Kyandi: Greetings, Kyandiacs!
Inari: We apologize for being gone so long.
Kyandi: I've had a lot of issues to take care of as of late.
Inari: We will attempt to post more often.
Kyandi: In the meantime, I have two chapters for this story for all of you.
Inari: She also has a few for a few other stories.
Kyandi: Yep! So, without any further ado, everyone, enjoy and review.
Inari: Kyandi-sama does not own Jujutsu Kaisen.
Chapter 5 Rivalries
Four people.
In the end, they ended up with four people in body bags in the cellar of the school. It wasn't an outcome that Inari particularly enjoyed, but when she compared four against the amount that would have died if they hadn't went…four was a number she could live with. Yuuji, on the other hand, took it harder.
When Inari went in search of him, she came across Nanami along the way. "Nanami-sensei."
"I'm not a teacher, so don't call me that."
Inari's head tilted to one side. "And yet…you taught me. You've taught me so much that Kyui was not able to. To me you will always be sensei." Nanami adjusted his glasses, unsure what to say. "Are you going to scold me now?"
"Itadori-kun asked the same thing, and to you my answer will be the same. No. I will not scold one of my saviors."
"Savior? Hardly. I only weakened the barrier to help Yuuji get through quicker. He would have gotten through with or without me."
"Who's to say it would have been on time without you." Nanami argued.
"There you very well might have a point." Inari gave a shrug of her tiny shoulders before her eyes locked in on his. "If this is your way of showing gratitude, you do not need to. More than once was my life saved by the actions of others. I see this as a chance to pay forward what I have received. Hopefully, you will have many chances in which to do the same."
With that, Inari moved past him, Nanami turning to watch her go. Not for the first time since meeting her, Nanami had to stop and think that she was a very strange teenaged girl.
Inari followed the hall Nanami had just come from, finding Yuuji watching over the bodies of the poor souls Mahito had ruined.
"Yuuji," Yuuji turned, his gaze landing on Inari as she stepped up to the rail on his left. Her eyes were set on the bodies laid out below. At first, she said nothing else, the two falling into a silence. When she finally spoke, her voice was carefully blank. "Is this your first time to lose someone?"
Yuuji shook his head. "No. I lost my grandpa before coming here."
"I see," Inari's head tilted to the side, her eyes observing him from the side. "How are you fairing?"
"Frustrated." It was the first thing to pop into his head.
"Yes, I can understand that. When I lost my family, I could not understand the frustration for a long while. It took me a long time to comprehend what I felt. Losing a loved one to a cursed spirit , or just about anything really, seems unfair. It is like their time was stolen, that it was not a proper way to die."
Yuuji was nodding by the time she finished. She had just said what was on his mind. "Exactly! People should only die a proper death!"
Inari turned to glance up at him before returning her gaze to the unfortunate bodies before her. "But what is a proper death?"
Yuuji had asked the same question of Nanami just minutes before she had showed up. "What do you think is a proper death?"
"That is a difficult question to answer." Inari heaved a sigh. "The fact is, Yuuji, that all humans die sooner or later, and always too soon for their loved ones. Whether it is disease, murder, or simply old age, it does not matter. I do not think there is such a thing as a "proper" death. There is an ideal, yet, but that, much like normality and beauty, is subjective."
Yuuji was curious now. "Whaddya mean?"
"I mean that what I might think is a proper death could be vastly different from what you think and will, various times through my life, be different from the beliefs of others. It differs from person to person. Some will say old age, other will claim it should be dying with honor. As for me?" Inari hummed as she considered her words. "I believe there is no proper death. Just…death."
Yuuji stood up straight, staring at Inari's face. Her tone only showed mild interest, but three was a whole other truth in her eyes that spoke of heartache. She knew loss and that was what she was speaking from.
"We all share a similar fate in that we all must come to an end in our lives. We can run, we can fight, but it will grab us all the same. Now does that mean I will turn a blind eye to those in danger? No. We might all breathe our last one day, but I will put it off and help others do the same for as long as I can. I do not concern myself with the inevitable death of all things, but with the life we all must live. Try not to ask yourself what a proper death is, Yuuji. You will lonely invite heartache and insanity." Inari's eyes traveled over the body bags.
"Think about how to help others to continue living a proper life. If they die, while sad as it is, celebrate their life instead of beating yourself up over their death. We will not save everyone, but those we can save…" Inari looked up to meet his eyes. "That makes life worth living. A proper death? Maybe that is simply dying after living a life worth living. I believe that will be what I focus on."
Shocked at her profound answer, Yuuji asked another question. "What is a life worth while?"
"Now, that is something I cannot answer for you. That is completely dependent on the individual. My advice…chose what you wish to do with your life, no matter how short or long, and regret nothing. When your time comes, leave with a head held high, knowing you did what you could. Sukuna or not, you're only human, Yuuji. You are bound to make mistakes or be too slow. Even if you cannot save everyone, you can still touch their lives. Focus on the living rather than what a proper death might be."
