STRIFE.
( KENTO NANAMI )
written by eleanor

CHAPTER ONE: harsh truths— and even harsher goodbyes.

DESPITE BEING KNOWN FOR HER composure, SHIMIZU AIYA was not immune to bouts of anger.

  They rarely ended well. Adults and authority figures had little appreciation for backtalk. Aiya noticed that those with patience and a gentle demeanour were far more likely to succeed, but only in the short-term. So, when given the right cause, Aiya was not beyond expressing her displeasure.

Even if it costed her.

"I won't allow this."

Aiya was hardly phased. "I'm not asking permission." She'd already made her choice.

A muscle in Umi's face twitched. A tell-tale sign of rage, but Aiya wasn't discouraged. She'd been dealing with Umi's anger for the better half of a decade. It didn't little to terrify her now.

  "The arrogance..." she seethed. "Do you think the will of your family a joke?" Umi pushed the paper from her, using only one finger to slide it back to Aiya. As if the mere sight of it were an offence against her.

  It was, but Aiya wouldn't let her know that.

  "For your sake, I ask that you reconsider," Umi continued. "If you do this, you have no claim to your family's fortune."

  Aiya was annoyed now. "I don't care."

  CRACK!

  The meter stick landed just inches from where Aiya's hands were splayed against the desk. In spite of her resolve, one finger twitched. More instinct than fear. It didn't matter how many times Umi lashed out at her, the meter stick never failed to miss. The hit was deliberate.

  As principle, Umi held authority like no other. What went on within the halls of the Redwood Institute could hardly be considered virtuous, but its alumni were not dismayed. Sending their younger generations to face its wrath was a test. The purpose of the Institute was not to build up bright, blooming intellectuals. It was to groom strong, cruel heirs.

  If you could survive Redwood, you could survive anything.

  And Aiya had survived. First year was said to be the worst of it, but Aiya wasn't like the others. There was no indignation to beat out of her. No arrogance to correct.

  Aiya had been born with nothing, so she shared little of the same sensitivity as her classmates. She'd long been used to being met with indifference instead of praise. Though, the ways in which the faculty could find fault in every action was interesting, if nothing else.

  You could be crucified for nothing more than a wrinkle in your uniform. A slouch in your posture. While grades were important, there was nothing more critical than the way in which you carried yourself. Heirs were not like the rest of the world and so you were expected to act as such.

  Umi had paid particular attention to Aiya in regards to these teachings. In terms of benefaction, the Shimizu family had formed close ties with the Institute. With that now lost, everyone was looking to Aiya— the lone heir of the Shimizu family— to uphold her parent's will.

  Unfortunately for Redwood, Aiya simply had no love left in her for her parents or their will.

  "I would have thought you'd take my leave with more grace," Aiya spoke calmly.

  She pulled her hands away slowly, a deliberate defiance. You were expected to lay them out, palms flat, on Umi's desk as soon as you entered. You were expected to stand still, regardless of the pain. In her presence, pain was to be expected.

  Umi's glare was unforgiving. "Do you take our school's prestige for a joke?" She pulled the meter stick back from the desk. The stick was old. Almost as old as Umi.

  "If we simply stood by and—" Umi paused, nose furrowed as if disgusted by the word, "—allowed our students to leave as they wish, we would not have the same reputation as we do today."

  Aiya considered laughing, but thought better of it. She'd known all along that this would be difficult. Enduring Redwood was never meant to be easy and leaving it was even harder. In the first week alone, Aiya couldn't count the number of students she'd seen begging their parents to take them away. None ever did.

  And those students had been punished severely for that weakness.

  "You're well on your way to establishing yourself as deserving of your family fortune," Umi continued. "If you think yourself capable of surviving just on name alone, think again."

Aiya sighed, leaning back in her chair as she let her gaze wander the room. "This isn't about my survival— and I care little for my family's fortune." Her eyes landed like heavy weights on Umi, whose expression had gone dark.

