Chapter 1: The Sprout Gets Overrun
Chapter Text
Something smells.
There’s…laughter.
Why do you feel so heavy?
“...light…best in…esh…”
Someone there?
“...curse…fle…so…ring…”
Something rips.
“Where…peop…the women?!”
What?
“...wonderful era…”
Era?
“Women…children…crawl…rywhere like…”
You focus on the voice.
“Marvelous!”
How? Why?
“It’ll be a massacre!”
You reach out and blindly try to grab the person…creature? Thing? Doesn’t matter right now, you keep reaching and reaching until you feel something utterly wrong and dark in front of you and yank it back away from the forefront. The distant laughter cuts off and suddenly—
You blink at your top-half exposed body. You immediately wrap your arms around yourself and turn away—
You then pivot in the opposite direction because there’s someone else here!
“What the fuck?” You hiss under your breath, face burning with embarrassment. Someone else is here with you on this— what is this? The rooftop? — and probably— no, most definitely seen your breasts—!
“Don’t move,” You freeze at the serious voice behind you, male by the sounds of it. Well, doesn’t that paint a pretty picture of the situation you find yourself in. “You’re no longer human. Under Jujutsu regulations, Itadori Yuuji, I will exorcise you as a curse!”
Heh…?
You stiffly turn around and over your shoulder to see your kidnapper— that is a child. That is a stupidly spikey black-haired child, a bleeding teenager, who’s glaring at you with true fear in his eyes. He’s also wearing some strange dark clothes and is kneeling on one leg, fists clenched reaching out at you. When you include whatever the fuck he just spouted at you a second ago, you would’ve surmised he was a very passionate cosplayer or something instead of your kidnapper. His fucking shadow doing a very weird, ink-like, rippling dance around him says otherwise. But nevermind any of that, he is still bleeding .
“What the fuck,” You whisper with absolute stress in your voice as you tentatively turn around to properly face him. You’re still covering your chest. “Dude, we need to get you to an ER.”
Then something seems to…retreat inside your body. Very confused and very concerned, you take a glance at yourself and see black markings disappearing from your bod— this is not your body. This is— wha— this is not your body.
“What the fuck…” At this point, you’re a broken recorder. But can anyone blame you? You’re in someone else’s body and it’s not the same fucking gender. And you feel like you’re suffocating under a certain heavy gaze you cannot see.
You take another glance at the boy in front of you and, yep, his shadow is still being weird, and he’s still in that weird position, and why the fuck do you feel like you’ve seen all of this before?
“What’s the situation?”
…
Holy shit, you seriously got fucking iseki-ed .
“Gojo-sensei?!” The boy, Megumi , your mind supplies, drops his hands followed by his shadow dispersing as he whirls around to look at fucking Gojo Satoru. I mean, seriously, who can forget that iconic white hair and blindfold combo?! “Why are you here?”
“Hey~!” Gojo waves at his student with an easy grin, “I wasn’t planning on coming but man, you’re all roughed up. The second-years are gonna love this.” And then proceeds to publicly humiliate Megumi as he spams the button on his phone, the camera flashing and the snapshot sounds growing rapidly.
Hello? Sir? The child is bleeding. Please take him to that lady doctor of yours already. You internally plead as you blankly stare at the scene in front of you.
“The higher-ups wouldn’t shut up about a missing special-grade cursed object while I was sightseeing so I stopped by,” The man-child finally relents as he scrolls down the screen on his phone instead (the heathen uses light mode) before glancing back at Megumi. “So, did you find it?”
Here you go, say the line, “Um,” you raise your a hand, garnering Gojo’s attention before continuing, “I ate it…sorry?” Nailed it.
A beat.
“For real?” If the situation wasn’t so bizarre right now and you didn’t feel like you were being watched, you would’ve burst out laughing at the obvious disbelief in Gojo’s voice and that frozen smile of his.
“For real,” you and Megumi both simultaneously answer.
Then Gojo is suddenly very close to you, startling you back as you take a step away from him and your— no, Yuuji’s arms tighten around his chest. You tense under the other’s stare. “Damn, it really did combine with you,” Gojo chuckles as he leans away from your space, “That’s hilarious.”
You beg to differ, sir. The child that’s maybe gone and you possibly indirectly killed (you’ll deal with that later) ate a crusty, mummified finger and now you’re dealing with the consequences.
“Anything off with your body?”
This is not your body. You give him a shake of the head as in ‘no’.
“Can you swap out with Sukuna?”
Your unwanted roommate seemed to perk up and you furrowed your brows at Gojo. “Why?”
“I wanna test something,” You sent the man-child an annoyed glare for his vague reply and he chuckled as he waved a hand, “How well can you control the curse?”
That just makes you frown even deeper. You understand what he’s doing but the problem is you’re not Itadori Yuuji. If you swap out— whenever you figure out how to, that’s another problem fuck— you could lose control of this body and let what basically amounts to the fucking devil run berserk.
“Just give us ten seconds,” Gojo’s confident voice snaps you out of your thoughts and you see him stretching, preparing for the small clash. “Once that time is up, come back to us.”
He says that so easily. “But…”
“Don’t worry, I’m the strongest,” You give the cocky man a dry stare as that manga panel of his dead expression on a Twitter post pops up in your brain. Again, the curse inside you perks up but this time—
Brat, let me out.
You sharply inhale as that baritone voice resonates in your— it’s not yours— head, malicious blood lust oozing from Sukuna. It’s suffocating.
Do not make me repeat myself.
Your frown turns into a blank expression as you feel sparks of anger making their appearance under all of your fears and that overwhelming dark miasma. His condescending tone pisses you off.
…You’ll lose anyway. You mentally retort.
Then you relinquish your control over this body— it was uncannily easy, almost as natural as breathing— and fall back. That malicious aura comes to the forefront as you settle in the back of your mind and watch the show.
It was…chaotic, destructive, so disorienting. The fight between Gojo and Sukuna first shown on screen is nothing compared to real life. You can only watch in awe and terror as the latter sweeps a large wave of debris at Gojo before it’s revealed he’s unscathed. All of that in almost ten seconds…that does not bode well for the future battles you’ll be facing.
Just as it was easy to give up your control, taking it back from Sukuna was a breeze. Guess it doesn’t matter if the soul is different. As long as there’s a warden and they have the keycard, they’ll keep watch over the cell which, in this case, is this stupidly strong body.
“I’m never doing that again,” You proclaim as soon as you return to control.
The man-child just laughs as he drops his handsign and the debris falls. “That’s fair. But now, we have confirmation you can really control it! Yay~!”
While that’s a reassuring statement to hear— however temporary— you can’t help but send him a dry stare. This guy is in his late twenties, right? Can’t he act like it a little more?
“Now then~” He strides towards you with an easy grin, two fingers sticking out and reaching for the forehead.
In response, you take a few steps back from him, expression wary as you ask, “What are you doing?”
“Knocking you unconscious,” he bluntly replied.
You slowly blink at him, feeling a headache blossoming. In your peripheral vision, you spy Megumi giving you a commiserative look. “Can you not?”
“No,” he beams.
And then your eyes roll back as you lose consciousness.
Ah…he got me by the neck.
“Morning~”
You blearily blink your eyes open, finding yourself staring at unfamiliar shoes and pants. This is not what you wore last night.
Alarmed, you shot up in your seat, only you didn’t make it that far as your arms were restrained by thick ropes from behind. Taking in your surroundings, the room alone is alighted by golden lanterns, letting you see the many stripes of paper— talismans and seals, you figured— covering the walls. You see your kidnapper has quite the taste for dramatics.
Speaking of your kidnapper, he’s cosplaying as Gojo Satoru? What? Why?
“What’s with that face?” he asks, that smile never faltering.
“Where the hell am I?” You reply, lightly tugging the ropes again. Damn it, they're tight.
“Hm~, I’ll answer that later. But first, it’s been decided that you’ll be secretly executed, Itadori Yuuji.”
You frown. He’s really into roleplay, huh?
It was when he was recapping, you taking note of the little differences in the story, and your memories from yesterday did you realize, no, this is real. You’ve truly been iseki-ed into the JJK world and transmigrated as fucking Itadori Yuuji. (And you almost outed yourself.)
Fuck.
“Anywho, I got your sentence suspended so no execution for you yet,” Gojo— the real fucking Gojo Satoru, what the fuck? — breezily informed like it’s no big deal to him. It probably isn't.
“Suspended, huh?” You reply for the sake of speeding up this exposition scene, “You guys need me for something.”
“Bingo! One point to you!” Gojo holds up one finger with a grin. You just blankly stare at his display. Seeing your lack of reaction, he moves on and pulls that damn crusty finger out of his pocket. Is that sanitary? “Let me explain from the top. There are twenty of these bad boys. We only possessed six of them while you had eaten one.”
“Twenty?” You blink. That’s how many you’ll need to swallow? Was this in the anime? “Did Sukuna have four arms?”
“Ey! Another point for you!” He cheers as he tosses the cursed item up in the air. Then, when it’s in range of his hand, he blasts the finger into the wall next to you guys. What? You stare at the power display where it's embedded, some seals and a chuck of the wall burning. Gojo continues to do exposition, explaining your situation with your unwanted roommate. “So now you have two options before you.”
You lean away again as Gojo comes into your personal space along with that disgusting finger. This guy has no sense of personal boundaries, huh?
“Either you die right now or you die later after finding and absorbing all of Sukuna’s fingers. So which will it be?”
“Third option,” you promptly answered.
A brief moment of silence before Gojo is snickering at you. “Pfffhehehehe! Sorry, kid, but there’s no third option.”
“Damn it,” you groused.
His laughter slightly increased in volume as he played with the cursed finger. “You’re a riot. But there’s no need to rush. Take your time in choosing your personal hell.”
“Well, I don't want to die,” your gaze darts to the side, “Not yet anyway.”
“Hmm, I don't think anyone wants to die this early in their lives besides a few outliers,” he idly remarks.
Glancing back at him, you inclined your the head a little as you asked, “Not even you?”
“Especially not me,” he grins as he strides around and to your back before beginning to undo your bindings, “The world will be so saddened by my death. No one can get enough of my gorgeous face.”
While the ropes loosen behind you, a snort escapes your— not yours, damn it— lips. The man has no idea how right he is.
However, that smile fell when that manga panel appeared in your head again.
Damn it. I have my work cut out for me.
You lightly knock on the wall, garnering the girl’s— Sasaki-senpei’s attention.
“Itadori.” You internally cringe. Man, you need to get used to that quickly.
Your gaze lands on the unconscious child on the hospital bed as soon as you step into the room. Bandages cover almost all of his head bar the bottom half of his facial features. “How’s Iguchi-senpei doing?” The unfamiliar yet familiar name slips from the lips so easily and it still baffles you that you’re speaking Japanese so fluently. You tightly clench the fists in the hoodie’s pockets.
“The doctor said he’s stable but he hasn’t woken up yet…” A sniffle and then Sasaki’s face is flush red with tears, her slouched position crumbling even further. “I’m sorry, I…If I hadn’t dragged him into that mess last night then…then none of this would’ve happened— those monsters wouldn’t have appeared and— and…you probably don’t believe me but…”
Grabbing the conveniently placed box of tissues near you, you give it to her. Then you turn away to give her some sense of privacy as she blows her stuffy nose and wipes her tears away. “Sasaki-senpai, have you eaten yet?”
“Wha…?”
You glance back at her as you ask once again, “Have you eaten yet?”
She slowly shakes her head. “N-no, I haven’t.”
“Get some takeout then. Maybe the smell of junk food left on you will get Senpei to wake up faster.” You try a small joke as you take the box of tissues back from a confused Sasaki. “Indulge yourself. You have a rough night as much as he did. A special doctor will come here tomorrow to heal him up so don’t beat yourself too much for what happened.
“Itadori?”
“Sorry, I have some business to attend to,” Then you quickly make your way out of the stifling room and wave her goodbye.
As soon as you’re back in the empty hallways, you let out a heavy sigh. Talking to strangers is hard enough but when you technically know that person from an outside perspective it’s a hell lot more awkward. And that’s excluding your unwanted roommate witnessing it all. Fucking hell, why do you gotta be such a socially inept loser?
You dig into the pocket and pull out Yuuji’s phone. Thanks to his memories, decoding the passcode was easy, and you begin scrolling through media while ignoring the weak curses surrounding within the hospital. You slowly make your way out of the stifling building, your mind racing with unease.
“You’re a strong kid, so help others.”
Staring down at a deceased person’s ashes and bones is quite the experience. While there is a faint sense of disgust, morbid curiosity is at the forefront of your feelings accompanied by deep sorrow. Walfs of incense fill the air as you take in the charred bits of the bones, the imperfections of the skull as flashes of images of Ojii Wasuke overlap your vision.
The elderly man had sharp features on his wrinkly face, contrasting Yuuji’s softer ones. However, they both carry warmth in their eyes— albeit, Wasuke was more subtle. Nonetheless, he was a tough yet caring individual. It’s obvious he cherished his grandson from the moment he was born and took him in when his parents passed away. He also taught Yuuji many lessons that increased his independence, such as cooking, all while doing part-time jobs to sustain their lives. And he was a lonely man.
Unlike Yuuji, you’re not that close with your grandpa. While he watched over you, your little sister, and your little cousin during your childhood, those old memories correlating to him are fuzzy. You know he tried to teach you Vietnamese, and he even tried to teach you English and math. But…that’s all there is.
Unlike Yuuji, you share no fond memories with your grandpa. You didn’t go crawfish hunting with him nor did you try to bake him a surprise birthday cake.
And unlike Yuuji, you didn’t cry when the news of his death came during your middle school years. You can’t even remember how he died. Does that make you a bad granddaughter? Probably, maybe…you don’t know.
What you do know is that the feeling of grief is unbearably heavy. And yet, when it’s not truly coming from you, it feels so hollow.
Wasuke isn’t your grandpa and you’re not Yuuji.
“You’re a strong kid, so help others.”
You pursed your— not yours— lips as that phrase echoes in your mind once again. Then you quietly sigh as you let memories of past cremations Yuuji attended for Wasuke’s friends and relatives guide you through the process. It’s almost instinctual as you begin from the feet. How many times did this body have to do this? How many funerals did Yuuji witness? Did he attend to his parent’s cremation, too?
You gently, quietly place the cap on the urn and seal it shut before turning to your quiet spectator near the doors. It turns out Gojo can read the room and keep his eccentric self in check when it’s necessary. Perhaps you judged him too quickly both on screen and now.
“So, have you decided what you want to do?” he asked, his tone much softer you noted.
You immediately averted your eyes to land on Wasuke’s picture, indecision gnawing your insides. It would be so easy to take the first option. While you still have a healthy dose of fear regarding death, it’ll be done quickly and painlessly since it’s an execution. Or, at least, you hope so.
But aren’t those higher-ups and elders like, the absolute worst? They have no problem sentencing an innocent child to death for their peace of mind so what’s stopping them from torturing one as well?
There’s also the problem of you being iseki-ed here. If you die, what would happen? If Yuuji dies— no matter if he’s now just a lingering presence in this world— what the hell would happen?
No one knows, especially not you, the one with the lousy amount of foreknowledge here.
Even so, why are you hesitating?
You already know what option you want and should pick. You’re just procrastinating at this point, you lazy piece of shit.
Then again…
That weird bangs kid turning into a distorted creature, Nanami and Nobara’s death on screen, that one manga panel of a ruined wasteland in the large city, Gojo… Can you handle— no, can you prevent any of those upcoming events?
You don’t know.
“You’re a strong kid, so help others.”
“Oi.”
You’re startled out of your thoughts as long slender fingers grab a hold of your the wrist and pry the fingers from your mouth. Gojo isn’t smiling anymore.
“No biting your nails,” he quietly chastised you.
You freeze at the sudden proximity between you guys before your gaze darts to your fingernails to see the tips slightly red as saliva slowly dries. You quickly pull the hand back from him and hide it in the hoodie’s pocket as you lower your head in shame.
You haven’t bitten your nails since high school. Fuck, you hate this.
“Sorry,” you meekly say.
“Don’t worry,” he easily replied as he leaned away and waved his hand in a gesture like he could swipe that awkward moment out of the air, “If anything, I’m sorry for putting you on the spot in the morgue. My bad.”
“It’s okay.”
“Thanks, but seriously, what are you gonna do, Yuuji?” He inclines his head, almost like a curious cat, “I know I said there’s no need to rush but those annoying elders will lose what little amount of patience they have left in those withering bones soon.”
Right, you shouldn’t diddle-daddle anymore. At least, not with this sort of shitty situation.
What was it that Nanami said? ‘Jujutsu sorcerer is shit!’ Well, yes, there’s that, but also— ‘I have no regrets.’
Regrets.
Wasn’t there something about sorcerers who should aim to live life with as few regrets as possible so they don’t come back as vengeful curse spirits?
Regrets.
So then, which option will you regret the least?
…
“...Gojo-san, do you still have that finger?”
When the cursed item comes into view, you can’t help but cringe at the disgusting sight again. You tentatively take it out of Gojo’s hand and just, stare at it. How the hell did Yuuji swallow this entire thing?
You take a deep breath before slowly inserting the abomination into the mouth— the ridiculously sharp nail pokes the back of your throat and you choke. The damn thing fell into the palm of the hand, getting saliva on it while you’re having a coughing fit. After an embarrassingly long time, you wipe your drool away and slowly turn to an unnervingly quiet Gojo as you ask, “Can I get some water…?”
As soon as the door clicks shut behind you, with your— fucking damn it— hands covering your face, you slide against the door and loudly groan until your bottom hits the floor.
And then you groan even more as you press the palms against the eyes and wallow in your misery where you sat for a moment.
A beat.
Then another.
Finally, you force yourself back on your feet and start packing. As you head for Yuuji’s room, memories flash in your mind and the feeling of nostalgia is nauseating. You feel like you’re intruding on something sacred, something absolutely sentimental. And you fucking are.
This isn’t your home. These are not your memories. You’ve experienced none of these.
You grit your teeth as you harshly stuff piles and piles of hoodies— why are there so many of them??— into your traveling bag and pointedly ignore that damn fucking Jennifer Lawrence poster.
Should I burn that? You muse.
An unbelievable amount of horror and distress surges inside you at that notion. Irritation rising, it was easy to shove aside those ridiculous feelings towards a single poster.
Fine, I won’t burn it but I’m not bringing it with me.
You move on to the bathroom and gather the necessary toiletries. Then you pause in your tracks of leaving the room when you lock eyes with unfamiliar yet familiar golden ones in the mirror.
You look young. Yuuji looks young. This appearance really hammers home that you’re in the body of a literal shonen protagonist, that this is the body of a literal fifteen-year-old.
Deep sympathy takes hold of you as you can only imagine the horror the kid would’ve gone through if you weren’t here in his place. Maybe it’s a good thing he’s gone. Or, well, his conscious isn’t at the forefront at least? In any case, he won’t experience the literal shitshow in the future.
Then again, why did it have to be you?
Did you fucking die?
Why the fuck are you here?!
Why are you Itadori Yuuji?!
“Cease your pathetic display.”
You freeze as that baritone voice rings in the air, a single red eye and mouth appearing under one of your eyes, and that baleful and spiteful aura shrouds your senses. Holy shit, this is weird.
“While your control of your facial expressions is quite impressive, your thoughts are very loud.”
Dread digs into you as quiet realization dawns on you. “You mean…”
Dark amusement emanates from him, you can practically feel it upon your skin as he answers, “Yes, I’m aware you’re a displaced soul.”
Well, fuck. The main villain knows your secret and it hasn’t even been twenty-four hours yet. Way to go, idiot.
Then again, you didn’t really try to hide it. And the possibility of Sukuna being able to go through your memories was there. The question of you doing the same goes unanswered though since you can feel some kind of mental barrier between the two of you inside your mind. Still, you can feel him up there. And, well, what’s there to make excuses anymore? Might as well do what you’ve always done and roll with the punches.
“No one will believe you,” you say as you push past the stifling aura, leaving the bathroom, and hurrying along. Gojo is right outside the Itadori’s home, you remind yourself. “No one will trust you enough to listen.”
“How audacious of you,” Sukuna chuckles, “We shall see, interloper.”
Then he retreats to his own mind and you tentatively raise a shaky hand and check that spot of skin. The extra eye and mouth have disappeared.
Your anxiety didn’t dissipate as you quickly leave behind the former Itadori’s home.
Chapter 2: Wear His Shoes, Keep Imprinting His Steps
Summary:
Interview? What do you mean I have to do an interview?!
Notes:
(See the end of the chapter for notes.)
Chapter Text
Thánh Maria Đức mẹ chúa trời cầu cho chúng con là kẻ có tội khi nầy và giờ lâm tử, amen.
And in the name of the Father, and in the Son, and in the Holy Spirit. Amen.
You solemnly bowed by the head and held your hands in prayer in front of the stone monument.
Itadori Wasuke, I humbly apologize for accidentally stealing your grandson’s body and pretending to be him. But know that I will do my absolute best to keep this body alive as long as possible for it to be surrounded by loved ones by the time it lies on its deathbed. I will try to fulfill your final request as well. No promises though, I don't want to die a painful death because of a stupid hero complex.
You stand up from your seated posture and idly sweep stray dust off your pants before stepping out of the gravesite.
You're not a religious person, haven't been one since high school. But you figured you should follow through the appropriate process to give respect to the dead anyway lest you somehow invoke Wasuke’s wrath to become a curse spirit and avenge his grandson.
Moving onto business, you meet up with Gojo once again and he leads you deep into the mountains as another exposition scene happens. At least— if you ignore some of the weak curses in the area— the sights are beautiful.
“Anyway, you’re about to have an interview with the principal,” Gojo informs as you both pass through the entrance of Jujutsu Tech, “Make sure to go all-out, or else he might reject your admission.”
You frown at that but nod nonetheless.
If you remember correctly, Yuuji was fighting against a stuffed toy while the principal— Yaga, right?— was testing his resolve or something. So you’re most definitely gonna get your ass beat very soon. Great. Just great.
Why me? You inwardly lament.
“So you're not the boss?”
You immediately cover the new mouth with the hand, a little shaken from the sudden evil aura. That is still so weird—
“Any hierarchy other than strength is worthless.”
You pull your sleeve up enough to cover the entire hand, muffling the bastard. You feel a brow twitching in annoyance.
A giggle. You glare at the culprit. “Sorry, but this is hilarious,” the man-child remarks.
I beg to differ , you internally grumble.
“Know this,” Fucking hell, this guy is persistent, “Once I make this brat’s body my own, you will be my first kill in this new era.”
“It’s an honor to be targeted by Sukuna,” Gojo smiles.
You grab your hood and hurl it over your— not yours— head, covering everything but this body’s features. That horrid aura is thankfully gone now.
“Has he always been able to do that?” The man asks with a tilt of his head, curious.
“Unfortunately,” you groused, “It’s weird and annoying.” The feeling of severe displeasure with a hint of amusement reaches your senses. You push aside Sukuna’s stupid grievances towards you.
Gojo chuckles. “I don't think anyone has ever regarded the King of Curses as annoying.”
“Is he that big of a deal to garner this much fear?” you asked, trying to unlock and move past all of the exposition.
And you do as Gojo continues to build up Sukuna’s fearsome reputation. Eventually, you both enter the building where you’ll have your interview.
“You’re late, Satoru,” a deep voice resounds in the candle-lit room, the doors behind you creak shut. How dramatic. “Eight minutes late.”
You blink at the sight before you, seeing an intimidating man with dark lens diligently working on a stuffed toy while surrounded by piles of his other work. You can tell each piece was made with love and care. It’s a weirdly endearing scene.
“Not enough to chastise you for but I know I told you to fix that irritating habit.”
“If it’s not enough then don’t even bother,” Gojo retorts, his tone so airy, “Besides, it gives you extra time to work on your dolls, right? Eight minutes is nothing. Meet Principal Yaga Masamichi, Yuuji.”
“That’s him, huh?”
You let this body’s manners take over a little as you give the older man a respectful bow and say, “Itadori Yuuji. I like your creations.”
Yaga went quiet, just enough for you to feel awkward and anxious at his lack of response. Did you say something wrong? Or, did no one ever give him praise for his art pieces?
“Wow, you broke him,” The damn white menace snickers. Shut up!
“...What did you come here for?” Yaga asks, finally speaking again.
However, you frown at his question. “Can you be a bit more specific?”
“What do you hope to find once you’ve learned curses and jujutsu?” he clarifies.
You pursed your lips, unsure of how to respond. ‘What are your strengths and weaknesses?’ ‘How do you hope to benefit us?’ ‘Why did you choose this job specifically?’ Damn it, this is why you hate interviews.
“Hm, you fail.”
“What?” You blurted, getting completely caught off guard, “But I didn’t—”
“Your silence tells me enough,” The older man coldly states as he straightens up on his feet, “You’re indecisive, timid, and weak-willed. You will not survive long as a sorcerer.”
You can’t help but flinch at his harsh tone, his criticisms taking a heavy blow at your already fragile self-esteem. Shit, you fucked up.
And yet, you can feel your temper rearing its ugly head at his patronizing attitude. While he’s right in his assessment of your trepidation towards becoming a sorcerer and the future hell you’re gonna experience, the way he puts it— as if that’s all you are as a person — it pisses you off.
But what’s really pissing you off even more is yourself.
That’s seriously as far as you can go as Itadori Yuuji?
You couldn't make it past an interview with the principal because you kept your mouth shut?
Really?
How pathetic can you get?
Yaga raises a hand, palm facing the floor in which one of the dolls rises from its sitting position and becomes very animated. You anxiously stare at the thing as you take a step back and comment, “Okay, that’s creepy.”
“Cursed corpses,” Yaga informs as he slowly points his palm to you, “They are dolls I infused with my curse energy.”
And suddenly the doll is right in front of you. Fuck.
Your traveling bag was already in front of you and it took the punch meant for you. Even so, the force behind it sends you to one of the pillars, leaving you slightly winded.
Fuck, your head. You rub where the pain is, making sure it didn’t break the skin as you frown at the doll who’s currently showing off its ‘muscles’ and taunting you.
“A person’s true nature reveals itself when they’re in danger,” Yaga says in an annoying matter-of-fact manner, “Until you give me an acceptable answer, I will keep attacking you.”
“Sir, I’m pretty sure this is child abuse—?!”
Your retort was cut off when the little shit goes for another punch and you scramble out of the way, losing your shield— your traveling bag— in the process. Fuck.
Then it starts bouncing all over the place, darkening the room as it extinguishes the candle flames it flies by. Double fuck.
You won’t be able to find your bag in the dark. You doubt the doll will let you get to it either so what should you do—
You’re hit from the back and the impact hurtled you against the floor like a ragged doll. Pain blossoms throughout this body yet they’re dampened by the adrenaline pumping in your veins.
“Curses will not wait for you to decide your next move on the battlefield,” And the fucking lecture continues.
You send the bastard and his stupid, taunting doll a glare.
Wait, that’s right. It’s a doll, which means it doesn’t feel any pain or emotions.
It doesn’t feel any pain.
You tune out the rest of the lecture as you pin your focus on your target. It’s time to go on the offensive.
Dashing at it, you swing your leg back before kicking it with all your might. Of course, another round of it becoming a bouncing ball commences.
You don’t bother to try pinpointing where it is. The doll is too fast for your eyes to track and it’s still dark anyway. Instead, you start running, ducking, and weaving around the pillars— you even hid behind Yaga and Gojo at one point— never staying in one spot as you make yourself a difficult target to hit.
Somewhere along the way, you take off your jacket and tie it around your torso before stealing one of the re-lit candles.
You start having some closed calls as the doll now has a clear indicator of where you are most of the time because of the light. Eventually, you cornered yourself. Literally.
Clicking your tongue, you swerve around to face the rapidly approaching, flying little shit. A weird cackle-like noise erupts from it but you don’t pay it any attention at the moment.
Instead, you drop the candle and put out the flame with your shoe before something could catch on fire and untie your jacket. Then you spread it out to its full size in front of you like you’re a banderilleros and the cursed doll is the bull before quickly shifting your torso out of the way as it careens into your jacket.
Then you pivot and kick the little shit against the wall before you grabbed the sleeves and begin tying the doll up with your jacket. When you deem it to be immobilized enough, you drop it onto the ground and harshly stomp on it.
Your panting is the only sound in the silent room.
After you regain your breath do you break the silence. “Indecisive, timid, and weak-willed, huh?” You turn around and face Yaga, pinning him with your sharpest glare yet as you tightly clench your fists, “Well, you’re right. I am all of those things. I mean, come on, I literally went back to bad habits and bitten my nails because my indecisive ass couldn’t choose whether to die right now or die later! And yet.”
You’re stuck here.
“Despite feeling like I’m gonna shit myself any time soon, despite I wanna be anywhere else but here.”
And as Itadori Yuuji of all characters.
“I chose this hell.”
However, despite the bad hand you’re given, you’re gonna try your best.
“I’m well aware of my shortcomings so I don’t need you to spell it out for me.”
Because what else can you do?
“Keep your pretentious attitude to yourself.”
Besides, you have the foreknowledge to possibly prevent many tragedies and survive, no matter the measly amount you can remember.
“What do I hope to find once I become a jujutsu sorcerer?”
This is something only you can do.
“Sorry not sorry, but I’m not telling you. You haven’t reached the required friendship level yet and you probably never will so fuck off .”
The silence stretches on as the staredown between you and Yaga continues.
He looks away first. “Satoru, show him to the dorms. Explain how things work here.”
Relief hits you but it quickly gets buried in your anger. The sense of dry amusement creeping in your head is annoying, too.
“You passed,” Yaga lends out a hand for you to shake, “Welcome to Jujutsu Tech.”
You turned your head away from him with an irritated huff as you crossed your arms, still seething.
He lets out an awkward hum while Gojo snickers.
I’m getting flashbacks from college. You thought as you took in your new dorm room and home.
The interior is almost one-to-one. The only differences are the smell is more floral, you’re not physically sharing it with anyone, and you’re on the ground level.
“All the second-years and third-years are out at the moment but you’ll meet them soon enough,” Your officially new sensei says where he stands at the entrance.
“I’m guessing there are a few of them as well?” You inquired as if you didn't know already. You begin unpacking what little you carried.
“Correcto!” Gojo-sensei shoots you a thumbs up, “But you don’t need to join in the fight, too, you know? I mean, if you’re still too scared to become a sorcerer, you could go down the Window route. Megumi and I will be bringing you the fingers, too.”
“And you’re telling me this now, why?” You give him a deadpan stare before returning to folding the last pieces of clothing into the drawer, “I’ve done that horrible interview so I don’t need you to test me, too.”
“Ho~? You still angry?”
“Yes.”
“Didn’t take you to be the grudge-holding type,” he chuckles.
“I’m not,” You kick your traveling bag under the bed and toss your dirty jacket you had used against the cursed doll onto the closest floor for later before facing the man again, “I’ll forget about the entire thing later anyway after a few distractions. Why were you testing me in the first place?”
And once again, you lean away from Gojo-sensei because he has no sense of personal boundaries. “If they were that easy to find then we would’ve had more under our belt instead of just six. Sukuna’s fingers are finicky little shits, some are loud, some are quiet, and some are already absorbed by other curses. But now we’ll have you on the field, Radar-chan~”
“Glad to be of service,” you dryly quip as he finally backs off and heads for the door. You follow after him.
“Oh, before I forget,” he stops in his tracks, and in turn, you do, too. Then he pivots on his feet and gives you a sheet of paper from his pocket. “For you.”
Taking the sheet of paper, it reads a custom uniform order. Suddenly very interested, you read the entire thing.
You only snap out of it when you hear a chuckle. “I figured you’d get excited customizing your own getup,” Sensei remarks as he exits the room. You trail after him. “Though, I suggest you hurry.”
“Why?” You ask as you shut the door behind you, “Are we going somewhere?”
“You’re next door?” Oh, it’s Megumi.
“Glad to see you’re doing better,” You give him a friendly smile, relieved to see no more bleeding head.
“There are plenty of other rooms in this giant building so why?” The teen ignores you in favor of shooting Gojo-sensei an irritated look.
“Sure, but isn’t this livelier?” The other replies, doing some sort of hand-spreading gesture as he walks over to Megumi, “I figured it’d be good for—”
“I already have classes and missions piled on my plate,” He interrupts Gojo-sensei, crossing his arms, “I don’t need you meddling in my business even further.”
Glancing over to the man-child, he looks like a dejected parent with his moody teenage son. Wow, the found family is strong between these two.
Then he perks back up like he wasn’t lamenting his luck of dealing with an emo child a moment ago as he claps his hands and says, “Well, it’s all good. More importantly, we’re heading out tomorrow! We’re gonna go pick up the third first-year so hurry up with that request, Yuuji.”
“Okay,” You nod.
Hungry.
A loud crack resounds in the heavy air.
So hungry.
Teeth sank into fresh, warm meat.
Never full.
Blood oozes out of the flesh and drops onto the dirt.
Never satisfied.
A figure’s head appears in the puddle of blood, the reflection staring back at her.
No, wait, that’s—
Red meets black; the cold, disdainful stare pins her in place.
“Get out.”
You jolt awake, eyes blown wide as terror tightly takes hold of you.
Only the sound of your slightly winded breaths and the fast-beating heart of this body fills the silent night.
…
Well, it seems you aren’t sleeping tonight.
Tokyo is huge.
Like, it’s ridiculously huge.
It’s like you’re back in Chicago again except there’s a severe lack of white and black people. Big cities are still big cities though and that means the population is high. The numerous weak curses add to it.
I am so going to get lost here. You internally groan.
You keep close to Megumi’s side as he directs to where the train station is.
Your gaze wanders around as you take in the sights and your brain comprehends Japanese kanji. Yuuji’s memories are saving your ass so hard right now. You have a newfound respect for multilingual people.
Then a Seven-Eleven comes into view and you immediately up the speed of your walking.
“Eh, Itadori—”
The sliding doors ring a cute jingle as you enter inside. Along the way, you hone in on the purin on the shelves. Without hesitation, you grab two in your strides before you head to the freezer. You look at your choices, seeing many unique ice cream flavors and brands. As you were picking up the coconut Melona bar, Megumi caught up.
“If you wanted some snacks, please say something before running off like that,” The teen grumbles as he makes it over to your side.
“Sorry, got a bit excited,” you sheepishly smile at him before turning your attention back to the freezer. “You want any?”
“I’ll pass,” he replies. Hmm, guess he’s not a sweet tooth.
“Then I’ll get something for Sensei,” you remark before grabbing what seems like a brown sugar boba tea ice cream bar.
You go through the process of checking out your items and paying the total yen amount— again, thank you, Yuuji’s memories. Megumi stayed close by.
Soon enough, you’re both back on the streets— you enjoy your Melona bar— and resume heading to the train station.
That didn't last long as you got distracted again by the sight of a bookstore and entered the building. The large amount of manga on many shelves is heaven on earth. You browse everything, your excitement carrying you through the numerous sections the store has to offer.
Your curiosity grows as you stop at the bottom of a staircase. Strangely, Yuuji holds no memories of ever going to the second floor of any bookstore. But memories of Wasuke telling him to not go up there are abundant.
Well, he’s not here anymore so you might as well sate your and Yuuji’s curiosity.
You head upstairs, not noticing Megumi’s suddenly red and disgusted face behind you, and—
Oh…
You head back downstairs, your expression deliberately blank as you process what you just saw.
“…So that’s why Ji-chan said to never go up there,” you mutter to yourself.
Megumi gives you a judgemental look and, yeah, that’s fair. The both of you leave the store.
Barely two minutes pass before you spied an art store and suddenly, nothing else matters.
Fuck the villains, fuck the plot.
This is true heaven, your ever-lasting paradise.
You buy a sketchbook and some special pens and pencils before Megumi drags you out of there.
Wait for me, my brush pens, my Copic markers, my paint. You quietly lament.
“You’re almost as bad as Gojo-sensei,” Megumi groused, his grip unyielding around your arm.
“Sorry,” you automatically say before deciding, “Actually, no, I’m not. I’m in Tokyo and you expect me to contain my excitement? Perish the thought.”
He just exasperated a sigh as he continued to lead the way.
Finally, finally, you both arrive at the train station and wait for Gojo-Sensei’s arrival. Neither of you start any conversations and your introverted self quietly gives thanks to Megumi as you begin doodling whatever comes to mind in your new sketchbook.
It was after another five minutes did the man showed up. “Sorry for the wait,” he says with a raised hand, “Oh? Your uniform made it in time, I see.”
