Jujutsu Kaisen doesn't belong to me. Here is the third chapter! I hope you enjoy it!
Yuuji woke up at dawn and, after turning on the bedside lamp, looked around somewhat puzzled. He sighed as he remembered the night before. He sat up and grabbed his toiletry bag from his suitcase.
He entered the bathroom and arranged his things. After that, he washed his face and brushed his teeth, putting on the clothes he had worn the day before. Gojo had told him that his uniform would arrive soon, so until then, he would have to make do with what he had.
He opened the door to his dorm room and stepped out. He looked around, curious. Near the dorms was a spacious courtyard surrounded by trees. Yuuji was able to recognize pine and oak trees, as well as some cherry trees.
He smiled a bit and headed towards it. But the sound of a door opening behind him made him stop and turn around. He smiled when he saw that it was Fushiguro and approached him immediately.
"Hello!" he greeted with enthusiasm that he didn't really feel. "How are you?"
The dark-haired boy made a displeased face at Yuuji's cheerfulness but answered anyway. "How do you think?" he asked, pointing to the bandage covering his forehead.
Yuuji laughed nervously. "Um... Fushiguro, do you know where the cafeteria is?"
"Hasn't Professor Gojo shown you around the facilities?" Fushiguro asked, raising an eyebrow.
"Well, not really," Yuuji admitted, scratching his head.
Fushiguro let out a resigned sigh. "It's not very big, but come on, I'll show you. Since the idiot can't even do something as simple as that, I'll have to do it."
"Really?" Yuuji asked, smiling more sincerely. "Thank you so much, Fushiguro!"
The other rolled his eyes, put his hands in his pockets, and began to walk without checking if Yuuji was following him.
"How long have you been here?" the pink-haired boy asked, walking beside him.
"Not as a student, I'm also a first-year, remember?" Fushiguro responded without malice. "But I've been in contact with the sorcerer world since I was a child."
"Oh..." Yuuji murmured, wondering what to ask next. But Fushiguro beat him to it.
"A piece of advice, even though it's the gossip of many sorcerers, try not to mention that you're the vessel of Sukuna."
Yuuji furrowed his brow at hearing that. "Is he really that feared?"
"You have no idea," Fushiguro confessed, sighing a bit. "He was a cursed sorcerer before becoming a curse. And there was no way to completely destroy him, as you already know."
"What's a cursed sorcerer?"
"A sorcerer who has committed a serious crime," Fushiguro informed him, serious. He stopped and pointed to the three-story building to their right. "There are the classrooms and the offices of the teachers and the principal."
"And what will they teach us?" Yuuji asked, excitedly smiling.
"To improve our use and control of cursed techniques, of course," Fushiguro replied, as if it were the most natural thing in the world.
Yuuji looked at his hands, thoughtful. "But I don't know how to do that," he murmured, somewhat discouraged.
"At most, you will learn to use your cursed energy; cursed techniques are something that is inherited," Fushiguro explained patiently.
"Oh, I see..." Yuuji muttered. He looked ahead, trying to hide his disappointment. He could feel doubt creeping in. And Sukuna, who could also sense it, didn't miss the opportunity.
"Do you realize, kid?" he asked, mocking. "He's indirectly saying that you're nothing but a burden."
Yuuji furrowed his brow at hearing that. "You're wrong. Fushiguro would never say something like that. He's not that kind of person," he retorted, defending his classmate.
"And how do you know? You barely know him, Yuuji," Sukuna reminded him, amused. The familiarity with which he pronounced his name caused an unpleasant sensation to spread throughout the boy's body. He wanted to argue with his words, but the curse king was right. He didn't know Fushiguro well yet, but he still didn't seem like that kind of person.
"The infirmary, the cafeteria, and the kitchen are over there," Fushiguro indicated, pointing to a small single-story building.
"How many students are there?" Yuuji asked, puzzled. The facilities seemed too small for a school.
"Well, there are the three of us in the first year, four in the second year, and, well, there were two in the third year, but they've been expelled. And right now, there are no fourth-year students," Fushiguro explained as the two of them headed towards the cafeteria.
"Why is that?" Yuuji asked, curious.
Fushiguro shrugged. "I don't know, and I don't really care," he replied.
Yuuji nodded. The two boys approached the trays and, after grabbing two, went to see what food was available.
Jogo let out a frustrated growl as he dropped into the hammock. Mahito, who was sitting in the one to his right, glanced at him with some interest.
"Is something wrong?" asked the human curse.
"Do we really have to trust those sorcerers?" Jogo complained, barely containing the volcanic rage simmering within him.
"For the time being, yes," Mahito acknowledged, stretching a bit. "It's in our interest if we want to achieve our goal."
