She used to be weak, not pathetically so, but definitely not as strong as she made herself out to be. Nearly all her life had been filled with resentment, for her family, for her sister.
She had shocked herself when she had made the decision to sacrifice her own life.
It was for her sister of course.
The last thing she remembered was the sound of her sisters voice, screaming her name, calling out to her even as she pushed all of her cursed energy into doing one last thing for her sister.
Because as much as she liked to act like she hated her, she knew that she loved her sister dearly, and her sister loved her all the same.
There was a brief moment of searing pain, her skin had felt like it was melting. A lone tear slid down her cheek as she closed her eyes one last time.
Only to open them again moments later.
There was light, blinding but warm.
She couldn't move and breathing was difficult. The air smelled strange, sterile, with hints of incense and something sweet. Something instinctual took over and she screamed, her new lungs filling the air with the sound of a newborn's wail.
An enormous figure hovered over where she was trapped. Suddenly she was shifted slightly so that the light wasn't in her face anymore and she saw them.
She realised something then… she had been reborn.
The woman's hair was pink, with flecks of green on the ends. Her soft green eyes glowing with pride and unfiltered joy.
The man standing over the bed where her new mother held her made her cries catch in her throat. White hair, smug grin that women would call handsome, and those eyes… she would never forget them anywhere.
'The Six Eyes…'
Her cries slowly faded despite her wanting to scream her frustrations to the world. The gentle rocking in the arms of her new mother had calmed her more than she would like to admit.
Still, 'What's he doing here?! Gojo Satoru? Same face, same stupid sunglasses… did he reincarnate into himself? No way… NO… he can't be my new dad… what the fu—'
Her thoughts raced, she hadn't really believed the whole reincarnation thing. Yet here she was, a newborn, being cradled by a woman with the pinkest hair ever, being smiled at by Gojo fucking Satoru.
Before her brain could spiral further, her world shifted again as her mother adjusted her hold, in her arms was another baby.
Their eyes met for a brief moment and she felt a strange connection with who she assumed was her twin sister.
'Twins again huh?'
Her sister felt familiar, like a memory she didn't dare voice even if she could talk as a newborn.
Finally, exhaustion swept over her. Her eyes drifted shut beyond her control, that lingering feeling of familiarity never fading from her heart.
[Scene Break]
Being trapped in an infant's body when her mind was very much intact was a jarring experience.
Her new parents, Mitsuri and Satoru… yes, her dad even had the same name as that smug bastard, were relentless in their affection.
Mitsuri doted endlessly, dressing her and her twin, Himari, in matching outfits. Her personal favourite was when her mother would softly hum lullabies as she put them into bed. She had never felt that much warmth from one person before.
Her mothers overwhelming kindness and love dulled the sharp edges around her heart before she knew it.
Satoru on the other hand, was exactly the kind of man she'd expected that face to belong to. Arrogant, playful, disturbingly perceptive. He liked to appear and disappear just to make Himari laugh, and before she knew it, she was cooing happily too.
Then there was her fathers cat… named Mei-Mei. She wondered if the universe was playing a trick on her. First her father who looked exactly like Gojo Satoru, being born as a twin again, and now a white cat named after that woman.
Not that she really minded, Mei-Mei was every bit her fathers pet. The fluffy ball of fur wore the same sunglasses her father wore. Hikari often wondered how they stayed on.
She had older siblings too, Ai and Akira.
Ai was the oldest, a near mirror image of their mother. Pink hair that usually hangs loosely framing her soft features, light green eyes, a smug grin that she definitely inherited from their father.
Akira was her older brother, a small clone of their father, only with pink hair and without the Six Eyes. Instead he had inherited their mothers soft green.
Hikari had nearly threw up when she found out that she had inherited THE Six Eyes. Her father had been explaining how he had fought demons and curses before he and their mother had decided to settle down.
Hearing 'war stories' and getting told that you have world changing eyes while also being comforted that nothing terrible would happen because 'Papa is the strongest papa in the world' wasn't something she expected to be doing as a baby. But wouldn't have expected anything less of the man that bore Gojo's resemblance.
Her twin sister Himari, was like a storm wrapped in soft blankets. Her father had told her that Himari was born three minutes earlier, so she was technically the youngest.
At that point she had stopped minding all the coincidences with her two lives matching up.
Every time Himari would grab her hand as they both went to sleep, she would feel that familiar spark. Yet, she never hated it, not like she would have acted in her past life.
[Scene Break]
In the last three years her vocabulary blossomed faster than her sisters. She secretly enjoyed how cute Himari was when she'd puff out her cheeks in a pout.
"Hika…wi… show off." Himari muttered one afternoon.
She fought back a giggle and kept her face as impassive as a little three year old could.
"Correct." She had replied while sipping apple juice like an old woman.
Their father had casually explained something to her twin sister that shocked her later that day.
"Well, Hikari's inherited Limitless as well as the Six Eyes sweetpea… you have a Heavenly Restriction, that's why your Ai-neechan, and Akira-niichan can do those flashy things. Don't worry though… your strength is your gift. You'll be stronger than all of them combined."
