XV-XIX. INTENTIONS

XV. PREPARATIONS

WITH THE EXCEPTION OF JUJUTSU HIGH SCHOOL OF THE TOKYO BRANCH, IT HAS BEEN APPROXIMATELY MORE THAN A TWO YEARS SINCE SHE LAST ENTERED A SCHOOL. She honestly forgot what the name of the school is, this certain one that she is investigating and when she had asked her brothers, even they do not remember. Megumi seems to know though, and it is Megumi who usually does the decision-making between them, increased comprehension or not.

Mikoto has always been an outsider, in one way or another, even in the Zen'in Clan. (Megumi might not care about her presence in his home and has gotten used to her for the past few years but at the end, sometimes, Mikoto thinks she is nothing but someone trying to fill the hole of Megumi's sister. She has never met Tsumiki. More often that not, she wishes Tsumiki will never wake up. She will get abandoned when Tsumiki wakes up, right? She will be alone with her brothers again, forced to shoulder the burden of three instead of a single person.

Mikoto loves her siblings more than anything else. If Tsumiki does wake up and end up getting abandoned, Mikoto decides that she will begin preparing for the destined day. She might be Megumi's cousin but even Mikoto is not dense enough to know that Megumi dislikes the Zen'in Clan.

Nevermind. Mikado is going to be the Head anyway, and Mikoto will forge a place for themselves. If anyone resists, Mikoto just has to force them. Mikado will be the Family Head. Not even Zen'in Maki can stop her from making that dream come true. If ever Mikoto fails, she will make sure to bring down the Zen'in Family along with her. The Family Head will be Zen'in Mikado, or nobody.)

Megumi insisted that they had to take their school blazers and gakurans off because of how eye-catching they are. It is easier, after all, to infiltrate a school when you mimic the surroundings. Mikoto got rid of her gakuran, stuffing it in her bag, and replaces it with a jacket, large enough to cover how high-waisted her skirt is compared to this school's uniform.

She looks up, catching the sight of a relatively large Cursed Spirit. Her eyes brighten up and turns to Megumi almost immediately. "That's a Second Class! You wanna warm up? I'm hungry, Megu-rin," she whines, rubbing her stomach. The voice of her brothers echo in her head in agreement. "Mikado and Mikuji think so too!"

Megumi brushes her off. "We'll end up attracting more Cursed Spirits if we fight this one. And there are students, Mikoto. We have no time for a snack break." And yet, he still pauses in contemplation. He fishes for something in his pocket before pulling out a protein bar. Mikoto looks at him in aghast but gratiously accepts the offering. She jumps when her cousin suddenly clicked his tongue. "I can't pinpoint the location. The presence is too big. Mikoto, you think you can ask your brothers to sniff them out?"

As if guilty, Mikoto slouches. "Remember when I asked if 'Kado and 'Kuji could sniff it out yesterday?" Megumi squints. "I actually did, and they found nothing. Ryōmen Sukuna may have been reduced to nothing but a finger but still—there's something about his energy that feels so expansive. Sorry, Megu-rin."

Mikoto Fact #32: Mikoto gets guilty a lot. And when she does, she loses the motivation to do anything.

Megumi huffs and reaches out to flick Mikoto's forehead. His cousin holds her hands up reflexively. "Let's go. We've been wasting too much time loitering around," he grumbles. Just as he is about to continue his words, his shoulder jolts because of a running student of the school. Mikoto freezes, following the figure of the pink-haired boy unconsciously. Megumi mimics her curiosity. "Did you feel that?" He asks.

"Cursed Energy," Mikoto answers quickly.

Mikoto's brother groans in fear, nestled deep within Mikoto.

...

XVI. RAMEN BREAK

MIKOTO EATS SIX MEALS AND HAS LOTS OF SNACKS IN BETWEEN. Considering that she is eating for three people, Mikoto should honestly be eating nine times but with the addition of letting her brothers munch down on wayward Cursed Spirits, her hunger is relatively seethed, normally. There are other more unfortunate days when her hunger is monstrously strong—on those days, her teacher, Gojou Satoru watches her very closely and is usually pulled away from Megumi, lest her brothers try to eat his shikigami, something very likely due to how strong Megumi's Cursed Energy and Technique are. After all, for her brothers and by extension, her father, the origin of this Technique, the higher the grade, the more appetizing—though, that does not necessarily mean Mikoto can beat a, let us say, a First Grade Spirit on her own, much less a Special Grade one.

