"The train is now approaching. The train is now approaching. Please stand clear of the edge."
Ciel heard the announcement overhead as she looked down at the time on her phone. The intended destination of her target was a few more stops after this one. It's possible that an escort will be waiting there. She'll need to be sure to get off before then. She might end up being late for school, although that's just a personal preference for punctuality, rather than anyone actually expecting her there. So long as she can initiate contact with Shiki Tohno today, it shouldn't matter how late she'll be.
She hears the rolling wheels of the train arriving, and she puts her phone back into her school bag. Ciel had a plan of catching the train that Shiki would have been riding on his way to school. Make their first meeting seem coincidental before suggesting their association to be far more familiar than realized. However, due to recent orders, Ciel had to switch priorities. This would, after all, be her one and only chance of coming across him.
A recent person of interest whose been causing quite a stir within Jujutsu Society, and the Holy Church quickly caught word of it. A vessel of a notorious, powerful sorcerer from the Heien Era. A host who just popped out of nowhere, and currently acting as a living prison for the evil spirit. She hadn't heard this much apprehension within Japan's shaman community since Yuta Okkotsu, and even then, the Holy Church chose not to personally intervene.
This time was different, however. This time, an observation was in order. Ciel was teetering on the line of provincial transgression and a foreign invasion, and either accusation would have her meet the dissatisfaction of Jujutsu Society's council of elders. Although, since she would have arrived to Japan either way, the chance of that happening will always be there. She would have been able to allude any Jujutsu Sorcerer's notice to begin with, and aside from the likeliness of Satoru Gojo spotting her, Ciel had confidence that by the time she is done here, she won't slip into the shamans radar even once.
Unfortunately, the chance of that happening rose by fifty percent the moment her superiors called her to perform this task, the second she set foot into Haneda Airport in Tokyo.
Ciel didn't mind. While she would have liked to stay focus on her current assignment, she understood the potential severity this sudden appeared vessel of "the King of Curses" could pose. The Holy Church likely views this as an opportunity to gain some traction within Japan, though doing so would no doubt instigate conflict with the other sorcerers. Therefore, direct intervention is unadvised. For now, it's simply observe and assess whether the vessel of Sukuna would become a threat or not, making it within holy grounds for the executor to step in and act if necessary. It did piqued Ciel's interest somewhat, wondering what sort of person could withstand the presence of a supposedly powerful cursed spirit, and besides, Ciel was in the area anyway. She might as well go see for herself.
Whether it is a vampire she must hunt, or a cursed spirit, in the name of the Lord, all will fall under her blade. For no such heresy should be allowed to remain in this world.
"Attention! Attention! The train will be ready to depart soon."
Ciel prepared herself, adjusting the purple bag over her back. She took a calm breath.
"Stay clear of all doors. The train will now begin departing."
With a click of her feet, Ciel dashed down the stairs.
"Wait! Wait! Wait-!" Ciel raised her voice, putting on an act of a student racing to catch her train. If she really tried, she would have made it through the doors in seconds, but this public show was intentional. She wanted to get her target's attention, and should he be accompanied by someone, they wouldn't suspect an executor willingly bringing attention to herself.
"Don't go-!"
What she didn't expect when she passed through those doors was a strong hand slamming itself against the edges of the train doors.
-?!
Ciel instinctively ducked under the arm, feeling her head brush against the sleeve. She resumed until she felt the cold touch of rod and stopped herself by the support pole. She hunched over with deliberate heavy gasps, instantly counting the number of people inside the train cart. It seemed like a less than busy morning, so only several passengers were on board, including the one who helped stopped the doors from closing in on her.
"Are you okay?"
Quickly recovering from her short, yet nonetheless, genuine surprise, Ciel nodded with a hand over her chest and straightened her back. "Phew! That was close. I almost lost my head."
"No kidding. You look like you broke a new record."
Then her performance was successful. Ciel tilted her head back and gently smiled at the fellow passenger - the target of her organization's political interest. Her turquoise eyes sweep up at the teenager's face. He was a little taller than she imagined - about 5' 8" from what she sees. Ruffled pink hair and brown eyes that looked back at her curiously, for some reason reminding her of a dog. It was innocent look of unquestionable friendliness, as if he was never touched by the harsh reality of life yet.
It's possible that he was kept hidden until he was proven capable of withstanding a cursed object. Ciel reasoned. There was a subtle, almost invisible air of warning, but for the most part, it was subdued within the young man. A good thing considering that they were riding on a public train, although it still seemed careless that this vessel was by himself in the middle of the city.
"Well, I am in the track team. It's good to know that my training has been put to good use." A faint laugh in her smile, she followed up. "By the way... Did you happen to stop the train doors for me?"
