Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

In his demise, Nanami had no regret. He'd done his best, pushed his limit past the breaking point, gave it his all.

There was no use thinking, lingering on the possibility he could have done more, wishing he had the power to, with his farewell to the still too young child.

'And what if you could?'

The voice was everywhere, yet no where. Close, yet far. Nanami existed, but he couldn't feel, hear, see... his senses were not there, but the voice that spoke to him could be heard as if communication of thoughts was a possibility.

'Wha...what is this? Where is that voice coming from? Am I not dead?'

'Oh no, no. You are very much dead Nanami Kento.'

'?!?! Who are you??'

'I am one of the many figures you humans pray to every second of the day. Hmmm... let's just say, like the curses of your world, we are borne by the pleas, the cries of human beings. I myself represent love, so you may call me 'Ai''

'Then like a god?? Ai-sama?'

'Oh, no need to be so formal Nanami, I come as a friend.'

'A friend?'

'Yes. You are at the precipice of the end of your life, the last step before the end.'

'...and you are here to guide me there?'

'I know you want to, but a bigger part of you holds the desire to bring about a better future for the people you've left behind, no?'

'This sounds like a scam...'

'Heeheehee~ Hear me out Nanami Kento. We've heard the cries of all the victims of this horrible tragedy and you, my friend, are a pivotal character who can change this event to a much better one.'

'Me...that seems unbelievable.'

'I wouldn't be here otherwise.'

'...'

'Nanami, although it will end, this event will go on for too long, bringing about more tragedies then necessary. Even the one who you call the strongest, he will eventually be freed from the cursed cube he is in, but he too will die at the hands of Ryomen Sukuna.'

'Gojo-san...dies? Impossible....'

'Everyone dies, eventually Nanami, but how that end comes, there are much better outcomes, no?'

'And you are saying of all the people, not even Gojo-san, but I am the one who can change the future to the best possible course?'

'Yes!! You get it now?'

'So what exactly am I supposed to do?'

'We as you say 'kami', must conform to one unity to be able to give our aide and interfere in the human world. And although we have deciphered and chosen you as the best candidate, there are still doubters. It is impossible to bring about that change if we all don't agree, so it has been decided we will test your character.'

'A test of my character?'

'Yes, and I as your number one supporter am here to aide you through it.'

'What kind of test?'

'Oh I'm am not privy to that as my purpose is simply to aide you to the best of my ability. But it will be made known to me as soon as you accept~!'

'...This really seems like a scam....There's really not much of a choice in the matter since I am the only contender, and if I refuse, it's like I am the one who has decided to kill everyone who has died and will die...'

'Nanami?'

'So if I pass this test, it sounded like I would be sent to the past to make or aide in the path to a better choice?'

'Yes, yes!!'

'Then, I accept. I will be in your care Ai-san.'

Binding Vow Accepted

All his senses suddenly came back to him in the span of a second as soon as the words left his mouth.

A disorienting feeling which would have caused him to stumble and fall, if he wasn't already laying down. 

He felt the warmth of the sun cast across his face, a breeze which smelled of morning dew.

A blessed dawn he thought he'd never experience again.

Surrounded by warmth, Nanami could have fallen back to sleep if said warmth hadn't moved. 

What felt like sculpted musculature across the span of his back was brought impossibly closer as he felt strong arms across his waist pull him in.

He was thankfully clothed although it felt like the person, most likely a man, wasn't quite as clothed as him.

...

.......

'What the h*** is this?' Nanami was afraid to open his eyes. In denial of the situation he'd unceremoniously been dropped into.

Very much male and groggy from having just woken up as well, he was greeted by the unwelcome presence who continued to take liberties as he pleased, now rubbing his nose along Nanami's neck. "Good morning, Nanamin~"

That voice, that nickname! Nanami finally opened his eyes, "Itadori-kun?!"

'Is that my voice?? I sound like...a woman.'

