Chapter 37

Momo was looking from the sky, what's strange was that despite the fact they claimed that the demon vessel has gotten stronger, she didn't sense any of his curse energy. "You guys got anything?" she called on the communicator.

"Nothing, they must have tricked us…" Mia muttered. "Keep an eye out still, who knows what tricks they have in store for us."

"Typical first years, they think they can…" Suddenly she was struck!

She never saw it coming but was taken out of the sky in a single hit!

Momo was knocked off her broom and was about to hit the ground hard but was caught last minute. She froze as she stared into the face of the demon vessel. "That was close, sorry you could have gotten hurt," he said gently. "Oh, and sorry for this…" one of his demonic hands went on her stomach, she felt a strange pulse come from it, and then, her energy was taken!

She couldn't move!

He gently placed her back on the ground, at the same time he took what energy was in her broom for himself. "Thank you for this, and don't worry, here's a tag to make sure no curse spirits try and attack you," he said and bowed respectfully.

#

"MOMO! MOMO! ANSWER ME!"

There was nothing, no answer as the group froze to the development. "He must have gotten Momo…" Mia explained.

"Take out the eyes, not bad little bro…" Aoi said offhandedly.

"We can't let our guard down!" she protested. She got in contact with their next best set of eyes. Kamo.

"Do you see anything Kamo?" she asked.

"Nothing yet, it's too quite. Whatever this vessel is doing, it appears to have been… GAH!"

"Kamo?!" Mia shouted.

No response. "Shit, he got him too!"

The more Mia tried to figure out what to do next, the more her team was taken out. She came across Momo in a few yards. She wasn't hurt, just out cold. Almost as if she fell asleep. "Why is her curse energy so low?"

"She many have used too much looking for him…" Aoi said offhandedly. He snickered. "We called him a demon vessel when he made certain our classmates are safe after being knocked out. How fortunate…"

"Quite singing his praises!" she snapped back. "We better regroup and make sure no one else gets taken out…"

She froze, something caught her attention as the bushes near by began to rustle oddly. With her gun ready, she took aim. If this demon vessel shows his face, she is going to hit him between the eyes!

The barrel cocked as the rustling grew, yet stumbling out was none other than Kasumi. She appeared rather winded but was stunned to see Mai pull a gun on her! "Hey!" she protested.

Mai sighed aloud as she placed the gun away. "Watch your footing next time!" she ordered. "Looks like it's just us three now. Arata doesn't have battle experience nor is his abilities used for battle…" she muttered.

Aoi paused as he began to listen to the forest. It was too quite for his liking. "Something is going on here…" he said offhandedly. "You feel that?"

"Feel what?" Mai demanded. "Look, I don't care of this guy is your so called brother, he took out two of our own!" she protested. "It's only you, me and Kasumi…" She turned to point to her, but Kasumi vanished without a sound!

"Told you," Aoi said. He stood rather tall and shouted. "LITTLE BROTHER! COME ON OUT!"

"Do you really think he is going to show up because you called?" she demanded.

"Why wouldn't I?"

She turned fast and fired three shots, but no one was there!

"You're wasting bullets…"

Somehow, the demon vessel kept getting behind her. But he was smiling to it all playfully. "Besides, I would be careful, you don't want to hurt anyone around you with those, right?"

"Oh little bro… look at you!" laughed Aoi.

The vessel laughed. "Yeah, I grew a little… got some extra limbs… still weird though with this, you try sleeping on extra arms? They go numb and then you wake up with pins and needles!"

"Enough of this shit! What the hell are you doing!" she demanded.

"Oh, me?" he asked. "Honestly, I don't really know…"

She froze to the news. "You… don't know what you're doing?" she demanded fearfully.

"Sort of?" he said in a confused tone. "I really don't understand it myself, I was told this was to be a training session…"

"DIE!"

She unloaded her gun, yet he appeared to have stood perfectly still… yet avoided all the bullets with ease. "Seriously, be careful with that!" he protested.

She merely smirked as she used her own curse energy for one final shot.

