Hello. This chapter came out a week later than I would've liked, so I'm sorry, but I think it turned out rather eventful. This is the last chapter of training and I plan to move onto a homebrewed arc to replace the Flash Back arc. Disclaimer, this chapter has a bit of fluff. I rated this fanfic teen so I could eventually add some surface level smut. Enjoy the chapter before we move onto bigger things.
It was Friday afternoon, the day before Shohei resumed his third weekend of training with Gojo. All the first-years were off on a mission for several days, so Shohei's plans of training with Itadori were cut short, but Shohei busied himself for several days.
Shohei wouldn't call the time he spent pleasant, but he felt it was necessary with certain risks at stake on the first-years mission. Megumi's older step sister, Tsumiki Fushiguro, was in a coma possibly due to the curse Megumi and the others were dealing with that night.
Tsumiki was like a sister to Shohei for the several years of his life she spent growing up with her and Megumi under Satoru until she was cursed before Shohei was even in Jujutsu high. The curse went unknown for a time, but Megumi and the others found some information that led them to believe the curse was the one to plague Tsumiki.
Megumi had contacted Ijichi to inform him as soon as he discovered the news of the curse and its possible relation to his sister. Megumi also asked for Ijichi to contact Shohei to watch over Tsumiki at her hospital while they investigated further.
Shohei of course obliged Fushiguro and almost literally split the sky flying to what he considered his sister's hospital bedside. Shohei spent the next twenty four hours wide eyed and alert to any sign of a curse technique plaguing the girl or shift in her well being. Ijichi had to threaten suspension from all field missions, pay, and further private information regarding the case to allow another sorcerer to take watch.
Shohei had returned to his dorm before sundown and was watching his phone for further notifications from either Ijichi or Megumi. Shohei's heart raced and raced and all he wanted was to pull away from his phone, but his attention span now suddenly had a disobliging habit of concentrating on something so nerve wracking instead of wandering away like it always did. But like an angel sent from the shining clouds above, Maki returned from her own mission and sprawled out on Shohei's dorm floor, tossing her spear aside.
The girl was far from heavenly looking and smelling. Maki was covered head to toe with grime, dirt, or filth of some kind. Shohei felt her exhaustion when she walked into his room and busied himself as soon as she laid down.
"No hello for the love of your life?" Maki asked, her glasses flopped onto her forehead and ponytail scattered across the floor.
"Hello lovely," Shohei announced, still buzzing around his room.
"What're you doing?" Maki said, more so demanding a response than simply asking.
"What're you doing?" Shohei retorted, clattering around in his bathroom. "Coming in here battleworn and covered in filth, getting my squeaky clean floors," Shohei mock scolded the girl with a polite smile across his lips.
"Answer my question little boy," Maki growled, barely lifting her head from the ground. "And come here god dammit. Call me dirty eye to eye, you wimp."
"Yes ma'am," Shohei complied, finished with whatever he was doing. The tall boy sat above her head with a lightly steaming bowl of water and washcloth in hand. "I was simply getting ready to tend to you."
"I can lick my own wounds," Maki assured, pushing away Shohei's hand trying to brush her hair away before cleaning her.
"Please," Shohei begged, his bangs falling over his eyes, demoralized.
The boy's tone had no tone of humor or look of amusement on his face like he always did when teasing the girl. He appeared purely dire and miserable sitting in his own company.
"Why?" Maki asked. "What's wrong?" urging the girl, sitting up like there was a threat at hand or Sho was in danger.
"Nothing," Shohei said, hurriedly chuckling at the girl's alertness and the irony in his statement.
His chuckle eased Maki as much as a fire alarm. Her scrutinizing golden eyes bore into Shohei.
"Well, there actually is something," Shohei admitted, holding up his hands in defense. "But nothing immediate to us. Don't worry about it. It was just eating away at my attention, then you came in and gave me something to focus on."
"Is it Fushiguro?" Maki asked. "He's the only person to make you worry more often than not."
"Kind of, actually," Shohei said. "Fushiguro, but not Megumi."
Maki side-eyed Shohei, disoriented by his seemingly thickheaded statement.