She settles mostly for easy kills, mere Third Graders and Fourth Graders, and if she is motivated enough, she may try and beat down a Second Grade one, though her dear cousin, 'Megu-rin' will most likely scold her for being reckless if ever she so tries to do so.

She sits on the roof of where she is told the now-named Itadori Yūji lives, a mere apartment with nothing particularly special about it. She was told by Fushiguro to ambush—"I said 'wait' not ambush, Mikoto."—him in case he went straight home after school, instead of the hospital, where Fushiguro stands by. The flaps of her uniform easily let her brothers come out, a mere tonbi coat hovering above her white button-up rather than the typical blazer or a gakuran. With Gojou Satoru, her favorite Sattsun-sensei, personally requesting that her uniform lets her free her back as easily as possibly while avoiding torn areas, a white ribbon, meant to camouflage with the uniform itself, loosely decorates Mikoto's back, all hidden by the tonbi that stops around her skirt.

Her brother's large hand hovers above her head, lifting her cellphone up for her as she uses both of her own hands to eat the instant ramen she got from the nearby convenience store. The voice of her Grand Uncle Naoya grunts from the other line. "Yes, yes, we're hunting for Ryōmen Sukuna's finger—you already know that," Mikoto says through bites. She can already imagine Naoya cringing all the way in Kyoto, probably also tempted to call her unladylike. (Megumi never scolded her for acting 'unladylike'.) She leans back to her brothers. They coo right next to her ear. "I've told you this many times though."

"You called late. I'm expected to relay this information to Father, the Family Head. You know better than to keep information to yourself," Uncle Naoya's voice is the same as ever, silken and smooth, yet harsh and straight to the point. Naoya had been the cruelest when Mikoto begged for someone to teach her more about the Jujutsu Arts, Naoya surprisingly volunteering, only to pull her hair off her scalp and then demanding for her to grow them. At the same time, Mikoto learned the most from Naoya.

Mikoto's shoulders roll back, one of her brother's many arms reaching to calm her down. She bites her lower lip in anxiety. "I know, I know," she mumbles, "It's just that—I'm sorry, ōoji."

Mikoto knows the Tokyo Branch does not trust her. Gojou may act like he is fond of her, and he may pull certain strings for her, but Mikoto is an outsider. She is only in Tokyo because of her special case and her need to be close to Ieiri Shōko but everyone knows she is meant to be in Kyoto. Everyone knows she is obligated to report to the Zen'in Family whenever she receives a mission and whenever she finishes one. Especially Mikoto. (She likes to think Maki and Mai have it easier but Mikado is fond of Maki. Whenever she speaks ill of her, her heart becomes tight, squeezed tightly by the hand of Mikado who rests within her. Take it back, sister, he would say, and the pain would never stop unless Mikoto apologized.) She does not belong in Tokyo, a distinct enemy of Kyoto where she is mean to be in, but even then, Mikoto's place is only with her brothers.

The line drops dead.