Inari gave him a small smile before she turned to leave. Yuuji stopped her. "How'd you get so smart?"
Inari glanced over her shoulder at him. "I lived a hard life. Trials are more than just struggles, my friend. They are a chance to learn a lesson you will need later in life. Welcome to learning the lesson the hard way. I assure you…you will hate it."
Realizing that the last comment was a joke, Yuuji smiled. "Thanks, Inari."
"What are friends for?" Inari shrugged her shoulders. "Now, come on. We still have a lot to accomplish.
"Nanami~…" The whine filled the room, making the already stoic man withdraw more to the left, as if that would help him escape Gojou's boredom. "Say something funny." Nanami said nothing, prompting Gojou to continue. "Okay, got it! Let's talk about the separation of the church and state while throwing rice balls at each other!"
"Do that by yourself." Nanami picked up a newspaper, opening it to block his view of Gojou seated across from him.
"Alright, Yamamoto Line Game with the places' that Gojou Satoru loves! Everywhere!" Gojou clapped his hands.
"Please keep that up. Itadori-kun needs that idiocy right now, even if Migawari-chan doesn't." Nanami remarked.
Heaven knew Inari didn't need to pick up on Gojou's weird habits.
Gojou rubbed his brow with one thumb as he recalled how he had suggested that they leave Yuuji and Inari to complete some heavy missions. "I didn't mean that kind of heavy. Does Yuuji know about the finger at that Yoshino's house?"
"No. He'd just feel a needless responsibility. Though, I believe Migawari-chan suspects it. If she does, she says nothing."
Gojou figured that would be the case. Inari, opposite of Yuuji, was incredibly intelligent and perceptive. She picked up on more than even the adults around her. She also liked Yuuji, though, so she would do nothing or say anything that to hurt him. "I'm glad I left you in charge. And that finger?"
"Retrieved it. You'd just feed it to Itadori-kun anyway," Nanami retorted.
"Ah, sensei!" Gojou and Nanami looked up as Yuuji flew around the corner with a huge grin on his face. Inari followed just behind him at a slower pace. "Let's hurry to where everyone is!"
Inari silently moved past Yuuji to claim a seat in the chair next to Nanami, her feet dangling off the floor as she scooted as far back in the chair as she could. Her hair had grown yet again, the mass piled in a large bun on top of her head. How she put up with it, Nanami didn't know.
Gojou paid her no mind, his attention shifting to Yuuji. "Yuuji…could it be that you're planning on showing up normally?"
"Eh, I can't?"
"Even if you're an exorcist, it's not normal to find out your dead friend turned out to be alive two months later," Gojou replied.
"I agree with that. They will be upset that no one told them. That they were left to mourn for nothing," Inari remarked, eyes fixed on her claws as she dug dirt out from under them.
"That's why…you gotta do a surprise!" Yuuji stared at Gojou blankly, Inari frowning. "Well, leave it to me. The first years would cry laughing from the astonishment, and the second years and folks from Kyoto would get caught up crying too! Surely someone will start vomiting, and in the end the global warming will get solved."
Silence met Gojou's words, Inari breaking it with a bluntness only she could accomplish. "Just how idiotic are you?" Nanami silently commended her for the retort. "I assure you, none of that will happen. It is a horrid idea."
But Gojou and Yuuji weren't listening to her, making the short girl heave a sigh. Nanami joined her in making the noise. "Best to let it go. They won't listen."
"So I am discovering." Inari shook her head. "I commend you for dealing with Gojou-sensei thus far, Nanami-sensei."
Not exactly something Nanami wanted to be commended for, but at least someone understood his plight.
In the end, Inari was forced to go along with the whole "surprise", though she made it clear that she would play no part in it. When Gojou arrived at the meeting place where members of both sides had already gathered, he charged in pushing a cart. "Sorry for the wait!"
"Gojou Satoru!" The growl came from the Kyoto teacher, Utahime.
"Hey, hey, seems everyone's around. I was on a business trip overseas, you see." Gojou told them before handing out charms to the Kyoto students. "Here, souvenirs. A protection charm from some kinda tribe for the folks from Kyoto. Nothing for Utahime."
"I don't want it!" Utahime snapped.
Gojou ignored her, turning to his own students. "And for the Tokyo folks there's this!" Out of the cart at his side, jumped Yuuji. "It's Itadori Yuuji himself!"
The expressions that greeted Yuuji were not the happy looks that Yuuji had been expecting. The surprise was a flop. It had Yuuji deflating in the wake of the disturbed looks on his friends' faces.
"Oh! One more thing," Gojou turned back the way he had come from. "Hey, Kit! Come on out and say hello!"
Everyone turned, watching a bush as it shivered once before a small head of orange popped out, bringing with it a slightly miffed expression. "I told you it would not go well, just as I have asked you not to call me that. Do you desire me to bite you again?"
