Yūji keeps a smile on her face as she stares at her room. It was small, covered in dust, the floors old and creaky, and a peeling door leading to an even smaller bathroom. The closet was small and there was only a sliding window. There was already a small desk, an old bedframe, and a thin mattress inside.
"It's very... quaint," Yūji says eventually. Truthfully, the small space and the age of everything in her room didn't really bother her. It was the filth and how no one cleaned it in what seemed like multiple decades.
"I'm pretty sure mold's growing in that corner..." Yūji thinks, not taking a step in.
"We hardly get many students. This one's one of the only ones with running water and a working AC unit," Satoru says with a sheepish chuckle. Yūji hums before she finally takes a step in.
"We have cleaning supplies right?" She asks, turning to give her teacher a slightly desperate look.
"Right?" She asks again when he doesn't answer. Yūji's fingers twitch slightly and she quickly races out of her room, not ready to deal with that monster just yet.
"It's just a little bit of dirt. Don't tell me you're one of those people," Sukuna states with a scowl. Yūji shakes out her hands and shivers.
"Germaphobe?" Satoru asks, only to receive a head shake from Yūji.
"No, not really. It's just really gross and I'm pretty sure that was toxic mold growing in that corner," Yūji points out with a small awkward smile. "I'll clean it tomorrow."
"Hey, you're both too loud," Megumi's statement makes Yūji jump slightly before turning around. She smiles brightly when she sees the pretty boy and bounds over.
"Fushiguro-san! How are you feeling? Did Gojo-sensei leave you behind?" Yūji asks curiously.
Megumi's eyebrow twitches slight irritation before sighing heavily. "Yes."
Yūji leans to the side and gasps in slight surprise. She opens Megumi's door wider and looks inside his room.
"Your room looks so cool! Oh! Do you know if there's any cleaning supplies around?" Yūji asks with a bright grin.
"Hey! You're unwelcome!" Megumi exclaims, trying to grab Yūji and shove her back. She expertly dodges the grab and leans closer.
"Yūji-chan will be your classmate starting tomorrow! After he gets settled, we'll go pick up the third first-year student," Satoru says, shoving his hands into his pockets.
"I'm glad we're classmates, Fushiguro-san!" The pink haired teenager exclaims brightly. Megumi makes a small noise and slams the door into Yūji, making her yelp in pain.
"I said you're unwelcome!" Yūji rubs her neck, giving the black haired teenager a small glare with a pout before stepping back.
"Sorry, sorry!" She says, bringing her smile back. She feels her phone vibrate and quickly checks for any messages. Etsuji was here.
"I've gotta go! I'll see you tomorrow, Fushiguro-san, Gojo-sensei!" Yūji turns while giving the two males a wave. "Bye bye!"
"He's not dying then?" Megumi asks, seemingly disinterested.
"Not immediately. He has a delayed execution–until he finds and eats all 20 fingers. I tried my best, but that's as much as I cou–" Yūji walks out of earshot, pressing her phone against her ear.
Etsuji picks up the other end. "I'm on my way, Murata-san. I need you to pass a message to Shimizu-san and Sawako-san."
"Of course, Yūji-sama. What's the message?" Etsuji doesn't hesitate in his answer. Yūji smiles slightly and glances around as she exits the dormitories.
"I need information on Tokyo Jujutsu High School and the major players of this world," She says softly. A small hum leaves her mouth and her smile grows wider.
"And I need something taken out of the vault and sent to my room as soon as possible. It'll be in a intricately engraved box, painted black with the katakana* being painted gold. Sawako-san will know what I mean when she sees it." Yūji walks down the steps, towards the campus entrance.
"Of course. Is there anything else you need?" Etsuji asks after a moment. The pink haired teenager hangs up as she reaches the car. She opens the door and slides into the passenger seat.
"A nice nap," Yūji gives her head of security a smile, "but I can wait just a bit longer. I need to have a talk with someone when we get home."
Etsuji smiles and gives a small nod before he starts driving. Yūji giggles slightly before staring out of the window.
"It's going to be such an interesting year..." Yūji watches as the dark clouds start to cover the sky. A really, really interesting year.
"Welcome back, Yūji-sama. Did everything go according to plan?" Chisato greets with a bow once Yūji enters the estate. Yūji laughs slightly, taking off her jacket.
"It was a shit show, but it all sort of worked out. Somehow," Yūji states with a smile. Chisato takes her jacket with a small laugh before following after her master as they walk further into the estate.
