DISCLAIMER: I do not own Jujutsu Kaisen. No copyright infringement intended.
KYOTO JUJUTSU HIGH
Junpei looks over a sleeping Nobara. He had woken up twenty minutes earlier but she's still asleep .
The idea of having a companion, someone else dealing with this same switcheroo fills him with excitement. Almost like an adventure partner to team up with and explore the unknowns of this world and find a way to go back. Though Kodoku had already told him that it was impossible.
In reality he didn't want to go back. Going back is just an idea for Nobara, if she wanted to go back. He's sure that there are precious things she had to leave there to come here.
He didn't have anything worth going back to. Not in school. Not at home. Mahito took everything from him and even his own life.
He wasn't sure how real this world is but a world where school is a delight and a world where his mom lives is a world he wouldn't give up for anything.
Junpei reminisces the moment before he died. He broke down over the idea of him and his mother being cursed and Yuji offered him a place in Jujutsu High.
There's the lingering disappointment of Junpei being in Jujutsu High but Yuji not being there. And to make things worse in an ironic way, in this world it's Yuji that becomes a Curse User.
He notices Nobara stirring in her sleep. The warmth inside caused by the sight reassures him that Nobara is someone who will fill the void that was left by Yuji's absence.
"Wakey wakey, Hammerhead. You can't leave Spidey hanging.." Junpei jokes, before chuckling. Nobara opens her eyes but her body remains immobile as her eyes dart around.
Junpei notices. "Kugisaki?"
She begins breathing rapidly as her eyes dart around with increased speed and franticness. Junpei immediately realizes that she experienced Divergence.
"Kugisaki! Kugisaki!! Calm down, okay? You're alright!" Junpei reassures her.
Her fingers begin to move and her breathing speed reduces back to normal.
"There, there."
She slowly sits up. She stays silent for a moment.
"He did it, Junpei..."
"Yeah... Who?"
"Itadori! Itadori kicked his ass!" She yells before roaring in excitement.
"Shhhh! Don't just yell his name like that!"
"Oh! Crap. Uh... Yeah. My bad." Nobara then pauses. "Wait, why?"
Junpei brings her a cup of water.
"Why? Because he's a-" Junpei realizes what's he's doing and accidentally bites his tongue. "Ah! Ggh! J-just forget I said anything..."
"Itadori is a what, Yoshino?"
"I thought you were talking about Satoru Gojo. And then I bit my tongue."
Nobara stares at him with a slight suspicion. Junpei clears his throat.
"So I take it you spoke with Kodoku?"
"Yeah, how can you tell?"
"I could already tell from the sleep paralysis. It makes sense that the soul leaving the body and going back into it has minor side effects."
"Oh... Wait, so was my body sorta like... dead or something?"
"No... You were still breathing. You just seemed to be in a deep sleep. This is the first time I've seen what anyone else looks like when they are under Divergence."
Nobara remembers her Glimpse. "Maki?"
"Hmm?"
"I gotta go. Don't follow me!" She speeds out of the room.
"Okay... I won't." Junpei speaks to the empty air. "So much for adventure partners, haha..."
He realizes she said the name Maki.
"Maki? As in 'Zenin' Maki or some other Maki?" Junpei says to himself. "Well, now I have to follow her."
...
Maki walks down a street in Kyoto. She heads to a certain café that has the right atmosphere to quell acculumated stress. Café Tsuki Tsuki. Of course, she wouldn't be there for the coffee.
She reminisces the aftermath of her battle with Megumi. A sparring match that became something of a death match to her. She woke up from sleep and couldn't remember why she was asleep in the first place.
"Finally awake, sleepyhead." Megumi's voice reaches her ears.
She sits up and stays silent. Her resentment went back into its usual dormant state, but in its absence is frustration.
The both of them are briefly silent. "Maki." He calls her name.
"Give Inumaki my thanks." Her saying this didn't mean she regretted her rampage in the slightest. It's meant to show the others that she appreciated every bit of concern they had for her.
She stands up and goes to the door.
"Maki. You're on suspension."
She halts.
"You're gonna be warming the benches for a month. All the others are onboard with this." Megumi says and then makes his way to the room's exit. "That is all."
He leaves and Maki is alone.
"Good."
Her reminiscence ends as she opens the café door.
She hears a short, sharp squeal and she turns to see the back of a seated girl. She has light brown hair and wore a white and blue hoodie and black leggings.
"Hmph." Maki goes to the counter to make an order.
From the time it took her to order to the time it took to sit down Maki could feel the piercing gaze of the girl's eyes.
Maki deliberately gives her the image of being distracted by her phone before making a swift glance to catch her eyes. The other girl is still seated backwards.
