Jujutsu Kaisen: Nanami's daughter, Noriko.
BY: RENEE PHYLLIS
Chapter Six
"A cold-blooded killer"
As they waited, they felt an energy being lifted. Megumi gasped softly as did Noriko. "The innate domain is sealed", Noriko said. "And the special grade cursed spirit is dead", Megumi uttered. "How could this be?", she questioned. It was impossible for Yuji to do it all alone, but then, maybe they didn't know his full strength. "If you two think he's coming back, well, he isn't", a familiar presence was felt by the two people standing. It was Sukuna's presence. He walked towards Noriko and whispered in her ears. "Don't be scared", his breath sent shivers all throughout her body. She froze again, for the second time today. "I'm in a good mood, so let's chat, shall we?", Sukuna has his hands on his pocket, marks all over his face and hands. He continued to talk and walk. "This must be the price he's paying for using me without restraint. He seems to have trouble switching back", he looked closely to Megumi. He darted his eyes to Noriko whose gaze was fixated on him. "But well…", he grabs his upper clothes and rips it, revealing all the hidden markings on his body. "It's only a matter of time. So… I though about what I could do now", Noriko's and turned into a fist and she gripped on her bow. A gripped that could break someone's bone – if it were ordinary people. It was eerie feeling, but what happened next was utterly despicable and wrong. Sukuna swings his hand into Yuji's chest and rips his heart out. "What are you?", Megumi spoke, voice shaking. Noriko was shocked in horror as blood came out of Yuji's chest and his heart visible in the outside world. Sukuna throws away the heart and laughs. "I can live without this, but your friend? Not so much. If he switches with me, he's going to die. So, I'm taking him hostage", the monster said as he eats the finger, he got from the special grade curse that he battled inside the detention center. This can't be happening, Noriko was horrified. "I'm finally free. Now, you two can panic. I'm going to kill both of you", Sukuna had no heart, literally and emotionally. He was a true monster indeed. "You don't seem to understand. Itadori will be back, whatever cost it may bring", Megumi said, stance ready. Noriko readies herself as well, her arrow all ready to fire. She felt anger like never before. "You flatter him too much. He's like any other people who happens to be strong. He was trembling wit fear of dying earlier, while talking pretentiously to himself", his voice was husky and deep. It was annoying for Noriko. "I'm sure that he doesn't have the guts to commit suicide". Megumi's hands were shaking – it was completely visible – therefore, Noriko snapped him from his thoughts. "Megumi! For Yuji", she said, but Sukuna just laughs without feeling the slightest bit of remorse. She starts to attack shooting an arrow, but Sukuna dodged it so fast. Megumi summons his nue and runs in the left side to try and hit Sukuna, but no such luck. He continued trying to punch the guy, but Sukuna moved so swiftly, dodging every attack. Noriko runs towards Sukuna, shouting in anger and tries to slash him with her bow – the ends having sharp knives. "Ah, the girl I've been wanting to fight with. I'll save you up for later", Sukuna grabs her bow and breaks it, then grabs her by her clothes, bringing her close to his face. Then, he threw her so high, away from him and Megumi. Nue flew, saving Noriko from another devastating impact and she thanked the bird from catching her. Now her distance from Megumi and Sukuna were far. She instructed the bird to help it's master and she ran towards the scene. Damn it, my bow is broken. Even so, I still have my arrows and a pair of Chinese daggers with me, there's no need to panic. Noriko takes two Chinese daggers from where she put her arrows and ran as fast as she could to help her friend. She could see Megumi and Sukuna, fighting some more. Run, Noriko! Faster! Megumi's wounded, don't be a wimp, run! Her breathing got heavier and every inch of her body started to feel uneasy. Megumi unleashed his serpent and together with his nue, they threw all their power at their target. Still, no such luck. Sukuna blew the snake into a million pieces. And gripped into Megumi's uniform. "SUKUNA!", Noriko shouted as she threw multiple slashes at Sukuna, while he still gripped on Megumi's uniform. She put all of her strength into her hands and into the Chinese daggers. "How dare you!", she was angry, but with every power she had put into the cursed weapons, it was still useless. With one hand on the boy's uniform, he