Chapter 24

"DOMAIN EXPANSION, MALEVOLENT SHRINE!"

It happened rather fast, much to the shock of Suiryu. He took Fushiguro out to an open and vast land to be safe than sorry, away from the humans and going ons of the mortal world. He watched as Megumi summoned the strongest shikigami in his possession. However, Mahorage was still too powerful for him to contend against. Suiryu watched as Fushiguro was forced to the brink, despite his shadow possession ability, it wasn't enough to take down Mahorage. There was no choice but to step in.

However, at the same time, Suiryu had to be careful. This shikigami is a quick learner, and no doubt it remembered his face and his capabilities. When he summoned malevolent shrine, he kept Fushiguro behind him as the domain did the rest. It relentlessly hacked away at Mahorage until its regeneration wouldn't work. It took one fire arrow to the head to finish him off. When it was finally defeated, Suiryu lowered the domain but sighed with relief. "Shit man," he said aloud as he turned to Fushiguro.

Megumi however wasn't pleased with himself, it anything, he looked embarrassed. "I'm sorry…"

"Shut it, you don't apologize for failing. I put you up to this, and I was able to see what happened and where you lack. Power, that's obvious; also Mahorage's adaptation to attack is something else." He paused and began to think. "I haven't had you guys run the mountain recently with all the shit going on…" he muttered off handedly.

"I was moving on to level eleven I think…" Megumi explained.

"Yeah, but I think the mountain can only do so much. Perhaps it's best at the moment, you spar with me."

He saw him turn white in the face. Normally a student will ask a teacher for a spar session. Suiryu however is insisting that he comes Megumi's new sparring partner. "Think of it, I can show you where you are lacking. As well, we have a proper idea as to how strong Mahorage really is. We cannot use the curse energy technique I taught you to tame the alpha wolf. Mahorage is a whole different beast to contend with."

"You said Sukuna had trouble with that guy too, right?"

Suiryu nodded. "I wouldn't say trouble, knowing that bastard. He probably toyed with him first to see what it was capable of. He defeated Mahorage the same way I just did, summoning the domain to relentlessly attack him. The thing is, we have to get you to move as fast and hit just as hard as malevolent shrine and follow up with a powerful final blow…"

Fushiguro nodded. "I am nowhere near fast enough…"

"No, which is why we need to evolve your technique…"

He paused to the news. "Evolve it?"

"Yes, Yuuji does it all the time now, when he gains a new curse ability, he is able to evolve it to the next phase. I, myself haven't the slightest clue as to how he does it. For me, I'm trapped in Sukuna's mindset. He sees how a technique is executed and then will use that to his advantage. Not to mention he will take what he wants from it to add to his own…"

"The markings…" Megumi whispered.

Suiryu nodded. "I told you before that his demonic markings were for a reason, right?"

"So… how do we evolve it, if you don't know how to?"

Suiryu merely smiled. "I change my mindset." He explained. "I've been thinking like the bastard long enough. It's about time I started thinking like Yuuji."

The look of worry didn't vanish from Megumi's face. "Uh… no offence, half the time, I don't understand Itadori's way of thinking."

"Me either, but something is telling me it's gut instinct to say the least. As well, his mind looks at everything differently. Consider you and me in a sense grew up knowing about curse energy, how it works, why it works… he was thrown into it and had to think on the fly in order to cope with it, didn't he?"

Silence befell them. "I never considered that,"

"Now, we consider it. We're both going into this blind to say the least, but I think the two of us can evolve the method you are using."

He suddenly went from worried, to curious. "What do you intend on doing to evolve ten shadow summoning?"

"We already know you can possess your shadows, or vise versa to say the least, I still don't understand how that works…"

"The fox lady that helps Itadori all the time, she taught it to me."

"Figures…" he muttered. "What we need to do now is have you obtain the strengths of your summons… without summoning them or using shadow possession."

This took him aback. Suiryu however began to go over everything in his mind as to how to do this, and yet there were many variables that stand before them in perfecting this method. One is simply how to even establish such a connection to his summons, and then gain their strength without calling them out.

"I think we will have some research to do, you up for it Megumi?"

He looked determined and nodded his head. "How do we start?" he asked.

Suiryu then tried to think like Yuuji, the first thing that popped into his head was. "Have you ever asked your shikigami for their strength before?"

"When I summoned them,"

"But have you asked them for merely their strength for yourself? Similar to shadow possession, yet have their power infuse into you? But something tells me you need to ask for their permission before we even attempt such a thing."

"Ask? Like politely ask them?" he questioned.

"I am thinking that's what Yuuji would say."

With a shrug, Fushiguro summoned Nue. The bird like creature came out and stood before Fushiguro.

He appeared reluctant to speak but then sighed. "Nue, you have been a great companion and battle ally, I ask if there is a way that I can obtain your power without calling upon you?" he asked gently.

It's head crooked to the side oddly, and nearly went all the way around in confusion, wondering what was asked of it. "Keep talking, it's trying to process your question." Suiryu whispered.

He tried to speak with it again. "Nue, may I please use your electrical attack for myself?"

Then it appeared to have gotten the message. The bird like shadow vanished back into Fushiguro's shadow. He peered at it but nothing happened. "Guess it didn't work…"

Suiryu however smirked. "Look at your hands." Right on his wrists were feathers. His hands were turning clawed but that was the extent of the change.

"Wait… what is this?!"

"Call upon it," Suiryu insisted.

Megumi was reluctant, until he closed his eyes. Sparks could be seen coming off his fingertips, until the crackle of lightning followed! When his eyes opened, he had powerful waves of electricity surging off the tips of his fingers!

However, it got out of control rather fast.

Electricity began to surge all around him, to the point it couldn't be contained!