"A world without those despicable humans," Jogo murmured longingly. "But having to collaborate with several of them for that..."
"Jogo," Mahito said, smiling a bit, understanding. "I get your frustration. You're not the only one who feels that way. But I promise you one thing, when those sorcerers are no longer useful, we'll get rid of them."
"Really?" Jogo asked, relieved, showing his black teeth.
"Of course!" Mahito exclaimed. He grabbed both of Jogo's hands and locked his heterochromatic eyes onto the other curse. "Trust me, okay?"
Jogo sighed and pulled away, irritated. "I trust you. But not those humans."
"But without Geto, we wouldn't have found out that Sukuna has incarnated into a vessel," Mahito pointed out patiently.
"True," conceded the other curse grudgingly. "What are we going to do with him?"
"He could be a valuable ally," Mahito admitted after some thought. "But I think, for now, we should wait a bit. We'll try to recruit him when the time comes."
"And if he refuses?"
Mahito shrugged. "Well, we'll figure out what to do if that scenario arises. But right now, it's not worth worrying about hypothetical situations."
Jogo nodded and turned his gaze to the ocean. Dagon was swimming peacefully there, as if nothing was amiss. Hanami was on the shore, sitting in the sand, watching the waters.
"I hope we succeed," Jogo murmured. "Finally, we can stop hiding."
"Oh, by the way, before I forget," Mahito said, getting up. "In two weeks, on Wednesday, we have a meeting scheduled with Geto. I don't think I can go."
"We'll go," Jogo conceded, not very pleased, aware that he had no other choice.
Mahito smiled, satisfied, and nodded in agreement.
Yuuji entered his dorm room and stood still for a moment at the door, seeing a neatly folded uniform on his bed. He approached and picked it up, curious. It consisted of a red sweatshirt, a white jacket, and dark pants.
He furrowed his brow a bit as he realized it looked nothing like the one Fushiguro wore. Then he noticed a note and an ID card on the right side. He left the clothes and picked up the card. He sighed a bit; it was Gojo who had left the uniform and his sorcerer ID card there.
Excited, Yuuji took the card and examined it with interest.
"Sorcerer Grade 4?" he murmured to himself, confused. He would have to ask about this.
Not seeing anything better to do at the moment, he decided to put on his new uniform. He looked at himself in the mirror in the room and smiled a bit. It fit him very well and was quite comfortable.
"Do you know that white is the color used for problematic students?" Sukuna asked, ruining the moment.
"It must be a mistake," Yuuji defended himself. "I'll talk to Professor Gojo about it; I'm sure he'll fix it."
"Your trust in your executioners is, at the very least, amusing."
Yuuji clenched his teeth and didn't bother to continue that conversation. He left the room and slammed the door harder than necessary, causing a loud noise. Fushiguro, who was outside, casually sipping from a can, jumped and started coughing violently.
Yuuji approached him, concerned, and began to pat him on the back to help. Until he saw the irritated look Fushiguro was giving him, at which point Yuuji stepped away, embarrassed.
"I'm sorry..." he murmured.
Fushiguro sighed and shook his head. He noticed Yuuji's uniform at that moment and opened his eyes wide in surprise.
"Um..." Yuuji shifted uncomfortably. "Is there any reason our uniforms are so different?" he asked.
"Each student customizes it to their liking," Fushiguro responded once he had recovered.
"But I didn't order mine like this," Yuuji muttered, confused.
Fushiguro, feeling a bit sorry for him, tried to reassure him. "Don't worry too much about it. It's probably Gojo-sensei's doing."
Yuuji, feeling somewhat relieved, nodded and smiled. "I actually like how it looks on me," he commented, deciding it was best to ignore Sukuna's words. "It doesn't make sense for them to label me as problematic when I haven't done anything," he told himself to calm down.
Fushiguro nodded and looked at his phone, typing quickly. "We need to go to the train station," he said, raising his head and looking at Yuuji. "Gojo is waiting for us there."
"For what?" Yuuji asked.
Fushiguro gave him an annoyed look. "The new student arrive today, remember?"
"Right!" Yuuji exclaimed, forcing a smile. "What are we waiting for?"
Fushiguro grumbled a bit but let himself be dragged along by his companion.
Nobara let out a sigh of relief. She was seated in one of the train's seats, gazing distractedly at the landscape. The journey to Tokyo was taking longer than she had originally expected.
"I've finally left that damn village," she thought, smiling. Her face lit up when she saw they were entering the city. She stretched a bit and grabbed her phone. She sent a message to Gojo, notifying him of her imminent arrival.
