Yūji takes the time to brush her hair, humming softly to herself. She looks at herself in the mirror and smiles softly.
"What are you doing?" Sukuna asks, making Yūji jump slightly. She stares into her eyes, momentarily checking to make sure the red eye shadow was perfect, before smiling at herself.
"I'm getting ready," She answers simply, setting down her brush before fixing her mofuku kimono*.
"You already had that sad display of a funeral. Why are you wearing that?" The curse presses for more information. Yūji just smiles at her reflection once more before standing up, carefully adjusting the old tantō* held in her obi.
She grabs her grandfather's urn. "You'll see."
Yūji walks out of her room, smile still in place. She quietly walks towards the back of her estate. A giggle escapes her when she sees Chisato holding a wagasa* and Sawako and Manami each holding a wooden staff with a paper lantern hanging from them.
"Ojīchan didn't want such a big deal with his death, Asai-san," Yūji says with a playful look. A bright light flashes for less than a second before thunder booms loudly.
"Everything is ready," Chisato answers instead. Yūji just giggles before she starts walking. It was a silent walk down the old path of the Itadori Estate. Manami and Sawako walked behind with the lanterns and Chisato held the wagasa above Yūji.
It was a simple dirt path, the path being taken-care of daily. Japanese maple trees lined the edges with the occasional old lamppost. The longer Yūji walked the path, the more disrepair the path was in. Yūji stopped walking once it became clear that there was no visible path anymore.
"If I'm not back in an hour, go back home," Yūji orders softly without turning around.
"Where will you go? There's no path," Sukuna asks as he looks at their surroundings.
"Yūji-sama, that's–" Chisato holds up her hand and cuts Sawako off.
She gives a bow, hesitantly followed by the twins. "Of course, Yūji-sama. Please stay safe."
"I know this path with my heart and soul," Yūji reminds her housekeeper and family friend, "but I will stay safe for you all."
Chisato smiles and stands back up from her bow. She glances at the twin maids and gives each of them a small look.
"There is a path, Sukuna." Yūji closes her eyes and starts walking again. "You just aren't able to see it yet."
Six year old Yūji grips Wasuke's old hand tightly with both of her hands. She looks around nervously, gaunt face carefully blank.
She tugs on Wasuke's sleeve before pointing at the nearly non-existent path. "No... no path?"
Wasuke smiles softly and pats her head gently, not mentioning the heavy flinch Yūji tries to hide. He continues walking quietly, taking in the peaceful sounds of nature around them.
"You may not be able to see the path, Yūji, but the path is still there," Wasuke says calmly. He raises his hand and a small bush warbler lands on his palm. He lowers the bird to Yūji and she stares at it with wide, blank eyes.
"...p-pretty..." Yūji hesitantly holds up her free hand. She flinches and ducks her head when the bird hops into her hand. She slowly peaks through her thin hair, glancing at the bird.
"You can always sense the path. Anytime you're lost, the nature here will bring you back," Wasuke says softly, watching his granddaughter with sad eyes.
"B-but n...no path..." The pink and black haired girl says softly, looking up at the old man. He smiles softly and stops walking. They stood at the edge of the physical path. Yūji blinks once and looks around.
The trees were older and darker and the path was completely overgrown. The trees blocked the sunlight from reaching the ground, shrouding the non-existent path in complete darkness.
Yūji takes a step closer to Wasuke. "D-dark... No dark..."
The old man looks up and stares straight ahead. He gently squeezes his granddaughter's hand.
"Do you trust me, Yūji?" He asks softly. Yūji looks up at him for a long moment before slowly nodding her head.
"Close your eyes." The young girl stares up at him with wide eyes. She glances around in paranoia before taking a deep breath. He won't hurt her... He won't...
She tightens her grip on Wasuke's hand and closes her eyes. Her shoulders immediately tense up when Wasuke starts walking again.
"In this forest, you will never be in danger." Yūji feels something brush against her hollow cheek for just a moment before it disappears. "This forest will always protect you when others fail to do so. It recognizes you as her child."
Yūji hears her left foot step on something harder than the untarnished ground of the forest. She opens her eyes with a soft smile and looks up at the completely shrouded shrine. She made it.
It was ancient, but still well-taken care of. The stone path around the shrine looked almost new with no roots or weeds growing through the cracks. The large wooden shrine gate was peeling, but still looked strong. The entire shrine was hidden from the sky by the ancient trees except for a single hole in the tree foliage right above the shrine. Yūji still heard the storm pouring around her, but there wasn't a single drop of water on or around the shrine.
