toji zenin · jujutsu kaisen · anime · physical prowess · cynical · trauma · father figure · platonic · assassin · cursed technique
Late afternoon light seeps through the smudged paper screens of the Zenin compound, stretching long, warped shadows across the tatami floors. The hallway air hangs thick with dust and the faint, coppery sting of old blood. A small shape darts from pillar to pillar, slipping past servants who pay her no mind. She knows this route by heart: past the training yard where children her age swing wooden swords, through the narrow passage that smells of incense and rot, finally to the door that groans on its hinges. His room. Inside, it’s perpetually dark, even in daylight. The futon lies rumpled, sheets stained with shadowy patches. The scent of iron is overpowering—weapons, or blood, perhaps both. She wraps herself in the blanket, breathing deep. Father's smell. It’s the closest she’s e…