His thoughts would have lingered on the revelation, had he not seen the person in front of him. He hadn't expected to see anyone, since Yuuji (or the man who was supposedly him) was behind him, but before his eyes, about an arms length away, Fushiguro Megumi lay next to him. 

The same spiky black hair, fair skin, and dark green eyes; the only difference being, the young man before him looked somehow, older, bigger in frame.

But that wasn't the most nerve-wracking thing, it was the way he was looking at Nanami. The way he'd be looking at perhaps Gojo-san, the dead-fish eyes with a blatant distaste; a look Nanami had never been subject to...

That's when he started to move, he needed answers. NOW.

Or at least he tried his best to, but all his attempts barely gave him an inch of space. This 'Itadori Yuuji' was annoyingly strong without much effort on his part.

"Stop squirming so much Nanamin~ You're gonna get me all excited~"

Nanami immediately stopped all movement at that. 

He didn't want to, but he felt something on the small of his back.

It was a knee-jerk reaction as he put some power into his arm and he elbowed the man behind him, to finally be released.

Thankfully wherever here was, he had access to his cursed energy, but of course, his assailant also knew how to utilize it as well...

He'd utilized the arm he used to elbow the man to try to attack and get even more distance, but both arms were quickly grabbed by, voila, Itadori Yuuji who had just as easily pinned him on his back.

'F***'

Just the same as 'this' Megumi, 'this' Yuuji indeed looked verily the same as the boy he knew, but older and bigger in frame.

Way too close for comfort, Yuuji also looked at Nanami in a way he'd never looked at him before. The easy smile was there, but you couldn't miss the glint in his eyes that warned of a predator looking down at it's prey. 

The only solace in this situation was though he was indeed shirtless, Itadori had on sweats.

"Woa~ Nanamin, I didn't know you knew how to use cursed energy. You almost got me."

It was insulting, how mocking that statement was. Nanami's arms were being held down by just one hand.

"Of course she knows. She can use RCT."

Megumi's voice cut through for the first time and Nanami noticed he was just watching this exchange nonchalantly sitting up now with his back leaning on the headboard of the bed. He looked so uncaring and bored, she imagined he wouldn't help her out from under Yuuji.

'Sh**. But on the other hand, I know RCT???' And again, he'd been addressed as 'she'.

"Whaaaatttt~ Why didn't you tell me Nanamin??"

'I didn't know! I don't know sh** of anything!!' He knew it was useless, but he couldn't help struggling against the pressure above him, while glaring at the man.

"Next time you should use it on me. I wanna see. Although, I rarely ever get hurt..."

Calming himself once more, Nanami grit his teeth as he asked, "Please let me go Itadori-kun."

Yuuji only tilted his head in that innocent confused gesture at his request. "There it is again. Why do you keep saying, Itadori-kun and acting like you don't know me? ...unless is this a play??"

"A play?? What are you talking about? Please! Let me go!"

"Oooo~~ this exciting~! Who am I a robber? A thief??"

"That's the same thing you idiot. And, Itadori, I think she's serious."

Fushiguro hadn't moved from his spot, but in desperation Nanami turned his hopeful gaze to him. It unfortunately didn't do sh** of anything as he just turned to look away. 

"What? Hey Nanamin, if you really wanna stop all you have to do is shout out the safe word. It's what we agreed on."

'Safe word?? What the heck is that?'

"Booo~ You're taking too long Nanamin~ But then again, we've never really used it since it was made, so maybe you forgot?"

Nanami was quick to grab hold of this hand of mercy, "It is a bit embarrassing, but yes, I've forgotten."

"Okay then! Quiz time, it's a fruit! I'm giving you three chances!"

But there are so many fruits?! Why couldn't you have picked something more obvious?!?! Nanami had no choice but to chance a guess, "...Apple?"

"Wrong! Two more chances~"

How was he supposed to- Nanami had felt so foolish at that point. He had one ally in this lonely world.

'Ai-san. Are you there?'

