Time doesn't exist to me anymore because I could've sworn I updated this story two months ago, not nearly two years later. Um. Sorry? Hi?

Thank you for still continuing to find this funky little story, it truly means a lot!

Chapter Six

Double the Vessel, Double the Fun

Rei was sick of waking up in the infirmary.

To voice her displeasure, she attempted to groan, but all that came out was a strangled sort of wheeze. She reached up and rubbed her throat; it burned, and the skin of her neck was tender.

Right, she thought dully. Her mind was sluggish. Someone tried to choke me.

The scrape of a chair caught her attention, and she sat up against the pillows with some effort; her entire body was sore, and her head ached. Ieiri had just gotten to her feet across the room, and she approached Rei's bedside with a paper cup in her hands.

"Honey water," she said to Rei's questioning look. The jujutsu doctor seemed more tired than usual; the bags under her eyes were more pronounced, and her hair was tied back in a sloppy, careless manner. "Drink that and then I'll get started on healing you."

Rei accepted the cup and began to drink. The first swallow stung, but the more she drank, the more the burning sensation in her throat soothed. By the time she'd finished, she was able to speak again without too much pain.

She voiced the first question on her mind. "Who attacked me?"

Ieiri took back the empty cup and chucked it into the trash bin next to Rei's cot. She shook her head, and there was a resigned irritation in her tone when she said, "Another of Gojo's harebrained schemes."

"He…changed." Rei thought back to the moment she'd walked into the courtyard. She remembered Gojo and the teenage boy with pink hair. He'd looked so utterly normal, and then… "Like one moment he was a regular guy, and then he became this thing."

Unbidden, a shudder passed through her at the reminder of those gleaming fangs in her face, the tattooed hand around her neck. Ieiri sighed.

"He's a vessel," she said as if Rei would know what she was talking about. "I've already asked Gojo to explain it to you when you're discharged. I've been awake all night doing his bidding and patching Fushiguro up; the least he can do is tell you himself what happened and why."

"Fushiguro?" Rei scanned the infirmary, but it was empty. "Why was he here? What happened to him? Is he all right?"

"He was attacked by multiple curses last night," Ieiri said, unheeding the way Rei paled at her words. "Nothing life-threatening, but he was banged up pretty good. Lie back; let me heal those bruises on your neck."

Rei obeyed, her head spinning with questions, but curiosity had seized her as Ieiri pulled back the sleeves of her white lab coat. Fushiguro had mentioned that Ieiri could heal with jujutsu, and Rei was excited to see it up close.

"You use cursed energy to heal, right?" she asked, wincing when Ieiri prodded her bruises with cold fingers. "What's that like?"

"It's called a reverse cursed technique," Ieiri said. She raised her hands to demonstrate. "You just kind of use this to do that and then you have a—"

She opened her palms, displaying nothing. Rei stared.

"…Right."

"I've never been good at explaining it," she said. "I just do it. Like this."

There was nothing visible Rei could see, but felt a sudden warm pressure envelop her head and shoulders, like she'd burrowed under the covers of her futon. She blinked, and the pain in her throat and body had leeched away. Ieiri pulled back, and the pressure disappeared. Rei touched her neck. There were no more tender spots. When she spoke, the burning had gone, too.

"Amazing," she breathed. Fushiguro had said jujutsu wasn't magic, but to her, it might as well have been. "It's incredible that you can do that."

Ieiri shrugged, but there was a small smile on her lips as if she were secretly pleased at the praise. "It's what I've always known. And it's a good thing too; I don't know where this place would be without me."

"Am I free to go?" Now that she was healed, she was anxious to check on Fushiguro. Hopefully, he was in their dorm. She hopped out of the cot at Ieiri's nod and searched for her shoes. She found them and hooked her fingers on the heels before turning back to Ieiri and bowing. "Thank you, Ieiri-san. For everything."

