Chapter 15
It was to be expected.
By the next day, Gojo sat in the room as the elders all stared at him with great distrust. "Oh? You think I could have done something in this situation? I'm flattered really, but I can't be in four places at once!" he laughed.
"You must have, those who were driving the trucks said that the creature looked like you!"
"Please, turning into a werewolf? ME?!" he laughed. "You think I am THAT skilled to do such a thing?"
"The demon vessel must have made clones of you and your students, in order to save his own skin, he made servants to save him!" the oldest elder declared.
Gojo was going to string them along a while longer. "Ah, I see, and when did he make these? How? We didn't notice that curse energy in three different beings… were there three? I don't know to be honest with you, the details here are sketchy as hell!"
"It matters not, where is the demon vessel!"
"Yeah, that's the thing… I don't know," he lied. "I mean, he got sealed away, who took the seal must have him…"
There were mutters among the table, some were displeased, and others were worried. "Far be it from me to tell you old fogies what to do at this point, but I think you are making the biggest mistake of your old wrinkled lives here. You have a sorcerer… a powerful one at that… ON YOUR SIDE, and yet, you pull this shit on him? I would be so pissed off, I would erase the whole room with you in it! Now… ask yourselves this… if he were around, why hasn't he?"
"What are you babbling about!"
"Just saying…" Gojo said as he propped his feet on the table. "But then again, I am not the kid… his heart is too pure and may overlook this, but he may make and exception this time… if someone got him out of the sealed box…" he said offhandedly.
One elder smirked. "That box had more traps on it than Sukuna had fingers!" he said with great pride.
"That confident huh? Okay then, well, if I see him… I'm sure you'll know sooner than later!" Gojo got out of his chair and walked out.
As he strolled the halls, he looked to his left. "Those old farts huh?" he asked.
Yuuji walked along side him, in fact, he was in the room the whole time. "Yeah… Sensei… what's going to happen after all of this? They won't stop will they?" he asked.
Gojo hated to hear him sound so down, he smiled to him and said. "We're going to find a way so they stop messing with you. Quite frankly, they are slitting their own throats!"
Yuuji nodded, but still appeared down on himself.
"I know what will cheer you up…"
He took Yuki to his living quarters, there was one thing that always get him to laugh. He took a moment to change before jumping out, striking a pose. "HEY IT'S ME, NOBARA!" he said and wore Nobara's school uniform, skirt in all!
He lost it.
Yuuji burst out laughing and nearly fell out of his chair.
It works every time!
#
The elders were not convinced by Gojo's words. The moment he left the room they turned to each other and stated. "There was no doubt that was Gojo who took out one of the trucks, the sorcerers who were working that load indicated that it was his curse energy…" said one.
"But the question remains is HOW did it happen? Was the boy able to use his abilities despite being sealed?" asked another.
They debated the topic, until suddenly, every window in the room closed, the door locked as they found themselves trapped in their chairs. "I… I can't stand up!"
"Nor can I!"
There was panic as they tried to stand, but were unable to.
Then, she appeared.
The room fell into an eerie silence as the fox woman stood before them… rather pissed off to say the least. "You… all should suffer for what you put my young master through!" she decreed.
"He's no master, he's a demon vessel!" one shouted.
"Silence." With a wave of her fan, the elder lost his voice.
The room went pale as they realized this fox woman had a lot more abilities than they realized. "What… what do you want?" one asked.
She glared at the room. "You keep attacking him like an enemy, when he is in fact your greatest ally to have. There is no malic, no anger or rage towards you. He's upset to say the least, but not to the point where he would take you all out on a whim. Be grateful, for I would have done so without hesitation if asked of me!" she said.
"Just what are you?"
She crooked her head to the side. "I explained this all before, I am a messenger between the gods and spirits of this world. I have been tasked in protecting and assisting my master, for it has always been my duty. Now, I assist and protect Yuuji Itadori… for he is my young master." She paused. "I am the one who found the box you contained him in, and I have set him free already. But with my power… you will never see or sense him again if I desire as such!"
The room still remained silent. "The demon vessel is free… and we can't sense him…" they turned a different shade of white, know this was far more troublesome than having the boy out and about where they would know his location. "What are you going to do to us?"
She peered about the room, considering her options. "Nothing, for it has not been asked of me to do anything to you. But this will be your final warning, if you dare harm Yuuji Itadori again, try to seal him away or use any tricks that would endanger him… I will take action accordingly, in fact… whatever you intend to do to him or try to do… I will return it to you nine folds." She said.
There was an ominous glow about her, her body began to give off a red aura as nine fox tails began to appear from behind her. "I am at the peek of my power, and rest assured, I will unleash it upon those who do wrong to my young master. You are no exception to the rule. Human, curse or spirit… I will ensure you pay nine folds over for the harm you cause him!" she settled herself as the message appeared to have gotten across. "Now then, I do believe my young master wishes to be seen once more… heed my warning, and do NOT do this again!" she brandished her fan and then quickly snapped it closed once more.
As quickly as she appeared, she vanished in a burst of fire.
The elders began to look to each other, until one said. "Contact the divine oracle school… We need their expert opinion on this matter…"
#
Fushiguro was at a loss.
