Tamaki hasn't shown up yet and it's starting to test Maki's patience. More so, she can't help but fathom why he's taking over an hour retrieving the curse tools.

After the Shibuya incident, Yuta Okkotsu began to assemble a team to rescue Gojo from that pseudo-getou. Maki insisted on Tamaki heading to the Zenin family for some tools. Knowing his father is close with them, they would not hesitate to open their arms to his son.

Or so she thought.

Yuta stood in the corner and saw Maki's back directed at him. She just finished her conversation with Megumi, who continues to still stand against the idea of being the Zenin head. And it irked her so, since she knew she couldn't be head with that family so disapproving of her. It would be like living in a den of wolves.

"Maki..I think you should go check up on him." Yuta's soft voice calls to her. She pivots and sees Yuta's pleading eyes. Even he's nervous.

She simply lets out a 'ugh' with a hand firmly on her hip.

"Fine. Gee, That dummy probably got lost on his way there." She rolled her eyes, trying to act nonchalant around the two guys around her. She then makes her way past Yuta and walks her way back to her old home.

As she exits the building, her heart starts to race frantically. Her eyes narrow and something in the pit of her stomach tells her it's bad news.

Truth is, she was worried like Yuta. What was taking Tamaki so damn long? Getting weapons was easy in-and-out. There was no reason for him to stay longer than necessary.

"Tamaki..where are you?" She huffs under her breath as she stomps up the stairs of the old temple she was born in. She looks at its architecture and she scoffs. Nothing's changed.

An eyebrow from her features arch a bit when she notices the temple guards aren't present near the front doors. It was awfully quiet and eerie in the air. Even more so when she opens the doors and not one single person welcomed her in. Not like they would. She was at least expecting a grotesque stare from someone.

Yet, no one was in the main hall. Not a single guard, Zenin member in sight and that's when she gets in a tense stance. Her arm by instinct reaches for the hilt of her sword behind her back. She was ready to fight.

She takes the hallways and walk to the direction of the weaponry room. But nearby, a single room is open and when she looks, she can't help but scowl.

"You." She says it with venom seething out of her teeth.

"Oh, aren't you an ugly sight?"

Naoya leaned casually against the wall while sitting on a chair, hand under chin as he inspects the big scars across her face. The cropped hair she now displayed right in front of him. His face scrunches in disgust even more.

He laughs to himself,

"Can't believe that Tamaki boy has the hots for you. At least you're useful still in someone's eyes. I would've hate to have a partner or wife that looked a lot of you."

His eyes narrow in a sinister expression.

"Or even act like you."

"Likewise." Maki retorts. "I wouldn't want someone who would keep staring at my ass all the time."

"Tch."

Anyways.

She cuts to the chase, pressing further at him. Instead, he laughs further. His head motions to the weaponry.

"Why don't you see for yourself? He's behind those doors." She looks at the door for a moment before moving herself towards it.

"Hey Maki?" He calls out once more. "What's your endgame?"

"What do you mean?"

"We know you and those other brats are trying to save Gojo. But you do know it's a violation law by the elders now." He gets up from his seat. "You'll have no hope for redemption."

She looks at him boldly in the same way she talks to him after,

"Of course I know what'll happen after. I will become the head of the Zenin family."

He looks with wide eyes before snorting into fits of laughter. He holds his stomach as Maki stares with a blank face.

"Ahaha. You? Head of the Zenin? In YOUR dreams!" He exclaimed before laughing further. It was so funny to him and it made Maki growl to herself. He underestimated her for her lack of curse energy and technique. He thought she was scum. She only shook her head as he snickers silently. She turns away before walking into the doors.

What she sees when she enters the other room leaves her blood cold. She stops midway but her instincts scream at her, forcing her to run towards the two figures right in front of her.

Her father kneeled on the floor with his sword in his hands and right behind him, laid an injured Mai. Her own twin coughed blood as she slowly peers up at Maki.

"Y-You idiot! Why did you come?" She croaked out. "T-They're baiting you."

"FATHER?!" Maki exclaimed.

"There are no curse tools here, Maki." He uncrosses his legs and gets up on his feet. He comes close to her. "I anticipated what you and those rebels would do and emptied it."

Her mother, now present in the room.

"Why Maki? Can't you just do something right for once? For your sake, for this family's sake!"

Her head began to spin and her eyes still remain on her twin while her father scolds her for wanting to free Gojo. How much it would hurt him and the family. Moreover, they refuse to have Megumi as their leader.

"And for all of that, you must die." His father looks at her like she's no daughter of his. The mother obediently nods at his wishes and bows before walking out of the room. Maki watches her go, stunned by her reaction.

"Goodbye Maki..Mai." No remorse in her mouth. All because of their existence and their "lack" of power, her parents were never given the lead role for the Zenin. They despised them since.

"You're telling me things I already now. But goddammit, where the hell is Tamaki?! I want to see him, right now!"