Gojou laughed at the thinly veiled threat, knowing she would carry it through if she got the chance. "Come on, Kit! Come join us!"
"My name is Inari." Inari stepped fully out from behind the bush, keeping her clawed hands tucked behind her back. "It really is not so hard of a name. Why do you struggle with it so?"
Once again, Gojou ignored her comments, and continued to wave her over. Inari heaved a worn out sigh and came forward. Nishimiya, one of the third years, remarked on how "cute" she found Inari, but the younger girl pretended she didn't hear it as she came to a stop beside Gojou.
"This small one," Gojou dropped a hand on Inari's head, the girl's expression unchanging despite a small twitch of one eyebrow. "Is Inari, family name unimportant. She's my adoptive daughter!"
"I did not agree with that, but, sadly, by law I have to have a guardian and he was the one that signed the papers." Inari was quick to make that clear.
Mai put that aside in favor of a more important matter. "Are you so desperate to win that you involved a kid?"
There was not so much as a twitch in Inari's facial muscles. She was use to being mistaken for a child thanks to her small size. Gojou, though, laughed. "Inari's sixteen."
"Sixteen?! Impossible! She's so…tiny!"
Here, Inari sighed. "For all I appear a child, I am sixteen. I, unfortunately, got the short end of the stick when it came to height. It matters not. Size does not always equate to victory, just as brawn does not always prevail over brains. I complete my job without issue."
And that was that.
Inari said not another word, her minty green eyes fixed to the side. Gojou pat her head, Inari already resigning herself to being treated like an adorable child or pet.
"Inari will also be taking part. Beware your limbs." Gojou told them.
"I would rather sit out," Inari complained.
Her protest went unheard, Inari's shoulder slumping as Gojou just pat her head. Everyone turned when the voice of the Kyoto school's headmaster reached them.
"Sukuna's host?!" Inari turned to peer at the heavily-pierced, old man. "How can this be?"
"Director!" Gojou left Inari's side, approaching the man with a wide grin. "Hey~ I'm glad, I'm glad. I was getting worried that you might get too surprised and die on me."
Gojou suddenly yelped and stood up straight, turning to reveal Inari and her red-tinted claws. Inari gave him an uninterested look as she flexed her fingers. "Nanami-sensei said to jab you if you act disrespectfully. Next time, I add venom."
"Aw, come on, Kit!" Gojou whined.
Inari, quick as a flash, sliced claws at him, forcing him to dodge to the side. "Please try to keep from calling me that."
Gojou merely grinned. With everyone together, they moved on to the real reason why they were all there. Yaga started them off. "First even of the Kyoto Sister School Festival: Throbbing Exorcism Race!"
"Could they not pick another synonym aside from "throbbing"?" Inari asked Yuuji lowly. Yuuji shrugged in reply, not really seeing the problem with the phrasing.
"A second class curse is released on a predetermined area within school grounds, and the first team to exorcise it wins! Various third class and lower curses are also released on this same area, and if the match isn't decided by sunset, the team with the most exorcisms wins! There are no rules other than that! Of course, this means that attacking the other team is allowed, but you guys are comrades in fighting against curses. The point of this festival is to know your companions and yourself."
"Uh-oh," All the Tokyo students glanced down at the now miserable look on Inari's face. "This is not going to be good."
"Everything'll be fine, Inari! You'll see." Yuuji assured her, but Inari didn't appear to be convinced.
"Please proceed as to not kill or incapacitate your opponents. The end, you're free until noon." Yaga dismissed them.
Before they could leave, Gojou stopped Inari. "Remember the grade you were given. Take it easy on them. Don't want anyone calling foul play, kay?"
"I understand." Inari still couldn't believe the rank assigned to her, but she knew she had to keep Kyuubi under wraps.
Gojou gave her head another pat. "Good. Have fun!"
Fun was not the word Inari would have chosen. She turned and followed her new school mates as they retreated to one side of the school to plan. There, she watched as Nobara forced Yuuji to hold a funeral frame up to his face as repentance for not telling them that he was alive.
"Um…this is king of harsh bullying from who's supposed to be my allies…" Yuuji remarked.
"Shut up." Nobara ruthlessly shot him a glare. "Stay like that for a while."
"Now, now. He explained his situation already, so just forgive him." Panda told her, trying to sooth her anger at her yearmate.
"Shake sushi, shake sushi," Inumaki agreed.
"Come again?" Yuuji was confused, Inari tilting her head to one side in questioning.
"Inumaki-senpai is a spellcaster," Fushiguro explained. "It's a kind of exorcism that amplifies the power of words and forces them on people. So he limits what he says."
"That is incredibly considerate," Inari praised.
"So, if he tells someone "go die", they die? Wow, that's the strongest," Yuuji said in awe.