She waved for Rei to go, and Rei stepped outside, sliding the door shut before slipping on her shoes. She quickly followed the path to the first-year dorms. The sun had set not too long ago; the sky was still orange, fading to blue, and a star or two winked down at her. Lamps lit her way, soft golden pools of light that beat back any shadows. Crickets chirped around her, and in the distance, a toad or two croaked back and forth, a longing call in the fading evening. Jujutsu High was peaceful at any hour, she thought. It almost made her forget that she'd now been attacked not once, but twice. She wondered if Fushiguro knew.

"Nagatsuka!"

Rei turned and spotted Gojo striding toward her from another path that connected to her own. Though the Jujutsu High teacher was all grins and nonchalance, she still noticed the relief in his tone when he saw her.

"Gojo-sensei," she said warily. She looked for any sign of the boy/curse thing he had been with earlier but relaxed when she saw nothing. "Hi."

"How are you doing?" Despite his blindfold, she sensed that he was assessing her carefully.

"Good. Ieiri patched me up just fine." She could not help the accusation in her voice, and the older man grimaced.

"I hadn't expected you." It didn't sound like an apology, and she crossed her arms. "I only meant to introduce Itadori to the principal and receive his acceptance to enroll Itadori here at the school. By all accounts, Itadori is an exceptional vessel and able to tame Sukuna, and I had hoped to bring you two together in a more controlled environment—"

Rei took a step back, horror crawling up her throat. She stared at Gojo in a mixture of anger and fear. "Sukuna? Vessel? What the hell are you talking about?" Her heart had begun to thump painfully. "You brought Sukuna here? The same Sukuna whose finger is in my heart? Are you insane?"

She took another step back as Gojo held up his hands. "No, no! Well, in a way, yes, technically. I can explain—"

Rei's knees trembled, her body torn between running and being utterly immobilized in terror. Fushiguro had called his teacher the strongest sorcerer, but Rei was beginning to think the man was mad and dangerous. "Get away from me!"

"Nagatsuka, listen—"

"Gojo-sensei!"

Fushiguro appeared out of the twilight, and Rei nearly let out a sob. He looked furious, his eyes narrowed at his teacher as he scowled darkly, and beneath her fear, Rei had to admire him for being undaunted. Unsubtly, she positioned herself behind his lean back as he faced Gojo.

"What are you doing?" Fushiguro demanded. "I told you I would explain things to her."

Gojo was unfazed. "I just happened to run into her here. I thought she deserved an explanation from me, too."

"Yes, you seem to be doing a wonderful job." Fushiguro noticed Rei cowering behind him and moved so his body blocked her more. "I'll take it from here."

"As you say, Megumi." Gojo shrugged. "'Night, then! Don't forget about tomorrow!"

Gojo then sauntered off into the night, whistling cheerfully as he went. When he was gone, Rei took what felt like her first breath in ten minutes.

"Thank you," she said. She cleared her throat when her voice came out small and hushed. "Your timing was, well, perfect."

"I was on my way to the infirmary to check on you. I didn't realize Ieiri had released you." After glaring at the spot where Gojo had left, he turned to her and met her eyes. "Are you all right?"

She nodded but croaked out "No" at the same time. He sighed, although the action didn't seem directed at her. She blinked back tears. "What did he mean? Sukuna is here?"

"Yes," he said bluntly. "In a manner of speaking." He shook his head. "The boy you saw earlier – the one who—" He glanced at her neck and cut himself off. "His name is Yuji Itadori. Last night, he encountered another of Sukuna's fingers, like the one you have. Instead of being dominated by Sukuna's spirit, he became a vessel – a channel for Sukuna to access. Or a channel Sukuna should have access to. For whatever reason, that didn't entirely happen. Itadori exercised extreme control over Sukuna's will and was able to retain his own mind and body. Sukuna is inside of him but doesn't seem strong enough to break free of Itadori's control. Mostly," he amended with another glance at her. "Gojo suspects your unexpected presence temporarily allowed Sukuna to take over Itadori this morning – that the finger you possess was the reason Sukuna awakened, and the surprise made Itadori's control slip."

Rei listened to the explanation with increasing confusion. "What do you mean by vessel? Sukuna can just use anyone's body if they have a finger?" She clutched at her chest. "Am I a vessel too?"

