Jujutsu Kaisen doesn't belong to me. Here is the second chapter! I hope you enjoy it!
Sukuna observed the small shelf in front of him. He had been wandering through his host's mind while the latter slept, deeply at last. He clicked his tongue and scanned the volumes on the shelf. There were a total of fifteen books. In that corner of Yuuji's mind, that piece of furniture was the only thing present. Though, considering it was a human, a being who generally enjoyed a fleeting life, it wasn't something that surprised the king of curses.
He let out a sigh and picked up the one with the number six on its spine. In those books, all of Yuuji Itadori's memories were collected. And Sukuna needed any kind of information to understand the era he was in. He didn't even know what year it was.
He opened the book and began reading with relative interest. He flipped through the pages, skimming over what was written. There wasn't really anything of interest, except for the date written at the top edge of the page. August second, two thousand nine. And his vessel was six years old at that time.
"So, a thousand years have passed since I was sealed," Sukuna murmured with interest. He put the book back in its place and chuckled a bit amusedly. He put the book back when he finished flipping through it.
There was nothing shedding light on what happened before. Sukuna wanted to know how it was possible for someone, a human, to keep him imprisoned like that. He picked up another one, the one numbered thirteen, hoping for better luck with this one.
"I hope this one is more interesting." He opened it and started reading what was written there. He turned the pages as his smile widened and grew crueler. "This era is perfect!" Sukuna exclaimed enthusiastically. He was going to have so much fun once he could take control of the brat's body...
Although he didn't get much from this one. His strength and speed were nearly superhuman, but he hadn't come into contact with the world of sorcerers until he ate his finger. Despite that, Sukuna couldn't rule out the possibility that Yuuji came from a sorcerer family.
He furrowed his brow a bit when he realized something. He couldn't find any mention of his parents. The only relative mentioned in these books was his grandfather. Intrigued by this, he closed the book abruptly and put it back in its place.
He picked up another volume, this time opting for the fifth one. He flipped through the pages until a passage caught his attention.
"Today I asked my grandfather where my parents are, but he got angry with me for asking. I don't understand why all the kids in my class have parents and I don't. Did I do something wrong and are they mad at me? Grandpa never talks about them."
"So, he doesn't know who his parents are..." Sukuna muttered to himself. Unfortunately, that meant either they had abandoned him and left him in his grandfather's care or they were deceased. And it didn't rule out his theory that one of the parents might be from a sorcerer family.
He raised his head as he felt his vessel beginning to wake up. He quickly left the boy's mind. Although he knew he wouldn't discover it, the curse king didn't intend to stay there longer than necessary.
He reached his innate domain and smiled a bit. He started moving through the crimson-colored waters and stopped in front of the mound formed by bovine skulls. He climbed up easily and sat on the top, looking ahead. From there, he could see what his vessel was doing. He settled in and paid attention to what Yuuji was up to.
Yuuji, like every morning, turned off the alarm and sat up. He rubbed his eyes and looked towards the window. It still wasn't dawn. He suppressed a yawn and got up. He went straight to the bathroom and looked at himself in the mirror.
Unconsciously, he placed both hands on the small marks that had appeared under his eyes and remembered what had happened the previous day. His grandfather's death and the confrontation with the curses. He blinked a bit, barely holding back the tears.
"Hey, are you still there?" he asked mentally. He waited a few seconds, unsure.
"What do you want, brat?" Sukuna replied irritably.
The boy let out a sigh before responding. "Just checking if you were still there or not," Yuuji admitted, starting to brush his teeth. His hopes that what happened the previous day had been nothing more than a bad dream had just gone out the window.
"Don't bother me with something so absurd next time, kid," Sukuna warned him, annoyed.
"Or what?" Yuuji challenged, defiantly, wiping his face with a towel after washing it.
"I don't know if you're stupid or if you still haven't figured out who I am," disgust and disdain were more than evident in Sukuna's voice. Yuuji, not wanting to get into a pointless argument, chose to ignore it and headed for the kitchen.
However, as he passed by his grandfather's bedroom, the door of which remained closed, the young man felt a lump in his throat and had trouble swallowing. His eyes stung again, but he forced himself to keep moving.
He reached the kitchen and opened the cupboard where they kept the cups. He went to grab his own, but his eyes involuntarily stopped at his grandfather's cup. He shook his head and, after grabbing his own, closed the cupboard more forcefully than he intended.
He took a deep breath and tried to calm down. He took the coffee maker and poured himself some coffee. He did the same with milk and put the cup in the microwave. He set it for a minute and sat down to wait on one of the wooden chairs.