The last surviving Shimizu smiled sweetly, "This is about you, Umi, and all the things you'll lose when I'm gone."

CRACK!

Aiya would have liked to say she was expecting the hit, but all school personnel knew better than to aim for the face. Aiya let her tongue dart from between her teeth, licking at the blood already surfacing from her split lip. She could remember distantly, somewhere deep, down inside her, that she should have been angry.

But, that was what the first month of surviving Redwood was for; beating the indignation out of you. What remains is only the memory of it. Something like resentment, but not quite.

It's a promise... though, not entirely for retribution. Aiya hardly considers herself a vengeful person. But, her resolve has its similarities. It's the notion; 'I will endure this, but at a cost.'

It's a contract. An agreement requiring no signatures. Umi had left enough marks to fulfill that qualification. Now, it was Aiya's turn.

"You know," the younger girl mused, "Even before coming to Redwood, I understood things better than the others. I know that only strict obedience is rewarded— it was you who taught me that."

Umi had the fleeting instinct to look pleased. Expectant of the apology Aiya was sure to utter. Had it been any other day, Aiya might have, but she wasn't finished.

"It's true. Patience, endurance... They're certainly fine virtues to uphold," Aiya agreed. "But, personally? I find that the payoff doesn't exactly fit the bill."

  Umi's pleased smile turned cruel. "Of course," she seethed. "You think your arrogant ramblings surprise me, Shimizu? I know better than anyone that nothing satisfies your lot."

  It took only seconds for elder woman to compose herself. She sighed, a perfect imitation of Aiya as she leaned back in her seat. The many faces of their principle had always been an interesting sight to Aiya, who watched her in half-hearted reverence.

  "For today, Shimizu, I'll humour you." Umi waved a hand as if to disregard any protest. "So, tell me, what will satisfy your hunger?"

  Nothing, Aiya thought, while another part of her whispered, 'Everything.'

  Aiya was all grace as she leaned over the edge of her chair, swiping up a file from inside her messenger bag. It was thick, but looked feather-light held between her pinched fingers. Come the following week, Aiya reckoned she would look and feel much the same.

  She said nothing as she slid the file over to Umi. Every finger participated in the action, as if to express her willing participation. As she withdrew, Aiya's fingers danced along the sharp edge of the file. Eager to flip it open and reveal the contents of its insides.

  But, Aiya was patient, just as the Umi had taught her.

It didn't take long for Umi to register what she was seeing. Shortly after opening the file, her face paled. Frantic fingers flipped through the pictures following the police report. They were the most demanding; the endless wounds in the form of bruises, cuts, and trauma. The official hospital records were most damning.

Umi screeched, flinging the file from the desk. Pens and papers followed in its wake. Aiya watched the chaos in its entirety. Calm eyes fixed especially upon Umi's furious expression.

"I won't say you're wrong." Aiya smiled, despite the fear rolling in her stomach. "Nothing will satisfy me. But, I will enjoy leaving you with this."

Scrutiny and inspection into Redwood had been ongoing for years. Much longer than Aiya had been alive. It was only thanks to its benefactors and tight-knit alumni that most investigations had gone stagnant. In matters of the rich, money solves everything...

It wouldn't solve this.

Aiya was no reporter by any means, but she was smart. Smart enough to know what evidence to gather and what to scrap. Who to contact and who to avoid. It was embarrassing how easy it was to compile all that she needed. Shameful, really, that the Institute never thought to tie up loose ends.

But, Aiya was grateful. She'd long since decided that if she were to leave the Redwood Institute, she was going to leave her mark. Whether that be through graduation, or arson. At least now she wouldn't need to explain a growing collection of flammables.

Though, for all her faults, Umi was a fighter— a fact Aiya considered with every interaction. She alone had endured Umi's attentions and all its resulting wounds. The conflicts they led to.

And it was that same familiarity which had prepared Aiya for this exact moment.

