The wind carried the stench of curses as the trio trudged back to the main road. Their uniforms were bloodied and scuffed—Kishibe's coat torn at the collar, Geto's sleeves soaked with remnants of the exorcised spirit, and Gojo's blindfold hanging loose from one temple.
No one spoke for a while.
Finally, Gojo broke the silence. "Well, that was fun."
"Your definition of fun needs adjustment," Geto said dryly, brushing grime off his hands. "We almost died twice."
"But we didn't," Gojo grinned. "Thanks to our resident executioner."
He jerked his thumb at Kishibe, who merely wiped his blade against his pants and sheathed it.
"You good?" Gojo asked, falling into step beside him.
"Fine," Kishibe muttered. "You need to stop talking so much mid-fight."
"But it keeps me calm," Gojo quipped, then turned serious. "You were pretty incredible today."
Kishibe didn't reply, but Geto joined them, voice low. "You're reckless sometimes. But when you move, it's decisive. You don't flinch."
Kishibe stopped walking.
"I can't afford to flinch."
They stared at him, sensing more beneath the words.
Gojo clapped a hand on his shoulder. "Hey. We don't expect you to carry everything. We're a team."
Kishibe looked at him for a long second. "You keep saying that like it means something."
Geto nodded. "It does."
---
Later that night, the trio gathered around a small fire near their lodging. A quiet lull settled over them, the warmth of flames cracking against the cold Tochigi air.
"I hated you when we first met," Kishibe said suddenly.
Gojo nearly choked on the rice ball he was chewing. "Excuse me?"
"You were loud. Arrogant. Had this… glow about you. Like nothing could touch you."
Gojo snorted. "I mean, true."
Kishibe shot him a glare. "But you weren't invincible. You just acted like you were."
Geto added, "He still does."
"I hated both of you," Kishibe said with a half-smirk. "Geto, with your calm speeches and smartass tone. I thought you two were everything I wasn't."
They were quiet again.
"And now?" Geto asked.
Kishibe didn't answer immediately. He stared into the fire. "Now I think… if I didn't meet you both, I would've been dead a long time ago."
Gojo leaned back on his elbows. "That's the nicest thing anyone's ever said to me."
"Shut up."
"I'm serious. You're like our brooding attack dog. Wouldn't trade you for anyone."
Geto smiled. "We're not perfect. But we make sense, together."
Kishibe closed his eyes. "Yeah… we do."
They didn't talk much after that. But the silence was different. Warmer. Like something old had begun to crack open, letting something new take root beneath the ash.
And beneath that quiet night sky, the monster trio—so different, so scarred—shared a peace they rarely had the luxury to feel.
Even if tomorrow meant blood again, tonight they had each other.
And for now, that was enough.