Chapter 20

"Ugh… my head…"

The world was a blur at first. But slowly, his eyes fluttered open. Yuuji paused as he found himself in an unfamiliar place, but was oddly settled realizing he was comfortable. "Huh…" looking about, he laid upon a beanbag bed of some sort, there was a thick blanket over top of him as he slowly eased himself up. "Where… oh right, the training grounds Suiryu rebuilt…" he muttered.

But something was amiss.

Yuuji sensed so much moving curse energy within the compound!

"I though he sealed this place off…" slowly he got to his feet, yet shuttered from the chill, he was without his sweater. "How come every time I pass out, I don't have a shirt?" he mumbled.

But luckily there was one close by. He was quick to put it on as his stomach roared. "Damn it, I haven't eaten…" he wondered out of the dorm but looked about. Nothing appeared out of place… except for that sudden trench that was before him. "I don't remember making that…"

He continued on. Venturing to the dorm where they kept the supplies, Yuuji wondered in and found food on the table still. There was even a note. "In the microwave"

Curious he checked and found a large breakfast awaiting him!

"Since when did Suiryu learn to cook?" he wondered, but it didn't matter. He was starving!

He ate everything in a minute, he went around and clearing whatever was leftover on the table before he was satisfied. "Now I better find Suiryu, we were suppose to make a new curse or something…"

Yet despite just waking up, Yuuji felt his head spin. His body pulsed shortly after as his arms started to tingle oddly. "Ugh… did I eat too fast?" he muttered. He fell asleep on the table once more…

#

"Yuuji…. Yuuji… Hey sleepy head…"

His head tossed and turned as he heard Suiryu teasingly trying to wake him up. His eyes opened once more as Suiryu peered down at him. "Ah, there he is, welcome back to the land of the living!"

His eyes snapped open. "Oh God, did I die?" he asked in a panicked tone.

Suiryu snickered. "Nah, but you were out cold." He said. "Besides, I got some people to introduce you to, so get your ass out of bed!"

He left before he could question him. Yet as Yuuji sat up once more, he was back in the beanbag bed, but something felt off. There was energy here that he didn't sense before.

But he got up anyways, just as he stretched himself out. He heard another yawn!

Still in a daze, he turned as a slim figure sat up off the ground, stretching himself out. The two paused. "Morning Yuuji…"

"Hey Junpei," he said casually.

It was an awkward silence, until Yuuji suddenly woke. "Junpei…." He turned around and snapped his friend into his arms. "JUNPEI!"

Tears followed as the embrace was returned. When he pulled away, Junpei froze at the sight of him. "Whoa… Yuuji…"

Abruptly, he put some distance between them. He felt ashamed suddenly. "Oh… yeah… I went though some changes…" he muttered. He forgot since coming to the training grounds, he took off his 'cloaking' ability and had his arms and curse marks exposed.

But Junpei smirked. "You're not the only one…" he said and brushed back his bangs. He revealed the discolored side of his face, the black eye and oozing curse mark.

Yuuji froze in shock. "Wait, how… I mean… I saw you…"

He shrugged his shoulders. "I don't quite know how to explain it either, but I think you need to talk to Suiryu about it."

That's what he was afraid of.

Yuuji marched out of the dorm, as he did, he saw Suiryu standing before eight others with powerful curse energy. They would be special grade curses if ranked!

Yet as he appeared, everything came to a stop as the new faces paused and took notice of him. Their eyes widened and then… they smiled.

"BROTHER!" they cheered aloud and came running at him!

"Wait… Brother? Hold on…" Yuuji noticed two of the faces instantly. "Wait, I know you…"

A sharp whistle however got everyone's attention. "Hey, he just woke up, give him some room!" Suiryu ordered.

They backed up as Yuuji began to see what was going on, he turned and glared at Suiryu. "What… did you do?" he demanded.

Suiryu however was smiling a wicked grin. "Well, since you wouldn't do it… your roommate did," he laughed. "That crafty bastard…"

"So he ATE the wombs, not me…"

"Yeah,"

"And how did this happen…" Yuuji asked as he pointed to the brothers.

Suiryu suddenly became a little quieter. "Oh, right… uh…" he was normally a quick to explain something… or lie about it, but perhaps he didn't have time to consider either or.

"Yuuji, according to him, you ate the souls of the brothers… and mine, then you began to devour special grade curses, but… broke down their bodies to make ours… what did you call this… transfiguration reincarnation?" Junpei asked.

"Shit he paid attention…" Suiryu muttered.

Yuuji froze. His face went blank as he glared at Suiryu. "Transfiguration reincarnation… So in other words…"

"They came from you, yes." Suiryu said. "BUT, hear me out…"

"Why should I?"

"Brother, don't be upset," pleaded the massive one of the nine.

"HE USED ME… AGAIN!" Yuuji protested.

Suiryu didn't deny it, but there was no explanation he could give as to why. Yuuji was pissed to say the least, however a gentle hand came on his shoulder. "Yuuji, can we talk?" Junpei asked.

He sighed aloud and nodded. The two wondered off the campgrounds. Yet were silent as they walked through the woods. Yuuji was pissed to say the least. It was like when Sukuna used his body! But he would never dare to say that out loud.

"I know you are upset to say the least… but can you look at it in a positive perspective?"

Yuuji paused. "He got me curse pregnant in a sense!" he protested. "How do you think I feel!?"

"Used, betrayed, the person you thought you could trust ends up being the one to stab you?" he said.

It made him pause, as upset as he was, he didn't quite feel THAT bad about it. "I just wish he would respect my decision… both of them for that matter."

Junpei nodded. "I came back because of him." He said gently. "Yuuji, he managed to gather up what remained of me… from where I died at school… I was going to become a curse again due to what happened, the regret I had for betraying you. But that changed when he managed to save me, the brothers… the brothers have been good to me as well. I never had such a thing before."

"I know two of them all too well,"

"They remember you too, but at the same time, they are grateful for what you did for them. Despite how it happened, they are a family and are together."

"There was one more…" he said offhandedly.

"Yeah, you're looking at him. The youngest wasn't strong enough to survive this, so his life essence went into me… so I would be strong enough to survive it. Yuuji… Suiryu told us about what is happening, the other sorcerers that are coming. We're here to fight next to you!"

He paused to the decree. "Wait, what?"

"It's the reason why Suiryu wanted us here, why he wanted you to consume what you did to bring them here. We're going to stand next to you in this fight to come. I want to make amends for what happened between us, the brothers… they are going because I am. They want to support me, and then, they realized what you did for them and wish to support you back."

He sighed to it, Suiryu didn't mean to force this. He was just desperate since he knew they needed the help. As strong as everyone is becoming, it may not be enough when the time comes. He began to nod his head to it all. "Okay then," he muttered. "I understand… I just wish next time he respects when I say no, I mean it!"

Junpei nodded in agreement. "Well… wanna go meet my new brothers? Well… OUR new brothers?" he asked with a grin.

He nodded.

As they wondered back, he paused. "Say, how long have you guys been around for?" he asked offhandedly

Junpei smiled. "A month,"

"Oh… Wait…" Yuuji froze, realizing he had been a sleep for a whole month!