"I mean Tsumiki Fushiguro," Shohei clarified. "Megumi's older step sister. She was cursed and put into a coma back in middle school. Fushiguro and the first-years are currently on a mission to exorcize the curse that might possibly be responsible for it. I was guarding her for the past twenty four hours while you were off on your two day mission. I only got back an hour or so ago. No updates yet."
"I didn't know you had a sister Sho," Maki sighed, fully sitting up across from Sho.
"I don't. She's Megumi's-"
"You grew up with her. You don't even call Megumi a brother, but everyone knows you two might as well be. That means you've got a sister in a coma too," Maki said.
Shohei smiled at Maki and her passive glare softened in return. Maki cupped Sho's cheek and kissed him tenderly before Shohei giggled.
"What?" Maki said, confused on why he went from panicked to laughing when kissed.
"You smell so bad right now," Shohei said, failing to contain his giggle from sprouting into a cackle.
Maki beat Shohei over the head again and again while he stopped bothering to stifle his laughter.
"You always go and spoil sweet moments!" Maki grunted swing after swing.
"I'm sorry," Shohei said, doubled over with laughter and in an attempt to block his face. "I'll kiss you more if you'd like. You just smell like your salt and vinegar chips. I don't mind. I swear."
His "apologies" backfired on him as he fueled Maki to swing harder. As Maki stood and stomped over the boy to grab her spear, a ringtone went off. Maki halted swinging her spear like a club over Shohei's head as he lunged to check his phone.
"It's from Megumi," Sho muttered, not a hiccup of laughter escaping him. "'Found curse's location. Heading in now. Planned to go alone but got support either way' and he sent a hammer and a pig emoji," Shohei recited out loud.
"Kugisaki and Itadori?" Maki guessed. "You said it's all their mission after all."
"Wait. He's still texting," Sho said, waving a hand over his shoulder to silence the girl.
Maki didn't appreciate the gesture, but knew this was important to him and that he probably knew better than to do it again.
"He says 'I'll update you after. Might lose service in this location. Never know with curses and their stomping grounds'."
Shohei hunched over his phone and muttered a response while typing.
"Good luck. Drop me your location now if anything goes south."
"It'll be okay Sho," Maki said, grabbing his shoulder to put him to ease. "They've toughened up after all this time. They've got it."
"You're right," Shohei said, slowing his breathing and shaking out his arms. "They're tougher stuff than I ever admit. I said I'd stop worrying about others' missions." He deleted the text before sending it. Instead he wished Fushiguro good luck and told him not to worry about Tsumiki.
"You did," Maki agreed. "And at best, maybe Tsumiki's curse will be lifted."
"You're right again," Shohei said. "How does it feel to be so brilliant?" the boy asked, springing up from the ground and scooping up the girl by her waist. "How does it feel to be my rock? My anchor in the storm?"
"Like I should be put down," Maki heaved while being spun in a blur.
Shohei lowered the girl and pecked her on the grimey forehead and simply stared. He didn't notice the dirt, matted hair, or disoriented wobble. Shohei only saw the girl he loved.
"I'm gonna go get cleaned up," Maki said, feeling where Sho kissed her and rubbing caked sweat and dirt between her fingers.
"That's why I prepared a washcloth and warm water for you," Shohei said, showing the bowl and towel he had left lying on the ground.
"To be honest sweetstuff, I need a little more than a bowl and cloth. Cute though," Maki said, patting his cheek. "Unless you want me to have a full spa treatment in your shower to get clean and wear your boxers around after, I'll be heading back to my room."
"I wouldn't mind that," Shohei murmured, not entirely hearing what he said aloud. His mind wandered.
"Alright you degenerate," Maki dismissed, striding out of the room, spear in hand.
"Will you come and stay with me after?" Shohei rattled off, quickly stepping after her. "At Least until I hear back from the others?" he asked, leaning out of the doorway.
"Of course I will," Maki agreed, stalking down the hallway. "Then you can see if I still taste salty after," she muttered over her shoulder, her tone lowering from supportive to tempting. She blew a goading kiss back to him over her shoulder.