Truthfully, Umi should have expected it. But, Aiya had always been a good student. Quiet and studious. She took her lessons with a scholars grace.

So, when the meter stick swung once more, Aiya knew precisely when to duck. Deft fingers already swiping at the letter opener. When Umi missed, she stumbled, one hand reaching for the desk to steady herself.

Aiya saw the opportunity and took it. With her grip tight on the handle, she slammed the letter opener into Umi's hand. It took a minute for the principle to realize what had happened, another to understand that she should scream.

And once she started, she didn't stop. Aiya snatched the meter stick from her grasp. It didn't require much of a fight. Umi screeched as the wood came down onto her wound, still bleeding steadily. Aiya slammed the meter stick down again.

"Your tears will buy you no sympathy," Aiya recited, speaking from a distant memory. Words she held close to her chest. "And you," Aiya seethed. "You will suffer for it."

  She would have liked to linger. To leave Umi with more than just a few, minor wounds. But, Geto was waiting, and he'd warned her against anything rash. Gojo, on the other hand, had said a self-defence claim would easily fend off any charges.

Neither of them were particularly open regarding their outrage on Aiya's behalf, but she could tell it bothered them. Geto certainly seemed put-off by Redwood and its history. Aiya's community was small. A little more isolated— more private— than most circles.

And what Aiya had set into motion would do more than just expose the Institute; it would bring everything to light. Not just the viciousness of the young heirs, but their parents and the violence they demanded. The cruelty of their ownership.

They made curses seem like child's play.

It wasn't that Aiya cared for the well-being of her classmates, either. Her retaliation had nothing to do with the wrongs committed to them— and everything to do with the ones committed against her. If she were honest, arson might've been the merciful choice. At the very least, they would have had an escape.

No, the match Aiya had lit wasn't just going to just set flame to Redwood... it was going to burn it all to hell.

  "I thought we said to hurry it up."

  Aiya turned to the door as Gojo entered, followed almost immediately by Geto. She stood from her seat. Umi was still sobbing, but it was like background noise to Aiya. Geto stared at the woman, who struggled to pry out the letter-opener. Umi was babbling, switching between begging the newcomers to call the police and cursing Aiya's name.

  When Geto looked at her, Aiya tensed. "It was self-defence," she said.

  Geto's eyes moved to the mark on her cheek, Aiya instinctively brought a hand up to cover the wound. There were already a thousand lies on her lips. A force of habit. She bit down on her tongue to keep the words from tumbling out.

  "You're better than me," Geto said, "I would've gone for an eye."

  Aiya grinned, following the pair out the doors. "I considered it," she admitted. Geto chuckled, like she had just told a joke.

  "What a gloomy place," Gojo complained. He flicked at a lingering fly-head, exorcising it with ease. "Makes me want to go to church."

  "I didn't think you believed in an entity bigger than yourself," Aiya taunted. She'd spent enough time with Satoru to garner a certain understanding of his character. He was quite powerful— and the worst part was that he knew it, too.

  Gojo lifted his arms, stretching them behind his head. His smile was vicious. "I don't."

  Aiya laughed at him. If the rest of the students were anything like Geto and Gojo, she was going to enjoy her time at Jujutsu High. That was if she survived the fallout of her previous college...

▸

AN: phew !!!!!! i thought a short intro chapter would do well, especially with a mild introduction to the early beginnings of aiya's entrance into jujutsu society. we also get a sneak-peek into what her time at redwood was like... but fear not !!!! we will learn more about the shimizu family, redwood institute, and aiya in the chapters to come. i didn't want to start the book off lingering in the past. we're here for one thing and one thing only !!!! JUJUTSU SORCERER HOTTIES !!!!! so, we will delve first into how aiya becomes a student and then, later, a sorcerer. it will have a lot of reminiscing on aiya's behalf... (though, they're hardly flashbacks, dw) so for the first half, be prepared for a little less dialogue than what i usually give. i hope you enjoyed !!!!