Jujutsu Kaisen doesn't belong to me. Here is the seventh chapter! I hope you enjoy it!
Gojo let out a sigh of annoyance as he opened the door to his house. It was past ten o'clock at night, and he was returning later than he would have liked, all thanks to those old folks from the council who had kept him longer than expected.
"Damn bunch of incompetents," Satoru muttered, barely able to hide his irritation. He was growing less tolerant of them by the day, and they were getting on his nerves. But as soon as he entered the house, he forced himself to smile and put his anger aside.
He peeked into the kitchen and saw no sign of Yuuji. There was a plate, a glass, and several utensils in the sink. His smile took on a more amused and natural tone as he shook his head.
He went straight to the basement. He stopped abruptly upon hearing Yuuji talking to Sukuna and couldn't help but furrow his brow. He carefully opened the door, trying not to make any noise, and peeked inside. Yuuji, who had been sitting on the bed, playing with his handheld console, looked up and smiled broadly when he saw him.
"Good evening, sensei!" the boy said, quickly getting up and leaving the DS on the bed. Sukuna, who had been talking until then, glared at him, clearly annoyed.
"How was your training?" the teacher asked, smiling without a hint of concern. "Am I interrupting something?"
"No, of course not," Yuuji replied, in a good mood. "I was just explaining some things to Sukuna about the game." As he finished explaining that, Sukuna closed the eye he had opened under Yuuji's right eye, and his mouth disappeared as well.
"I didn't know you two got along," Gojo commented, looking serious at his student. Yuuji stopped smiling and shook his head firmly.
"I wouldn't say that," Yuuji admitted, shrinking a bit under his teacher's disapproving gaze. "We tolerate each other, that's all."
"I'm not scolding you," the adult clarified. "But don't forget he's a curse. As long as you remember that, everything will be fine."
Yuuji nodded and looked away. "I was about to go to bed," he commented, changing the subject quickly. "I wanted to start training early tomorrow."
"How's it going?" Gojo asked, relaxing a bit.
"I tend to get hit quite often," Yuuji admitted with a nervous laugh.
"I'm sure you'll get the hang of it soon," Gojo opined. "There's one thing I wanted to mention; tomorrow I have a mission, and it's in Hokkaido, so I'll be away for a few days."
"I understand," Yuuji said, no longer smiling so openly.
"I'll try to return as soon as possible, but I don't know how long it will take to resolve everything," Satoru explained. "While I'm away, continue with your training, okay?"
"Sure."
"Well, I'll let you rest," Gojo said, getting up. "I need to prepare everything for the trip. Do you want me to bring you back a souvenir? I know! I'll bring you some of my favorite sweets, how does that sound?"
"Well, to be honest, I've never really liked sweets..." Yuuji began to say, but Gojo had already stopped listening.
"I can bring you a taiyaki or a cream bun," Gojo listed, thoughtfully. "Although the chocolate sanporoku cake is delicious. Have you ever tried it?"
"No, like I said, I'm not really into sweets," Yuuji repeated.
"Then I'll bring you that one," Gojo decided, ignoring the boy's words.
"It seems he's not going to listen to you at all, kid," Sukuna remarked.
"I've noticed," Yuuji replied, rolling his eyes, serious. He then responded to his teacher, "Thank you very much, sensei."
"You're welcome!" Gojo headed for the door. "See you in a few days, Yuuji!"
When the teacher left, Yuuji let out a sigh and returned his attention to his console. He picked it up, saved the game, turned it off, and got into bed. He set an alarm on his phone to wake up early the next day and turned off the bedside lamp.
Nanami glanced irritably at his watch and couldn't help but let out a frustrated growl. As usual, Gojo was running late, and his patience was starting to wear thin.
"Nanami!"
Speaking of the devil, there was the cause of Nanami's annoyance. The man with blond hair suppressed a sigh of exasperation. "This is the last thing I need," he protested mentally as Gojo approached him with his characteristic smug smile.
"Gojo," the grade one sorcerer greeted sharply, "You're late."
"My flight was delayed a bit," Gojo said, coming to a stop beside him.
"I see." Nanami began walking towards the airport exit without even checking if Gojo was following. "I'd like to get this over with as soon as possible. So let's hurry, Gojo."
"Don't you find it interesting that I've been assigned to this mission too?" Gojo inquired.
"I try not to dwell on things that aren't worth thinking about," Nanami replied.
"I see."
Nanami glanced sideways, noticing the serious tone used by his superior. Gojo wasn't smiling; he was looking ahead, serious.
"I hope it's worth it, and I won't regret asking, what's it about?" Nanami asked, adjusting his glasses.