Shohei watched her walk until he lunged back in his room. He gargled mouthwash, remade his bed, and did a minor complete renovation of his room before sitting down in a corner to watch his phone for notifications.
Realizing he fell back into the draining deadlock that Maki already saved him from once, Shohei pulled himself from his phone and occupied himself once again.
He didn't feel like reading or watching Nat Geo, so he pulled out Iguana Talon from his closet and a whetstone from a drawer. He had gotten said whetstone from Maki at a christmas gift exchange and wanted to put it to use.
Sho examined the blade for knicks of imperfections, but it hadn't registered to him that the self regenerating blade probably also repaired itself from minor damage too. It was a cut above other second-grade cursed tools, especially with the ability to overcharge the blade with cursed energy to strike with maximum power. Even when it broke it could return spic and span to keep hacking away.
Fruitlessly sheathing Iguana Talon, Shohei stuck his hand out his sliding glass door and into the night sky. Feeling Shooting Star in orbit right above him as always, he called it down. It soared into his hand from the Mesosphere. Shohei lightly swung the kanabo upwards into the sky, releasing his roaring force of energy and leaving it a passive crystalline onyx steel.
Shohei returned the whetstone from the drawer and traded it with a rag and can. The can contained a sort of one stop shop of polish good for almost any type of weapon. Maki of course also recommended this to Shohei. Shohei sat on his floor and treated the club for some overdue care. It was rather scratched and even heavily dented from smashing into the barrier during the Exchange Event and had several more imperfections from accidentally crashing through the training hall with him and Satoru.
By the time Shohei had fully polished Shooting Star and even rewoven its handle wrappings, the sun had been fully set. Not long after, Maki stalked into his room.
"Any word?" the girl asked, closing the door behind her.
Shohei didn't hear her. He was taking her in from the floor, astounded. She stood over him, dressed in runners shorts, ankle socks, and an athletic bra. Her damp hair wasn't tied up as usual and fell down her back. The smell of sweet mint wafted from her freshly shampooed hair as she walked. Her muscles had a dress sheen from the shower and were rather distinct from being put to work for the past two days.
"Earth to blockhead," Maki said, flicking Sho between the eyes. "I'm cold and I want one of your hoodies."
"But I only have NASA and JAXA hoodies," Sho muttered, forcing himself to only look at her eyes. Her eyes still melted him like butter like the rest of her.
"And? They're yours," Maki said, kicking the boy's legs. "That's what I'm after, little boy."
"You want to look nerdy?" Sho chuckled.
"Not the point Sho," Maki grunted, marching over to his closet. "I'll grab one myself."
"Wait!" Shohei cried, springing up. Maki side eyed him when he tried to get between her and the closet. "Just pick carefully," Shohei whimpered, reaching out for his closet. "Some were really expensive online, one matches a pair I got from the Tsukuba Space Center where I managed to drag Megumi along, and some are even from when Satoru took me overseas to visit the NASA Space Center."
"It's not like I'm gonna wear them on missions Sho," Maki groaned, flooded by the boy's anxiety.
Maki riffled through the closet, examining every other or so. She wrinkled some too much for Sho's liking as she examined them. Shohei bit his nails as he watched over her shoulder.
"You know what Sho?" Maki sighed, turning to the boy. She had to look up almost vertically as they were toe to toe in the small space between his bed and the closet. "You pick one that'll look good on me if you're so worried."
"Okay," Shohei quickly agreed, glad to have the girl out of his closet. He turned back to his closet and tenderly fingered through the hangers. "So I think dark colors look gorgeous on you. If you're gonna keep this then why not have a NASA one, I guess. I have plenty but I think this dark brown one would look good…"
Shohei turned around and played witness to Maki basking on his bed. She laid down with her chin propped up on her hand and another arm laying across her hip. She watched Shohei with subtle amusement at his explanations of the hoodies like they were rocket science. Her melting stare turned his knees to jelly. Any glace Sho gave the girl he just faltered.