"I should do some sightseeing when I get there," Nobara told herself. There was so much to see in the big city, and she couldn't wait to explore it all. She took a small mirror from her pocket and examined herself closely. Her orange hair was perfectly styled, not a single strand out of place. "Perfect," she muttered to herself, satisfied.
She was already wearing her school uniform, ready for whatever came her way. She smiled confidently when the train stopped a while later and grabbed her suitcase. She advanced to the train doors and exited. She scanned the street, looking for people wearing a uniform similar to hers. However, a conversation between a man and a young girl caught her attention. The adult, who seemed to be a talent scout, was offering a card to the girl.
She was about to intervene and join the conversation when she shivered. Instinctively, she reached for her fanny pack with her left hand. She felt slightly more at ease when her fingers gripped her hammer and several nails. She was convinced there was a curse nearby.
She felt her heart tighten a bit. She had never felt such a surge of energy before, and she began to break into a cold sweat. Her hands had started trembling. Desperate, she looked around until her eyes landed on three people. Two of them appeared to be her age and, like her, were wearing the Metropolitan Jujutsu Technical High School uniform.
Nobara's eyes settled on the pink-haired boy. All that energy, characteristic of a curse, was emanating from him. She swallowed hard, frightened by how relaxed the other two sorcerers were. Without removing her hand from her fanny pack, she slowly approached, trying to control the trembling in her legs.
"Good morning!" Gojo greeted her with a smile. "How was the trip?"
Nobara, reluctantly, had to muster the courage to respond. "Fine, although it felt quite long," she admitted while her gaze shifted towards the two young men. The pink-haired boy gave her a friendly smile, while the dark-haired one observed her with some indifference.
"I'm Yuuji Itadori, nice to meet you," said the pink-haired boy, nodding slightly.
"I-I'm Nobara Kugisaki," she replied. "Consider yourselves lucky to have me as your partner," she murmured, attempting to feign an arrogance and courage that were far from what she was feeling at that moment.
"I'm Megumi Fushiguro," the dark-haired boy introduced himself, not adding much more and preferring to focus on his phone.
Nobara furrowed her brow and assessed her two companions. "I couldn't have had worse luck. A kid who, judging by the white jacket, must be troublesome. And the other one seems like a jerk. Wonderful, just wonderful."
"Well, we're all here now!" Gojo exclaimed, intervening for the first time. "We have a few things to do before heading back to the school, so please follow me."
Yuuji suppressed a shiver as he looked at the building in front of them. Gojo had not only taken them to a fairly remote area of Tokyo but had also brought them to a building that undoubtedly housed a curse.
He glanced nervously at the teacher. Gojo had drawn a small sword and was examining it seriously.
"Well, as you've probably guessed, there are several curses here," the teacher explained. "Nobara, Yuuji, I want you to go in there and exorcize them."
"Um... Professor Gojo... I don't know how to use cursed energy, and..." Yuuji swallowed hard and glanced at Nobara, falling silent.
"Using Sukuna is too dangerous," Gojo said, serious. "So it's best for you to use this to perform the exorcisms. This weapon is charged with cursed energy; you won't have any trouble defending yourself with it." He handed it to Yuuji, who took it hesitantly and examined it closely. Meanwhile, Nobara, upon hearing the name Sukuna, had turned pale.
"What do you mean Sukuna!?" she exclaimed, looking at Yuuji, feeling the fear returning.
Yuuji averted his gaze and muttered, "I... ate... two of his fingers... a few days ago."
"Are you kidding me!?" Nobara shouted, looking at Gojo, hoping he would start laughing and say it was all a joke. A cruel one, but still a joke.
"Yuuji has turned out to be a perfect vessel for Sukuna," Gojo tried to reassure her. "He can control it perfectly, so there's nothing to worry about."
"Shall we, Kugisaki?" Yuuji asked, looking somewhat disheartened. Nobara, upon seeing that pitiful expression, couldn't help but feel a bit sorry for herself.
"Yes, let's go," she said, taking the lead. She could hear Yuuji following her, but she didn't turn to look at him. The suffocating feeling she had experienced hadn't disappeared, and she was starting to feel worse. She stopped in the building's lobby and, gathering her courage, turned to face Yuuji. "I'll take care of the upper floor; you search around here, clear?"
"But isn't it safer if we go together?" Yuuji asked, uncertain. "We'd have a better chance that way."
"Idiot, this way we'll cover more ground," Nobara said, turning away. She quickened her pace to the stairs and started climbing, ignoring Yuuji's protests. "Good luck with the hunt," she wished him, turning one last time before continuing on her way.
Yuuji watched her go and surveyed the room. He let out a sigh and began doing what she had asked him.
