Chapter 11

'Thank God for texting…' Yuuji thought.

It's been his main form of communication as of late. He was able to text and make a group chat to ensure he got what he needed to say to everyone. As nice as it was, he was still bummed out that he couldn't go on missions. Since he no longer possessed curse energy or divine energy to say the least, his chakra energy though wouldn't be enough to battle the curses. Instead, he had gone into the city to do some shopping and sight seeing.

Yuuji would find a few things to get, yet at the same time, he could sense something was off. 'What is that?' he wondered.

Then again, with no curse or divine energy, he shouldn't be able to sense anything!

He was about to continue until he froze as a fairy of all things appeared before him!

It was panicked and kept pointing behind him. He didn't turn around, but kept walking forward. 'I wish I could tell it I know, but if I turn around, whoever is stalking me is going to be made aware.' He thought. Then paused oddly once more. 'How can I see it if I can't access my divine power?' he wondered. At the same time, he worried to, should he start to panic and make the distress call, he would be opening up another can of worms in a sense.

He knew whoever was behind him was a divine user.

If they were part of what made him lose his teeth and voice, they would be anticipating it. After all, a divine user would want an opportunity to obtain divine creatures, what better way to do so than to stress out someone like him?

He took a moment, placing his hand over his throat he cut off the throat chakra on purpose, no sound would emit from him even if he panics. The little fairy he had was stunned, until he took out his phone. Sending a text he typed. 'In the city, being followed, throat chakra closed off.'

The moment he sent the text out the fairy used it to type. 'Run!'

He shook his head and wrote. 'They don't think I know they are there, if I run, they will be made aware. Let's bide time,'

It appeared stunned, the fairy merely nodded and flew off shortly after. Yuuji knew he had to hold out as long as he could, so he wondered into a coffee shop. He would wait it out in here for a moment. "Next!"

He jumped. 'Oh right, better get something…' he walked up to the bar, cleared the screen and typed an order. They were happy to oblige him with a drink as he took a seat in the back. There, he pretended to slowly savor it, but felt the presence growing. His stalker followed him in. A lavishing young woman with dark red hair, she wore a revealing black corset and tight pants to match. She ordered a drink as well but then peered about the coffee bar until she saw him. A coy grin followed as she played the cool girl.

She brushed back her hair in a flirty manner. "Mind if I join you?" she asked in a gentle voice.

He offered his best, surprised look and offered the seat across from him. They drank in silence but she kept looking at him oddly. "I know you!" she said. "You're Suiryu!" she cheered.

Ah, could that be it?

No, his mind was screaming, this is a baited question.

He brushed back his hair up a little as it stood up on end, he gave a coy grin and smirk towards her. "I thought so! I should have known it was you!" she laughed. "I heard that you got a brother too, he here?"

He shook his head.

"Oh? Are you shy?" she asked as she leaned in. "Come on, let me hear that voice of yours! That swavv, cool, calm and collected one…" she teased.

Yuuji smirked as he took out his phone and wrote. "Sorry, lost my voice, laryngitis" when she read it, she was taken aback.

"Oh, I'm sorry to hear that!"

He waved it off as he continued to fake enjoy his drink. His eyes however continued to drift towards the windows, those gathering outside began to grow. His phone then went off, peering down he saw a message.

"Where the hell are you!?" from Nobara of all people.

He texted back the coffee bar in the city, it was one of those hole in the walls with only a single location, Espresso Express it was called. When he sent it, she wrote back right away. "STAY!" was her order.

He smirked and tucked his phone away.

"Say… do you want to get out of here?" she asked with a coy grin.

But Yuuji waved her off.

"What, are you saying I am not beautiful!" she demanded and started to make a scene. Yuuji kept calm and sat there as she made a fool of herself. However he felt he knew where this was going and began to push his chair back and away from her. He was nearly sitting at another table with a couple when the woman began to yell. "HE GRABBED BY BREASTS!"

Instantly people stopped and stared once more as the couple he happened to be sitting next to paused. "How could he over here… look buddy, don't pick up crazy chicks" the guy stated.

He will admit, this woman put on a hell of a show as she sobbed aloud that no one believed her. Yet with everyone staring, they knew she was faking it. It also helped since he had a very 'Suiryu' look going on that they began to believe it was a crazed fan after him to make him look bad.

She rushed out of the coffee shop. Yuuji moved back to his table but paused, she was outside, meeting with her partners in crime.

His phone went off again.

Peering down, he saw it was from Suiryu. "Cover your ears" was all it said.

He smirked as he did just that.

Suddenly, everyone in the bar and outside dropped, out cold and sound asleep. Yuuji made his way out and saw Inumaki just outside of the store. A small curtain went up so it limited the projection of his voice to the store and those outside. He gave him the thumbs up as Suiryu came down from the rooftops. He sneered at the stalkers who were out cold. "Bro, you cannot wonder alone anymore, not now." He warned.