"The Hatsumi boy, right?" Ogi asked. It was damn obvious he knew where he was. He motioned his head behind Maki and she hears the metal doors behind open. Her eyes widened and she lets out an audible gasp.

"I was just kidding~" Naoya chimes. "I actually know where he was."

He holds the boy by the hair and behold, Maki sees Tamaki brutalized and injured in the worst way possible. It's one thing to see Mai injured, but Tamaki's wounds were worse and it made Maki's blood boil. He had fresh wounds across his arms as he gurgled in his own blood. Eyepatch discarded, revealing his empty eye socket while the other one tried its best to stay open.

"M-Maki.." He whimpered.

"W-Why..why would you do this?!" She turns to her father. "Haru Hatsumi is your closest friend, is he not? Why would you do this to his son-"

"He's just as guilty as you." He snaps with his cold eyes. "He lied about the intentions of those curse tools when all he really was trying to make me an accessory to YOUR crimes!"

He shakes his head,

"We can't have that."

"Don't forget the biggest crime, uncle!" Naoya pulled the boy higher with his face inches close to his.

"And that crime is meeting Maki. Isn't that right, Tamaki?"

Tamaki mutters something. Naoya narrows his eyes and pulls him closer.

"What did you say, brat?"

"I said...f-fuck you. D-Don't talk about M-uh-maki like that."

"Oh, you like to talk dirty huh?" He pushes the boy to the ground and Tamaki lets out a groan. Maki runs to him and scoops Tamaki close to his chest. He groans some more and his eyes slowly crack open to see Maki.

Even despite all his injuries, he manages to smile. He winces for a bit but lets out a soft chuckle.

"F-Family drama, am I right?"

"Tamaki, stay with me, okay!"

"Aw, how cute!" Naoya says. "But look out, Maki. Your father would like you to turn around, please."

Maki turns around at sees her father unsheathes the sword. And with a serious look, curse energy starts to imbue around his body. He comes sprinting at her and she lightly pulls Tamaki down before grabbing her sword, clashing against him.

He was countering her with his falling blossom attack, overwhelming her than she thought. After a few lashes, he got the best of her. Twisting her wrist and forcefully throwing her down with immense strength by his energy. She thought she broke his sword right at the beginning but he tricked her, destroying her weapon with his own before tackling her down.

He started to beat her and Tamaki's eyes stare in horror.

"Nooo! Stop this!" He screams. He only watches and so does Mai, who looks for a bit before tiredly throwing her head down to the floor. Nearly unconscious for a short while.

"Want a closer look?" Tamaki screamed when Naoya grabs him by the locks again before squaring his head right at Maki.

"You just watch, okay? Watch your love one get beaten and learn her place."

"Go to hell!" He shouts, wiggling his head around his grip but it was useless. He was forced to watch. Tears welled down his cheeks as he watched Maki get beaten to a pulp by her own father.

"You guys are fuckin insane." He adds, pressing his forehead to the floor. He refused to watch any longer.

"My children..you truly are worthless." Ogi whispers before grabbing Maki by the collar and he starts to drag her, along with Mai farther from Tamaki. Tamaki snaps from his rage and he looks at Naoya and with all his strength, pushes him back before crawling fast to Maki.

"Come back, you bastard!!" He shrieks with an arm out to Maki. "Maki, Maki! Get up. Please, wake up!"

Maki groans and her head heaves up a bit. She exhales out with a heavy breath and her eyes are blurry for a second before she sees Tamaki trying to reach for her.

"T-Tamaki.."

"D-Don't hurt them, please!" He begs once more but Ogi was a hard man to see through.

"Naoya, kill that boy for me, won't you? Even that troublesome Shikigami he brought. I left it in the cage."

"Leave it to me." Naoya grins deviously. Maki's eyes shot up and she starts kicking her feet, screaming as her lover gets dragged away. His fingers so inches close to her before he's ripped away from her. He cries out her name one last time before the doors to a curse room slam behind him.

"Don't worry, Tamaki. Your death won't be in vain." Ogi muttered, thinking of planting the blame to Megumi. Haru would then have to endure another road of revenge.

Ogi throws the twins down the stairs and Maki sees blackness for a short while. Mai, on the other hand, wakes up and looks to see curse spirits staring at them like food.

They would become food in a matter of minutes.

Ogi planned on killing the three children and accuse them towards Megumi. That would make him unqualified to become Zenin head.

'Yes. that's a perfect plan.'

"Goodbye, my worthless children." He bids his farewell and leaves Mai who goes up to Maki.

She has to save her, she thinks. She grabs her by the jaw and opens her mouth to give her some air.

More air and then energy. The last of her energy to save her twin.

Maki sees herself for a brief second on a shore with Mai.

Her twin says alot.

'Silly, you know having me around will never get you to develop.' Her words echoed her ears. 'My technique isn't used to constructing big things but I used the last of it to make you a weapon..'

'Why?!' She asked.