"It's not that convenient of a thing," Panda assured him. Inari could definitely see drawbacks to an ability like that. That kind of power didn't come without some serious recoil. "It depends on the user, strong words have a large recoil, and worst-case they bounce right back to the user. Limiting his vocabulary mostly protests himself."
"Huh. So, why can you talk, senpai?" Yuuji asked.
Yuuji's question went unanswered as Nobara spoke sourly. "he's just explaining someone's else technique."
"It's fine, its not something that effects Toge after all. That aside," Maki turned to Yuuji, holing out her hand to him. "Yuuji, give back my Slaughter Demon."
Inari could see Yuuji quickly doing the math, putting two and two together until he broke out into a nervous sweat. "Gojou-sensei…has it…"
Maki clicked her tongue as Fushiguro gave Yuuji a pointed look. "That blindfold bastard."
Inari didn't say a word about it obviously being Yuuji who had failed to return whatever the object had been. Whether he had lost it or broke it, she had a feeling it wasn't Gojou's fault…this time. Gojou, though, could handle the second year's fury far better than Yuuji could.
Maki took a seat, a thoughtful look on her face. "So what do we do about the battle formation? We got two new members. So should we change it? There's no time."
"Well, that depends on Yuuji and Inari. What can you do?" Panda asked, looking first to Yuuji.
"Punching, kicking," Yuuji replied, straight forward as always.
"We got enough of that." Panda replied.
"I dunno what this guy did while he was dead, but if he were to fight everyone at the Kyoto and Tokyo schools with cursed power…then Itadori would win," Fushiguro remarked, stretching his arms as he did.
This caught all three of the second years' attention, Maki grinning. "Nice!"
Yuuji scratched at one cheek awkwardly. "I'm not so sure that's true, though. I mean…" Yuuji jabbed his thumb over his shoulder in Inari's direction. "I couldn't ever beat her in a spar."
All eyes turned to Inari who watched them all from over the tops of her knees, her arms wrapped around her thighs. "You could not best me because I am faster, not stronger. It is hard to hit what you cannot catch."
"So, you have speed, huh?" Maki considered that for a moment. "What else?"
"I'm…" Inari withdrew further into herself, trying to make herself impossibly smaller.
Yuuji turned to look at her, recognizing her unease. "It's alright to tell them, Inari. You're safe here."
Inari only curled further more into herself, looking more and more like a kicked puppy. "I am a last resort fighter…and a cursed one at that." Inari dug in her pocket, producing several of her seal-covered whistles, all hung from red cords. "I am better fading into the background and, if you need me, need help, blow one of these. I will hear it and come."
Maki took the whistles, passing them out to the others. She looked at hers closely, studying the seal. "What's this seal?"
"It is a spell to help the whistle produce a sound only I can hear. It travels great distances, so as long as you are on campus grounds, I will always hear it." Inari explained.
"What, are you a dog or something?" Nobara asked sarcastically.
"Something like that." Nobara glanced at Inari's serious face. "Anyway, I might not be as physically strong as Yuuji, but I have had and practiced with my cursed technique for as long as I can remember. I am fast, I am sure in my ability, and my power does pack a punch. Especially if you do not know it is coming. I would rather leave it at that for now. Just know, if you are in a tight spot, no matter how bad, my whistle is your best bet."
With that, Inari fell silent, retreating back into herself. It kind of reminded the second years of someone else when they first met him. Yuuji knew that hiding in her shell was a place she spent a lot of time in. She still didn't know how to deal with other people very well.
Maki let her retreat, already planning. "Todou will definitely come straight at us to crush us. Mai might even ride his coat tails to come at me, too. Todou is a monster. Even if we all go at him, worst case we get annihilated."
"Best case?" Inari questioned, trying to gauge her biggest obstacle.
"Still not good. If you're as fast as you say you are, you might be able to get away." Maki told her. "If he caught you, though, you're so small he might accidentally kill you."
Inari didn't seem to emotionally react at all. "Avoid the big man, got it."
Maki nodded. "We were gonna leave only one person, Panda or Fushiguro, to slow him down, but…Itadori." Maki turned to Yuuji. "I'll leave it to you. You don't have to win, just waste as much of his time as possible."
"But you can be daring!" Panda added, him and Maki giving Yuuji a thumbs up. "Honestly, you're an unexpected reinforcement, so we don't mind even if you retire." Panda looked at Fushiguro then. "Sorry, Megumi, you probably wanted to fight Todou, right?"
"I don't really care." Fushiguro gave a shrug.
"Aren't you super dry," Panda remarked.
Yuuji ignored that, turning to Maki. "But, senpai, if I'm gonna fight…then I'm gonna win." He was serious and they all knew it.
"And what about me?" Inari drew attention back to her with that question.
Maki pondered the question and when she spoke, it was slow at first, as if she was still forming the idea as she went. "From what you've told us, you're a hit-and-run type fighter. With that kind of speed, you can do some serious damage coming out of left field. Those whistles will help with that. If you can vanish the moment it starts and stay hidden until called, we can use you like a decoy on or sudden trump card. Can you do that?"