"So, they've left you behind, huh, brat?"
"No, it's not like that," Yuuji rebuffed immediately, serious. He tightly gripped the knife's handle while staying alert for any unusual sounds. He heard something move right above him and had just enough time to duck and avoid being decapitated.
A curse with a slight resemblance to a praying mantis landed on the ground and lunged at Yuuji. The boy brandished his weapon and easily cut off its arms. Without giving the creature time to react, he jumped behind it and drove the weapon into its skull. Blood gushed immediately as the curse collapsed dead on the ground.
"Yay! I did it!"
"Don't pat yourself on the back too much, kid. This curse was very weak. Anyone could have defeated it."
Nobara pulled out her hammer and several nails, never taking her eyes off the mannequins in front of her. She could feel the cursed energy emanating from the one in the center. She struck several nails with her hammer, sending them straight into the mannequin's head.
She grinned with pride when four eyes with orange pupils appeared on the empty face. Snap her fingers and watched with satisfaction as the nails penetrated, completely destroying the mannequin.
"Case closed," the girl said, turning around. It had been easier than she thought. However, when she heard someone crying, she stopped. She looked around the room, and her eyes landed on some boxes. Still wielding her hammer, she approached and peered inside.
There was a small boy huddled up, crying profusely. Nobara clicked her tongue, somewhat annoyed, and tried to force a friendly smile. "Are you lost?" she asked.
The boy, still crying, nodded. Nobara gestured for him to come closer, but before he could, another curse appeared. The entity, a medium-sized creature completely covered in fur with scrawny arms and legs, grabbed the boy and jumped backward.
It laughed mockingly, never taking its eyes off Nobara. Horrified, Nobara watched as it brought one of its sharp fingers to the boy's neck, causing blood to gush out.
"Stay calm," the girl muttered, quickly thinking about what to do. She bit her lip and swallowed hard. The curse continued to laugh mockingly, which made Nobara even more nervous.
Then, without warning, Yuuji's right fist pierced through the wall, just inches from the curse's head, causing it to let out a surprised scream. Taking advantage of the distraction, Nobara launched two of her nails, piercing the curse's head and killing it.
The boy, finally free, took several steps back, looking at her with fear. But Yuuji gently held him and smiled kindly. "Are you okay?" he asked as he squatted down to examine the boy's wound. He rummaged in his right pocket and pulled out a cloth handkerchief. "Here, press it firmly against the wound, and you'll see the bleeding stop."
Nobara watched Yuuji in silence. She felt as if a huge knot was forming in her stomach and throat. She swallowed hard and, overcoming her discomfort, turned around. "We should go. Gojo and Fushiguro are waiting for us, Itadori."
"Ah, right. Let's go."
Fushiguro glanced at Yuuji and Nobara out of the corner of his eye. It had been a while since Gojo, under the pretext of taking the child back to his home, had left them in front of a sushi restaurant to have a meal.
They had entered and taken a seat at one of the empty tables. At the moment, they were discussing what to order for their meal. While he already knew what he wanted, Nobara and Yuuji were still trying to decide.
"What do you recommend we order, Fushiguro?" Yuuji asked, raising his head and looking at him. He had a small but genuine smile, as if he hadn't been killing curses just half an hour earlier.
Fushiguro shrugged. "Order whatever you like; everything here is usually good," he commented.
"At least you could suggest something," Nobara reproached him, returning her gaze to the menu until she noticed something. "We can order the sushi platter to share, what do you think?"
"There's quite a variety," Yuuji admitted after taking a look at what it included. "I'm fine with that."
"Works for me too," Fushiguro admitted after checking the menu.
When the waitress arrived, they ordered their drinks and what they were going to eat. Yuuji let out a sigh and looked at Nobara.
"Can I ask you a question?" he asked, looking at her with curiosity.
"What's it about?"
"Why did you come to the Metropolitan Jujutsu High?" Yuuji inquired. Nobara furrowed her brow slightly before answering.
"It was my chance to get out of the town I was born in," she confessed. "What kind of girl would waste the opportunity to see the big city? And what about you, Itadori?"
Yuuji let out another sigh. "I, well..." He hesitated for a moment before continuing. "I want to save others from curses," he finally admitted. "Even if it costs me my life."
"But why did you eat a cursed object?" Nobara insisted. "You could have died, you know?"
"I'm still alive," Yuuji said, weakly defending himself. "I wanted to save some friends, and that was the only way I could think of."
"Did you succeed?" Nobara asked, interested. "I mean, in saving your friends."
"Yes, both of them are fine. So, it was worth it."
Don't forget to leave a review! I would love to hear your thoughts!