Destined to Collide - Inumaki Toge

84. Power Vial

A/N: Let me tell you that picture is so goddamn beautiful. 

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As the weather is quite hot, Toge was worried Maguro would feel uncomfortable under the blazing hot sun and brought her back to the manor, using a shortcut back to the Heir's Hall that avoids the Main Hall. There are some relatives coming over as well and he really didn't want to meet them.

Especially that long distance cousin of his, with whom the elders kept trying to pin her to him as his future bride.

Pui.

No way in hell.

He knew with one look that she's a scheming little nutcase, especially when she always acts so pitiful whenever he's around. She just didn't know that he had seen and heard her beat up the maids when they didn't iron her clothes in time.

Every meeting, there's tears and sad stories of how grateful she is to be able to be here in the Inumaki clan. Why ever would woman think tears could get to a man's heart?

If anything, it should be food.

"Oh, Toge-kun, this," Maguro said as they just went into Heir's Hall, fishing out a long silver pendant with a sort of transparent liquid holder on it. "Wear this. It has a little of my blood in it. Akihiko told me the Jujutsu world is always dangerous. I can't always Nullify you. You'll be in danger."

Maguro tiptoe a little to help Toge wear the silver pendant. Toge leaned down obediently at her subtle request to make it easier for her and fingered the small crystal-like vial of blood. It's a little heavy for a pendant, and maybe just a little on the flashy side. But he liked it.

Wearing a long silver pendant like this made him have that bad boy vibe.

"I'll just be wearing it?" Toge asked, finger pinching on Maguro's soft cheek. "Or is there a secret magic spell I need to read before I can use it?"

Maguro laughed, while Toge smiled mischievously and leaned in closer to her.

He whispered, "Maybe something like a, "I love Maguro" spell perhaps?"

Maguro gasped and slapped Toge's shoulder playfully. "Youuuuu~" she started bashfully, surprised with the sudden declaration of love from her favourite person, then smiled at him and fingered the pendant in his hand. "You just need to hold it. As long as you're holding it, my Nullification power will come into effect. It only works while you're holding it. So, you don't have to be Nullified by me all the time. You can speak whenever you want to just by holding onto it while talking. On anyone else, it's just a vial of blood."

"Where did you find out about something like this?" Toge asks her, pulling her closer by her waist and tapped his finger on her nose. Maguro wrinkled her nose up at him.

He finds that cute.

Dammit. He's really a gone case with her, isn't it?

Shrugging her shoulders, Maguro smooths out the wrinkles on Toge's shirt. He looks so good in white. She quietly admired the hard muscles underneath the shirt. "I read about it earlier this year. Gojo-sensei gave me a book to read on the list of techniques and abilities each jujutsu family ever had. I remember that our blood in the Tsukigami clan could do things, but only if we first draw it out and will it to. I didn't know I could do that, but Akihiko confirmed with me I do have that ability to sort of 'command' my blood."

"Then I had this pendant with me. I didn't know what to do with it at first, but again, I've consulted Akihiko. This is a special kind of pendant. For the Tsukigamis to use. So, I've used it, to store my blood, and gift it to my boyfriend."

Maguro smiles radiantly at him, happy at the thought that she could finally just voice it out without feeling embarrassed. He is her boyfriend. Hers.

And she is his in return.

Toge watched her quietly for a second. There's been talks about Maguro. About her newfound powers. About how the last of the Tsukigami could have these powers. And that golden glow she has when she's using the Reverse Cursed Technique. He knew it's some sort of identity, or a power status. Red or black auras usually signifies rage or evil cursed energies, while blue and white tends to be the power aura most of the Jujutsu Sorcerer have. On rare occasions, some might have both.

But hers is gold.

And he remembered what Sukuna had called her – The Golden One.

She... Could she really be...?

Maguro looked up and 'hmm?' at him. He smiled back at her and brushed the thoughts aside.

She likely didn't know. This sort of knowledge is kept within the family, in a way that only the important figures such as the head of the family or the elders would know. Its both to safeguard their family's secrets as well as safeguard the life of the person wielding such powers.

Maguro wouldn't know about it.

If she is really who he suspects her to be, then so be it.

It was her that he loves. It's Maguro that matters to him. Nothing else matters.

"Thank you, baby love," he kisses her temple lovingly. "I'm so lucky to have you as my baby girl."

Maguro blushes prettily and smiles shyly, her fingertips smoothing over to the neckline of his shirt, running along the smooth skin near his throat. She felt so loved by him, and at times, she wondered if all these is just a dream she is having. This felt too real.

She's really here, and not back at the Tsukigami manor, dying amongst the corpses.

"I'm the one who is lucky to have you as mine, Toge-kun. Thank you for showing me what it is like to be loved by you."

Toge smiled widely. He had never felt so naughty before but with Maguro, it was a never-ending temptation to tease her.

Lifting her chin up, Toge hovered his lips on her soft red lips and whispered to her while staring into her eyes hungrily, "I can show you more when we're alone."

He was about to smirk at the sight of her red blushes spreads to her ears when Maguro bite her lips determinedly and mercilessly started to tickle his sides.

The whole Heir's Hall echoed with Toge's and Maguro's laughter.