He looked at his hands, lost in thought. His mind brought up the last conversation he had with his grandfather and he couldn't hold back anymore. The tears he had been containing for so long welled up in his eyes, and the boy finally began to cry.
"Pathetic," Sukuna's voice murmured with distaste in his mind. Yuuji did his best to ignore it and continued crying until the beeping from the microwave, which had finished heating his coffee, brought him back to reality. "You're truly pathetic, brat."
"Shut up!" Yuuji snapped angrily as he angrily wiped his tears away. His grandfather would have hated to see him like this, and he was well aware of that. He pressed the button to open the microwave door and grabbed the cup abruptly, causing some of its contents to spill on the counter.
Yuuji restrained a growl and, after placing it on the table, grabbed a cloth to clean up the mess. Fortunately for Yuuji, Sukuna remained silent after that. He had a lot to do that morning and didn't feel like dealing with Sukuna if he was going to be acting like that.
He finished his milk coffee and returned to his room. He approached his desk and searched the right pocket of the pants he wore the day before. He pulled out a piece of paper from there and unfolded it. Satoru Gojo had written his phone number on it, but Yuuji hadn't felt like saving the contact on his phone the previous night.
He grabbed his mobile phone and, after saving the contact, hesitated whether to make a call or just send a WhatsApp message.
"What's a WhatsApp?" Sukuna asked, interested.
Yuuji, who was still annoyed by his previous comment, completely ignored the curse king. He dialed Gojo's number and brought it to his ear.
"Hello? Who am I talking with?," Gojo didn't take long to answer.
"Hi, this is Yuuji Itadori," the boy responded immediately. "I've been thinking about our conversation yesterday, and..."
"What have you decided?" the adult interrupted impatiently.
"I'm going to do it, I'll gather the remaining nineteen fingers of Sukuna," the boy declared, serious.
"Perfect!" Gojo's voice had taken on a cheerful tone. "Then I'll come pick you up, where should we meet?"
"I have to go to the funeral home first, so maybe...," Yuuji quickly excused himself, nervous.
"Then we'll meet there, what time will you be there?"
Gojo entered the funeral home and didn't have much trouble locating Yuuji. He walked down the corridor with white tiles and stopped in front of the young man, who was looking at an urn in front of him.
"Good morning!" the teacher greeted.
Yuuji looked at him and returned the greeting without much enthusiasm. Both of them sat on one of the benches in the room, and the professor glanced at him.
"Who was it?" he wanted to know, and added in a more sympathetic tone, "I'm very sorry for your loss."
"My grandfather," the boy replied, lowering his gaze. His hands trembled, and he was holding back tears. "I..."
Gojo nodded and looked ahead. "I'm glad to hear that you've decided to accept," he said, changing the subject without much tact.
Yuuji sighed a bit. "Do I even have another option?" the young man asked bitterly.
Gojo observed him. "Let's not dwell on it anymore, okay?"
Yuuji let out another sigh and nodded. He glanced out of the corner of his eye as Gojo took a Sukuna finger from his left pocket. He couldn't help but grimace when he saw it. The professor, who had noticed that, looked at him curiously. "Is something wrong?"
"No, it's nothing," he said, but upon noticing the way the professor was looking at him through his sunglasses, he added, "It's just that they taste awful."
"Oh, really?" Gojo asked, intrigued.
Yuuji nodded. He grabbed the finger and examined it closely. He took a breath, closed his eyes, and put it in his mouth. He swallowed immediately, coughed a bit, and brought his right hand to his throat. He wanted to say something, but he felt Sukuna's presence becoming stronger and trying to take control of his body. He closed his eyes and tried to repress Sukuna, vaguely aware that Gojo was watching them closely, alert.
"Stay still!" Yuuji grumbled mentally, annoyed. He increased the pressure he was exerting on the curse king. The black marks disappeared from his body as the boy gained the upper hand in the struggle, and his eyes returned to their usual color.
Gojo observed all of this with interest. "I wonder if this will end well," the adult thought, serious. The fact that someone with such a capacity to repress the curse king had appeared was already extraordinary. However, the way their souls were in contact was not pleasing at all. And there was nothing that could protect Yuuji Itadori from that. Maybe he was worrying too much; time would tell.
"Well, you have more tolerance than I expected, kid," Gojo commented, smiling broadly, when Yuuji began to complain about the bad taste of Sukuna's finger. "Want a mint gum?" he offered, taking out the pack and showing it to him. "Maybe it'll help a bit."