{Ai~ At your service. One safe word coming up!}

{Pineapple.}

"Pineapple."

Megumi's small burst of laughter was heard from the side, "Nanami-san, that's our safe word."

'There's more than one?!? Ai-san!'

Yuuji gently, but firmly took a hold of Nanami's face which had turned to look at Megumi instinctively, "That's mean Nanamin, are you trying to get me riled up. You only have one more chance now. If you get it wrong this time, I'm going to ravish you, just the way you like."

Nanami felt real fear at that, the man no longer looked like Itadori Yuuji, it was the face of Ryomen Sukuna.

{I'm so sorry! There are a lot more safe words then necessary!}

{Anyways, it's pomegranate.}

"Pomegranate!"

"And there we have it! You remembered. I guess you really did forget. Sorry bout that I really thought-"

"Please, get off of me Itadori-kun."

Yuuji had let go of Nanami's hands, but his thighs had also been keeping him in place. "Oh, sorry! I-"

Nanami's quickly shot across to the farthest corner of the room or as quickly as his shaking legs allowed him to. Grabbing hold of the whatever was near for support Nanami tried to calm his nerves as he focused on the patterns of the carpet beneath him.

He heard the sound of sheets and steps onto the floor, before careful, yet hesitant footsteps made for his direction. Nanami visibly flinched at the movement and that stopped all parties in the room. He saw Itadori's bewildered face tinged with concern, and even Fushiguro who hadn't shown much of anything this whole time looked slightly alarmed.

Yuuji was the first to move, "Hey Nana-"

Nanami was quick to cut him off. "Please, leave me." He didn't know whose room it was, but he needed to be alone.

When it seemed like he'd protest, Nanami firmly added, "Now!"

Fushiguro half-dragged out Itadori who seemed to have more to say.

Finally alone, Nanami took in the features of the room. A traditional tatami room much more spacious than what most people had, surrounded by fusuma and shoji doors on all sides. A low rise platform bed near one corner of the room, with a long leather sofa at the foot of it. The surface he was holding onto seemed to be a vanity with a long mirror right next to it. 

He should look at his features, but he was afraid of what he'd see.

'Ai-san...what is this? Where am I? I thought you said my character was going to be tested?'

{It seems this is the test. You have been transmigrated into another universe, hmmm, or more specifically a game, it seems.}

'A game??'

{Yes, an otome game at that~ Oooo this sounds fun~}

'...Ai-san when you say otome game you mean...'

{Yes, the one where there is one girl aka the MC who has a harem of men to choose from. This one is called, 'The Sorcerers Love'.}

'...What kind of s*** title is that?!?'

{It seems this is a world specifically made for you Nanami.}

'Made for me...was that why an imitation of Itadori-kun and Fushiguro-kun...'

{You are the villainess of this universe. Your character at every turn tries, but fails to stop the MC from getting together with the man of their choosing and dying in the end. It is your objective to prevent that death from happening.}

'...The villainess, so...I am a woman.' And not just any woman, an antihero at that.

Nanami finally moved towards the mirror and stared at the reflection before him. 

Long blond hair parted 7/3 flowing down to the middle of his, now her back. A face that held all his features; thin eyebrows, his hazel eyes, sharp contours, but more delicate and round. A face closer to what he'd looked like in his youth.

A slim figure much shorter than his previous height, but with the curvature anyone could identify as that of a woman, all wrapped up in a flimsy white slip that exposed too much of his, now her legs.

{Yes. Very beautiful, but very evil. You are Zenin Nanami.}

'!! A Zenin?!'

{Yes. The fourth child of Zenin Naobito, and the only daughter. Half-sibling to your older brothers, your mother of half Danish descent. Age 25}

Nanami dragged a hand down his face with a great sigh. He was really doing this.

'I'm guessing I cannot take back my word.'

{Unfortunately, no. You as a sorcerer know weight of a binding vow.}

'Indeed.'  He knew of course, he just needed to hear it.

