Chapter 16
His body ached.
Everything hurt, and yet, Yuuji couldn't recall a single thing that happened.
He felt that he confronted Sukuna again, somehow. And yet, when he tried to remember it, his head hurt. He decided not to try and probe any farther than that. Yet in his dream, he heard the voice of the woman once more, the one who said he could obtain strength if he was worthy of it…
Why did he ask for such strength?
He didn't care at this point, but the dream he had, it was rather vivid. He remembers being fed, yet his eyes were closed throughout the whole thing. But when he was satisfied and laid back down to rest, he opened his eyes. He didn't see a face, but a large looking woman peering down at him. "Oh Yuuji, you made me so proud. You are so selfless, but not to worry, what you lost in fighting HIM, you have regained as a reward for your actions. Take some time to recover, for soon, you will be in the final stage of this, I promise. And then, we will meet face to face…"
"But, who are you?"
He heard his voice clear as a bell in his dreams, but the woman didn't answer him. Instead, he woke up suddenly, but was laid in a normal bed surrounded by soft blankets and pillows to ensure he didn't fall out of it.
"Yuuji!"
He peered over, Choso had been in the room, waiting for him to wake up. Yet, as he looked about, he realized they weren't at the school. Looking to Choso for answers, he merely nodded to him. "We have retreated to the domain in the mountains that Suiryu found. He lost his curse energy and was rendered human. The council found out… they tried to have us killed."
He froze in fear of the notion. 'Killed!?' he asked, but of course, he merely chirped.
"Indeed, but we have been here for some time. Just recently, others sought to join us, but… accidently led the council here. We fought back, and yet they had this jujutsu that rendered us powerless somehow… but… we were helped. Four powerful sorcerers appeared and they send the council and their men running!" he said proudly.
There came a moment of pause over him. "Do, you know a woman named Yua Tooru?" Choso asked curiously as he placed his hand towards Yuuji, he squeezed it once. Of course he knew Yua!
But… how did Choso know of her?
He paused, but then, began to sense it. Yuuji's eyes widened as he began to feel the different and yet familiar curse energy. 'Wait… wait! Really!?' he wanted to shout, but instead, he started bouncing with excitement.
Choso got the message as he took Yuuji off the bed and placed him on the ground. "I don't think you want me to carry you, come, let's go greet our new guests properly."
Yuuji however rushed out of the room, he ran as fast as he could, following the energy until he saw everyone gathering in the distance, he came to a skidding stop until he peered up. He knew that hair, and then, the voice that followed.
'Yua?'
She turned and peered down at him. Her smiled made his heart sing. It was her! It was Yua!
'YUA!' He chirped once more.
She leaned down and picked him off the ground. "Hi Itadori, I am so sorry…" she began to speak and yet he threw his arms around her, embracing her whole heartedly. She was taken aback, but returned the hug to him. "I'm sorry you had to go through all of this…" she whispered. Yuuji was sobbing, but when he settled down, he peered over her shoulder… and froze.
He couldn't believe his eyes.
'Nanami? Mechamaru?'
She turned him back around but held him to see everyone. "Yes, they're here too…" she said gently.
'But… they died… I saw Nanami die before me… I saw it… but how…'
"There's a lot we need to understand, Yuuji. Hopefully we will know some answers soon enough…"
"Wait… Yua… do you… understand him?" Fushiguro asked.
Yuuji froze as he looked at her oddly. 'Do you understand me!?'
She snickered. "Of course I do, I had Ryujin, knowing the dragon tongue was part of the perk! So… no one has understood what Yuuji has been saying this whole time?"
Everyone shook their head no. "We try to read his body language and facial expressions… I can pick up a little bit of his emotional state…" Choso explained. "Miss Tooru… My brothers and I owe you a debt of gratitude."
Yuuji was puzzle. 'For what?'
"Really?" she asked.
He nodded. "Your family… they tried to stop Kamo back in the day, over 150 years ago… when he was tormenting our mother…" he began to explain.
Yua paused. "Oh, the books!" she said as she remembered them. "Those were fucked up I tell you…"
"Ooo she has a trucker's mouth!" Suiryu snickered.
"Weird, I'm not normally a swearer either… Anyway, I am glad they were of use to you Choso… huh, still weird I know who you are… then again... I think I am starting to recall something…" She put Yuuji on the ground once more. He peered up at her curiously as she rolled back the sleeves of the black cloak she wore. She was stunned to find cuffs on each of her wrists! But not just her, Nanami, Mechamaru and even that weird guy Yuuji has never seen before wore such a thing. "What the hell…" she muttered. Her hand touched them, and she jumped as eyes opened up on the cuffs!
Everyone in fact had eyes on their cuffs, that moved about freely. It reminded Yuuji of the prison realm box. "What curse is this?" Nanami muttered.
He suddenly started to look light headed. "Ugh… anyone else…" Mechamaru began to look dizzy. Yua suddenly had her eyes roll back before she collapsed to the ground, but the others did as well. Everyone but the strange man with the scar on his lip.
'YUA! MUTA, NANAMI!' Yuuji shouted.
However, Gojo sensei peered over them. "It's nothing serious… but these cuffs… I have never seen before…"
Gojo sensei paused. As quickly as the three were knocked out, they came too once more. "Ow…" muttered Yua as she slowly sat herself up once more.
"Yua… are you okay?" Suiryu asked.
"Yeah… but for some reason… I just gained a technique… that's what knocked me out, it was the sudden gain of it."
Nanami and Muta slowly came too as well. Nanami tried to shake his head clear and yet he couldn't quite understand himself what just happened.
'Are you sure you're okay?' Yuuji asked.
Yua smiled to him. "We're okay Itadori, I promise, we're okay." She said gently.
Yuuji sighed with relief, however, there was something off. Even Gojo sensei was taking his blindfold off and looking them over.
Nanami was the first to speak of the matter. "This… is strange…"
Yua froze to the sensation as well. "What… what is this…"
Gojo himself fell silent as he peered at the three of them. "How did you three gain the techniques of the three great families just now?" he asked in a startled tone…