"She's good. Well, I guess it's easier this way instead." Maki gets up to confront her.
There's a loud crash. Junpei had bumped into a server, causing her to drop Maki's order.
"Damn it! Watch where you're going! My manager's gonna kill me this time!" The worker wipes the milkshake of her clothes.
"I'm sorry, I am so sorry... In fact, I'm gonna leave now. I'll just take my friend here and exit..." Junpei goes to Nobara and grabs her by the arm.
He pulls her out of Tsuki Tsuki as she covers her face to avoid being seen by Maki.
Once they are outside Junpei finds her glaring into his soul.
"I'm sorry."
"I told you not to follow me."
"I know."
"I hope you know what happens next."
"I hope it's not what I think it is." He raises his arms as a shield. "But hey! You know what they say. Two curses are better than one. Don't you agree?"
"No. What does that EVEN mean?"
"I'll do you one better." Maki's voice sounds from behind. "Why were you spying on me?"
"Oh..." Junpei utters, becoming nervous at the high chance that she's Maki Zenin the Curse User. "Is she..."
The tension is disrupted by Nobara's loud clap and deeeeeep sigh.
"Hello, Maki."
"Huh? How do you know my-"
"Yeah, of course you don't know who I am." She sighs in exasperation. "Well, that's better than being a soul vegetable because a patch-faced scumbag liquefied my grey matter."
"That scumbag Mahito..." Junpei says, gritting his teeth. "Patch-faced dirtbag."
"Who's Mahito?! Who are you people?!"
"She's Mahito." Junpei points at Nobara, who proceeds to punch his shoulder. "Hahaha... Ow..."
"I'm Nobara Kugisaki and this is Junpei Yoshino. How about a do-over over some delicious milkshakes?"
With that, they are back in Tsuki Tsuki.
With the three sharing a table, Nobara struggles to find a suitable icebreaker to cool the Maki's smoldering gaze.
"So... Nice face tattoos... Maki-san." Junpei says.
"Shut up."
"Okay."
"I wanna hear her talk." Maki says as she intensifies her gaze, but she notices Nobara spacing out. "Hey."
"Those tattoos..." Nobara was so distracted by the idea of meeting Maki that she only just now noticed that not only is Maki not wearing her special cursed glasses but she has facial markings that she had seen before on the boy with the hand-sword.
"Yeah...? What about them?" Maki becomes more suspicious but defensively alert as well. Most normal civilians aren't supposed to be able to see her markings as they are the manifestation of a cursed technique.
"Uh... nothing." Nobara responds with a low tone. She then clears her throat.
Maki decides that it's better to not associate with these two due to the chances they are affiliated with Jujutsu High.
"Alright. I don't know how you know my name but I don't have all the time in the world to be here with you two so... I'll see myself out."
"Wait!" Nobara responds.
"Understandable. Have a nice day." Junpei says, earning him a glare from Nobara.
She gets up to pursue the Zenin. "You can't leave yet! You forgot your milkshake! Which you paid money for!"
Maki freezes. "Crap, she's right."
They both turn around and behold the sight of Junpei downing both his and Maki's drinks.
"Ohhhh? I'm sorry. I assumed that you weren't going to come back for it." Junpei says, slowly yet dramatically. "But now I guess you have no reason to be here."
He gasps and clutches his forehead. "Ah... Ah!! Brain freeze..."
Maki's anger spikes but she maintains her composure. "Screw it." She then quickly leaves.
Nobara gives Junpei an acrid evil eye.
"Kugisaki, just listen..."
"Screw you." She leaves as well.
Junpei is left alone. "I'd like to hope that she will thank me later. But I don't think that's gonna happen whether or not I tell her." He quietly says to himself. "They are her friends."
He sees Nobara through the window, walking away sullenly.
"Damn it. As her friend, I have to tell her."
...
Nobara walks into a park. There's a path of stone with tall trees decorating the sides. The sun had begun to set so the sky became gold.
Nobara had slept throughout the whole afternoon and later morning hours. Junpei had woken up in the afternoon. In her case, it wasn't just because she had previously pulled an all-nighter but also because of Divergence.
Ever since she learned that Satoru was a Curse User, she was apprehensive about the possibility of her own friends being that way as well.
Pushing it to the back of her mind, she still attempted to connect with them, but with Junpei deliberately being in the way, that dread was all the more heavier. It was obvious to her that he was trying to protect her from something. But that dread birthed anger towards the one who tried to keep her safe.
Her head pounds with a sharp pain. "A headache?"
Images flash in her head. A man with a mask. Junpei by her side. She knew these weren't part of the premonition she just had about Maki.