A smile spreads on your lips as you put your sketchbook and pencil back into the plastic bag before replying, “Whoever or whatever team designed these is amazing.”
Your uniform is very tech-wear-esque, having a dark, short jacket and a simple white t-shirt underneath with those iconic black pants with too many belts and zippers. However, you’ve lessened those to a more reasonable amount to only two red belts and four respectable pockets. You kept the red hoodie and red shoes (they’re combat boots now).
“Oh, also,” you dig out the other ice cream bar and give it to Gojo-sensei, “Here you go Sensei. It might be a little melted though.” Summers in Asia continue to be brutal.
“Aww, Yuuji,” He coos, taking it, “You shouldn't have.”
“So why are we meeting up in Harajuku?” Megumi asks, getting straight to the point.
“Because it’s what she asked for,” he answers as he begins devouring the ice cream bar like it’s his last meal or something while taking Megumi’s role of guiding the group to where your fourth member of the main cast is.
It didn't take long for you guys to find her and you’re forced to witness the embarrassing display in front of you.
I forgot how egotistical this girl is. You muse as you internally cringe at her trying to get that modeling gig.
While it’s all good and shit to have such confidence in one's self, this is…a little too much. Hopefully, she’ll be humbled in the future.
After Gojo-Sensei calls her over and she places her shopping bags and other items in the coin locker, introductions commence.
“Okay, once again,” Sensei gestures to her.
“Kugisaki Nobara. Be happy, boys. I'm the only woman in your group.”
Notes:
I am praying that my drawing of SI!Yuuji in their new uniform can be seen here...
Chapter 3: Many Steps Forward And Back
Summary:
First official time of exorcising a curse....great.
Notes:
(See the end of the chapter for notes.)
Chapter Text
Ignoring the fact Kugisaki’s— thank fuck you got her name— declaration is technically not true, you introduce yourself. “Itadori Yuuji, it’s nice to meet you.”
“Fushiguro Megumi,” he finally says his last name— you were getting worried.
Then you pulled out the purin in one of your other bags and held it out to her, “Want some purin?”
Kugisaki continues to stare at you and Fushiguro, her amber eyes glinting with judgment. Then she sighs before muttering to herself, “Why do I always get the short end of the stick?”
A stab of irritation hits you but you shrug, turning to Gojo-sensei instead and say, “If you don’t want it then fine. Sensei, do you want—”
The dessert was swiped out of your— this is getting old — hand and a hissing Kugisaki frowns at you where she protectively holds it against her chest. “I never said ‘no’, Potato Head.”
Could’ve fooled me. You inwardly roll your eyes.
“Are we going somewhere from here?” Fushiguro asks Sensei, steering the conversation back on track.
He responds with laughter. “Yes. Now that we have all three of you here— two of you being from the countryside— it’s time,” Sensei briefly paused for dramatic effect and his voice lowered before saying, “For a Tokyo tour.”
“Toyko?!” Kugisaki excitedly exclaims.
“Tour?” You echo, head inclined.
“Eh?” Fushiguro deadpans.
“TDL!” Kugisaki practically demands, eyes shining, “I want to go to TDL!”
Yuuji’s memories come in clutch once again as they provide the necessary information to you, revealing TDL is Tokyo Disneyland. First off, the company continues to show its world dominance in the entertainment industry. Second, your mind immediately flashes to Jaiden and Alpharad’s videos of their tour in Japan. There was a brief sense of excitement before reality hit you as you said, “Wait, isn’t TDL in Chiba?”
She freezes in her zeal before blinking and turning to you. “Is it?”
You shrug, shoulders high and hands up and everything while letting out an uncertain noise. “I suck at geography.”
Her expression quickly scrunched up into annoyance. “The hell?”
Before she could possibly verbally attack you, Gojo-sensei cuts in. “I will now announce our destination.” That garners everyone’s attention with you and Kugisaki the most anticipated while Fushiguro just looks tired. Another dramatic pause and then, “𝑅𝑜𝓅𝓅𝑜𝓃𝑔𝒾!”
Flashes of images of this Roppongi place come to mind and, wow. The decorated, light-up trees, the expensive shops, and luxurious hotels, and the amazing vibrant art. Yeah, no wonder Yuuji and Kugisaki were so excited in the original show.
Too bad those fantasies were dashed as Gojo-sensei brought them all to an abandoned, eerie building on the outskirts of the giant district.
While there’s the feeling of disappointment from your inner Yuuji, you’re mostly indifferent and a little relieved. You don’t know if your social battery could last very long in that crowded tourist area.
You can’t say the same for Kugisaki though. Honestly, it’s quite impressive how much she’s angrily rambling in the background as Sensei and Fushiguro do a little more exposition.
“So because of people’s irrational fears correlating to certain subjects, like schools and cemeteries, curses are born and accumulate there?” You surmised.
“Hold on, why do you say it like that?” Kugisaki interrupts, eyes narrowed, “Why do you say it like you’re a noobie?”
“It’s because I am,” You bluntly answer, hiding your hands in your pockets.
“Seriously?”
“Itadori is a last-minute addition,” Fushiguro pipes in to defend your honor, “Because he swallowed a special-grade cursed object.” Nevermind.
“What the hell?!” Kugisaki screeches, looking absolutely repulsed as she steps away from you, “That’s so fucking gross! Unbelievably unsanitary! No way, no way, no way!”
This girl…
You inwardly groused as you felt
your
cheeks warming even though
you
didn’t do it.
“I agree with her,” Funny, Fushiguro…
You groan at the teens. Damn it, why, Yuuji? “I did it in the heat of the moment, okay?” You lie as you cover
your
eyes, “And neither of you need to remind me that that crusty mummified finger is inside me right now.”
A snort and you don’t even need to see who it came from since it’s obvious. You sent the man-child a deadpan look. He just laughs. “I’m sure Sukuna appreciates you dissing him.”
Tentatively checking inward, you can feel his displeasure emitting from that weird barrier from your words though it isn’t as strong. It’s almost like Sukuna peeking an angry eye out from his own room. You return to the present and shake your head as you say with heavy sarcasm, “Yep, very understanding roommate up there.”
Fushiguro looks constipated at the fact you’re making fun of Sukuna so easily while Kugisaki cocks a brow at you. Sensei just snickers before moving back to business. “I’ve already got a good idea what Megumi’s skills are at so that just leaves you two to show me what you’re capable of. Think of this as a field test and go exorcise the curse in that building, okay, Nobara? Yuuji?”
“Geh,” Kugisaki lets out, looking thoroughly annoyed. If you were told you’re going to an entertainment district for fun but instead it turns out it’s just more work then yeah, you would be pissed, too.
“Sensei,” You piped up, raising a hand, “How am I supposed to do that? I haven’t even learned jujutsu yet.”
“Good question!” Gojo-sensei dramatically points his finger at you before pulling out a sheathed item and giving it to you, “Use this.”
After giving Fushiguro your bag of new art supplies, you carefully take it from Sensei and pull off the leather sheathe a little to reveal a bladed weapon. Oh right, Yuuji was given what’s called a cursed tool since he doesn’t have any curse techniques yet before training with him.
“Slaughter Demon is this little cursed tool’s name,” He informs, “Even though you’re already half a curse and have access to your curse energy, you, unfortunately, can’t control it yet without the proper training. But this bad boy is imbued with it so now you’ll be able to exorcise the curse.”
While the man was speaking, you examined the blade. It’s sharp, that’s for sure. And maybe it’s been used many times before? You can see some chips and scratches on the metal surface so does Sensei use this? You don’t ever remember him using any curse tools in the anime though.
I’m no expert but it seems well made. You muse as you sheathed the blade, placed it on you from behind, and joined Kugisaki to enter the building.
“Oh, one more thing,” Gojo-Sensei spoke up, causing you to look over to him by the shoulder, “I don’t think I need to remind you but don’t let Sukuna out. If you do, he’ll instantly scare off the other curses nearby and drag everyone else around it.”
You nod.
“Hurry up!” Kugisaki shouts.
“Hai, hai,” You sigh as you hurry over to her and lift the garage doors with a loud bang. Both of you enter the building with you quietly trailing after Kugisaki as she takes the front of the charge. Someone has to watch your guys’ back for any potential sneak attacks after all.
It’s what you expected of an abandoned building, dirty, empty, quiet, and creepy. Only the sound of you and Kugisaki’s steps echoes in the vacant halls. How do any of those stupid vloggers and YouTubers do it when they explore these types of places?
Eventually, the two of you come across a staircase leading up. Kugisaki doesn’t hesitate as she gets on the metal steps. “Ahh, what a pain,” she remarks, annoyed still, “Why do I have to deal with curses after coming all this way to Tokyo?”
Why are you even here then? You thought with a flicker of irritation.
“Let’s save some time and split up.”
Ah fuck. Why?
Kugisak stops in her tracks and faces you, pointing her finger up. “I’ll start from the top while you take the bottom. We’ll go floor by floor and meet halfway.” Then she smiles indulgently to herself, “If we’re fast enough, there will be time to grab some sushi from Ginza.”
With lips pursed and fists clenched tightly in your pockets, you struggle to get your words out. “...Can we not split up?”
“Hm? Why?” She frowns at you before a teasing smile appears on her lips, “Ya scared?”
“Yes.”
The teen blinks at your blunt answer, clearly wasn’t expecting you to confess that easily. Then she sends you an unimpressed look. “Here’s some friendly advice, no girls like a cowardly guy so grow some balls and man up,” Wow, ouch. “Sorcerers die alone a lot so don’t bother sticking to my side like you did earlier and find those curses, k? Bye~”
Annnnd, she’s gone.
You let out a shaky sigh, and the reality of the hell you’ve chosen slowly creeps upon you.
Dying alone, huh? How depressing.
You’ve barely dipped your toes into the plot and you’re already regretting—
You almost instinctually duck your head and roll out of the way from the sweep that could’ve gotten you.
Facing your foe, immediate fear and disgust swell inside you. The curse is pale, having appendages of a mantis and the bottom half of its body so bug-like. Its head looks like it was pulled down and back to its shoulders, making its large bulbous eyes and gaping mouth almost comical. What really takes the cake though is it has fucking abs. It looks so wrong.
You narrow your eyes on it, adrenaline pumping into your veins as you watch it right itself up from the ceiling it came from. You palm the handle of your given weapon on you. Damn it, why did it have to be a short blade?
“Do…you need…a receipt?”
Fuck no.
You run away.
You don’t know where you’re going but you’re not gonna stick around for the curse to catch up. You’re not hiding either— you’re pretty sure that even if you try, the curse will find you soon enough— and you don’t want to leave this building yet and rejoin Fushiguro and Sensei. You won’t be able to survive the shame of that course of action. So your next best option is to find and meet up with Kugisaki again.
Easier said than done. Your sense of direction is fucking horrid.
Perhaps there’s another staircase in this place because if not, then that’s just bad building design. But if that’s the case then you’ll have to make your own way up.
Punching through walls shouldn’t be that hard for a physically strong character like Yuuji, right? You thought as you turned to another corner, trying and failing to find that other staircase. To make matters worse, you hit a dead end.
“Receipt…”
Ah fuck.
“Need…do you need…”
You duck again, dodging under that sharp mantis appendage that appeared on the side of the wall.
The curse phases out of the wall and shows itself. Then it goes for another sweep and you leap back, dodging it again.
You frown as it just keeps swinging its sharp appendages at you, never doing anything too out of whack. In fact, the longer you look at it, the less you're scared and more annoyed than anything because you wasted all this time being terrified of this pathetic piece of shit and it’s barely a threat. The disgust is still there but it wasn't at the forefront as before. Maybe your inner Yuuji is dampening the fear factor or something.
In any case, you’re done with this thing.
In one smooth motion, you didn't know you could do, you pull out Slaughter Demon and slice off its mantis-like appendages in one go.
It screeches in agony, and purple blood splatters out from where it lost its limbs.
Curses aren’t people. They’re not living beings. You remind yourself.
You force yourself to move and stab it by its shoulder, unfortunately missing the spot where its heart should be. Do curses even have hearts?
Seeing your lack of fear causes the curse to start going in a frenzy and it desperately swings its shortened arms around.
You just kick it by the side, causing it to twist around to show its back to you while it’s disorientated. Then you leap onto it and shove the knife into the top of its head, digging it deeper and ignoring the splatter of purple blood until it falls limp and disintegrates into thin air.
The curse was exorcised.
That was…oddly satisfying. You’ll deal with that little revelation later. And you can safely say that that is the weirdest experience ever, only second to you waking up as Yuuji and finding out anime is fucking real.
Anyway, you should make up for lost time and find Kugisaki quickly. So you sheath Slaughter Demon— you’re honestly pleasantly surprised no other curses have shown up so far— and resume running.
You somehow managed to find a staircase— you don’t know if it’s the same one from before or it’s an entirely new one but does that matter right now?— and you head up. You take this moment to organize your thoughts.
So, first off, that curse was weak and you were being a little pathetic bitch about it. You should’ve exorcised it quickly instead of running away. That’s the second thing, you shouldn’t jump to running. It’ll get you and your allies killed but that’s easier said than done. At least your first response to danger isn’t freezing in place otherwise, you would’ve gotten unnecessarily hurt or die faster. And then there’s your lack of fear towards the curse after a while. From what you understand, it’s probably the work of Yuuji’s soul or something similar. With his memories and some traces of his emotions and reactions towards certain subjects, maybe he’s not completely gone after all. He’s in here somewhere, hiding, or maybe…
Crying.
A child is crying.
You speed up your pace as apprehension creeps up on you.
Why is a child here? Or is this some curse’s illusion trick? No, wait…wasn’t there one held hostage here with Kugisaki in the anime?
Shit, shit, shit, shit, fucking shit!
You chase after the sound of the kid’s cries until you’re met with a wall. You weren’t hesitant as you jumped and kicked a leg out, utterly destroying the wall and crashing through the rubble.
Immediately, you hone in on the kid that damn curse is holding towards you as a fucking living shield. You pull out Slaughter Demon and slash that hand off, catching the boy in your arms, and then swinging the blade into its eye before kicking it away.
You slide back from the force of your kick, holding the kid securely against your chest while pointing Slaughter Demon at the writhing curse. Fuck, that was close.
“I got you,” You reassure the little boy as he quivers in your arms.
You felt him giving you a nod.
The curse decided it had enough of this shit and is phasing through the wall, fuck!
“Itadori!” You swerve around to Kugisaki from where she had called out to you and open her button-down jacket to pull out that straw doll of hers. “Give me that arm!”
You quickly comply, kicking the limb over to her. Then Kugisaki drops her straw doll on top of the arm and activates her technique.
Straw Doll Technique: Resonance!
Something faintly cries outside before it is silent again.
The curse was exorcised.
You let out a sigh of relief, fully collapsing onto your ass as the danger finally passes. “It’s over.”
Taking the little boy home was quick work when you have fucking connections to the government. Even so, asking him where he lives would have sufficed, too, but Gojo-sensei decided to go the extra mile and check over the boy’s files. Either that’s trauma-related or he wanted to show off this little process to you and Kugisaki for the funnies. You’re leaning toward the latter.
Whatever, the kid got to live another day and go home and that’s what matters.
Then Sensei brought up the topic of dinner and suddenly you’re all at a sushi restaurant based on Kugisaki’s loud request.
So, here’s a not-so-little secret; you don’t eat fish. Not a whole lot anyway. I mean, you’ve eaten some cooked salmon and you’ve eaten crustacean food but never full-on fish and certainly never raw fish. Because, well, you’re allergic.
Maybe I should’ve put up a better fight and avoided this entire awkward mess. You muse as you quietly eat your mango pieces.
“Yuuji, are you not gonna eat anything more filling?” Gojo-sensei asks, garnering the others’ attention. Fucking hell, he did that on purpose, didn’t he? “You haven’t even touched one of your sushi. The chefs worked very work, you know~”
“Don’t tell me you don’t like sushi,” Kugisaki joins in, eyes narrowed in utter offense, “You’re wasting precious food here.”
Stop fucking guilt-tripping me, you dickheads.
“...I’ve never had sushi,” You answered.
…
“Heh?!”
Kugisaki’s very expressive reaction brought other pairs of eyes over to your guys’ table and you and Fushiguro ducked your heads down from the embarrassment of ever associating with her and the snickering man-child. You hate it here.
“You never had fucking sushi?! Never ever?!”
“Nope,” You shake
your
head, “Never was a big fan of fish.”
“Ho~?” Gojo-sensei inclines his head like a curious cat, “Why?”
“Dunno,” You shrug, “I remember trying it when I was little and didn’t like it. So I avoided it ever since.”
“Why didn’t you say anything earlier?” Fushiguro ask.
Again, you just shrug.
“You never had sushi,” Kugisaki whispers in horror before turning to Sensei, “He never had sushi.”
The man gravely nods at her, stupidly solemn where he sits. “Quite the sheltered one, isn’t he?”
You feel a brow twitch at the mocking display towards you. Fushiguro sends you a commiserating look.
“Itadori, if you’re willing,” Kugisaki starts, turning to you with an intense stare as she lifts one sushi dish towards you, “You said you haven’t tried any fish since you were little, right? Try this salmon one in one bite. It’ll melt in your mouth.”
In the corner of your vision, you can see the man-child and Fushiguro staring at you with interest— the latter trying and failing to pretend he isn’t. “...This feels like peer pressure,” you dryly comment.
She just lifts the plate a little closer and stares at you expectedly.
…Well, you’re not in your body and you’ve always been curious about what sushi tastes like so… “Fine,” you sigh as you take the dish from her and prepare your chopsticks.
Ignoring the intense staring from three certain people, you pick up the nigiri sushi and follow Kugisaki’s instructions, and plop it into your mouth in one go.
Your
eyes widen as her words hold true because the sushi instantly melts and the sweet and salty flavor combo hits you. The wasabi gives it a nice kick, too.
In short, this is fucking delicious.
And the best part is there is no allergic reaction! Hallelujah!!
Since you were caught up in your little blissful moment of trying a new food, you close your eyes. This makes you miss the quiet exchange of meaningful glances from the others at the table.
You open them again as you happily say, “It’s good,” only for your smile to fall as you see the intense staring still on you. But now there's a weird shift in the atmosphere and you don't know how to feel about it. “…What?” you frown at them all, suddenly feeling very awkward.
“Nothing,” they all simultaneously answer before returning to their dishes. Even Gojo-sensei isn't teasing you or anything.
Weird.
You frown but can only follow the others’ example and finally eat and enjoy your sushi platter.
Notes:
Omake:
SI!Yuuji trying sushi for the first time:
The others at the table: Adorable~
Chapter 4: One Lulling Moment
Summary:
Finally, a break.
Chapter Text
Holy shit, it’s dusty as fuck in here . You thought as you coughed and waved away the dust clouds in this old library.
Fushiguro was kind enough to give you directions to which you immediately got lost for a while— it's not your fault this place is ridiculously huge— before finally finding it. And he was right with his warnings when he said barely anyone touched this place.
Are libraries that unpopular here? Or are they just unnecessary because the students get most of their information from their respective teachers? Probably both as you can see the library is just another decor storage.
You would've asked Gojo-sensei for this if he wasn't so busy all the time since he’s The Strongest and shit. Hopefully, he has breaks. But also, if you remember correctly, he isn't the best teacher out there as he tends to skip over ‘boring’ stuff.
Whatever, for the sake of surviving, you shall study. So you take out your headphones and take a seat.
You don't have fandom Wiki on JJK on the internet anymore so best to hit the books and absorb as much lore this world has to offer as you can. And boy, howdy, are there a lot. You’ve seen and heard complaints from other fans about how Gege barely touched on the history of jujutsu in his manga. And since this is what they’re missing out on then you can’t blame them.
There are the basics like curses are born from humans’ negative emotions, they all mutually want human destruction, there are ranks/grades for curses and sorcerers, Tengen is the founder of jujutsu and they’re the main pillar of keeping this secret society up, yada, yada. Again, basics.
You’ve read the regulations and rules, too, such as preparing a barrier called a Veil over populated areas before doing an exorcism. Then you quickly lost interest. I mean, you’ll follow them to a T for a while before you lose any care in doing so later. That’s just how it is for many people.
What really catches your attention though are the many volumes of books and scrolls to the makings of seals, the lack thereof on the subject of curse tools, and the three big clans’ history.
So much knowledge on seals yet there are so few masters and specialists in this area. It wasn’t hard to figure out why because what is this alchemistry/witchcraft shit? The amount of ways to make seals for many different purposes is fucking astounding. Like, to make this one-of-a-kind storage seal, you need to write these specific chants in this certain order of strokes with this amount of curse energy. Or, for this Shikigami capturing seal— customizing your very own Pokeball, nice— you need this specific ink to write these chants for this kind of Shikigami or do this specific ritual for that different Shikigami, and then you must subdue and tame your desired Shikigami before capturing and using them. Unless you're immortal, ain't nobody got the time or patience to learn any or all of this!
But damn it, do you want to try. Over half of what little you've read about the many types of seals there are are so convenient and so OP, you want to try and make them.
The same can be said for cursed tools. You’ve always had a soft spot for metal works and anything relating to blacksmiths because who doesn't want to make their own knife? That’s badass. But you're a little wimp because fire and hot metal so it’s always a background kind of interest that you had accepted you're never gonna have the opportunity to try. Well, the opportunity is now here thanks to this ridiculously strong and tough body.
A cursed tool maker named Itadori Yuuji. That should not have sounded so badass, damn it.
Unfortunately, there is a lacking amount of knowledge regarding curse tools in this library. If you know capitalism, which you don't, then this secret society has factories and companies making cursed tools. I mean, they had to get their money income somewhere to accommodate many sorcerers, right? And if you know artists, which you do, then those stingy motherfuckers are keeping their craft recipes secret because plagiarism and copyright claims exist.
Maybe I could ask Sensei about this . You internally grump to yourself.
And then there’s the huge lore the big three clans have on Jujutsu society. You’re no history nerd— or maybe the American education system has failed you once again— but you are inhaling all of this knowledge. The bitter rivalry between the Gojo and Zenin clans is almost comical as the causes and reasons for their resentment vary from something noble to downright petty. The latter more so than not.
Human pride continues to be a detriment to our survival as usual. You snort at your comment.
This isn't even mentioning the Fujiwara clan— which the Zenin clan was a former branch of— dominating the imperial court in the old eras of Japan. They’d be sending the women in there to be the wives and mothers of aristocrats and the fucking emperors as if they were nothing but convenient resources to make strong social connections. No wonder the Zenin clan is still so misogynistic.
You can feel your already fragile faith in humanity dwindling.
Then there's the Kamo clan and their obsession with bloodlines. Anyone who has a little bit of their blood and genetics is instantly sought out and brought into the clan and this is just giving ‘we’re a family ’ vibes and it's the very dark, twisted kind. You know, like a cult.
You shiver at the implications— those poor souls.
Overall, it’s a mixture of Japanese mythology with Japanese history, making consuming these topics very engaging. It was so engaging that you lost track of time and before you knew it—
“Itadori.”
Startled by the sudden call of that name over your music and the hand on
your
shoulder, you swivel around in your seat and see it’s Fushiguro.
He glances at the pile of books and scrolls you've gathered on the table before looking back at you and says, “It’s dinnertime.”
“Really?” you blurted out as you took off your headphones to settle around your neck before checking Yuuji’s phone to see that it was past five and a half. Then you noticed the familiar feeling of hunger gnawing at you. “Oh shit, sorry.”
Fushiguro gives you a confused look. “What are you sorry for?”
“I don't know,” you answered as you stood up and gathered all of the stacks of books into your arms to put them away, “It was instinctual, I guess. Are we gathering together in the cafeteria to eat?”
“Yes,” oh, he sounds irritated suddenly, “Sensei figured we should all come together to make our meals and eat from now on.”
“So team bonding,” You quickly surmise as you place the last book back on the shelf. Sounds like Gojo-sensei is back from his trip, too.
“Pretty much. Hurry over when you're done.” He starts moving, his steps sounding further away as he makes his exit from the library.
You do just that, finishing up returning the scrolls to their rightful places before leaving to your room to put away your headphones, too. Then you stumbled to the designated place after another brief round of getting lost amongst the identical halls.
Why isn't there a map of this hugeass place?! You inwardly wailed with a slight frown.
“Yuuji~!” Sensei cheerfully calls out and waves at your arrival.
Fushiguro and Kugisaki are present as well and they're already eating what seems to be takeout.
“Sorry for being late,” you sheepishly smile as you head over to the others at the table.
“What took you so long, Potato Head?” Kugisaki asks, not really out of irritation but curiosity. Right, guess neither you nor her saw each other for the rest of the day bar classes and training. “Were the old books in the library that interesting?”
“Pretty much,” you answered as you took a seat next to Sensei and piled some food on your own plate, “I’m still new to everything so I figured I needed to catch up and familiarize at least the basics.”
“Eh~? You know you could ask me these things, right, Yuuji?” Gojo-sensei says where he's leaning on the table with his hand palm against his cheek, “I am your teacher after all.”
“I didn't wanna bother you,” You reply before pouring some soy sauce onto your fried rice. You prepare your spoon. “At least, not while you're dealing with high-graded curses.”
“Aww, Yuuji,” A large wobbly smile appears on his lips and his cheeks gain a weird flush as he exaggerates he's getting diabetes from common manners.
You ignore him. “Besides, I got distracted.” And then take a spoonful of your beef and rice.
“Why do I get the feeling this is gonna be a common occurrence from you?” Fushiguro frowns.
You give him a guilty smile as you can feel
your
cheeks getting warm. “Can you blame me? I found out there's a secret society that could be out of a supernatural anime. Of course, I would want to learn everything about it.”
“So you're a nerd,” Kugisaki bluntly states after swallowing her bite of food, “What got you distracted?”
“Seals, cursed tools, clan history, etc.,” You answer before turning to Gojo-sensei, “I noticed there aren't a lot of books or scrolls on cursed tools. Why is that?”
The man hums around his spoon before responding, “Trade secret.”
Knew it.
Sensei continues, “There were a lot of clans and schools that specialized in many types of cursed tools and weapons but pretty much all of them got wiped off the face of the planet because of Sukuna. Now only like, three or four of them exist and they're all playing the capitalism game.”
So you were right and wrong. Thanks a lot, Sukuna.
Then the conversation strays from your studies to other topics. You mostly stayed silent along with Fushiguro and ate your meal while Sensei and Kugisaki rambles filled the air. Sometimes, you and the other teen are dragged into a heated debate or two but are mostly left alone to eat.
Afterward, you return to the library to do another round of study until eventually, it’s time for bed.
It’s hot.
The screams are so loud.
The fire is eating everything.
They’re annoying.
They’re in danger.
So hungry.
Run away.
There’s laughter.
Stop it.
A large hand grabs her face and then crashes her head into the ground.
She can’t move.
The monster is too strong.
He laughs.
He laughs at her misery.
She sees her own reflection in those piercing red eyes.
She’s going to die.
“What’s up with the panda eyes?”
“You try sleeping knowing you’re carrying a literal demon inside your brain.”
For the next few days, it has been peaceful— no missions or dealing with any dangerous curses. You just go to class, doing the typical academics in school but now it’s the Japanese education system this time, and train. Gojo-sensei will pop in every then and there when he’s not busy. And whenever you feel like it, you’ll head to the library and get familiarized with this world.
It’s almost like you didn’t get iseki-ed in the first place, you just went to live in Japan instead with your family—
Ok, now you’re sad.
“Itadori.”
…
“ Itadori. ”
Oh, right, fuck— “Uh,” you eloquently spoke before you leaned away from Fushiguro who was about to flick you by the forehead, “Sorry, what were you saying?”
He exasperates a sigh, frowning. “I said to focus, idiot. You need to get your head out of the clouds and focus on what’s in front of you. Otherwise, you could get hurt. Or worse.”
“Right, you're right, sorry,” Those words just stumbled out of
your
mouth as you blush from the little chastising.
You and the others are currently in the track and field training, aka, the training area. You’ve discovered you wouldn't immediately be made a fool of yourself as long as you fall back on this body’s instincts and yet, you've already fucked up. You’re well aware you’ll eventually need to stop depending on instincts alone if you want to improve your skills and survive but that's easier said than done.
“Oi, are the both of you done yet?” Kugisaki calls out from where she’s sitting on the side benches.
“Yeah, sure,” you answer her as you walk over and switch places. Now it’s her turn to train with Fushiguro and it looks like it’s agreed upon to use curse techniques now for the first time.
Unlike you, the experience is clearly shown in the confident strides and attacks from both of them. Kugisaki is fierce with her throws, dishing out her nails at Fushiguro. And he dodges them, never faltering as he steadily comes closer to her, not yet countering.
It makes you feel inadequate and then you remember these are fucking teenagers fighting supernatural beings and suddenly you feel inadequate for a whole different reason.
You don't want to be left behind.
You continue to watch the two fight, taking in their abilities and prowess.
Kugisaki throws her nails and they land in the dirt. Fushiguro dodges, a calculative glint appearing in his eyes before he makes hand signs and summons his two dogs from his shadow—
There was a snap of a finger and suddenly pieces of the ground exploded.
Ah, Hairpin. You figured as you upright the water bottles and snacks on the bench again.
Kugisaki shoots a cocky grin after leaping back and putting distance between her and Fushiguro who has stumbled from the mini erupted earthquake along with his Shikigami. He responds with narrowed eyes.
The inconsistency of Kugisaki’s throws is almost painful to watch as she quickly starts to get pressed by Fushiguro now that the element of surprise isn't on her side anymore. And speaking of Fushiguro, he just summons his dogs and engages in close combat with her after getting past her weak defenses. That’s it.
The nails don't return to Kugisaki so now she has to rely on her hammer only. Fushiguro doesn't do anything else with his shadow and just attacks, working in tandem with his dogs. That’s it.
You try to suppress a frown.
While the fight was certainly impressive, it quickly got stale. It’s obvious both teenagers know their curse techniques well for what they are currently but because of that, neither is doing anything differently or new. It’s frustrating to watch.
You want to say something, maybe give some recommendations or ideas that are popping up in your mind like annoying ads. But you don't want to come off as a pretentious asshole, spouting off things like you already know their abilities well when you're still a fucking noob. If someone did that to you, you’d punch them in the face in your mind.
Maybe Kugisaki has another trick up her sleeves. Maybe Fushiguro is holding back, being the most experienced among the three of you. Maybe you're overthinking things like you usually do.
The mock fight goes on for a little longer and it starts becoming obvious to you that you were right. Neither of them is expanding on their curse techniques.
You remember Fushiguro using weapons in future episodes but that’s it. You can't remember anything for Kugisaki though. Fucking hell, while it makes sense narratively, they can't be this weak this early, right? Right?
That anime scene of Fushiguro fighting and struggling against a one-fingered Sukuna in the next episode or two crosses your mind. Fuck.
Say something, damn it! You internally shout at yourself.
“Can you pull anything else out of your shadow?” was your question after you shove
your
hands into your pockets because you were biting your nails again, damn it, catching both of their attention and breaking off their fight.
“I can summon ten different Shikigami with my shadow after doing certain exorcism rituals and defeating them,” Fushiguro answers.
“Okay, I get that but can you pull anything else besides your Shikigami?” You rephrase your question, gaining twin perplexed looks from him and Kugisaki.
“No,” he blandly answers.
“Can you not do anything else with your shadows?”
“No.”
“Have you tried yet?”
“Where are you going with this?” Ah, his patience has run out and he’s looking very annoyed right now.
You gather what sad amount of courage you got inside you and the words just spill out of you, “How much can you manipulate your shadow? Can you extend it? Can you hide it? Can you store other objects in it? Maybe even people? Can you hide in it yourself? Can you make portals perhaps? Can you—”
“Wow, you really are a nerd,” Kugisaki pipes in and that just causes you to bite your tongue as embarrassment seeps in from your unprompted rambling.
Glancing over to Fushiguro who’s blinking several times, probably trying to understand and digest your ideas, you rush to say, “These are just suggestions and ideas. You don’t have to consider them.”
He responds with a simple nod as a peculiar glint appears in his blue eyes. That’s a good enough sign for you as you glance over to the other frustrating teen. As soon as you both lock eyes, Kugisaki sends you a look that says ‘Do it, I dare you’ while raising her hammer in silent threat.
On one hand, you don’t want to be a dick. On the other hand, you do. “Your aim is inconsistent—”
You duck at the nail shot your way, aimed for your skull.
“And while your hammer works with your nails and hot-headed nature,” You continue as you stand up and bend your legs, preparing to run as one menacing Kugisaki is slowly marching towards you, “It does not complement too well with the conditions you need to fulfill for your Resonate technique.”
A swing of her hammer and you dodged.
Then you booked it for the dorms.
“You try finding suitable tools and weapons for my technique then, ya fucking douchebag!” Her distant voice shouts behind you
You don’t look back.
As you’ve mentioned before, Sensei is a very busy man, being The Strongest in all of jujutsu society as he’s sought to deal with strong curses. But you sometimes wonder how strong they really are for him. Gojo-sensei must be bored out of his mind wherever he is. And with the addition of the higher-ups and elders being very demanding and shitty bosses, his mental health is definitely not ideal (you truly hope he’s taking a break somewhere).
The point is, because he’s so busy, Sensei doesn’t stick around very long to teach or train you or the others anything substantial enough. So whenever he does, the man makes it up by making a big splash to disrupt the monotonous routine.
“Yuuji!”
You jumped from the sudden loud presence in your room, your pen straying from the pencil sketches. You stare down at your mistake.
“Yuuji?”
…
“Yuuji~?”
You carefully tuck away your anger, reminding yourself you can just use a bit of whiteout to cover the strayed line, before slowly turning to the man-child over
your
shoulder. “
Please
, stop teleporting into my room. The door is right there.”
“Sorry,” he does not sound nor look sorry in the slightest as he playfully sticks his tongue out. Fucking asshole. “Anyway, come with me.”
You immediately tense as you warily ask, “Why?”
He gives you an enigmatic grin. “I have a test for you.”
Chapter Text
One of the main perks of having the Six Eyes is quickly getting a good idea of someone’s character. Then again, Satoru doesn't really need help in that area. People are just generally so easy to read since they're very predictable.
There are good apples, rotten apples, and plain ones. Satoru can safely say Yuuji is in the first group.
According to Megumi, after Satoru wrestles for some inside information from the reserved teen, whenever training is done, Yuuji always prepares water and snacks for him and Nobara beforehand. Then they’ll chill at the tracks and field for a while. He even saves Satoru some leftover desserts in the fridge. Yuuji also helps Megumi and Nobara with their English paper assignments. (He’s very fluent apparently.) In short, the kid is very considerate and kindhearted.
And hilariously skittish.
Despite his mean poker face, Yuuji’s body language gives him away. His stuffed hands and hunched-over posture are obvious signs of anxiety and that's not even mentioning his bad habit of biting his nails.
Then there’s his very antisocial behavior, his tendency to just watch and stay on the sidelines, barely engaging unless he has to or gets dragged into conversations. Honestly, Yuuji is even worse than Megumi in that aspect and Satoru didn't think that was even possible. It doesn't help that Yuuji spends a lot of time in his head, too, with this almost dazed look. It just makes his growing eye bags more obvious. (Better keep a careful watch on that.) And yet, somehow, he never bumps into anything. It’s almost like his body is on auto-pilot.
All of this gives Satoru the impression that the kid is secretly a mess of a good human being.
How is Yuuji Sukuna’s vessel? He does not know.
Maybe it’s because of the new environment. Maybe it’s discovering curses are a thing that kills a huge chunk of the population. Maybe it’s because he’s now an orphan. Maybe this is how he always is. It doesn’t change the fact that people like Yuuji aren’t fit to become sorcerers because they’re weak. Plain and simple.
Yuuji is weak.
Or, at least, that’s what Satoru had initially thought before the interview.
Using his bag as a makeshift shield for a moment, then used the darkness to his advantage and lured the cursed doll in with the candlelight like a moth to flame before striking and tying it up with his own jacket. Yuuji’s wits were on full display and Satoru’s Six Eyes caught everything.
And that little speech of his after; if looks could kill, Yaga would be fucking dead— ha!
Speaking of looks, the kid’s eyes have this acuteness to them, almost knowing. It’s subtle and that poker face hides it well but his Six Eyes sees all. And Yuuji is very aware of that.