Mikado and Mikuji nuzzle against her, their arms enveloping her within their hold. Once, they talked about this, of a future in which they are free and in which there are no cruel families to be a subject to. "F̸̞͚̗͕̲̹͍̘̫̠͕̎̀͗̅̓͐͑̈́͘͜͜͝ŗ̵̡̡̩̠̲̘̫̠̱̤̳͓͆̍́͘̚e̸̥̺̟̒̈̀̀̔̑ȩ̸̹̱͓͈̥̻͔͕̖̯͈̈͆ ̶̡̛̻̭̫͈͎͚͙̹̤̱̌́̽̈̓̓͒̅͐s̷̛̞͚̬̪̠͙̑̍͗ơ̶͕͎̐͋̀̎͊ǫ̸̧̧̧̲̩͓͖̺̦̦͓̣̆̊̇̓̎̀̃̐̔̔̎̒͗̕͠ņ̶̨̛͓̟̗̹͓͎͕̺͔̣͚͊̽͆̆͒̕̚͘͜͜,̶̛̩̮̰̪̘͑̀̄ ̴̢̨̺̣̳̪͔̦͓̈̑͋̚͜͝'̴̧̰͎͍̱͕̜̱̗̪͉̀̍̎́̇̇̌̇̽͠K̷̨͕̟̹̘̲̘̟̓̔͌̓̚͘͝o̸̳̰͆̐͌̎̒̽̈́̌̿̍͒̀̎̕͝t̶̮̦͗̄̈̇̏͑̕ȍ̶̜̬͔̯̱͓̬̻̞̮͚̖̪̇̊̍͒̎͆̆͆̔̿̆͑̆̐," croaks Mikado more than Mikuji, his voice more clear in their strange combination. One meek, and the other insistent and much more aggressive. Mikado always stands strong, the strongest between the three of them. Mikoto can feel it. She can feel the way he grips on her, in one of the many, many, many arms that cling to her. " ̸͉̰̘̤̼̤̐̆̍̇̌̈́͝Ẁ̷̟̲̙͗͌͗̅͑̃̽̈́͋͐̿ḩ̴̦̞̳̜̜͉̔̓̈̅̔͑͒̄̽e̵̢̫̱͈̩̊̿͒ǹ̷̓̄̇̓͊͗͜.̴̧̻̭̯̝̩̥͖̹̫̾̍̂̎̔̀̈́͑̀͒́͒̆͂͘.̷̧͇̤̰̦̣̮̥͐̏.̴̨̢̛̯̺̜͉̗̺͍͌̅͂͐̎̒̀̊͛̀͐͠ ̷̛̛͎̥͓̮̼̩̺̄̂͛̉̽̾̕Ḩ̶̛͕̙̣̝̟͎͐̉̎̈́̉̓̚̕͘͝é̵̦͓͇͊̂́͋̏̏͝͝ả̶̲̹̯̞͑̀͌̈́͆̈́d̵̫̞̻̯̣͉͚̱̺̣̳̑̓̽͌͆͐.̴̛̫̩̞͙̞̤̗̈́̕.̸̡̛̛͇̖̟̫̻̙̖͔̹͎̀͑́̑̈́̐̓̉̃̃.̴̡̹̟̦͆̄̆͘ ̵̢̡̟̮͇̪͍̩̻̼̉́̒́ͅF̴̨̹̝̙͚̍͐́̅̂̉̏̑̔-̷̨̧̬͕͔̭̖̣̗̭͐̉̓̓͑͘f̵͓̰̦̩̪̍̾̓̇̅͒͋̇͝ͅ-̶̨̡̬͎̱͕̲̣̙̫͚̣͌͛̀̀͛̈́̊͂̓̆̚͠f̸̱̝̺̰̲̟͖͈̙̀̀̽ͅr̴̺͎͚̳̦̮̬̆̓͂͠ͅe̶̢̯͎̤̩͈͇͓̱̗̪͙̺͎̦̅̃̑̄͛̇̑̒̾̌͆̾͗͝ẻ̷̥̹̒̓̆̀̏̄̾̿̒," he vows.

With an excited smile, Mikoto squirms to be free of her brothers' hold. She grabs their hands or what she can fit in hers as their body stretches to be right in front of her. Her smile widens, dramatically bowing in a pretend-curtsie. "And then, we'll be happy forever, right?" She beams.

The mouth of the monster opens to speak, a ringing tone suddenly interrupting them. Her brothers suddenly bare their teeth angrily, the spike of their Cursed Energy evident. Mikoto quickly grabs her phone, 'Megu-rin' flashing at the screen. She shows this to her brothers in attempt to pacify them. "It's just Megu-rin! Cousin Megu-rin, remember?" She explains. Her brothers' bones are almost defeaning but eventually, they calm down. "I'm going to answer the call okay?" The soft nod of approval calms Mikoto.

She lifts the phone to her ear, clearing her throat. "Hello, hello," she tries, her tone getting higher and higher the more she repeats the word. She gets satisfied on her tenth attempt, deciding that she sounds normal and upbeat enough. She clicks the answer button. "Megu—"

"Mikoto! School!" She pulls the phone away from her ear, the sudden loud noise ringing abruptly. "You're in Itadori's apartment, right—" Mikoto blinks as another boy, an unfamiliar voice, adds a short 'in my apartment' the moment Megumi mentions the place. "Ryōmen Sukuna's finger got unsealed. We're dealing with a First Grade, I think? How long will you take to get here?"