After what he just did, he couldn't believe he had the ability to do it. He remembered Kitsune explain it all to him, "This is called shadow possession, where you are going to combine your summons to yourself and your friends!" she stated.
He froze to the news. "What do you mean?" he asked with confusion. "I can only summon shadows, I can't…"
"You haven't been taught yet," she corrected. "You are going to do this. You will make your summoning pose, however, you are going to do it within the shadow of your friends, from there, you put your curse energy into it, that summons will bond to whoever you are casting from in their shadow." She stated.
"Test it on me first," Gojo sensei said and smiled. "I think this is gonna be fun!" He was smiling a wicked grin, Fushiguro didn't know if he could do such a thing, but his friend was in trouble. So with a deep breath he tried it. He did his summoning of a wolf within his teacher's shadow, but it didn't appear to work.
"What about a side profile?" Gojo asked with a grin.
This wasn't helping the least bit.
"Sensei please, I am trying to focus!" he demanded.
"Okay, okay, I'll stop." He snickered. "Lighten up a little…"
He tried again, but then he got an idea. As he began to make the hand symbol for his wolf, he matched the shadow to Sensei's so it appeared he had a human body, but wolf face within the shadow.
He curse energy flowed out of him, and then, black smoke began to come from the shadow under Sensei's feet. He turned and took notice. "Oh? Is this…" He was suddenly enveloped in black smoke! Fushiguro kept pouring his energy in until he heard a snarling sound. Then, a howl erupted!
He stumbled back as his teacher stood before him, but appeared like a werewolf!
"What… the… hell!" Nobara demanded.
Kitsune however smiled with great pride. "Perfect," she said, and then her sights set on Nobara. "You're next!"
"Wait, you are going to turn me into a werewolf!" she demanded. "I don't like hairy legs!"
Sensei however was snickering. "Funny… hair… legs…"
"I should have warned you, speech is limited in this form, but now is not the time to argue, turn her quickly and then, Fushiguro, turn yourself!" she ordered.
He did what was asked, he turned Nobara and it went rather smoothly. Kitsune gave them the order to get a head start. They ran like the wind, vanishing in an instant! Kitsune then turned to Fushiguro. "Summon your bird, that will be the form you take, and keep an eye on the trucks. You will follow one, and until we find my young master… your friend, remain with that truck!" she demanded.
He nodded as he turned and did the summoning. He felt a cold chill come over his body, the black smoke soaked into his skin as he felt the change occur…
The thought and process has never left his mind since.
It took a hell of a lot of energy to do, but the fact is that it worked! It truly worked, and now… with this power, he has to perfect it. "If I can turn like that in battle…" he thought.
But there was a part he didn't like, the limited speech, he also didn't feel like himself when he turned. He hasn't spoken of it with Nobara or sensei since, he hopes they don't speak of it to anyone else in the mean time.
"You okay?"
He jumped as Yuuji came out of nowhere!
"Don't do that, wear a bell or something…"
Yuuji took a seat next to him, he was oddly silent until he said. "Thank you… for coming to rescue me."
The notion was blown off. "As if you wouldn't have done the same for any of us…" he muttered.
He laughed it off. "Yeah, that's true!" he snickered.
"Fushiguro, who are you talking to?" asked a very confused Panda.
"Oh right, this makes it awkward…" Yuuji muttered.
"No one, just myself, you know…" Fushiguro replied. Panda continued on his way yet kept peering back. "So, what's going to happen when this wears off?"
Yuuji shrugged. "I don't know, I want to make things better around here. But… the elders really don't trust me to say the least. I've gotten to a point where I am getting tried of trying to prove that I am on their side!" he said in a frustrated tone. "I mean, what more do they want me to do?"
"I get it, if anything, you should start acting more like Sensei… I can't believe I suggested that…"
"Huh?"
"Look how he walks around without a care in the world, the elders know they can't do anything to him, they aren't strong enough. Not to mention, he could probably kill them all on a whim…"
"He's still human though," Yuuji muttered and sighed. "I wish I could, but being a demon vessel… I don't think I got the same pull as him…"
They fell silent to one another, Yuuji sighed aloud to it all. "Sometime I wonder…" he said and appeared to daydream. "I wonder what would have happened if I never touched that damn cursed object… if I just left it where it was… would I still be alive? Would I still be at my old school?" he wondered and then stared at his four hands. "Would I still have been human?"
Fushiguro saw the look on his friend's face. He sighed aloud. "You can be an idiot at times. You still are human, you know that."
Itadori was silent. "I don't think…"
"When you stop being you, and you allow the darkness to consume you, then you are no longer human. When life has no value, the people around and total strangers are write offs… then you become a curse upon them." He said and stood up from his seat. "Just keep being you, and there is no denying the notion that Yuuji Itadori is human, not a curse."
He smiled.
It was a genuine smile that he always gave when he was in a happy mood. "Thanks Fushiguro!" he stood up as well. "Wanna watch a movie?"
He sighed aloud, he doesn't want to. Yet before he could say a word, Yuuji appeared a little startled. "Huh… that's different…"
"What is?"
"ITADORI?!"
The two turned and saw Panda awkwardly waving at them from a distance. "Oh, guess I am no longer hidden huh?"
"Guess not, wonder what changed that…"