Her long toned legs stretched to his bed foot, obliging Sho to massage them by simply existing. Sho's eyes traced her rounding hips. Her abdomen made his own set of abs look puny. Each ab of hers looked to be chiseled from granite, smooth to the touch and rock hard. Her chest was more than simply ample and plump, but powerful and fit. Her shoulders were strapping and Shohei could only imagine how mouthwatering they and her collarbones really were.
Her body was like a flawless work of art to the boy, but Maki's eyes, they were Sho's weakness. They cast a spell over Sho with entire authority over his being. The allure they posed could have Shohei bend backwards and sing to the world if Maki commanded.
Shohei tossed aside the hoodie and sank to his knees, shuffling to the bedside. He took the hand from her hip and relished it before planting a kiss on it.
"You look like a goddess," Shohei breathed. He fully dropped his Gravity Field and brushed the hair from his eyes to study her, unencumbered.
"What?!" Maki barked, almost blind sided by the boy's compliment. She sat upward, her hand still in Shohei's.
"Your beauty is so overwhelming and you're not even trying," Shohei muttered, mostly to himself. "Maybe I'm just dramatic."
"I mean thank you," Maki assured, shaking her hand in correction. "I was just caught off guard by that compliment. And the falling to your knees."
"You're right," Shohei chuckled, embarrassed by the gesture and returning her hand to stand up. "That was a bit much."
"No," Maki denied, snatching Sho's hand back. "It's sweet," she said under her breath, pulling the boy onto the bed with her. Sho slipped onto the bed, settling himself above her with her guidance.
"Maki?" Shohei said, red flooding his cheeks and ears. He had never seen her so tender but intimidating.
"Just lay with me," Maki whispered, grabbing a handful of his shirt collar. "I don't need a hoodie to warm up," she assured, pulling him down and lifting herself up.
Shohei felt her hot breath against his lips before they kissed like never before. Previous kisses were sweet, brief, and tender. This was hot, drawn-out, and provoking.
They broke the contact, Sho feeling bewildered and Maki studying his reaction.
"I've never done that," Shohei squeaked.
"Was it too much?" Maki asked, dropping her grip on the boy's shirt. "I forget you haven't dated before. Let alone make out."
"That was making out?" Shohei asked, dim.
"The beginning. Kind of," Maki explained, still tender and patient in tone. "We can stop if you like."
"No," Shohei answered animatedly. "I liked it a lot, but why now?"
"You wanted a distraction," Maki admitted. "Let's see your mind wander from this."
"But Maki," Shohei sighed, sitting back on his heels. "I don't want you to do something like this if you didn't want to. Especially if it's just for my sake. And as a cheap distraction no less."
"You think I don't like kissing you?" Maki asked, not sounding offended like Shohei would've thought, but more anxious.
"I thought you did, but I don't want you to feel obliged."
"I don't feel pushed to. I want to love on you Shohei," Maki said. "To be honest I've been waiting to get you like this so we can make out."
"Then kiss me," Shohei purred, leaning forward. "Kiss me knowing now that we both want it to enjoy each other. Not because we're pressured," he said, slowly advancing closer and closer to Maki's face, making her lean back until laid down again.
"Look who thinks he's the boss now," Maki scoffed on her back, pink creeping into her complexion.
"I thought you said that we were mutual bosses?" Shohei said, leaning to kiss her but stopping just short.
"In the relationship, sure," Maki agreed, flipping the large boy to the other side of the bed and taking position on top. "Not in private like this."
Shohei was flush red once again by being tossed around, but was far from opposed. Maki seemed much more natural leading and made herself comfortable sitting on Sho's lap. She leaned back forward, taking Sho's face in hand, making him pucker for a kiss. Rather than meeting his lips, she pinned his head sideways on the pillow, exposing his neck.
"Huh," Sho muttered, but Maki continued.
A shiver sprouted from his neck where she pecked and ran from his head to toes. Maki didn't stop at a peck. She kissed, brushed with her tongue, and nibbled the one spot on his neck. It was like being tickled and kissed all at once and it was shifting Sho's brain into overdrive. Maki bit down lightly and did not let up her sucking the small square of flesh for several moments. Shohei writhed and bit his tongue between stunted breaths. His legs squirmed and as he raised his arms, Maki scooped them up and pinned them against his headboard, holding them in place with one of her own. Shohei pushed back slightly, not in protest but in resistance that only stirred him more.