Mikoto thinks for a moment. She meets her brothers' eyes, who seem to be as speculative as she is. She laughs. "Mikado and Mikuji just fed! I can get there in five! Stay safe, Megu-rin!" This time, she cuts off the call herself, not waiting for the other person. It gives her a sense of control, she realizes, though petty as it sounds. Megumi makes her feel free, a family from the Zen'in who does not share their beliefs—it honestly amuses Mikoto. Megu-rin looks so much like a Zen'in, though!

Holding out her hand to her brothers, the monster takes a hint. The hundreds of hands suddenly pull her to their side, the body slouching in an animalistic form. The hands suddenly push off the roof, the wind against Mikoto's cheeks.

Just a little bit more! Just a few more years and—

...

XVII. HE DIES AT THE END

WHAT IS ITADORI YŪJI IF HE CANNOT HELP PEOPLE?

Yūji has nobody but himself now. His parents died before he can even remember anything about them and just a few hours ago, before this disaster began (before this tragedy began), the only one that mattered in his life died, right before his very eyes, in the midst of a conversation as normal as any other day. And, in just a blink of an eye, as if the gods are mocking him, Yūji has nobody but himself. So, what is Itadori Yūji if he cannot help people? Who will Itadori Yūji if he is not someone who will go through the wishes of his grandfather?

Yūji is not smart. Yes, he is athletic but he does not care about sports. And besides—

All Itadori Yūji wants is to help people. (Like a hero?) He does not know about heroes but he is pretty sure he cannot be the greatest example of a hero. He is dense, rather selfish in a way he cannot live for anything but his beliefs (help people, Yūji), and Yūji thinks he does not suit being called a hero when he is just a boy, now orphan, who has no true friends, no one to call his own. Yūji is alone and all he can do is help people but even then, Yūji is useless.

The boy, Fushiguro Megumi, is being beaten black and blue by a grotesque monster Yūji feels fearful to. But what use is fear in a battle of survival? What use is being fearful when people are about to die right before his very eyes? Itadori Yūji is terrified but he cannot be petrified. He immediately runs to his upperclassman, swinging her on his shoulder as he narrowly dodges the attack of the monster-curse—or whatever Fushiguro is calling that—that thing. He jumps to Fushiguro's side, eyeing him in unconcealed curiosity. "You're not scared?" The sorcerer asked.

Oh. Yūji is scared. He has never been so scared but at the same time, he is not scared for his own life and instead, for his upperclassmen that were simply in the wrong place and the wrong time. "Well, I was..." He struggles to form the right words. He settles: "Did you know? People actually die." The realization physically pains him. People die. As in—they dieand they never come back. You can never see them again and you will never hear their voices again. Their faces will become blurry when you try to remember them. People die. And Yūji's grandfather is dead. "So I figured that for all the people I know, I want them to die properly—I don't really get it either!"

Yūji looks down, seeing the finger that Fushiguro had been talking about. He gently picks it up, shifting his upperclassman to his shoulder rather than the bridal style had had previously used to carry her. "This is..."

Gravely, Fushiguro answers, "Yeah. Special Grade Cursed Object Ryōmen Sukuna. A part of it."

"Ryo—

"Forget it. It's dangerous. Hand it over."

"Yeah—" Yūji's eyes widen. Fushiguro suddenly surges forward, pushing him as hard as he could, which though not by much, Yūji manages to avoid the hand that had tried to capture him. He feels something tug at his collar, seeing Fushiguro's dogs drag him from behind. "Fushiguro!"

Fushiguro holds out his hands. The Cursed Spirit easily grabs his whole body, throwing him across the wall hard enough for the walls to crumble. Yūji moves entirely on instinct, putting his upperclassmen down and racing to the monster, punching its head with everything he has. No matter how quick his reflexes are or no matter how hard he punches, nothing happens to the Cursed Spirit. (HELP PEOPLE, his grandfather's words scream in his ear and he wants to, he swears he is trying, he is trying so hard so why can't anyone—why can't he—) "A curse can only be exorcised by another curse," Fushiguro reminds.

"Could've told me sooner!" Yūji pushes himself off the ground, eyes hazy at the possible concussion.