As much as he tries to hide it under a relatively amicable and calm demeanor, Yuuji is afraid of Satoru. Or, maybe not afraid, but nervous. Yeah, that’s more accurate. The subtle lift of the shoulders, the little flex around his muscles indicating a clenched jaw, the glint of trepidation in his gold eyes, he’s always nervous whenever Satoru is in his proximity. As if, the kid is hiding something from him and desperately hopes he doesn't find out.
And that's not even mentioning his distinctive cursed energy. The way it influxes and surges paints a sly beast waiting patiently to devour everything in its path.
At first glance, Satoru had guessed it was the King of Curses’s cursed energy enveloping the kid’s as a sort of way to settle the differences in signatures. But no, his Six Eyes quickly corrects him and shows it belongs to Yuuji himself. And then he’s suddenly reminded of Yuta and his special circumstances except, well, everything else is vastly different besides the contradictory personalities.
What an interesting student Satoru has taken under his wings.
And then the test for Nobara happened. That steel and cleverness seemed to have disappeared when facing a curse, instinctual fear taking a tight hold on Yuuji when he ran away from the weak thing. I mean, he still managed to exorcise it but still. How disappointing.
However, regardless of that little hiccup, Satoru saw his lack of hesitation when it came to saving others in danger such as that little boy. And the night they all met, Yuuji jumped into the fight with a hoard of curses and rescued his senpais, too, according to Megumi’s report.
Yeah, he can work with this.
Satoru is never one to quit. Especially not on a mysterious asset with such potential. And what Gojo Satoru wants Gojo Satoru will get.
Yuuji will become a strong sorcerer.
Gojo-sensei is going to be the death of you.
Dread has you by the literal balls as you try your best not to piss yourself on the spot as the daunting, obviously, haunted building looms before you. There is more than one curse here, you fucking know it.
“Your mission is to exorcise all the curses in this area,” Sensei states before you can feel him leaning in closer by the ear and dramatically whisper, “ Alone. ”
A stab of irritation hits you and your fists are tightly clenched in your pockets, feeling sharp pain erupting from the nails digging into the skin. The fucker is emphasizing that on purpose.
In any case, you knew this was coming or, at least, something similar would. It wasn't a matter of if but when. As much as you throw shade at the man for his maturity developing backward, Sensei is clearly a genius. He’ll eventually notice you're not the foolhardy and dense Itadori Yuuji when dealing with curses— I mean, you weren't exactly trying so you can't blame him— and will do something about it. And now, that time has come.
Fuck my life.
“Don’t worry!” The man-child crows as he's suddenly dressed with a long headband and has a megaphone in his hand— where the fuck did he get those? “Megumi, Nobara, and I will all be here to cheer you on and emotionally support you!”
Said first-years are wearing identical headbands like Sensei. Next to him, an utterly looking so-done Fushiguro holds up a messily done banner-like slogan with the words ‘Go! Yuuji, go!’ written on it. And an unimpressed Kugisaki is holding pom-poms in each hand.
You are so glad this area is scarce.
“Get going, Yuuji!” The bastard cheerfully lets out through the megaphone, making you wince from the loud volume.
“Don’t die,” Kugisaki says in a dry tone.
You can't help but snort at her words as you then reply, “Geez thanks. If I do actually die though, donate my body to science.”
That earns you a snort from her and your nerves settle a little from that.
You reluctantly take a few steps in the direction of your test before pausing and slowly looking over your shoulder at Fushiguro. Noticing your expected gaze immediately, he awkwardly delivers, “Good luck.”
You smile at the frankly adorable response before facing forward again and stepping inside the abandoned building.
The first thing you notice is the silence. You can’t hear anything from outside anymore. No light breeze, no distant horns or chatters from Tokyo, none from the main cast, nothing. There’s only the sound of your breaths, soft steps, and this body’s beating heart.
This is the beginning part where the player enters a haunted place to do whatever the objective is like recording something paranormal for their possibly terrible friends or, in your case, doing some exorcism in a horror game. Then the player continues to explore deeper into the building as they slowly unravel the lore and history the story presents to them. All while trying to survive and keep their sanity because the angry ghost of the victim killed here is chasing them to oblivion so they have to hurry and be careful—
The back hairs on your neck raise and you quickly swerve around in a panic with wide eyes, a hand placed on the handle of Slaughter Demon. There’s nothing there.
That doesn’t reassure you at all. In fact, it does the opposite and now your feet freeze where they are as you tentatively humor the thought of walking backward the rest of the way down this stupidly empty hallway until you hit something. The ultimate golden rule— whatever fucked up shit that lives here doesn’t exist because you can’t see it. Simple. Yes, this is smart. An absolutely genius move on your part—
You’re pathetic.
Your heart leaps to your throat from the sudden voice and that oppressive dark aura. You quickly back yourself against a wall and urge your shaking legs not to collapse. Slaughter Demon is now unsheathed and in your hands as you tightly clutch it, your eyes darting around for any signs of other danger.
You stay like that for a moment with an unhealthy racing heart, being a little deerling in headlights.
Then your brain kicks in and you put two-and-two together before groaning to yourself, running one of your hands down your face. This fucking guy…
You quickly stop when you felt something wet on your face and it turns out it was saliva because you were fucking biting your damn nails again!
Your groan grew louder.
Why am I stuck with such a cowardly vessel?
Maybe because it turns out you’re not god’s favorite? You dryly retort.
Sharp displeasure comes in waves and nearly overwhelms your senses yet you’re still standing somehow.
Geez, chill. I’m in the same boat as you seeing since I’m stuck with you. You reply to him as you sheathe Slaughter Demon.
Do not compare me with the likes of you. Sukuna hisses.
Why not? ‘We’re all in this together~’ right? A smirk plays at your lips as his dismay increases from the little jingle you sang.
If this body wasn’t suppressing me somehow, you would pay for your audacious act soon, pest.
Yeah, yeah, whatever soothes your fragile ego, oh, King of Curses.
The miasma-like aura heightens as his venomous glare heavily lands on your shoulders.
By the way, I didn’t think I needed to tell you this since you have access to my memories but I’m well aware I’m a certified worthless coward. So get some new materials.
This harsh jabbing session continues as you pick yourself up from your frankly embarrassing display and resume your search for these curses. You most definitely should not be antagonizing the fucking main villain here but honestly, you’ll take any distraction possible to settle your mind a little from the shitty test you’re obliged to do and pass.
Your progress in finding and exorcising these curses is excruciatingly slow. However, you would like to say that’s not your fault…much. (Thank god, there’s no time limit.)
Anyway, you force yourself to check the nooks and crannies in every room you come across and find nothing. At first, it’s a relief to not face any danger but as time passes on, the lack of curses becomes very concerning.
Were you misinformed by Sensei? You wouldn’t exactly be surprised if he lied about the number of curses to you to teach some twisted lesson in placing trust towards certain people. Frankly, he seems like the type. But if it actually turns out there are no curses here, you’re gonna draw him pregnant and plaster it all over Jujutsu Tech for everyone, especially him and those OP eyes, to see.
(Sukuna, the King of Curses, the main villain of the entire anime, was stunned for just a brief moment. With an unchanging face, you gleefully take in his reaction.
A wave of malice shoots at you but you pull through because you caught the King of Curses off-guard! Fuck yeah!
(Future you will lament your past stupidity.))
However, as you slowly make your way up the other floors, you notice something peculiar.
Holes. Lots and lots of holes overlaying any surface the building has to offer.
Now you would’ve thought the residents who formerly lived here had a weird hobby of making holes in the walls or got a unique sense of abstract aesthetics. You would’ve dismissed these details and gotten the hell out of dodge.
The edges around these holes being too clean say otherwise. You and the main cast seeing none of these holes from the outside say otherwise . Ergo, there is at least a type of curse here.
You don’t know where the rest of them are— probably swallowed or overrun by this one— but you now have Slaughter Demon unsheathed and your guard (and nerves) is up as you head deeper into this curse’s territory.
Now, do you have a plan? Aside from not running away…no, you do not.
Fuck you, Sensei.
Satoru sneezes.
Soon enough, you find it.
It twists its head around as soon as it notices your presence, the neck making a creepy snapping sound, and reveals it has no face but just a large, dark void. It’s built like a stick, you thought. It’s tall, absurdly so. And its pale, bony structure— you can see what looks like its ribcage— adds to it. None of these bother you too much. No. It’s the amount of small holes plastered on its skin.
There goes your trypophobia again.
It tilts its head, silently ‘staring’ at you.
Then it mad dashes at you at surprisingly incredible speed and you take a step back as you begin running—
On instinct, you block the elongated claws that shot at you with Slaughter Demon, sparks flying from the contact before the blow forces you against the wall.
You then quickly spun out of the way as those claws came out of the hole behind where you were a moment ago.
Taking a few steps back, you take a glance at the curse where it had one of its claws shoved into one of the many holes plastered around here. Those suckers retract to normal sizes after the curse takes it out and it turns its head back to you.
You ran away.
Unfortunately, the curse doesn’t like that and proceeds to chase you like it’s out of a horror film. Because it was.
For every swipe of the claws, every miss it does, you curse under your breath hell and back.
“Fuck this shit.”
“Fuck that knockoff Slenderman.”
“Fuck this haunted place.”
“Fuck my phobia.”
“Fuck you, Gojo-sensei.”
“Fuck everything.”
You feel like you’re in a Cuphead game level because what is this difficulty?!
And you’re making no progress in exorcising this curse! Nope. Nonexistent.
Gojo-sensei is literally gonna be the death of you!
You stop in your tracks and avoid those elongated claws again that came from the ceiling. The curse appears out of the hole and drops to the floor as it unfolds itself from its crinkled state. The sound of snapping bones resounds in the air.
You can’t keep this up.
You can’t keep running.
Do something else, damn it!
A blur of white appears in your peripheral vision and you swing Slaughter Demon at it.
An ear-piercing screech reaches your ears as you’ve cut off its claws and purple blood splatters onto the wooden floors.
A burst of confidence joins your irritation as you glare at it.
Okay, what do you know about it?
It’s fast and has sharp nails that can extend and retract as well as regenerate them which isn’t too dissimilar to Lust from FMA. These holes the curse made— because who else could’ve made these— have some spatial traits, acting as convenient portals for it. It hasn’t tried to close in on you and instead attacks you at a distance. And either Slaughter Demon is a very powerful cursed tool or this curse is much more fragile than you initially thought.
So a fast and agile foe that fights at a distance and has low durability.
As you get into a much more steady stance and tightly held Slaughter Demon, you narrow your eyes at the screeching curse and whisper, “No more running.”
You slash at the hole next to you, causing it to screech even further.
The curse shoves its hands into other holes and you dodge one of the claws before slashing the other off. It doesn’t escape you that the hole you’ve cut had no hand appearing.
Then you begin rushing at it.
Claws extending from your right, you duck under.
Claws coming from below, you pivot to the side.
Claws stretching from above, you cut it down.
As you continue to nimbly avoid the claws, you slash every hole you can within reach and the curse grows distressful at its dwindling choices of transport.
Just as you close the distance between it and you, the curse drops into the hole below it and your attack hits the air.
Clicking your tongue, you slash the hole it escaped in before searching for it.
You can hear its distant screeches but you don’t see it anywhere. At least, not on this floor.
Huffing out an irritated sigh, you resign yourself to playing an annoying game of Hide ‘N’ Seek. So you went along and thoroughly cut any holes you came across as you retrace your steps and head downstairs. The ones on the ceilings take you a little longer because you have a fucking dagger, not a sword or a spear, damn it, but you managed.
The curse doesn’t appear to be able to make any new holes. Maybe because it can’t do it upon preexisting ones. Or maybe this technique is very draining on its reserves so because of the building being abandoned, it had all the time in the world to set all of these up. Whatever it is, it can’t make new portals which, in turn, makes things easier for you.
Speaking of making things easier, your inner Yuuji is keeping your fears at bay. You’re not running around like a headless chicken anymore. Huzzah~
Going back to business, as soon as you step off the last steps of the stairs to the next floor, you’re attacked.
This body holds you in place as you’re met with those long, sharp nails shooting at different angles. They all missed but one manages to slice you by the cheek a little, causing you to bleed.
Your gaze locks on the curse a little away from you where it retracts its claws from the failed ambushed.
It looks ready to run again. Not that you’re going to let it.
Once again, this death song and dance between you and the curse begins.
For every extension of its claws, you either dodge or cut them down. Mostly the former but the latter action steadily grows as your irritation with this curse that keeps running and evading your swings grows.
The fact that it won’t let you come near it tells you it’s a one-hit kill. But this little shit is making it very difficult to do so, even as you’re steadily dwindling its escape routes.
Calm down, You chastised yourself. You’re winning this anyway.
And you eventually did.
There were only two holes left and one is on the ceiling. The curse leaped for that one.
Wanting to get this done and over with, you act on impulse and hurl Slaughter Demon into the hole and the curse comically bounced off of it. It couldn’t get into the hole. Because there’s already something else in there.
You couldn’t help but giggle at that confirmed notion as you stepped toward the dazed curse. Then you kick it, making it crash against one of the walls and it begins disintegrating. The slashed holes in the area are withering away as the technique can’t hold itself anymore. Slaughter Demon falls from the ceiling and you caught it in your hand.
The curse was exorcised.
Then a bunch of other curses appear out of nowhere— no, wait. These curses came from the holes that Slenderman knockoff made. Why did it hold these weak curses in those? Maybe to be used as batteries? For food stocks? But curses don’t need food, right? Does it matter? You just mentally shrug as you exorcise the rest of the easy curses before finally, finally leaving this dump.
“Oh, yay, Yuuji!” Gojo-sensei beams as he enthusiastically gestures at you, “See, he’s fine~!”
Both Fushiguro and Kugisaki shoot him twin menacing glares and you blink at them because what is this atmosphere?
Then they both have their harsh gazes land on you and you froze. Kugisaki immediately explodes and points at you as she shouts. “What the hell happened to your face?!”
You raise a brow at that as you answer, “An ambush happened. And it failed.”
“Like I said, Yuuji had it handled,” Sensei flippantly pipes up again.
Fushiguro, who was looking at you with poorly hidden concern, returns his stormy gaze at the man.
“I guess,” Kugisaki grunts, still looking very displeased along with her small relief, “At least Potato Head isn’t dead.”
“Okay,” you raise a hand, gaining everyone’s attention easily. It probably helps that your voice is blatantly irritated. “Someone cares to explain what the hell is going on here?”
You’re not surprised when Fushiguro steps up to the plate. “That curse you were fighting at the beginning was a semi-grade two.”
…
“Heh?” You blinked.
That’s a semi-grade two? Sukuna sounded so disgusted at that revelation.
“Yeah, you took down quite the strong curse for your current level, Yuuji-kun~” Gojo-sensei chirps, clapping his hands happily. Nobody else joins him.
“…That trypophobia-inducing fucker wasn't part of my test?”
“Nope,” he pops the ‘p’. Fushiguro and Kugisaki join in and shake their heads as in ‘No, it was not’.
“And you didn't teleport me out of there, why?”
“You had it handled.”
You’re going to draw this fucking bastard pregnant.
“How did that curse get there in the first place?” Kugisaki asks the real question.
And ‘why’, you mentally added.
“That's what I’d like to know, too,” Fushiguro voiced as he gave the man-child a narrowed look.
“Does it matter?” He tilts his head like a clueless cat, “Curses are finicky little shits so it’s not too surprising a slightly stronger one appeared here with unfortunate timing.”
Yeah, but still…something feels off here. You thought with a frown.
“Besides, Yuuji passed the test!” Sensei cheers and grabs you and Fushiguro by the shoulders as he drags both of you away with Kugisaki following behind. “It’s time for a celebration!!”
Yep, definitely gonna draw him pregnant.
Someone planted that curse there.
Satoru doesn't know who but he has a few ideas, like, say, the higher-ups?
But they’re such measly cowards, it makes little sense why they would choose such a weakling to try and kill Yuuji. Honestly, it’d be more believable if those old mummies would get a special-grade to finish the kid off.
No, this was a test by someone else. They wanted to gauge what Yuuji’s skills are. So who is it?
The most feasible option is curse users. Has word of there being a vessel for Sukuna gotten out that quickly? Well, then, thanks for wasting his efforts of hiding Yuuji, mysterious fuckers.
Or maybe, there's a mole? Hmm, something to keep in mind.
But, again, why ?
Why test Yuuji and try to know what his skill sets are? Neither possibilities answer that prominent question accurately. When there's a bounty for the kid’s head, no curse users will waste their time trying to test him. And if there's a mole, well, frankly, Satoru has no clue.
Satoru didn't see nor sense anyone or anything particularly suspicious in the area. Honestly, he wasn't expecting anything except Yuuji exterminating some weak curses and maybe, hopefully, getting desensitized by them. Then that curse appears— like it teleported into existence, what the fuck— and admittedly got his instincts to kick in. He was ready to storm in and heroically save Yuuji from the freakishly weak thing but at the last moment, he held back.
Megumi and Nobara weren't too thrilled by his decision. The former looked like he was ready to charge in there and the latter was spouting lots of colorful words at Satoru only a country girl like her would know. Awe, look at them all becoming such good friends~
They eventually settle down somewhat when Satoru caves in and gives them a little explanation for his decision. “Yuuji has this handled. I admit this was not what I had planned for his test but if he's gonna be a sorcerer then this will be a good opportunity for him to gain some experience. Yes, it’ll be harsh but it’s what he needs right now.” He had said.
The two just sent him sour looks but they didn't protest any further after that so he’ll take that win. Then Satoru placed his attention back to Yuuji.
And the kid really did have a handle on the situation. Yes, he ran away at first— they really need to work on that— but that steel appeared once again and suddenly everything was a cakewalk for him. That little moment where Yuuji caused the curse to bounce off from the entrance of its portal technique by throwing Slaughter Demon into that hole— fucking hilarious.
Yuuji passed the test with flying colors even with the unexpected element in there. Pride swelled in Satoru’s chest when the kid finished and left the now fully, empty building. It was like witnessing a tiger cub succeeding on its first hunt.
Now if only said tiger cub would let him show his appreciation!
“Come on, Yuuji-kun~,” Satoru pouts as he follows behind his students a little, “You can't seriously be this angry at me.”
“It's quite breezy today, isn't it, Fushiguro,” Yuuji didn't even look at him!
“Hm, you’re right,” Megumi, you traitor!!
“The weather forecast did say there's a chance of rain today,” Nobara, drop that smugass smile right now!
“My students are ganging up on me,” Satoru fakes some sniffling and wipes away his ‘tears’ that are totally there.
Nobara just rolled her eyes at his display and Megumi didn't even look back at him, too used to his shenanigans. Yuuji glances at him for a moment and Satoru catches an exasperated look with a hint of mirth in that golden gaze of his. The slight curl of his lips wasn't missed either.
Well, nothing to do but to keep doing what I’ve been doing and maintain a close eye on the kids. He muses as he strolls up next to Yuuji.
“Did you have fun?” Satoru asks after dropping the faux cheer, letting some sincerity into his voice. The kid looked at him, confused so he clarified. “During the test, did you have fun?”
Yuuji blinked, now puzzled by the question before his brows furrowed in thought. Satoru watches as the revelation lands on him. “Yeah, I did,” he replied, bewildered.
“Good,” Satoru chirps with a satisfied smile crossing his lips.
Yeah, he can work with this.
Yuuji has gotten stronger and he, along with his other students, will continue to do so.
Omake:
Megumi stares.
And stares some more.
‘If you’re not Gojo-sensei then move along.’
Megumi listens to those written words and stiffly walks away from that monstrosity.
Note to self: don’t piss off Itadori lest you wanna get drawn pregnant.
Chapter 6: Bound By Fate
Summary:
Ah fuck.
Chapter Text
“I am Ijichi Kiyotaka, an assistant manager of Jujutsu Tech,” the man introduced himself, “I will drive you to your destination for this mission.”
Meeting the man felt like a death sentence.
Entering inside the car felt like a death sentence.
When it began raining, it felt like a death sentence.
Everything feels too much and nothing at the same time.
You carefully take a deep breath and try to calm your nerves. You fail.
You weren’t paying attention to the mission brief or anything else really. Not Fushiguro or Kugisaki, the assistant manager, the rain, nothing. Not even your headphones, as they blast music into your ears. The rest of the car ride was just a blur.
At one point, you opt to shut your eyes and let the world quietly pass by.
And then someone gently shooks you by the shoulder. You open your eyes and see it’s Fushiguro. He looks concerned.
You pause your music and take off your headphones before letting out a small “Hm?”
“I said we’re here,” He replies.
That’s when you realize the car has stopped and it’s only you and Fushiguro left inside. You just silently nod as you unbuckle your seatbelt and leave the car.
The assistant manager continues to relay information to the three of you about this ‘mission’ and more exposition gets spewed at you. The more he keeps droning on and on, the more annoying his grating voice becomes.
The rain isn’t helping. It’s as if the world is preparing your funeral as it weeps your ultimate demise. It’s pissing you off.
“At present, five detainees remain there with the curse womb,” The man informs.
How inefficient. You internally snark where you stand with your hands in your pockets.
“If this curse womb is the type that metamorphoses, we predict it will become a special-grade curse.”
A beat.
Then you break the silence as you ask, “If that’s true, why the fuck are we here?”
Everyone looks at you, startled. Considering the fact you’ve been quiet the whole trip here, that’s fair. But, seeing as Kugisaki is opening her mouth, you steamroll past their shock.
“The three of us together are around grade two, maybe semi-grade one if we’re being optimistic,” You gesture to you and the other teens, “So why the fuck was this ‘mission’ given to us? This is way past our skill level.”
“Unfortunately, we’re constantly short-handed in this business,” The assistant replies, his tone annoyingly remorseful, “You’ll often have instances like these where weaker sorcerers will undertake missions beyond their power. And this one is particularly abnormal and urgent.”
You scoff at the stupid excuse as you say, “So whoever delegates the missions is on board for sending some teenagers to deal with a threat that could or could not be dealt with without clusterbombs? Great system we have here, using child labor to fix our problems.”
“Oi, watch what you’re saying,” Fushiguro frowns at you, “Gojo-sensei’s suspension of your execution could be lifted if you keep this up.”
“That’s some dictator shit,” You retort.
His frown just deepens and his worry leaks in waves. Kugisaki was less obvious and had a pensive look on her while the assistant was slightly shaking and sweating in apprehension.
“Speaking of that man-child, where is he?”
“He literally left just yesterday,” Kugisaki pipes in, raising a brow at you.
You slowly turn to her with an unimpressed expression before replying, “Funny.”
The little shit just shrugs unapologetically.
“Let me reiterate,” You face the assistant again with narrow eyes as you ask, “Where did the higher-ups send him?”
“I-If I recall correctly,” he fixes his glasses before answering, “Miyazaki.”
“So it just so happens that Gojo-sensei was sent the farthest away from Tokyo on the day this curse womb appeared and it just so happens that we were assigned this ‘mission’ with him now gone. ” You watch with a sense of satisfaction as you utter those words and see the realization dawn on the others.
“You don’t mean—”
“Yes,” you nod at the horrified Fushiguro, “This is a trap. I am to be assassinated here and the rest of you will be collateral damage.”
At those words, two things happened; the assistant and Fushiguro pulled out and called on their phones, and a random lady appeared.
“Excuse me!” She shouts behind a group of men in suits, frantically waving a hand up, “Excuse me, where’s Tadashi?!”
“Please stay back, ma'am,” one of the men says.
“Is my son alright? Is Tadashi alright?!”
You can only blankly stare at her and think, somebody shut that bitch up.
Then the assistant joins in in calming down the woman. “Please step back,” he says, his tone noticeably professional, “There’s a possibility that someone has spread poisonous gas throughout the center. We cannot share any more details at this time.”
Having enough of the waterworks, you turn away.
He soon returns to the three of you with a deep grimace as he says, “I called Headquarters a few moments ago, and…nobody picked up.”
“Gojo-sensei isn’t picking up either,” Fushiguro adds with a frown as he puts his phone away.
“ Che. We’re seriously on our own?” Kugisaki asks with her hands on her hips, visibly irritated.
“We will all have to be on standby,” the assistant states, “I will work with the other Windows and try to connect our signals to Headquarters—”
“Don’t do that.” “No.” You and Fushiguro cut in, startling the man.
You incline your head at the teen to keep going and so he does. “If you try contacting the higher-ups, whoever assigned this mission will be aware we know we’re onto them. There’s no telling what they’ll do after that. It’s best if you keep trying for Gojo-sensei instead.”
“R-right,” he nods.
“What are we supposed to do then?” Kugisaki groused, “Are we just gonna be fucking sitting ducks here?”
“Of course not,” You palm Slaughter Demon’s handle, “We’re going to track down whoever the fucker is blocking our phone signals and beat them up.”
“Alright, I’m down,” She agrees as she pulls out her hammer with a sharp grin, “How should we start?”
“That won’t work.”
As one, both you and Kugisaki turn to Fushiguro for his response.
Said boy sends the you of two an exasperated look before his familiar stern expression overtakes him. “Finding the person that blocked our signals will be a waste of time and we can’t afford to do that because of the curse womb here.”
No fucking way. You narrow your eyes at him. “Don’t tell me—”
“We need to do the mission.”
You loudly groan, throwing your head back in a blatant show of annoyance before you upright yourself again and respond with, “You want us to go into this fucking death trap that’s meant for all of us?”
“What?” He squints at you like you’re the dumb one with the fucking death wish here, “No, we’re just gonna check around the perimeters of the Detention Center to try to find and see where the curse womb is.”
“That is still stupid,” You hiss.
“Think what you will,” Fushiguro coldly replies, “But we can’t let this curse womb that has the potential to become a special-grade go unmonitored.”
You give him a disbelief stare because what the fuck is all of that effort for if the three of you are still going to do the fucking ‘mission’?!?!
“We’re doing this and that’s final.”
“Please be careful,” The assistant says before putting up his Veil.
A soft scoff escapes you at that.
You ignore his flinch, the flicker of guilt that doesn't belong to you, and Fushiguro’s exasperated sigh. The latter then makes a handsign, “Demon Dogs,” and his white wolf appears with a howl from his shadow. “He’ll help us track down this curse.”
He shouldn’t be tracking anything other than the fucker that blocked our signals. You internally snark as you pet the fluffy boy.
The Shikigami licks the tip of your fingers before getting off his hind legs and taking the lead in this stupid ‘mission’. You take the right side slightly behind him while Fushiguro is on the left side. Kugisaki got the rear. You keep your gaze out on the horizon of the residential area through the Veil, trying to detect anyone or anything suspicious.
As the silence drags on between the three of you— particularly you and Fushiguro ignoring each other’s existences like your guys’ life depends on it— your anxiety grows more and more taut in the pit of your guts. Nothing’s happening and that’s very fucking concerning.
The person or group of people behind this aren’t retaliating immediately which should be a momentary relief but it’s not at all. Maybe you’re overthinking again and you and the others will be able to go home later and have a nice few days off to compensate for this frankly awful day. However, your gut says otherwise. And Sukuna’s been quiet but you can feel his presence a little at the forefront, like he’s peeking around the corner from a hallway, waiting.
Something isn’t right.
“Don’t bite your nails, Potato Head,” Kugisaki’s voice rang through your thoughts, startling you.
Your irritation increases at the call out and this fucking nervous tick as well as Fushiguro’s stupid little glance at you. You shove your hands into your pockets with a click of a tongue, looking away from the both of them.
A sigh from Kugisaki before she spoke up again. “Look, I don’t want to be near a deathtrap either, I didn’t get to experience Toyko long enough, but you’re being overly sensitive. Fushiguro has a point that we need to find this curse womb to keep an eye on it or else we’re all fucked. Even if I’d rather beat up the guy behind our loss of communications.”
Every word that spills out of her mouth makes you want to leave, like, right now. Yes, you’re naturally a sensitive little bitch but you’d say you’re very validated for your current feelings right now.
You don’t want to die. You don’t want these guys to die either. And you especially don’t want to be the reason why they’re dragged here to die with you.
But you are. You could’ve planned something, or at least come up with something better than trying to do a charisma check. You could’ve used your foreknowledge— no matter how lousy— better to prevent this.
You didn’t do shit!
You caught yourself slipping one of your hands out to bite your nails again before you stop yourself. Fucking hell, you’re such a fuckup.
A malicious giggle.
You whip your head over to the direction of the sound in sync with Fushiguro’s Shikigami. A shuffling of shoes against the ground and then a blur of purple passes by you.
“What? A kid? Wait, Itadori—!”
This body moved before you could think and Fushiguro’s voice was distant behind you.
What the fuck are you doing?! This is so stupid!! Your mind screams at you as you chase after the little girl into the Detention Center.
But as soon as you pass through the doors, she’s gone.
Well, fuck.
“Don’t run off like that, you fucking dumbass!”
Looking over your shoulder, you see Fushiguro along with his Shikigami and Kugisaki running up to you from behind. The teens are pissed.
“What happened to your stance of not entering inside this deathtrap?!” Kugisaki demands as she marches up into your space.
“Would you believe me when I say it was instinct?” You grumble with a mix of a groan as you lean back a bit from her, guilt and shame coursing through this body.
“Guys?”
“What, so you instinctually follow after little kids who shouldn’t be where they are?”
“Guys.”
“Yes, wouldn’t you?”
“ Guys. ”
“That’s not the fucking point,” She rolls her eyes. At least she didn’t deny it.
“ Guys! ”
“What?!” Both you and Kugisaki shout back at Fushiguro, annoyed.
He shoots you both an irritated look of his own as he replies, “The exit is gone.”
“You’re kidding!” She shouts as she whirls around to see if he’s correct while you already know it is. “Fuck!”
Fuck, indeed, Kugisaki.
You buried your face with your palms, pressing against the eyelids in a vain attempt to rid of your growing headache. Your life is officially a horror film.
“Calm down,” Fushiguro spoke up, “The dog remembers the scent where we came through.”
He’ll die soon though. You thought, refraining a frown from appearing as you joined the cheerful Kugisaki in giving the fluffy boy affections.
With little to no options, the three of you traverse deeper into this creepy, pipe-filled labyrinth of an innate domain. And as you do, the truth becomes very obvious.
“...How much do you wanna bet that little girl was live bait?” You questioned, breaking the silence.
Both teens’ reactions were immediate as their features scrunched up to deep grimaces.
“Was that even a real kid?” Kugisaki ominously adds.
Fushiguro’s dog whines, his ears and tail flattening where he’s at the front of the group as the teen remarks, “Apparently, she didn’t have a scent.”
“... What the fuck ,” You curse in English because what the actual fuck.
You all return to an uneasy silence with that knowledge and just, exist for a moment.
Then you break the silence again. “How high of a possibility one of Sukuna’s fingers is here, too?”
…
“I’m starting to hate these higher-ups,” Kugisaki snarls.
Fushiguro kept silent but his displeasured face spoke volumes.
You take a deep breath, trying to settle your nerves before saying, “Right, how well can you guys play Hide ‘N’ Seek?”
Kugisaki gives you a puzzled look while Fushiguro narrows his eyes at you. “You got a plan?” He asks.
“It’s not so much as a plan as it’s more of a flimsy solution?” You lie as you sheepishly shrug and then barrel past before either teen can reply, “Sukuna is being very attentive right now and it’s creepy. However, in this case, it’s kind of a good thing because then I could act like a radar to keep track of the finger’s curse energy and we can avoid the special-grade curse. This will give us a higher chance of survival. Maybe. Don't quote me on that.”
“That…could work,” Fushiguro hesitantly approves though he still looks conflicted. Guess the thought of Sukuna being somewhat beneficial for the group’s survival is a bitter feeling.
And you can kind of agree because Sukuna isn’t trying to be uncooperative right now and is instead watching with faint amusement and curiosity. Fucking creep.
“Will your Shikigami remember the scent of the entrance even in your shadow, Fushiguro?” You ask him.
He nods.
“Best to put away him and save your energy then.”
Again, he frowns but does comply and his dog disappears into his shadow.
Moving on, the number of pipelines decreases, and the ominous red light is gone in favor of an open area you all eventually arrive at.
Fushiguro immediately detects something and you hurry to his side. You look in the direction he’s facing and see a small pile of corpses. No, calling it that is too generous. At one point, you leave the group and are closer to these carcasses but you didn’t pay much attention to that as you stare at what’s in front of you. The assistant guy said there were five leftover inmates, right? But only three are here; two are barely anything but bloody, distorted bones, and one’s missing their bottom half.
You carefully pull the top to fully see the name tag and it reads ‘Okazaki Tadashi’. Your mind then flashes to that lady from before with her distressful pleas and guilt easily slips in at your earlier apathetic attitude.
Yuuji wanted to carry this man’s corpse back to his mother but…you’re not Yuuji.
You pull out Slaughter Demon and begin cutting the nametag off of this man’s clothes.
Then your wrist is yanked away and you’re pulled up to your feet by Fushiguro who’s giving you a hard stare.
“What are you doing?” You ask him.
“I should be asking you that,” He replies.
“I’m cutting out his nametag to give to that woman,” You answer.
“That’s Tadashi?” Kugisaki frowns a little away from both of you.
“That doesn’t matter,” Fushiguro cuts in before you can nod, his grip tightening, “We don’t have time for this. We need to leave.”
“And we will. Just give me a moment—”
“We are not wasting our precious time on this convict who hit a little girl on her way home from school while driving without a license.”
You stare at him, stunned.
“Leave him.”
You snap.
You twist Slaughter Demon just enough to tap the sharp tip against Fushiguro’s wrist and, as you’ve figured, he instinctually lets go of you with surprised eyes. He’s bleeding a bit, you noted.
You return to your task of getting Tadashi’s nametag.
“The hell, Itadori—?!”
“His mother was crying for him,” You interrupt Kugisaki, your blank voice echoing in the chamber, “Why? Why was she weeping for someone that’s officially a convict?”
“Itadori,” Fushiguro tries to get your attention as his voice gains an authoritative note to it, “I don’t know what your exact motives are but what are you going to do when someone you saved kills someone else in the future?”
A snort escapes you before some sardonic laughter follows. You stuff the name tag into your pocket and sheath Slaughter Demon as you turn back to the scowling boy with a blank face. “It’s a bit too early to be a hypocrite, isn’t it, Fushiguro? Especially when you’re barely in high school. So why bother saving me?”
The silence between you two is deafening.
“Cut the crap!” Kugisaki’s sharp interjection knocks some sense into you and you just wanna beat yourself up for your stupidity. “We don’t have time for any more petty quarrels! So let’s move our asses and—”
You pull her towards you, just in time to avoid that weird, inky portal that would’ve separated her from you guys like in canon.
“We need to run, now—!”
Your blood froze.
This pressure.
This awakened power.
This is just one finger.
And it’s suffocating.
Terrifying.
But…
“Help others.”
You can move.
You need to move.
You reach a hand out towards Fushiguro who’s the furthest from you before the fucking air slices at you.
Your pinkie flies away.
“Fuck!” You exclaim as blood spills from the newly formed stub. Whatever! At least it isn't an entire hand!
In your peripheral vision, the curse was hugging itself in sadistic pleasure. Good. It’s distracted enough.
You reach out to Fushiguro again and grab him by the shirt. With your other grip around Kugisaki’s wrist, you shout at both of them, “We’re running! Now!”
That somewhat snaps them both out of their terrified stupor before you guys are all booking the hell out of here.
“Demon Dogs!” The Shikigami is summoned and it immediately takes the lead.
Then there was a rumble before a hoard of other, weaker curses appeared in the corridors. You all prepared your weapons.
“Nue!” an orange bird Shinigami appears from Fushiguro’s shadow and takes flight, its electrical powers surging out and attacking the foes.
Kugisaki unleashed her nails at the incoming tide of curses, obliterating them with “Hairpin!”
You take the rear and exorcise any curses that come close to the group with Slaughter Demon, throwing and kicking some into the paths of Fushiguro’s Shikigamis and Kugisaki’s nails.
Yet, no matter how many you all exorcise, more seems to come and replace the previous ones. How annoying.
You clobber a mushroom-like curse under your foot before you swipe at another curse that was trying to sneak up on you with Slaughter Demon.
The tip of the blade only nips it before it scurries away. Then a nail strikes it by the head, and it explodes.
Gritting your teeth, you thrust your fist at a flying curse out of frustration before you kick at another one and send it Fushiguro’s way.
Damn short blade. You inwardly curse as you stab another foe in the eye.
Whatever, you guys are trying to escape and will escape, not exterminating all of these curses.