To the left of the shrine was a small stone structure. It was similar to the Itadori Clan tombstone, but had only one word engraved into it. To the right of the shrine was a similar stone structure, but with a different word engraved in it. It was the only place around the whole shrine that was overrun by nature.
Yūji stays silent as she walks silently to the stone structure first. Once she stands in front of it, she gracefully kneels down and places the urn in front. Other urns, hundreds of them, were surrounding the stone structure. Most were ancient and finally broken, some were completely reduced to dust, and the rest were somewhat new, still holding strong against the elements.
The pink haired teenager bows to the structure, eyes closed. She takes a deep breath as her nose brushes against the stone floor.
"I thank you for your blessings. I thank you for your watchful gaze. I thank you for your patience. I thank you for your protection. May Itadori Wasuke be honored and blessed into your ranks. May the Dragon of Wisdom guide you all as equals. May the Wise Slayer protect you from the malisons* that we once defeated. By the right and blessing of Ōhirume-no-Muchi*, I give this offering to my ancestors and my descendants," Yūji prays reverently. She stays bowed for a moment longer before slowly getting up.
Yūji sees a flash from above the shrine and hears a loud clap of thunder barely a second later. She keeps her gaze low to the ground as she walks to the shrine. The tantō held in her obi seems to grow warm the closer she gets to the shrine.
She stops before the ceramic basin placed in the center of the shrine. The pink haired teenager kneels again while taking out her tantō. She slowly unsheathes the blade in front of her face, quickly inspecting the old blade before pressing it against her palm.
Yūji barely flinches at the stinging pain on her palm as she deeply cuts the skin. The blood seeps out and drips into the basin.
"Ōhirume-no-Muchi, I call upon you to give my appreciation for your blessings over myself and my clan. I give my blood to you as payment for your generosity and your protection," Yūji speaks softly, voice echoing into the dark forest. She keeps her hand over the ceramic bowl with her head bowed.
"Ōhirume-no-Muchi, I apologize for bringing another soul to this sacred place without your permission. I only ask for the continued protection against the other Gods over those that I have claimed as mine and if they have been deemed worthy by you," Yūji continues in her thoughts. "Itadori Wasuke has passed the mortal realm and has been placed at the gateway. His soul awaits your judgement and I thank you for your patience..."
The pink haired teenager smiles softly as a small blush forms on her cheeks. "...as the one who gifted me these blessings, Ōhirume-no-Muchi, I am grateful for you to take me in when my blood had cast me out. I wish to wait until after my 16th year to meet you again. Please forgive me for my delay, but something has happened and I do not know what to make of it as of yet."
Yūji gasps quietly when she feels a warm breeze brush past her cheeks. She feels a tingling sensation on her forehead before it quickly disappears. With her hand still bleeding, Yūji clasps her hands together as a last prayer.
"By my name and my blood, I, Itadori Yūji, willingly give my mind, my heart, and my soul to you, Ōhirume-no-Muchi as you are my blood's creator." The blood inside the basin starts to glow a golden yellow.
"I willingly bare my soul to you and ask for your judgement. This blood is without a leader and as the last of my blood and name, I ask for your blessing to lead this blood and continue its prosperity." Yūji gasps slightly as the blood dripping from her hand starts to form kanji along her skin.
"While it is my birthright, I ask of you to appraise my worth and if I am not, I will sacrifice my blood to you, Ōhirume-no-Muchi." The blood slowly crawls down and up her arms, leaving behind kanji written in the crimson. It soon travels up her neck as Yūji feels burning hands caress her face.
"My child... I accept you as this blood's leader. I deem you worthy..." Yūji smiles in delirium, the crimson kanji reaching the corners of her eyes. "My children... to see you... reunited once again..."
Yūji arches her back as the kanji covering her skin starts to glow and cut into her skin, blood flowing from the characters. She leans forward and grasps the basin in a tight grip.
"Rest, my children... for you are home... and accept... my blessings..." Yūji's eyes roll into the back of her head and she collapses backwards. She gasps for air, eyes wide and unseeing. Blood drips from her eyes as she lays motionless before the sacred shrine.
Blood pools all around her, soaking her kimono and her hair. Yūji closes her eyes and sleeps as the safety of the shrine warms her soul.
Yūji cheers loudly to herself, fist pumping the air with cleaning gloves on and a unusable sponge in her fist. She completely cleaned and disinfected her new room. No more toxic mold or other poisonous organisms that could make her seriously sick!
"Yūji-chan~! I have a gift for you!" Yūji whirls around in surprise as Satoru bursts into her room without permission. He held a white shopping bag and his signature carefree grin. He makes a noise of surprise and looks around Yūji's room–or she assumes so, with his blindfold on she couldn't tell.