"The urn has been delivered and is waiting in your study, Shimizu-san is making progress on the information you asked for, and I pushed off all business to this weekend," Chisato lists off quietly, making Yūji sigh heavily.
"Thank you, Asai-san. I don't know what I'd do without you," The pink haired teenager says gratefully. Chisato straightens her shoulders and tries to appear indifferent to the praise. Yūji giggles before they enter the main building.
"Welcome home, Yūji-sama." Sawako and Manami stood in the middle of the atrium in a deep bow. Sawako held an ancient black box in her hands.
Teresa was in front of them in a bow as well, holding a tray of tea. "Welcome home, Yūji-sama."
"Asai-san, Aomoto-san, I need to have my things packed. I am being transferred to a school where I'll be learning how to become a jujutsu sorcerer..." Yūji remembers the color and terrifying appearance of the mold in her room. "I also need cleaning supplies packed as well."
"You owe Wasuke-sama ¥10,000," Sawako points out. Yūji's shoulders sag and she pouts at the statement.
"I know... He's going to be so smug," Yūji mutters the last part to herself. She stretches her back before taking the box from Sawako.
"You can go put the tea in my study, Aomoto-san. And thank you for making me some," She says softly. Teresa smiles and gives a bow before walking off. Manami and Sawako glance at each other before smiling mischievously.
"So..." Manami starts.
Sawako quickly continues where her twin left off. "...will Fushiguro-san and–"
"–Gojo-san be reoccurring–"
"–guests?" Yūji playfully rolls her eyes at her maids before a hopeful smile forces itself on her face.
"...maybe." Yūji traces one of the katakana characters on the box. She gives the twins a small look.
"I'll leave them in your care if they do visit," Yūji says, making the twins brighten up.
"Why thank you–"
"–Mistress! We won't–"
"–take this for granted. We'll start–"
"–keeping two rooms ready for them–"
"–indefinitely!" The twins split their thanks between themselves. Yūji laughs softly and gives a small nod. She always loved their twin speech.
"Go on then." Yūji points her chin towards the door behind them. "Oh, and tell Haruki-san that I'll be in my study."
The twins bow deeply before walking out of the atrium to get to work. Chisato stares after them with a motherly exasperation and sighs.
"They set a trap somewhere. I know it," Chisato says, making the pink haired teenager snort.
"Of course. They hardly ever try and dismiss themselves that quickly unless one of their traps are about to be set off." Yūji starts walking out of the atrium with her housekeeper following closely behind.
"This box..."
Yūji hums in affirmation and a nod. "I knew it was a familiar feeling, I just couldn't figure out where I felt it before. That is until Gojo-sensei gave me a second finger at the crematorium."
"Are you sure? Ryomen-san is a curse," The older woman asks curiously. Yūji smiles slightly and gives her housekeeper a small glance.
"Yes, but we're currently sharing a body. It would be more beneficial if we had a tolerant relationship of a sort-of codependency with each other." Yūji opens the box and takes out the sealed finger. "Besides, I have a feeling that these higher-ups will try sooner rather than later to have me in an unfortunate accident."
Chisato scoffs slightly, staring at the finger. She faces forward again, a small smirk on her face.
"Yukimura-san will be back around the same time the others will be home. She'll be teaching you the practical side of the jujutsu world and how you can use your skills to exorcise curses. Shimizu-san will be teaching you the business side, and I will teach you the history and traditions," Chisato says, stopping before Yūji's study. Yūji smiles gratefully and gives her a nod.
"Thank you. I want them to be taught about it too," She says before walking into her study.
Chisato gives a deep bow before the door closes. "Of course, Yūji-sama."
Yūji hums a small tune, walking over to her desk. Her study was about half the size of the traditional living room. Three of the walls were covered top-to-bottom with bookshelves. The wall behind her desk was a sliding window, leading to a small balcony.
"Nen, nen korori yo, Okorori yo.
Bōya wa yoi koda, Nenneshina~
Bōya no omori wa, Doko e itta?
Ano yama koete, sato e itta.
Sato no miyagē ni, nani morōta
Denden taiko ni, shō no fue*."
Yūji internally sings the lullaby with a soft smile. She walks over to the left wall. She runs her hands over the clean shelf of small souvenirs before pressing a hidden button on the right side of the shelf.
"Nen, nen korori yo, Okorori yo.
Bōya wa yoi koda, Nenneshina~
Bōya no Mori wa, Doko e itta?
Ano yama koete, sato e itta.
Sato no miyagē ni, nani morōta
Denden taiko ni, shō no fue."