Maki released herself from his neck and sat up, saying, "You just had your first hickey. How do you feel?"
Shohei panted, staring at his ceiling, failing to gather his thoughts. He sat still and brushed a finger across his neck. It was damp from her saliva and felt the small indents from her teeth.
"Wow," Shohei huffed. He had no words for how he felt and promptly returned to kissing the girl.
Maki and Shohei locked themselves in each others' arms and lip's embrace. They indeed didn't need a hoodie, but would have fared better with a fan to cool their hot bodies after an eventful hour of each other's company.
The simultaneous biggest buzzkill and awaited notification rang from Shohei's phone. He pulled away from burying himself in the crook of Maki's neck and lunged to his phone, discarded on the floor.
"It's Megumi," Shohei gasped, reading aloud. "'Exorcized the curse. It was a cursed womb that had consumed a Sukuna finger and turned stronger. Two Cursed Wombs that were stolen during the Exchange event interfered'."
"Holy shit," Maki gasped, taming her disheveled hair and putting her glasses back on. "They found one of Sukuna's fingers."
"'No sign of change in Tsumiki's condition',' Shohei continued. "'The curse must not have really been tied to her. Returning to Jujutsu High soon'."
Shohei's tone and posture deflated as he read of Tsumiki's condition.
"It'll be okay Sho," Maki reinforced in a calm and confident tone. She crawled from the bed and wrapped her arms around Sho on the floor. "At least the others are safe and Tsumiki is no worse off."
"Good point," Sho sighed, leaning into her. Sho's phone buzzed again and he looked back at it. "'Update. Yuji accidentally ate the finger'."
"How…" Maki muttered, reading the text herself over his shoulder.
"I can't imagine," Shohei heaved. He tossed his phone away and laid on his bed. Maki joined him and simply laid side by side with him, waiting for him to speak or to just bask in their silence.
"Thank you," Shohei said, looking over to her and holding her hand. "For staying with me and teaching me to kiss."
Maki chuckled in a low tone, "Of course Sho. I need you by my side when we topple the conservative bums of my family, so of course I'd support you in this little slump." Maki leaned over and pecked him sweetly on the cheek. "And we'll make a great lover out of you yet."
"Lover?" Shohei murmured, frazzled once again.
"Or henchman. Either works for my needs," Maki dismissed, propping her hands behind her head and stretching out across the bed.
Shohei rolled on top of her and made himself comfortable. The girl struggled to push the large boy off as he settled in. Once Sho had enough of the joke he wrapped his arms around the girl under him and rolled back onto his back. This left her on his chest.
"So sorry. I've had a long day, now please just lay with me," Shohei said, beaming down at Maki and laying back on his pillows.
"I guess I can," Maki grunted, laying her head against his chest and pulling a blanket over them.
Shohei closed his eyes and with the love of his life on his chest, warding off his anxieties. His vision faded to darkness as Maki's heartbeat lulled him to sleep.
Sparks of darkness burst forward, a Black Flash exploding from Shohei's fist saturday afternoon during Sho's fifth day of training. The freshly repaired training room could use a janitor to mop up the blood drenched floor paneling.
"Took long enough," Satoru sighed, exasperated.
The man stood in the middle of the room unscathed as always, not even an ounce of blood on his knuckles. He readjusted his black tint sunglasses in the setting sun shimmering through the windows onto the beautiful man.
Shohei was the real victim of that day's training. He stood trembling with an eye swollen shut, a wrist dislocated and two broken fingers on the other hand, a lip burst open, and a nose flooding with blood. As for internal damages, Shohei was sure he had at least two broken ribs and possibly a ruptured kidney. Bruise purple might as well have been Shohei's new default complexion with how it covered every inch of his exposed flesh.
"Call Ieiri," Sho gasped, failing to suck in enough oxygen to stop his vision blurring, releasing Tunnel Vision.
"No time," Satoru dismissed, taking the boy's hands in his own, gingerly. "You'll exit the zone before she gets here. I'll set your wrist back in place and try to straighten your fingers so you can weave the sign."
