Chapter 2: Kitsune and the Firestarters

The six-tailed Kitsune goes on her first mission with a veteran Jujutsu Sorcerer. She soon discovers that mastery of her tails are proving vital.

She learns a valuable lesson about fires and takes what she learned to heart.

"That will be all,"

It was a little hard to read the vice-principal. He wasn't like the person her grandfather talked about. He said that he was the initiator of laughter and mayhem in their group but he seemed too reserved to fit that image. He was much younger than Hideo when they were in the same faction so perhaps, he was much different then.

She was making her way towards the mess hall after being tasked by Yaga to summon her white-haired colleague to his office. It was easy to spot him in the center of the dining area where he was haplessly gobbling up his food as he conversed with his long-haired friend with the ear piercings.

The rest of the people in the area quickly made distance as she approached. In her mind, she thanked them for giving her ease. She stopped at least a few steps towards their table, "Gojo-san?"

The light-eyed boy held up his loaded chopsticks mid-air to look at his masked visitor. The purple eyed one also directed his attention towards her but was more welcoming.

She nodded towards Geto then back at Gojo, "Sorry to disturb your meal but Mr. Yaga is looking for you,"

Gojo blinked once and sighed, "Jeez, I can't catch a break," he proceeded to stuffing his mouth but then beat his chest to prevent himself from choking, "Hey, no offense, didn't mean to sound rude," he interjected.

By now, she was pretty much used to his side quips but Getou was quick to comment before she could excuse herself.

"Miura-san, did he ask for the both of us-" he pointed towards himself then to Gojo,"-or just him?" he gave her a small smile.

"Just him,"

Getou scoffed and grabbed the tray in front of him, "You heard her," then proceeded to finish his food making Gojo snarl.

She took one step to side to prepare her leave, "Well then, I should get going,"

The Gojo boy was about to open his mouth to speak but she opted out of it. She had somewhere to be herself.

A lot of the first years were informed that assignments for missions were already being arranged but none of them went on the field yet. It came as no surprise that the other special grades were sent on missions earlier than the rest. While most of them were partnered up, she was asked to join some of the professional Jujutsu sorcerers associated with the school alone.

She heard footsteps draw near her back as she made her way to the study.

"Hey! Miura!"

Gojo Satoru was making strides towards her with his carefree attitude. She wanted to ignore him but it proved difficult as he was adamant to catch her attention. He stopped by her side and cast a shadow over her. He was jogging in place and grinned, "Thanks for the heads-up," he took a step forward but doubled back and gave her a salute, "And goodluck on your first mission! See ya!"

Sachiko watched as he rushed towards the vice-principal's office. The white-haired boy was surprisingly pleasant no-observant of others. She then wondered if she could ever be like him, free-spirited. This thought made her chuckle inside.

"I'd rather keep a low profile."

She was given the file a week early to study. She would be joined by another professional sorcerer and Yaga's colleague, Sakuraba Jinichi, a first grade who could manipulate smoke using his cursed technique, Wicker. Sakuraba was known as the cremator of curses. His exorcisms usually were of potential vengeful spirits killed by arson was a seasoned sorcerer. Outside of exorcisms, he taught the senior class about vengeful spirits but no student ever saw him outside of the classroom. He was a mystery to them and some of the faculty.

Appositely, they were to investigate a vengeful spirit who was a fire-starter. She wondered if it had something to do with her foxfire incident or her ability to utilize other elements to control the fire. What she was sure of was that she had to make sure her emotions were in check.

I can't be called an arsonist again.

To prepare her for the mission, she trained with her Aunt Kodansha who was familiar with tail-led cursed energy techniques. Despite not being born with very little elemental skills, she was an expert on cursed weaponry and reversed-jujutsu techniques. Truth was, she was there as the medic. Yaga though, played a mainly supervisory role. He had created cursed corpses specific for their training whom he ordered to simulate fires and prepare extinguishers just in case.

Fox fire was her first tail. Apparently the Kitsune part of her soul was a flame caster and flame caster foxes were said to be the most erratic of all. She would soon need to discover her other tails to balance her power and she needed to do it fast. It did prove difficult to master her first one.