This continues as the group races out of the Detention Center until, finally, you all enter a different chamber and manage to lose the hoard of curses.
“Holy shit,” Kugisaki pants where she’s holding herself up by the kneecaps.
“Where’s the exit?” You ask with a slight wheeze. How embarrassing.
A brief howl from the dog Shikigami before Fushiguro replies with a finger pointing up.
You and Kugisaki follow his finger and see a small light peeking from a window that’s not blocked out by metal pipes. Nice.
What’s not nice is the special-grade not being in sight and that’s concerning . I mean, it's not near the group for now by what you can tell with Sukuna’s passive assistance. Still, that doesn't reassure you one bit.
An ambush? Your racing mind supplies before you dismiss it and sheath Slaughter Demon.
That wouldn't make sense. This curse isn't weak, it has no reason to do an ambush. In fact, it would want to use you guys as convenient toys to test its powers because it’s literally a newborn!
So then, it’s not an ambush as in a trap, but instead a surprise because why not jumpscare the prey a little, right? And this is the perfect place and time to do so yet it’s not here—
Your eyes dart up.
BOOM!
You bounce against the ground like a ragdoll from the force of that power before you hit your back against the wall.
Was that a cursed technique?
No, cursed energy?
Fuck, your ears are ringing.
Blinking the dust away from your eyes, you spot a crouching Fushiguro staring at the giggling special-grade, terrified. His Shinigamis are gone. A little away from you, Kugisaki lays on the floor with gritting teeth as she holds her bleeding shoulder. Your gaze then trails up to where the exit should be. It’s not there.
Shaking your head in an attempt to break through the aches, you push yourself up from the ground and onto your shaking feet. Now you’re leaning against the wall.
“Fushiguro,” you croak before you cough a bit.
Get a hold of yourself.
“ Fushiguro! ”
He snaps his attention to you, his gaze wide with blatant terror. Then you're reminded that he’s just a child. A child that had to grow up so fast in order to survive this cruel life of a sorcerer.
Fushiguro can't die here.
Kugisaki can't die here.
You won't let that happen.
“Take Kugisaki and leave!”
The first thought that came to Megumi after that spoken order was a familiar hospital bed.
The overlapping images between Tsumiki and Itadori felt nauseating as a different type of fear dug its familiar, ugly claws into his body.
‘ No, no! ’ He wanted to say, to shout, to protest, ‘ Anything but that .’ But his jaw was clenched shut and his tongue felt heavy.
“I’ll keep this thing busy until you two are out.”
Distantly, Megumi had felt his control over his curse energy slipping but he couldn’t bring himself to care.
Itadori, quiet yet thoughtful Itadori Yuuji is going to die.
The same Itadori Yuuji who nip him with his blade just to cut a detainee’s nametag for his mother.
The same Itadori Yuuji who drew a cursed image of Gojo-Sensei less than three days ago.
The same peer that taught Megumi and Kugisaki how to make simple meatballs on a random Thursday night.
The same teen he saved barely two weeks ago is going to die.
“Then give me a signal when you do.”
His voice finally returned at that moment. “Itadori, you can’t take on this special-grade!”
That’s the point. His inner cold logic spoke. Itadori is meant to die here. He was the one who took the bait and ran in. You were the one that dragged him and Kugisaki into this death trap.
Why?
Why is it that good people keep having unfair treatment?
Why do bad, corrupted bastards keep getting away with their crimes?
Why is he always the one being left behind?
“Fushiguro.”
That tone, that glint in his gold eyes.
“Please.”
All protests died on his lips when he recognized that expression of Itadori’s. It was the type of expression certain sorcerers like Nanami wear when they look at him. Even Gojo-sensei wore it on the rare times he was serious and when he thought Megumi didn’t notice. And now it appeared again with Itadori.
It’s an infuriating thing. But…
Megumi ran away with Kugisaki.
You better make it back, idiot or else. He thought with a scowl as he didn't look back until he and Kugisaki made it outside.
After giving the signal and sending his Shikigami away, Megumi turns to Ijichi and say, “Please give—”
“How many fucking times do I have to say this?” Kugisaki cut him off and sent him a glare, “I’m fine. ”
“Your shoulder is bleeding,” Megumi counters with his own glare. Seriously, why did she have to be so stubborn?
“So? This is nothing.”
“I beg to differ.”
“Then beg.”
Megumi is going to strangle her.
“Look, Urchin Head,” Kugisaki pulled herself away from him and Ijichi and then crossed her arms, “If you’re gonna stay here and wait for Itadori then so am I.”
“Kugisaki, please, ” He stresses, “You need to leave and get medical attention.”
“It’s a scrape, damn it! It looks worse than it feels and I’m not fucking concussed! Stop acting like you’re the only capable jujutsu sorcerer around here and tell me what the hell Itadori had planned to make you this jittery!”
Silence descends upon all of them, leaving only the sound of heavy rain.
“I-I would like to also know, Fushiguro,” Ijichi quietly joins in with a raised hand.
…God damn it.
Megumi inhales, then exhales before opening his mouth and answering—
“Sukuna, let’s make a binding vow.”
Chapter 7: A Deal With The Devil
Summary:
Wretched pest.
Notes:
(See the end of the chapter for notes.)
Chapter Text
Ever seen those types of animal documentaries where the cheetah is stalking the gazelle in a savanna setting for a good bit at the beginning before it escalates and then there’s a chase scene with intense music in the background? This is how you figured the gazelle felt. Except, you’d rather have a cheetah chasing you over this special-grade curse. At least one of them is cuter and very much less horrifying.
You’ve been running and hiding for, what, five minutes? Maybe less? Time is a social construct.
And these corridors and chambers are blurring together which is bad. I mean, it is usually, but it’s especially awful for your current situation. You cannot remember what the fucking exit looks like much less remember where!
Fucking hell, why? Why?!
You know what you have to do to survive and the parasite in your brain is making it very obvious but you don’t want to!
Not yet!
Not now.
Never.
The plan was never to make a binding vow with Sukuna in the first place .
But you’re running out of time and what little choices you have are dwindling right now.
Whoever the fuck is the mastermind behind all of this— with the fake girl and the planted finger here— cornered you. And you barely try to resist like the fucking dumbass you are!
I thought you weren’t a doormat, fucking idiot. You inwardly hiss at yourself.
Cruel laughter rang behind you and your feet immediately sped up even further without your input.
Then you leap, narrowly avoiding a wave of cursed energy sent your way. You scrambled up a large pipe near the ceiling like an obese chipmunk and just, breathe for a second.
You can’t keep this up any longer. Sooner or later, you’re gonna run out of steam and will die a sad, pathetic death. Alone.
Shaking your head frantically, you force yourself to your feet and run along the top of the pipeline. Just keep moving— keep moving until the signal is sound—
The air slices at you again and you slip off the pipe in your panic attempt to avoid it. And then you’re falling.
Swallowing the primitive fear coursing through your veins, you pull out Slaughter Demon and stab it deep into the wall behind you, trying to slow your fall.
You’re still falling and falling but your harsh grip on the blade doesn’t falter even when you can feel your shoulder screaming at you to let go, the force being too much and oh fuck, it hurts so fucking bad!
Soon enough, you stop and something pops— that’s not good—
A toothy grin radiating sadism and curling predatory eyes are right before you; a palm imbued with bright yellow cursed energy heading straight for you.
Ah fuck, did it grow bored of the chase?
BOOM!
Everything went black for a moment.
There, at the top of a tower of skulls and bones surrounded by a lake of blood, sat a creature.
His red predatory eyes locked with hers.
And then the world is suddenly so loud.
Beyond the ringing, you can hear your loud, heavy breathing. Your chest feels too constricted and your right shoulder is numb.
Somewhere, at the back of your mind, a voice tells you to move. You need to move.
You open your eyes and quickly sit up. A wave of nausea hits you.
From behind, there’s…laughter?
You swivel around and see a double— the curse has a twin.
They’re glowing.
You race to the edge of this weird bridge thingy— why would a detention center have this?— and leap.
Something was ripped from you— your left foot, your mind hysterically supplies— and you screamed.
Then you hit cold water.
Your This body automatically moves and then you’re swimming up. The water feels so heavy and thick but you push through, breaking the surface, and you gasp for air before coughing, your— not yours— lungs burning.
Land, land, landlandlandland— Your mind chants as you frantically search for said land.
You find it— it’s some sort of pathway along the wall, away from the pillars that hold up the bridge thingy— and swim to it.
You heave your wet self up, water splattering under and around you on the concrete before you flop onto your back.
Silence descends on you. Only your panting echoes in the chamber, intertwining with the ripplet waters as you stare up at the ceiling with half-lidded eyes.
…
Why?
Why did those higher-ups have to send Gojo-Sensei away?
Why did he have to leave?
Why did he have to be The Strongest?
Why couldn’t Fushiguro be stronger?
It’s not his fault.
Why couldn’t Yuuji figure something else out instead of eating that damn finger?
Why are you in this body?
Why are you the main character?
Why are you Itadori Yuuji ?
You’re not strong enough.
Not smart enough.
Not brave enough.
Why are you here?
Maybe you're needed here?
What did she you do to deserve this?
To get sent away from home, away from your family, her friends?
To be here in a former fictional world, a terrifying world with terrifying enemies?
Why can’t these people, these characters disappear?
Why did they have to exist?
Why?
Sorry.
Why?
I’m sorry.
Why, why, whywhywhywhywhywhywhywhywhywhywhywhywhywhywhy—
Could she ever return home?
…
Did she die?
…
Does it matter?
She’s gonna die here now.
Left little to nothing in this world.
Barely did anything but run.
And run.
And run .
Until it led her here.
…
Maybe she’ll stop existing altogether.
Don't—
But…she wants to do more.
Be more.
Otherwise, what’s the point of her existence if she can't accomplish something worthwhile?
A blurry figure is here, giggling.
You take my pinkie, my foot, and now my depression hour? Greedy bastard. You internally curse the thing though there’s no heat to it. Or anything really. You just feel numb. Empty.
Whatever, you shouldn’t stall anymore.
“Sukuna,” your voice pierces through the silence, “Let’s make a binding vow.”
“Hmm,” The baritone voice appears and he sounds amused, “And what do you propose, interloper?”
Your mind feels a little sluggish which isn’t good but you can still grasp the memories you had when you were speculating what the binding vow and its conditions should be when if it ever comes down to this. Now you can only pick a god and pray it works. “You can take over this body whenever I fall unconscious for a total of two hours.”
A burst of hunger and dark glee erupt, causing you and the curse to reel before those sensations are pulled back. “How awfully generous of you,” you’re not sure if that’s sarcasm or not but you can feel him grinning. Creep. “What’s the catch?”
“You will protect and cannot kill any living being that has cells in them, including myself, from harm and danger.”
Immediately, the pressure in the air grew heavy as the aura of death became more apparent, making it very difficult to breathe and your headache pounding. You pushed through it.
“You also cannot sexually assault anyone or anything and that includes myself.”
“Impudent maggot,” Sukuna lowly growls, “You think because a drawing version of me made a binding vow with whoever this actual brat Itadori Yuuji I will follow through and accept this? This horrid offering where you oblige me to protect and help the weak ? You’re much more naive than I thought.”
“What do you want to add to this then?” fuck, your throat is getting hoarse here, “I’m willing to compromise.”
“Again, you’re so naive, foolishly thinking I’ll respond positively in turn to you. So bold to believe we can come to an agreement just because you think you know me well enough from a picture story.”
“...Yeah, you’re right,” a slight chuckle escapes you. It sounds so hollow. “Guess I’ll die here…with you as my witness.”
Maybe I’ll finally wake up from this nightmare…?
You wait for the special-grade to come closer and kill you.
For Sukuna to slip away and watch as you become the sixth corpse of this building.
For his mocking laughter to be the last thing you hear.
Don’t give up.
None of that happened.
“You will allow me to take control of this body for three minutes after using the key phrase ‘enchain’ whether you’re unconscious or not,” Sukuna spoke up, the air around him almost business-like, “You will not interfere and will forget this part of the deal.”
You blink, your definitely damaged brain trying to comprehend what you’ve just heard. Then, “No.”
He let out a scoff. “I don’t believe you’re aware that you’re in no position to deny my part of the binding vow right now. If you want to live and try to change anyone’s fate in the future then you must accept. Otherwise, you will die here alone and rot .”
God damn it…
“I suggest you hurry and agree, Interloper.”
It was at that moment, the curse took a step towards you where you lay and, oh, look, your will to live suddenly came back!
“Well?”
“Fine, I agree.”
The sound of chains echoes and etches in the depths of your soul. It links to a creature with a far too delighted grin sitting on a tall throne made of bones in the middle of a lake of blood.
Then there was a distant howl before your exhaustion became too much and you knew no more.
When Sukuna awoke to this new modern era, he was expecting to gain a powerful vessel fit for his wants and needs. A powerful vessel that can withstand his power and won’t break during his battles.
Instead, he got a cage.
How infuriating. He was ready to eat this vessel alive for defying him, for depriving his pleasures. And with the knowledge it was a one-in-a-million chance for anyone or anything, much less a mere brat to control him makes his blood boil even further.
Then he noticed the foreign thoughts.
None of it is in his native tongue.
This strange set of memories clashes with another one, the one that belongs to the original body, this Itadori Yuuji. Whoever is in control isn’t where they should be.
Soul is a difficult subject to understand as the knowledge is very scarce no matter how many theories are crafted around it. A displaced soul even more so. It’s not impossible to move the soul into something else such as curse tools and Sukuna is a prime example as he was turned into cursed objects. It isn’t out of the realm of possibilities there could be a cursed technique that can move the soul either. However, a displaced soul from another world, one where cursed energy and cursed spirits do not exist at all, is unheard of.
Originally, Sukuna had thought this interloper was just another mere pest because of her lack of memories of seeing curses and her mundane life in another land across the seas. Then he saw that drawing of himself in his true form. With the exception of Uraume, no one knows his true form. He had cut down any foolish weakling that dared to cross him and they never live to tell the tale. And yet, this interloper knows.
Curious, Sukuna dived deeper into their memories, slowly gaining an understanding of this new language, and discovered something else.
A picture story. And he’s in it.
Why is she here? He does not know. Yet, Sukuna would be lying if he said he wasn’t interested in this anomaly. She has many traits that overlap with this brat but also many differences such as the fact she appears to be more sensitive to his cursed energy.
Perhaps it’s because she came from another world that has no cursed energy or another possibility is she’s significantly weaker than the original brat. But she does not seem too affected by other’s curse energy such as that Six Eyes bearer. Oh well, it does not matter when it’s clear she’s a weak point, a chance for Sukuna to completely take over this vessel that should’ve been his from the beginning.
He just has to prevent her from absorbing the brat’s soul completely. And the best method to do that is to crush hers.
Sukuna meant it when the interloper is sensitive. It’s absurd and pathetic how much her strong emotions affect her under that blank face and her passive demeanor makes him want to cut her up until she’s nothing but stripes of meat. She should’ve never become a jujutsu sorcerer. She’s simply too weak. Watching her scurry away from that curse in a panic and out of spite towards him was enough evidence. She should’ve been easy to crush.
And yet.
Her soul is much more resilient than he initially thought, it can’t be cut so easily. It doesn’t help that this brat is preventing him from unleashing his current full power to kill her. And this power, this restrained hunger. It’s not too dissimilar from his own.
With her wits and that repressed anger along with this brat’s influence and physique, that power can be unlocked. Sukuna wants to watch that power blossom, overcome it, and, when possible, take it when it reaches its peak.
His goals have not changed— he will make this vessel become his and crush the interloper and brat until there’s nothing left of them, followed by everyone and everything else the world has to offer. The chance of another good challenge and power is just a welcome addition.
Now, to begin crushing the interloper’s soul, she had directly yet indirectly made it very easy by offering herself to him with this binding vow. And she knows it.
“Idiotic woman,” Sukuna chuckles lowly as he walks away from the exorcised curse, and the innate domain crumbles. “I’ll make her regret this.”
Hmm, according to her poor memories of this picture story, that Fushiguro boy should be waiting for him outside. And yet, he senses one other presence and it’s weaker.
Sukuna grins as he leaves the dreary building and strides towards the two sorcerers.
“There you are!” The woman— Kugisaki— shouts as soon as she detects him, her concern poorly concealed behind an irritated expression, “What took you so long, Potato Head?”
Fushiguro’s relief instantly shifts to terror and a stance is done before he holds an arm out in front of the woman, stopping her in her tracks, as he exclaims, “Kugisaki, that’s not Itadori!”
She freezes at those words before her eyes widen and she gets into her own stance, brandishing her hammer and nails.
Sukuna can feel his grin stretch. “Sorry, but that brat, Itadori Yuuji, isn’t coming back,” he begins and they both grow tenser. He relishes in their fear as he slowly comes closer to their fronts. “Don’t be so frightened. I’m feeling quite happy right now and would like to have a chat with you.”
Sukuna greedily takes a deep breath, never thought he would miss the air so much. Then he rips off this small jacket and shirt, letting the rain shower on him.
“You see, the brat you think you know isn’t who he is,” He smirks, “Because the real him can’t be here anymore.”
After that last word, the sorcerers wear severe expressions and briefly flare their cursed energy at him, their control over it lost before they immediately reign in their emotions.
“What did you do to him?” Fushiguro demands.
“Oh, I did nothing,” He easily answers.
“ Bullshit ,” Kugisaki hisses at him, ignoring her peer’s immediate pale face, “Give Itadori back, you old man!”
Such a feisty woman, all bark and no bite.
He’ll have fun with her.
“I told you, that brat isn't coming back,” Sukuna replies as he pulls out his cursed finger and swallows it. He savors the resurgence of his powers returning to him, his hand flexing from the rush of his cursed energy coursing through his veins before savagely grinning at them. “But if you want to fight, you’re welcome to try.”
He tilts his head and the nails fly past him. Then he was right in front of the woman, boring his eyes at her and causing her to flinch back.
“Come on,” he drawls, before pivoting in his steps and leaning away from the fist heading for him, letting Kugisaki regain distance.
Fushiguro follows it up with a roundhouse kick which he effortlessly dodges and swerves away from the various punches from him and the avian Shikigami’s attacks.
“Try harder.” Sukuna kicks his back foot against the sorcerer’s, sending both of them back with the boy careening against the metal gates with a grunt.
There was a brief pull around his soul, the chains of the binding vow tugging in a silent warning from the rough action. Hm, how interesting. No immediate action of punishment yet a limit exists. The interloper is truly so generous.
Sukuna laughs as he evades another round of nails and the flying Shikigami before turning to Fushiguro who’s running back to him and resumes combat. “Impressive,” he says as he leaps and avoids a joint attack of a fist, a tackle, and nails on all flanks, “To see a rare Shikigami user with skillful martial arts.”
He steps on the sorcerer’s head before kicking off into a backflip.
“So why did you run back there?” Sukuna questions with an easy grin plastered on his face while in the air, “What a waste.”
The Ten Shadows is such a versatile and powerful cursed technique. The endless possibilities of this power are so invigorating, especially when he takes into account the memories and ideas he’s seen from the interloper’s mind. Such ingenuity, such potential. This technique is undeniably the Zenin clan’s pride and joy and Fushiguro’s first name fits his position well.
Yes, he’ll watch over this one, too.
Upon landing, Sukuna immediately catches the flying nails out of the air before sending them back— he makes sure his throw is at a weak speed— to their owner.
Kugisaki let out an undignified yelp as she hastily dodged the counterattack and the nails dented into the concrete.
Sukuna exploits this chance and jumps behind and kicks her legs to which she pathetically loses her balance and falls into the forming mud puddle in front of her.
“You, on the other hand, are quite boring,” He looks at her, impassive. “Your nails and hammer are of little threat to anyone, much less me.”
She bristled, meeting his eyes with little hesitation before clumsily swinging her hammer at him. Sukuna stops her in her tracks and twists her wrist enough for her to drop her measly weapon with a cry.
A surge of cursed energy discharges and then a snake Shikigami appears before Sukuna and has him in its jaw. It coils around Kugisaki protectively before it stretches itself and throws him high into the air.
“Gang up on him!” He hears Fushiguro's order from below before the avian screeches again in affirmation and begins an assault full of electricity on him.
Sukuna reaches out and grabs the Shikigami by the neck and brings himself up onto its back before stomping on the top of its head. Then it cries as it begins falling.
The snake is extending itself again with its jaw open at him. Grinning, Sukuna kicks the fallen avian at it, sending both Shikigami away from him.
As he’d thought, the binding vow does not regard curses or Shikigami as living beings. If he wanted to, he could destroy Fushiguro’s entire arsenal right now. How fortunate for him that Sukuna will not let his talents rot.
Then, the moment Sukuna lands on the ground once again, there is a snap of a finger as Kugisaki shouts, “Hairpin!”
The ground exploded.
Hm, the woman made herself be underestimated on purpose even though she despised that notion in order to let his guard down around her. She’s much more tactical than he initially thought. Even the interloper isn’t aware.
Her control over her cursed technique must be quite high for her to detonate that explosive move whenever she deems it to. And that’s not mentioning her technique’s other unique aspect.
The dust quickly settles under the rain and Sukuna swipes away the dirt that got on him. Then he grins at the sorcerers. In comparison to him, who now has no spect of dust on him, they’re filthy with an air of exhaustion to them.
“Better,” He remarks at the glaring Kugisaki, “If you further explore the soul aspect of your technique, perhaps you can give me a challenge.” The interloper’s mind is truly innovative.
“Shut the fuck up, you old leech!” She shouts, pointing her hammer at him, “Go to hell!”
“Kugisaki,” Fushiguro hisses at her in warning though she ignores him.
“Come now,” Sukuna lets out a laugh before appearing closer and grabbing them both by the shoulders, “I’m not done with you yet.”
Then he threw them.
They scrape by the top of the trees and the chains lightly squeeze in warning once again. Ignoring that nagging annoyance, Sukuna watches as Fushiguro summons his snake and it catches him and Kugisaki.
He leaps up and lands on the Shikigami’s head, savagely grinning at the stunned sorcerers as they all crash down.
Then, once he landed, Sukuna lunged at the sorcerers, his fist flying at them.
Fushiguro was the first to react as he held a hand out in front of him and something tugged Sukuna behind the foot.
The sudden act momentarily caused Sukuna’s balance to slightly tip, to his surprise, and his fist’s trajectory now steers toward Fushiguro.
Sukuna diverts his fist to hit the wall, causing a large, deep crater to form behind the sorcerer.
Glancing back to see who or what caught his foot, it’s revealed to be a shadow, Fushiguro’s shadow that’s engulfing his foot. Sukuna chuckles as he pulls it out with some difficulty— how heavy— and folds backward to evade the nails.
Then Sukuna leaps a few steps back before divulging to the sorcerers. “I speak the truth when I said I didn’t do anything to them. And the brat isn’t coming back. Your ‘friend’, when they were at death’s door, felt as if they might as well die and disappear from this world.” Then he turns to Fushiguro, locking eyes with him. “They blame you, you know. For being too weak.”
The sorcerer flinches yet the look in his eyes says he figured that was the possibility. He’s much more emotional than Sukuna thought.
“Fushiguro, don’t listen to him,” Kugisaki interjects with a growl, her eyes brimming with anger where she’s pointing her hammer and nails at him. “He’s just saying shit to mess with you.”
“Think what you will but I am not lying,” Sukuna inclines his head while idly flexing his hands before grinning again, “Now, shall we continue?”
He was about to grab them again before Fushiguro’s voice cut through the air. “With this treasure.”
Sukuna’s eyes widened. That familiar stance of twin fists held out at the opponent, the sudden spike in cursed energy from the sorcerer as the air around them vibrates with power. His grin stretches.
“I summoned…” he trails off as the summoning was halted. Then he glances over to Kugisaki before darting back to Sukuna, his fists falling to his sides. “...Itadori, the reason I saved you back then wasn’t based on anything logical. You’re simply a good person and I wouldn’t forgive myself if I let you die. It was an easy decision I don’t regret. So whatever binding vow you’ve now got with Sukuna, I trust you will come back to us soon.”
…
Sukuna stares at Fushiguro and then watches as Kugisaki grins in reassurance next to him, standing proud. They stare back at him with certainty.
He feels the brat’s disgusting fondness towards them even though he has not personally interacted with either of them. He should kill all these sorcerers already.
Pinching the right nerves, both sorcerers fall unconscious and he catches them in his arms. Ignoring the feeling of rattling chains, he starts walking.
Hm, as Sukuna had predicted, this binding vow is very troubling. Many weaklings are going to exploit this obvious weakness and try to control him. If his past self sees him now, he would be astounded and disgusted he accepted this arrangement with a lowly pest no matter if it’s an interesting interloper.
Perhaps he’s influenced by her as well. A logical conclusion to land on as it’s not out of the realm of possibilities and explains why he even agreed in the first place. The thought is as repulsive as he imagines, too. Him, being this easily manipulated? By a weakling? And when it’s done in a manner that’s not on purpose, too? It just heightens the urge to plummet these worthless pests and make this vessel his .
He glances down at Fushiguro, pulling his bloodlust back as he calculates his plans. Hmm, yes, he’ll do.
“Hm?” Sukuna stops, slowly blinking at the pale weakling in front of him.
He didn’t say anything. He just stood frozen where he was next to the metal carriage, trembling.
“I don’t have time for this.” With those words, Sukuna kicks the transportation device away and sends it into the nearby buildings. He then lets out a satisfied sigh at the wanton destruction he caused before he resumes walking. “Come on,” He calls back at the weakling to follow and he does.
Oh well, despite what these sorcerers think, Sukuna is patient. He’ll have what’s his in no time and accomplish his goals.
He will destroy everything in his path.
Notes:
Writing Sukuna is hard. Hopefully, I didn't make him too ooc. TvT
Chapter 8: The Flame Wasn’t Smothered
Summary:
Where the fuck am I?
Chapter Text
You wake up to a familiar ceiling.
You're in bed. Your bed .
These are your covers, your sheets, and pillows. Bits of cat hair are on them.
Then there's your dresser, your closet, your working desk, your shelves of books, your mirror, everything .
This is your room.
Was that…all a dream?
Wait.
You jumped out of your bed, threw the covers away, and rushed to the mirror. There, you see it’s you her. The real her.
She’s missing neither a pinkie nor a foot. She's not Itadori Yuuji.
Insurmountable relief hits her as she heaves out a big sigh. She rubs her eyes with her hands as the mental exhaustion kicks in.
Holy shit, she does not want to experience that kind of nightmare for a long time.
Not wanting to linger on that terrible thought, she pulls out her phone and checks the time. It says it's past nine meaning she woke up late. Oops.
Whatever, she should go brush her teeth and then get breakfast. So she does while bobbing her head to her Spotify playlist.
Mom, Dad, and Uncle must've left early for work, her little sister is at school, and aunt should be downstairs either in the kitchen or lying in the hammock. It's probably the latter based on the lack of noise below.
She moves to her room and makes her bed before hurrying downstairs and heading for the kitchen. Glancing over to her left, over and past the window showing to the last floor, she sees an empty hammock.
Huh, must be in the bathroom . She thought.
She moves on to see what’s for breakfast. Since there's no obvious plated meal on the table right off the get-go, it looks like she's providing breakfast for herself today. She goes to the cereal cabinet.
She goes through the usual process— cereal first then milk, of course— and eats her breakfast. Simple as that.
Then she washed the bowl and spoon in the sink before heading downstairs to her workspace. Along the way, she glances at the bathroom only to see no light under the closed door because her aunt isn't there either, what?
Anxiety, her old unwanted friend, creeps in as she's left confused. Is she by herself? Where's her aunt?
Then she stops herself, taking a deep breath and calming her nerves. Aunt must be with Mom. She probably has business somewhere outside the house that mom needs to drive her to like a doctor’s appointment. But that couldn't be it, she's sure that should come up next month.
She opens her phone again and opens the Reminders app, checking it. Yep, nope, that's next month like she remembered.
Desperately, she pushes away the apprehension that keeps slithering up on her. She's being paranoid, overreacting because of that nightmare. It’s fine. Everything’s fine.
Maybe she should skip classes today. Yeah, a day off, especially to reboot her mental state. Self-care is very important as they say.
With that plan in session, she enters the room and heads for her desk, turns on her lamp, and opens her laptop. She inputs the PIN code beforehand and then pivots to the window to open the blinds.
Her breath hitches.
Where's the neighboring house?
Dread digs into her as her anxiety spikes up and now she's rushing to the kitchen and grabbing a knife. Familiarity washes over her but she figures that's just her hysteria kicking in so she ignores that because while she is grabbing it, she sees through another set of windows the rest of the neighborhood behind her house as well as the rest of the trees and mountains aren't there either!! It’s just a white void!
She should call 911. But, wait, would they even believe her when she says she can't see the rest of her neighborhood? They'd probably think she was hallucinating and going fucking crazy.
Is she crazy? Yes? No? Fuck knows what's going on in her mentally ill brain really.
She doesn't know what the hell is going on but she should get her pepper spray, too, because better safe than sorry right? Right?
(Yeah, of course not.)
Anyway, she ran upstairs to her room and locked the door behind her before searching for the pepper spray. Then she hid in her closet and called 911.
It rings once.
Twice.
Thrice.
…
…
…
Her phone clicks off.
The silence is deafening.
That…should not have happened. She's pretty sure that's illegal, or, maybe impossible.
What the fuck is going on?
Her mind races and unnecessary horrifying thoughts and scenarios appear. Like there's possibly a stranger living in her house all this time and their face is just two prick eyes and a toothy grin plastered on a dark silhouette and they're peering into her room right now because they smell her fear and oh my god, she’s going to die—
YOU’RE NOT FUCKING HELPING BRAIN!
She heaves a deep breath, wrangling control over herself.
Calm down. Breath. She tells herself.
And she does, steadying her breaths and calming her nerves for the next few minutes. The only noises were her quiet breathing.
Okay, get a fucking grip, and let's think about this logically.
One, the neighbors are gone.
Two, it looks like she and her house are in a white void.
Three, the wifi works but she can't contact 911 for whatever reason. Actually—
She opens her phone and calls Dad, then twice for Mom (turn on your damn ringtone, woman), then her friends, then aunt, and even her little sister. None picked up.
Okay, so that leads to number four which is she can safely say she’s completely alone.
Great.
Just great.
But what if you're not? Her stupid brain supplies.
She lets out another heavy sigh, the exhaustion becoming apparent again.
She sits there another couple of minutes, spewing in her thoughts and the weird signs become more obvious.
She wasn't woken up early by her sister’s shenanigans around six in the morning.
Her mom didn't wake her up.
She didn't see any water droplets in the sink beforehand or smell any lingering cooking.
She didn't wake up to see Jinx sleeping next to her on the bed, didn't hear any meows outside the bathroom door…
Where is Jinx?
Probably not here either. Her brain tells her as she stands up and slides open the closest.
And to that, she whispers, “Shut the fuck up, brain.”
She steps out of the closet and then checks under her bed as a precaution. Nothing.
Another sigh, another moment of relief and smoothing her paranoia.
Right, okay. Let’s take a closer look at whatever this place is because she’s definitely not in her city and there are obviously no threats, otherwise, she’d be dead already.
She’s not letting go of the knife or pepper spray though. They're her emotional support items now.
Anyway, she begins by looking through her window and observing what the hell is going on outside. There's the white void still and the sky isn't stretched out beyond the horizon like it’s supposed to. Weird.
Is this another dream?
Did she wake up from a dream within a dream?
…
Nope. One thing at a time.
She shakes her head and gets away from the window.
She inspects the house and finds nothing out of the ordinary. Everything is how she remembers…that is until she opens a closet next to the kitchen. The bags of rice, hidden jugs of juice, and other trinkets nobody else in the house knows where to put are gone. Instead, it’s another little staircase and it leads to a strangely familiar open-lit room where a futon lays in the middle of the floor.
The futon shifts before there is a muffled yawn and then a mop of spiky pink hair pops up under the covers. Then the kid— because that’s a fucking little toddler— sits up. Gold eyes blink the weariness away before they lock into hers.
He stares at her.
She stares back.
Then, “Oh!” He exclaims her name and rudely points a finger at her. “It’s you!!”
“And you’re a toddler, Yu—, er, Itadori,” she replied as she entered the room. It looks like Itadori’s room back in Sendai.
“Eh?!” said toddler looked absolutely dumbstruck by that fact and quickly checked himself out, further blowing his eyes wider, “Oh god, I’m a little kid! No wonder you look so big! How did you do that?!”
“What makes you think I did this?” she squinted at him, watching as he sat on top of his futon and made himself comfortable.
“Well, did you?” he asks, squinting back.
“No!” She can't help but answer with a shout.
“Oh, ok.” Her shoulders slumped from the whiplash of his easy response. This kid... “Then do you know why I'm a kid?”
“Why are you asking me?”
“Because you’re smart.”
She barked out a laugh before sitting down along with him, replying, “Listen, kid, I may have a 4.0 GPA in school but I barely retained anything besides maybe my elementary years.”
“I don't know what a GPA is but you did all that research on jujutsu in that dusty old library, and seemed to figure out Fushiguro and Kugisaki’s powers, too,” Itadori points out, confused.”
“How did you know that?” she cocks a brow.
“I saw it,” was his simple answer.
“Hm, yes, very informative,” she deadpans.
He shrugs. “I don't know what else to tell you. Well, I mean, it kind of felt like I was dreaming when I saw it with, you know, that whole far-away feeling dreams have?”
So he was half-aware of what was going on outside his body and through her thoughts and actions all this time. Good to know. “You could've just started with that.”
“Yeah, but I didn't.”
She can't help but roll her eyes at him as she falls for his charms. No wonder he’s the protagonist.
Then, like a freight train, the realization dawns on her that she didn't kill a child. And soon enough, everything else crashes over her and her head falls in her hands before she releases a loud groan.
Fuck. This isn’t a dream. She laments.
“Uh, you good, Miss Iseki-ed Person?”
“It’s nothing,” Was her muffled answer before she heaved a sigh as she dug the palms of her hands against her eye sockets, “Just found out my moral consciousness wasn’t compromised.”
“Good for you…?”
“Thanks,” She snorts before letting her hands fall onto her lap and she gives him a weary smile, “I also realized I’m an absolute asshole and a certified dumbass.”
Itadori frowns at her. “You keep saying that but I’ve seen and heard your thoughts, Miss Iseki-ed Person.”
“Itadori, in my fit of anger, I fucking cut Fushiguro and it took me almost an hour to realize we’re in my innate domain,” she deadpans.
“Innate domain?” He tilts his head, puzzled. And he’s not denying her horrible actions toward Fushiguro. Then the brain cells kick in, “Oh! The person’s Bankai, right?”
“Yeah, pretty much.”
“Wait, so then, why am I here? And, seriously, as a kid, too?”
She tilts her head at those questions as her brain kicks into gear. It is odd for Itadori to be in what should equate to her soul. From what she understands from the books, entering a person’s innate domain is usually possible if it’s physically manifested and that’s generally done by strong curses like that special-grade from the detention center or ones with unique specialty powers and/or circumstances. There are exceptions, of course, such as Sukuna since he’s just built different. But, obviously, she’s not on his level of jujutsu or experience so she’ll be skipping the first question and come back to it later.
Now, the second question is hilariously much easier to figure out. First and foremost, no matter if JJK is now a real world with real people and shit, it was an anime and manga from her world meaning tropes are at play here.
So with that thought in mind, she goes and asks Itadori, “Well, how are you feeling?”
“Eh?” He blinks and then answers, “Um, I guess, aside from feeling weird to be this small again, I’m kinda tired. I feel safe here.”
“Anything else?” She gives him an urging look, “Anything profound or something nagging?”
“Mmmmm,” Itadori crosses his arms and inclines his head as his face scrunchs up in concentration, “I feel like, like, I’m a little hungry but that doesn’t feel right.”
“Like you feel incomplete?”
“Yeah!” He points to you with a grin before it turns smug, “See? I knew you were smart.”
“Thank you,” She flatly says because she’s really not before getting back on topic, “Anyway, I don’t know why you’re here but I think I know why you’re a kid.”
He perks up like an excited puppy. She wouldn’t be surprised if he grew imaginary ears and a wagging tail, flowers, and sunshine floating around him in some random animated gif.
“This is only a theory so don’t take my words as gospel,” She clarifies with a hard look, making sure he understands before continuing, “But I think it’s because you’re just a shard of your original soul.”
“That’s very anime-like,” Itadori instantly remarks.