"Oh. Yeah. I did."
Ah. Of course. So he did.
Ciel took another deep breath, and then jolted. "H-Huh?! Seriously?!"
He really did stop them from closing, and with his bare hands too. Has he no discretion? No self-awareness?
"You shouldn't do that! You could have seriously injured yourself!" Maybe this young man thought he'd be more durable after becoming partially cursed, but she doubt he was invincible. And even if he had increased physical strength, he could have broken something and expose himself publicly. And that'll mean more paperwork for Ciel.
"I'm alright though." To prove his point, the teen showed his hand to Ciel. "See? I'm pretty tough as it is. Also, I don't think those doors would have hurt anyone."
"E-Even so. You shouldn't do something so reckless," Ciel continued to lecture. With a sigh and a shake of her head, she approached the teen closely and showed her hands. "Let me see it. It might not have hurt, but we should still give it a look."
"Oh. Okay." As if that was an infallible argument, Yuuji gave her his hand.
"Next time, let's try not to do something so dangerous again," Ciel said as she began to examine Yuuji's hand. Taking an immediate hold of him, she could sense the presence of the cursed spirit. It was weak, for now. No doubt the entity's strength will increase the more he gathers his cursed fingers.
She was about to follow up their conversation. However, the boy in front of her beat her to it.
"Do you live around here?" Yuuji asked, grasping at a nearby support pole as he stood in front of the girl.
Ciel answered with another nod. "Yes. I'm a resident in Souya. I was just on my way to school, but I got held up by work. It took a lot of running, but thankfully, I managed to get on this train in time."
Satisfied that no injury was apparent - as well confirming Yuuji's condition, she lets go of his hand.
"That must have been rough. I didn't know students could get jobs here," Yuuji said.
"Actually, it's more like community service. I don't get paid, but the pay-off itself is worth the effort," Ciel said with a soft pride in her voice. "I was just raking up some leaves, trimming the bushes. Basically cleaning up a park nearby."
She gives off an embarrassed smile. "I might have lost track of the time. I'm sorry for disturbing you by the way. I must have seemed like a mad woman on the run."
"No. It's cool. I'm just glad you're alright." Yuuji said.
How kind. Ciel noted. How unfortunate that such a kind young man would be scheduled to die.
"Volunteering, huh?" Yuuji then added. "That's pretty neat. Do you volunteer a lot?"
"Yes! Whenever I get the chance to, anyhow. I guess I'm something of a workaholic," Ciel answered with a slight chuckle. Yuuji smiled with her.
"I have to say though..." Ciel began, about to plant in the first seed of her deceit in an effort to get closer with her target. "It's a lot more work doing community service here than at Sendai. It's no wonder Tokyo is most known for it's cleanliness."
"Huh? Sendai?" Yuuji visibly perked at the mention of his hometown, surprised to hear that this girl apparently lived there as well.
Ciel smiled warmly, and she stepped even closer to Yuuji. Yuuji's eyes widened a bit as she leaned her head in front of his face.
"Of course. Don't you remember?" Ciel stared through her glasses and directly into Yuuji's gaze. "Come on. It's me! We met a while ago at school. Don't tell me you've forgotten about me already?"
"Uh. Uhh...!" Yuuji seemed a little panicked at the notion. He scrutinizes Ciel's face as he clasped over his mouth. "Hmm..."
He lets go of the support pole and pressed both hands against both sides of his temples. "Hmmmm...!"
He seemed to be putting all his efforts in trying to remember this girl. It usually doesn't take this long, though. With Ciel putting her suggestion spell into effect, it should only take a few seconds for him to believe that she-
"Sorry. I can't remember."
Huh?
Ciel backed off. Her smile dropped as she looked at Yuuji, somewhat shocked by his answer. Is he... immune to my suggestion?
Was it the cursed spirit? Perhaps having only swallowed one cursed finger, it was enough to resist her spells. She began to wonder if the cursed spirit inside this vessel noticed what she was trying to do. There might be a chance she'll be exposed.
She immediately retracted her suggestion magic and hides her slightest discomfort with a smile. The awkwardness behind it more genuine than she meant it to. "Ah. Well, it has been a while. And we did meet only in passing. I'm sure a lot has happened after that, so I can't really blame you for not remembering me."
"Huh..." Yuuji looked a little guilty at that, frowning as he tried to search through his memory for her face. Quick to do damage control, Ciel's hands pressed together.
"Everyone in Sendai is sure to have heard or know about you though. The star athlete; Yuuji Itadori." Putting up a warm and inviting air, Ciel's arms folded behind her back. "I've just transferred here not too long ago. Imagine my surprise when I saw you. I'm curious. What's the Tiger of West Junior High doing here in Tokyo?"