Fushiguro's head was shaking before she even finished her sentence. "Your circumstances are completely different from Itadori's. While your body hosts a finger, Itadori, well…absorbed a finger."

"Absorbed? How?"

"He ate it."

Rei blinked several times. "What?"

"The reason Sukuna was able to gain a foothold in Itadori's body was because Itadori made the finger a part of himself," Fushiguro said slowly. "It shouldn't be possible, but Itadori has a semblance of control over Sukuna's influence." His gaze strayed to her neck again. "Obviously, not a perfect one, but the theory is that you're an outlier because he can sense the finger on you. But now that we know – and Itadori knows – he should be able to temper Sukuna again."

She blanched. "You're making it sound like I can't avoid him."

Fushiguro looked uncomfortable. "You might not be able to. He's been accepted as a first-year student now. And his room is right next door to ours."

"You mean I have to live with an evil sorcerer possessing some poor kid's body now?" Rei shook her head rapidly. "No. Hell, no. I won't do it. I'll leave. I don't care what you or Gojo or Principal Yaga say, I'll take my chances back in the real world. You're all insane."

"Someone is hunting you," Fushiguro said, his eyes boring into her. "And now that you're aware of curses, they will keep coming for you. Jujutsu High is the safest place for you. And if Itadori can't maintain control around you, then I will have no choice but to eliminate him. Those are my orders."

"You're all insane," she repeated. She put her head in her hands and let out a laugh that was more a sob. "You'll put down some innocent kid like a dog if he can't win over the cursed spirit literally possessing him? Because of me and this damned finger inside of me? This is insane. So insane."

"This is our world," he said, unflinching, "and yours now, too, for the moment. Once we figure out a way to safely remove the finger you have, then you'll be free to leave and never look back. But right now, you must remain here." He hesitated, and she wondered if she was imagining the pink that stained his cheeks and the tips of his ears. "I will keep you safe. I promise."

Despite everything in her telling her to run, to flee and never return, she believed him. Damn it all, she believed him. He had already saved her once, and now he was vowing to do it again. Damn it.

"Fine." She sounded defeated even to her own ears, but she was suddenly too exhausted to muster up any fight. "What the hell. Let's go meet our new evil roommate."

Said evil roommate was cooking when they arrived back at the dorms.

It seemed the boy named Yuji Itadori had taken over Fushiguro's kitchenette in his absence, and the scents of fresh steamed rice and savory sauce triggered Rei's hunger, making her mouth water despite her trepidation. The pink-haired boy stood with his back to them, humming softly as he stirred the pot on the small stove. He'd changed out of his yellow hoodie from earlier and was clad simply in a black T-shirt and gray sweatpants. No tattoos decorated his neck or arms, and his fingernails were short and normal, no claws to be seen. He looked like any other ordinary teenager, but Rei had thought that as well before he'd changed in front of her eyes and attacked her.

Fushiguro halted her at the entrance to his room. "Wait here."

She nodded, half-hiding behind the doorframe, ready to bolt at any second as Fushiguro had instructed. She peeked around the corner as Fushiguro entered his room. "Oy. When I said let's eat dinner, I meant you'd cook in your own room."

"Fushiguro!" Itadori said brightly. Rei started; his voice was entirely different than it had been before, boyish and cheerful. The aggressive growl she'd heard earlier was completely gone. Had she imagined the demonic voice? "I don't have anything in my room yet, remember? I just got here." He waved the wooden spoon in his hand, and Fushiguro tensed as a few droplets of brown sauce plopped on his counter. "Don't worry, I'll wash up after we eat."

"Itadori." The intensity of his voice caused the other boy to look back at him, one eyebrow raised questioningly. "Do you remember what I told you about the girl before? Rei Nagatsuka?"

Itadori immediately sobered, and Rei was taken aback as the boy's smile faded into a troubled frown. From the half of his face she could see, she observed no malice, no sign of fangs that could tear out her throat. He looked so utterly normal, except for the odd slits beneath his eyes, high on his cheekbones. Scars? It was hard to believe he had almost killed her that very morning.