Yūji repeats the lullaby aloud. The bookshelf moves back for almost a foot before sliding to the right. It reveals a smaller study, much cozier than the normal study behind her.
She walks in and closes the hidden door behind her. Yūji hums the lullaby one last time before sitting down in the plush chair behind the maple desk.
"Have you given my deal any thought? Well, it really isn't a deal," Yūji asks softly, setting down the empty box on her desk and moving her legs to hang over one of the chair arms. She hears a single drip of water before she looks up.
She was back in the place where she first saw Sukuna. She sat on a large upside down skull, her legs hanging over the left side of the teeth. Sukuna–much smaller and with only one pair of arms. How the fuck did he change himself?–sat on a throne multiple feet above her.
"You can change your form?" Yūji asks, surprised by the revelation. She leans further into the skull, ignoring how uncomfortable it was.
"The sorcerers who sealed me had placed me in a Prison Realm. They couldn't even exorcise me. When they managed to seal me in my fingers, they tried to destroy them, but they couldn't. It was a mistake on my part that I even got caught by those peasants in the first place." Sukuna leans his face on his hand, glaring down at Yūji. "Even the strongest curse in existence can't escape the Prison Realm once sealed in it. The sorcerers today are the weakest I've seen. And they seem to forget that a curse like me can't be so easily killed by some execution."
Yūji meets his gaze without any fear. She tilts her head back and crosses her arms before staring up at the endless black sky–doubt it's a fucking sky, but what the fuck do you call it–above her.
"...you're an apathetic conceited man with a God complex and sociopathic tendencies," Yūji states factually. She tilts her head and places a hand over her abdomen.
"And you're a completely morally ambiguous woman who's mind was shattered by the ones meant to love and care for you, has a fascinating cruel streak when angered and is only staying in the shadows instead of ruling the world for the fun of it because no one you care for has asked that of you yet," Sukuna retorts with a wide grin. Yūji laughs softly, leaning her head back and turning it to stare at the curse.
The pink haired teenager turns her had back forward and sighs with a soft smile. "Haha loved to experiment on humans. She was sadistic, cruel. Asai-san had told me a few years ago that she was a clinically diagnosed sociopath."
"I was her favorite test subject. Any type of experiment you could think of, she did on me or was going to. Oh, how I despise her," Yūji continues with a wistful smile. "Chichi* loved torture. While he wasn't the first Itadori to give the Itadori Clan a darker reputation, he gave the clan a huge amount of infamy from what he did. He was a clinically diagnosed psychopath."
Yūji bursts into giggles. This was all too funny.
"Oh, Haha fell in love with him the first time she saw him. He didn't love her back of course–he was incapable of feeling love, but Haha knew that. Haha was from Saitō, a descendant family of the Fujiwara Clan. Chichi was the heir of the Itadori Clan. Obviously, a marriage was arranged and they came to an agreement. They were two peas in a pod." Yūji's smile slips off her face and her eyes grow dark.
"I was named something different than Yūji, when I was born," Yūji adds offhandedly. Her eyes grow darker.
"Then your mother found out she couldn't have anymore kids, didn't she?" Sukuna says with a chuckle.
Yūji laughs coldly and nods her head. "Yep. I was one, my name was changed to Yūji and the next five years of my life were literal hell. I wouldn't wish it upon the worst person or curse that ever existed. Not even my parents."
"The Itadori Clan is old, ancient–archaic. The family is even older than you, Sukuna. There is evidence that we existed in the Yayoi Period*. I am the last one of Itadori blood to have the name Itadori. I don't want my body taken over, at least until I am able to continue my family legacy," She says with a soft smile.
"...If I agree to this deal, partnership, whatever you want to call it slut, what do I get and what do you receive in return?" Sukuna asks curiously. Yūji rolls her eyes at the insulting name Sukuna calls her with a small snort.
"What do you want?"
"I want to have my power back. I want to show these little maggots who call themselves jujutsu sorcerers what it means to underestimate the King of Curses–a God and rule this sorry little world again," Sukuna answers immediately, his presence becoming thick with malice and anger. Yūji shrugs off the overwhelming presence and scratches her chin in thought.
"I'll help you find a suitable body to incarnate into, and figure out how we can get you in that body before the jujutsu world finds out. I can help you achieve your goal, as long as I am left alone and what I call and claim as mine are left alone too. This includes before you take over the world again and after, if I find anyone who I claim as mine afterwards," The pink haired teenager says after a few moments of thought. Sukuna narrows his eyes before barking out a dark laugh.