"Vanish from sight and never be seen? Sure. I have done it my whole life." Inari gave her a thumbs up.
With their plan of action decided, they headed for their starting point. When the start was called, they head into the forested area in front of them with their plan ready. Inari planned to do her job and go back to lurking in the shadows.
Or so she hoped.
"Where's the boss curse?" Yuuji asked.
"They released it at the middle point between the two schools," Panda replied. "But, well, it's not like its gonna stay in place."
"Wait for the signal to split between the Panda team and Fushiguro team to search for the enemy," Maki reminded them. "Counting on you, Yuuji."
Yuuji saluted her. "Roger!"
Ahead of them one of Fushiguro's shikigami dogs barked a warning for them. A cursed spirit, nothing but cannon fodder, appeared in their way. Panda and Maki set themselves to deal with it, but Fushiguro called them to a stop. Inari was already jumping back when Todou came crashing onto the scene, taking out the cursed spirit in his wake.
"Alright! Everyone's here! Come at me all at once!" Todou demand was met with Yuuji's knee to his face.
"Disperse!" Maki called.
Panda, Inumaki and Nobara darted one way, Maki and Fushiguro another while Inari seemed to just melt into the shadows. As per Maki's request, Inari would stick close but remain unseen.
"Todou was alone," Fushiguro observed as he and Maki ran.
Maki nodded. "It really was a good idea to leave that to Yuuji."
"And Inari? Did you see which way she went?"
No. She was already gone when I looked back. Which is what we wanted her to do. For now, let's focus on the task at hand."
The task at hand...dropping Nishimiya from the sky. It was an easy enough task for Fushiguro's shikigami, and when she fell from the sky, the Kyoto team split up, Mai and Mekamaru heading to cover the fallen Nishimiya while Kamo and Miwa continued on their course. There they quickly were confronted by Fushiguro and Maki.
"Kamo-san," Fushiguro spoke calmly as he faced the third year. "Are you guys trying to kill Itadori?"
Kamo was a little surprised by the sudden question, but remained calm. "What if I told you that you're right?"
"Then you guys failed," Fushiguro replied, unflinching. "No way he would've died in this short time."
Kamo put a pleasant smile on his face. "We have no reason to kill him."
Maki's phone buzzed then, Maki pulling it out one-handed while keeping her eyes on Miwa. On the screen, she found a text message from Inari. "Inari says he's lying, that she witnessed the whole thing. Todou stopped them."
Kamo glanced at Maki's phone before searching the trees around them. He couldn't hide or hair of Inari, but he knew she had to be close in order to hear their conversation and call him out on his lie.
Fushiguro drew his tonfas up. "I think you do have a reason. At least, your superiors and the Gosan Clan have. Besides...I don't take Inari as the lying type. Itadori told me something before the start of this. He said, 'Inari has a good nose. She can smell cursed energy and lies from kilometers away.' I guess she could smell you strongly."
Fushiguro and Kamo separated from Maki and Miwa as one-on-one fights broke out across the battlefield. From the shadows, Inari moved about, wiping out any cursed spirit that was idiotic enough to approach her. Even if the other got caught up in fighting each other and the second class spirit was left uncaught, she would make sure her team had more exorcisms on their side. It was all she could do unless someone summoned her.
Across the field, Fushiguro and Kamo were still going at it even while others begun to wrap up their fights. Fushiguro dealt with Kamo's arrows easily enough, but when the third year unleashed the strengthening effects of his blood manipulation, he found it harder to handle.
Fushiguro considered for a moment on calling forth Inari when Kamo broke his tonfas, but being inside a building left no room for the girl to possibly hide from Kamo. It didn't matter how small she was, with her bright hair Kamo would see her coming. Even so, Fushiguro kept the whistle close at hand while trying to maneuver the fight back outside. Using an elephant-shaped shikigami and the water it called forth to finally accomplish that, he immediately followed it up with Nue in order to give Kamo a good shock at the same time.
Hoping to finish the fight with that attack, and without Inari's interference, Fushiguro's hope was dashed. Kamo would not go down so easily. Throwing a blood bag at Nue, he bound the creature, sending it crashing down on the rooftop below. Face-to-face once more, Fushiguro and Kamo moved to engage when a large wave of what looked like tree roots suddenly rose, curving down in their direction, and there, running from it, was Inumaki.
Spotting Fushiguro and Kamo, Inumaki called to them to run, the two's bodies moving without their say so. Over head, a barrier descended like a bubble around them, but the three boys were too focused on the cursed spirit know as Hanami who appeared before them, roots serving as eyes.
"Why is there a cursed spirit at the school? And who made that screen?" Kamo wondered.
"Probably a curse user on the same team as that spirit," Fushiguro replied.