She snorts. “It is, isn't it?”
“Then how do I rejoin my soul?” He adorably tilts his head.
She shrugs. “Fuck if I know. Guess you’re stuck here for a while.”
“I guess,” Then he makes a face, “Okay, but why a kid? I know why, but why ?”
“Maybe because you’re childish?”
“I’m not childish,” he pouts, rendering his protest null from the adorable display, “Oi, stop smiling like that. Stop laughing!”
Giggles continue to burst out of her lips as Itadori keeps indirectly attacking her with his cuteness. This was a welcome change of pace. There were no immediate threats, no danger, no conflict externally or internally, nothing. It’s just her and Itadori in this little moment together.
Then the moment soon disappears when Itadori rubs behind his head with a sheepish smile and says, “Anyway, I’m sorry, Miss.”
She pauses because what? “What?”
“I said I’m sorry,” He repeats.
“No, I heard you, just—” Her brows furrowed, puzzled, “Why are you apologizing?”
“Well, I mean,” Itadori hung his head a little but his bangs were too short to hide the glint of guilt shining in his eyes, “It’s my fault you’re dealing with an evil curse demon thing since I ate that finger. If I didn’t then…”
“That— Itadori,” She leans in, silently urging him to look at her in the eyes. He does, peeking an eye up. “That isn’t your fault.”
“Isn’t it?” His self-degrading smile hurts. It hurts so bad. “I mean, you thought so yourself from the beginning, and again when you thought you were gonna die from that special-grade curse. And if it weren’t for me making us chase after that little girl, you wouldn’t have made that deal with him. I fucked up.”
“Yu…” Any retort she could think of at that moment died a painful death as that revelation was revealed. Denying any of that won’t help. It won’t help anyone.
Silence descends on the two of them and it’s unbearably loud.
Then she scoots closer to Itadori until she’s right at the end of his futon and sits in a seiza. “Itadori,” she spoke up.
“Sorry, I—”
“Let me finish first,” She cuts off his blurting, causing his head to lower even further in shame. She pushes through. “Please?”
A brief hesitation from Itadori before he looks back up at her and gives a small nod.
“Itadori, I admit that I did think of… that from before but you must understand those were in the heat of the moment and I was a stressful mess. What I said and will say, what I thought and will think, they won’t align with what I’m actually thinking or doing. Of course, none of that doesn’t excuse anything and, honestly, me taking the brunt of Sukuna’s actions instead of you might as well be karmic punishment.”
“But—”
“And, yes, while chasing after the girl without a second thought is a stupid decision,” He shrinks at those words and she hurriedly continues, “I got us into that grim situation in the first place because of a lack of trying. I was too complacent.”
“So…you’re saying it was both of our faults?”
“Yes.” Hers more so. “At least for that specific situation.”
“Okay, but I still ate that disgusting finger,” Itadori rebukes with a frown. This kid is so stubborn.
“Itadori, you’re a child.” He looks like he’s about to protest further so she blitzes through. “A child with unfortunate circumstances. You lost your only remaining family member and were barely given time to grieve before you would’ve been tossed to the wolves that is the jujutsu world. It is not your fault. It wasn’t anybody’s fault. It was just unfortunate timing that you ate the cursed object and I woke up in this world simultaneously.
The kid doesn’t look convinced but he isn’t outright protesting what she’s saying either. For now anyways. A small win.
“Understand that you have nothing to apologize for. You’re just as much a victim as I am.” Then she reaches out a hand and pats his head and oh my, his hair is so soft. “You’re a good kid.”
Then, in one bold move, she pulls Itadori into a headlock and noogies him. He screeches.
“Besides, do you have any idea how humiliating it is for a toddler to apologize who’s not at fault to a barely functioning adult?! Huh?!”
“Stop calling me a toddler!!” He shouts, his laughter overlapping.
“Stop looking like one then!”
Soon enough, she relents and lets go of him.
“So, you know I’m Miss Iseki-ed Person here, are somewhat aware outside your body, and apparently, can urge me to do some stuff as well,” She gains a nod before continuing, “But how much do you know? And how much control do you have?”
“Well, I know you’re from the future.”
Then Itadori proceeds to list and explain what he understands from her memories. There were many times she had to jump in and clarify some stuff and a few times the discussion derailed from the original topic. Typical stuff here.
He also explains his experiences and those give context to many things and were seen in a new light. Such as whenever Itadori’s body suddenly moves without her consent or, his instincts kick in basically, safe to say that was him. The closest analogy she could think of is that Itadori is the one driving the car and she’s seated next to him giving directions. And Sukuna is the unwanted passenger sitting from behind. Pfft.
Oh, and, Itadori had nothing to do with keeping her fears at bay. That was all her.
It’s not exactly surprising. As was mentioned before, she’s a sensitive little bitch but because of that trait, she noticed whenever her emotions are very high, they dip into the negatives and suddenly nothing really matters anymore. What was she overreacting about before? Why was she? And soon enough, she forgets what upset her in the first place. Basically, the neurons and chemicals that deal with emotions— in this case, her fears— have been working overtime in her brain and straining them.
“So what now?” Itadori understandably asks after all that.
“Well, as soon as I wake up, I’ll research souls and innate domains and try to figure out your circumstances so you can gain your body back,” She replies where she lies sideways next to him and his futon, “And everything else with the plot? My foreknowledge is next to useless except for some very specific situations and it turns out I’m not the best at plans so let’s just wing it.”
“Okay,” He beams at her before saying, “And you can refer to my body as yours, too, since we’re practically sharing it. So we’re roommates.”
“And they were roommates,” She blurted out, no thoughts, head empty. Then the horrifying implications crash on her and utter disgust comes in, “Ignore that. I’m not into minors. Or anyone really.”
Itadori just laughs at her misery. Little shit.
“...But, uh, yeah. Thanks for the permission, kid, I think…?”
He gives her an easy smile. “No problem.”
Then another thought comes to mind and she squints at it with some anxious puzzlement. “Actually, can I even return here in the future? Will I be able to see you again?”
“Hm, that could be a problem, huh?” Itadori idly comments before shrugging. “We’ll figure something out.”
“Yeah, I guess,” She huffs a laugh at his nonchalant self, “Thanks, Itadori.”
“Yuuji.”
She blinks.
“You can call me Yuuji, you know. I mean, you did that already and I don’t mind.”
“...You really don’t?”
“Miss, we’re sharing a body and mind 24/7 for who knows how long. It’s fine.”
“You’re too carefree,” She exasperated a sigh.
“And you worry too much,” He instantly retorts with a cheeky grin.
This kid…Heh, thanks, Yuuji.
You wake up and the air smells sterilized from hell to back.
You sneeze.
Ugh, am I in a hospital? You inwardly groan as you rub your slightly running nose.
“Oh, you’re awake,” A female voice rings out.
Wiping away the weariness, you blink open your eyes to see a bored-looking woman in a white coat.
Then the memories were played. Two things come to mind and they are— ‘Holy shit, binding vows are so OP’ and ‘Fushiguro, you big softie.’
Sitting up and glancing around, you take in the fact you’re in some room reminiscent of a doctor’s office and are lying in bed. You don't know what’s in that bed but it helped you have the best sleep in a while now. You're topless though so that’s a little embarrassing.
“Now which one are you right now?” The lady— the doctor, your mind supplies— asks though she doesn’t look like she cares.
You still answered her. “Sukuna would’ve trashed this place already if it was him who woke up somehow.”
She hums in half-hearted confirmation before she heads for the sink. You blankly watch as she washes her hands before wearing a pair of gloves and preparing medical equipment onto a medical tray on wheels thing. Then she comes over to you and introduces herself. “I’m Ieiri Shoko, your local and only doctor of Jujutsu Tech. I’ll be checking your vitals, Itadori.”
You can only nod and let her check over this body.
Ieiri-sensei was gentle with you while being quick and efficient with the necessary procedure. The familiar scent of cigarettes clings to her like every smoker out there.
After a few minutes stewing in awkward silence, you spoke up and asked, “How are the others?”
Ieiri-sensei understood what you meant as she placed the instrument that checks your blood pressure away and easily answered, “Your peers are fine. They just gained some minor injuries from their fight with Sukuna.” Yep, binding vows are very OP.
“And the assistant guy?”
“Ijichi?” So that’s his name. “He’s also fine. Well, in the physical department at least.”
“Where are they now?”
As soon as you finish asking that question, the door to the office opens and reveals a haggard and panting Fushiguro and Kugisaki. Before you could blink, they’re both suddenly at the bed with twin heated scowls aimed at you. Oh shit.
“You’re a fucking dumbass, Potato Head!” Kugisaki shouts as she points an accusing finger at you.
“I know,” You answer with a moan.
“And reckless to the extreme when we account for the fact you have no cursed technique ,” Fushiguro added with a harsh tone.
“I know,” You repeat with more stress.
You scoot back a bit from them though that action was in vain as they continue to verbally tear you apart for your stupidity and choices. At some points, you want to protest and say not all of it was your fault as everyone played a role in this fucky-wucky like the boomers up on the hierarchy and their conservative asses but…
No matter how hard they try to hide it behind their heated chastising, you can see their worries and concerns towards you. It's nice. I mean, your family cares about you, too, and would be worried sick if they ever found out about the situation you're in, but it's reassuring you have a decent supporting system here, too. And you bask in it for all it’s worth.
Mental illness solidarity and all that shit. You thought with amusement.
“Ieiri-sensei,” You bring the woman’s attention to you where she stood on the sidelines with her phone, “Am I free to go or is there still something else you need to check on?”
She nods as she puts her device away in her coat’s pocket. “Your condition is fine like last time and you're awake now and in control. Just grab a spare T-shirt from the closet next to my office from outside before you leave with your friends.”
So you guys do that and Kugisaki continues to keep the conversation going. “Please tell me this isn't going to be a thing,” she remarks as you put on a simple white t-shirt. Huh, it’s a size larger than you.
“What do you mean?” you inquired her, confused.
“You going full martyr mode and shit.”
“Fuck no,” you immediately turn to her with your answer before pausing. Then, “Actually, I don't know.”
“The fuck kind of answer is that?” She gives you a look.
“Bruh, it means I don't know,” you retort, returning a disgruntled look at her as you all resume walking down the hallways. “I’m learning a lot of things about myself after that near-death experience so I can't give you a concrete answer right now, ok?”
“ Tsk. Fine, whatever, but at least come back to us faster instead of clocking out for nearly thirty fucking hours.”
“Wait, what?”
“You were sleeping like a log, Potato Head.”
Wow, no wonder that felt like the best sleep you've gotten in the past two weeks. Your stomach didn't feel like it was twisting itself.
“What was the binding vow between you and Sukuna?” Fushiguro then asks.
So they figured it out, huh? “I give him two hours of freedom whenever I fall unconscious and in return, he will protect others with cells in them and cannot kill anything.”
Both teens give you bewildered looks as they process what you just said. It was difficult not to smile.
“And he agreed?!” Kugisaki gapes.
You couldn't help but snort— so much for keeping a poker face— at her hilarious reaction. “Yeah, I’m as surprised as you guys.”
“How?” Fushiguro squints at you in pure puzzlement.
You just shrug and immediately gain two dissatisfied looks. So you relent by rolling your eyes before saying, “This is just a theory that holds little to no tangible facts but…I think I might be influencing him somehow. Like, he’s gaining some sense of humanity from me the longer he’s residing in my head rent-free.” Inclining your head a bit, you tentatively peek inside yourself and check that barrier between you and Sukuna. Nothing. Huh, guess he’s keeping to himself at the moment. “Maybe I’ll pull a Naruto and somehow change his worldview and gain his trust to be on our side with my awesome talk-no-jutsu.”
They immediately give you doubtful looks.
You roll your eyes again before continuing, “Come on, guys. I may be dumb, but I'm not stupid, and I'm not that idealistic.”
“Could’ve fooled me,” Kugisaki snarks.
Bitch. You mentally retort.
You continue to walk for a while and that’s when you notice the silence from Fushiguro behind you and Kugisaki. The teen isn’t much of a talker like you are but this is a different kind of silence. Glancing over, you see he’s not as present as usual but he still looks tense, his head dipping a bit which, in turn, makes his long bangs hide his expression.
Glancing over to Kugisaki, you locked eyes with her before she gave a peculiar look between you and Fushiguro. Then her steps sped up, and she walked ahead. Grateful she got the memo, you slowed your steps just enough until you were walking next to Fushiguro.
“How’s your wrist?” You begin with that question, your hands clasped behind your back.
In the corner of your vision, Fushiguro blinks before glancing over to you, rubbing the wrist in question, and answers, “It’s fine. Ieiri-sensei healed it.”
Reverse cursed technique is something else. You mused as the memory of Sukuna regenerating Yuuji’s lost limbs like it was nothing replayed in your head. You flex these fingers and left foot.
“Itadori—” “Look, Fushig—”
You both pause and look at each other.
Pushing aside the awkwardness, you continue with a sigh, “Fushiguro, I’m not sorry for getting the nametag, but I am sorry for nicking your wrist. That day was frankly fucking stressful but that’s no excuse for attacking you.” Especially a fucking teen, what the fuck is wrong with you?
He slowly nods. “Yeah, I understand,” A short pause from him while you’re searching in your back pocket— where is it?— before he says, “I gave Tadashi’s name tag to his mom.”
You blink before a smile spreads on your lips and you drop your hand from your pocket. “Yeah?”
“Yeah. She said thank you.”
“I’m just glad the two of them reunite somewhat.”
“...I’m sorry for leaving you behind back there, too. I wasn’t strong enough to help.”
Your smile drops in favor of a frown from those words. “Don’t say that. You’re a fucking kid, Fushiguro.” Irritation instantly appears on his formerly reserved face and he blatantly shows it to you. You just give him an unimpressed look because, wow, the angst radiating from this teen is almost ridiculous. “It’s the truth. No one in their right mind should expect a fifteen-year-old to get their shit together in a life-or-death situation, much less be strong enough to deal with a threat that’s on the level of a motherfucking cluster bomb .” Not even you.
“We’re sorcerers, Itadori,” He rebukes like it’ll help his case.
“Yes, but that’s only one part of you. You’re Fushiguro Megumi first before a cog in a machine.”
The teen still has a deep frown as he mutters, “I guess.”
You can’t help but groan at his stubbornness. “Stop beating yourself up so much, idiot.” Then you lean in and begin poking excessively at his surprisingly soft cheek. “Or are you gonna keep brooding and listening to Sukuna’s words over mine, hm? Hm?! ”
“Alright, I get it!” He grunts as he pushes you off of him.
You comply but not without a smug and satisfied smirk on your lips.
“You’re getting quite bold there,” Fushiguro remarks with a deadpan face.
“Surviving a life-or-death situation will do that to you,” You reply.
He just exasperates a sigh.
“Seriously dude, if you keep blaming yourself then I’ll do the same here,” You say, your smile disappearing.
“...The fake girl?” He prompts.
“Yes,” You lie like the lying liar you are.
“Fine.”
Seriously, what’s up with these stubborn kids and their complexes? You muse as you both meet back up with Kugisaki.
“You guys done apologizing to each other?” Was the first thing she asked where she was waiting at the door to the outside.
“Yep,” You answer for the both of you.
“Took you long enough.”
You roll your eyes at her as you say, “You know you could’ve just gone ahead instead of waiting for us, right?”
“Yeah, but then we wouldn’t be suffering together here.”
The question you were about to ask was immediately answered as you all step outside and— holy shit, yeah, summers in Asia continue to be brutal.
“Fuck,” Kugisaki groans, already sweating, “We better get some cute summer uniforms stat or else I’m breaking someone’s ankles.”
Well fuck, we better get them soon then. You thought.
You all head to the dorms, evading the sun by using your savior, the shades like your lives depend on it. Heh.
Along the way, Fushiguro and Kugisaki cling to you, taking space from your left and right side respectively. You don’t mind.
It was when all of you made it inside and headed for the communal kitchen did you first met the second-year students.
“It says to preheat the stove to medium and put a little bit of cooking oil into the pan before adding the meatballs,” A giant panda reads the recipe paper.
“How much cooking oil?” A girl with glasses asks where she’s turning on the heat before uncapping the bottle of cooking oil.
The giant panda checks the recipe before looking back at her and answers, “It doesn’t say.”
She clicks her tongue and is about to say something before a platinum blond, short boy who’s holding your container of uncooked grind meat in his arms calls out and points to you and the others with, “Tuna Tuna.”
Glasses Girl and the panda turn around to face you guys and the former speaks, “Hm? What’s this? You don’t look as gloomy as before, Megumi.” Then a teasing grin crosses her lips. “Is the phase coming to an end?”
“...Zenin-senpai,” Fushiguro greets…kind of? Insert mental shrug here.
“ Tsk. I told you to stop using my last name.” She frowns at him.
“Hello there,” The panda waves a hand.
“Kelp,” The other boy greets.
“Who are you?” Kugisaki rudely asks in your opinion but you don’t bother chastising her as you finally manage to get your eyes off of Panda and glance over to the unmonitored stove.
“I’m Panda,” said Panda-senpai, and then he pointed to the blond, “He’s Inumaki Toge, our resident cursed speech user. And she’s—”
“You first-years can call me Maki-senpai,” She finishes.
“There’s another second-year, Okkotsu-senpai, who’s the only one I openly respect,” Fushiguro adds. Geez, did he have to say that second part? “But he’s overseas right now.”
As he went to take a seat at one of the many cafeteria tables, you introduced yourself, “Itadori Yuuji,” and then weaved past your upperclassmen and lowered the heat of the stove.
“So we’re just moving past the whole Panda situation, okay,” Kugisaki deadpans from behind. You stifled a snort. “Kugisaki Nobara.”
Seeing as you took charge of the kitchen, the rest of them left and took a seat at one of the tables. They begin discussing the Kyoto Sister Goodwill Event thing and the exposition flows. You idly listen as you cook lunch.
You aren’t much of a cooker back in your world but you’re not really incompetent in the kitchen either unless it’s frying something. The skills and experience from Yuuji really help though which you appreciate. Maybe you’ll retain some of it after you give him his body back in the future.
“Well? You in?” Maki-senpai inquires with an eager grin.
“We’re in,” Fushiguro and Kugisaki answer simultaneously.
“Sure,” You blandly join in as you bring over the grilled hamburger steaks to the table. Inumaki-senpai and Fushiguro get up from their seats and help you bring the rest over.
“But if this turns out to be a waste of time, I’m quitting fast,” Kugisaki declares.
“Same here,” Fushiguro agrees.
“Geez, you guys are blunt,” You sigh.
“Well, at least training will be worthwhile if you first-years are this cocky,” Panda-senpai remarks.
“Bonito flakes,” Inumaki-senpai adds.
“Heh, oh, before I forget,” Maki-senpai spoke up before stretching her hand out to you expectedly, “Give me back Slaughter Demon. That blindfold idiot lend it to you, right?”
…
Oh shit.
“I lost it,” You reluctantly tell her.
“Huh?”
Ok, wow, she looks scary. And— are Panda-senpai and Inumaki-senpai fucking praying for you?!
“You’re joking,” Maki-senpai pins you down with a hard stare as she gets up from her seat, “Tell me you’re fucking joking.”
“Please understand that I was fighting for my life back there,” You stress as you lean away from the terrifying sixteen-year-old.
The scary aura around Maki-senpai dissipated and she sat back down with an annoyed huff. “Fine, yeah, that’s fair,” She cuts a piece of the hamburger. “I’ll just have to give Satoru a piece of my mind when I see him again.”
“Don’t mind me,” Speak of the devil and he shall appear. “I’ll be taking this.”
Before any of them could react though, Gojo-sensei lifts you over his shoulder like a sack of potatoes. You’re so bewildered by the sudden situation that you don’t even resist.
“Ooh~, and these, too,” He chirps as it sounds like he’s taking the hamburger steak as well. “ Ja ne~! ”
And then you and he teleport away.
Witch-Doctor:
ur student is awake
Satoru choked on his matcha ice cream, the green dust getting everywhere on the streets. Then, after his coughing fit, he rereads Shoko’s message over and over again before he’s laughing his ass off.
It says ‘your student’, not ‘Sukuna’.
When his pale kouhai and injured students gave him the reports on that ‘mission’, Satoru was tempted to use Purple on those damn mummies. Just, end it all. Become the modern version of Ryoumen Sukuna and destroy everything and anything that displeases him.
But his students are still here, alive and well. If you ignore the trauma, of course. But then again, trauma gives character, a little pizzazz if you will. But then, again again , they only made it all out alive because Yuuji had to make a binding vow with Sukuna out of desperation.
And it’s all those walking prunes’ fault.
Perhaps Satoru has been too nice to them, overestimating them to have any sense of intelligence in those rotting brains of theirs. Otherwise, why would they keep finding many ways to push his patience to the limits and cause his ire to rise? When he has humored them and listened to their ear-splitting demands.
As much as Satoru wanted to make a big jump to see Yuuji again, he needed to dish out some discipline.
“Gojo Satoru,” An elder spoke behind those annoying screens, his voice tinted with slight puzzlement, “Why have you returned so soon? Have you ensured your mission is complete?”
“As much as I wanted to try the local desserts,” Satoru cheerfully says, easily ticking off three-fourths of the old geezers, “I received a call from my usually skittish kouhai and he was near hysteric over the phone, crying and weeping for my sudden return because apparently my students were led to and caught in a deathtrap!”
All at once, these mummies stiffen. Plain. Predictable.
“What are you insinuating, Gojo?!”
“What is this accusation—?!”
“Such insolence—!”
“Holy hell, calm your asses down, you ugly geezers,” Satoru interrupts, making a show he’s rolling his eyes at them as he rolls his entire head, too, “I haven’t even gotten to the juicy part yet.”
“This behavior is not—!”
Satoru flares his curse energy, filling it throughout the entire dark room and stifling these walking, talking expired dates to finally be quiet. “I’m very fortunate I have such talented and smart students and because they're so talented and smart, they not only escape and survive that special-grade curse, they also figured out what caused it to hatch from its womb!!”
Then he drops the cheery act before disclosing, “One of Sukuna’s fingers was there.”
The silence is deafening.
“But that can’t be right,” He tilts his head, shifting to that cliche thinking pose, and taps his chin, “ Surely , my esteemed elders gave this crucial information to my kouhai and students for this ‘ mission ’. They would never set them astray, never lie and deceive them. No, no, nononono, they’re not that rash, that idiotic, that wasteful. Especially when you factor in the Zenin clan’s heir, their first and only Ten Shadows user in over a decade , was there. They would do no such thing because they’re such wise and benevolent elders!”
“Seize this nonsense!” One of them finally blurted out with red anger.
“Show some respect!” Another one shouts.
“These accusations mean treason, Gojo Satoru!”
“Directly harming an heir from the Noble Three Clan is treason.” His quiet voice was quite a contrast to the show of screeching banshees a moment ago, silencing them all. He gives them a plastic smile as he continues, “The pact states an assassination of any kind will lead to the opposing party being given the death penalty. Considering Megumi is officially my ward as well, this is a slight to my clan’s name. Shall I lodge an accusation that the pact has been compromised or use my rights as the Gojo clan’s head and seek retribution on you all?”
The quiet stretches on as his words permeate the air, his curse on these old bags of ash.
“You senile old prunes can keep warming those seats for my students until they become first and special-grade sorcerers. And when they do, you will enter your retirement gracefully. But, ” Satoru pulls down his blindfold, freeing his Six Eyes for all to see. His smile shifts to a bloodthirsty grin. “If I catch a whiff of you trying anything with my students again, well~”
He chuckles, his eyes glowing ominously in the dark room.
“Sukuna will be the last thing you’ll worry about.”
Then he teleports out of there.
Finally, no more dusty, stinky breaths from those old prunes! Satoru cheers as he places his blindfold back.
Unfortunately, Satoru can’t relax yet so he pulls out his phone.
I SEE ALL:
Σ(ﾟДﾟ)
where is he?!?!?!?
omw •ू(ᵒ̴̶̷ωᵒ̴̶̷*•ू) )੭ु⁾
After the whereabouts of his trouble-magnet student were revealed, Satoru did another jump and appeared in Jujutsu Tech, specifically Yuuji’s room. He gathers the necessities the kid will need, and that includes his art supplies before he’s out of there and at one of his many houses. He drops the items onto the couch before teleporting once again. This time, he appeared in the cafeteria where the first-years were hanging out with the second-years. Aw~ look at them~
Anyway, Satoru yoinks Yuuji out of there before any of his other students could react. Their various stunned faces were worth it.
Then he drops Yuuji on top of his stuff.
After a second, the kid just exasperated a sigh before looking up at him and asking, “Where are we now?”
“In my basement,” Satoru answers with a cheer.
“…”
Satoru continues to smile at him.
“Are you going to elaborate on that or…?”
“It’s time for you to train hard, Yuuji!”
Yuuji cocks a brow at him, his gold eyes subtly glinting a knowing look. Then he says, “About time I'm entering my training arc.”
Satoru can't help but snort at the fun and accurate analogy. “Your close combat abilities are top notch and you’re making waves in learning the basics of the jujutsu world from the library,” He states as he watches the kid start piling his items on one side of the couch for a bit before summoning a plethora of DVD covers in his hands and arms, brandishing them to Yuuji with a big grin. “So I’ll skip the boring lectures and jump right into getting you started on controlling your cursed energy!”
“And that’s by watching movies?” He asks, tilting his head. So cute~
“Mhm!” Satoru affirms as he puts the rest of the DVD covers on the coffee table in front of the couch. “I’m sure you know cursed energy comes from negative emotions and during battles, your emotions will be running wild. This is to train you to be efficient with your cursed energy when that happens.”
“So I’ll be trying to maintain a steady output of my cursed energy no matter what emotions, huh?” Yuuji surmised before nodding, “Gotcha.”
“And this little guy will help you!” Satoru brandishes the sleeping cursed doll.
“Is that one of the principal’s?”
“Yep!” He gives it to the kid.
Yuuji scrutinizes it before holding it away at arm's length and glances back at him with suspicion. “It’s not gonna punch me, is it?”
Satoru snickers at his paranoia. “Not unless you don’t keep pouring a set amount of cursed energy into it to keep it asleep~”
Right after those words, the snot bubble pops and Yuuji gets a face full of a boxing glove. “Fuck!” he curses.
“Your objective is to watch an entire movie, from start to finish, without waking up the cursed doll,” Satoru informs, some of his laughter bubbling through.
The kid sends him a teary, annoyed glare.
Satoru just grins before he sets up the DVD player. “I’ve set it to the level you can produce right now but eventually, the difficulty will rise and you’ll need to give the proper greater amount to make it behave. So no letting your guard down.”
Yuuji just hums.
“Ooh! Wanna watch this one?” Satoru shows the cover to him, “The heroine’s annoying but her death at the end is tear-jerking.”
“Mmm, I’ll pass.”
Boo~ oh well.
“Sensei, how long am I supposed to be here?” Yuuji then asks, his eyes having that knowing look again.
“As long as it’s needed,” He answers, inclining his head with curiosity, “Why?”
“Are you planning to tell Fushiguro and Kugisaki where I’m staying?”
…
“Sensei.” Damn, that’s one mean unimpressed look. “l know this is to protect me from any future assassinations those stupid boomers are cooking up behind your back but this will make Fushiguro and Kugisaki resent you if you don’t tell them.”
Is Satoru that readable to his student or is he just that smart? The thought is as terrifying as it is exciting.
“They thought I was gone,” Now Yuuji looks very guilty and we can’t have that now, can we?
“Hai, hai,” Satoru comes over and pats the kid on the head, reassuringly smiling, “Don’t worry, I understand, Yuuji.”
Satoru receives a grateful, soft smile from the kid. He’s so glad Yuuji’s back.
After setting up the movie and messaging Megumi, Satoru lets Yuuji be—
“Oh, I almost forgot,” Satoru pivots in his step and faces a curious Yuuji looking back at him over the couch. “What was your binding vow with Sukuna?”
What came out of his mouth almost made Satoru teleport back into that dingy dark room and kill every single one of those fucking old mummies, leaving nothing behind, not even a speck of dust. Because of their stupid actions, Yuuji has deliberately put himself in a dangerous position and there’s little Satoru can do to help. And the worst part is the kid possibly, definitely knows that because he’s one smart cookie. So, instead, Satoru laughs.
“And he agreed?” He questions, his grin stretching.
“Yep,” Yuuji pops the ‘p’.
“How did you manage that?”
He shrugs and makes a confused noise. “Talk-no-jutsu?”
This kid is a riot.
You’re going to survive no matter what, kid. I’ll make sure of it. Satoru smiles.
In the middle of a bloody lake and sitting on top of his throne, Sukuna grins.
Chapter 9: Curiosity Is My Best Friend
Summary:
Binging movies in the basement is honestly a vibe. Now if only I could stop getting punched in the face...
Notes:
(See the end of the chapter for notes.)
Chapter Text
“By the time we arrived on the scene, your son was already dead,” Megumi informs Okazaki-san. Then he pulls out the plastic wrapper that contains the nametag and gives it to her. “Here, my friend managed to get this at least.”
Okazaki-san’s trembling increases, her expression distraught as she stares down at the nametag.
“To be honest, I was skeptical about saving any of the people in there,” Megumi continues, “But then, my friend said something.”
“ His mother was crying for him, ” Itadori’s blank voice echoes, “ Why? Why was she weeping for someone that’s officially a convict? ”
“So, I must ask,” His wrist itch, “Who was Tadashi?”
Okazaki-san takes a moment to compose herself before answering, “My Tadashi was reckless. It’s not a surprise he had two offenses in driving with no license. But whenever I visited him, he never told me outright but I saw it. I saw how remorseful he was for killing that little girl. And on the death anniversary of his late father…He would be so disappointed in him…”
Tears silently stream down her cheeks and the itch on his wrist has gotten unbearable. Megumi clenches his fists on his sides and gives Okazaki-san a bow as he says, “I’m sorry for both of your losses.”
“It’s alright,” she croaks, her words unsteady from her crying. “Don’t apologize.”
A finger taps on his shoulder. Megumi looked up and was greeted by a teary but grateful smile.
“I thank you,” she says. “And, please, tell your friend I thanked them, too.”
He can only nod.
“So why did you run back there?” Sukuna questions with an easy grin plastered on his face while in the air, “What a waste.”
“You’re a fucking kid, Fushiguro.”
“We’re sorcerers, Itadori.”
“Yes, but that’s only one part of you. You’re Fushiguro Megumi first before a cog in a machine.”
Those instances keep replaying in Megumi’s head as he half pays attention to what the hell is going on in the track and field. (Why are Kugisaki and Panda-senpai playing Cat ‘N’ Mouse?)
Having his face be used as a platform by the King of Curses is not fun but he digresses. What that walking calamity said back then in that shit-stained ‘mission’ struck him. There was a chance— a very small chance, mind you— that, had Megumi not run, he could've exorcised that special-grade.
Had Megumi not run, had he not left Itadori behind, he could’ve prevented him from making the binding vow with Sukuna.
Megumi was— is strong. Megumi is strong enough.
Yet he ran away instead.
He takes a moment to breathe, ignoring his itchy wrist.
Megumi is strong. But he could be stronger. He has to if he wants to keep saving more good people.
Tadashi… He isn't a good person but…he isn’t a bad person either.
Megumi isn't as overly empathetic as Itadori, and can’t afford to since that’s just asking to be taken advantage of. However, it seems he jumped to conclusions again. It had cost him the chance to apologize to Tsumiki before she went comatose and now it almost cost Itadori and Kugisaki’s lives back in that detention center.
Megumi finally scratched his wrist.
His skills in close combat are above average at most for his grade but they’re nothing compared to Itadori or Maki-senpai. In order to make it more lethal, it makes sense Megumi should add cursed tools to his arsenal. But then comes the question of how well it couples with his technique.
What was it that Itadori said before? How much can he manipulate his shadow?
Megumi can admit he's not the most creative naturally, that goes to Itadori and his hyperactive mind— no wonder he always has his head in the clouds— but he’s not incapable of it either. Still, when Itadori first proposes that question, Megumi’s mind immediately starts racing with the possibilities the other lays out for him. It’s why he even agreed to join the Goodwill event in the first place. It’s practically the perfect testing ground for him to see how far his strength and skills will go in a safe environment after the training regimes with his seniors and peers.
So he places his hand on the concrete floor where his shadow shades and tries to fall back on that sensation of his shadow stretching and tugging Sukuna by the ankle, sinking it into the dark depths. What he did was out of blind panic and desperation because holy crap, the enemy is too fast, too strong— do something damn it—!
He takes a moment to breathe.
The memory is etched in his brain and his cursed energy soon follows, trailing to the tips of his fingers to the shadow between his feet. Instead of pulling his Shikigami out like he usually does, his fingertips sink into the concrete floor.
Megumi allows a satisfied smile to appear on his lips.
“Fushiguro!!” Ah, that came from Kugisaki, and…she’s being swung like a baton by Panda-senpai. “Quit smiling at your feet and switch with me! I’m sweaty as fucking balls in these school uniforms! Let me go shop for some cute tracksuuuuiiiiits!!”
“Ready, set, go~!” Panda-senpai shouts as he lets go and hurls the screaming Kugisaki into the air before she quickly hits the ground.
“...Do I even want to know?” Megumi drily remarks, not really expecting an answer.
“Falling practice,” Panda-senpai does anyway with a thumbs-up.
“Mustard leaf.”
“You’re both weak in close quarters after all.”
“So first,” Maki-senpai starts as she swings her training staff around effortlessly before doing a ‘come at me’ hand gesture at him with a smirk. “Try to land a blow on us.”
Before Megumi could reply, a loud groan from Kugisaki interrupts him. “Give me a moment, damn it!” She groused as she got back on her feet and stomped over to the staircase with a scowl. Panda-senpai follows after her. “These are not fit for training in hot weather! I can feel my feet getting stinkier with sweat by the second!”
Megumi can’t help but grimaces at that disgusting image.
“And you!” She points at him with unnecessary zeal. “Text that Potato Head for me!”
“And why can’t you do it?” Megumi shot back, unimpressed.
“Are you deaf? I’m going shopping. And I’ve seen him trying to find more cursed tool texts so tell him I want some new weapons that compliment my technique made by him. I’ll be going now, bye-bye.”
Annnnd she’s gone.
“Very demanding, isn’t she?” Panda-senpai states the obvious.
“Salmon.”
Maki-senpai just snorts.
Megumi exasperated a sigh as he found himself going to where his phone was and grabbing it. Turning it on, he sees he has two messages from that menace.
Gojo Satoru:
Yuuji’s in my basement (*￣▽￣)ノ”(- -*)
Come visit whenever~ (ﾉ◕ヮ◕)ﾉ*:・ﾟ✧
I’m going to kill him. Megumi darkly muses as his grip on his phone tightens.
Angsty Urchin:
Kugisaki told me to text you.
Apparently, you’ve been searching for more texts and scrolls on cursed tools, giving her the impression you want to make some.
RASENGAN!:
I mean, she’s not wrong ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
Wait, when did she even notice that tho? Σ(O_Oil!)
Angsty Urchin:
Dunno.
She said to make new weapons that complement her technique for her.
RASENGAN!:
So a commission, huh?
Sure, I’m down (｀∇´ゞ
Unlike your chill response to Fushiguro, behind the screen, you’re vibrating with excitement where you’re lying on the couch.
Your first commission. And it’s from Kugisaki, of all people, requesting— no, demanding you to make new weapons for her and her technique! Not like you’re gonna deny her in the first place. She, along with everyone else, is gonna need all the help she can get to survive the shit storm that is the future plot.
Your mind instantly starts racing with ideas.
You can go down the basic route and make her a sword. It’ll make things easier for her Resonance technique and the reach will be very appreciated you bet. But then again, does Kugisaki have the time to learn an entirely new skill set and something very difficult, too, that usually takes several years to master fully? No. Do you have the skills and experience to make a sword? Definitely not.
Okay, let’s go for something smaller and easier. Like, maybe daggers? It’ll help with her close combat. But would Kugisaki want daggers? You can’t see that happening for whatever weird reason.
Hmm, what should Kugisaki’s new weapon(s) be?
Hammer and nails are what she has now and while those have been reliable so far for her from the countryside, it’s clear they’re lagging behind in a much bigger place like Tokyo. The difficulty level has risen and now it’s time for an upgrade.
Actually, did Kugisaki even mention anything about replacing her hammer and nails? Fushiguro just says she wanted new weapons for her technique.