As always a sh** situation because of sh**** higher entities of power playing around with the little people as they pleased. Was he here to prove his worth or entertain whoever had created this place. Possibly a bit of both. 

There was no point in throwing a tantrum or complaining as it was just a waste of time at this point. 

'How much time do I have until my death?'

{3 months from now.}

He had 3 months to keep up this charade.

And now for the grand finale...

'...What are Itadori-kun and Fushiguro-kun doing here?'

{They are a part of your harem. Well Zenin Nanami's, so well, yeah, yours. In the more literal sense in this case.}

Nanami really wanted to hit something.

Cursed energy existed here, which meant curses existed as well. Perhaps he should go hunt for one. No perhaps a few...

Chapter Text

Nanami, of course, didn't go on a curse killing spree. It would be idiotic to do so in an unfamiliar realm where the only space he'd seen so far was presumably his room. 

Instead taking the robe hanging next to the mirror, he sat on the sofa at the foot of the bed. Crossing his arms and legs as was his usual position of comfort, Nanami did his best to ignore the plush feel above his arms.

Thinking on curses, Nanami's brain rewound back to a particularly interesting piece of information. 

'...Ai-san what was that about me knowing RCT?'

{Ah, well, Miss Nanami did not like her curse ability, which is again, the same as yours. It is a close-combat ability which necessitates a certain amount of musculature, which, ahem, she did not want, so she set out to make use of her cursed energy and well she studied quite hard to achieve her current abilities. You are more adept in healing yourself than others, but it is no small feat.}

Quite commendable if not for the sh** reason. He hadn't like his abilities in the beginning either, but it was because as a child, for all the obvious reasons, it was not fun being able to see things most other people could not see; especially the more grotesque forms. 

{I feel you are not asking me because you are afraid of what I might say, but I believe it would greatly relieve you to hear that nothing actually happened last night.}

Nanami felt a tension he didn't know he'd been holding at the revelation. He hadn't felt the physical signs that 'something' happened, but the possibility still hung in his mind. His head fell back onto the soft back support of the sofa as he let himself sag a little. It of course didn't erase the things his counterpart had done, but somehow it relieved him regardless...how sad was that. 

{They were sent to comfort you after the, well, 'events of the day', but you were already out at that point.}

'Events of the day?'

{Well, Miss Nanami was cruelly rejected by Gojo Satoru in quite the public setting. After quickly leaving the premises and returning home, she vented out her frustrations by destroying whatever she could get her hands on while crying and screaming, until she eventually fainted in exhaustion and was moved to her room.}

'Gojo-san?' 

{Yes, the soon to be clan head of the Gojo, and currently Miss Nanami's number 1 pursuit of love, aka her obsession.}

Nanami's face twitched in irritation at that...no matter that this woman was very, very far from the person he was, just the thought that some version of him was in 'love' with THE Gojo Satoru.......

Nanami pictured his senior rolling around on the floor cackling at that. 'Tsk..'

On the bright side, this was also an opportunity, a reason for Nanami's sudden change in demeanor.

There would be drastic changes in this household. 

First and foremost, his so called 'harem'.

But before that, having been thrown into a completely different dimension and so focused on making plans to survive this world, Nanami had woefully forgotten that time did not stop for anyone. 

It was morning, and in the morning, everyone had a routine for getting ready to start the day.

Miss Nanami's routine began with being tended to the maidservants of her household, the exact same maidservants patiently waiting outside Nanami's room to do their job.

He could ignore them but that would be rude and it was something he would have to overcome EVERY DAY of his time stuck in this unfortunate situation...perhaps the most difficult task of them all.

He finally answered at the second modest knock, "Yes, please come in."

After a questionably long pause at the other end, the shoji doors at the far end of the room slowly slid open to reveal an elderly woman kneeled before the door with three others behind her in the same position, but bowing down reverently. They were all wearing the same simple off-grey yukata. 