Kamo glanced at him. "Do you know something?"
Fushiguro's eyes narrowed. "I think that's a high grade that has attacked Gojou-sensei before. Looks like what was in the report, too."
"Tuna mayo," Inumaki made a phone out of his hand.
"You're right. We should give Gojou-sensei a call," Fushiguro agreed with a nod.
Kamo watched the two in bafflement. "Wait...a second...do you understand what he means?"
Fushiguro pulled out his phone. "Does that even matter right now? The enemy might be able to use an expanded territory. We should keep our distance and retreat to where Gojou-sensei...is..."
Fushiguro cut off when he looked up and was confronted with the cursed spirit in question now standing right behind Kamo. Kamo whipped around but the spirit merely took out Fushiguro's phone.
"Don't move." Inumaki spoke the two words before either Fushiguro or Kamo could find themselves as the next target. Hanami froze on the spot, giving the boys the chance to retreat and attack. Both attacks, though did no damage to Hanami's thick skin.
Then came the unrecognizable jumble of noise that was Hanami's speech. To their shock, they still understood the spirit perfectly. "Stop this, foolish children. All I want is to protect this planet."
"Don't pay attention to the rubbish a curse spits out," Kamo warned.
"This isn't on the same level as when a low grade does it..." Fushiguro muttered in reply, disturbed by the spirit's form of speech.
"The forest, sky and sea can't take it anymore," Hanami continued. "They're crying. Coexisting with humans is no longer possible. They understand that there are humans who are kind to the planet. However, for how long will that compassion last? All they wish for is "time". This planet might still shine blue, as long as it has 'time'." The more Hanami talked, the worse the boys felt about their situation. "Time...without humans. Die and become wise."
The boys did they only thing they could do.
They ran.
Making their escape, they fell into a system. Inumaki would stop Hanami's attacks and Kamo would try to deal damage. It wasn't until he hit the roots curling out of Hanami's eye sockets that any of Kamo's attacks did anything to the curse. It was a game to see who held out longer, and, sadly, that wasn't Inumaki. When he reached his limit, his throat not wanting to work anymore, Fushiguro lost Nue to Hanami's fists. Without Inumaki to stop Hanami, Fushiguro knew they were done for. Then he remembered...
Inari's whistle.
Inari wasn't big, and she admitted that she lacked Yuuji's strength, but all they needed was a brief moment's distraction to get Inumaki as far from Hanami as possible. With her speed, Inari could supply that. Fushiguro didn't stop to second guess himself as Hanami reached for Kamo. He pulled out the whistle, prayed Inari was close, and blew.
Nothing.
Not a single sound slipped free of the whistle. Not any that Fushiguro could hear, at least. It did nothing, however, to diminish the effect or the near-instant result it garnered. Fushiguro didn't see where Inari came from, how she appeared in the fight, nothing. He merely knew that one moment, Hanami's fist was baring down on Kamo, and in the next...Inari was slamming down feet first into the curse.
Her sheet momentum was enough to send Hanami skidding across the roof, away from the boys. Inari landed in a crouched position, her eyes quickly taking stock of her comrades' conditions and the situation they were currently in.
Fushiguro breathed a quick gasp of relief. "You came."
"I said I would." Inari blinked, her eyes flickering towards the three boys. "Take Inumaki-senpai from this place. I will cover your retreat."
"You can't!" Fushiguro instantly protested, despite the fact that that had been the reason he had called her.
"Fushiguro Megumi," The boy flinched despite the fact that there was no infliction in her words, no heat look cast his way. "For all I am small...I still out rank you. All three of you. This is not the first high grade I have confronted. I can manage myself, but all three of you are injured and exhausted. Just go before you cause me unnecessary problems."
"But...!"
Inari shook her head, still not looking back at him. "Go. Kyui...phase one."
The change that took over Inari had the boys staring as her hair bleached of color, cracks sounded as her limbs grew, red marks appeared on her skin, claws and fangs growing more prominent, and two red-tipped tails grew from her tailbone. Inari snapped her fangs together in pain as Kyuubi appeared at her side. Inari gave herself a shake to clear away lingering pain.
The fox curse shifted to stand over her defensively, growling as he looked down at her. "You should not hasten the change, Little One."
"I had but little choice, Kyui. A powerful enemy stands before us," Inari replied.
"Y-you're a Migawari!?" Fushiguro demanded, stunned. "But that whole family was killed of years ago."
"Not the whole. Unfortunately, I alone survived," Inari replied blandly.
"Little One," Kyuubi had a tone full of exasperated warning to Inari.
"It you wish me to be thrilled with the fact that I lived while my entire clan perished, Kyui, then you must learn to live with disappointment." Inari shifted then. "Kyui."
No one saw the two move, not even Hanami. All the spirit knew was that Kyuubi vanished from standing over Inari and appeared standing guard before the boys. Inari went from crouching low to the roof tiles to hitting Hanami with enough speed to knock the curse back several steps.