"There are rumors that it's about a cursed sorcerer who can bring the deceased back to life," Gojo said.
"I've heard that, but I find it hard to believe. Nobody can revive the dead," Nanami confessed, adjusting his glasses.
"Well, the old folks from the council were concerned," Gojo told him. "Although, since there's something I wanted to discuss with you, all of this works out perfectly."
Nanami glanced at him sideways, serious. "Are you going to tell me now or not?"
"This is something I'd prefer to discuss over a beer and some food," Gojo said, stretching a bit. "So we'd better get all of this sorted out soon."
"The less time I spend having to put up with you, the better," Nanami admitted, ignoring the look his companion was giving him. "I hope it's important. You know I don't like to waste time."
"Everything I say is important," Gojo claimed, feigning offense.
Nanami raised an eyebrow and looked at him in silence. He continued walking, not responding to that, forcing Gojo to pick up the pace.
"Brat, cut that abomination off and put on something else," Sukuna ordered, suppressing a gag. The movie chosen by his vessel was horrendous, and the curse couldn't stand it any longer. He felt like he was losing brain cells with every minute that passed watching that thing.
"For some reason, this movie was very popular at its time," Yuuji commented, ignoring Sukuna's demand. He glanced sideways at the stuffed doll and sighed with relief when he saw it was still asleep. "At least among girls."
"I couldn't care less. Stop this thing. Now" Sukuna replied. Yuuji rolled his eyes upon hearing that.
"Look, I agree this movie is bad. But I have to watch it. And nobody's forcing you to pay attention, you know?" he retorted, a bit annoyed. But then, realizing something, he couldn't help but smirk. "Or do you have nothing better to do?" he asked.
They must have been close to the end of the movie, and Sukuna had been complaining practically from the beginning. Although Yuuji couldn't blame him for that, it was extremely annoying to hear the curse constantly wishing for the characters' gruesome deaths. In one of those moments, Yuuji had been distracted enough for his cursed energy flow to be interrupted, and the teddy bear, as expected, gave him a punch to the cheek.
But now, the King of Curses completely ignored Yuuji, giving the boy the response he expected. "So, that's how it is," the sorcerer commented, amused.
"Shut up, kid," Sukuna said irritably. He opened one of his eyes under Yuuji's left cheek and watched with relief as the credits finally appeared on the screen.
Yuuji turned off the television and stretched a bit. "Well, I'm going to grab something to eat and rest for a bit," he said, heading for the door.
"Do whatever you want, kid. But don't bother telling me everything you plan to do," Sukuna said, annoyed.
Yuuji didn't respond to that and went to the kitchen. He opened the fridge and looked inside, thoughtful. "I think I'll order pizza again..." he muttered aloud. He picked up the phone and dialed the number. After finishing his order, he let out a long sigh. "There's something I've been wanting to ask you for a while, Sukuna."
The curse created a mouth on Yuuji's left cheek. "What's it about, brat?"
"Let's suppose I collect all twenty of your fingers and, for some reason, I avoid the execution. What would happen to me in that case?"
Sukuna flashed a sly grin and didn't hesitate to respond. "There are two possibilities. The first is that I have enough strength to take full control of your body, and you may or may not die. And the second is that, through a ritual, a body is fabricated for me, and my soul is transferred there."
Yuuji's voice trembled noticeably as he asked his next question. "And... in the second case, what would happen to me?"
"It will depend on the strength of your soul and the condition of your body. You may or may not survive the separation. It's all up to you, kid."
"I see. Thanks for answering, Sukuna," the boy said. The King of Curses noticed that Yuuji's hands were trembling, and his smile grew even wider, aware that the boy couldn't see it.
Gojo sat down next to Nanami and absentmindedly looked at the beer in front of him. The two of them had quickly finished the mission they had been assigned and were now relaxing in a bar.
"Do you have anything important to do now, Nanami?" the special grade sorcerer asked as he grabbed his mug. He took a small sip and glanced sideways at his companion.
"Why the question?" the other sorcerer inquired, tensing up. With Satoru Gojo, one could expect all kinds of eccentricities, and Nanami had no patience for that. He wasn't like Geto or Haibara. He felt his heart ache at the thought of the latter, but he managed to maintain an indifferent expression.
"I suppose you've heard of Yuuji Itadori," Satoru commented. "The boy who became Sukuna's vessel."
"Who hasn't heard of him?" Kento replied with another question. "But he died, didn't he?"
"They assigned him a mission far above his level," Gojo commented with deliberate intent. He noticed that, after hearing this statement, his companion visibly tensed up, who set the mug down on the bar with more force than necessary. Nanami turned and glared at him, clearly angered. "Nanami, what I'm about to tell you must not leave this place, okay?"
