Chapter 3

Tokyo, abandoned building, one block away from a local hospital.

Kiyoshi was trembling with anticipation. He stood before this large building and knew there was a reason why they were here. After all, no one else was around.

"Before we go in, we are going to suppress our aura. At the moment Kiyoshi, you're is unleashed and isn't being controlled too well." His father explained.

"Okay… how?" he asked.

His father gently put his hand to his chest. Kiyoshi felt warmth come from the palm before it felt odd, as something gathered towards his father's hand. "What do you feel?"

Kiyoshi closed his eyes. "I feel… fine. But… I can't describe it."

His eyes opened, he froze a little as this odd energy appeared to be bubbling around his father. "Dad…"

"This is curse energy, I am using this as an example, do you see how it coats my body? It's all around me? This is very much like the aura you have, however yours is more like this…"

He flared!

Kiyoshi even stepped back as it continued to grow! Had it been a fire, it would have consumed the building they were standing in front of! But, as quickly as it appeared, it settled again. Then, vanished.

"That's your aura, perhaps this is why you haven't seen a curse yet is because this aura is unleashed, and they will not want to be anywhere near you."

He froze. Why didn't he think of that!?

"So… it's kinda like sucking in your gut right?"

His father snickered and nodded. "You can sense your aura, your power. Now, gently pull it back into yourself, think to yourself, you are invisible."

It was a strange way to explain it, but he tried the method.

It took ten minutes to perfect, and another ten to hold it so he wouldn't scare off curses. When his father nodded to his progress, they proceeded with the curse hunt.

"In this building is probably a second grade…" he paused and sniffed the air. "More than one apparently, so we got our work cut out for us. Now, do you see anything?"

Kiyoshi was determined to see a curse. He kept his mind clear and aura suppressed. But, he tried to do as his father did. Smelling the air, he picked up nothing but dust and musty scents. But then, he saw something fleet before his eyes.

His father didn't react to it at all, were his eyes playing tricks on him?

"Did you see something move over there?" Kiyoshi asked.

His father smiled and nodded. "That would be a low grade curse, so low it's not even registered or considered a threat. Still, good practice. Since a curse can grow stronger if it is able to gain more curse energy. Also, they can be food for stronger curses, so it's best to eliminate it for both sakes."

Kiyoshi was at the ready. His eyes focused on his prey, yet, before he could make a move, his father said aloud. "HOW are you going to destroy it?"

He froze a little.

Turning back, he saw a smile. "I can kill it with elemental power, right?" he asked.

"Is your power stronger than the curse you face?"

"It better be, I got a dragon for goodness sake!" he protested. But got a good laugh out of his father. "I got this dad, I've been training, and I always carry this around. Uncle Junpei inspired me when we were watching cartoons."

At his left side was a leather bag of water. His uncle Sanso happened to have gotten into leather making thanks to Fushiguro sensei. So he made him a water bag. And, just like the cartoon he used to watch, he summoned the water out and was at the ready.

He turned to his father, who appeared rather surprised. Since after all, the water was out of its container, yet it orbited around Kiyoshi at the ready. "The hand movements were a pain in the ass, so I have been working hard to have the water do this instead."

He got a proud nod of approval as his eyes caught something once more.

In the left corner of this abandoned warehouse, he saw something slinking in the darkness. Arching his hand, the water orbiting around him broke off as some of it began to circulate around his hand, arched for attack, from there, his fingertips twitched, making the water condense down and then… turn to ice at his command.

With a flick of his wrist, the ice shards flew.

A disturbing hissing squeal broke out from the shadows, he struck the curse but not enough to kill it! Once more he condensed the water and sent it out as ice. This time, he got it between the eyes!

The curse dropped and then… vanished into black mist.

"I see the drawback to this," Kiyoshi said offhandedly. "Despite the fact the water was not part of it, it still evaporated anyways. So I have to adjust myself here…"

"Have you been able to summon water?"

Kiyoshi shied away. "I tried, but… it's out of my reach at the moment."

"It's something to work on then, now, before we go forward, what should we do?"

He paused to consider his options, his father is hinting at something. Kiyoshi thought it over, until he saw the water droplets pass his eye. Water, he needs more water! He turned to go back outside, from there he took the snow from the ground and added it to his collection, his body was nearly wrapped in liquid.

Yet when he returned, his father was laughing at him!

"What's so funny!?" he demanded.

"Oh, I am just relieved you have your mother's sense on things!" he said and shook his head. "Had I been you, I wouldn't have noticed a thing and pressed onward. You are at least acknowledging that you still need to keep an eye on your supplies and what you have to fight with. I kept resorting to my fists."

"I think aunt Nobara said you punched through a cement wall once to get to a curse…"

His father laughed, Kiyoshi laughed because that sounded ridiculous! Sure if his father were a dragon it's easy, but according to her, this happened when he contained Sukuna!

"Hahaha…. Yeah… I did,"

Kiyoshi paused. "Dad… that's not normal… solid cement… really?!" he demanded. "Did Sukuna…"

He snickered and shook his head. "I'm sure had I done that and broke my hand, Sukuna would have popped out to laugh his ass off at me."

He took a moment to consider the answer. "That's fair to assume…" he said. "But dad… how could…" before he could finish the question, he heard a sound. There was a commotion coming from above. Kiyoshi turned to his father who nodded. They are going up.