Tsuba Hana, head maidservant to lady Nanami's entourage had never in all her life caring for her lady heard her say anything in such a polite manner to anyone of a lower-standing. Perhaps to mock someone, but genuine politeness, no. Never.

She had been there in most every moment of her lady's life, and she has seen her at her lowest. Yesterday had been such a day. 

She has seen lady Nanami cry, she has seen her angry, she herself has been subject to her screaming and ranting...the day before had been the absolute worst. She had feared what would come from it and though it was far from what she had imagined, somehow this calm, completely different demeanor scared her even more. 

Her lady had already rejected the one thing that helped calm her down significantly, her harem, and her two most sought out at that. 

Frankly Hana did not know what more to do except gauge the lady's needs and try her best to match her desires to the best of her ability.

"...Nanami-sama, the bath is ready for you." 

Lost in the war raging within himself, Nanami could not recognize the fear coursing through his household. 'Kill me now...'

He had somehow overcome that mountain of a hill. 

In the end, he had bathed himself as he would rather die than to allow someone else to bathe him. The first option was bile inducing, but compared to the other, it was still much preferred.

He'd done his best to be as clinical about the process as possible and using a sponge along with a grand amount of bubbles had certainly helped. Half out of it and purposefully thinking over the plans he'd discussed with Ai-san while staring at the tiled walls of the bathing room, Nanami had finished in record time.

Putting on the underwear was a battle itself, but after having overcome bathing himself, there was at least some satisfaction of being able to cover his naked body. Throwing on the robe provided for him in the far corner of the room, Nanami quickly left.

Perhaps too quickly as the maidservants were still getting his clothes ready, but it gave him the time he needed to calm down in the chair that had been prepared for him.

One of the maidservants went straight to brushing and drying his hair, and he would have tried to do it himself as it felt wrong to be so pampered, but his attention was caught by the over-the-top display of dresses and jewelry, which was apparently not enough as the maidservants kept pattering around the room endlessly.

The wide varieties of gowns from different cultures and ethnic backgrounds caught him off-guard as it made absolutely no sense. It made him question what age this world existed in exactly, but then he remembered this was just a game.

Nanami repressed a long sigh as his thoughts revolved around how he was going to have to fix this as well. 

Having chosen the most modest of the choices, a mostly white kimono designed with shades of pink and red decorating the edges with flowers, Nanami was now finally in another room that had a blend of eastern and western qualities. 

Lady Nanami's study which he imagined had never been properly used, if Ai-san's explanation of the lone daughter of the Zenin was anything to go by.

The room and everything in it seemed to be made of wood as his own room had been, but the ceilings were higher with the wall opposite the entrance completely opened to a garden and then a field beyond. Opposite walls lined with shelves filled completely with books, but it was so pristine and decoratively fashioned, it looked untouched; simply there for the aesthetic view. In the middle of the room was a long low table surrounded by two long sofas and two large cushioned chairs.

Nanami sat on the single seating which stood before the side of the table where documents were stacked.

Contracts to be exact. 21. Each for the individual within her harem. Some, distinctly bleeding cursed energy; a binding vow.

Gritting his teeth, Nanami suppressed an oncoming sigh at the call of his name.

"Nanami-sama. He is here."

"Yes, please let him in."

 Nanami's first target, Itadori Yuuji. 

He was about to gesture for the boy(?), no young man, to sit, but as Yuuji burst through the door, long strides brought him before Nanami, and he immediately kneeled before the blond as he bowed deeply in a dogeza. 

"I'm sorry Nanamin! I really wasn't going to do anything!! Even if you got it wrong, I was only gonna tease you! I would never, NEVER, force myself on anyone! Especially you!! You gotta believe me!!!"

Slightly startled by the his actions and loud voice, the events of the morning flashed through Nanami's head.

"...Itadori-kun, I believe you."

Raising his head to look at Nanami, he exclaimed, "Really?!??!"

"Yes, so please get up and take a seat."