"Uh, I told you to run," Fushiguro reasons out, "You're the only one who can carry those two to safety. Hurry up and get out of here before we all die—my partner's going to come soon. Someone like you with no Cursed Energy will just get in the way."

Yūji snaps up in realization. "Wait, why is the Curse targeting the finger?" He asks.

"It plans on eating it to get stronger Cursed Energy," answers Fushiguro.

Ah. "So, there is a way to save everyone—"

"Huh?"

"I just need Cursed Energy, right?"

Yūji swallows the finger and his vision distorts. He feels nothing but numbness then rage and then something he cannot put a finger to. He feels like clawing his heart out of his chest and he wants to throw up because it tastes so gross. Hereaches out, his mouth moving on its own, an unfamiliar voice pouring out of his vocal cords, he wants to tear his throat out and then—there are hands wrapped around his naked body (his vision blurs) as a shadow looms above him. He regains himself all of the sudden, a young girl standing right in front of him with eerie, mismatched eyes: a sickly green and a hauntingly black pair of eyes.

Something seems to have stretched from the girl's back, a mass of flesh that, when Yūji looks up, recognizes to be something as monstrous (yet smells so humane that Yūji has to question himself) as the Cursed Spirit that seems to have died when he glitched. The many hands around him pull on his chin to face the girl. "Did you beat up Megu-rin?" She asks.

"Megu—"

"Mikoto!" Fushiguro hisses.

Fushiguro Megumi. Megu-rin.

Yūji laughs to himself.

...

XVIII. MOCHI

FIRST COMES THAT BURNING ANGER THAT MIKOTO HAS NOT FELT FOR SO LONG. Megumi is on the floor, bleeding and badly wounded while a mere boy stands, looking better off than Megumi and Mikoto feels the Cursed Energy of the boy so she puta two and two together—before she knows it, Mikado and Mikuji are already lunging to the boy, trapping him with their hundreds of arms and Mikoto itches to use her Simple Domain. It will be just as easy as this: Mikoto will use her Simple Domain, and Mikado and Mikuji will eat the Cursed Spirit. If the boy is not anything hut one of their rogue Curse Users, then this will not be the first person that they killed.

Just one of the many.

How easy it is for Mikado and Mikuji to kill this boy. And the meal will be delightful and fulfilling as well. Mikoto truly is starving—

"Ah! Don't kill him just yet, Mikoto-chan!"

She whips her head to where the voice had come from, Gojō Satoru standing beside the injured Megumi. She cannot help but scowl. Her teacher, after all, was the reason why she got late in the first place. The moment when Megumi said that a high-grade spirit appeared, one possibly above both of their Grade, the first thing Mikoto did on the way was call for her teacher. Surprisingly, he answered fast and even arrived to the scene before her, waiting by the gate and greeting her in his usual way. "He hurt Megu-rin," Mikoto deadpans, "And my brothers are hungry."

Megumi shakes his head. "He killed the Cursed Spirit and—Gojō-sensei? What are you even doing here?" He winces through his wounds and Mikoto only grows angrier and angrier.

"I wasn't going to come at first but my precious student called me for help!" Gojō exclaims, a hand on his chest while the other is on his head to dramaticize his words. "And, the higher-ups—" Mikoto flinches. Family Head Naobito. "—got involved after hearing that a Special Grade Cursed Object went missing. I agreed to come as long as I have time to see the sights. Mikoto-chan, want to come with me?" As if sensing Mikoto's uncharacteristic seriousness, Gojō simply maintains his grin. "So, did you find it?"

The boy, Itadori Yūji, fidgets under Mikoto's brothers' hands. "Uh, I ate it."

Mikoto looks at him in disbelief. "Huh?!"

We were supposed to eat it! She purses her lips guiltily, feeling like her fellow sorcerers can read her thoughts. She tries to relax. Of course she was never really going to try and eat the finger of Sukuna but what if she did? If she did, Mikado and Mikuji, and of course, her, will have enough energy to make Mikado the Family Head of the Zen'in. And then, they could be happy—and then, and then, and then—they will be strong enough so no one can hurt them now.

She glares at Itadori as Gojō begins stretching his limbs to try ang test out how authentic Ryōmen Sukuna's finger truly is. She raises her hand. "If Sattsun-sensei plans on beating down Ryōmen Sukuna, can we eat the remains?" She announces and her brothers immitate her, their hands shooting up as well.