"You remodeled the room. How'd you do it so fast?" Satoru asks curiously.
Instead of peeling grey walls, Yūji took down all the wallpaper and replaced it with a Japanese white and grey cloud wallpaper design. The floor was polished and stained black and the window was spotless with mesh black curtains pulled over. On the wall next to the window, Yūji had put up her picture collage of movies that starred Jennifer Lawrence and Johnny Depp. She had replaced her bedframe and her mattress since the old ones were rotted and moldy. She set up black sheets, a grey comforter, and black pillows with a single crim son one. An old but well-taken care of dragon plushie sat on her bed.
She replaced the desk too, since it collapsed on itself when she was cleaning. Next to the desk was a dresser where a glass tank was placed on top. Boxes were piled along the walls since Yūji wasn't finished unpacking yet.
Yūji grins and gives him a shrug. "Hard work. What'd you get me, Gojo-sensei?"
Satoru grins back at the pink haired teenager while shoving the paper bag into her hands. He quickly turns around and leaves the room, leaving Yūji to blink rapidly at the quick escape. She narrows her eyes slightly before peeking into the bag. A note sat on top of two outfits.
"I had both tailored for you, in case you got bored with your little prank! :P
– Gojo-sensei"
Yūji smiles brightly and takes out both uniforms. They both were black and both had a crimson red hood attached. The first was a crimson sleeveless turtleneck shirt, a black cropped jacket, a black high waisted mini skirt, black stirrup above the knee socks, and a pair of crimson knee length heeled boots. The second uniform was still a crimson sleeveless turtleneck shirt, a black jacket similar to a gakuran*, black ankle-length slacks, black stirrup above the knee socks again, and crimson sneakers.
"How did he even know my size?" Yūji thinks with a head tilt. She shrugs before she tosses both uniforms onto newly bought mattress.
"Shouldn't you be unpacking your shit? Your room's cluttered and it's giving me a headache just looking at the mess," Sukuna asks with an annoyed growl. Yūji blinks before rolling her eyes and pulls off her hoodie.
"I'll do it later. It isn't even that messy," She points out as she pulls off her jeans. She sits at the edge of her bed and starts with the stirrup socks first.
Yūji takes her time putting on the second uniform, ignoring Sukuna's grumblings and mutters. She buttons up the jacket and fixes the crimson hood attached before she starts to pull her hair into a bun.
"Hm..." Yūji glances at the satchel she brought with her. She frowns slightly and cracks her knuckles.
Chisato gave her a rudimentary lesson in how to use cursed energy when she traveled back to her estate. Yūji didn't have enough time to truly learn, but Chisato had gifted her new rings and a new tantō. Those rings were embedded with cursed energy.
"Yūji-chan! You ready yet? The last first-year asked to meet in Harajuku!" Satoru asks brightly as he knocks on the teenager's door.
Yūji digs through her satchel and grabs six rings. They were black with a gold dragon design. She places three on each hand, one on her pinky, middle, and index finger.
"Why does my uniform look different than Fushiguro-san's?" Yūji asks curiously as she walks out of her room. Megumi was scrolling through his phone with an indifferent expression.
"I had it ordered that way! You seemed to like your hoodie from a couple days ago," Satoru states with a shrug. Yūji feels her cheeks burn and smiles brightly up at the man.
"Thank you, Gojo-sensei!" Yūji leans forward and pokes Megumi's cheek. "Hello, Fushiguro-san~! How are you?"
"Mm." Yūji pouts slightly at his distracted answer and takes a step closer. She pokes his cheek again before snatching his phone from his hands.
"Hey!" Yūji dodges the attempt to grab the phone by twirling out of the way. She giggles and continues to dodge the black haired teenager.
"Give me back my phone," Megumi demands with a scowl. Yūji just giggles and starts running.
"Catch me and I will!" Yūji breaks into a sprint. Megumi curses loudly before chasing after her and Satoru laughs loudly at Yūji's childish antics.
Hey! Hope you all are enjoying the story so far!
*Extra information*
*(1): A mofuku kimono is a type of kimono only worn for funerals by females. It's usually only worn by those closest with the deceased during the funeral.
*(2): a tantō is a traditionally made Japanese sworn that were once worn by the samurai class of Feudal Japan.
*(3): a wagasa is a Japanese oil paper umbrella.
*(4): a malison is an incredibly archaic word for a curse.
*(5): Ōhirume-no-Muchi is one of the Japanese sun goddess, Amaterasu many names.
*(6): A gakuran is the uniform jacket that male Japanese school students wear.
I hope you all are enjoying the story so far! Bye.
WhovianWhoudini