"Thanks," the boy said, taking one and putting it in his mouth. "Um... could you explain a bit more about curses and sorcerers?" Yuuji asked, embarrassed. He shifted his gaze slightly and looked at his hands.
"I could, yes," Gojo said. "But it would be much more fun if you discover it on your own, don't you think?"
Yuuji, who hadn't expected that response, gave him a look of disbelief and didn't know how to respond to that.
"Also, you need to meet with the headmaster of the Tokyo Metropolitan Magic Technical College first," Gojo, noticing the way Yuuji was looking at him, chuckled a bit. "It's where young sorcerers go to train," he clarified.
"Oh, but my high school..." Yuuji protested, furrowing his brow a bit. He had notified them the night before about what had happened with his grandfather, and they had granted him a few days off for mourning.
"Don't worry, we're already taking care of your transfer," Gojo said. "It'll be sorted out soon."
"For all the airs you put on, sorcerer, you don't even have a position of power," Sukuna chimed in. He had conjured a mouth on Yuuji's left cheek, and the mark under his left eye had opened, revealing one of the eyes of the curse king.
Yuuji brought his hand there and covered that area nervously. He offered Gojo an apologetic glance, but the professor didn't seem to be fazed in the slightest.
"I'm not interested," Gojo laughed, responding to Sukuna's comment without being perturbed in the least. Yuuji looked at him with admiration, surprised by his composure.
"May I ask a question?" Yuuji asked. Gojo nodded and looked at him expectantly. "Who's stronger? Sukuna or you?"
Upon hearing that, Gojo grimaced and stared at Yuuji. "Don't call me 'you' again, please. I'm not that old. And, regarding your question, I would win. After all, I am the most powerful sorcerer."
"That remains to be seen," Sukuna taunted, laughing. He had conjured a pair of lips on the back of Yuuji's hand. "Sooner or later, I'll be the one to kill you."
Yuuji was about to apologize again, but before he could, Gojo responded, "I'll look forward to that moment, then. It's an honor to be a target of the king of curses."
Yuuji silently stared out of the train window. After the conversation they had at the funeral home, Gojo had accompanied him home and urged the young man to pack his bags. He had gathered a few essentials, and after that, they headed to the train station.
"Have you never left the city?" Gojo asked, observing the boy.
Yuuji turned his gaze away and looked at him. "No, never," he confessed. He tried to smile and show some enthusiasm, but it didn't come out as well as he would have liked.
"I think you'll like Tokyo," Gojo commented.
"How's Fushiguro?" Yuuji asked at that moment. His tone of voice showed the concern he was feeling.
"He received treatment last night and is still recovering. He's probably sleeping right now."
"I'm glad," the boy murmured and returned his attention to the landscape. They entered a tunnel at that moment, and for a second, Gojo, who hadn't taken his eyes off the boy, thought he saw that the eyes of Yuuji's reflection were red.
"Yuuji," he called, somewhat tense. The boy looked at him, and Gojo relaxed a bit when he saw that his eyes were their usual color. "Be careful, and under no circumstances let Sukuna out. Is that clear?"
"Alright," Yuuji agreed and clenched his teeth when he heard the curse king start to laugh in his mind. He shivered with disgust and tried to distract himself by looking at the buildings of the city they were passing through.
"We'll see if you can keep your word, kid," Sukuna taunted.
"Isn't there any way to make his voice stop in my head?" Yuuji asked, looking at Gojo.
"Sukuna's voice? I'm afraid not," Gojo quickly crushed his hopes. "And be grateful that's the only thing happening to you."
Yuuji refrained from asking further. He didn't want to know what could have been worse. He still had enough to digest.
"Once you get through the interview with the principal, you'll officially be a first-year student," Gojo told him. "So there will be a total of three of you this year."
Yuuji furrowed his brow a bit, puzzled by that. "So few?"
Gojo shrugged somewhat indifferently. "Sorcerers have always been a minority. Many die before becoming adults, and few reach old age."
Yuuji swallowed nervously as they arrived at the Tokyo Metropolitan Institute. Contrary to what the young man had expected, the place was situated in a completely secluded area of the capital and looked like a religious school. There were stone statues of Buddha all around the entrance and the courtyard.
"Well... it doesn't look like a school for sorcerers," Yuuji admitted, disappointed.
"And what were you expecting?" Gojo asked, raising an eyebrow.
"Well..." Yuuji hesitated for a moment, but an image of the majestic Hogwarts castle came to mind. "Something more... magical, I guess."
"For now, focus on getting through the interview with the principal," Gojo advised as they headed towards one of the buildings. The adult opened the wooden door, and they both entered.
