused, wisely kept quiet.