Chapter Text
The snow, white as his hair, fell slowly; neither the cold nor the snow penetrated the barrier of his infinity. Satoru, the heir of the Gojo Clan, stood in the western garden of the clan's estate, which overlooked a grove that was then divided by a wall to separate it from the rest of the forest. As a child, he used to hide from his teachers there; he enjoyed making the clan anxious because they couldn't find their precious heir and user of Infinity and the Six Eyes. He also remembered playing nearby with Suguru when his family visited; his family visited frequently since the clan learned that in a nearby village there was a boy with the ability to store and use curses, so the clan worked hard to make new alliances to have more strong and talented allies in the future. He also vaguely remembered a cluster of cherry blossom flowers in the middle of the grove, even though there wasn't a single cherry tree on the estate.
“Master Satoru” said a maid who had just arrived behind him, giving a half bow. He simply turned to look at her as a sign of recognition. “Your father has sent for you; he is in the main tea room.”
He grunted slightly in annoyance; the old man had been nagging him for the past few weeks about finding a mate and having pups once and for all to ensure the clan's future. Despite being an alpha, Satoru never showed any interest in finding a mate. At clans banquets, when they hired omegas that danced and sang to entertain, they approached him with the intention of attracting him, only to be disappointed when they realized that not even their fermons nor their bodies were welcome. Many other omegas and betas had come away looking foolish and ashamed after trying to seduce him, only to fail. He headed towards the tea room, passing through the light-toned wooden hallways of the estate, the servants he encountered lowering their heads as he passed. The maid who had been summoned walked behind him; he recognized her instantly. She was one of his mother's personal servants. Great, now he would not only have to deal with his father's lecture but also his mother's scolding for being an alpha who didn't think about the future of his own clan, in her opinion. This lecture was just a waste of time; they had interrupted his precious rest just to give the same old lecture.
He entered the tea room, and that's where he was truly surprised. He saw not only his father and mother, but also two old mans in fine clothes and Suguru. His mother, her black hair held back with at least ten hairpins, wore a white silk kimono, which wasn't ideal given the cold, but she was used to spending cold days warmed by a fireplace and attended to by her maids. His father, like Satoru himself, wore a semi formal gray wool kimono with a semi formal midnight blue haori, unlike Satoru's, which was light blue. Suguru wore black hakama with a purple wool haori, his black hair tied back with a silver hairpin that Satoru had given him some years ago. Satoru knew his friend well enough to recognize these subtle signs in his face and body language when something clearly bothered him. Everyone else was already gathered around the low table, seated on tatami mats with cushions, and his mother sat on a low bench. The maids were serving tea, and sweets on the table were being replaced with fresher ones. His parents were seated side by side, facing the door through which Satoru had just entered. The old men were on the left side of the table, and Suguru was on the right side in the second seat, so Satoru took the seat next to Suguru, the seat closest to his father.
"So? Why did you call me?" he says, trying to make his voice sound as annoyed as possible.
"These are Takeda Yorihisa and Saito Michinaga. They will be in charge of finally finding you a suitable partner, given your apparent disinterest," his father said, looking at him. His father's dark eyes met Satoru's distinctive blue eyes. Being the user of the Six Eyes not only set him apart from the rest in terms of sorcery, but it was also physically reflected in his unique white hair and his precious eyes. "Lord Takeda will find you a partner among the nobles, and Lord Saito will do so among the sorcerers. We brought you here not to ask for your permission. I am still the leader of this clan, and I will order and do what is best for its interests. However, your mother felt that if we must force you to choose a partner, you should at least have a say in some of their qualities."
His father was a strict alpha, not interacting much with anyone other than his mother and other powerful sorcerers within the clan, some of whom were Satoru's own uncles or cousins. His mother, on the other hand, was a social beta who doted on his father, always thinking of him and the family's best interests. Although this was what many alphas wanted in a partner, Satoru himself couldn't see himself with someone like his mother, or anyone else for that matter. Even though his mother was only present for brief moments in Satoru's life, she always looked out for him in one way or another, calming most of the arguments he had with his father.
"You're 25 now," said his father. "It's time you settled down. All the other clan heirs are engaged or already have partners. The longer you remain single, the more doubts there will be about the clan's future and your future ability as a good leader.”
"It's very much in my interest to know your requests regarding a partner, young master," one of the elders said. To tell the truth, Satoru didn't pay attention when his father introduced them; he didn't care who was who, after all, they both had the same job, much to Satoru's displeasure.
"I don't care," Satoru said curtly. "As long as they are obedient enough to spread his legs and have pups, they should be good enough for what the clan is looking for."
Her mother's face twitched in disgust, and out of the corner of her eye he could see Suguru trying to suppress a smile.
"There are many noble omegas on the marriage market right now," the other old man mentions. I think he's the one named Takeda. "One of the emperor's granddaughters is of marriageable age, seventeen, a little younger than the young master, but there shouldn't be any problem with her fertility since she's an omega. I've been told she's quiet but adores jewelry. I'm sure she wouldn't have any trouble convincing her father and the emperor, given the clan's importance and honor.”
"The daughter of the sorcerer Iori is also ready to marry," Saito said. "I understand that while her technique isn't for combat, it can enhance other techniques. This could be of great help not only to the young master but also to other sorcerers of the Gojo clan. Furthermore, she's an omega, and if I remember correctly, she's almost the same age as the young master, 24 years old."
"If I may offer my opinion," Suguru said, addressing the current leader, to which Satoru's father simply nodded in approval. "Iori's daughter wouldn't be a good choice. I know from sources close to her that she's currently being courted by a sorceress..."
"There is no other sorcerer who is a better option than the young master," Saito interrupts. "I am sure that if we go to the sorcerer Iori, he will be more than happy to give his daughter to the Gojo clan."