"You're a possessive little bitch too? You just keep getting more interesting the longer I deal with you," Sukuna states with a manic grin. Yūji giggles and gives him a soft smile, hugging her knees to her chest and resting her head innocently on top.
"What can I say?" She shrugs with an innocent grin. "Every Itadori is a dragon. S'not my fault I was raised by the strongest and wisest dragon the Itadori Clan has had in centuries. Dragons are notoriously possessive, you know."
Sukuna laughs even louder, leaning forward with an even darker grin. "A dragon huh? You have yourself a deal, slut. Being stuck in your body is about to get more entertaining than I anticipated."
Yūji perks up with a bright grin. She claps her hands excitedly and laughs.
"Fantastic! I don't believe you'll make this entire thing easy on me, but I would appreciate your advice if you have any in the future!" Her eyes brightens and she smiles even brighter.
"That reminds me," Yūji points to her hand, "the finger I have in my hand in the real world. Should I eat it now? Oh, and do I gain any cool powers of yours–if you have any–because I'm your vessel?"
Sukuna leans back with an annoyed eye roll. "Your cheer and joy is giving me a headache. Yes, you should eat the finger. It won't take long for those little second-rate sorcerers to find out you had one here all along. And yes, you'll gain my cursed techniques–or powers in your simple talk–as you eat more fingers. You should expect changes to your body as well. The more fingers you eat, the more your body will change to look more like me."
"While men are hot, I also like my women, other people, and my body. If I turn into a guy, I will castrate you," Yūji retorts almost immediately. Sukuna chuckles menacingly and scratches his chin.
"You have centuries to go before you can even lay a finger on me." Sukuna flicks his fingers and Yūji feels herself slowly leaving. "Don't worry. It won't change anything like that. Maybe."
"What do you mean, maybe? Sukuna–" Yūji cuts herself off as she opens her eyes. She's back in her secret study. Yūji growls under her breath and mentally curses at the curse.
Yūji stares down at the sealed finger in her hands before groaning in disgust. "Why did it have to be fingers? At least make the fingers look appetizing!"
She unravels the seals and ignores the strong feeling she gets from the finger now out of its constraints. She sneers in disgust and inspects the finger.
"I am never complaining to Haruki-san again," Yūji mutters to herself. She clenches her eyes shut and tosses the finger into her mouth. She shakes out her hands and shivers.
"Are you going to tell that arrogant bastard about this?" Sukuna asks as his power surges through Yūji's body. She takes a deep breath to control herself–and Sukuna–before rolling her neck.
"Maybe. I trust him enough to put my life in his hands, but I don't know what he wants or who he's loyal to," The pink haired teenager says before standing up.
"Also, calling Gojo-sensei is not an insult coming from you. You're also an arrogant bastard, if you didn't already know," Yūji points out in her head as she exits her secret study. She closes the hidden door before walking out of her normal study. Sukuna huffs and Yūji rolls her eyes, already imagining him puffing up his chest.
"I have the enough power to be allowed arrogance. That bastard doesn't," Sukuna grumbles, probably pouting. Yūji snorts out a laugh while she walks towards her room.
"He calls himself the strongest sorcerer, and it seems everyone believes it–including me. I think he has a right to be arrogant to. And wasn't it arrogance that led you to be sealed in the first place?" Yūji laughs loudly at the growl Sukuna gives her and shoves her hands into her pockets.
"Oh this is going to be such a fun partnership!"
Hey! Hope you all like the new chapter! Things... are getting interesting. I can not say it enough, but I am so fucking excited for writing this further. Like, you guys don't understand-but maybe you do.
*Background information*
*(1): Katakana is a Japanese syllabary and is one component of the Japanese writing system. Another component of the Japanese writing system is Hiragana.
*(2): This is a traditional Japanese cradle song named Edo Lullaby. It originated in the Edo Period and is said to be the roots of the Japanese lullabies.
*(3): Chichi, as I explained in previous chapters, is a formal way of saying father in Japanese.
*(4): Yayoi Period or Early Yayoi is a period in Japan roughly starting around 300 BCE and 300 CE, but there is evidence that has it starting around 1,000 BCE and 800 BCE.
Also, I know that it's not that feasible to trace you're ancestry back to BCE. Which is why I have it where there was "evidence" of the Itadori Clan living in the Yayoi Period.
I hope you all are enjoying the story so far! And thank you all so much for the lovely comments! I really appreciate it! Bye.
WhovianWhoudini