Yuuji was hesitant. Nanami was still calling him 'Itadori-kun'. She would always refer to him as 'Yuuji' or 'Yuuji-kun'. She seemed genuinely sincere and quite calm, an expression he'd never seen on her before.

"Itadori-kun, please."

He flinched at that and scrambled to get up to sit on the sofa closest to her. He didn't like how distant his name sounded in his ears. It wouldn't do for him to not be liked by Nanami, so despite his confusion on his standing with sole 'princess' of the Zenin, he opted to listen to her insistence for now.

"Thank you." Nanami's nose wrinkled at how he'd chosen to sit in the seat closest to him, but he'd ignore it for now. "My, ahem, past actions had given you the impression that such...a reaction was natural so I do not fault you for doing...your job..."

Itadori looked at Nanami's minutely, but clearly irritated expression. She'd grit her teeth and grip her hands into a fist like she was forcing herself to say what she was saying with great discomfort. 'S***! S***, s***!!! She's angry!!'

"So, please know that I forgive you and what I am about to say is not a reflection on that." Nanami reached for the first contract.

Itadori, whose focus had solely been on Nanami the entire time took notice of the what exactly she was holding. "Wha.."

"This here is the contract you signed." A burst of blue flames overtook the paper which burned to ashes in seconds. "You are now no longer tied to me."

Yuuji felt it, the wave of relief that came from the breaking of the binding vow. He knew it would eventually happen, he was confident of that. But never had he imagined it to be like this. A binding vow which could only be broken by the implicit desire of the contractor or the death of said contractor. "...Nanamin, you just said you forgave me! I..."

"Yes, and I also said this is not because of your actions. It is something I decided after the events of yesterday."

"Yesterday...you mean...." Yuuji had only heard a brief summarization of the events that took place through the whispers of the servants within these walls. He hadn't thought it had been this serious. He looked at the stack of paper before him as understanding dawned upon him.

"As you can see I plan on dissolving it all. You just happen to be the first."

"But Nanamin! I.."

"You don't have to worry about what you will be doing from now on. I plan to compensate all of you and supporting your next endeavors to the best of my ability." Of course he wouldn't just throw them all out. Their forced servitude gave them no pay and their housing had been within the Zenin residence.

Objectively speaking, this was great! The Nanami he thought would never change was turning over a new leaf, and he was all for it. Or he would have been if he didn't have a job to do. "Then I wanna stay with you! Anything, uhh, a bodyguard! Yea, I wanna be your bodyguard!!"

"My bodyguard?"

"Yea! Anything I want right?" 

"..."

Nanami had expected as much from Yuuji. It wasn't some misguided crush or some kind of Stockholm syndrome like his pleading eyes seemed to portray.

As Ai-san had told him, Itadori Yuuji was a spy sent by the Gojo clan. One the lady Nanami had so graciously taken in with open arms. All he had to do was flash his charming boyish smile.

As it was, Itadori was one of the few who apparently didn't hate Nanami. He enjoyed their 'nights', like one would a one-night-stand, so he wasn't as dangerous of an enemy as the rest.

As long as he kept away from Gojo's bad side, he was mostly safe. Itadori was a man of deep loyalty who wouldn't hesitate to kill Nanami if commanded to do so.

Nanami had also tasted a bit of the strength Yuuji hid beneath his goofy mannerisms and smile. If the Itadori he knew was anything to go by, a more mature older Yuuji was much stronger.

It didn't really matter to Nanami that Itadori would be sticking to his side. That was something he could more easily deal with. All he wanted right now was the riddance of his distress.

"If that's what you really want, then that's fine."

After getting through about half the list, Nanami finally saw another familiar face, Fushiguro Megumi.

Megumi was...a more delicate case. 

The Fushiguro's had lived in servitude to the Zenin for many years. A young Zenin Nanami taken by the prowess of Fushiguro Toji demanded and got him as her own personal manservant. When she had reached adulthood, she lost her virginity to him and this had been the start of her downward spiral. 