'Oh how the tables have turned on me, did I get lectured for letting you do this?' he thought.

Suiryu however wasn't laughing.

He peered down at the stalkers. "You need to go," he said in a callous tone. "Now!"

He was stunned to his order, but nodded. Yuuji began to walk away as Suiryu appeared to be gathering up those who stalked him…

#

There were 10 of them.

Five of the divine and five of the curse users, by appearance alone, they didn't seem like much, but upon closer inspection. Suiryu sensed their power. At least three second grade and two first grade for the curse. Divine, he was uncertain.

There was only one place to bring them too for an intense interrogation.

Suiryu sat in wait as they woke up from the curse speech, each one was bounded to the chair with talismans and woke in a daze. "Huh… where…" some muttered.

The room was dark, only a single light bulb above them offered light. Suiryu however appeared just outside of it, but he knew his eyes were glowing a vengeful red about now. "I told you assholes to leave my brother alone… apparently I was too lenient on that warning…"

The woman in black trembled. "Please, I can explain… we thought he was YOU!" she stated.

He paused. "So, you are after me as well…"

"Just… you at the moment," she confessed.

He looked at her oddly, trying to determine if she was telling the truth. He leaned into the light as he examined her. "Do you know who I am?" he asked.

She hesitated.

"You know OF me, but not who I am… Did those asshole not tell you anything?" he asked and looked to the cursed users. "I go by Suiryu Itadori… The one I call brother… doesn't have a brother… did you know that?" he asked.

Her eyes widened in shock, she glared at the curse users. "You said that the demon vessel had a brother we could use for our own purposes!" she protested. Suiryu couldn't help but feel this was a bit of a show on her part. After all, the curse users stared back at her as if she were crazy.

"Well, a clone made from his flesh and blood along with some cursed energy, it's obvious they didn't tell you about me to say the least. Well then, let's see what else they didn't tell you. Why are you after me?" he demanded.

She fell silent.

"The less you talk, the less there will be of you," he warned.

"What… what do you…"

"AAAHHHHH!"

The man at the end of the row vanished, as a demonic tongue lapped him up and into a disturbing and monstrous mouth! The moment he vanished, they froze and trembled fearfully. "My brother Sho hasn't eaten well as of late, so, start talking or he works his way down the line here… Whose first?"

"We want your necklace!" shouted the woman with red hair.

"Robin…"

"Shut up, or do you want to die!" she snapped back.

"Ah, Robin is it? Tell me, why do you want…" he reached in his shirt and teased her with it. "This?"

She glared at him. "That's the pendent of the Tooru family, my client wants it. Claiming it is his. But he also said he wanted you over the demon vessel!" she stated.

"I'm touched really, someone holds me higher than my brother. Real cute. But curious, why does someone want me over my brother?" He paused oddly. "Huh… that is a good question to ask right now. Who on earth would want the likes of me, over him?" he asked curiously. But there was no answer. It didn't matter to him at the moment anyways. "Well, since you are so interested in this. I should tell you that the necklace has an alternative purpose for me…" he took it off and revealed his curse marks.

"Sukuna…" said one of the curse users.

"Came from him, not the bastard," he corrected. "Moving on. Robin, is it… Why did you stalk my brother… your eyes are lying to me. You knew it was him,"

She froze as Sho's stomach rumbled. His belly opened up and rejected the rope, talismans and chair that bounded one of her companions.

She trembled once more fearfully, but Suiryu's glare turned to the curse users. "You told her it wasn't me but the demon vessel, encouraged her to try and lure him out, didn't you?"

"Brother, allow me…" Sho said with a greedy grin.

"Let's see what they have to say for themselves…"

"We knew it was the demon vessel!" one confessed. "We thought if we got him ahead of time, you would come looking for him!" he shouted. "We would also get the full bounty and not have to split it with the others we worked with!"

"I see, I see…" Suiryu hung back in the chair for a moment. "So are you part of the bigger picture going on, or are you grunts?" he asked.

"What… what do you mean?" Robin questioned with worry.

"Why are you after my brother and the necklace? What were your orders for this? What is your reasoning?"

Robin began to cry. "We… we were only told to retrieve the necklace and if we got the demon vessel… we would be rewarded for our efforts. We don't know who gave the order, we're mercenaries!" she wept.

'I see, use throw away grunts to do the dirty work without revealing your sources or your mastermind… not bad' he thought. 'She plays a good crying game too, despite lying to me. Again, not like it matters right now.' He stood up from his chair. "Do you have anything else to offer me? Where you were suppose to drop these items off?" he asked. He placed the necklace back on as his curse marks vanished.

"We… we were told to call a number when we gained the items…" one named Robin confessed. "It's in my phone."

"Good to know then," Suiryu began to leave the room. But he paused at the door. "Sho… make sure you don't destroy her phone…"

"Wait! Please!" but he was already out the door, just as he heard the screams fill the room…