He had laughed, Hikari felt something in her chest, something like fierce protectiveness for her twin. She had been in this position before, she didn't want something like her past life to happen again.
But her mother, as if sensing her thoughts, swooped down, and enveloped both twins in her arms with a radiant smile.
"And don't forget… it doesn't matter what special abilities you have, Papa and Mama love you all so much, you're our precious children after all."
Her father had ruffled their heads, tousling their hair. His grin was infuriatingly genuine. "Yeah… none of that old clan bullsh- cough- nonsense. You're ours, and we're too cool for that clan nonsense."
Her throat had tightened, this was the exact opposite of what she had unknowingly been expecting.
[Scene Break]
By age six she had grown fully used to the chaos that was their household. Her mothers laughter as she went about doing chores. Her father doing whatever it was he did to kill time or spending time with her and her siblings.
Her siblings filled the house with noise and warmth. Ai, ever the clever and slightly chaotic older sister, would drag her and Himari along for her 'plots'. These plots often ended in some form of disastrous mishaps. Like that one time they had accidentally caused a power outage in Kyoto because Ai wanted to 'borrow' the mochi vendor for the day to surprise their mother.
Akira, her brother was still in his 'copy everything father does' phase. Currently he was wearing sunglasses even when it was dark out and usually crashed into things after loudly proclaiming that everyone would witness his Domain.
Himari was everywhere she was, always challenging, always laughing, always grabbing her hand when she could to pull her outside to play or climb trees.
She was sunfire to Hikari's steady flame and despite herself, Hikari found herself looking forward to whenever Himari would drag her off for another 'adventure' into their backyard.
She told herself it was to make up for how she had treated her sister in her past life. But really, she just loved spending time with her twin sister.
[Scene Break]
By age nine, her powers had almost fully matured. She trained with her father most days when he wasn't out fighting curses or a stray demon.
Out of her two other siblings who had inherited Limitless, she had the Six Eyes, the legendary eyes that she had originally thought could only exist in one person at a time. Her birth and her fathers existence had proven that notion to be false.
She also saw just how unfair of an advantage Gojo Satoru had in her old life. Everything was crystal clear, she could pick out individual dust particles and even see residual cursed energy in the air.
She didn't want to wear a blindfold like Gojo, or constantly wear sunglasses like her father. So she usually kept her eyes closed to alleviate the strain the eyes put on her brain.
Like the blindfold and sunglasses, keeping her eyes closed 'dulled' the information her eyes took in but didn't make her blind.
Her father taught her everything he knew, from the strange 'Breathing Form' she had never heard about in her old life that she assumed was an ancient Gojo clan secret, to his curse techniques.
He was… an exasperating mentor. Always proud when she got even the slightest advancement to her new skills. But she secretly liked it, it was a breath of fresh air from how she and her sister had been treated by her old family.
Mei-Mei was a constant presence in the corner of her vision. Which was surprising since her eyes gave her a near perfect view of everything around her. Even if she teleported with her father the cat was always there, watching her, her tail flicking back and forth as if watching something particularly interesting.
Yet despite it all, the profound strength she and her sibling wielded, the loving family she now had, her twin sister that followed her everywhere she went. She found herself sitting quietly by the koi pond, reflecting on her past.
And sometimes, a name she hadn't spoken in years rose up in her chest like a ghost from the grave.
[Scene Break]
She was eleven years old now, a far cry from the bitter, broken young woman she had been in her past life. She wasn't just a bright eyed girl that everyone around her saw either… she was something more.
She was calm, sharp, and quietly observant. Her sister, had grown along next to her, still a whirlwind of strength and joy. Ai's 'schemes' had grown even more elaborate, and Akira, was somehow still in his 'copy everything' their father did.
Hikari liked to think she was the balancing force to the chaos that was her family.
One winter evening, snow drifting softly outside, she sat alone at her usual spot by the koi pond. Mei-Mei sitting on her lap, purring lazily. The waters' surface rippled as the fish swam beneath the pool of water.
She thought of her old life, the cruelty, the disdain her old family had for her and her sister and the one person she used to always have beside her despite it all.
"I wish you could see this…" she whispered to no one, her breath fogging in the air, "you'd laugh wouldn't you, seeing me like this… seeing who my father looks and acts like…"
Her chest tightened.
"I wish you were here… Maki." Her voice caught in her throat as she fought back tears.
She heard a faint gasp behind her, she stiffened. She slowly turned around, and there behind her was her twin sister.
She watched a range of emotions flash across Himari's face. Confusion, shock, and realisation all at once.
"What did you say…" Himari whispered.
Hikari thought of a thousand different things to say, excuses to give, but nothing came out. She slowly stood up, ignoring Mei-Mei's annoyed yowl. She walked over to Himari and pulled her into a hug.
"Sorry… I- I was just talking to myself." She didn't even believe herself, but she couldn't tell her sister that she had lived a different life before.
"Neechan… I-"
Hikari noticed how her sister hesitated at first, but then hugged her back, for a moment they stayed like that. Then Himari spoke again, shocking her into a daze.
"You always did talk to yourself when you thought no one was watching… Mai."
'What?!'
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[AN: And that's the third side story done… I think I 'cooked' with this one lads, let me know what you think.]