Nanami let out a bitter laugh. "What kind of trouble are you planning to get me into, Gojo?"
Gojo rested his chin on his hands and looked straight ahead, serious. Nanami eyed him warily; such seriousness was uncharacteristic of Gojo.
"Yuuji Itadori is alive. I arrived in time to save him. But, as you can imagine, I had to keep all of this hidden," the special grade sorcerer revealed.
"And what makes you think I won't report all of this to the council?" Nanami asked.
"Because you, just like me, hate those old fogies," Gojo declared, serious. "And I need help."
Nanami raised his left eyebrow upon hearing that and evaluated his superior, thinking he must have misheard.
"I'm aware that I can't keep it hidden forever," Gojo continued. "I'm subjecting him to training to control his cursed energy flow."
"And you want me to help," Nanami deduced immediately. He took another sip of his beer and wiped his lips with a napkin.
"And Yuuji could use some company. With all of this going on, I haven't been there as much as I would like, and I don't think leaving him alone with the King of Curses is a good idea."
"And yet, you're here," Nanami pointed out, giving him a reproachful look.
"Do I have another choice?" Gojo lamented, exaggerating. "As much as I'd like to deny it, ignoring the council's orders indefinitely would only make them pay more attention to me. And that's the last thing I need."
"And that's why you want me to take care of Sukuna's vessel, right?"
"Yes, that's right."
Nanami didn't respond. He finished his beer and placed the mug on the bar. "I'll give it a shot. I hope it's worth it, Gojo."
"Of course. All my students will become great sorcerers. They just need time to prove it," Gojo declared, smiling with pride.
"We'll see about that," Nanami said, checking the time on his wristwatch. "Will you be the one to report the mission's success?"
Gojo let out a long sigh upon hearing that. "Do I have any other choice? I really don't want to see those old coots, but I can't avoid it this time."
"I won't be free until next Friday," Nanami said.
"Your address is still the same, right?" Gojo asked, regaining his usual smile. The blond sorcerer nodded, and Gojo continued, "Alright, on Friday next week around lunchtime, we'll teleport to your place."
"I'd prefer if you came like a normal person," Nanami protested, furrowing his brow.
"If it weren't for this situation, trust me, I would," Gojo assured him, but Nanami didn't believe him for a second. "But I'd rather not take unnecessary risks."
Nanami let out a sigh but nodded. "I understand, but at least call me before you do it, or leave a message."
"Sure, agreed," Gojo accepted, shrugging.
Nobara furrowed her brow, annoyed. She was sitting on the stairs near the dormitories, lost in thought, and didn't hear Fushiguro approaching and sitting to her right.
"Kugisaki," the boy called her, keeping his gaze fixed on her. Nobara jumped slightly and gave him a less than friendly look.
"What do you want?" she asked once she had recovered.
"I've been talking to the second-year students," Fushiguro explained, serious. "They've offered us first-years the chance to participate in the Exchange Program with the Kyoto school."
"What's that?"
"For a couple of days, there will be team and individual combat events against Kyoto school students."
"I haven't heard of it before," Nobara commented, intrigued. She smiled a bit at the thought. Facing off against other sorcerers was a tempting idea.
"It's only for second and third years," Megumi clarified. "But since the two third-years have been expelled, the principal suggested that we participate."
"Itadori would have liked to participate," Nobara pointed out. Fushiguro's gaze turned somber at the mention of their fallen comrade, and he fell silent for a while.
"Yeah, I suppose he would have," he admitted. "But I don't think he would have liked to see us mourning what happened all day."
"I guess you're right," Kugisaki conceded. "The only thing we can do now is get stronger. And beat those Kyoto folks." Nobara's eyes sparkled with determination as she spoke. Her clenched fists, however, revealed the anger that she had begun to keep inside.
"The second-years have offered to train us in the two months left," Fushiguro said. "They want us to start this afternoon after lunch. They'll be waiting for us on the courts behind the cafeteria."
"Alright, I'll be there," she said. "What are the second-year students like?"
"There are four of them. There's Panda, who is a panda," the boy began to explain. "Then there's Maki Zennin, who specializes in the use of cursed weapons and, please, never call her Zennin or she will get really really mad. Toge Inumaki, a specialist in cursed speech. And finally, there's Yuta Okkotsu, but he's currently overseas."
"... Seriously, one of the students is a panda?" Nobara asked, finding it hard to believe what her friend had just said.
"To be honest, I'm not exactly sure what it is. I think it's a cursed doll, but still, it's completely autonomous," Fushiguro admitted. "The point is, it has the form of a panda bear."
"Oh..."
Don't forget to leave a review! I would love to hear your thoughts!