Technique; Hairpin and Resonance. Cursed energy explosions from nails and voodoo doll shit—
Needles.
Needles and thread. Strings.
Holy shit, you’re an idiot. Why the fuck did it take you that long to think of that shit up?
They’re simple to make for your novice ass and they seamlessly match the theme of the character and her powers! They’re perfect!
Needles and thread. Or maybe, a needle and string.
Oh my god, you could turn Kugisaki into Hornet from Hollow Knight!! Fuck yeah—!
You were punched between the eyes by a painfully familiar boxing glove and the next thing you knew, you briefly flew off to the back of the couch before landing on your face.
Right, the cursed doll. You forgot about that.
Don’t rip it apart, it’s not your property. Don’t rip it apart, it’s not your property. You keep chanting in your head as you pick yourself up from the floor, your face blank.
Seeing as the current movie you barely watched has reached its end credits— something, something, romance, and drama— you switch it out for a new one. Then, when you plop back onto the couch, slam the palm of your hand on top of the cursed corpse, and pour the necessary cursed energy, rendering it asleep again. Thank fuck.
So can you just say controlling your cursed energy— or is it Yuuji’s?—is fucking weird? I mean, you don’t have this anime shit back in your world so that’s to be expected but still, it’s so weird. The best analogy you can give is it’s like working with paint, specifically gouache because it’s a finicky motherfucker from your experience. However, instead of using a brush, you’re using your hands. You’re pretty sure gouache is non-toxic to the artist but no one should make contact with the paints still, just in case, but you digress. Your cursed energy is the paint and to control the flow of it, you and your fingers need to apply the right amount of water and pressure onto the canvas which, at this moment, is the cursed doll. And for your cursed technique— whatever the fuck it is— it’s either the end product of the artwork or the brushes and strokes leading to it, or both. Both could be good, too.
Now, what were you thinking about before your excitement was rudely interrupted by the little shit? Oh right.
You let out an exasperated sigh before reaching for your sketchbook and pencil on the coffee table and opening to the first blank page.
Returning to your ideas, needles, and thread seem like they’ll fit Kugisaki perfectly. She’ll get more ammunition for her technique and the thread could increase her mobility and speed. Maybe it can be an effective defense, too, if she can learn to twirl it around herself as Hornet does during her boss fight. As they say, offense is the best defense. And, if any of her needles happen to miss the opponent— and they definitely will— she can do some cool maneuvering to change their trajectory and land their lethal hits. However, that might be out of her current skill level at the moment.
Okay, let’s set that aside for now and think something else. Hmm, auto-aim? Homing trait?
Fuck yeah, You can’t help but grin as you sketch out a drawing of anime Kugisaki throwing her needles. Thankfully, the cursed doll isn’t stirring. Unthankfully, someone else is.
You can feel Sukuna’s attentive gaze on you. How? You don’t fucking know but it’s weird, especially since he’s been silent for a while after that whole assassination fiasco. Are you really that interesting to watch while you draw?
A flicker of amusement was emitted by him and now you just have a feeling you’re missing something here but you don’t know what. And it doesn’t look like he’s gonna answer you either. How annoying.
Whatever, if Sukuna wants to watch then fine. Not like you can do anything to stop him anyway, even if the knowledge of someone spectating you as you draw is usually uncomfortable for you. You’re not gonna let that stop you from having fun coming up with Kugisaki’s new weapons though so you opted to ignore him. You’re good at ignoring your problems.
Anyway , if you can somehow, someway, make the needles have a homing trait to them, it’ll close the gap on the inconsistency of the teen’s aim and cover that weakness. Heheh, Kugisaki is gonna be ecstatic! Or at least, you hope so anyway.
Should the needles automatically be able to hone in on cursed energy? No, there will be lots of friendly fires if you go through with that. And you’d rather not make weapons that hurt the user either. Okay then, it’ll have to be activated on intent by the user onto their opponents. But how? That’s the big question. Voice activation, like a keyword? Maybe but enemies might exploit that new weakness. Hmmmmm…
After the final line, you stop in your sketching frenzy and check out your final product.
Looking badass, girl! You beam at your work, relishing in your pride before the self-criticism rears its ugly head in the future.
Then there was a screeching scream coming from the TV. Peaking up from your sketchbook, you see it’s a nurse character, staring in horror at what seems to be a grotesque zombie in a dark room. What?
Did you put on a zombie apocalypse movie? Seems like it as what you’re seeing now looks like the start of a zombie outbreak and unfortunately, for this nurse lady, she’s the first victim.
Huh, normally, you would be freaking the fuck out because, oh no, gore! And zombies and horror!
But you’re not. At least, not the usual amount anyway. There’s still the unnerve feeling behind your chest but you’re not jumping up from the couch and hurriedly switching out the movie for something non-horror.
The only reason you can think of for this is you’re a sorcerer now and you’ve seen curses. And curses are real, unlike the groaning zombies on screen.
You’ve seen some real corpses, unnatural ones, unlike these actors.
You almost died, unlike these people on screen.
Holy shit, you almost died.
The revelation finally hits you like a freight train and suddenly, the TV is too loud, too bright. Yet, it’s oddly quiet, too. Static.
You can hear your heartbeat— no, this isn’t your body. Never was. No matter how much Yuuji insisted you guys could share.
Yuuji. Fuck, Yuuji.
He’s trapped in his own body. You stole his autonomy from him.
Will you ever see him again? Please, he doesn’t deserve this.
You want to laugh. You want to cry. To scream. To hide.
Instead, you take a deep breath. Inhale, exhale, repeat.
You continue to breathe for a good while, dropping your wet fingertips, and just blankly stare ahead.
Alright, let’s take a step back and think about this. You’re not in the detention center anymore. You’re safe, the kids are safe, Ijichi-san is safe, the dead son is reunited with his mother, Yuuji is still alive and not hurt, and he’s safe, too. There's also the fact you’ll learn about souls and figure out a way to give Yuuji his body back. Everything’s fine.
Well, no, that’s a fucking lie. Because of your complacent ass, you and the teens almost died and now you have a binding vow with Sukuna. Oh, and you almost forgot that said teens might be suspicious of you and your status as an iseki-ed person!
Honestly, you have no idea why they haven’t confronted you about that yet. Maybe they didn’t believe Sukuna and thought he was lying his ass off like you’ve figured from the beginning. Okay, but that still doesn’t explain why Sukuna didn’t outright expose you and instead played around with his words and just, confused everyone around him, yourself included.
Annnd, there’s that faint amusement and disdain from the fucker again. He’s just not gonna say anything, isn’t he? Bastard.
Things could be better…But things also could be worse.
Another heavy sigh left you as you slumped further against the couch. Glancing over to the cursed corpse, it’s surprisingly still asleep after that mini-crisis from you. Huh, yay progress~
Anyway, you’re getting tired from this train of thought and you can feel a headache sneaking up on you so, insert smooth subject transition here~
Hey, look at the TV! What looks to be the main characters— a lady and a doctor or scientist of sorts— currently discussing, wait for it, finding her child as well as possibly having a serum antidote that can end the zombie outbreak.
Hmmm, can zombies be counted as curses? Could curses be exorcised immediately by some sort of plague?
Ooh, there’s an idea.
Maybe there’s a cursed technique, or perhaps a seal, that can make a virus that spreads like a plague and infect other curses throughout Japan, exterminating them all over time. It probably won’t be a permanent solution though because curses come from humanity’s negative emotions and those emotions are part of life. Ugh . Nevertheless, at least it’ll give other sorcerers some nice respite from the ever-growing workload. You bet Gojo-sensei would appreciate that very much.
But how would that work?
Why does this keep happening? You think of something and then you don’t know how to apply it. Coupled that with your procrastinator ass and you’re always getting shit done at the last minute and that’s just asking for more unnecessary stress. Arghhhhhhh!
Ugh, why do I always do this to myself? You inwardly groan.
You hear footsteps.
Turning over your shoulder, you see that familiar gravity-defying white hair. “Hm, Gojo-sensei.”
“Hi, Yuuji~,” He waves at you with a too mischievous grin.
You narrow your eyes at him. “What is it now?”
“We’re going out!”
Your eyes narrowed further. “Where exactly?”
“Heheh, I’ll show you right now,” The white menace answers as he reaches a hand out to you.
“Wha—”
In the blink of an eye, the scenery changed to what seems to be in the middle of a lake but you’re not paying attention to that so much since you felt your headache grow exponentially from the fast teleportation travel. Fucking ouch.
“Ugh, don’t do that ever again,” you groan as you’re being carried by the man-child.
“Sorry,” He chuckles. Fucking douchebag.
As you’re getting your bearings, you feel yourself being gently placed down on the fucking water surface. Thanks to what you’re guessing is the work of Sensei’s technique, you’ve temporarily become Jesus.
“This is Itadori Yuuji-kun,” Gojo-sensei says as he gestures a hand to you. “He’s gonna be a spectator.”
Looking ahead, you see a short cyclops with a miniature volcano on his head staring at you intensely. Right, sentient special-grade curses as antagonists and this is one of them. What was his name again?
“What’s your name?” You decided to ask.
The volcano curse looks genuinely surprised at your perfectly reasonable question. Ah, guess he wasn’t expecting a human like you to ask. “...Jogo.”
Huh, so Gojo spelled backward. You feel there’s some sort of sad irony from that aspect considering this guy is about to get bodied so hard by Gojo-sensei. “Hm, well, Jogo-san,” You give him a small smile, “It was nice knowing you.”
A snort was heard next to you but you ignore that in favor of keeping your attention on Jogo who’s looking at you with annoyance right now. “What do you mean by that, brat?”
“Sensei is too strong for you.”
…
“You insolent brat! Don’t you dare underestimate me!” Three vortexes of fire and lava spill out from the curse’s head, making it very apparent you have pissed him off. The power from that action even causes waves to form on the lake’s surface.
Ah, shit. You can’t help but grimace from the curse’s ire and fire as you take a step closer to Gojo-sensei.
Speaking of him, he’s just laughing at your mistake. Asshole.
No matter what the man-child says, Jogo is by no means weak. In fact, you can tell the curse is stronger than that special-grade from the detention center and he’s definitely stronger than Sukuna at the moment. And, well, fire and lava are still very dangerous to the average person.
The only reason you’re not shitting your pants right now is because Gojo-sensei is here to handle the threat.
As if he heard your thoughts, you felt your head being patted by him. “Don’t worry,” Sensei says with a hint of conviction in his sudden soft voice, “I’ll protect you.”
I know. You nod.
“Domain Expansion: Coffin of The Iron Mountain!”
A black void engulfs you and Gojo-sensei, the outside world is no more before a stony cavern comes forth and fire and lava erupt from the cracks and crevices of this chamber. Holy shit, the heat is unbearable and the amount of cursed energy emitting from this domain is oppressive.
“Yuuji, you know what this is?” Gojo-sensei asks.
“This is a Domain Expansion,” You easily answered, in awe.
“Correct!” He chirps, “One point to you!”
A breathy laugh left your lips at that. So relax in what’s basically a death chamber. Well, you guess it’s more like a sauna or something for him.
“Do you know how a sorcerer can construct one?”
“They have to use their cursed energy as a base to bring forth their innate domain and then imbue it with their cursed technique into their surroundings, right?”
“And?” He turns to you with an expected smile.
“Using a Domain Expansion means to release a lot of cursed energy so it’s usually used as a last resort or trump card.”
“And~?”
“It gives you buffs depending on the surroundings and attributes you have and has auto-aim.”
“AH! Goodness me, my adorable student is so smart!” Gojo-sensei proceeds to squeal like a stereotypical schoolgirl as he knocks away what should’ve been a lethal attack at the two of you.
Poor Jogo. You feel like you should apologize to the little guy for this frankly embarrassing and disrespectful display the man-child is forcing onto the both of you. However, looking at Jogo right now, he’s sending a mean, stormy glare at you and Sensei. Yeah, an apology would just trigger his temper further.
“I’m sure you’re aware there are many ways to deal with a Domain,” Gojo-sensei fortunately reined in his eccentric tendencies for a moment as he pulled down his blindfold. Oh shit. “The most effective way is laying out your own. The most refined one will dominate the other.”
“There won’t be any ashes left of you, Gojo Satoru!” Jogo exclaims as he sends another giant wave of fire and lava at the both of you.
You quickly grip Sensei by the hem of his top, bracing yourself.
“Domain Expansion: Infinite Void”
A flash of white before everything shifts. The volcanic death chamber is gone and is replaced by a black void splattered with white. Nothing fills this quiet, lonely space except what looks to be one singular floating eye. The pupil seems to stare into your very soul .
A squeeze around your hand snaps you out of your staring contest with the ginormous eye and you turn to see Gojo-sensei who’s just smiling at you patiently. ‘You ok?’ those brilliant yet eerie crystal blue eyes seem to ask you.
You squeeze back in affirmation.
His smile stretches before he takes the lead and brings the two of you to where Jogo is standing, frozen.
Sensei slams his hand onto the volcanic top. “This is the inner world of Limitless. Perception, communication. Every action involved in living is forcibly carried out an infinite number of times.” A sardonic smile crosses his lips. “Ironic, isn’t it? When granted everything, you can’t do anything.”
When granted everything, you can’t do anything? You stare up at him.
“Before I grant you a peaceful death, I have some questions I want to ask you so I’ll let you off the hook with this.”
He rips the curse’s head off.
The domain shatters like glass and you’re suddenly greeted by the trees and lake again. The oppressive aura from both Jogo and Sensei is gone and you can properly breathe again.
After setting you onto the forest floor, Gojo-sensei throws Jogo’s head into the nearby grassy fields and then stomps on top of it. “Now, tell me who sent you,” He demands as he places his blindfold back.
Gojo-sensei is scary. You can’t help but think.
“You don’t seem like the type to act on orders,” Sensei idly comments as he rolls Jogo’s head a little like a ball. “Was something good supposed to happen if you killed me? Regardless, I want to know. Who was it?”
Weird monk man with stitches. Your brain decided to supply.
Actually, where is that guy? He has to be watching from afar, right? And there’s another special-grade curse like Jogo here, too.
Ignoring the weird interrogation display behind you, you glance around and beyond the treetops, trying to find where these curses are. Then you see something flying in the sky— no, something is thrown your way. No, not your way, it’s—
“Sensei—!”
Something lands in between Gojo-sensei and Jogo with a rumble before a field of flowers takes over your entire vision.
Oh~
Pretty~
This is so nice~
Something yanks you by the foot and suddenly you’re airborne.
Ah, fuck. Fuck. Fuck!
“Sensei!” You screech like a little bitch.
He saves you thankfully, cutting off the root/vine thingy from you but you still landed on your ass from the fall.
You groan where you lay.
“Yuuji-kun~,” Gojo-sensei grins as he leans over above you, “I want you and the others to become strong enough to beat those curses.”
“Sensei, I just got out of an assassination attempt and it hasn’t even been twenty-four hours yet,” You deadpan, “That’s a tall order you’re springing up on me suddenly.”
“Aww, come on, have some faith in yourself!” He straightens up yet is still looking down at you with that infuriating grin, “Besides, it’s better to have a concrete goal in mind! Man, I’m so glad I brought you here~”
You can only sigh.
After that entire fiasco is done, Gojo-sensei brought you guys back to his basement via teleportation, unfortunately. Then he quickly left in exaggerated panic after realizing he was late for his meeting with Principal Yaga.
The cursed doll is still asleep, probably turned off, and the TV is dark.
“...Well?” You spoke up in the suffocatingly quiet room, staring at your reflection on the black screen TV. “Are you gonna say something?”
“What do you want me to say, Interloper?” Sukuna replies with an amused grin, his mouth and red eye appearing under your cheek.
“I don’t know,” You blankly stare at him, pushing past that dark aura, “You tell me, you creepy lurker.”
He chuckles at you. “I’m just satiating my curiosity is all.”
Then his eye and mouth are gone and the heavy aura dissipates.
…
You let out a heavy sigh before you put on another movie.
Notes:
Merry Christmas, everyone!! And Happy Holidays!!!!! ☆*:.｡. o(≧▽≦)o .｡.:*☆
Chapter 10: Time To Spare
Summary:
Finally, a training arc!!
Notes:
(See the end of the chapter for notes.)
Chapter Text
Block.
Slide under that jab.
Then pivot to the left.
His right side is exposed.
No, a trap.
One leap back to avoid that punch—
His foot catches your ankle, tugging it, and you soon flop onto the mat floors with your face. Again.
You let out a loud, muffled groan where you now lay.
“Yuuji-kun~,” Sensei’s voice rang above you, “You good to go again, bud?”
Another pitiful groan escapes you.
He hums inquisitively before saying, “Let’s try something else out, neh?”
Curious, you peek up at him. Seeing as you’re looking, Gojo-sensei grins before walking away somewhere. You have half a mind to keep impersonating a seastar before opting to get up on your feet with a quiet grunt and follow after him.
Sensei leads you to a closet and then you’re both entering inside what looks to be a storage space full of weapons. Why does he have these in his basement? You don’t know and honestly don’t care because holy shit, they all look so cool! And based on the distinct energy in the air, these are cursed tools!
You whirl to Gojo-sensei and see he’s shooting you a toothy grin. He looks like he won a lottery or something from getting you giddy with excitement. A small amount of embarrassment rears its ugly head, making you self-conscious of your suddenly sweaty pits but you push through it in favor of asking the golden question: “Do I?”
“Yes, Yuuji,” You didn’t think it was possible but his grin grew bigger and his voice was so obvious with giddiness, too. “Choose your weapon.”
You don’t waste any time after those words and immediately begin exploring your options.
Swords of many types like katanas and odachi are lined against the wall. Sheathed tantos and other daggers as well as Wakizashi and short swords are piled together on top of a small desk that somehow managed to fit in this small room. Many spear-like blades— naginatas, your mentally ill mind supplies— are here, too! Then there are some bokkens, and wooden/bamboo training weapons as well in many shapes and forms. The rest you either have an inkling of what they are or not at all.
It’s instances like these where I question if I’m secretly autistic. You muse with dry humor before the memory of your time in the library comes into play. You consumed everything from those few books.
Now what weapon should you choose? What would suit you?
A katana is versatile with a capital V with the many cuts, slashes, and stabs it allows the wielder to use and that’s not even including the many types of blade shapes and sizes this iconic Japanese sword has throughout history. Such as the shinogi-zukuri being the most common for both its speed and cutting power. And it has reach, unlike Slaughter Demon. But a katana is also so painfully basic.
Listen, you have nothing against ‘basic’ choices. You would choose vanilla ice cream over other flavors anytime if it means you can share it with your loved ones. And you went to college; the most basic, cookie-cutter choice of route in life after high school all of society provided for and expects you to take. One of the ultimate scams in life ever, in your opinion.
The situation is different here. You’re gonna fight for your life and in a body that isn’t your own. A katana is a very familiar and recognizable weapon to many people in jujutsu society, especially the clans, the higher-ups, and probably weird monk man with stitches, too. They’ll know how to deal with a sword wielder, especially a coward like you with a katana. You’d rather not use something predictable.
And, well, yes, you want to be different. ( Sue, me! )
Besides, you already had an idea of what you’d choose the moment you’re given the green light.
Sparing only a glance at the rows of daggers and short blades, you stride over to where the naginata are and carefully grab one. Hmm, the weight is good and the blade looks positively dangerous. But what really takes the cake is the reach. You can do so many sweeps and slashes while keeping the opponent at a comfortable distance and reducing the chance of you getting hurt by them. It’s the perfect, ideal weapon for you.
“I want this one,” You answer Sensei after carefully turning to him and brandishing your choice in hand.
“Ho~?” He leans in and takes a closer while stroking his chin. Not like he needs to but he does it anyway because he’s extra like that. “A naginata, huh? Nice choice. But if that’s what you want.”
You watch as Gojo-sensei walks over to the table with the displayed daggers and short swords before he swipes one and then tosses it at you.
Remember how you’re still holding onto a long, dangerous, and sharp object?
Panicking, you pathetically frail around to catch the sheathed blade. Unfortunately, you inadvertently let go of the polearm and it collides with a nearby sword, causing a domino effect where the weapons fall upon each other. Gojo-sensei then finally decides to step in, hold out an arm, and stop another naginata in its tracks with Infinity.
“Whoops, my bad,” The man-child just grins, no shame in sight.
“How are you a teacher?” You can’t help but mutter.
Despite it being an obvious rhetorical question, he answers anyway. “Yaga, obviously.”
“Whatever,” You deadpan as you carefully pick up your chosen naginata once again and then head out of the closet. He can clean up the mess he made. Glancing at the dagger you’re given, you see it’s a tanto. “Anyway, why did you give me this? Wait, is this for closed-quarters?”
“Bingo~,” Sensei replies with a smile as he closes the closet door with a wooden naginata in hand then leads you guys back to the training mats. “If you’re gonna be fighting at a distance, keep in mind that your opponents can and will find a way to get past your defenses and attack you up close. There’s also the fact that the polearm will be a hindrance to you instead if you find yourself fighting in tight spaces.”
You nod in understanding.
“You’re lucky my basement has this much space, otherwise, we wouldn’t be able to train with these bad boys inside,” He says as he tosses something else— the wooden naginata— at you, forgetting you’re holding sharp objects. Again.
You drop the very real and very dangerous naginata and sheathed tanto in favor of catching the wooden one with some (read; a lot ) clumsiness. Exasperating a relieved sigh, you shoot a glare at the bastard who caught the blade part of the polearm with his cursed technique.
“...Okay, I’m actually sorry about that one,” Sensei sheepishly says.
Another sigh leaves you as you can feel a headache being formed.
“Anyway~,” He sets the polearm to the side on the far wall, having his hands empty-handed again before gesturing to himself with a goading grin. “Try to land a solid hit on me.” He’s still not bothering to get in a proper stance.
Narrowing your eyes, you adjust your grip on the training tool— it’s much lighter, you noted— until it feels right before jumping into action.
You go for a simple sweep at his neck and he casually leans away.
Another sweep again at the neck, he dodges again.
A shuffle on the ground and you quickly change your grip on the training tool to swipe where the sharp end would be at the floor, knocking his sneaking foot away.
Then you bring it up and swing it down at a diagonal angle where his neck and shoulder meet. He easily deflects it.
You don’t let that deter you as you instantly brought the other end of the polearm up and blocked the fist aiming for your collarbone.
You kick at Sensei.
He catches your foot and pulls.
Gritting your teeth, you pin the training tool down onto the ground, briefly stopping your falling momentum, and sweep your other foot at Gojo-sensei. He catches that as well.
Where you’re awkwardly positioned in the air, you can see his amused expression, his glittering blue eyes seeming to say ‘Whatcha gonna do now?’.
A stab of irritation rises in you as you tighten your grip on the polearm and twist your body enough to escape out of sensei’s grasp. Using your new momentum, you land with a crouch, gaining some distance away from him.
If this was a real fight, you would’ve been heavily wounded or killed in that vulnerable position there. You noticed you seemed to lose sight of your surroundings much more and become reckless whenever you’re on the offensive, leaving you exposed to more surprised attacks than normal during your spars with Gojo-sensei. With that thought in mind, you switched gears and went on the defensive.
Sensei easily notices your intentions and indulges you, starting with a blurring jab at your side.
You barely blocked it in time, the force sending you back a few inches. Fucking hell, Sensei’s so strong.
He goes for a punch at your face and you block that as well before tilting the polearm down and blocking the other fist aiming for your stomach.
Then you twirl your training tool, locking Sensei’s fist along with the move before you step into his right and attempt another kick at him at his side. He dodges by pivoting in his steps and thrusts another fist at your collarbone.
Using your shorter height to your advantage, you duck down and swing at his open midsection to which he slams his palm on the pole part, bringing your weapon down and your face exposed.
Another fist was thrust at you and you quickly let go of the polearm and leaped up. Using his own arm as a mini-platform, you send a kick at his face before your foot is caught again.
That’s fine. That move was a distraction anyway.
When you had landed on his arm, you grabbed one end of the polearm, twisting his arm and hand at an awkward angle. Another pull and Sensei has to let go lest he sprain his wrist.
So he does and you instantly leap back with your training tool in hand but not before parting one more move to that chain of attack and swinging the end tip of the weapon at his forearm, finally landing a hit.
“I did it!” You shout as soon as you land with a crouch because, well, you did it.
“You did it!” Sensei joins in your cheer, looking so damn proud as he ruffles your hair.
“I did it!” You beam up at him, clutching tight on the training tool. Excitement is buzzing under your skin. That was your first solid hit at Sensei throughout the past few days you were sparring with him. Holy shit, the reach is a blessing.
“You’re a natural with the naginata, too!” He laughs.
You immediately realize he’s right. You went into this sparring match with literally no proper knowledge of how to use this weapon. Sure, you’ve seen some videos and anime clips of people and characters using the naginata but you didn’t get into any proper stances or do any katas beforehand. That was all improv and instinct (that’s mostly from Yuuji).
You also noticed you’re much more comfortable using a naginata than using your fists. Man, the psychological effect of having a long-reaching weapon in your hands does wonders for your confidence.
“You think I can master it?” You tentatively ask Sensei with hopeful eyes.
“That’s the plan,” He answers with a cheery grin and you return it with your own albeit a smaller one. Then his grin turns more eager, more sharper as he finally gets in a stance. “You have a long way to go before you do though, so round two.”
Despite yourself, you shudder at the implications of those words and that quiet manic look on his face as you get in a stance. You have a feeling you’re gonna need lots of ointment in the near future.
“Itadori, eat your food.”
Peeking to the side of the scroll on cursed tools you’re reading, you look at the frowning Fushiguro sitting across from you. It has become a routine where he and Kugisaki decided to have dinner with you here after every grueling training session with your guys’ senpais. Hmm, maybe your senpais can come next time. “I will just give me a minute.”
“I did,” Fushiguro exasperated a sigh, “Many times already.”
Kugisaki snorts next to him, not helping him in the slightest as she blissfully enjoys her meal.
You know it’s improper to do anything else other than eat meals during dinnertime, especially in Japan and their strict etiquette culture but you can’t bring yourself to care. You’d rather starve for a while than stop in your tracks on your research. Besides, Gojo-sensei went out of his way to find these scrolls for you and they shall know the significance of these papers.
So you turn the scroll around and brandish it to the teens with poorly concealed excitement. “You have to understand I am a weak-willed person who suffers from chronic brain rot and obsession,” You answer with calm fervor, gesturing to the many amazing illustrations on paper. Apparently, there isn’t much to write about compared to doing illustrations of the process instead. Of course, clarifications pop up like ‘bend this at a ninety-degree angle’ or ‘emit this much cursed energy to this specific part of the tool’. However, the only times a paragraph or two is seen are when the description of what each cursed tool does appears. And honestly, you’re always shit at figuring out word problems, especially the math kind, so thank you to whoever drew and wrote these scrolls. “Look at this. This is amazing . These sickles can cut through steel.”
The two teens glance at each other before looking back at you, equally unimpressed.
Is this how adults feel when kids hold no interest in what they're passionate about? Because if so, it fucking sucks.
Despite yourself, you pout at them, letting it be very apparent you're upset. It took barely three seconds until one of them cracked. “Fine, I’ll bite,” Kugisaki groans as she rolls her entire head along with her eyes. “Why is any of that amazing?”
Yay! Emotional manipulation for the win! “I’m so glad you asked!” You beam at her and Fushiguro, too, because he shall be crushed by internal guilt. “So, you need to pick out the right materials, smelt the metal, shape it properly and securely, blah, blah, blah. What’s amazing is how intertwined fire and cursed energy are together! Whenever you forge a weapon, you're subconsciously emitting a bit of cursed energy into the material, and the fire ‘purifies’ it in some way! How exactly? I have no idea but I can guess it has something to do with the cultural symbolism of fire being energy, warmth, transformation, and, what do you, purification! But when we factor in the other terms, purify might be a little inaccurate here because it's only one step to making a cursed tool. So if you really think about it, every item every human has made so far can be counted as a cursed tool because we subconsciously let out cursed energy in microscopic amounts!
Anyway, to make a ‘proper’ cursed tool, you need to give a certain amount of cursed energy into it. Not too much or it’ll break from overexertion, not too little or it’ll be ineffective. You also need to distribute it as evenly as possible or it’ll be very inefficient in its output. The temperature matters, too! If it's not hot enough, the ‘purification’ will be partial. So you must have either amazing control over your cursed energy/technique or a very meticulous mindset or both!
And if you want to make something more specific for specific needs or you’re just bored, you usually need to use seals. But because seals are a bitch to understand and are more tedious than cursed tools already, those are very niche! And because they're very niche, all the big clans and higher-ups are hoarding them all, the damn bastards!
In short, the artisans behind these tools deserve all the love and appreciation they deserve! They are amazing! ”
Your panting was the only thing disrupting the silence as Fushiguro and Kugisaki just looked at you oddly.
“…Was I not making any sense?” You couldn't help but blurt out, your self-consciousness suddenly appearing and taking a tight hold of you and your pits are very sweaty right now. Fuck, you do not want to repeat yourself.
“Ehh, kinda?” Kugisaki answers, doing a sea-saw motion with her chopsticks. Damn it, you lost them.
Next to her, Fushiguro visibly seems to reboot before he gives you a mix of an exasperated and expected look as he says, “Just eat your food.”
“Fine,” You pout as you set the scroll aside and finally dig into your meal. Rice and mackerel are a delicious combo even if they're very cold now. You didn't think you’d be eating so much fish in your twenties but hey, you're not complaining.
For a while, it was just you and the teens eating; bowls, plates, and utensils clinking against each other.
Then, “Sukuna is being a creep again.”
Instantaneously, displeasure was sent your way where you can feel Sukuna peeking through his room this entire time as well as twin stunned faces from the teens.
Don’t you dare—
You continue, “He especially got his eyes on you for whatever reason, Fushiguro.”
Said teen immediately blanched. And Sukuna’s dark gaze is heavy.
“What does he want?” Kugisaki asked with a slight growl, eyes narrowed.
You can only helplessly shrug because you honestly don't know. Though, two things you're pretty sure of are that the anime makes it very clear Sukuna has plans involving Fushiguro as well as that one muscular, white Shikigami he has in his arsenal, his ‘treasure’.
“You should be careful, Fushiguro,” you tell the pale teen. “Stay away and be on guard whenever he comes out.”
“When?” He looks like he's gonna summon his ‘treasure’ right then and there.
You will regret this. Sukuna hisses in your head.
Sure I will.
“Yes, when,” You cock a brow at him, “I need my sleep, dude.” You’re aware you shouldn't be saying this so casually like this is no big deal when it actually is a big, end-of-the-world type of deal but nothing’s coming up. Wow, your emotions are fucking whacked today.
“Does Sensei know?” Kugisaki asks in Fushiguro’s place who’s trying to calm himself.
You nod. “Yeah, I told him after our first spar and he said the same thing I’m saying to you.” As much as the man tried to hide it with his usual idiosyncrasy and humor back then, he looked like he wanted to rip Sukuna out of you and interrogate him. Maybe even exorcise him. Again, the found family is very strong between these two.
Both teens give you a nod in return.
“Don’t worry so much, Urchin Head. We got your back.” Kugisaki proclaims to him with a confident grin and you nod in agreement.
Fushiguro doesn't say anything but the soft look in his eyes is telling enough before he returns to his meal. You and Kugisaki follow after him.
Sukuna continued to drill his burning gaze into your brain as you ate.
You can only stare at the mess in front of you with a blank expression. The DVDs are all broken, the pieces scattered everywhere on the floor of the basement. The couch has been chopped into three pieces and you can see the ceiling was caught in the slash attack as well as the floor.
The TV is destroyed, and so are your sketchbook and art supplies. The memory of eating them replays in your mind.
The stacks of paper for making seals are ruined, too. Well, at least you have a valid excuse to procrastinate on that damn teleporting seal Gojo-sensei assigned you to do.
Yet, out of everything, the cursed doll is undamaged. (The scrolls were left on the dinner table last night.)
Sukuna’s mocking laugh echoes in your head.
“ Holy shit ,” Gojo-sensei swears in English as he appears next to you. The thick Asian accent would've been funny if this were any other situation. “What the hell happened here?”
“Sukuna happened,” you answered, still staring at the mess. “I was watching a movie and I guess it was boring enough that I drifted off for a moment. And then…” you helplessly gesture to the basement.
“Ah,” was all he offered.
“Sorry about your basement.”
“Eh, I can just replace this stuff easily.”
“Damn, rich people.”
He snorts.
“…You know, I would've thought I’d be more upset with these setbacks but I’m not…the tears will probably come later.”
A comforting hand pats your head and Sensei says, “We’ll figure something out.”
You ignore the way your eyes start to burn as you say, “…I should go see Ieiri-sensei.”
Careful, Spongebob, careful…
As you carefully keep a steady amount of cursed energy imbued into the ink, you eventually finish the final letters and symbols of the seal onto the sheet of paper. You can feel your cursed energy buzzing in the dark composition surrounding the apple in the center.
Gently setting aside the paintbrush and inkpad, you then place the tips of your fingers near the inky composition and slowly activate it. The seal begins to glow a soft blue.
So far so good—
“Holy crap, you weren't kidding—”
You scream and the seal explodes.
Well, not really explode. That was your cursed energy suddenly imploding in itself, causing the paper to evaporate and the composition of the seal to become useless.
Great.
“Is something burning?”
In an instant, you check your eyebrows and eyelashes and, to your relief, they are still there, all intact.
You can't say the same to the apple though. The spot it was on the desk only left a dark, scorched mark.
“The apple is probably lost in the stratosphere for all of time now,” You casually remark.
“What?”
Turning around, you’re met with a group of perplexed teens consisting of both first and second-years. Oh, the latter finally have time to come visit. “Hey guys,” you wave at them with a smile.
“What were you doing?” Kugisaki asks almost accusingly.
“You look like shit,” Maki-senpai comments.
“Sorry for bothering you,” Panda-senpai adds.
“Kelp.” Riveting commentary as always Inumaki-senpai
“Gee, ‘how are you doing, Itadori?’ Oh, you know, pretty good. ‘How’re you feeling today, Itadori?’ Very well, thanks for asking!” After doing some terrible impersonation of them, you give the visiting group an unimpressed look. Then you lean over and grip onto the edges of the desk, sardonically laughing to yourself as your stomach does somersaults. “Actually, all of that is a fucking lie. I’m so tired, heh heh heh heh…”
“When's the last time you slept?” Fushiguro asked.
“Uhhh, I took a nap on Wednesday,” you answer, eyes squinted.
“Itadori, it’s Friday.”
You slowly blink at him, your brain cells working overtime. Pulling out your phone, you check the home screen and, “Well, would you look at that, you're right.”
“We can come back after you get your rest,” Panda-senpai suggests and Inumaki-senpai nods in agreement.
“Nah, it’s okay. You guys can stay here. And the parasite shall suffer cabin fever a little longer.”
Said parasite is glowering his blood-red eyes at you.
You conjure up a mental image of you giving him the bird.
“Cab-ina favor?” Panda-senpai tilts his head with a finger (paw?) placed at his lips. (What is he? An anime girl?)
“The hell is that?” Make-senpai frowns as she and the others come into the newly renovated basement. Fushiguro looks a little constipated next to her.
“Another American slang term?” Kugisaki guesses as she makes herself comfortable on the couch.
“Yep,” you pop the ‘p’ as you pull out another sheet of paper and an apple and set them on the desk. “It’s basically being annoyed and bored being stuck and isolated in one place for too long.”
“English is so weird.”
“Amen to that, sister,” you reply while you're setting up another test attempt.
“You didn't answer my question.”
“Oh, right.” You pause in your tracks before turning to the group of teens and gesture to your test set. “I’ve been practicing on seals.”
“Does it usually involve a lot of burning things?” Maki-senpai asks with a raised brow.
“No, that was a failure because you guys jumpscared me. And now I need to start over.”
“Sorry,” Panda-senpai pipes in along with Inumaki-senpai.
“I’m too tired to be pissed at you guys so don’t worry,” You reply with a shrug as you bring the paintbrush and inkpad over next to the setup. Then you paused again and turned back to the teens, specifically the second-years. “Actually, what are you guys doing here?”
“What?” Maki-senpai sends you a scary grin. “Don’t wanna hang out with your senpais?”
“…I will not answer that.” Even when you turn around and face your set, you can feel her smug look behind your back. “Just, if you're gonna be here, keep your cursed energy on the down low while I practice please.”