"I do." He set down the spoon and wiped his hands. "Is she all right? I didn't… I mean, she's…"

"She's alive," Fushiguro confirmed. Itadori's shoulders slumped in relief. "In fact, I've brought her here. Don't look yet," Fushiguro snapped when Itadori's head turned toward the door. Rei shrank back. "I want to make sure you have complete control over your body first. No more surprises. Can you handle it?"

Itadori straightened and nodded once. "I've got control." He faltered. "If it happens again…"

"I have a way to get her out." Fushiguro held out a hand – her cue. "Nagatsuka, you can come in now."

Hesitantly, Rei stepped over the threshold. Itadori turned slowly, and when their eyes met, she inhaled a sharp breath and held it.

One corner of his mouth twitched, but he balled his hands into fists and the spasm stopped. He held her gaze as she swallowed.

"Um. Hi." She gave him a small wave. "Please don't kill me."

She regretted the lame joke when his face fell. He was the same age as her and Fushiguro, but he looked like a young child who had just been scolded. To her mortification, he shuffled forward and bowed deeply at the waist, his hands clasped before him.

"I sincerely apologize for what happened earlier." He squeezed his eyes shut as he grimaced. "I would never… That wasn't me. Still, I'm really, truly sorry. I hope you're all right."

"No need for that," she said, flapping her hands uselessly. Her face was warm. "Please, stand. It's okay, really. I know now what happened. Why you would have that kind of reaction. Or, well, he. It?"

Itadori stood and searched her over. His eyes – his eyes, she realized, not Sukuna's red ones filled with fury and hate – were gentle and sincere, a soft brown color that reminded her of warm autumn light. Distantly, she wondered how a boy so kind had come into possession of, and then eaten, a Sukuna finger.

Fushiguro had watched their exchange with intense dark eyes. Finally, he sighed and rubbed the back of his neck.

"Well, it seems Gojo-sensei was right. Your lapse in control, Itadori, was caused by surprise. Sukuna sensed the finger and broke free before you could understand what was happening."

"Then we make sure there are no more surprises," Rei said, nodding. "I can get a bell, if that helps."

Itadori cracked a smile. "Or we can play Marco Polo."

"Good idea. I'll start. Marco—"

"Please don't start," Fushiguro said, which made her and Itadori laugh. "On second thought, maybe introducing you two was a bad idea…"

"C'mon, sit. Eat. I made curry." Itadori waved them to the low table in Fushiguro's room, and while Fushiguro sniffed at being given orders in his own space, he took a seat at the table. Rei copied him, prudently positioning herself on the side closest to the door should she suddenly need to make a hasty retreat.

Itadori served them all, and after a quick "Thank you for the meal," the three began to eat in awkward silence.

Despite their earlier exchange, it dawned on Rei that if Itadori had enrolled that very morning, they must not know each other that well. But something had clearly forced their introduction beforehand. The Sukuna finger was the most obvious theory. Then she remembered Fushiguro's mission from the day before.

"The school," she blurted, causing both boys to look at her in confusion. She spoke to Fushiguro. "The one Principal Yaga sent you to. That's how you two met each other, right?" She glanced at Itadori. "Were you a student there? Before coming here, I mean."

Itadori looked at Fushiguro as if for confirmation. Fushiguro, busy chewing, motioned his head in a manner that conveyed Tell her.

"Yeah, we met at my school," Itadori said. He cast his eyes downward. "My friends… We were all in a club together that was meant to investigate spooky stuff – paranormal activity, that sort of thing. We found this weird finger and my senpais went back to the school last night to study it. Fushiguro found me at the hospital and told me about curses and stuff. We went to try and stop them, but they'd already summoned a curse."

He went quiet. Rei looked between him and Fushiguro. "Hospital? I thought you met at the school?"

"We did, sort of," said Fushiguro.

"My grandfather passed away last night also," Itadori murmured.

"Oh. I'm so sorry." She set down her bowl and chopsticks slowly. "I didn't know."