Yuuji swallowed nervously and scanned the room, which was dimly lit by candles. It was quite spacious and sparsely decorated, he noticed. In front of them stood a stocky man who covered his eyes with sunglasses. He was sewing a small stuffed animal.
"You're late," he snapped at them, looking up. Though Yuuji was more focused on observing all the stuffed animals around him. There were stuffed animals of all sizes and colors.
"Oh, come on, Yaga, we're only five minutes late, it's not a big deal," Gojo said, downplaying the matter.
"I've told you hundreds of times! Punctuality is essential!"
"Five minutes is nothing," Gojo insisted, rolling his eyes, feigning annoyance. He stepped aside and looked at Yuuji. "Here's the new student."
"Good morning, my name is Yuuji Itadori, and..."
"The vessel of Sukuna," the man commented, standing up and facing the boy. "Why do you want to study here?" he asked while holding one of his stuffed animals. It was green, and Yuuji didn't know what kind of animal it was supposed to be. But it was extremely ugly.
"Well..." Yuuji didn't know how to respond to that. He also didn't have time to think about it because the stuffed animal that the principal had been holding rushed towards him and punched him in the cheek.
Yuuji stepped back a bit and wiped the blood that had started to drip from his nose. He covered his face when the stuffed animal attacked him again, and he tried to restrain it, but his opponent easily slipped out of his grasp.
"I'll ask you again, why do you want to be here?" the principal repeated, crossing his arms.
"My grandfather, before he died, asked me to save as many people as possible," Yuuji said, remembering his deceased grandfather's last wish.
"And so what?" Yaga retorted. "Do you even know what it means to be a sorcerer? Will you blame your grandfather when you're on the brink of death?"
Yuuji hesitated upon hearing that and shook his head frantically, but that left him exposed to the stuffed animal, which managed to hit him again. The boy clenched his teeth, and the events of the last twenty-four hours came to his mind. He recalled the fear he had felt when he thought his two friends would die.
"I want to save people," he said seriously. "And if I have to consume all of Sukuna's fingers to do that and then die, I will. I couldn't care less about what comes afterward."
That response seemed to be the right one, as the principal snapped his fingers, and the green stuffed animal fell to the ground, completely lifeless. Yuuji relaxed a bit and looked at the principal.
"Welcome to the Tokyo Metropolitan Institute, Yuuji Itadori," the principal said. "Satoru, show him to his dormitory, please."
"Come on, let's go, Yuuji," Gojo said cheerfully. He smiled jovially as he walked towards the exit.
Yuuji placed the suitcase on the bed and examined with interest his new dorm room. The walls were white, and the floor had light brown parquet. There was hardly any furniture in the room: a wardrobe for clothes, a black nightstand on the right side of the bed, and a desk in front of the window.
"Well, this will be your room from now on," Gojo said, smiling a bit. "You can decorate it to your liking if you want. After all, you'll be living here for the next four years."
"If you don't get killed before that, brat," Sukuna added mockingly. Yuuji furrowed his brow at that comment but did his best to ignore it. He smiled a bit and nodded. "Thank you very much, Professor Gojo?"
The adult nodded. "That's right. I forgot to mention that I'm the homeroom teacher for your class." The teacher thought for a moment and pointed to a door near the wardrobe. "By the way, there's the bathroom. Each dorm room has an adjacent one."
Yuuji raised an eyebrow. "How can he forget to mention something so important?" he wondered to himself, incredulous.
"Well, I'll leave you to settle in. Just send me a WhatsApp when you're ready, alright?"
Yuuji nodded, and when he was alone, he opened the suitcase and started placing his belongings on the bed. The first thing he put on the nightstand was a cream-colored frame with a picture of his grandfather. After that, he calmly stored his clothes in the wardrobe.
He lay down on the bed and curled up. "Is this really the right decision?" he thought.
"I'd keep my eyes wide open if I were you, kid," Sukuna said. "If you want to stay alive and get all my fingers, that is."
"Why do you say that?" Yuuji asked, annoyed. He furrowed his brow and sat up.
"Haven't you noticed what that sorcerer called you?" the cursed king reminded him. "To many of them, you'll be nothing more than that. My vessel."
Yuuji sighed upon hearing that and tried not to pay attention. Getting overwhelmed wouldn't do him any good. Besides, he didn't really have the alternative of turning back.
"So, I advise you not to trust sorcerers," Sukuna continued. "Sooner or later, they'll betray you."
"They won't," Yuuji refused to believe that.
"You'll see, brat. You'll see how it ends up happening in the end."
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