A crack ruptured the air as Sho had tender control over his wrist again. A more sickening series of crunches sounded off as Gojo bent Sho's fingers back to shape. Tears mixed with blood as Sho bit his tongue.
"Thank you," Sho wheezed. "I'm bringing a gun to tomorrow's training if you don't lighten up."
"I understand, but I said it'll get more intense everyday," Satoru chuckled as he wiped blood from Sho's face with his sleeve, the first imperfection on him all day.
"Try to bend your fingers," Satoru asked of the boy.
Shohei's hand rattled as he forced himself to make the interlocking hand sign, but performed it nonetheless.
"Good. Catch your breath and gather yourself. You don't have all the chances you want to properly fully erect the Domain. If you cast a partial one you might not have enough cursed energy to cast a full Domain. Now did you think about an insurmountable force?" Gojo said, gripping the boy's shoulders.
Shohei collected himself, clarity shining in his eyes despite being beaten to death worse than ever before in his life.
"I imagined deep space," Shohei sputtered, hocking up a mouthful of blood. "Empty expanses of nothing. Raging stars. Unseen black holes. Forces of nature nothing on earth can naturally replicate. Forces someone as strong as you should treat with respect."
"I'm glad it matches you. Very good answer," Gojo praised, patting the boy's head. "Did you do any further self reflection?"
"I found out how to kiss properly," Shohei whispered bitterly, craving to move on.
"I can tell from that fat ass hickey," Satoru said, pointing at the boy's neck. "Thought I didn't notice huh?" the man asked with a chuckle as Sho pulled at his shirt collar. "Don't worry. I trust you remember our birds and bees talk."
"You mean the dumpster fire you call a talk and an hour of me and Megumi reading a science book online instead," Shohei scoffed, hugging his ribs.
"Call it what you will," Satoru dismissed. "As for your territory, we are now mounting a defense. We are building castles and recruiting soldiers. You are fully raising your kingdom to glory. Cast whenever you're ready. If you do it properly, the name of the Domain should reveal itself to you along with all the information about it. Reign in all your cursed energy and envision your Innate Domain taking shape in this world."
Shohei nodded and felt his untouched cursed energy reserves swell. Shohei recalled the sensations of casting all previous steps of the partial Domain. Shohei reminded himself of the example of his territory. If what he viewed as an unstoppable force had anything to do with his Innate Domain, he pulled all the imaging he had seen of roaring stars and unstoppable block holes to the front of his mind. He felt his third eye of energy sensing brighten from the Black Flash.
Shohei curled his fingers together and gurgled through a fresh mouthful of blood, "Domain Expansion."
The dome grew around them, at first a blank canvas like previously cast last weekend, but then was alight with detail. Shohei had fully manifested his Domain after weeks of training.
"Sovereign Celestial Plateau," Shohei muttered, finally finishing his Domain's name.
Shohei's brain was flooded with information. As soon as the Domain finished Shohei felt something like a fishing lure pull, and he pulled back. He realized he prevented some passive effect of the Domain from targeting Satoru.
"Wow," Satoru praised, whistling in polite awe while looking around.
Inside the Domain Expansion, everything appeared as ever expanding outer space, stars freckling the distance. Shohei and Satoru were floating in the middle of the space as if there was no gravity and they were at a deadstop.
In front of the two sorcerers were the real show stoppers. A roaring, infinitely expanding star parallel to a black hole consuming its endless mass. The two stalemated entities were surrounded by an wide and dense asteroid belt far out from the reach of their gravitational pull.
Sho examined his Domain further. The mere presence of a person in the Domain would have the realistic effects of being in the middle of outer space. Even Gojo with his techniques neutralized due to his Domain would be prey to their effects.
Regarding cursed spirits and shikigami not like humans, the Domain simply using cursed energy replicates the effects as if they were organic beings like humans. Due to the effects of space being rooted in cursed energy, one could defend from the physical effects to some degree with reinforcement and reversed cursed technique. Sho suspected the passive conditions alone wouldn't be enough to kill strong sorcerers, curses, and shikigami.