"Suiryu!" Megumi said with a slight worried tone to his voice.

He had to settle him down, Suiryu started to approach, when something else came from behind him, the lightning instantly settled and was taken out of Fushiguro's hands. He collapsed to his knees before he turned.

"Umph?"

"Yuuji? What the hell are you doing here?!" Suiryu demanded.

"Umph!" and pointed to Megumi.

"Huh?"

"He was worried about you apparently… but still, how did he find us?" Suiryu muttered. "Let alone leave the school, aren't you nervous now to leave the grounds?"

There wasn't a look of fear in Yuuji's eyes. In fact, it was just like when he first started this transformation, still rather fearless. Yet the longer they stayed out, the more he saw him get nervous.

"Let's call it a day, Fushiguro."

He agreed as he stared at his hands. "That… was weird." He muttered. "How did Itadori…"

"Light elemental… despite the curse and divine energy being sealed, it appears he still can use the elemental power to an extent. He may have just used enough to take that surge out of you."

Megumi turned. "Thanks Itadori."

Yuuji smiled proudly to his work, yet as they walked back to the school, Suiryu found his brother getting oddly close to him. His eyes darted around all over the place, as he felt unsettled once more. "We're almost home, when we get back, go and rest okay?" he said gently.

Yuuji nodded in agreement.

When they reached the school grounds, he ran off and back to his room. "This shit is getting weirder and weirder…" Suiryu muttered.

#

He didn't sleep a single wink.

Suiryu laid in his bed without a moment of rest. "Good thing I don't really need to sleep…" he muttered. But what bothered him was what he saw the night before. Yuuji was acting strange… well… stranger than normal.

Suiryu was in the kitchen at the time as he saw his brother going from closet to closet, room to room, gathering up anything he could use. "What the hell is he doing now?" muttered Fushiguro. "He already took the blankets and towels… oh wait, the new stuff you ordered came didn't it?"

He peered over to see for himself, Yuuji just raided the bathroom and came out with his arms full of towels. "Bro, you only need two for the shower at the most. Why are you taking all the towels again!" he called.

It made him stop for a moment in the hallway. Yuuji peered down realizing what he was doing but still he carried them back to his room without hesitation. "I don't like the look of this," Megumi muttered.

"Nor do I…" He decided to get a closer look, Suiryu went to the room and found Yuuji wondering about, and yet he was arranging everything he gathered on the floor. He just rebuilt his nest again for God knows how many times. Yet just as before, he keeps making it bigger for himself. "What the hell…" Suiryu muttered.

Yuuji turned to him, startled to see him standing there, but them proudly displayed his arrangement. "Uh… huh… why are you making this again?" Suiryu asked.

He shrugged his shoulders.

"Wanna just tell me, I noticed as of late, you haven't been speaking a lot, if at all. You aren't mad at me are you?" he asked.

His eyes widened as he shook his head. He then stared at Suiryu oddly, but was stunned. He pointed to his head oddly. "What? Are you asking if I heard your thoughts? I got nothing here."

Yuuji paused, his eyes widened as his mouth drooped, he appeared depressed now. "Bro, listen to me, and listen good. You haven't been acting like yourself for the past few days. What's wrong?" he asked.

He watched as Yuuji looked him in the eyes, he shook his head. Was he indicating nothing was wrong? Or he didn't know if he knew what was wrong?

UMPH!

His hungry call went out, which prompted the appearance of Kitsune once more. "Hello young master… I was getting worried you weren't having your pre bedtime meal,"

"Pre bed time meal? Since when?" Suiryu asked.

"About a week, he tends to eat before going to bed, since doing this I don't have to feed him in the middle of the night anymore." She explained.

Yuuji was quick to gulp down the milk, but he was doing it in a far more greedy fashion than usual! Kitsune paused to his actions. "Young master, take your time, no one is taking this from you…" she said gently.

He finished it, but did the hungry call again!

"More? Since when do you ask for seconds on this?" Suiryu demanded.

"He's been drinking nearly double for the past three days," said Kitsune.

He was getting a bad feeling about all of this. Yet the moment Yuuji had his second helping, he yawned aloud. It was time for bed on his end. "Suiryu…" He turned as Kitsune nudged towards the door. The two said their good night to Yuuji and closed the door behind them. Yet when they did, Kitsune turned to him. "This isn't right," she whispered. "Young dragons don't drink this much in such a short span,"

He nodded in agreement. "He can have an appetite, but when it comes to dragon milk… yeah, it's worrying me too,"

Kitsune kept peering back at the door, her hand gently went upon it. "I wish I knew more about this, to better prepare young master for the challenges ahead. But… I don't know what to expect…"

"You think I do? I only got memories of Sukuna laughing at the poor souls that tried to become a dragon, all of them killed themselves before even finishing the first step of the first phase!" he protested. "We ought to make notes…"

"Impossible,"

He paused to her tone. "Let me guess, there's a taboo on this?" he questioned.

Her head nodded, but it does make sense. After all, if there were detailed information for a sorcerer to become a dragon and the many paths to take, it would cause a lot more harm than good now wouldn't it. He cringed at the thought of Sukuna having such information at his disposal. He sighed aloud. "Well, guess we are going to be pulling this one out of our ass," he muttered.

"Either way, please… please take care of young master… you promise right!" she demanded of him.

"Who do you think you are talking to?" Suiryu snapped back. "That there is my brother, the very reason why I'm alive right now! Why wouldn't I take care of him?"

She said nothing more after that.

Since then, Suiryu had gone to bed, but never slept.

What he saw just didn't sit well with him the least bit, and it continued to fester in his mind at night. "He's nesting, but why would he be nesting… what's the purpose of it?" he muttered.

Looking to the clock, it was already four in the morning. He sighed aloud and decided to get the day started.