"Oh. I just transferred here too," Yuuji answered honestly, reaching his hand up behind his neck. "Well, in a way. Maybe it's better to say that I just stopped going to school?"
"Oho? Are you playing hooky?" Ciel smirked. "I never took you to be a delinquent. Who knew you had it in you?"
"Ah. It's not like that," Yuuji said with a hint of a smile, understanding that she was just joking. "My situation is kind of complicated. To be honest, I'm not sure how to say it. Or if I should."
"Well, now I'm even more curious. Is it a secret?" Ciel pressed on nosily.
"I mean... I don't think so? It's just hard to explain," Yuuji said as he looked up at the ceiling. "Through some circumstances, I was recruited to join this school that's somewhere in Tokyo. I'm actually heading there right now. My new teacher is gonna be there waiting for me. I would have liked it better if he was here, but he said that some business came up and that he'll meet up with me later."
"I see. Will you be alright on your own? What part of Tokyo are you heading to?" Ciel lets out a genuine sound of worry as she regarded the boy. He really was just left here to wander on his own? He didn't seem to be lying. Or rather, this type of boy seemed almost incapable of telling a good lie. He's like an open book that even when she presses him, although he alluded answering completely, he was still honest with her.
"It was a little tricky reading the map, but this train should take me to Shinjuku, and from there, I can follow the directions sensei send me." He pulled out his phone to show the text message. "Or at least, I think this train goes to Shinjuku. Man, I really should have asked him more about this place. I hope I don't end up lost."
He was like a lost little puppy as he frowned at the text message in his phone, looking as if he was reading an encryption rather than legible directions. Ciel almost couldn't help but feel pity.
"I see. I'm sure you'll find your way around quickly," Ciel said with an encouraging grin. "Are you just settling in? Correct me if I'm wrong, but you live with your grandfather, right?"
She only had several hours to gather as much information as she could about the vessel of Sukuna. Background checks and all. However, with how sudden this extra assignment was, her resources had been limited. She managed to gather some general intel regarding Yuuji Itadori, but she might as well talk to the young man directly. It wouldn't do her any harm to confirm the accuracy of her findings by questioning him herself.
"I hope the move hadn't been too difficult for him," she added.
"Oh..." Yuuji's eyes turned down to his feet. "Actually... my grandpa passed away a few days ago."
"Ah-" Well, that's one info she definitely would have liked to know beforehand. "Oh. I see..."
Her cheerful visage diminished, she looked back at Yuuji sympathetically. "Was it sudden?"
"Not really. He was getting old, and he'd been bed ridden for a while." Yuuji responded factually. His hands inserted into his pockets. "Some of the nurses and I have been looking after him. I was his only family member, so he didn't really get a lot of visitors. The good thing was that he went peacefully, and that he hadn't been alone when he died."
"Wasn't alone? Were you with him when he passed away?" Ciel gently asked, her professionalism, despite putting up a friendly act, began to thaw as she looked at the young man.
Yuuji nodded. "Yeah. I guess it did took me by surprise when it happened. I think I'm still kind of processing it."
"I see... You said that you were his only family member," Ciel brought up, careful to not seem too pushy, but her curiosity was getting the best of her. "What about your parents? Were they not around?"
"I never really knew my parents. I have some memories about my dad, but that was when I was a baby. I'm not sure what happened to them. My grandpa tried to bring them up, but I didn't want him to make a big deal about it."
"You didn't? Why not?"
"Well... I just didn't see a reason for it," Yuuji answered simply. "There's no point dwelling on it, you know? I didn't want him to think he felt obligated to tell me, so I told him not to. I mean, by the end of the day, he's my family. He raised me, so as far as I see it, he's been the only parent in my life."
Hearing that, Ciel looked partially troubled, and she sat down on the train seats. "...Would it be alright if I ask you something personal?"
A little surprised, Yuuji looked back at her and found her sitting. He followed her lead and sat down next to the young woman. "Sure. What's up?"
"You said that you see your grandpa as your only parent. It sounded like you've disowned your biological parents completely. Do you resent them, Itadori-kun?"
"Oh. No. I wouldn't go that far," Yuuji clarified. "I don't know what the circumstances were that they couldn't be around. I just hold more memories and happy times with my grandpa. I pretty much loved him like he was my real dad. Although, he'd probably call me a sap if I say that around him."
He huffed out a silent laugh and smirked. "He was a big grump, but he had a good heart. I'm gonna miss him a lot, but I know that I can't stay sad forever. I don't really know what to expect in my future, but I know that I want to do everything I can to fulfill my promise to him."