'Because you still need to live. Live for Tamaki. Prove everyone wrong and be the next Zenin head..' Mai turns around to look at her.

Suddenly, she's five years old again. She's with her twin for one last time.

"Mai, wait! Mai!" She screams and enters reality. When she wakes up, she's in a fetal position with Mai. Her eyes are closed.

"Mai.." She calls for her but tears are already falling to her cheeks. "Mai..please, no. D-Don't leave me!"

The monsters start to swarm her.

"MAI!"

'Maki..

DESTROY EVERYTHING.'

Ogi sees Naoya pull a knife to Tamaki's neck. The boy grunts and spits out the worst possible insults he can think of. He's wrecking in fear.

"Any last- what the.."

Tamaki looks at the metal doors opening. The ones Maki was dragged into. Steam enters the room, clogging up the room.

"The curse spirits..they're all dead.." Ogi breathed out and before he can muster what was going on, his entire head was ripped from his torso. Tamaki's breath hitched at the bloody sight and he sat there, petrified.

"..M-Maki?"

His lover walked through the smoke with sword in her hand. Her face completely feral.

Even Naoya starts to break out in fear.

"Y-You have no heart, do you?!" Naoya roared with anger at seeing his uncle dead at the feet.

"He stole mines." She muttered. She then starts coming closer. Naoya pulls the knife close to Tamaki's neck.

"S-Stay back! Hey, I said...STAY BA-ACK!" Before he can finish his sentence, Maki suddenly is right at his side. His whole entire body split into two. His entire insides shown for a brief second before collapsing down in half. Tamaki pushes away and then looks at Maki.

"Maki! Oh thank god, you're safe!" He tries to hug her but she flinches a bit. He's taken aback by her actions but when he looks directly into her face. She's snarling like a wild animal at him. She takes hesitant stance and his shoulders fall at the sight.

He noticed Mai wasn't with her. He frowned deeply.

"Oh Maki..Maki, baby, I-I'm so sorry." He apologized. He felt saddened by his sister's death and Maki just stood there, teeth grinding with rage. Pure rage. But there's tears coming out of her eyes too.

He lightly takes baby steps. Walking slowly to her. Every time she makes noise of protest, he stops for a bit.

"I-It's not your fault..no matter how much guilt you feel, it's not your fault.."

"I know." She croaks out and his heart swells with much more sadness at the way she said it with despair. "It's the family, Tamaki.."

She seems she was getting to her normal side for a brief moment and when she does, Tamaki takes the opportunity to come close to her.

"Hey..come here." He pulls her to a tight embrace. His body hurts from pressing against hers but he didn't care. He held her head and her waist with his other arm. She just limps down to his embrace, no emotion in her face.

"She says I have to finish this.." She continues. Tamaki listens. "I have to destroy everything."

"Mai said that?"

"Yes."

"Do you want to do that?" He asked. In a way, he knew the answer. She talked so much hate about her family that it was sort of an obvious answer. But then there's that hunger in her eyes, a hunger for death.

"Yeah, I do."

He doesn't react to that. He doesn't act displeased nor content by it. He just closes his eyes and nods, holding her hands with his own.

Tamaki would support her through anything.

"You know Yuta is going to feel left out." He can't help but say. He sadly smiles, "After all, the three of us did make a vow."

Meanwhile, Maki looked taken aback.

"Y-You mean, you want to help me?" She asked,

"You don't think I'm a monster for this?"

"Maki..I can never see you as a monster." He pulls her close, their noses touching each other.

"Maki, you're the love of my life. I-I love you. I want to be by your side, always."

She just stares at him for a moment. Looking into him. He was serious about it all.

She scoffs,

"Tamaki, you're a fool."

She pulls his face to hers. She kisses him passionately while she snakes an arm behind the back of his head. Their tongues clash as they hold each other desperately, like this was going to be the final day they lived. But oh, how opposite that statement is. It would not be for them, but for the rest of this corrupted family.

She didn't mind to dry blood and kissed further, deeper in his mouth. She'd kissed him in the corners of the mouth before pressing her forehead against his, taking in everything.

"Alright, let's begin."

Tamaki frees Suki from the cage they left her in and went to grab his swords. Maki charged ahead of him, sword gifted by Mai.

"This is for you, Mai."

"Maki, you traitor!" She hears one say to her. Tamaki runs after her, looking around his surroundings meanwhile.

"Prepare to die?" One says. The strongest Zenin squad comes walking in, along with other family members. They huddle around the two. Tamaki and Maki presses their backs at each other.

"You're the one who's going to die." Tamaki snaps back before looking over his shoulder.

"Maki, you ready?"

"Yes." She said firmly before her eyes grow feral again. Anger pumping and singing through her blood. She's ready to destroy everything.

"I'm ready to end this."

Blood will be spilled and a new age of Zenin will start anew. With only two younglings standing in admits of corpses.

-

This chapter dedicated to the recent jjk chapters 149-150. Also dedicated to Maki and how far she's come. A great character, all in all.

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