Hanami stumbled and Inari's foot barely touched the ground before she was striking out with reinforced claws. Hanami understood quickly that Inari would a tougher opponent than the boys had been. For all she didn't possess the force behind her attacks that they did, she was faster, making it hard to land a strike. She hit and ran, hit and ran, giving him no time to land a counterattack because the girl was so small and never stopped moving.
Inari, though, was thinking along the similar lines about Hanami. Both big and strong, Hanami didn't possess her speed, making it next to impossible for the curse to touch her. That being said...Hanami's skin was just too hard. With her claws how they were, she would never cut through. Not to mention, she still had a handicap.
The boys had yet to move.
Inari and Kyuubi couldn't make any bolder moves, or walk together, when they still had the boys to protect. It had Inari's attention split. She didn't see the sphere of what looked like roots until it was right in her face. Fushiguro called a warning to her to avoid those, but it was too late...it blew up in her face.
"Inari!" Fushiguro called her name, concerned before coughing reached them.
The smoke was waved aside, Inari appearing unharmed. "I am fine. Kyui strengthens my skin. That will not be enough to damage me."
"Little One," Kyuubi called, red eyes on Hanami. "This phase is not enough."
"I figured that out when I actually broke a claw on its skin. As tough as you make my skin, its skin is tougher." Inari crouched on the spot, studying Hanami for a moment. "Kyui...phase two."
As much as her first transformation changed how she looked and seemed to pain her, the second was more so. The cracking of bones breaking to reform could be heard as her feet grew in length, taking on more of a hind leg shape from a dog or fox. Her spine lengthened as well, making her claws dig into the roof. Fangs sharpened while white fur started to grow on her arms and legs and small, white fox ears sprouted from her head, replacing her normal ears. Her two tails split into five, making her appearance even more like Kyuubi's.
Growls of pain left her as her body was forced into a shape it wasn't supposed to be in. The whole transformation took only a minute or two.
Then she vanished.
Hanami was completely taken off his feet when Inari hit him like a truck, her speed so drastically increased that he couldn't track her. She ricocheted off the roof, the tiles shattering under her feet, bouncing around him like a pinball on crack, hitting him more in a short time than the boys had in their entire fight. Hanami tried to catch her, but as soon as she hit him she slipped away like smoke. Even with the use of his roots, Inari easily evaded. With Hanami now fully occupied, Kyuubi turned to the boys.
The fox snapped his jaws them to draw their attention. "What are you dawdling for? Retreat. Little One and I cannot do so until you are clear. Go!"
A gasp of pain made Kyuubi whipped around. Hanami had finally managed to catch Inari by the trailing end of her hair. With a hard swing, the curse slammed her into the roof, tiles shattering under the impact. Keeping hold of her hair, Hanami pinned her, raining hits down on her tiny body.
"Little One!" Kyuubi changed in, fangs bared, ramming Hanami to knock him away from Inari.
"Inari!?" Fushiguro started towards her, Kamo turning to see if she was alright. The moment of distraction was all Hanami needed to land a hard hit right to Kamo's face. Fushiguro whipped around, grabbing Kamo to drag him out of the way of a follow up attack. "Are you still alive, Kamo-san!?" There was no response from Kamo. "Inari?"
Kyuubi crouched over the girl's prone body, nose pushing at her blood-dampened head. This wasn't good. Kamo and Inari were down and Inumaki's throat was done for. This curse was just superior. Then Fushiguro felt a hand on his shoulder. He turned to find Inumaki standing there.
"Inumaki-senpai! You're going overboard!"
Inumaki didn't listen. As Hanami came after them, Inumaki used stronger words, putting him completely out of the fight for one last shot. "Blast off!"
Inumaki crumpled to the ground as Hanami was sent flying into another building. As the smoke cleared, Maki made her appearance, sword slashing. Hanami raised a single arm, the blade breaking up his skin. With a click of her tongue, Maki backed up, Fushiguro taking the chance to attack, managing to slice off one of the branches growing from Hanami's eyes. He landed beside Maki, put his sword down to pull another weapon from his shadows to give to Maki.
Maki took the three part staff from him. "We've got something even better. But using this feels pretty disgusting, to be honest."
Hanami moved to attack when the sudden increase in heavy cursed energy hit him only a breath before something hit him physically. There was a loud snap in Hanami's jaw, the skin splitting under the slash of burning hot claws. Hanami crashed into the roof beneath his feet as his attacker bounced back to land in front of Maki and Fushiguro. Fushiguro jolted in surprise when he caught sight of who it was.
"Inari!"
He came to a stop when he realized that the cursed energy around her had taken a drastic change alongside her appearance. The girl now had to be as tall as him, if not taller, her legs fully bent like a fox's hind leg, fur covering her legs up to her thighs. Five tails had become seven, her jaw elongating to accommodate larger fangs. Low growls resonated from deep in her throat, claws digging deep into the tiles under her.