caught the daggers with the other and threw it far, far away. He put his hand on Noriko's uniform as well and he threw Megumi and Noriko at least a few kilometers or so, away from the detention center. He lunges to Megumi and kicks him again and again. "NO!", Noriko shouted. Megumi got hit, building to building, wall to wall. Noriko landed on one and called for the help of the nue. They flew on time to catch Megumi, before he could hit another wall and be in a lot of damage. Sukuna would not stop even if they were now flying in the sky. He caught Noriko off guard and he unleashes his strength, blasting them down a building. She and Megumi fell down, but was protected by Megumi's shikigami. Noriko received a lot of damage as well as Megumi. He dispelled nue before it could be destroyed by Sukuna – he just could not risk it. "You have talent that you're wasting for being weak and you, you are hiding your talent, now why is that?", Sukuna points at Megumi and then looks deeply at Noriko. "Maybe you're just too weak to use it", she rolled her eyes at the insult. She wasn't weak, she knew that and she does have a hidden talent right up her sleeves. The reason why she can't use it, well, let's just say it gives a lot of damage, she might die. She hasn't practiced enough – her father only taught her combat skills, even he knew her power would be dangerous. Both Megumi and Noriko stood up before Sukuna. She has now loss all of her weapons, but she still has a lot of cursed energy inside her. Much like to Yuji, when he conjures his cursed energy to his fist. Megumi prepares his own cursed energy as well as Noriko. She chuckles at Sukuna. "You may be powerful, but then again, you're nothing compared to the boy your currently possessing", she smirks at Sukuna and raises her brow. "This is brilliant. I said I will have my fun with you later, after I finish off your friend, but heh. Show me what you two are made of!", Sukuna approaches them. "Just to be clear. I didn't have a logical reason to save you back then", Noriko gaze softens as she looks at her friend. He spoke so sincerely, it was unusual, but then, it might be a way for Yuji to be able to come back from his own consciousness. Even so, Noriko did not want to do that, if he does come back, he'll die. But if he doesn't come back, then she and Megumi dies instead. There's no fair point and she hated it. "Even if it's dangerous, I didn't want a good person like you to die. I had my doubts, but I heeded my selfish emotions. But that's all right. I'm no hero. I'm a jujutsu sorcerer. So, I've never regretted saving you. Noriko was skeptical like I was, but we both know we made the right decision", Megumi's stance change and he smiled at the man looking at him. He turns to Noriko and smiled at her, too. Noriko knew what he was doing and it was working. "You were pretty much annoying for breaking your school's window and risking your life. But I was glad we were able to save you. You are worth every sacrifice, Itadori Yuji", Noriko stands up tall and proud, whilst she grinned softly at Yuji.
Their words made Yuji come back to his own body. "Is that so? You two are really smart and sweet. Fushiguro, you probably think more than I do and Noriko, you're probably more logical than I'll ever be. Fushiguro, I think that what you believe is right, but I don't think I'm wrong either", he came back as his usual goofy and annoying self and Noriko and Megumi looked happy seeing their friend. But even if he was okay and speaking, Noriko got teary-eyed, as she knew that not a minute soon, he will die. Her smiling face, turned into a frown as blood spurges out of Yuji's chest. "Sorry guys, but it's almost time", he said. "You, Noriko, Kugisaki and Gojo-sensei. I guess I don't have to worry about you guys. Live a long life, you hear me?", he was turning pale and blood came out his mouth as well. He, then, turns to Noriko's direction. "Don't frown, you're too beautiful to be frowni-", he fell down the ground and Noriko fell down on her knees, covering her face. Megumi tried to stop himself from shedding tears, gritting his teeth together and seemingly angry at the world. Noriko could not stop herself though. Her tears came down like waterfalls. She felt like she had lost someone dear to her, and she did. Regardless of them not having much time to hang out and have fun, she admired Yuji for his sense of justice. She never knew she needed a person like him in her life. The rain poured as it has been pouring for hours now. Noriko tried to touch Yuji's hair, just to grasped what was happening before her eyes, but she couldn't do it.
