love remains | chapter one
“this was never supposed to happen.”
the words slipped past your lips as you took another drag from the blunt between your fingers, a slow stream of smoke disappearing into the stillness of the penthouse.
you stood before the floor-to-ceiling windows, your gaze fixed on the city below. countless lights flickered in the distance, softened by the fogged glass, while the silence behind you felt almost suffocating.
it was the home of the man you now called your husband.
if someone had told you six months ago that you’d end up married to the strongest sorcerer alive, you would’ve laughed in their face.
yet here you were, wearing a ring that had never been meant for you, living a life you never imagined.
because this… this was never supposed to happen.
the room was unusually quiet.
ancient wooden walls enclosed the meeting hall, the scent of incense lingering in the air as several members of the higher-ups sat in silence, stacks of mission reports spread across the low table before them.
one of the elders adjusted his glasses before sliding a folder toward the center.
no one responded. another elder opened the report, flipping through several pages.
“mission completion rate: one hundred percent.”
“he has yet to fail a single assignment.”
“so what’s the issue?” another asked.
“the issue.” the elder replied calmly “isn’t his strength.”
He placed another report on the table.
“civilian casualties during his last three missions.”
a second report followed. “late deployment.”
“refusal of overseas assignments.”
“and…” he paused. “…abandoning a debriefing before it concluded.”
the room fell silent. everyone knew gojo. the strongest sorcerer. a man who could clear an entire battlefield without breaking a sweat.
a man who once laughed in the face of danger.
yet these reports painted a different picture.
“he still completes every mission!” one elder argued.
“he does, but not like before.” another report was pushed forward.
“his fights are shorter, he no longer prolongs battles.”
“he avoids unnecessary conflict, he leaves the moment his responsibilities are fulfilled.” one elder folded his hands.
“at first, we believed it was maturity but after months of observation…”
“it isn’t, it’s distraction.” the room remained heavy with silence, a younger administrator hesitated before speaking.
“…his wife.” the elder nodded. “one year since her passing.” another sighed. “and the child, six years old.”
“he insists on raising her himself.” one elder let out a slow breath. “he is attempting to fulfill two roles, the strongest sorcerer… and a father.” another quietly added,
“no one can do both forever.” a long silence followed, finally, someone spoke. “has his daughter become… a weakness?” the question lingered. “no.” an elder shook his head.
“she is not his weakness, she is his reason.”
“and that,” he said, closing the report, “is precisely the problem.” the room understood.
satoru no longer fought only for the sake of jujutsu society, he fought because every mission carried the risk of leaving his daughter an orphan.
for the first time in years… gojo satoru was afraid to die. not because he feared death, because someone was waiting for him to come home.
one elder leaned back thoughtfully.
“then perhaps…the solution isn’t changing gojo. it’s changing his circumstances.”
then another voice spoke. “a remarriage.” the idea hung in the air. “would he even agree?”
“he has never hidden the fact that he still mourns his wife.”
“which is exactly why,” the eldest among them murmured. “we cannot choose just anyone.”
the sliding doors parted with a quiet creak.
gojo stepped into the meeting hall with his hands tucked into the pockets of his uniform.
“so,” he drawled lazily, “which one of you geezers dragged me here this time?”
no one returned the joke, he clicked his tongue. “tough crowd.”
an elder gestured toward the cushion opposite them. “sit.” gojo remained standing.
“i’ve got ten minutes before i have to pick my daughter up.” the room fell silent.
One of the elders spoke first. “you’ve been declining overseas missions.”
“they interfere with my schedule.”
“you’ve arrived late to four deployments.”
“i still completed them.”
“you ignored orders during your last assignment.”
“there were civilians in the area.”
“and you abandoned your debriefing.” gojo shrugged.
“…your daughter’s school.” he didn’t answer.
another elder slid a stack of reports toward him.
“your performance has changed.” gojo glanced at the papers before looking away.
“my performance hasn’t changed.”
“you still exorcise every curse.”
“but your focus is divided.” a long silence settled over the room, finally, gojo spoke.
“so that’s what this is about.” one elder folded his hands.
“you said your personal life would never interfere with your responsibilities.”
“no.” his voice was calm, dangerously calm.
“i’m completing every mission.”
another elder leaned forward. “you refuse assignments that require extended travel.”
“my daughter comes first.”
“you leave immediately after missions.”
“my daughter comes first.”
“you’ve rejected every recommendation we’ve made.”
the elder finished his sentence for him, the room grew quiet, gojo’s smile disappeared.
“and it’ll continue to.” no one spoke for several moments, then the eldest elder sighed.
“no one is asking you to stop being her father.”
“then what exactly are you asking?”
“we’re asking you to stop trying to be everything.” gojo frowned.
“she lost her mother.” the elder’s words were measured. “and you lost your wife.”
“tou are grieving, gojo, you are raising a child, you are the strongest sorcerer alive.”
“no one can carry all three forever.” gojo let out a dry laugh. “i’ve managed just fine.”
“have you?” another report landed before him.
“your medical evaluations show chronic exhaustion.”
he didn’t even glance at the papers.
“no.” the elder’s voice hardened.
“we called you here because we’ve reached a decision.”
his expression turned unreadable. “what decision?”
the room became deathly silent.
for the first time since entering, gojo stopped smiling entirely.
“your daughter deserves a stable household.”
“my household is stable.”
“i didn’t ask for your opinion.”
one elder continued as though he hadn’t spoken.
“a partner would lessen your burden.”
“my burden?” gojo let out a humorless chuckle.
“you think replacing my wife fixes everything?”
“but that’s exactly what you’re implying.”
his cursed energy began to seep into the room, subtle at first, then heavy enough to make the wooden floor groan beneath him.
“i buried my wife.” each word came slower than the last.
“i watched her die, and now you’re sitting here telling me to find another one?”
the air grew suffocating, even the elders shifted uneasily.
“no one is asking you to forget her.” gojo laughed, a short, bitter sound.
“really? because it sure sounds like you’re asking me to.”
“we’re asking you to think about your daughter.” that struck a nerve, his expression faltered for the briefest second, the eldest elder noticed.
gojo’s voice came out quieter. “…she has me.”