Gojō grins. "Sorry, sorry, Mikoto-chan! That's off-limits. Naobito-kun would get really mad if I end up killing you because Sukuna overpowered you," he replies. Mikoto freezes and lowers her head submissively. She is nothing compared to this man. Nothing. The man who saved her but didn't save her siblings.

Megumi seems to notice her distress. "You two—" He calls to Mikoto's brothers. "Help me up." Eager to please their cousin, Mikado and Mikuji's numerous arms pull Megumi up. He slumps against them, the two welcoming him. Gojō tosses a paper bag to Megumi. "What's this?"

"Kikufuku Mochi. Mikoto-chan can have some."

"Really? I can?" Mikoto perks up

"Just don't finish them all."

Mikoto turns around, fishing for a piece of the mochi. And in a matter of ten seconds, Itadori is down, in the arms of a smug Gojō. She eyes Itadori thoughtfully.

She clicks her tongue. I should've been in the hospital instead.

...

XIX. GRANDDAUGHTER

MIKOTO PRESSES HERSELF AGAINST THE WALL, GATHERING HER KNEES TO HER CHEST. Her cellphone is just meters away from her. The voice of her Family Head Naobito is so loud, so gigantic that Mikoto is reduced to nothing but a shaking mess. Even without the Family Head actually before her, even with nothing but his voice in her presence—even if she cannot see the way his body would hover like a giant, like a monster, like a boogeyman from the fairy tales that Mikoto never read—even if Mikoto is alone in the room, it feels like Zen'in Naobito is actually there.

She jolts when she hears Naobito call for her. She stammers out: "Ye—Yes, Grandfather?" She addresses her the way he wants to, like a perfect little granddaughter. Her throat feels dry all of the sudden.

She feels like pulling all of her hair out and beg for Mikuji and Mikoto to accompany her but she cannot let them suffer like that. She is the only with the weight of the world and the weight of three people. Mikado and Mikuji fear the Family Head more than anyone else, so she has to face him by herself. She has to. She cannot let her brothers suffer any longer. She forces a smile on her face despite knowing that Naobito cannot see her. "Ah, granddaughter. What's this I heard about someone eating Sukuna's finger?" He drawls, obviously drunk.

Mikoto bites her lip, still at the corner. She crawls to the phone, kneeling in front of it in seiza position. She sweats. "There is—there was this boy in the mission who was part of the school's occult club, and he—he—he ate it, I don't know why—Megu-ri—Megumi-kun was with him. I was—wasn't there, Honored Grandfather," she resists the urge to sob at her stutter. Her back creaks, her brothers begging to be let out but she keeps her Cursed Energy sealed. "I apolo—logize. Megu—Megumi-kun is the one who's going to write the report. I ca—I can just sneak it and get it before he passes it," she gives one excuse after another.

A laugh echoes and she puts a hand on her mouth to shut herself up, the whimper threatening to come out. (How disappointing. The girl survived?) Mikoto runs her fingers through her hair, pushing through the tangles. "Didn't I tell you to keep watch of the finger? Did Naoya not remind you this, girl?" She shakes her head before realizing that he is not here. He is in Kyoto. Not Tokyo. He is not here. He cannot hurt us. He cannot. He cannot. But he can.

"No, no! Naoya—Naoya-ōoji reminded me! He called me! I was directed somewhere else!" She insists in panic.

Naobito hums. "That Gojō boy is still keeping you at arm's length, I see—Miwa! Grab me sake—" Her mother. Her mother. She wants to ask if her mother is alright but she keeps her mouth shut. Mama never loved us. She hates us. "That boy is such a nuisance. Mikoto—" She cannot help but feel warmth when her name rolls of her grandfather's lips. She pushes it down immediately, feeling her brothers claw against her. "You're moving too slow. Do better with that boy."

"Yes, Grandfather."

There is a small rustling noise, the phone being taken awaybfrom her grandfather who must have continue on to drinking. She sighs in relief until a voice speaks. "Quickly reach to your father's level, Mikoto. We cannot have you staying in Tokyo."

She exhales shakily.

"Yes, mother."

XV-XIX. INTENTIONS