"What happened to her?" Maki demanded.
"She's a Migawari," Fushiguro replied.
"What!?" Maki stared at him in shock.
"This is the third time in this fight that I've seen her appearance change." Fushiguro had a bad feeling about what that meant.
"That is because this is Phase Three." Maki jumped when Kyuubi appeared beside Fushiguro, the by quickly assuring her that Kyuubi was on their side. "There are four stages to her transformation, each one increasing her output of cursed energy and altering her appearance to be closer to that of mine before she fully transforms into me. She has not used past Phase Two since that night twelve years ago when her clan was slaughtered. The recoil for this will be great." Kyuubi looked down at Fushiguro. "Keep an eye on her. She has ordered me to get the other two boys to your comrades. Her body is not made for this form for long. When she finally transforms back, the pain will hit all at once."
Fushiguro nodded, Kyuubi quickly taking off. With the fox gone, Fushiguro turned to Inari. She had blood staining her hair and skin, but she appeared steady on her feet. "Inari, can you handle distracting it?"
A grunted growl of affirmation left the girl. It only took a bracing slide of Maki's foot to let Inari know to go. The younger girl charged forward, clawed foot lashing for Hanami's face to blind the curse. Her claws raked through the skin of Hanami's face before the girl darted out of the way to let Maki land a hit. Hanami got an arm up to block the hit, but the force of the attack sent him flying clear off the buildings and into the river that ran through the forest.
Hanami landed on his feet, a chuck of his arm missing. Fushiguro took the chance to send his jade hound in to try to completely remove the injured arm before it could heal. The attempt failed, Inari darting in with claws flashing. Hanami back handed her away, Inari taking the hit on crossed arms. Maki followed up with Fushiguro's blade. Distracted by the fact that she had the sword, Hanami didn't see Fushiguro until he attack from behind with the staff.
Inari charged in, hitting the curse in a rapid session of blow, removing chucks of Hanami's flesh while Maki and Fushiguro swapped weapons. Inari flipped clear of Hanami, making way for her comrades to attack. She quickly rejoined them.
"Please never make me use a three-section staff again!" Fushiguro complained. "It's so unwieldy!"
"They're useful once you get used -" Maki cut off as Fushiguro suddenly coughed up blood. "Megumi!"
Inari ducked with a warning cry, avoiding an attack that pierced Maki's shoulder. Hanami watched as Inari sliced through the roots protruding from Maki's shoulder, Maki pulling the remains from her flesh. The curse had aimed to spear both girls through the heart while they were distracted by their comrade's injury, but only Maki had turned to check on Fushiguro, Inari's eyes never leaving Hanami for a second. It was as if the girl had no concern for her teammate. Hanami only thought that for a moment before Inari lunged at him in retaliation, claws ripping into his chest.
Inari darted back, wondering how much poison she would have to pump into this curse before it finally took effect. She had already dumped a heavy dose into it. Inari remained firmly before Maki and Fushiguro when they boy tried to attack Hanami with his hound only for the technique to unravel.
"You better avoid using jujutsu," Hanami warned. "The bud I drove into you loves cursed energy. Its roots spread deeper the more you try to use techniques."
"Thanks for the advice! But you'll still kill me anyway, right?" Fushiguro snapped.
"I've been told it works faster after I explain it."
Both Inari and Maki dove in then. Hanami dodged Maki, swiping Inari to the side, the younger girl hitting the water rolling, easily popping back to her feet.
Hanami looked down at Maki, the one closest to him. "You sure can move well."
"Maki-senpai, duck!"
Inari's warning came too late, Hanami slamming a fist across Maki's face. "But you're not as sharp as before."
Roots wrapped around Maki's neck, snatching her off her feet. Inari darted in, claws aiming for the roots. She completely missed the other roots Hanami had ready. They hit Inari hard, one piercing through her left bicep and a second digging into her side just over her left hip. With that hooked grip, Hanami swung her down into the ground, water exploding as she hit.
"Inari!"
Between Maki's capture and Inari's injuries, Fushiguro knew he had to get back into the fight. Even with the plant feeding on his cursed energy, he had to squeeze out something, somehow.
"Megumi. Stop it." Fushiguro looked up as Maki spoke. "Our work is done. We're switching players."
Hanami couldn't question her statement before his next opponents landed, ripping the roots apart to rescue Maki. There, ready to fight, was Yuuji and Todou.
END
Kyandi: Wow, I didn't realize just how long I made this chapter.
Inari: In comparison, the next chapter is very short.
Kyandi: Oh, like you.
Inari: ...I will allow that one to slip simply because you are my creator.
Kyandi: Aren't you sweet.
Inari: That is yet to be seen.
Kyandi: Anyway, we'll move on to the next chapter.
Inari: We will be right back.
Kyandi: Bye-bye!