Morning came and they were back on campus. Yuji's body was taken to somewhere only personnel would know. Both Megumi and Noriko were taken to healers and sent to rest – they receive multiple wounds from Sukuna's attack, luckily, Megumi didn't break any bone. Noriko was fine, Sukuna was saving her up for later, so she didn't receive as much damage as Megumi, but it seemed like she receive less physical damage and more of emotional scarring. They sat on the staircase of one of the houses of the school. "Live long, he said? How could he say that when he's dead?", Nobara says a little hurt. "Is this your first time experiencing a friend's death?", it was unclear if she was asking Noriko or Megumi. But Noriko did not answer. "It's the first for my classmate", Megumi replied. "I see, yet you look surprisingly calm", Nobara had her legs crossed, her hand on her cheeks and the other one served as support. Noriko sat in an Indian seat and looked down, while she was drawing random things on the ground. "You two", Megumi said. "Of course, I've only known him for two weeks. I'm not so weak that I'll cry over a man's death", Noriko felt a little hurt hearing this from Nobara – even though she was right. Although, she knew Nobara's lying. Her voice had a hint of regret and despair and despite not having known Yuji for a long while, the two of them pretty much understood each other's weirdness. All three of them now looked sad and broken. Noriko, above anyone, felt the need to suck it up and move on, but she couldn't do so. 'It's so hot", Megumi spoke softly as to not hurt anyone's feeling and to change the subject. He knew it was a great deal for Noriko and he didn't want to hurt her further. "You're right. I wonder when we'll get to wear our summer uniform", Nobara replied. The school remained quiet as it always was – due to the fact that it doesn't get too many students. Just then, Maki comes in holding her bag that probably contained some of her cursed weapons. "What's going on? Your face even looks worse than usual, Megumi. And Noriko, this is the first time I've seen you this gloomy", she spoke in her usual, deep and strong tone. Maki Zenin is Megumi Fushiguro's distant cousin. Blood related, because Megumi's father, Toji, was a Zenin before he changed his surname into Fushiguro – the surname coming from his wife. "Are your mourning?", she asked the three students sitting in the staircases. "Zenin-senpai?", Megumi was confused, as well as Noriko. "Don't call be my by surname", she demanded. Someone called her from a statue near them. It was Panda and Inumaki. "Maki!", Panda shouted, but with a mix of whispering tone. "I'm talking here", Maki says to the two people hiding. "Don't you know why they really look depressed?", Panda was indeed whispering, which can be clearly be heard, since he wasn't technically whispering. "Why, then?", Maki asked so confidently. "Someone did die yesterday, it was one of the first-year boys", he said, followed by, "Bonito Flakes", from Inumaki. Her face changes expression, from proud to utterly embarrassed. "You should've told me earlier. That would make me a heartless witch, wouldn't it?", she was now angry at her own classmates for making her seem like she didn't care. "But that's who you are", Panda replies, which was kinda harsh, but Maki was known to be the unbothered spirit she is – she isn't really unbothered, she just has a strong personality. "Tuna Mayo", Inumaki said as Maki continued with her bickering. "You're wrong. I can be considerate, okay?", Maki hated feeling embarrassed, especially by her own team. They kept on arguing. "Who are they?", Nobara asked. To stop them from talking, Noriko stood up and had her plain blank expression plastered on her face as she greeted her higher-ups, her senpais. "Good day, Maki-senpai, Panda-senpai and Inumaki-senpai", she stood straight and bowed her head down to each second-year students. "They are the second-year students", Megumi answered Nobara's question. "Kelp", Inumaki greeted and she smiled slightly, just to show respect. She continued to stand up as Megumi introduced the second-year students to Nobara – the two were still seated. "Zenin-senpai is the best student when it comes to using cursed weapons", Megumi says pointing at the ponytailed girl on his left side. "Salted salmon roe", Inumaki called out. "This is Inumaki-senpai, a cursed speech sorcerer. His vocabulary is limited to onigiri filling ingredients", Megumi explained. "But you're gentler when you're with Yuta", Panda thought to himself. "And this is Panda-senpai", he finishes off. "We still have one more senior, Okkotsu-senpai. He's the only one I respect, but… he's currently overseas", he says to Nobara as he stands up from his seat and looks at his seniors. "So, you're just gonna say he's Panda, without saying anything else?", Nobara pouts. "Panda-senpai is a cursed corpse and is pretty much stronger than he looks", Noriko smirks, closing her eyes, her head pointing at the ground – she respects all of her seniors, but she likes Panda more, because of his combat skills. She likes Yuta, too, but sometimes she thinks he's weird. "Ah", was the only reply of Nobara. "Sorry to bother your mourning", Panda apologizes to the three as his hands were in prayer-position. "Please forgive us. Actually, we were hoping you three would join us in the Kyoto Sister-School Goodwill Event", Nobara stood up. "What's that?", she asked as she was knew to the whole thing. She looks at Megumi awaiting his answer. "It's an exchange with another sorcery school in Kyoto", Megumi answered, his gaze a little bit confused. "Why us? Isn't that for third and second-year students?", Noriko asked her seniors. The Sister-School Goodwill Event, showcases a number of games and trials for second-year and third-year students. Usually, first-years aren't allowed to play such games, for they don't have the capacity, or the higher-ups just underestimates their power. "Those good-for-nothing third-years are suspended from school. So you guys have to come", Maki gushed. Noriko seemed pleased by hearing this. It was a way she could take her mind off of what happened to Yuji. She was looking forward to getting back her old self and to train some more to be stronger than she already is.