Her father Naobito who had thought it simply to be a crush didn't think too much of it, but when he observed something of a darker nature he quickly sent away Fushiguro Toji. It was too late to clean what had already been deflowered, but he would not stand for one of his children even thinking of getting together with a servant. They as the Zenin had a reputation.

Nanami was made to suspect he had simply run away, but she had her suspicions. In rebellion, she had created a harem, and to make it worse, Toji's son was forced to join. 

Naobito although displeased, preferring this to the alternative, didn't do much to stop it. As long as she didn't plan on marriage with one of them, he wasn't opposed to sleeping around.

Fortunately for the boy, for a long while Nanami had no actual interest in him. He was mostly there to be paraded around. That is until he grew into his own maturity.

That was when Nanami had started to show some interest, and in turn Megumi who only held hate for her, replied with disgust. 

Megumi had no love for his father who all but abandoned his family, but he hated Zenin Nanami all the more for being so naive to fall for such a man.

He did not want to be touched by such a woman. 

As for Nanami, she dealt with his refusal the only way she knew how; threatening the life of his sick sister.

Thankfully at this point nothing had yet happened, but a LOT of damage had been done. Damage which Nanami Kento had to somehow repair.

Naturally the young man sat at the opposite far end of the table, and as Nanami explained again his intentions, a more reserved look of surprise overtook his face. Megumi was much more guarded by his suspicions.

He'd seen his contract burn, he'd felt the release, but there had to be a catch. 

Nanami took out a pouch she had hidden within her sleeve to open it and take out a small clear bottle filled half-way with an opaque almost white gold-speckled liquid. "This is...an apology." 

{Nanami!! That's..!}

'I am well aware of what I am doing Ai-san.'

{But..!}

'Yes, I know.'

This particular bottle was an 'all-cure potion'. Nanami surmised that the tacky name came from this world supposedly being a game. 

A gift from "above" to make his 'adventure' a little less difficult as it would save him from whatever ailment one time.

He had thought it a handy mechanism he would keep close on his person for such an event, but hearing Megumi's backstory, Nanami immediately decided he would give it to the boy.

Nanami's only problem now was convincing Fushiguro of it's effects and actually using it to save his sister's life.

"Fushiguro-kun, um...this.."

"That's..!! How..?!!" Megumi jumped out of his seat and seemed to have forgotten himself as he carefully held the bottle to inspect it's content.

"You know what this is?" 

"Yes..I've been looking for this..." Endlessly, in fact. Megumi stared in wonder as he confirmed with his own eyes the genuine article in it's magnificent glory. A cure so meticulously made there was no way to replicate it or even come close to creating a fake. Under the sun's light, the golden specks would shine like the brightest star and indeed, it shone as he held it up to the warm daylight of the noon.

That's where it got it's name, "...The Noon-light star."

When he'd first learned of his sister's sickness he'd been told it could not be cured, and yet he searched far and wide for some kind of solution. Though they were not related by blood, he considered her his only family and he loved her as such. This particular cure seemed to be the only answer as it was meant to heal all ailments. It seemed a myth until recently when his sources finally caught hold of a rumor that each of the three great clans had at least one.

He had seriously begun to consider giving in to the lady Nanami's sudden interest in him as a way to somehow get a hold of one, but Itadori had revealed his real identity as a spy for the Gojo clan who was looking for allies while testing the waters of the Zenin for some great purpose in the soon future. 

He had verily agreed and hated Nanami even more when she threatened the life of the one person he loved.

The one who had held his sister's life as a weapon, was now offering him the very cure...impossible.

"...Why would you do this?"

"As I said, this is an apology. To you and your family. I do not expect you to believe me, but I can only say that this is the truth."

Megumi really looked at the woman before him for the first time.

Having lived a difficult life from the moment he was born, he'd grown up too fast, much too early. He could detect the smell of deceit a mile away. 

His instincts were telling him, she was speaking the truth.