"Your promise?" Ciel asked.
With a nod, Yuuji met Ciel's gaze. "It sounds kind of mean when he said it, but I know he meant well. Before he passed away, his last words was for me to help people, and to die surrounded by loved ones."
Ciel's mouth parted, taken aback by the request.
"I'm pretty strong, so I like to use that strength to help others," Yuuji continued, his fingers intertwined as he hunched forward in his seat. "It's the reason why I've transferred here. The school I'm going to will allow me to help lots of people, and I would want to make sure that they get a chance to have a proper death. Like my grandpa."
Ciel was silent, the noise of the moving train filling the air. This... ended up being more than she was prepared for.
Yuuji noticed Ciel's quietness and he apologized. "Sorry, I guess that sounded a little too grim. In all honesty, death is a pretty depressing thing to happen, but my grandpa would have berated me if I spend all my time wallowing. So I tried to keep things upbeat, keep a smile on my face even if things get tough. Like laughing while I'm burning up my grandpa's body - he's a buddhist, by the way."
Ciel blinked at the strange young man beside her, giving off a slow, if partially worried smile. "Well, that's one way to look at things."
Her eyes softened as her hands joined together. "I'm surprised. You seemed like a laid-back kind of guy, but you're actually quite determined. You also have an unique outlook on life."
Her smile became a little more real as she looked at Yuuji. "I like the way you think. Helping others is a very noble goal. While I don't think life is bound to be that simple, it does make me want to cheer you on."
Yuuji stared at her for a moment. At her gentle expression, there was a tinge of blush on his cheeks before he looked away. "Oh. Yeah?"
He slightly rubbed the tip of his nose to hide his smile. Ciel adjusted the purple bag sitting by her side. "To have a proper death, though, you'll need to have a pleasant life. A person could live miserably yet die normally. So..."
She gives a playful wink at him, "You should focus on enjoying life while you still can. Keeping a good attitude is a good start, maybe we should meet up here on our way to school starting tomorrow?"
Yuuji looked intrigued at the prospect. Of course, Ciel was only joking, and she rescinded her offer. "Then again, we might be going to different schools. Which reminds me, where is your current residence?"
"It's at the school. Sensei said they got dorms for all the students."
"Then it sounds like you won't be needing to take the train that often. My next stop is coming up, so sad to say, I think this will be the last time we'll come across each other for a while."
At least, until the next time she may decide to observe Yuuji Itadori from afar. However, since he'll be residing within jujutsu sorcerer's school grounds. It won't be easy to see him even at a distance, and that's not even getting into the school's barrier system they have in place.
"Huh. In that case, can I borrow your phone?"
"Hm?" Ciel glanced at Yuuji, blinking at his request that came out of nowhere.
He raised his hand in assurance, "It'll only take a moment. I promise I'm not gonna steal it."
"Oh. Well, alright..." Uncertain about why Yuuji would want to borrow her phone, Ciel took it out from her bag and handed it over to Yuuji. "Is your phone not working?"
"No. It is," Yuuji answered as he pulled up Ciel's contacts. "Hmm. How do I do this again? Oh, right. I just-"
Ciel's smile began to strain as she continued to observe the odd young man beside her. "Um, then, is the battery life on your phone low, by chance?"
Surely that's the reason why Yuuji would want to use Ciel's phone for a moment.
"A little bit, but I'm sure it can last for another couple of hours," Yuuji responded as he typed in his phone number.
"Ah. I see. So your phone is working, and it still has battery life..." Ciel trailed off as she tried to understand what Yuuji was doing. "Then... why did you need my-?"
"Hold on. Almost done. Aaand... There."
Yuuji handed back the cell phone in casual stride. "I just send myself a text. We can talk over the phone whenever you want. I'll try not to call while you're in class, so feel free to text back anytime."
"Huh?" Ciel slowly registered Yuuji's words as she looked back down on her cell phone. The name and number of Yuuji was plainly presented on the screen. He... saved his number on my contact list.
He had done it so calmly and without pause. Like it was just natural of him to have everyone's phone number. She hadn't even suspected once what he was doing.
"By the way, what's your name? I just realized I never asked."
Ciel jumped a bit in her seat when she heard this, she looked back at Yuuji. "Oh. That's true..."
She had been enjoying her conversation with Yuuji so much, she forgot this detail.
"Ahem. Right. So my name... It's Ciel." The young woman answered, a little befuddled by her timidness showing.
"Ciel, huh? Is that your first name?"
"Well... Yes. It is."
With a smile, Yuuji pointed at himself with his thumb, "Then you can just call me Yuuji. I don't really mind, since we're friends now."