"Try to concentrate a little harder," Kodansha calmly instructed her niece as she watched her try to control the pyre in front of her. She noticed her niece etched a frustrated look. Sachiko was trying too hard but was not putting the correct amount of cursed energy into her technique. The energy was overpowering her own will.

Sachiko shifted her raised right palm and curled her hand into a fist as she released cursed energy towards the fire. Her eyes that mirrored the colors that played in front of them shifted into a glowing set of crescents. Sweat dripped to the sides of her face she tried to consume the fire with her own and transform it into her own ball of cursed energy. Her hands were shaking as she tried to counteract the extra energy that tried to escape from her but as soon as she saw the flames dim, she lost her grip on her cursed energy and amplified the burning. She was so close.

Yaga's dolls quickly extinguished the fire after a few minutes of back and forth sprinkling. They unanimously set themselves a few paces away from the young Kitsune.

Sachiko fell to her knees, panting and hands-shaking. She looked at her hands like they were in shackles. The truth was looming that it was her own powers that held her back. The flame didn't burn through her and it took a lot of effort to turn into white smoke but it still ignited. She looked at her aunt and vice-principal and stopped them from approaching, "Please wait!"

Kodansha's steps only drew in faster as she went to her niece's side. Sachiko was about to swat her arm away, but her aunt moved in such speed that she could not react when she caught her right wrist. Her thin fingers held unto Sachiko with controlled weight, but Sachiko was surprised to see that her skin was not being consumed. Her aunt was using her own technique to protect herself from being harmed. Two pairs of slit-like pupils, red and gray looked at each other intently. In her own mind, Sachiko also felt a tinge of rage and it was a little bit enthralling. But not Kodansha, her look was of pure care.

"Sachiko. Save me." There was no fear in Kodansha's expression. Behind her, Yaga was preparing to interfere, but she held back one of her hands to signal him not to intrude. The smoke turned into white flames that began to cover their hands and slowly she noticed that her aunt was withdrawing her cursed energy. The sound of the heat piercing through her skin was evident in their distance.

"No! You'll get burned!" she pleaded for her aunt to release her, but she didn't budge."Then, save me." Her grip on her wrist only tightened but Sachiko continued to struggle free. She felt the panic rise in her spine as more of Kodansha's cursed technique was being drained, "Concentrate my child. You are in control of the Kitsune. You are one. This tail is an extension of your soul. Use your soul to save me."

It was true. The only person who could stop her was herself and she was losing.

Kodansha's arm was turning red and brown, and Sachiko saw that her aunt was holding back her winces. She clutched her aunt's arm with her left hand tried to loosen her grip which wasn't working, "Try harder," she hissed.

"Kodansha!" Yaga yelled. She looked back momentarily but ignored his bidding. The cursed dolls were becoming frantic as they grabbed every single fire extinguisher and source of water available in their midst.

The two-tailed fox warned them that intrusion had consequences and told them to stand back.

Despite her age and having less combative energy than other sorcerers, she still carried with her a strong commanding presence. Undeniably, at her state, she could easily take down her niece who has yet to master her six-tails.

Kodansha's expression shifted quickly at the sight of her niece's struggle. Her eyes reverted to their normal form and color and her brows unweaved. She gave Sachiko a serene look as she withdrew her sharp teeth and retracted her claws that were gripping her wrists. Instinctively, Sachi's left hand took hold of her right which then revealed swirls of Kitsune markings and in the next second, she transferred the fire on her other hand and pushed her aunt away as she used her cursed energy to extinguish the flames, "I did it…"

Kodansha went to her side and used the hem of her sleeves to wipe her niece's tears, "Yes, you did. You saved me."

Sachiko knew better than to take her aunt's words as it was. It was her aunt that saved her not the other way around.

A week to train was a short period of time but Sachiko was a quick study. Thanks to her coaches, they were confident that she would be able to do well on her mission with minimal to moderate apprehensions. Her aunt would be around the vicinity as a precaution but no one else would be joining their mission except for Sakuraba Jinichi.