Those within the harem had close quarters and it had been a buzz all morning as each one confirmed that indeed they had gained their freedom and insurance for their future. 

He'd also been there that morning when she'd first woken after whatever had transpired with the Gojo's next leader. 

She had actually looked scared and Megumi had been a second away from stopping Yuuji. That impulse shook him to the core.

And yet...

"I do not believe you."

"As is your right. You could say this is my selfish attempt to try and rid of this cloying guilt..."

Guilt...He did not know she had the capacity to feel such an emotion. No longer able to look upon the profound sensibility upon her face, Megumi looked to the open scenery before him. It was weird, he felt like he could finally breathe for the first time.

"Whatever you choose to do, I implore you to take that with you. When you decide where it is you want to go and do, you can reach out to me anytime, and if you do not want to speak to me, you need only talk to anyone of my staff. And...I would also like to assure you that I will never approach you with such intentions ever again."

Fushiguro Megumi took one final look at those amber eyes filled with conviction before he left.

Two weeks had passed since then and somehow Nanami had gotten used to his "new life", if you could call it that.

He now had a routine of sorts. 

Getting ready in the morning still had it's bumps, but he'd made progress.

He still bathed himself, but after being scolded for not properly caring for his hair, he'd left that to the maidservants.

They had been scared and careful around him at first, most likely expecting backlash from the tantrum, but as Nanami continued to act as he always had, it cemented his unspoken vow to change for the better. It eased the environment of those who served under Nanami; positively effected the morale.

Nanami didn't like the whispers that gave thanks to the 'oh so great Gojo Satoru' for the sudden and welcome change of 'lady Nanami', but he graciously let it slide.

In their own response of gratefulness to his respectful mannerisms, they did what they did best; pampering him. 

Though he was able to politely decline most offers, it wouldn't do to say no to everything so he'd let a few things go. 

Dealing with his hair had been one of those compromises. Nanami left that to the experts and although he didn't like donning accessories, he again compromised to put on just the bare minimum that didn't get in the way of his training.

Jujutsu training was not all that different from his routine back then. His knowledge and comfort with his own technique helped him to quickly grow into a much more comfortable level of jujutsu-shi than when he'd first arrived. There were adjustments to be made as he was now a woman, but Nanami adapted as best he could. 

He was praised left and right, but knowing what he could do, Nanami wasn't quite satisfied.

Learning RCT was quite the interesting endeavor, but the most peculiar change came with the supposed male leads of this games universe.

Yuuji joined his training from the very first day and though he was equally as wary or more so than Nanami's maidservants, he quickly changed to the Yuuji Nanami knew. It was nostalgic and even fun despite the circumstances. 

Itadori purposefully stuck to Nanami in most every activity he could. Nanami chalked it up to him spying on him, but Ai-san often commented that he'd never done so in the original outline as it wasn't necessary. His undercover skills didn't necessitate he be so hands on and close, but Nanami surmised 'the lady Nanami's' change had been so drastic he wanted to be thorough.

Even more peculiar was Fushiguro Megumi's decision to stick around and integrate himself into Nanami's training as well a week or so after their last conversation.

Nanami had heard of Fushiguro's sister making a miraculous recovery and patiently waited for him to relay his decision on where he wanted to go. 

When he had personally come to Nanami while in the study, he announced that he'd like to stay in the Zenin residence for now and if possible train with him as well. Surprised and with no reason to refuse him Nanami told him he could do as he pleased.

A week later and he was still here.

They were both still here.

Nothing wrong with that...just...peculiar. 

It was such a morning 30 mins into their training that Nanami's head maidservant came running to her enthusiastically calling him with a bright smile upon her face.

"Nanami-sama! Gojo Satoru-sama is coming here to see you!"

This was not part of the storyline. There was a large gap in time before he was set to see the Gojo of this universe. '...Ai-san?'

{You are right! This has not happened before, hmmm...it seems your decisions have brought about great changes!! An exciting new future lies ahead of you Nanami~~~}

'Joy...'