Shohei being fascinated by outer space naturally knew the health threats coming with being trapped in outer space with a sun nearby. They included losing consciousness within 15 seconds to two whole minutes. If one held their breath their lungs could rupture from the external pressure change. Moisture in the skin would vaporize and lead to swelling. The tongue and saliva may boil. Severe radiation sickness and extreme sunburn radiated from the sun being point blank. Bodies wouldn't freeze as commonly thought, but will mummify and disintegrate while near the sun.
Sound does not travel in space naturally, but Shohei could select who could speak, and therefore cast audible techniques if the Domain's technique neutralization failed due to other circumstances. Exiting the Domain was potentially lethal for a target as well, as the pressure changes again can lead to more dangers.
"You're one lucky bastard," Shohei chuckled, grasping the lethality of his Domain. "Be glad I immediately stopped this place's passive threats from harming you."
"Ooo," Satoru cooed. "Passive conditions? That's a nice touch. I've fought one of that special-grade curse faction's members that had a Domain. He said it would melt any average sorcerer to be trapped in it. What's the sure hit technique?"
"Let me check," Shohei said, scanning his brain for the provided information. "The sun and black hole behind me are sort of one enigma. I can call forth a ray of heat from the sun or direct the vacuum of the black hole."
"Overkill much?" Satoru muttered, looking to the massive sun obscuring his vision.
"I can also control asteroids from that big belt out in the distance," Shohei said, turning his back to the solar enigma and pointing to the freckles out in the distance. "Not as a sure hit but just as lethal. You ever get hit by a hurdling asteroid while immobilized in space?"
"So you can move freely. That's good," Satoru said over his shoulder to Shohei. He was still immobilized facing the stars.
"Oh," Shohei said, surprised by his own accidental movement. "I guess I can." Shohei began to float all around Satoru without the use of Gravity Conductor but just the will of his Domain. "I can let you move too if you'd like."
"If you'd be so kind," Satoru said. And with Shohei's will and recognition of Satoru as an ally, he could move as freely as Shohei and not be a target of the passive effects. "Now go explore some. This must be a dream come true of yours to be in "space"."
"You have no idea," Shohei giggled. "I've been holding back my excitement since I got here."
The boy took off with a silent sonic boom, flipping Satoru head over heels. Shohei's flying capabilities in the gravityless Domain were much more powerful than those of Gravity Conductors in Earth's atmosphere. Flying freely without having to constantly reverse and control the flow of gravity was like transferring from stick shift to automatic.
Shohei's concentration was freed even further, allowing him to pick up the pace. Sure, Shohei could fly at several degrees of mach speeds under certain conditions in Earth's atmosphere, but in Sovereign Celestial Plateau, he could reach his top speeds at any given moment or distance.
Shohei soared in loops and rolls in the expanding space and eventually b lined to the asteroid belt far off in the distance. Shohei reached the seemingly far off belt in the blink of an eye. He could not tell if that was because the Domain was still a confined space and was simply altering his spatial awareness or if he was just exceptionally fast.
Shohei looked back and saw Satoru as a mere dot with the star enigma roaring in the background. Shohei took off and reached the man in the blink of an eye again.
"Satoru?" Shohei said, tapping his shoulder. "It feels like my Domain stretches on and on. I know it has a barrier because it informed me so, but I think my Domain is messing with my depth perception or something."
"Probably messing with all the inhabitants' perception," Satoru admitted, looking around like he was seeing something beside the eternal space. "I saw you jet off a helluva way and it really looked like you were far off, but more likely than not you were just a few dozen meters away at the edge of the barrier. The asteroid belt probably marks the edge of the barrier."
"Okay," Shohei muttered, his question answered but he was confused all the same.
He took back off to the asteroid belt to examine it and was no sooner leaping from giant space rock to giant space rock.
An idea flashed into Sho's mind. He took a stance on the top of an asteroid, like it was a chariot. He braced himself and commanded in his mind for it to begin streaking.