On the day of the mission, she was transported at the Hongu district of Tokyo where the infamous Great fire of Meireki took place. On her ride, she was able to catch a glimpse of Tokyo University's entirety. It fleeted in her mind what it would have been like to go to a normal school and even get a chance to be admitted at a normal university. It seemed like a long time had passed since she entered the world of sorcerers that her thought seemed far from reality.

There were a lot of people making their way about the outskirts of the school and the station despite the time being half past 9 in the evening. But from her distance, she could already feel a tantamount surge of cursed energy coming from inside. She could also hear whispers of other lingering cursed spirits and objects nearby but what was beginning to alarm her was the sudden spike in temperature around their area.

Another fire was starting around their area but the pattern was peculiar. It seemed that the flames were being moved by an inanimate object fully consuming the people around it but leaving the vicinity untouched. They were told that it was more of men who were either found scorched or left with no traces but soot of where they were last believe to have been seen.

Inside the car, she sat waiting for the tall, lean figure in monk's clothing to raise the curtain so she could make her presence known. Sakuraba was a blind sorcerer who had very long mud-colored hair and a crooked expression. Half of his face was laced with burn scars which she concluded came from one of his missions. He wore tapestry around his neck which seemed to be embroidered with enchantments tangled by yellow and purple threads. His tan skin complemented the patchwork of sun-colored and cloud colored shades on his bodice and on the side of his hip was a small dagger with the same markings as his tapestry.

He stood in front of the building and watched as the last person exited the main door. He positioned his hands as if to say a prayer and took a deep breath as he closed his eyes. As he exhaled, he activated his cursed-weapons and released a veil to cover the entire building.

I've never seen anyone create a veil so fast.

Sakuraba looked to his side as if to signal her to come out. She opened the car door and took one step out but before she could fully exit, Sakuraba instructed her to keep her mask on.

"Apologies young Kitsune, your cursed energy might attract some who aren't on our target list." He spoke to her with much heed as he waited until they were aligned, "My veil will not last long but the fire might. We must move hastily but also carefully. We must reach the Yasuda Auditorium before the cursed spirit does." Sakuraba began pacing now forcing Sachiko to stay in rhythm.

Her eyes narrowed and shifted into slits as she took a quick scan of her surroundings. It was easy to spot the remnants of the curses. They passed by easily exorcisable curses but Sakuraba didn't mind them and instead put all of his efforts to making their way towards the 7th floor, "If our target isn't the cursed spirit, then, there's something else causing the fires," she quipped.

Sakuraba's opaque eyes squinted as he gave her a smirk, "Correct. The cursed spirit is being fueled by something inside the auditorium."

"A cursed object."

He nodded again, "Tell me young Kitsune. What have you read about the Edo fires?"

She read practically everything about the legends of that Era but if what she had read was true then all of the cursed spirits have long been exorcised or sealed, "There are different legends but I suspect that if a cursed object is causing this disruption then it must be the Fire Kimono of Yaoya Osichi,"

The seasoned sorcerer was impressed by her knowledge of the topic but thought that it would be a good start for their mission if he retold the story.

"Yaoya fell in love with a temple page named Ikuta Shonosuke but died in the tragic fire. She attempted arson in hopes of summoning his spirit. For her actions, she was burned at the stake to die. One of the temple priests found her kimono unscathed and kept the kimono despite orders by the other priests to discard of it after performing a cleansing ritual. That same night, another fire broke and he woke up unscathed and fully cloaked in it. Soon, he was haunted by Ikuta's spirit and out of fear, he performed the cleansing ritual and sealed the kimono where it was believed that he buried it where he first found it." He told the tale as he fought off three figures blocking their way. His use of the dagger was precise and he moved with much stealth even if he was attacked within a short distance. Despite his inability see, he was dodging their movements well which she guessed was part of his technique.

Observing a veteran jujutsu sorcerer was one thing but fighting alongside someone of his caliber was another. For one, he seemed to have less cursed energy than she had but his ability to control his power exceeded her level.

Floor after floor, the temperature arose but still no sight of the cursed spirit. Just his minions.

Sakuraba clapped his hand twice casting a tracing spell that linked all the smoke that was being emitted by the curse. The path led them to the 5th floor.