#

Yuuji didn't know what to make of it all. But he had to admit, the energy he got was rather different than what he is use to consuming. He tested out his abilities too, Momo was able to fly, now he can too! Kamo can make arrows and weapons from his own blood… that he will wait on trying. Kasumi's curse energy involves a sword so that too will wait for now. Mai on the other hand, she can make things with her own energy… that he was curious about.

Maki also warned him ahead of time that she can do such a thing, but only once. So this, he will have to make count.

She took aim at him once more. She fired a single cursed bullet from the gun and he anticipated it. With great speed and accuracy, he caught it in mid air, and absorbed it through his hand! "Not bad… needs a little more oof if you ask me…"

She froze as he suddenly rushed her. His hand went on her stomach and he took a little more from her to knock her out.

Gently he laid her on the ground and turned to Aoi, who was smiling from ear to ear. "It's still you, right brother?" he asked.

Yuuji nodded, but his eyes drifted to Aoi's hand. He remembered the day he lost it, and now, perhaps he can fix it. "Would you mind… if I tried something?" he asked gently and pointed to his hand. "Can I try… and fix that for you?"

Aoi froze, Yuuji didn't think he would trust him, after all he looks so much different than before. Yet he was stunned when he was offered the stub. "What do you think you can do?" he asked.

"I… I don't know, but if I remember…" he then recalled the lesson from Kitsune the night before last. How Sukuna easily regenerated his hand, he said a human limb was more difficult but, it's possible… With a deep breath he took hold of the limb with all four hands. He then envisioned his brother's hand forming. The skin began to ooze, swell and bubble as Aoi had a strained look on his face. But the fingers started to form, the stub grew out of a mass that would be the palms and then, the hand formed!

He let go as Aoi screamed aloud. But when he pulled away, he looked and found his hand had returned. "Brother…"

"Did I do it okay?"

"It's my hand!"

Yuuji was rather proud of himself, his chest swelled out proudly as Aoi pulled him into a firm embrace. "Thank you!" he whispered.

He couldn't help but return the hug. "It's the least I could do…"

The two pulled away. Aoi then smiled and slapped his stomach. "Take what you need!" he decreed.

Yuuji froze. "If I do, you do realize I will have your abilities… right…"

"Brothers share, take it," he stated.

Yuuji nodded as he placed a hand to his stomach, there he took what he needed but left more than enough for him to function. The power he felt was incredible. "Wow…" he whispered.

"Now, you need to learn how to use it, I can swap places with things that have curse energy within range of my clap. So I can switch with people and cursed objects and weapons. Now, you also need to know how to control it too, you remembered when those spirit began to catch on, but I threw them off when I didn't transfer myself or anything right?"

"Right…"

"Now, let's begin our lesson!"

#

"And I think that's game, set and match!" Gojo said rather contently.

Principal Yaga shook his head to it all. "I still don't understand what the hell I just felt out there. It was like a jump and drop in curse energy!" he stated.

"Maybe it was, but no one really cares to look into it. I am going to go round everyone up…"

Gojo left before anyone could protest. However he was glad to see Yuuji train with Aoi, the two learn well off of each other and Aoi was one of the few sorcerers that treated Yuuji like a human being. When he found them, the two were going back and forth, training on his clap technique. He could already see the gears turning in Itadori's head. He couldn't wait to pick the kid's brain later as to what he wishes to use that ability for.

But first thing's first.

He gathered the fallen students from Kyoto. Bringing them to the medical area for treatment, despite the fact they just needed rest to recover the loss of energy. When he returned, he called aloud. "YUUJI, YOU WON, GAME OVER!"

"Oh?" Itadori said as he appeared to completely forget why he was outside doing this session.

But then Gojo saw Aoi's hand, the one lost has since been returned. "Oh? How did this happen?" he asked as he peered at Aoi's repaired limb.

He smiled proudly. "My little brother!" he said. "Fixed me up good, I didn't know he could do that!"

"Me either…" Gojo said offhandedly. He knows about his regeneration power, but to use that on another person in such a way… curious.

"Well, let's go you two, no doubt I am going to get an earful on this…"