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Nanako stared down at her chipped nails, bitten to the stubs from her anxiety; her pride and joys ruined. Her father had always humored her love for cute nails and expressing herself. He had put up with her and Mimiko playing with his hair even. Biting back a sob, she crouched down, tucking her face into her sweater clad palms. The rough fibers scrubbing away at the tears.
Their father tried his best for them, always protected them, and gave them everything they could ask for. He was their savoir and yet they couldn’t get him back. That nasty body snatcher had paraded around in his body, fooling no one. But they couldn’t leave; they couldn’t let that monster out of their sights. No, they’d sit there biding their time trying to figure out how to remove the parasite that was acting as their father.
They thought that Sukuna could be reasoned with, bribed with more fingers to help get rid of the parasite. But no Nanako had sat there kneeling before him as he destroyed her twin’s head, was it sliced did it explode? She didn't even have the time to find out. It was there one second and gone the next; she had raised her phone trying to use her technique, but the next second she was back in time.
It was so cruel to give her back her family taunting her as it was going to be destroyed again. She couldn’t go through with this again, she couldn’t sit there watching her father killed and replaced, couldn’t sit there and see her sister destroyed by Sukuna again. No.
She would fix it. She would. Even if she died trying, she would make sure her family made it out alive. Nanako was a selfish selfish girl. She knew that. She didn’t care for her father’s rhetoric really, but it had been his goal and so she followed. But if his goal will lead him to his death, then Papa’s girl is going to have to go through her rebellious phase.
Chocking back one last sob, brushing her tears off one last time; she pushed herself back up. Undoing her messy bun she brushed it out with her fingers before tying it like how she sees her father wear his hair. She was her Papa’s girl.
Tucking her phone into her pocket, she silently made her way to her father’s room. The hallways were quiet; nobody was awake tonight. Mimiko was still tucked in her bed from when she had silently darted out to have her breakdown. Glancing down at her feet she was happy that the socks she was wearing were thick enough to soften the sounds of her walking as she approached her father’s room.
Silently she pushed the door open; the hinges well-oiled enough that they didn’t creek. Peeking in, she spotted her father, stich-less, fast asleep in his bed. This was a good night for her to land back on as her father struggled with sleeping. Creeping in slowly she made her way to his bed, reaching the bed side table closest to the door she unhooked his phone. Papa will have to forgive her sticky hands later.
Crouching down, she made sure the phone cord lay on the floor, so it didn’t have a chance of falling and making noise. She gave a long look at the sleeping form of the man, engraving the sight of his un-marked forehead into her brain before silently turning and exiting the room. She took her time to close the door, ensuring the click of the doorknob slotting into place wouldn’t trigger.
It wasn’t until she had softly padded three halls away that she gave a deep sigh of relief. Her nerve-wracking heist was successful.
She stood in the hallway for a minute just to recollect her nerves before she continued forth. It wouldn’t be safe until she was out of the building, away from any curses that her papa could have monitoring her.
Stopping at the entrance she threw on a pair of her father’s slides. Was she taking creature comfort in wearing them in all their too big glory? Yes. But right now she needed that. She needed her memories of how her father basically hand raised them after he took them in. The simplistic joy of wearing a father’s shoes to go outside, she missed it. She missed playing around and having fun.
Tucking her sweater into her palm she rubbed at her nose, it was clogged up from all the crying.
She was brave, and she was strong.
That was the mantra she kept chanting to herself as she made her way outside, standing in the brisk night air under the moon. She was her papa’s brave girl.
Bringing her father’s phone out from her pocket she held it in both hands , cradling it gently, before pressing it against her forehead.
Please.
Please.
Please Work.
With one last sniffle getting to her from her now clogged nose she turned the screen on.
Entering the passcode to the phone was easy, it was Mimiko and her’s birthday, staring up at her was the background screen. Her father’s ‘friend’, aka a clusterfuck of a relationship.
It was a selfie from their school time, a brunette girl was peeking from the bottom, but it was obviously cropped on the background to showcase her father and Gojo.
Ignoring her father’s privacy, she opened his contact list; she knew he had Gojo’s number. Her father was sentimental to a fault. It wasn’t hard at all to find the man as he had a moon emoticon in front of his name causing it to go to the top of the contact list.
She calmed her nerves and with a press of a finger she hit call.
It was 3 am, the phone call instantly got picked up.
She gave a weak smile at that, they were the worst.
“Suguru? What are you doing calling me?” The other’s voice called out on the phone, rightfully under the assumption that it’d be her father.
Tucking the phone to her ear she started the dreaded conversation.
“It’s not Suguru, I need your help.” Nanako hated how weak her voice sounded. It was obvious she had been crying, she feels like her throat is coated in slime.
“One of his girls then?” He asked after a hefty pause, not sounding too upset thankfully.
“Mn. Can...” Nanako drifted off for a second before looking back at the building. “Can you come get me? I need to talk to you.”
Nanako rubbed at her nose again, mucus was definitely defeating her today. She felt gross and grimey. But it was definitely better than her experience in Shibuya, she will never forget that feeling nor sight.
“.... Just so you know if you’re tryna trap me it won’t work.” It was delivered in a joking tone causing her to hitch a small laugh, sniffling again right after.
“ ‘Ts just me.” She responded as the air suddenly shifted.
Peering up at the tall man now standing in front of her holding his phone to his ear still. “Afraid I didn’t bring any tissues for ya’ now what’s so important that you have Suguru’s phone.”
She could feel the bandage covered eyes tracking her appearance; she knew she looked a mess. Ending the call, she tucked the phone back into her pocket before fiddling with her sweater, ignoring the wetness caused by both tears and snot.
“Please save my family.”
Nanako bowed deeply, her nails biting into her knees as she stayed bowing. “I-I... I can’t watch my family die again.” Standing straight up she rubbed at her eyes trying to force herself to not cry again. All the crying was hurting her eyes and giving her a headache at this point.
“Again? What do you mean again?” Gojo cocked his head as he tilted down to put his head at her eye-level. “Ima’ need you to not cry ya’ know. Now what do you mean. Again.”
Nanako could feel the pressure building up around her, anymore and her father would probably notice. Quickly she hooked her hand around his wrist, infinity blocking her of course. “We can’t talk about it here, you’re gonna’ wake up father.”
Gojo tilted his head further before grabbing ahold of her, and then suddenly they were at a school.
Blinking Nanako took in the sight of where her father went to school at, it felt weird trying to imagine that. But before she could even delve into that in the first place Gojo snapped his fingers by her ear to bring her attention back.
“Now explain little missy, you brought me out so late at night after all.”
Nanako shifted her weight uncomfortably before tugging at his infinity coated hand into one of the classrooms so they could sit. She wasn’t gonna try and regale everything standing. She was mentally and emotionally exhausted.
“You kill my father on December 24, 2017.” She bluntly states once they settle down into one of the wooden student chairs. She fiddles with her phone in a self-soothing manner as the words settle onto the other man. The pressure of his energy weighing down the room quickly. “My sister and I die October 31, 2018. I don’t know all the information; I can only provide you with what I do know...”
Nanako trails off, peeking up at the man through her bangs. She doesn’t want to be seen as crazy, but if it’ll save her family she will at least try.
Gojo sits stiffly in front of her before leaning forward, propping his elbows on his knees. The position once again causes him to align himself to her face. Nanako flickers her gaze down and away before sniffling again.
“Tell me everything Lil’ Missy.”
With a deep sigh, Nanako licked her chapped lips before opening her mouth.
“Everything went downhill due to Stitches.”