Chapter 8

It was a frustrating first lesson.

No one was more upset about it than Junpei. Despite Suiryu's best explanation on finding his technique, Junpei couldn't bring one up let alone figure out what his has become. "Hmmm…" He froze as Suiryu got up close and personal, the same way Yuuji does and don't understand the meaning of personal space. "Perhaps this is my fault to begin with…" he said offhandedly.

"Huh?"

"Well, considering all the times I have transfigured you, it altered you at the same time. Not to mention since you don't have the same curse energy as before, the technique is different…" he paused once more. "Choso told me that your body was different than before too…"

He shied away from the question. "Uh… yeah…" he muttered in embarrassment.

"Can I see?"

"Why?"

"Curious," Suiryu's eyes kept peering at Junpei's core, he already got a sense he knew where the change was coming from, and yet, at the same time…

He sighed with defeat and took off his shirt.

Suiryu looked over the large mouths at the side of his torso. He wasn't shocked the least bit, but curious. "Have these things done anything?"

He shook his head. "Well… not really, when I screamed, they screamed…"

"So you can breath with these?"

"I don't know, I try to pretend they aren't there!"

"Try it." Suiryu insisted. "Hold your breath and breath through these mouths."

He rolled his eyes to it, yet did what was asked. Junpei didn't hold his breath, instead, he exhaled and kept his mouth closed and nose pinched. Yet, he was stunned as air began to fill his lungs. These mouths… they can breath for him?!

"Ah, interesting anatomy you got now. If these things can breath for you, they must also be able to eat… I wouldn't want to face you in an eating contest… then again…"

"What does it matter!" he snapped back. "Suiryu, so what if I can breath through these mouths, big deal, they are horrific and… disturbing."

"They are a part of you, and no doubt this is part of Kechizu that has come out in you as well. You didn't think you were going to get away with a slightly discolored face and black eye." He snapped back.

It only made him wonder more about what Kechizu really looked like. "What does it matter anyways…" Junpei muttered. "It's not like I can have a normal life with these bastards…" he stated and pointed to the mouths.

"Damn, and I thought Yuuji got down on himself. No wonder you two became friends… both of you could have a downer party and no one would show up."

Peering up, he saw Suiryu's arms were crossed. He wasn't amused to this pity party, but still, what could he do now with this new life? He was a freak, if anyone found out about these mouths…

"I told you once before. When you got over your fear of transfiguration I'll train you, at the moment I can't since your technique is still being developed." He paused once more. "For the next little while until Yuuji recovers, you two are going to hang out…"

Junpei paused but he smiled and nodded to the notion. "Okay!" he said with glee. "I was hoping we could catch up… I want to know his story."

"Yeah, that may take some time to get out of him. He's not exactly thrilled with what has happened to him…" Suiryu said offhandedly.

#

Junpei returned to the camp without Suiryu, he found Yuuji and explained his situation. Instantly, Yuuji wanted to help him. "Let's walk and talk, maybe something will come of it?"

He agreed.

They were silent as they strolled through the woods. Junpei kept looking at Itadori oddly, but then, he would shy away. "Sorry I didn't mean to… Yuuji…"

"I'm not the same I was before, right?" he asked nervously. "I… probably scare you."

Junpei froze. "Scare me? You don't scare me!" he protested. "With what I have gone through… what WE went through… we shouldn't be scared of anything by now! Look… I think you look awesome."

Instantly he froze. Yuuji was confused. "I… look awesome?" he asked in confusion. "Junpei… from what I know, this is how Sukuna would have looks… at least I think it is…" he suddenly stared at his four hands. Then clenched them. "I… I don't think I look anything cool or awesome… It's just a punishment for being stupid and desperate…"

"Then I'm being punished too."

Yuuji flinched as Junpei stared him in the eyes. "I don't know how this all happened, why it happened, how it came about. But the fact is this. We're here… I've been brought back… you and I look the way we do because it's how we are suppose to be in the moment… I am not going to waste this life I have been given… and what you have become shouldn't stop you from living yours to the fullest. You've earned it! All this time you have tried to look out for me, even when I went against my classmates. You tried to stop me! Anyone else would had done me in, but you… you sincerely wanted to help."

Yuuji became a little teary eyed. "I'm sorry I failed you,"

"Failed me!?" he shouted back. "How have you failed me? I'm the one that messed up! I took the word of a curse over yours, my death is on my head, not yours."

"I could have done something different… what if I had stayed over? Could I have saved your mom? What if you never met me? You wouldn't have been dragged into ANY of this…"

"Then I would never have known what a real friend was."

He was stunned silent.

"Junpei…"

"It's true though… and whose to say what would have happened. I ran into Mahito before I met you. What if he decided to toy with me longer? He wouldn't have stopped me from killing innocent people… some not so innocent but that's another story…"

Yuuji sighed aloud. He wanted to talk back on the notion, but appeared to have paused oddly, almost as if he was having a conversation in his head. Then, he appeared deflated and sighed aloud. "I got nothing…" he muttered.

"Yuuji?"

"Sorry… but I guess neither one of us would know what would really happen huh? You're right, we should be living our lives to the fullest now."

"Yeah… as soon as I can figure out my curse technique…"

They took a seat to talk it over, Yuuji still had trouble with his for some time, then again, his only came when Sukuna's power etched into his soul. The conversation shifted as Yuuji inquired if there were other changes Junpei endured.

He cringed. "Well… yeah… it's kinda gross though" he warned.

Lifting his shirt, he revealed the two large mouths on the sides of his torso. "See?"

"I got arms, it's not that much different… then again, you could eat three times faster than me and keep pace with Suiryu!"

They snickered to each other, but then Junpei sighed aloud. "It's going to be different this time, I promise you Yuuji…"

His head crooked to the side. "What do you mean?"

"I'm not going to take the easy way out, I won't do that again and it wasn't easy at all!" he protested. "No… I am going to work harder than before, I am going to learn what I can do and I'm going to help you. We all are!" he said proudly.

Shortly after, one of the finger bearers Suiryu brought for the brothers to train on escaped. Junpei was able to stop it, but then, he began to absorb the blood into himself through the mouths on his torso.

He discovered his curse ability, and it was very much like the brothers, but deep down, he knew he could do more than this… but he rather have Suiryu's help to explain this sensation he's feeling…