After that, the teens just decide to do a movie marathon while you return creating this frustrating seal. It’s not even that hard by seal standards which speaks a lot about the difficulty because this seal is beginner-friendly according to Gojo-sensei. And your novice ass is struggling . However, you can feel yourself making progress. The practice in seals is doing wonders for your control over your cursed energy, more so than the movie marathon honestly. And you're slowly memorizing how to handle this paintbrush and how to do the most effective ink strokes. Maybe you’ll be able to customize your naginata soon in the future.
The repetition still fucking sucks though and, unsurprisingly, it wasn’t too long before you’re searching for a distraction. “Are there some other reasons you guys are here?” You asked the teens as you turned and looked over your shoulder at them curiously.
“Not that I really care but shouldn’t you focus on making that seal?” Maki-senpai replies with a raised brow as she gestures to the table with the half-finished composition.
“Eh, it’s not going anywhere,” You shrug, “I’ll finish it later.”
“Fair.”
“Tuna Mayo,” Inumaki-senpai then speaks up, making certain hand gestures. (JSL?)
Panda-senpai nods, seemingly agreeing something with the blond before saying, “We heard from your classmates about your creative ideas and suggestions for improvement and we were curious what you’d have to say for us, specifically Toge.”
You furrow your brows as you shoot a look at Fushiguro and Kugisaki who are listening intently as well. ‘Creative’ your ass. They probably said something like you have your head in the clouds too much, that you have some crazy over-the-top ideas that lack practicality, or something along those lines. The both of them aren’t exactly open with their affection towards others, and that includes you. But since you know they do care about you, maybe they’re more honest with their words about you when you’re not there. Kind of like tsunderes but not? Soft tsunderes?
You then realize the others are still waiting for your response. Whoops.
“Hmm, you said Inumaki-senpai is a cursed speech user, right?” You reply and are given some affirmations before you turn to face the aforementioned second-year. “Well, I did some research after that and it’s a pretty cool technique. Pretty powerful, too, by default and has some high potential. Can you explain to me how you exactly use it and how it feels when you do?”
“Salmon,” He nods before doing many particular hand signs with ease while speaking more onigiri ingredients.
“Toge explains it’s just imbuing cursed energy to his clan’s sigil and letting it flow to his vocal cords before shouting out the words and commands,” Panda-senpai pauses in his explanation, waiting for more info from the blond before continuing, “And he says it feels similar to blasting out the command no matter if he says it softly or there was less cursed energy put into it.”
“That makes sense,” you nod as piles of ideas flood through, “This is a sound-based technique and you can't exactly control soundwaves in a precise manner. At most, you could only control the volume and the direction it goes. Damn, no wonder this technique could backfire on the user when it comes to stronger foes.”
Inumaki-senpai seems pleasantly surprised judging by his widened eyes as he stares at you.
“You don't have to answer this if you don't want to or can’t but were you born with the Snake Eyes and Fang sigil?” You ask him, “The scroll I read wasn't too forward about this.”
He appears to hesitate to answer your question. So it’s definitely a clan secret then.
“Like I said, you don't need to answer if you can’t,” you give him a reassuring smile. “It doesn't really matter anyway. It’s just something interesting to think about because if you were born with it then are your vocal cords different from ours? Or, if you didn't, does that mean you, as well as the rest of your clan, do not have the proper changes to your body to accommodate your technique after all these years?”
“You’re saying this because of humans and their whole evolution line over the centuries to this modern day,” Panda-senpai states, sounding a little mix of wonder and excitement.
“Yeah!” You point to him with an enthusiastic smile. “I mean, it must be happening right now though, right? And we’re seeing the current progress no matter how slow it is.”
“And in the future, the Inumaki clan could have the proper vocal cords to effectively and efficiently use their techniques so that they wouldn't need to use as much throat medicine.”
Inumaki-senpai looks very delighted at the idea that his distant future great, great-something grandchildren won't have to use throat medicine.
“Okay, wait,” Kugisaki spoke up, looking quite confused, “I’m not into a whole lot of theory crafting like you guys but cursed energy can't change someone’s biology just like that, right?”
You look at her, equally puzzled. “Yes it can,” you answered her, “Gojo-sensei and his Six Eyes are a prime example.”
She blinks before seemingly remembering what you told her and Fushiguro at the dinner table one time about that whole situation with Jogo and Domain Expansions. “Okay, in my defense,” she begins her retort, “He never seems to take off his blindfold and he might as well shower with them on.”
Maki-senpai snorts before saying, “Bet.”
“So did you come up with any ideas or suggestions for Inumaki-senpai?” Fushiguro cuts in and aims the question at you, professionally steering the original topic back into place.
“Oh, right,” you sheepishly smile before facing Inumaki-senpai again. “Well, how do you feel about implementing a cursed tool/weapon to your fighting style?”
“Tuna mayo,” he makes some hand gestures before holding out a finger and ‘drawing’ out a picture in the air.
“He already has the bullhorn,” Maki-senpai informs, “And he’s an agile, speedy fighter.”
“Toge also says he’s open to any suggestions you have for him,” Panda-senpai adds.
You can't help but smile gratefully at your senpais. “Okay! So, I noticed many sorcerers from clans are highly dependent on their cursed techniques. Now there’s nothing wrong in taking pride in the effort you’ve put into your techniques but that’s also an open weakness enemies with a brain can exploit. So I was thinking why not have Inumaki-senpai be a DOT fighter?”
“DOT?” Maki-senpai echoes with a raised eyebrow.
“‘Damage over time’,” Kugisaki surprisingly informs, her eyes gaining a weird glint as a scary grin appears on her. “Have the enemy take a continuous amount of damage over a set period, almost like a poison.”
“That would exhaust the enemy to a certain extent, making it possible for Inumaki-senpai to use his technique on them effectively,” Fushiguro concludes. Damn, these kids are so smart.
“Pretty much,” You nod before imitating something in the air. “And I figured he could use a binding weapon of some sort, like metal strings or bandages, that’ll have them cutting into the enemies’ skin from the thin wiring or something and immobilize them. Oh! How about a yoyo?”
That got the blond’s attention as he practically perks up like an adorable puppy.
“It fits the whole snake theme and aesthetic you and your clan have going on and it complements your fighting style and personality.”
“Salmon,” Inumaki-senpai rapidly nods his head, his eyes excited.
“Why a yo-yo though?” Fushiguro asks, genuinely curious.
“Because the thought of a dangerous threat being taken care of by a teen and his crazy yo-yo is hilarious,” You can’t help but smirk at that image in mind. Then you shrug. “Besides, yo-yos are cool. Killua Zoldyck proved it.”
“Who?”
You turn to Maki-senpai, stare at her dead in the eyes, and ask, “What else did the Zenin clan deprive you of besides your childhood and your innocence?”
“A lot of things,” The fact she answered that with such a straight face is as hilarious as it is concerning.
“Moving on, as much as I want to create this awesome yo-yo weapon for you, Senpai, I definitely don’t have the current skills to do it so you’re gonna have to ask a professional.”
“Salmon, tuna tuna mayo,” Again, Inumaki-senpai makes more hand gestures, looking very appreciative and pleased even though you can’t see the possible smile behind his collar. Even so, you’re glad to see he’s satisfied with your ideas.
“Toge is very thankful,” Panda-senpai translated. Thanks.
“By the way, I’ve been meaning to ask,” Following her finger, Maki-senpai is pointing to your naginata that’s leaning against the wall behind the couch on the right. “Is that yours?”
You nod as you reply, “Yeah, I’m learning how to use it. Why?”
Regret instantly appears within you as a terrifying grin spreads on her lips and why are the rest of the other teens fucking praying in the background?!?! Maki-senpai’s next words make your blood go cold. “Let’s train together soon. I’ll give you some pointers.”
A nervous chuckle spills out of you before you whipping around, facing your half-abandoned seal work, and picking up your paintbrush. “Anyway, I seriously need to finish this.”
You pointedly ignore the snort behind you and focus on the composition in front of you. Gojo-sensei is already one bastard of a trainer. You will not survive if Maki-senpai is in the mix.
For a while, the teens continue with the movie marathon and have some light chatter while repetition continues to be your familiar, annoying enemy. Nonetheless, you eventually finished the composition once again. Then you go through the process and gently set the paintbrush and inkpad aside before placing your fingertips in position. The seal begins to glow a soft blue again, catching the eyes of the teens behind you but you ignore them and just focus.
Right now, you're just charging the seal, giving the composition enough gas in order to be able to teleport this apple. Speaking of the fruit, the next step is to make it clear that you're teleporting one, letting the seal know its size, shape, colors, and the inside make up of it. And finally, you need to pick a destination for where the apple will appear before sending it off. Let’s have the coffee table be that destination.
The blue glow shifts to white meaning the seal is all charged up and with that, you teleport the fruit.
It disappeared in a flash of white before you. Then a burst of cursed energy spikes in the air behind you and you whirl around, honing in at the little table. And there it is, the apple.
“Did you just—?”
You shush Kugisaki, ignoring her irritated glare at you as you step towards the apple. Tentatively placing a finger on the skin, it doesn't feel hot or soft. Encouraged, you grab a hold of it and take a sniff. Finding no odd smell from the outside, you pull out your tanto from your pocket and unsheathe it before cutting the fruit into slices. It’s still solid and there’s no off-coloring from the inside. You take another sniff before biting into the piece with a satisfying crunch. A burst of sweetness with a hint of tartness lands on your tongue. You continue to chew and more juices spill into your mouth before swallowing.
“I finally did it!” You shouted in victory. Then you immediately deflate onto the coffee table as you munch on the rest of the apple slice. “That took way too long.”
Some praises and congrats were thrown your way no matter if a few of them sound a little half-hearted. Still, you’re very glad you were successful in creating your first seal. Then Fushiguro reveals something. “I must admit, you're a lot more ambitious than I thought, creating the first-ever teleportation seal as your first project.”
You blink at him. “…Eh?”
“Oh, you're right,” Panda-senpai chimes in, placing a finger-paw thing on his lips, “There were many attempts to make a teleportation seal but none came to fruition. Until now that is. Again, congrats, Itadori!”
“Salmon!” Inumaki-senpai nods in agreement.
Wait, wait, wait, wait, wait, what are they talking about?
“Huh, this is more impressive than I thought,” Kugisaki remarks as she turns to you with a grin. “I take back my lackluster praise, Potato Head! Hell yeah!”
“Nice job, Yuuji,” Maki-senpai joins in with a genuinely proud smile.
“Thanks?” You furrowed your brows before shaking your head a bit and holding out a hand to stop their cheers. “But, wait, this type of seal is new? Are there no similar seals or talismans before this?”
They all give you puzzled looks but Fushiguro is the one who answers. “No, there aren’t.”
“We would be seeing many uses of these seals and have lesser sorcerers die in their missions otherwise,” Panda-senpai adds.
Now Fushiguro is frowning. “Itadori, did you actually create this?” He carefully inquires, “Like, did you come up with the necessary letters and symbols for the layout of this seal and the right type of ink?”
“...No, Gojo-sensei just gave the seal to me and told me to copy it.” you blankly answered.
…
“I’m going to draw that motherfucker giving birth.”
Maki-senpai cackles.
A shiver runs up Satoru’s spine as a foreboding feeling suddenly crosses him. Which is absolutely ridiculous! He’s Gojo Satoru, the strongest sorcerer of all of modern times!
However, he does trust his feelings. Especially after that whole shitshow back in his student years.
What puzzles Satoru though is what could be causing this?
Hm~
Hmm~
Hmmmmmmmmm—
Oh shit.
…
Satoru better gets Yuuji a pack of purin. And just to be on the safer side, he should get the quality kind, too.
(No matter how much he tries to forget it, Satoru can still remember that awfully unhinged drawing of himself.
That drawing deserves to burn at the lowest pit in hell . )
“I’m so sorry!” you shout against the floor where you're in a seiza bow, your naginata lying in front of you.
“Damn, that’s some power,” Gojo-sensei remarks above you before chuckling, “You even got the ceiling.”
“I sincerely apologize!”
“The delayed timing to that second sweep almost looked like an afterimage. Yuuji-kun~”
You reluctantly lift your head from your position and then you’re greeted by Sensei’s easy grin.
“Explain what just happened.”
You slightly frown at the lack of ‘please’ to his demand but comply anyway as you stand up. “Well, it felt like I was attacking twice in one swing back there. I’m guessing that second sweep you mentioned has to be my cursed energy lagging behind since I’m still practicing amassing it.”
“Yes, but you're missing one other thing,” he holds a finger up as he leans into your space, making you back away from him a few inches. He taps your chest. “Your cursed energy can't keep up with your physical prowess.”
Then Sensei leans back and straightens up and you take that chance to let out a small sigh from receiving your space again.
“Neh, Yuuji,” Gojo-sensei’s grin is a little wider. “How do you feel about calling this unique attack of yours ‘Eclipse Claw’?”
Holy shit. “That sounds unnecessarily badass,” you answered.
He beams before he's sweeping you into a hug and ruffling your head. “Aww, I’m glad you like it!”
You let this assault of affection run its course. Over time, you noticed that Gojo-sensei has become more openly touchy with you, giving you more head pats to hair ruffles and shoulder slaps to straight-up hugs. It becomes way too obvious that he is touch-starved.
“And don't worry about the damage,” Gojo-sensei finally lets you go and gets into a relaxed stance before instructing, “Now pick up your naginata.”
You briefly grimace before steeling yourself and complying. You get into a stance and then the spar resumes.
People are yelling.
People are screaming.
You’re laughing.
You’re laughing at their misery, their fear.
They’re running away like little ants.
Burn it.
Burn it all to the ground.
Leave nothing behind.
They do not matter.
Only you.
Let them all die.
Die.
Die.
Die.
Die.
D̴i̵e̷.̸
D̴̫͛͒ǐ̵̟͉̄e̷̝̽̚.̴͉͉͠
D̴̹͓̤͝i̷̤͚͕̜͛͗͝ȇ̶̦.̴̩̹̆͛̓̂
D̷̙̾͒͛̂͘͝i̷͚̫̥͋̿͜ͅͅe̶̥̫̳̗̠̪̖̼̠̍̓̔̐̚.̵͍̪̝̩̱̻̥͓̻̳́̑͑̈́͋͠͝
You wake up to the flickering fluorescent lights. They’re hurting your eyes.
You’re in a toilet stall. Or what used to be one. Water is spewing out of the ruined toilet seat and onto the wet and dirty tile floors. And you’re soaking in it where you lay.
It smells like shit in here.
Slowly, carefully, you get off the floor and onto your feet, and holy shit, your legs and lower back ache .
What the hell happened? You grimaced as you began stretching your limbs.
As if that was the entered passcode, memories of recent events flood into your mind. You fell asleep and then Sukuna took over. Thievery, property damage, harassment— the parasite committed all of these in Tokyo in the past two hours.
It felt like you were in spectator mode watching Sukuna be a menace to society. Even though you couldn't see his expressions, you felt his disdain for the food and items he casually looted in the nearby stores, his manic zeal when he cut down the parks and construction sites just for the hell of it, and his boredom and irritation just from being surrounded by people.
Logically, you know you should be horrified since you’re a certified criminal starting now. The locals are simultaneously pissed at and terrified of you and the law enforcers are gonna come for your ass. What’s worse is what will the higher-ups of jujutsu do when they soon hear the news?
But you’re not horrified at all. In fact, you’re more embarrassed than anything. Like, bruh , why do you suddenly feel like you’re the older sibling dubbed babysitter by the parents/guardians who did not unsupervised their annoying younger sibling?
You’re too exhausted to give two fucks about the murderous glare from the parasite inside your brain.
Yes, you figured he’s gonna find a way to make your life harder no matter the conditions of the binding vow you made with him. But still, why are you cringing at the stuff the bastard did instead of being freaked out? Why the fuck are you like this?!
After confirming you’re not gonna drop limp at the slightest breeze, you throw your arms up in frustration at yourself before doing a bird, knowing the parasite will see it. Then you step out of the stall and, yeah, the rest of the public bathroom doesn’t look any better.
Deciding this isn’t your problem and wishing the plumber good luck, you leave the bathroom and are greeted by an empty alleyway. Great.
Ignoring the terrible smell, you check your pockets and quickly fall in despair that your phone isn’t on you. Heaving a wary sigh, you trudge out of the alleyway, dismissing the many side-eyes pointed your way as you head to the closest building next to you, an electronic store— oh, how convenient.
The sliding doors announce your entrance with a short jingle and you don’t stop your strides as you go to the front register where a bored employee stands. As soon as he spotted you, he freezes. Again, ignoring his weird look, you stop in front of him and ask, “Can I use your phone to call someone?”
Surprisingly, he complies as he gives his phone to you with wide eyes. Yes, you could’ve asked someone outside on the streets for their phone, too, but you would like to keep whatever’s left of your dignity intact.
Inputting your desired contact number, you wait for a bit and listen to the screen ringing before, “ Hello~ this is the ever-fabulous and amazing Gojo Satoru~ I’m a little busy right now so— ”
“Sensei, please pick me up,” You interrupt him.
Seriously, damn rich people . You can't help but think at the sight of the literal fucking furnace and piles of metals and necessary tools in the newly built room Gojo-sensei provided for you.
If you thought you were spoiled before from your old world by your best friend, this is on a whole other level. Seriously, he renovated a new whole ass room for you and gave you supplies to make cursed tools and shit. Why are you always surrounded by ridiculously generous people?
I should do something nice for Sensei in return. You nod to yourself at the thought.
Now, looking at the assortments of items in front of you, frankly, there are a lot of choices. But you should go for something simple for Kugisaki’s needles because you’re definitely gonna make a lot of mistakes and errors. And the process should be easy to follow, it’s just the waiting time you’ll be dreading.
You don’t feel like practicing your seals or drawing today and you don't want to deal with the cursed doll either. Hmm, maybe you should think up your next project after the needles. Use your time wisely and shit. Just look at how productive you are!
Okay, but seriously, what should you make after Kugisaki’s needles?
It should be something easy to make like an accessory to wear yet very useful in the near future. Something that’ll help and prepare you and the others for the next story arc which is the one involving the weird bangs kid and blue-haired Patchface…
…
Yeah, you should hurry the fuck up and think of something.
Notes:
The teleportation seal Gojo gave SI was the same teleportation technique he did in the movie but now in seal form. Yes, he made that for SI to practice. Yes, he thought it was beginner-friendly bc it was easy for *him*. No, he will not escape SI’s wrath, he will have another traumatizing image seared into his brain. At least SI will have an easier time with the other seals after that one. :3 :P
Chapter 11: Pollen Weaving, Intertwining
Summary:
Eh? I'm not the main focus this time?
Notes:
Hi.
My excuse is that I finally went to therapy.
Enjoy~ <333
Chapter Text
“Well?” In the corner of her eye, Nobara sees Fushiguro still where he sits on the stone stairs.
It’s been less than two hours since they both woke up. Less than two hours since they returned and reported about that ‘mission’. Less than two hours since they saw an unconscious Itadori lying on the infirmary’s bed.
The image of Sukuna’s grin causes her jaws to clench.
“‘Well,’ what?” Fushiguro asks her.
Nobara scoffs at his attempt at playing dumb. “You know what I’m referring to, idiot.”
There was a brief pause before he answered, “I don’t trust him.”
Raising a brow, she adds, “But?”
Fushiguro shakes his head. “There’s no ‘but’. I don’t and will never trust the King of Curses. He has to be lying about Itadori.”
Nobara gives him a particular look. “And if he isn’t?”
His eyes narrowed. “Kugisaki—”
“I don’t trust that bastard as much as you do,” She harshly cuts him off before firmly trying to reel her temper back. Now is not the time. “But I’m just saying, something feels off. Didn’t you notice? He kept referring to Itadori as a ‘brat’ until that last bit at the end and used ‘friend’ instead. And there was the change in pronouns from ‘he’ to ‘they/them’, too.”
‘As well as that ‘real him’ comment.’ Neither she nor he said but knew the other was thinking that.
Fushiguro kept his mouth shut, having no retort to her stellar observations. They both know she’s right. A conflicted yet contemplative expression crossed his stupidly pretty face (he better not be the type blessed by silky smooth skin and does the bare minimum keeping it that way) as he subconsciously rubbed his wrist.
That image of Itadori fucking swiping his blade at Fushiguro in a fit of cold rage replays in her head. Nobara didn't think the guy had it in him to attack one of his peers like that. Fushiguro didn't either, but Itadori proved both of them wrong. Then again, she should've seen that coming. Upright people with different morals and values, aka, a sorcerer like Fushiguro and a former normie civilian like Itadori, tend to clash from what she’d seen.
Speaking of one of those idiots, Fushiguro is not responding yet so Nobara fully turns to him and utters, “Let me make this clear, I know Itadori isn’t an enemy or a traitor or shit like that. He’s too fucking decent of a good person.”
She’s given a hum of agreement from him.
“But, like you,” Nobara points an accusing finger at the slightly annoyed Fushiguro before shrugging. “I don’t know much about him. The two of you are so anti-social.”
Nobara catches his twitching eye and lets a teasing grin spread on her lips as the little emo visibly tries to calm himself. Then his expression shifts to something similar to steely resolve. “Then we’ll just keep a closer eye on Itadori.”
She nods in agreement, her grin disappearing in favor of matching his determined expression. “You took the words right out of my mouth.”
Nobara settles into a comfortable routine where she and Urchin Head do the usual classes before they join their senpais for their scheduled training regimens and prepare for the Goodwill event. Then, she uses her free time to do a little shopping and indulge herself with some trendy food or hang out with the two idiots in Sensei’s basement. And, every day, the three of them have dinner together, and their idiot Sensei would join them sometimes.
In between those times, Nobara is given missions to do, and, while it's usually Urchin Head who accompanies her, sometimes, one of her senpais joins her.
And in between those times, Nobara keeps being reminded of that ‘mission’ and a certain bastard’s scathing words.
“You, on the other hand, are quite boring.”
Those piercing red eyes stare down at her, looking down at her .
“Your nails and hammer are of little threat to anyone, much less me.”
Her wrist ached at the memory of how easily he dealt with her.
“If you further explore the soul aspect of your technique, perhaps you can give me a challenge.”
“Fucking shut up!” Nobara shouted with a growl as she threw her shopping bag onto her bed. Seeing the items harmlessly bouncing on the white sheets, her anger spikes up even further as she roughly cards her hands through her hair with a strained groan before forcefully stopping herself because that’s bad for her scalp, damn it—!
Look, she gets it ; she truly does. She’s not as powerful as she thinks she is, not when there are bigger dogs in Tokyo lurking around. But, damn it, she’s not weak or useless. She isn’t.
Obviously, there’s room to grow and to improve. You clearly need to know that so you’re aware of where to go up from and be able to survive, especially when you’re a fucking sorcerer. It’s why she even told the Potato Head to make new weapons for her and her technique in the first place. And from what she has seen in the group chat, those needles are coming along nicely.
She’ll reward Itadori with his favorite purin brand when he’s done. Just look at how amazing of a friend she is.
So yeah, the Murderous Majesty can go fuck himself but also, thanks for humbling her? She guess…? Ugh.
Anyway, aside from that shitstain of a mission, her time in Tokyo is going great!
She should've known that something very annoying would soon ruin this idyllic life of hers as a sorcerer.
With her temper calming down, excitement swelled in her chest at the thought of a new arsenal to her powers. Nobara sorted out where her new clothes should be placed before changing into her new and super cute tracksuit. The fabric is soft and comfy on her skin, and it’s not too tight or loose. She knows that white is generally not preferred to be worn during physical activities since they get dirty real quick but the flower patterns on the navy blue fabric are too cute to pass up so fuck societal expectations!
She looks amazing~
Soon enough, she was out of the dorms and back to training with her senpais under the scorching sun. Then, a little later, Nobara and Fushiguro were sent on an errand to get snacks and drinks for everyone. Unfortunately, the options are limited here, and there are only so many workers who can come here, according to her partner in crime.
Then, those two appeared.
At first, Nobara wondered if they were the other few students here she hadn’t met yet, like the third-years. The massive scar from the big guy certainly gives off the vibes of someone much more experienced than both her and Fushiguro combined. The girl turns out to be Maki-senpai’s twin sister, too, adding more to her assumption.
It turns out Nobara was half-right. These two are technically their senpais in the same occupation but they’re from Kyoto. Meaning they’re their competition.
So they’re scouting us out. She concludes, a little smug.
“We figured we joined the principal on the trip here since we were worried about you,” Mai-senpai smiles. Nobora thinks it’s a little off. “After all, your classmate is dangerous, isn’t he? Are you scared? Or maybe you don’t care?”
Ayo, what?
Before she could reply to the bitch, Fushiguro cuts in first and asks, “What are you trying to say?”
“You first-years and your naiveté,” The bitch giggles, finding something funny the rest of them don’t. “Don’t worry, I’ll make things easy for you and say it myself. ‘Vessel’ makes it sound nice, but he’s just a half-cursed monster in the end. Maybe more so. He is a willing accomplice with that monster wreaking havoc around Tokyo, and monsters like those find solace in each other. Having such a tainted thing around you as he brazenly calls himself a jujutsu sorcerer must’ve been revolting, right? You want him dead , yes?”
Ah, there’s that familiar heat in her. The kind where her temper spikes, engrossing her entire chest with that white-hot, protective urge. She didn’t think she’d feel this way for someone else in Tokyo other than Saori. At least, not this early after she left that damn village.
Since when did Itadori grow on her that fast?
“Mai, you need to stop bringing up boring topics.” Oh, the big guy is talking now and he stepping closer to them. He even dramatically threw his little jacket away to the side. “I’m only here to see if these guys are fit to take Okkotsu’s place. That’s all I want to know.”
This guy’s intense. Nobara thought with a slight frown.
“Fushiguro, was it?” Said Urchin Head looking tensed at being called on by the big guy. “What kind of woman is your type?”
…
Eh?
Nobara and Fushiguro exchanged glances and it was obvious to both of them that the other was wondering the same thing. ‘Is this guy for real?’
“Depending on your answer, I’ll beat you half to death right here,” The big guy proclaims as he proceeds to rip his fucking shirt off???? What the fuck? “And drag Okkotsu, or at least the third-years, out to the Exchanged Event. By the way, my type is a tall woman with a fat ass!”
How did the conversation shift to this chaotic mess? Not that Nobara is complaining exactly. She’ll take this absurd situation over the yapping session from that bitch. She’d also like to punch said bitch in the face just once. Twice. Ok, more than thrice. But still. What the fuck?
This comedy routine continues to be ridiculous as Fushiguro eventually answers the big guy— Todo Aoi’s question. And he answered it earnestly.
You’ve been spared, Urchin Head. Nobara smirks.
Nevermind, that thought is void as the Todo guy literally fucking cries and then— wha— Tackle-threw- judo thing at Fushiguro, sending him flying to the concrete!
Nobara was about to jump in and help him, no matter if she had left her hammer and nails behind with her senpais. However, the bitch dares to stop her in her tracks and wrapped her arms around her collar and shoulders. While she returns to yapping her ass off, Nobara automatically takes in her appearance now that she’s much, much closer. The bitch definitely resembles Maki-senpai since they both have the same eye colors. Their hair color as well. They even have similar nose shapes. Maki-senpai’s eye shape isn’t as narrow as her twin’s, though, and the latter has more open pores. Nobara tells her the latter part because she can.
She has a gun pointed at her left abdomen for her troubles.
No better time to test how far I progressed with the others than right now, yeah? Nobara dryly mused.
Todo, as in that Todo?
Megumi is an idiot. It took him an embarrassingly long time to remember what he was told about Todo’s accomplishments during the parade from last year. And now he’s got confirmation that the third-year does have a technique but didn’t use it on the first-grades? He’s a monster.
Calm down. Breathe. Megumi’s brain supplies.
He’s not going to avoid a fight here; that’s obvious. So it’s best he stops Todo in his tracks and then returns to Kugisaki to help her. He’s dealing with a hardcore close-range fighter, so he’ll counter by going to the opposite end of the spectrum and keeping his distance while restraining him.
Summoning and combining Nue and Gama, Megumi prepares himself—
The air loudly cracks , his Shikigami flying from the overwhelming force as Todo whirls behind him.
So fast! That wasn’t his full speed earlier?! Megumi thought with gritted teeth.
Strong arms wrapped around his midsection, and suddenly he’s being lifted from the ground—
His head smashes into the ground, chunks of debris lifting from the powerful impact upon the concrete. Megumi distantly realized his head is bleeding and that Todo had fucking suplexed him.
He barely managed to get up and flipped onto his feet away from the third-year before he could jump on him.
Todo doesn’t give him a moment of respite as he throws punch after punch, and Megumi has no choice but to go on the defensive and keep his arms crossed, and take the hits. There’s no sense of cursed energy amplified behind these moves either. They’re all raw strength .
Megumi gets grabbed by the bleeding head after failing to keep up his defense.
He quickly put on a thick layer of cursed energy behind his head before he’s then pinned against a wooden pole, the construction splintering from the powerful impact.
The gap between their skills and power is too large—
No.
No time to gawk or be shocked. He needs to act. Now.
Ignoring whatever shit Todo is spouting at him, Megumi falls back to that sensation of his shadows and lifts his hand.
Todo let out a cutoff yelp from the sudden lost balance as his shadow engulfed one of his feet, his grip on Megumi loosening.
He took the opening he needed and wrangled himself out of the third-year’s grasp before his Shikigami flung their tongues at and wrapped around the other’s figure.
Then Megumi runs, two of his Shikigami following after him.
He keeps his shadow open because he isn’t sure if Todo will lose a limp or not if he closes it. Better safe than sorry.
Ignoring the pounding sensation in his head and behind his eyes, Megumi hurries to where Kugisaki and Mai-senpai were before. He made it just in time to see his classmate being thrown against one of the vending machines with a loud clang .
Then, Mai-senpai points her revolver at a disorientated Kugisaki.
Megumi orders his two Shikigami to stop the second-year, and they grab her by the wrists with their tongues.
“That’s enough.” His voice rang in the area, grabbing Kugisaki by the shoulders and holding her still. Mai-senpai thankfully stopped, though a bit reluctantly. Glancing at his classmate, he feels his facial expression contorted into a frown at the dirt and bruises on her. “Kugisaki, r’you alright?”
As if a flip has switched, her half-dazed expression turns fierce as she glares at Mai-senpai and tries to lunge at her. “You fucking bitch!!” She practically snarled, “You ruined my new cute tracksuit!”
“Oi, calm down.” Megumi quickly changed position by sitting down on the concrete floor, holding her under her armpits, and tightening his grip around her. He opted to unsummon his Shikigami as well.
“Oh, please,” Mai-senpai sneers as she puts her gun away before folding her arms. “I did you a favor showing the power gap between us two. It’s best you count your losses and quit being a sorcerer.”
“Mai-senpai, pleas—”
“Fushiguro, let me at her!!” Kugisaki snaps, looking thoroughly pissed off. Megumi couldn’t help but grimace. “She—!” Kugisaki paused, and her widened eyes were on him as if she was taking in his harried appearance for the first time since these unprompted fights occurred. Then, somehow, her expression turns fiercer as she renews her efforts to escape his restraints. “Where the fuck is that Todo guy?! These bastards need to pay!!”
“Kugisaki—”
“You guys sure ran into a lot of trouble on this simple errand,” Maki-senpai’s voice rang in the area after the sound of her bokken stopped her twin from pulling out her revolver again by the wrist. Then Maki-senpai turns to her with an unreadable expression. “Mai.”
“Oh my,” Mai-senpai inclines her head, sneering, “I didn’t see you there, loser.”
“Come on,” A sardonic smile etched on Maki-senpai’s face as she replied, “No need to be shy. All you can do is imbue objects with cursed energy and you got shits for cursed techniques.”
“Better than having no cursed energy at all,” was Mai-senpai’s retort. “My sore neck needs a break from looking up at others so much, and you’re a convenient remedy, Maki.”
“Heh, you say that, but we both know we’re at rock bottom.”
That seems to be the final straw as Mai-senpai looks pretty pissed off right now. Her hand is on her revolver again. “You wanna fight?”
Please no. Megumi internally pleads.
Kugisaki was smart enough to know not to intervene in the tense exchange between the twins and kept quiet as she watched with him. However, she’s now giving him an imploring look to let her go so she can attack Mai-senpai. Megumi shakes his head at her. That predictably makes her scowl, and he prepares for another escape attempt—
“We’re leaving, Mai.”
Both Megumi and Kugisaki turned over their shoulders and saw Todo looming behind them. Panda-senpai and Inumaki-senpai are also right next to him.
“Oh, there’s my jacket,” Todo remarks before his gaze lands on Megumi and Kugisaki. He squints his eyes at them, and suddenly, Megumi has a bad feeling— “So she fits your bill in women, Fushiguro?”
In an instant, they both get back on their feet and put a decent distance between themselves before simultaneously replying, “No!”
“We’re not like that,” Megumi frowns with a hint of disgust. “We’re just classmates.”
“Get your head out of the gutter, creep!” Kugisaki hisses, pointing her finger at Todo.
“Hmm, I figured as much,” Todo nods with an unnerving amount of solemnity in his facial expression before it turns pretty apologetic. “Sorry. Thanks for clearing that up, though.”
Everyone looks at him.
“Come on, Mai,” Todo gestures over after receiving his jacket. “Unlike you, I have some important business here in Tokyo.”
Mai-senpai looks ready to protest before her gaze darts to each of them in the area and then restrains herself with a click of her tongue. Then she shoots her irritated glare at Todo and tentatively asks, “By important business, you mean…?”
In a blink, Todo brought out what seemed to be tickets, brandishing them with zeal, and responded with a shout, “My personal handshake with Takada-chan!”
Everyone looks at him.
Thankfully, the Kyoto students quickly left, and Megumi was sent to see Ieiri-sensei to look at his still somewhat pounding head after that entire fiasco.
Carefully, you thread bits of your CE into the bead held by a dremel’s Allen key, carving the Kanji ‘gō’ into the small wooden surface with a small chisel. You do your best to ignore the strain behind your eyes and sweaty hands.
After it’s done, you release your tight control over your CE and heave a heavy sigh, exhaustion creeping up in your limbs yet you don’t drop your tools. Then you examine the result in between your fingers with a critical eye. No cracks, even cuts, and the Kanji is comprehensible— perfect!
A satisfied smile crosses your lips behind your mask as you pull the bead off the Allen key and set it with the other two in a small container on your left. Then you sweep the tiny mess on the workshop table away to the side where the pile of failed attempts is.
I’m getting better at this. You muse as you wipe away the sweat forming on your forehead.
Honestly, you’re glad Sensei recommended you buy the wooden beads instead of making them themselves. Otherwise, you’d give up on the project altogether. Luckily, that didn’t happen thanks to the feeling of impending doom about the next incoming story arc. Who knew the lingering trauma from the Detention Center and a teen’s inevitable death in the future would be amazing motivators?
But you digress. You just need to go through the repetitive motion of chiseling the Kanji for protection into the wooden beads as well as threading your CE into each tiny cut until all sixteen pieces are done. Easy. Very easy.
Except when you're planning to make three more of these bad boys.
Another heavy sigh leaves you as you pointedly ignore the naginata idly standing in the corner behind you and muster up your shaking hands to start on the next bead.
Later . You quietly promise yourself.
It was during the sixth bead when you heard the front door open. Pausing in your work, you glance at your progress and finally discern the ache in your head and hands.
Alright, time for a break.
After organizing the mess a little, you put your tools away and take your protective gear off, such as your safety goggles, face mask, and gloves, before placing them on the table. Then you run a hand through your sweaty hair as you step out of your workshop and towards the entrance area. You’re met with Fushiguro and Kugisaki arriving in the kitchen. And they look unhappy.
“Did something happen?” You decided to ask, catching both of the teens’ attention.
They exchange glances at each other before answering in unison, “Nope.”
You raise a brow at that but don’t push it, as before you can say anything else, Kugisaki points to you and demands, “Alright, now make us food. I request tonkatsu!”
You can’t help but roll your eyes fondly at her before moving on to making an early dinner meal for all of you. Fushiguro opted to help you out in the kitchen while Kugisaki went to her given room here to change her clothes. During the prepping of the meal, you noticed your gloomy helper’s changed shirt. You mentally shrug.
Kugisaki conveniently makes it back in time for the food to be done and for dinner to start. Ignoring that, the three of you eat in peace and enjoy yourselves. Then, “So there’s this bitch, right?”