Hold on. This seems a little... Ciel wasn't sure what to call it, but it nonetheless took her by surprise by how nonchalant her target was being. Plus, saving each other's number, going by their first names... Ciel may not be from Japan, but she is quite aware of the social meaning behind such actions that would more than not misunderstand them as... close. Really close. She couldn't even get Yuuji to falsely remember her, yet he's already moving at a pace as if they were familiar with each other for years.
"Ah-! That's...! Um..." For the first time in her life as executor, pro-conversationist even if it involved the dullest of topics, Ciel was at a loss for words. I might have just met my rival.
"So is your school in Souya? What's it like?"
Ciel quickly tried to regain control as she heard Yuji's question. "Oh. Well, it's a nice school. Plenty of friendly students also."
She gave the most general answer to cover for her lack of actual attendance in Souya, needing to keep up with the charade as a hard-working student who has lived in Tokyo for some time.
For a while, they chatted casually about everything and anything they could think of. At one point, he asked about the purple bag Ciel had beside her, and she calmly answered that they were trimmers she used to cut the bushes at her volunteer work earlier in the morning. Their ride to the next station seemed to take no time at all, as the train began to slow down at the arrival of Souya.
"Oh! This is my stop!" Having recovered from the surprising outgoingness of Yuuji, Ciel stood up and picked up her purple bag. "I have to say, getting the chance to talk to you, it was honestly a pleasant experience."
With a cheerful smile, Ciel turned to face Yuuji once last time. "I really enjoyed our conversation. So... since we have each other's numbers now-" A fact that Ciel was once more stunned, and embarrassed, to have let it slip by her so easily. "-I hope that we can stay in touch."
It was an unintended gain, one which she never planned on doing, and yet, as she thought about it during the train ride, perhaps this could end up working in her favor?
Yuuji smiled widely as he nodded at her, and gave a wave as she began to head for the doors. "Yeah! It was nice talking to you! I'll text you later then. You have a great day at school, Ciel-senpai!"
Ciel looked back at Yuuji. "I will. You have a wonderful day too... Yuuji-kun."
It was a little embarrassing to say it out loud, but since Yuuji was the one to insist, and since he did just lose his grandfather, Ciel figured she could do this much for him. Just this once.
With a perfect smile, she twirled her body to face Yuuji one last time with her hands behind her back. "I'm sure with your spirit and personality, you'll be making lots of new friends. You take care now."
With that, she stepped off the train and made her way through the busy station. They waved at each other a few more times before Ciel disappeared into the crowd.
Yuuji kept his smile on as he looked down at his phone, seeing Ciel's number saved on his contact list. ...I just gave a girl my number.
He held up his phone against his lips, and smirked. Damn. I'm really smooth.
Ciel just seemed like such a nice girl, and they really did had fun talking. Maybe it was impulsive, but he didn't want it to just end at this one train ride. She's pretty cute too. I wonder if she has a boyfriend?
He's definitely going to brag it to Gojo and Megumi when he sees them. Yuuji lets his mind wander and imagine freely, his mood lifted by a good amount this morning.
He never noticed Sukuna's left eye opening underneath his, peering after the girl who departed into the crowd.
Ciel had to admit, her meeting with the vessel of Sukuna was unlike anything she expected. Nothing disastrous particularly happened, but simply the fact that the boy she was given the order to kill if necessary was a very sweet young man, not to mention impressively straightforward, that would catch even the calm and collected executor off guard. It really is a cruel situation, for that boy to be fated to die.
I know not to get ahead of myself. To keep myself from getting too involved in shaman business, she acknowledged as she looked down at Yuji's number on her phone, seeing the simple text message of "hi" that he sent to his. In any case... it could be beneficial to keep in touch with him, just so I'd know where to look out for him.
After all, she'll have to make sure that the presence of Sukuna would not interfere with her main mission of hunting Roa.
He's surprisingly more optimistic than I would expect for a Jujutsu Sorcerer. Then again, he does seem to be a new student. I only hope that life won't be too rough on him.
It would be tragic that such a happy young man would end up becoming a shell of himself, but Ciel knew just how ruthless this world can be. And there was nothing that could be done to change that, except to make sure no evil would escape their sights without retribution. Regardless if that evil is being carried inside an innocent life, or herself.
Author's Note:
Aaand it is here. A new take on Jujutsu Executor, dubbed Red Rainbow Route (without "Route" in the title). Story updates will be slow, but at least it's another fic added in the library of Tsukihime x JJK! Yay!
I think I'll put it in on T rating for now. Heck if I know where this story will end up going, but rating might change later down the line. Take care ya'll!