The asteroid took off like a racing horse. Shohei was blinded by the speed. The asteroid must have rocketed to its top speed on his command. The average long period comet would strike the earth about thirty two miles per second, pass the sun at speeds of almost thirtyfour miles per second. The fastest comet ever recorded was Comet Encke traveling at 69.9 kilometers per second, more than 203 times the speed of sound. Sho was confident this comet would give Encke a run for its money.
The comet halted its course suddenly, flinging Sho from its back. Shohei looked back and saw the comet halted. He returned facing forward and saw he was right in front of the star enigma.
Sho's Domain was protecting Sho crashing through the enigma and from being blinded from being so close to the star, as well as all other hellish effects one would endure being so close to either a massive sun or black hole.
The sun was more massive than Sho could ever put to scale by viewing images of foreign suns compared to our solar system's bodies. The black hole technically should be able to be seen, as it sucked in light that allows for one to perceive the world, but Sho's mind was somewhat limited and couldn't manifest that in his own domain. Thinking about how he was able to see a black hole, Shohei really wondered how accurate his Domain was compared to the real deal in outer space. Was his mind too limited in comprehending what some stars and black holes would really look like, so he had to dumb it down into this still captivating image.
Before Shohei could reach out and stick a hand into the enigma, utterly hypnotized by it, his Domain began to lower on its own accord.
Sho watched it as the barrier surrounding them let in the natural light and somewhat corrupted the beautiful blackness of space. The stars freckling the distance were snuffed out like candles. The asteroid belt shrank into nothingness. The star enigma vanished from sight like it and all its grandeur never existed.
The Domain fully lowered and Shohei was left to be standing alone with Satoru in the training room, fully aware of how bland their everyday surroundings really were.
"That's time," Satoru called out. Shohei turned to face him and saw him pausing a stopwatch on his phone. He must've had it in hand since Sho raised the Domain. "Not even a whole minute did you Domain stay up. To be honest, that should be expected from a beginner sorcerer's domain with such lethal capabilities."
"Lets see something survive in there for a whole minute," Shohei scoffed, grinning at the man due to his success.
"Now don't get full of yourself here Shohei," Satoru warned, raising up a scolding finger. "Power in the Domain's techniques is not what determines the winner if two or more Domain's overlap. It is refinement and you know this. Your Domain is raw and unhoned. That is why despite you dumping what looks like more than sixty percent of your untouched energy reserves it failed to stay open for longer. When you practice with it and train before recklessly testing it in battle it will compose itself better. It will stand up longer, it will cost less and less cursed energy by small increments, and it will beat other challenging Domains."
"I understand," Shohei muttered, put into perspective once again.
"Now," Satoru continued. "That being said. Your Domain is sure to obliterate enemies who lack the proper countermeasure against a domain. Even those with simple domains are sure to have themselves utterly screwed by the fact they cannot move to fight back properly. You of course would have expended cursed energy fighting before casting the Domain, as you should never lead a fight with a Domain since it's such a tolling technique."
"I know," Shohei assured.
"Good. With your senses as well you might even be able to gauge how refined an enemy's Domain could be if push comes to shove and you are threatened with one. In my opinion, you'd fare better off seeing the opponents Domain first since you have your own to release, Simple Domain, or Falling Blossom Emotion. Forcing your opponent to cast a Domain to see their level of refinement leaves you with all your countermeasures and free play on the board to approach the threat however you feel necessary. If you cast first and they beat your domain, that would leave you with severely handicapped cursed energy and a further limited hand to play."
"Good to know," Shohei said. "Now can I go see Shoko? I want her to be able to restore my kidney rather than having to get a new one."
"So sorry, Sho," Satoru said, sucking his teeth. "Technically your training is over now that you've cast a Domain. I'll walk you over."
"Thank you," Shohei grunted. "Dick," he whispered with a grin.
"Whatever you say," Satoru retorted as he hooked an arm under Sho's and exited the building.
Shohei chuckled and said, "Thanks for all the training. You're a better teacher than you are a big brother."
"Thank you," Satoru thanked, sarcastically whimpering at the remark. "I think you're the real dick here."
"I love you Satoru," Shohei chuckled through the pain of his broken ribs.
"Love you too Sho," Satoru said, holding the boy closer as they walked together.