Fushiguro exasperates a sigh, making Kugisaki’s irritated expression morph into a shit-eating grin. You glance between the two of them, the corners of your lips curling in amusement.
Good things really do come to those who wait. You inwardly quip.
I SEE ALL:
My students are amazing~! ＼( ｀.∀´)／
Did you hear?
They’re kicking ass out there! ✽-(ˆ▽ˆ)/✽ ✽\(ˆ▽ˆ)-✽
This year’s EE is gonna be so gud~
ू(ᵒ̴̶̷ωᵒ̴̶̷*•ू) )੭ु⁾
Nanamin:
I’m busy. Stop texting me.
I SEE ALL:
Σ(ﾟДﾟ)
So cold
This isn’t how you should treat your senpai after coming back (*’-‘）σ*’-‘*)
Come on, Nanamin~
Don’t you want the tea? ಠ╭╮ಠ
You’ll be meeting my students soon
Nanamin:
What.
I SEE ALL:
⊙０⊙
I see you’ve been studying the ways of the internet language
(¬‿¬)
Nanamin:
Gojo.
I SEE ALL:
Jk jk
But yeah
I figured its time to get Yuuji out and see the sun a little ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
Nanamin:
The vessel?
I SEE ALL:
Yuuji*
Nanamin:
Pardon me.
I SEE ALL:
★-(ゝ∀・｀ Thank You!´ゝ∀・)-☆
Nanamin:
Any updates on the culprit behind the interference?
I SEE ALL:
Still a WIP
Nanamin:
I see.
I SEE ALL:
[Link to an address with specific sets of coordinates. ]
See you this Tuesday in the morning
I’m counting on you~
ヾ(*＾▽ﾟ) ｂｙｅｂｙｅ！！
Chapter 12: Chipping By The Edges
Summary:
The new arc has finally arrived.
Chapter Text
RASENGAN!:
It’s done 〜(￣▽￣〜)
Steel Rose:
NO
WAY
OMGJRIGUWIANGVIVNIWLBNKPIBAFNIPR
OMW
After receiving those texts, barely twenty seconds passed before there was a ripple in the air, and your two peers plus Gojo-sensei suddenly appeared behind you.
Ah, he must’ve gotten time to train with them. You quietly conclude.
Exasperation was felt as you idly watched as Kugisaki gave a very animated, harsh review on the ‘Gojo Express’ while Sensei half-heartedly placated her with an obviously amused grin. After so many abrupt entrances and exits from the menace, you’ve grown used to them because he can’t leave or enter the house like a normal person. Then again, this is his house, he can do whatever, however he wants. And standing next to the squabbling duo with a deadpan expression was Fushiguro.
Both of you share commiserating looks.
“Whatever,” Kugisaki tsks, sassily turning away from Gojo-sensei before quickly trekking to you with twinkling eyes and an eager grin. Her hand reaches out, shouting, “Gimme!”
Raising a brow at the demand, you glance at her expected palm before grabbing the wooden case behind you and handing it to her. “Happy belated Birthday,” you say, half-joking.
Kugisaki doesn’t hesitate to open it, revealing the final products sitting upon velvet fabric— six black metallic needles and a coil of wire. The needles are somewhat reminiscent of Yor Forger’s stiletto-type weapons though the butt ends are closer to actual needles and they’re about the length of at the junction between your wrist and forearm to the tip of your middle finger while the width is a finger thick. The wire reaches around four hundred and eighty cm long. They're a gift from Maki-senpai.
As she scrutinized them along with Fushiguro and Gojo-sensei hovering over on either side of her shoulders, you can’t help but proudly smile before it instantly drops. Nervousness creeps under your skin as the notion of Kugisaki not liking it comes to mind.
You distantly heard a scoff.
Automatically, you mentally flip the parasite off.
“Well, what do you think, Kugisaki?” You tentatively ask.
“I fucking love them,” she instantly answers and she seems genuine.
A relieved smile splits on your lips.
“Gojo-sensei,” Fushiguro spoke up, his gaze darting to the aforementioned man.
“Hm?” He inclined his head over to the teen a little.
“What grade do you think they are?”
That catches everyone’s attention as they all await Gojo-sensei’s response. He makes a show of being overly contemplative, hand on chin as his head tilts side to side, much to the annoyance of the teens, their patience waning. You just ignore the buzzing anxiety inside you as you carefully keep a blank face, waiting expectantly. Then, “I’d say grade-two. Maybe.” He shrugs, his voice airy as he says, “I’ll have to see it in action with Nobara before anything’s concrete.”
That’s honestly a surprise because, hello, novice here. You thought they’d be in the lower semi-grade category or something, even though there aren’t any when it comes to cursed tools subjects. It’s kind of relieving…and disappointing. You sigh through your nose, your shoulders untensing as you remark, “Well, that’s gonna be a while since Kugisaki can’t use them yet.”
“Wha— why?!” Kugisaki indignantly cries out. The other two cast you curious looks as well.
“Let me finish,” You roll your eyes at the interruption before continuing, “Right now, they’re basically impractical daggers with no cursed energy because I ‘hollowed’ them out for you to imbue yours to make them functional. They need a lot of cursed energy, though, including the wire. Just keep them on you for them to familiarize your energy signature, and then pick a name for them.”
“Name?” She echoes.
“Ah, how do I…?” Your muttering trails off as you try to remember the written text in the cursed tool scroll left in your room.
A giant hand plops onto your head and pats you heartily, effectively pulling you out of your head. Gojo-sensei chuckles as he proclaims, “I’ll explain along the way, kiddies~. Get ready, class is soon in session!”
“Is that really going to work?” Fushiguro frowns in doubt.
“The authorities are searching for a pink-haired teen terrorist,” You remark as you adjust the fake glasses on the bridge of your nose. “Not a beanie-wearing hipster with a tea addiction.”
“Still,” his frown deepened where he sat in the middle of the car seats, “At least change the color red for something less eye-catching?”
“Mmmmmm, nah.”
“If you keep this up, you’ll grow grey hair before you even reach eighteen, Urchin Head,” Kugisaki drawls, her attention mostly on her new given weapons. She’s eyeing one of the needles held in her hand.
“Shut up,” Fushiguro groused.
“As much as I love listening to your banters,” Gojo-sensei interrupts with an easy smile, looking over the passenger seat where he sat, “Yuuji-kun, you remember the ‘why’ yet?”
“Uh,” You eloquently start, stuffing your hands into your pockets. “Something something, items are believed to inherit the user’s energy over time and, uh, giving those items a name cements their existence…er something.”
After finishing that amazing explanation, you immediately cringe and have the urge to hide from the others’ stares.
In the back of your mind, you hear a snort.
Nevermind, you’d rather jump out of this car and hope to get knocked out with a bleeding head instead.
“Pfft, good job, Yuuji,” Gojo-sensei utters, trying and failing to hold back his laughter.
You glare at him while pointedly ignoring the heat in your cheeks.
The man-child flashes you a cheeky grin before facing forward, continuing, “Anyway~, that’s the gist of the whole name thing. It’s basically anchoring the cursed weapon to the physical plane, making it ‘alive’ in a sense or gaining something similar to a soul which, in turn, has it effectively holds cursed energy.”
“Wait,” Kugisaki pipes in, holding a hand out to pause before pointing her new needle at Sensei and then you. “Then by that logic, I shouldn’t have to wait to use these fellas.”
“Usually, yes,” You easily admit with a shrug, “However, that applies to when the creator names their creations, and these needles and wires are technically gifts. I’m paraphrasing here, but one of the scrolls said if you’re making a specialized tool for someone and their cursed technique, then they have to let it get used to them first before they can name it and use it. Otherwise, there’s a chance for things to go wrong.”
She squints her eyes at you. “Like what?”
Again, you shrug. “It was very vague, but basically, it said somewhere along the lines of, at best, I need to make you new needles, and, at worst, something explodes.”
That got all occupants in the car to look at you blankly. Even Ijichi took a moment to give you a cursory glance before refocusing on the road.
“Is there a chance the guy who wrote that scroll is trolling you, Yuuji?” Gojo-sensei asks.
“If they are, kudos to them, but I ain’t taking any chances here,” You bluntly reply, “Cursed energy is naturally volatile after all.”
“I get it,” Fushiguro spoke up with a nod, “It’s kinda similar to how you should let a pet fish you just bought get used to the tank’s water temperature first before releasing them from the plastic bag.”
“Wait, you’re supposed to do that?” You blurted out.
“You had a pet fish?” Followed by a nonplussed Kugisaki’s question.
“Apparently yes!” Gojo-sensei cheerfully answers your question before moving on to Kugisaki’s. “Her name was Goldeen the Second! Megumi was so diligent and caring towards her.”
“That was because you kept overfeeding her!” Fushiguro shouts, his voice hilariously cracking in the middle while his cheeks flushed red.
“She kept staring at the fish food flakes, I swear! She was begging for them, Megumi!”
“Yeah, and now she’s dead because you have shit impulse control— that— this conversation is over. Itadori, continue the previous topic, please .”
Seeing his disgruntled expression, you take pity on Fushiguro and comply. “Right, so, anyway,” Great start, you. Adequate speaker as always. “Considering these are technically my second finished project, please be mindful not to imbue your cursed energy into them yet, Kugisaki.”
She nods before asking, “Anything else I should know?”
“Ah, the needles don’t have a honing feature like I wanted, though you should be fine without that for now,” you quickly say, “I was originally gonna make twelve needles buuuuut that’s a little too taxing for my current skill levels and I don’t wanna get carpal tunnel.”
“As much as I appreciate your faith in my abilities, Itadori, why would I need twelve needles?”
“I have a vision.”
“Go on~”
“Imagine you puncturing and getting through Gojo-sensei’s Infinity with those needles and your cursed technique.”
Everyone is looking at you again, this time with varying disbelief and excitement.
You ignore the perked interest from your unwanted roommate as you flash them all an eager grin and continue with, “Here’s my working theory; instead of a severed body part of the adversary, what if Kugisaki uses their cursed energy as a link to activate Resonance? After all, cursed energy is still a part of a person, it’s just they’re able to be emitted.”
Gojo-sensei snaps his fingers before pointing to you with an eager grin. “Nobara can possibly counter everyone by using their cursed techniques against them!”
“Exactly!” You point back to him along with your own grin then turn to Kugisaki. “It’ll matter little how OP they are when you can easily close the gap in strength and skills! And Resonance directly attacks the soul, meaning the enemy can’t recover from the damage! You could become the biggest menace ever !”
Now you’re full-on vibrating in your seat from the excitement buzzing under your skin and you’re not alone. There was a sense of deep intrigue and hunger within you, you know doesn’t belong to you. Sukuna had already heard the theory when you first came up with it, and, seeing as there’s nothing you can do to prevent him from digging through your thoughts, you just do your best to push through your unease and ignore him. Looking at the rest of the cast, you see a very delighted Kugisaki at the notion of being frighteningly strong, while Fushiguro has a contemplative frown on his facial expression. Same goes for Gojo-sensei and Ijichi, though the former has a big grin on him instead, according to the side mirror. And it’s creepy.
“Watch out, Paintbrush,” Kugisaki grins a grin you think is a little bloodthirsty as she points one of her needles at Sensei. “I’m coming for your ass.”
He easily plays along as he turns around, covers his mouth, and gasps like a scandalized Victorian woman, responding, “Nobara-chan, I am but a poor and humble maiden!”
“You’re not poor,” Kugisaki deadpans.
“You’re not humble,” Fushiguro adds, unimpressed.
“And you’re not a maiden, Sensei,” You finish the triple combo.
He proceeds to act like he was hit by an invisible force and collapses against his seat as he clutches his chest. “My students are ganging up on me,” He fakes a sniffle, his voice strained.
You don’t know about the teens but you had to suppress a smile at their Sensei’s theatrics.
“Man, baa-chan would wanna hear this,” Kugisaki then remarks, her gaze gaining a wistful glint.
“Baa-chan?” You and Fushiguro echo together.
“She recommended Nobara-chan to Jujutsu Tech!” Gojo-sensei adds with open glee.
“Hold on, then is she a big shot?” You ask. Students are usually sought out and recommended by high-ranked sorcerers or the three major clans, or both. So, for Kugisaki, arguably the one with the most normal background, to have a famous figure in the jujutsu society from their family is quite the surprise.
“Correcto! Apparently, she was formerly a Tokyo Jujutsu Tech student and was a grade-one sorcerer. She even got sponsored by the Gojo clan during her first entry in the Sister Exchange Event.”
“Ambition seems to run in the family,” Fushiguro remarks.
“Your obaa-chan is badass, Kugisaki,” You say to her with a smile.
“Huh, I guess she is,” She replies with a smirk before her expression shifts to that wistful look again, now tinged with respect. “That’s a surprise, though. I never really ask. Baa-chan has always been baa-chan to me. She was the one who took care of me back in that shitty village and taught me everything I know about my cursed technique.”
You nod in agreement, refraining from asking where her parents are. It could be a sensitive subject. “That’s fair.”
Then the car stops beside a road, the engine turning off.
“Oh, we’re here!” Gojo-sensei cheers, unbuckling his seatbelt.
The rest of you follow his examples and exit the car, leaving Ijichi to tend to the vehicle while Sensei leads them down an underground corridor. The activated lanterns don’t do much to light up the area, and honestly, you prefer it that way. Anything to keep your disgust at bay.
“I’m not gonna come along with you guys this time,” Gojo-sensei idly starts, to which you and the teens exchange glances at each other at those words. The last time he didn’t accompany them, shit hit the fan. Sensing their apprehension, the man quickly reassures them. “But don’t worry. I’ve called in a friend you can trust.”
“Define friend,” You can’t help but say.
“You have friends?” Kugisaki instantly asks.
Gojo-sensei doesn’t deem to answer either of your and Kugisaki’s perfectly reasonable questions and keeps walking. The three of you can only follow him until you all reach a door. After pushing it open, a man in a white suit was revealed, standing with his back turned to you guys.
“This is Nanami Kento, the ex-salaryman jujutsu sorcerer!” Gojo-sensei introduced the man with too much cheer, one of his arms wrapped around the other’s shoulders.
“Please don’t call me that,” He replies, his tone very dry and very low— wow.
“Usually, the average sorcerer can’t be called normal by any means, but Nanamin here is very reliable!”
“Please don’t call me that either.”
“You see, he used to work at a company,” Gojo-sensei steamrolls through with that obnoxious cheer, ignoring Nanami. Poor guy. “And he’s a grade-one sorcerer, too!”
“No one wants to hear this from you .”
Unfortunately, the man-child’s fanbase from my world says otherwise, Nanami. You inwardly remark.
Stepping forward, Fushiguro bows down and starts the introductions on your side. “It’s nice to see you again, Nanami-san. I’ll be in your care. These are my classmates, Itadori Yuuji and Kugisaki Nobara.”
Following his example, you and Kugisaki greet yourselves. “Itadori Yuuji, I’ll be in your care.”
“Kugisaki Nobara, pleasure to meet you.”
“Look at them all!” Gojo-sensei squeals, his fists under his chin. “Such good manners! Fushiguro’s influence towards them is so great thanks to my amazing parenting skills!”
“Uh-huh,” was all Nanami said, his tone blatantly doubtful.
“In your dreams,” Fushiguro immediately retorts, equally doubtful.
“Wait, so you’re adopted?” You point to him. That explains a lot about the found family vibes between the two.
Gojo-sensei immediately wheezes and folds over, his hands on his knees. You look at him, confused, before turning back to Fushiguro, whose cheeks are flushed again as he hides half of his face into his collar. “I’m his ward,” The teen quietly corrects.
What’s the difference? You blink.
“Oh shit,” Kugisaki suddenly utters, looking like she made a big revelation as she shifts her pointer finger between Sensei and Fushiguro repeatedly. “The resemblance.”
Trying to look at what she sees, you squint your eyes at them. The spikey hair, the pale skin, the deceptive lanky physique, the similar black attire with high collars, even the long and pretty eyelashes, when you factor in the memory of Gojo-sensei’s eyes. Leaning over, both you and Kugisaki cover your respective mouths and gasp.
“You’re right,” You not-quite whispered. “That’s adorable.”
In the corner of your eye, you spy Gojo-sensei looking ridiculously proud as he whispers something to Nanami, and the ex-salaryman endures whatever the other is spouting. Though your attention to that was abruptly cut short as it’s immediately grabbed by Fushiguro, who pulled you by the collar while his other hand is on Kugisaki’s shoulder, vehemently shouting, “No, no, no, no, no, no! It’s not like that!”
“Little duckling,” You coo, unapologetic to teasing the crap out of this sweet boy.
“Waddling after his mamma duck,” Kugisaki adds with an equally teasing grin.
“Shut up! We’re not even blood-related!”
But it’s futile, and he knows it. So he lets go and pulls away from both you and Kugisaki, desperately hiding his red cheeks as he stands away from the rest of the group.
You muffle the rest of your giggles before turning to the two adults in the room. Giving Fushiguro time to calm down, you raise your hand and ask, “If you don’t mind me asking, why did you quit and come back to being a jujutsu sorcerer, Nanami-san?”
“Hmm, after studying at Jujutsu Tech, I’ve learned one thing,” Nanami starts with a hand on his hip, exclaiming, “Being a jujutsu sorcerer is shit!”
“ Huh? ” You and Kugisaki blink, one thoroughly caught off-guard while the other tries to hold back their laughter. Take a guess which is which.
“Then after working at your typical company, I’ve learned another thing,” He then switch to folding his arms against his chest, exclaiming, “Work is shit!”
“Really?!” You and Kugisaki join in.
“If both are equally shit then I’ll choose the one I’m more suited to. That’s why I’ve returned.”
“That’s so depressing,” Kugisaki whispers as she squints her eyes at him.
He’s just like me for real, for real. You nod to yourself.
“Betcha he’s actually younger than he looks,” She quietly continues.
Holding back a snort, you softly reply with, “Even if that’s true, give the man some slack, girl.”
“You two,” Nanami points to you and Kugisaki, leaving now a calm Fushiguro standing to the side with Gojo-sensei. “Please don’t believe I’m of the same mindset as Gojo-san. I do trust him.”
Immediately, Sensei strikes a pose with sparkles. You and the teens look at him, unimpressed.
“But I have no respect for him!”
“ Huh?! ”
“Thank you,” Fushiguro fucking clapped his hands in prayer— ha!
“As you should,” Kugisaki nods in a mixture of solemn and appreciation.
“Understandable, have a nice day,” You finish the triple combo with a beatific smile.
Gojo-sensei acts accordingly as he folds over like he was punched in the gut. “Again?” he strains out.
“I hate how the higher-ups handle things but I do believe in rules and regulations,” Nanami bluntly states as he faces you and the teens. “No matter if you carry the bomb named Sukuna, hold the rare Ten Shadows of the Zenin clan, or have the backing of an infamous former sorcerer, you are still students. Thus, I do not recognize you three as jujutsu sorcerers.”
Harsh, but fair. You idly muse.
“Please show how useful you can all be.”
“ Hai! ” You all chorus in response.
This is it. The next arc has finally begun. Apprehension fell heavy in your chest, making it quite difficult to keep your breathing steady as your brain flashes to the worse-case scenarios if you fuck this all up. It’s not just Yuuji and Nanami this time but with Fushiguro and Kugisaki, too. And you do not doubt that you’ll all be facing that patchface curse somehow in some way. You cannot let any of them turn into a grotesque creature, not even that teen in canon. You won’t allow it.
Your sweaty hands fidget in your pockets, making contact with the bracelets.
You can only hope your preparations are enough.
“To the higher-ups, not me,” Nanami states.
“Ah—”
“Haah?!” Your voice drowns under Kugisaki’s shout.
Fushiguro just looks so done with everything and the mission hasn’t even started yet.
“Actually, I really don’t care!”
You’re starting to wonder if Nanami is a troll.
Hello blood. You inwardly remark as you try not to etch the horrifying scene and metallic scent into your brain. You fail.
“Can you see it?” Nanami suddenly asks.
You blink, tilting your head while Fushiguro and Kugisaki nod in unison and keep their gazes steady on the crime scene. Feeling out of the loop, you answer with your own question, “See what?”
“Residual of cursed energy,” The man explains as he points to the exit. “When a cursed technique is used, it leaves traces behind. However, unlike curse spirits, residuals are fainter to detect.”
During his explanation, your fractured foreknowledge pieces together as you remember this little tidbit of exposition. Then irritation stabs you as a certain man-child comes to mind for not mentioning any of this shit to you. Pushing that aside, you ask, “So do I focus my vision with cursed energy or something?”
“Please,” was his response.
“Make sure not to burst your eyeballs like boba pearls,” Kugisaki pipes up.
Heeding that fantastic advice, you do just that and carefully maneuver your cursed energy to your eyes. Then you see it, the tainted footsteps on the carpet. “Ok, now I see it.”
With that confirmation from you, Nanami starts moving and the rest of you follow like little ducklings. It’s a quiet walk as you all follow the trail which soon leads upstairs.
Then Fushiguro spoke up, asking, “Nanami-san, the surveillance cameras didn’t pick anything up, right?”
“Correct,” The man answers, “There was only one young man aside from the victims.”
“Definitely a curse then,” Kugisaki proclaims with a firm nod.
“But what about the young man?” You question with a frown, like you didn’t know the answer already.
“According to the cameras, after what occurred to the victims, he ran out of the theaters,” Nanami replies as he grabs an umbrella from the nearby stand. Following his example, you and the teens do, too, and unfurl them as you guys step through a door and onto the rooftop. “Factoring in that suspicious action, there’s a small chance he’s the perpetrator.”
“Those did look similar to men's loafers,” Kugisaki remarks, expression pensive as she asks, “What kind of shoes was the guy wearing?”
“I do not know.”
She clicks her tongue.
“I’m not a forensic expert. Besides, identifying him is the police’s—”
You all stop as you hear a wet step on the tiles. Turning to the sound reveals a green, distorted creature with wet, medium black hair on both ends, like it almost has two heads. The sight of it is…eerie.
Am I ever gonna get used to these things? You slightly frown.
“There’s another one,” Fushiguro says in a lower voice, nodding his head over to the other creature— overall white with its features and body just as wrong and distorted as the other— peeking around the corner behind the group. The more you look at it, the more it looks off somehow.
“I’ll handle the green one,” Nanami utters as he puts his umbrella away. “Itadori-kun, you handle the other. Fushiguro-kun, Kugisaki-kun, intervene only when it looks like he’s in trouble.”
“Uh, why am I being singled out?” Your frown deepens. And what does he mean by ‘when’?
“This is a test,” He replies as he unbuttons his white suit and loosens his tie. “You’ve lived a normal life before you were thrust into the jujutsu world when you became Sukuna’s vessel. I want to see for myself how much control you have over the King of Curses.”
“My control over him is fine,” you groused, trading your umbrella to Fushiguro as he pulled out your naginata, Zangetsu, from his shadow inventory and handed it over to you. You ignore the pelting rain as much as the parasite stirring in your mind at the mention of his name.
“You made a binding vow with Sukuna. This led to him terrorizing the streets of Tokyo at sporadic times, and caused you to lose sleep as well as needing to hide your identity from the public’s eye.”
You wince at the cold facts that were said as you purse your lips and put your fake glasses away. Wet glasses will be a hindrance. Getting into a stance, you readied Zangetsu as you replied to Nanami, “Nothing I can’t handle.”
And it’s the truth. You can handle the twisting sensation in your torso from the lack of sleep. You can handle the sluggish feeling and aches in your limbs. You can handle hiding yourself from people when you need to. These are nothing new to you. As usual, you roll with the punches.
Because what else can you do?
“It’s not a matter of whether you can handle it or not,” Nanami says so matter-of-factly as he pulls out a peculiar bladed weapon wrapped in some sort of cow-printed fabric.
As he continues his lecture, you narrow your eyes onto your slowly approaching opponent. There’s nothing particularly special about it as it just looks like any other cursed spirit in this world. Yet, that nagging feeling from before won’t leave you alone, like you’re missing something here, and that’s doing wonders for your nerves. How annoying.
It doesn’t help that Nanami’s condescending speech grates on you, adding more to your tense emotions. But you understand how it looks to him. He has no idea you’re an adult stuck in a kid’s body. And, well, he’s probably the only proper adult in this fucked up world with any common sense amongst his fellow sorcerers. That, you cannot fault him for.
Heh, what a lousy notion.
Careful to keep your expression neutral, you take a deep breath to try to settle your nerves and temper. You’re not dealing with Sukuna’s presence at the foreground of your mind, nor Nanami’s lecture on ‘revealing one’s hand’ lesson.
So you jump into action.
You block a swing of an arm, the impact barely felt as your superior strength pulls the curse along with your weapon to the metal fence.
It makes contact against it with an ‘oof’, and sharp rattles can be heard past the rain.
Seeing it slightly dazed, you thrust your naginata, aiming for its fat neck.
The curse barely dodges in time and only gets away with a small cut. However, it convulses on the spot like its brain lost connection to its body for a moment.
Then the second impact came.
Eclipse Claw!
It wails in pain as a large chunk of its flesh from the junction between its neck and left shoulder explodes off. Said piece of flesh shot into the air before it lands at an airborne target, setting off an electric jingle with a voice chanting ‘Home run!’
A sense of satisfaction hits you as you see that your training has paid off.
“What was that?!” Kugisaki shouts, pointing to you.
“A double attack?” You heard Fushiguro utter.
Not giving the curse time to retaliate, you sweep for its tail, easily chopping the thing off before kicking it away from you.
Then you turn to the teens as well as an observing Nanami, who’s just finished incapacitating his own curse, with a giddy smile, replying, “Yeah! Remember how I mentioned those needles are technically my second finished project, Kugisaki?” Not waiting for an answer, you continue through the adrenaline and excitement. “Well, I tinkered a little with Zangetsu here to make it disrupt others’ cursed energy flow. Combine that with Eclipse Claw, the double attack, and I basically get a lot of free hits at the enemy.”
“So you stun them, then you clock them all in one go,” Kugisaki easily surmises, her eyes gleaming with zeal, “That’s one nasty combo, Potato Head.”
Next to her, Fushiguro nods in agreement.
“You made your weapon?” Nanami joins in, curiosity tinged in his monotone voice.
You make a see-saw motion with your hand as you answer, “Kinda. I didn’t craft the naginata but I did make the seal and imprinted it onto Zangetsu.”
He just hums.
Finding nothing else to add to this short yet pleasant conversation, you return your attention to your incapacitated opponent. The curse had pathetically flopped onto its side into a fetal position with whatever’s left of its tail curling around its trembling body while it clutched its neck wound. And it’s…crying?
You frown at the uncanny sight as that nagging feeling is back.
“Itadori-kun!” You jolt at the sudden call from Nanami, the urgency in his voice causing your fight-or-flight instincts to flare. Before you could act upon them though, the man continues over the rain. “Don’t exorcise it yet! All of you, come here!”
You and the teens hurry over and Nanami shows you guys his phone screen. On it was the green curse’s severed arm wearing a wristwatch.
…
Wait.
Your blood went cold.
Those weren’t curses.
They’re humans .
Transmuted humans .
Everything clicks into place as you remember.
And you remember too late.
Then things were a blur. You felt Zangetsu leaving your grasp and someone was pulling you by the wrist to your temporary base of operations for this mission.
Right, mission.
Those people, they’re just going to be another statistic to Japan’s unexplained deaths. They’ll just be numbers on a chart to the average person.
Guilt gnaws in your insides, twisting your guts in a sensation similar to the urge to vomit. You’re disgusted by how quickly your brain has forgotten them, has written them off as inconsequential details to an overarching story. Because this isn’t just a story anymore. This is your current reality. And you were dismissive of those dead people since they didn’t directly affect you from before.
Distantly, a part of you is aware that, even if you remember that they were human before the fight, and not curses, there was nothing you could do for them. You can’t heal them, can’t transform them back into humans. Their fates were decided before you were ever in the picture. And, in the grand scheme of things, surrounding the entire plot, those people don’t really matter. You don’t even know what they truly look like pre-transmutation, what their personalities were. And ultimately, you don’t want to know. Yet, you feel obliged to.
What were their final thoughts before they were transformed?
Were they aware of their new selves before they died?
What did they feel when they unknowingly met their end?
So loud.
Your racing mind halts at the low timbre voice. It sounds awfully bored.
Wallowing in your guilt and shame for those pests is a waste of time.
You kept quiet.
In the end, their lives do not matter. You admitted it to yourself, too, interloper.
…
Pathetic.
Before you could even begin to think of a response to him, you’re jolted out of your thoughts to the present by Kugisaki elbowing your side. Your gaze immediately lands on the phone call lying on the coffee table and you quickly realize Ieiri-sensei, the caller, was now talking to you.
“Sorry?” You hurriedly utter, “Say that again, please?”
A weary sigh from Ieiri-sensei before she says, “These people were long gone the moment their bodies were modified. So you didn’t kill them, understand?”
“...Hai.”
Nanami ends the call there before you notice everyone’s eyes are on you. How unnerving.
Just kidding. Now that you’re here, sitting on the couch with a semi-soaked towel hanging around your neck, you feel…numb. Well, that’s a bit of a lie. The guilt from before is still there, just weirdly subdued.
It’s honestly a surprise you haven’t bawled your eyes out yet.
You take a deep breath before slowly releasing it and ask in a quiet voice, “Would their family believe us or the authorities if we said those were their loved ones?”
“...The higher-ups will issue an order to cover up the truth behind the victims’ deaths to keep jujutsu society a secret,” Nanami informs, “The families will not be able to see them or cremate their bodies.”
Something quietly breaks inside you from that and an awfully familiar feeling surges forward. You realized it’s resentful disappointment.
Because what were you expecting?
What were you hoping ?
That these victims will get a peaceful send-off?
That they get some deserved justice?
No. That’s simply not how the world works. Not when it’s run by power-hungry, corrupted bastards.
You’ve seen it happen time and time again. So why did you have the fucking gall to think things will be different?
Pathetic. You find yourself echoing Sukuna’s words.
And yet, at that moment, your mind jumps to the scene where that teen gets transformed into a distorted creature by that grinning curse.
No. No.
You cannot allow that to happen.
You won’t be able to handle it.
“Those residuals were a bluff, likely to lure us in,” Nanami’s voice regains your attention as he stands up. There’s a sense of resoluteness surrounding him as he continues, “Our foe is quite skilled. All the more reason to not let them escape.”
“ Hai! ” Kugisaki answered for the rest of you, who nodded determinedly.
Speaking of which. Careful to keep your voice steady, you glanced over to her and said, “Kugisaki, you can name your needles and wires now.”
The teen blinks at you, probably caught off-guard at how calm you seemingly appear (you’re not). Then her expression shifts to excitement as she hollars, “Fucking finally!” and brought out the wooden case and opens it.
All eyes are on Kugisaki now and you’re quietly grateful as you all watch her contemplate her options before grinning ear to ear. She grabs the needles and places three pieces each on her hands in between her fingers, like she usually does with her nails. And with the coil of wires, she held it in her right palm.
“You’re still planning to make me twelve needles in total, right, Itadori?” Kugisaki asks with an eager smile.
The corners of your lips curl a little at her infectious energy as you reply with a nod. “That’s the plan.”
“Then, I will call you,” She held up her brand new weapon in the air, brandishing them for all occupants in the room to see, “ Juu-Ni-Bun. ”
Kugisaki’s CE then flares, enveloping the needles and wires, and binding her connection to them. Juu-Ni-Bun is officially hers and hers alone. “Congrats,” You shoot her a faint smile.
After that little event amidst the angst fest, you and the teens were dismissed by Nanami for the rest of the day until further notice. So here you are in your given hotel room, lying in bed, shared with Fushiguro who sat at the end of it against the bedpost.
The two of you are on your respective phones, getting lost on the way of life that is the internet. It was during a Markiplier video when Fushiguro spoke up and broke the peaceful silence.
“R’you okay?” he asks in an unbearably wary tone, like you’ll break with the right (or wrong) words from him.
I mean, you wouldn’t be surprised if that happens. You are a sensitive bitch after all.
And I still haven’t cried. You inwardly frown.
Realizing you still haven’t given him a respond, you hurriedly reply with a shrug, “I mean, I’m not doing great but I’m not doing bad either.”
He frowns at that. “You sure?”
“Yes,” You can’t help but exasperate a fond sigh. While it’s sweet that he’s concern, it’s a little irksome that he’s doubting you, too. “I’ve calmed down and thought over the situation. It’s shit but there’s nothing I can do about it until we get more intel.”
Fushiguro must’ve noticed something as he now looks a little sheepish as he quietly say, “Right, sorry.”
“It’s okay.”
“...We’ll find the culprit.”
Before you knew it, a sardonic smile crossed your lips at his attempt at reassuring you as you quietly uttered, “Yeah.”
I know.
Pages Navigation
Fut_z on Chapter 1 Wed 27 Nov 2024 04:30AM UTC
Last Edited Wed 27 Nov 2024 04:32AM UTC
Comment Actions
AL_2424 on Chapter 1 Wed 27 Nov 2024 04:44AM UTC
Comment Actions
depressionTM (Revantio) on Chapter 1 Wed 27 Nov 2024 04:47AM UTC
Comment Actions
AL_2424 on Chapter 1 Wed 27 Nov 2024 04:56AM UTC
Comment Actions
MX_GL1TCH on Chapter 1 Wed 27 Nov 2024 04:48AM UTC
Comment Actions
AL_2424 on Chapter 1 Wed 27 Nov 2024 04:57AM UTC
Comment Actions
MX_GL1TCH on Chapter 1 Wed 27 Nov 2024 05:01AM UTC
Comment Actions
Forgner on Chapter 1 Thu 28 Nov 2024 10:13AM UTC
Comment Actions
AL_2424 on Chapter 1 Thu 28 Nov 2024 04:24PM UTC
Comment Actions
Jennifer_Black on Chapter 1 Thu 28 Nov 2024 12:52PM UTC
Comment Actions
AL_2424 on Chapter 1 Thu 28 Nov 2024 04:24PM UTC
Comment Actions
nagini on Chapter 1 Thu 28 Nov 2024 08:16PM UTC
Comment Actions
AL_2424 on Chapter 1 Thu 28 Nov 2024 08:45PM UTC
Comment Actions
Account Deleted on Chapter 1 Mon 02 Dec 2024 09:28PM UTC
Comment Actions
locarolli on Chapter 1 Sat 07 Dec 2024 10:16PM UTC
Comment Actions
AL_2424 on Chapter 1 Sat 07 Dec 2024 11:34PM UTC
Comment Actions
Redaliveviolation on Chapter 1 Thu 19 Dec 2024 11:53PM UTC
Comment Actions
kamwahh on Chapter 1 Sun 09 Mar 2025 11:35AM UTC
Last Edited Sun 09 Mar 2025 11:41AM UTC
Comment Actions
Nylazor on Chapter 1 Wed 16 Apr 2025 09:05AM UTC
Comment Actions
Clips21 on Chapter 1 Fri 02 May 2025 01:59AM UTC
Comment Actions
navyb1ue on Chapter 1 Mon 05 May 2025 04:06AM UTC
Comment Actions
Rainbow_Sneks on Chapter 1 Mon 23 Jun 2025 06:07PM UTC
Comment Actions
(Previous comment deleted.)
AL_2424 on Chapter 2 Thu 28 Nov 2024 06:00AM UTC
Comment Actions
MX_GL1TCH on Chapter 2 Thu 28 Nov 2024 05:49AM UTC
Comment Actions
AL_2424 on Chapter 2 Thu 28 Nov 2024 06:05AM UTC
Comment Actions
Sunnkster on Chapter 2 Thu 28 Nov 2024 07:07AM UTC
Comment Actions
AL_2424 on Chapter 2 Thu 28 Nov 2024 04:26PM UTC
Comment Actions
Lightning522 on Chapter 2 Thu 28 Nov 2024 07:20AM UTC
Comment Actions
AL_2424 on Chapter 2 Thu 28 Nov 2024 04:26PM UTC
Comment Actions
C6_Hana on Chapter 2 Thu 28 Nov 2024 07:23AM UTC
Comment Actions
AL_2424 on Chapter 2 Thu 28 Nov 2024 04:28PM UTC
Comment Actions
Insecuriosity on Chapter 2 Thu 28 Nov 2024 08:56AM UTC
Comment Actions
AL_2424 on Chapter 2 Thu 28 Nov 2024 04:31PM UTC
Comment Actions
Pages Navigation