"Furthermore," Suguru continued, "Satoru and Iori's daughter have never had a good relationship. I doubt there will be any pups after the wedding coming from two people who hate each other; it wouldn't be in the clan's best interests."
Satoru mentally thanked Suguru for removing Utahime from the list. If he objected, he was sure his father would think he was just trying to avoid the whole topic of mating, and Utahime would have been in probability to become Satoru's future partner. While that was only a small percentage chance, he wasn't sure he wanted to risk it. Utahime would kill him, and Mei Mei would skin him alive, when she learns that he is courting her beloved dancer, but not before he commits suicide himself.
His father and the elders continued talking for some time. Suguru and his mother occasionally made comments, but Satoru lost track of the conversation after the second cup of tea. He was completely absorbed in eating plate after plate of sweets, to the point that the maids brought two portions: one for the center of the table and another to place in front of their young, sweet-toothed master. He managed to catch a few names now and then, like Ieiri Shoko, which Suguru dismissed, saying that Satoru had already rejected her in the past and that Shoko's father was very offended by it. This was just one of the many lies Suguru told to avoid known omegas and betas. As far as Satoru knew, Suguru was planning to court Shoko, and Shoko was quite happy about it. This courtship was only meant to get her father to stop pressuring her to marry an alpha who has been chasing her, Suguru, for his part, had no interest in a relationship, and his parents agreed. So, after the joke came up at one of his gatherings with other friends, they decided that Suguru and Shoko would be "madly in love since childhood," and Satoru would be "a witness to their great love." But unfortunately for Satoru, finding someone for a fake marriage wasn't an option. His parents wanted results, and those results were pups.
"My lord," said a maid, slightly opening the door and bowing her head, "The representatives of the Zenin clan have arrived."
Satoru and his father would meet at least once a month with the representatives or leaders of the clans that were on par with the Gojo clan. One of these was the Zenin clan, known for their alpha supremacy and their powerful inherited technique, ‘Art of the Ten Shadows.’ The second was the Kamo clan, who possessed techniques that Satoru recalled reading about as ‘Blood Manipulation.’ If he remembered correctly, the next leader was Chousou Kamo. He remembers speaking with him at some of the clan meetings, a quiet, reserved man with an intelligent gaze and a mark above his nose. They were the same age. And lastly, the Itadori clan. Most people know little about them; even Satoru himself has only found little information about them. First, they possess powerful and varied techniques, and second, they not only have an incredible amount of cursed power among their members but are also far more resistant and stronger compared to other sorcerers. Satoru has heard that they rival those with Celestial Restrictions in strength and speed. But Satoru remembers something else about the Itadori clan. He believes it was some years ago, at a clan gathering where he met one of the grandsons of the current clan leader Wasuke Itadori, Sukuna, though a teenager at the time, was already said to have defeated hundreds of men and sorcerers. They said his power rivaled even Satoru Gojo's, and that he possessed not only immeasurable strength but also a thirst for blood, violence, and a temper like a thousand demons. Satoru didn't think much of him back then, a pink-haired alpha teenager sitting by his grandfather's side during the meeting, doing nothing but observing everyone else in the room the way one does with cockroaches.
“Take them to the south garden and prepare the tea," said the clan leader. "I believe our time is up. Saito, Takeda, I've entrusted you with what I've asked of you. We'll meet again in two weeks with the complete profiles of all the potential matches."
Both old men withdrew once Satoru's father left the room. His mother glanced at her son as the maids helped her into a fur coat to ward off the cold. Once they were alone, Satoru took the remaining plates of sweets and placed them in front of him, while Suguru relaxed his posture.
“How desperate is my father that he called you to convince me? I thought I had no choice in the decision.”
"Actually, it was your mother," Suguru says as he steals a sweet from Satoru’s plate. "She cares about you even if she doesn't show it much. She wants you to have a good partner that you like, and since she knew you weren't going to participate in the conversation, she called your wise and handsome best friend to give your opinion."
“Wise and handsome best friend? I thought Nanami was too busy with work to visit me.”
"I'm talking about me, idiot" Suguru said with a fake angry grimace.
“How's Shoko doing?”
“I just sent a letter to her father; they will most likely come next week to discuss the final details.”
“Congratulations on your very loving, happy, and real upcoming marriage, I hope you have many pups very soon. I hope they look like their mother.”
Suguru playfully hit him on the shoulder and they remained silent for a while as the snacks were finished.
"Seriously, Satoru," the dark-haired man began, "I think you'd better take this a little more seriously. This is the person you're going to spend the rest of your life with. Besides, you should consider that it's not just torture for you; most omegas are terrified at the idea of marrying. Could you at least be a little less of an idiot than usual?"
“Yeah, sure” she said with her mouth full of sweets “By the way, how's that book you were telling me about last time?”
Suguro recognized the signal to change the conversation topic instantly; fine, at least he tried. They continued chatting for some time about trivial things and exchanging news among the sorcerers. By the time he dismissed Suguru, it was almost sunset. Time flies when people procrastinate their responsibilities. He ordered the maids to bring her dinner to her room; he wanted to train a little, shower, eat, and then sleep until the next day. There would be more time to finish his duties in the morning.
Damn it! He just remembered that the next clan meeting was in four days. He'd ask his father about it, as he remembered that this would be one of the few times they'd meet in Itadori territory; the meetings had to be held at various locations to ease tensions between the clans. Shit, he'd have to see that obnoxious brat Sukuna in his own territory. At least he will be free of work during the next six days, because Itadori’s estate takes about two days to arrive by horse and it is common to stay at least one night when hosting it in a clan’s principal estate.