Itadori scratched at the tip of his nose. "Anyway, the curse was powerful. It was after the finger, and when Fushiguro needed help, I…kinda ate the finger. I thought it would make me stronger and help me defeat the curse."

It sounded even more bizarre than it had when Fushiguro had told her earlier. "I don't understand. Why would you…eat it?"

"Fushiguro said the curse wanted to consume the finger. So, I figured I would get there first."

Rei's appetite dampened. "Logical, I suppose."

"It was a stupid move," Fushiguro grumbled. "You could've gotten yourself killed, and everyone else in the process."

Itadori shrugged like the two had already had this argument before. "But I didn't."

Rei stared at the boy. "So he's…?"

"In my head, I guess. And can use my own body against my will. Uh, obviously," he said sheepishly when her eyebrows rose. "But somehow, I can suppress him. Sometimes." He pointed to the scars on his cheeks she had noticed. "These are his, too. Like, another set of eyes. And sometimes he can make a mouth appear on my body. He did that this morning, too."

"So, he can hear us?" She gulped. "And see?"

He frowned. "Yes. But I don't know how much, or when. It feels like there's this…solid wall between us. A barrier. I can't know how much of it is me or how much of it is him, but it's there."

Her hand unconsciously went to her heart. "He could sense his other finger, though."

Itadori glanced at her hand, but his eyes snapped quickly away when he realized it made him look like he was staring at her chest. She almost laughed.

"The stronger the curse, the stronger the presence, and the stronger the effect," Fushiguro reminded them. He'd mainly been listening to them talk, and he set down his empty bowl. Rei could've sworn he'd only taken three bites. "It was a fluke encounter, and we don't plan on letting it happen again. Right, Itadori?"

Itadori nodded vigorously. "Right!"

"And now we're all here," Rei said, indicating the dorms and Jujutsu High with a swirl of her finger. "Tokyo should put out a warning of the three of us," she joked half-heartedly.

"Four." Fushiguro grimaced when Rei and Itadori looked at him, surprised. "Gojo wanted me to tell the both of you: We're all going with him to pick up someone from the train station tomorrow. Another new first-year student. She'll be living with us, as well."

"She?" Rei and Itadori said in unison, both perking up. Fushiguro looked annoyed.

"What's her name?" Rei demanded.

"What does she look like?" Itadori pressed. He placed his hands together in prayer. "Please be tall, please be tall, please be tall…"

"I don't know anything about her." He scowled. "You both almost died in the last twenty-four hours, and a new student is what you're worried about?"

Rei and Itadori exchanged a glance.

"She's a girl," Rei pointed out. "Great as you both are, it'll be nice to have another girl here to talk to."

"Yeah, she's a girl," Itadori said, as if that was the only explanation he needed to provide.

Fushiguro stood, shaking his head and gathering up his dishes. "I feel like you two share a braincell as well as a curse."

Grinning, Rei slung an arm around Itadori's shoulders and batted her eyelashes at Fushiguro, ignoring the way her heart skipped a beat when he looked down at her, unimpressed. "Jealous?"

"Enormously," he said drily, stooping to grab her bowl, as well.

Itadori suddenly frowned, looking between them. "Wait, are you two…?"

Rei nearly shoved him away from her while Fushiguro shook his head vehemently. "No!"

"All right, sheesh, I was just asking!" He raised his hands in defense.

"Tch." Fushiguro walked to the sink, not even bothering to collect Itadori's own dishes. Rei gulped down the cup of water in front of her in an attempt to cool down her blazing face, embarrassed that she'd just hit on Fushiguro so openly.

The guy had saved her life only days ago, and despite his age, was going on missions to fight and exorcise horrible monsters and curses. He had bigger things to worry about than romance, and so did she, for that matter. He'd been right; as soon as the finger in her heart was removed, they would part ways, and she would do everything in her power to forget about this nightmare.

She swallowed the last of her water with a suspiciously tight feeling in her throat. If that was the case, then why did the thought of leaving him fill her with so much sorrow?

We'll get back to plot later, we're just vibing right now.

Thank you for reading! I'd love to know your thoughts!