Sachiko felt a wave of cursed energy pull her towards one of the doors. Sakuraba's trace quickly ignited and broke the link as they drew near.

They were met with a glowing figure which strained her eyes. Both of them could feel the sweat from their body drip like rain. Her throat began to feel parched and the heat was beginning to pierce their skin. Sakuraba once again positioned his hands together which made the tapestry around his neck glow, "If we don't stop him here, he's going to use the kimono to amplify his flames. Are you ready young Kitsune?"

Sachiko took a breath and blinked to shift into her Kitsune sight to get a detailed look on the cursed spirit, she placed her left foot in front and readied her stance. Raising her left palm and curling her right into a fist she nodded, "Yes sensei,"

"Good. Remember the plan, make the flame your own and I'll handle the rest. Don't hesitate to attack but if we fail at our first attempt, head for the 7th and secure the cursed object."

The fight was extensive. There were still people around the vicinity which restricted their movement.

The flame spirit darted all its attention to Sakuraba but used Sachiko as leverage when he unleashed flames in her direction which he redirected into his own and transformed it into smoke. The impact was forceful that he was momentarily handicapped.

Sachiko was left to fight the cursed spirit alone as her mentor struggled to break free from the stray curses as he fought to stay conscious. The feedback from the smoke he created took a toll on him and he had no choice but to instruct her to push forward towards the cursed object. Running past the cursed spirit wasn't difficult but he was closing in.

At the 7th floor, she easily detected the trace of the cursed object buried under the auditorium stage. She didn't hesitate to break the flooring and was able to secure the cursed object before the flame spirit lunged at her.

"Nowhere to run and no one to help you now girl!" It hissed. Typically, curses weren't able to verbalize their thoughts. They weren't driven by any rational motives which made her realize that the curse was probably a special grade.

Master Sakuraba must be injured…I have to exorcise the curse now before he hurts anybody else. I hope I can do it…

"Hand that over to me now!" The special grade curse lunged towards her but she was quick to evade its blow. She shifted her footing outside of the door after pushing herself off the ground where she fell. It was a tolerable pain but the magnetism of the cursed object she was carrying made it more difficult for her to move.

Sakuraba's figure began to emerge from a far but she noted that his injuries would hinder him from providing appropriate back-up for her. Instead of drawing near him, she decided to turn around and face the spirit head on. She peered at her master who was forcing himself to stand and then rediverted her eyes on the robe.

"No! Young Kitsune you musn't!"

Out of distrust of her own ability to control the cursed spirit and transform it into her own, she broke the seal of the cursed object and wore the robe. The robe fastened itself around her and lit-up attracting the cursed spirit as they clashed head-on. Sachiko was held down by the cursed spirit but instead of protecting herself, she grabbed it its neck and used the cursed object to amplify her fox fire consuming the curse along with the robe. She felt the reverberations from using the cursed object immediately but it didn't bother her that much. It was a small price for her exorcism.

The monk wanted to interject but the movements were too fast for him to do anything except watch. As the fire died down, he finally felt the presence of his student return. Sachiko was on her knees panting and around her were the dissipating remnants of the curse. He couldn't sense any traces of the kimono left but he was quick to capture the last of the smoke before it disappeared.

He inhaled the smoke which swiftly entered his lungs. His movement was followed by a change of his eye color. His unseeing eyes glowed along with the cursed weapons on his arsenal which later left soot with traces of cursed energy,

"Cursed candle," he chanted, "Spark."

The soot turned into yellow-smoke which formed a small pyre that travelled to his eyes. Sachiko took a step back and shielded her eyes from the bright light and waited until it faded but the collision was great that she was thrown on her back, a few feet away from Master Sakuraba.

Upon regaining her footing, she slowly opened her eyes and was greeted by a smiling Sakuraba revealing green spectating eyes reflecting on her crimson pair. He gently lifts her up by the shoulders and pats her head, "Well done Young Kitsune," upon touching her head, she felt a massive amount of cursed energy fade from her surroundings.

"Sensei?" Sakuraba stood in front of her and began to disintegrate. Out of panic, she tried to reposition her stance to perform reversed Jujutsu by using the very little droplets of water available. She wasn't confident in that tail yet but she knew she had to try.

