The air was heavy when they returned to Jujutsu High.
None of the trio spoke during the trip back. Their uniforms were streaked with blood and earth, their expressions carved from something older than youth should carry. Kishibe had his blade sheathed at his side, fingers twitching idly, as though still reliving the moment too late to act. Geto sat with his head bowed, jaw clenched, replaying every second. Gojo stared ahead, silent for once, his blindfold wrapped tight.
The girl was gone.
Yaga met them at the gate. One look at their faces told him everything.
"She didn't make it," Kishibe said flatly.
Yaga gave a long, slow nod. "You did everything you could."
"No," Geto said suddenly. "We didn't. We hesitated. We split up. We got distracted. She was just a little girl."
"You're students," Yaga replied. "You're going to make mistakes. What matters is learning from them."
Kishibe's voice was low. "Tell that to her family."
---
Later – Training Yard
The sun had dipped below the horizon, leaving a cold wash of violet across the sky. The trio stood in the shadow of silence. Gojo kicked a rock, his usual cocky grin nowhere to be found.
"I thought… with all our strength… I thought we'd be able to save her," he muttered.
"She didn't even scream," Geto said, voice quiet. "That curse… it crushed her like she was nothing."
"I never even got her name," Kishibe added. "She was afraid, but she stayed close to me. I told her she'd be safe."
"She trusted us," Geto said. "Even if she didn't say anything… she looked at us like we were heroes."
Kishibe stared out at the empty yard. "Then we failed her."
"No," Gojo said, his voice firmer. "The curse did. We were just too slow."
"That's not a good enough excuse."
"I know."
Gojo's hand curled into a fist. "I couldn't even reach her in time. I saw it happen. I was seconds too late."
Geto lowered his head. "She was so small. I thought… maybe I could trap the curse long enough. But it slipped through. Like it knew she was the weakest one there."
"We should have protected her better," Kishibe said.
---
That Night – Rooftop
Kishibe didn't sleep. He sat under the stars, blade resting across his knees. The girl's face haunted the edges of his mind—not her death, but the absence of anything more. She had been there… and then she wasn't.
He thought about his mother.
He thought about how fast the world could take someone away, how sharp and cruel it could be.
He thought about what kind of sorcerer he wanted to be.
Geto approached quietly, robe loose around his shoulders. He didn't speak at first, only sat beside Kishibe in silence.
"She was just a kid," he whispered finally. "And I let her die."
Kishibe didn't look at him. "We all did."
"You think it ever gets easier?"
"No. And it shouldn't."
They sat in the dark, listening to the wind through the trees.
---
Elsewhere – Gojo's Quarters
Gojo lay flat on his futon, arms folded behind his head, staring at the ceiling. For once, the weight of infinity wasn't what clouded his mind—it was something much smaller. Much heavier.
He remembered her eyes. Scared, confused. Then gone.
He had seen death before. Hell, they all had. But something about this… about her… it gnawed at the edge of his soul.
He rolled onto his side, eyes shutting tight. "I'm supposed to be the strongest," he muttered. "So why does it feel like I'm always just too late?"
---
The Morning After – Training Grounds
Kishibe arrived first, his uniform neatly pressed, but his eyes bloodshot. Geto followed, his usual calm distant. Gojo showed up last, his blindfold in place, but his energy subdued.
"You two coming or what?" he asked, trying to summon a grin. It didn't reach his eyes.
Kishibe and Geto exchanged glances. Without a word, they stood.
They didn't speak of the mission again. But something between them had changed.
They were still the monster trio—but now, they carried a ghost among them.
One they would never forget.