Sakuraba shook his head and smiled, "There's no need for that."

She made a step towards him and attempted to take his hand but couldn't hold unto anything. A striking realization overcame her that she clutched her hand on her chest and left her amount agape.

"Y-you were the cursed spirit?" she said, puzzled. She lifted her finger to point to his clothing, "That pattern…you were the priest?"

Sakuraba nodded and allowed his eyes to shift from his student to the sky, "I have spent many years lingering Tokyo to find someone to help me correct my mistakes. I soon found myself trapped by the people I worked for in school. In a way, it was quite a fortuitous opportunity for me."

He placed his hands behind his back and gestured for the both of them to approach the balcony, "You see, greed and obsession was my cornerstone. But what deterred my salvation was my fear. I always had the means and the answer to my problem but I never trusted that I could fulfill it and so that became my curse." He turned to her now. His green eyes narrowed slightly at her but he kept his smile, "But, it doesn't have to be yours."

Her shoulders fell, "Do you know who-what I am? What I did?"

"I know of you is all. As to who you are well, to me, you are the person who has set me free from my curse."

He continued, "Fires start from a single act of friction. That spark could set the path either towards destruction or light. What you have to learn from this is that spirits who walk a heated path can achieve salvation. I didn't trust myself but I trusted you."

"Why?"

"Because, you are treading correctly." His words left her mute. That was a powerful sentiment that she had just received that she had no means of reciprocating it. Instead, she decided to stay by his side until he fully crossed over.

"Now, young Kitsune, finish the mission."

Sachiko was readying herself to finish the exorcism but before she did so, she caught a glimpse of 2 other figures behind Sakuraba. A woman in a geisha-uniform and a young man in traditional garb who were both smiling at her.

Sakuraba offered his hands with the last bit of his cursed energy emitting like candles slowly losing their light. The six-tailed Kitsune summoned her fox fire in her finger-tips and clasped unto his. Instantly, she felt the cursed energy from him completely fade as soon as she released hers unto his cursed spirit.

"Thank you…"

Sakuraba Jinichi's voice faded alongside his spark and left only a pile of dust that danced in the cold breeze of the early morning.

The breeze was a welcome guest that cloaked Sachiko's arms. She looked outside of the broken wall of the auditorium and saw that the dark starry cloak of night was turning into shades of blue thus signaling the end of the temple priest's journey and curse.

A few blocks from the Tower, the other S-grades from her class were spotted sitting a café waiting for their orders.

One of the phones rung a few minutes later and the Gojo boy yawned before answering,

"Yes vice-principal?" the voice continued on the other line, "Eh? Okay, we'll head back." He pushed to end the call and turned to his friend who was leisurely drinking his coffee, "We're off the hook. We can leave."

Getou looked towards the building and grinned, "Guess they were worried about nothing." He set the cup down and stood, "Let's go then."

Gojo placed his hands behind his head and yawned once more, "They better reimburse our train tickets this time."

Getou laughed, "Don't count it."

Sachiko emerged from the entrance and was greeted by her aunt. Kodansha gave her a hood to cover her face but also to cover the burnt edges of her clothes. She patted her head as soon as they went inside the car,

"You did a great job," her aunt said.

She removed her soot-covered Kitsune mask and watched as the veil faded in unison with the rising sun. She was allowed to relax on her way home, but in her mind, her victory was overshadowed by Sakuraba's advise.

"What deterred my salvation was my fear. I always had the means and the answer to my problem but I never trusted that I could fulfill it and so that became my curse. But, it doesn't have to be yours."

She felt her exhaustion creep up on her body slowly as she fought to stay awake. In her sleep, she still heard his words. And secretly, she wished for the same thing.

End of Chapter

Okay, that was a lot Miura in the past few chapters but I promise, she's gonna hang out with some special people for the rest of the arc.

Hope you guys liked my OC Sakuraba Jinichi. May he rest in peace.

By the way, the fire kimono curse is based on a Japanese urban legend. Go check it out.

Next chapter, "Kitsune and the special grades," will be up in a few days.