The headache ceases but that leaves her uneasy about her body and mind.
The setting sun's golden light gleams brightly between the trees. She puts her hand over her forehead to shield her eyes and by the time she looks down in front of her she sees a still Maki in her path.
"Hey." The Zenin coldly greets.
"Came back...?"
"Came back."
For some reason, Nobara felt the need to be vigilant of the fact that there was no one around for a long way. She realizes that because of Junpei, she actually felt the need to consider the possibility that her senpai might be a danger to her.
"So... Did you follow me or did you just happen to be here as well?"
"I came here because your friend pissed me off. I actually thought you were the one following me."
"No way, I came here because he pissed me off too! Look at us, having things in common!"
Maki's eyes remain frigid but Nobara notices a flickering curiousity in them.
Nobara takes a few careful steps forward. She maintains a calm smile.
"Why do you think it is that I know who you are?"
"You will tell me, won't you?"
"Hmm... Do you think there are other worlds besides this one?"
"Considering the fact that mere negative emotions can create spectres and behemoths I wouldn't fully rule that out as a possibility."
"Hmm... Have you ever thought about someone you don't like and wonder if under different circumstances you could have been friends?"
Maki instantly thinks of Megumi.
"Yes. Where are you going with this?"
"I was uneasy about the high chance that this would sound way too ridiculous for you to take me seriously but... This is what I want you to picture as true and absolute reality in your mind. Nobara Kugisaki and Maki Zenin, the two of us in another life, were comrades in Jujutsu High."
Nobara notices a subtle shift in intensity in Maki's cold poker face. She could tell she was actually taking it in.
"In another life? As in reincarnation?"
"And it's not just you. Panda was there. Inumaki was there. Fushiguro. Itadori. And Gojo-sensei too! I got separated but I still had hope. Hope that you were all still here."
Nobara notices Maki staring at her like she just saw a ghost.
"And I can tell that there's so much... Too much going on for me to just step into your lives as if I'm going back to my friends from that other side." Nobara says, her voice getting louder. "But if we can still be friends... If there can still be some form of connection..."
"Kugisaki... In that other side, what about Okkotsu?"
"Okkotsu-senpai? I never met him. But from what I hear he's pretty big stuff."
"Senpai, huh?" Maki notes that it means that he went on to become a second-year. And that was because Gojo was actually a teacher. "All this frustration is eventually gonna break me down..."
"Maki?"
"Don't mind me... So, you said you wanna be my friend, huh?" Maki says this with an amused tone and expression, deliberately teasing Nobara.
"Sounds a lot more uncool hearing it from another mouth but yeah, that's what I said."
"That's alright. There exists in all of us things that are uncool."
"That's right. You're so smart."
"Wanna see what mine is like?" Maki pulls out a cursed paper tag.
She channels cursed energy into it, which flows downward from it like a huge drop of water.
It hits the ground and from it arises a bird-like shikigami, the size of a tiger. Raven-colored feathers and one large wing. A silver colored beak with ornamental markings of a darkened color. Its surface is serrated with small needle-sharp cone-shaped protrusions. Combined with its ominous silver sheen, it gives the appearance of a deadly weapon.
"Is that what yours is like? Because that actually looks really cool. For real."
"Oh, don't mind this. Rather you're going to want to be able to answer my question."
Maki reaches into the bird's mouth and pulls out Ash Splinter, which its forked blades wrapped in purple cloth.
"I really hope this is just cursed tool trivia..." Nobara says, unzipping and reaching into her jacket.
"It's not."
Nobara is so focused on the threat of Ash Splinter, the large and obviously dangerous cursed tool before her that she's taken aback when the raven curse dashes at her with explosive speed. Nonetheless her arm moved on its own because her eyes, fueled by intense focus, searched for even the slightest movement from her adversary's position.
Nails are scattered about. "Hairpin!" Each nail bursts into a large needle of cursed energy, creating a net of skewers in front of her.
The aggressive bird stops in its tracks just in the nick of time.
When Nobara senses a hand gripping on the back of her jacket, that's when she registers the fact that Maki completely vanished from her line of sight.
Chills run down her spine because that distraction lasted only for a very short instant. Yet she saw the sasumata relaxedly placed on the floor by its hilt, with the wrapped fork facing the sky. Maki was ridiculously fast.
"Im... Impressive..." Nobara complements, suppressing her ragged breathing.
"Yeah. That's what it looks like when I reinforce my body, which has already been enhanced by Heavenly Restriction, with cursed energy like any other sorcerer. I'm really starting to get the hang of manipulating my cursed energy the right way."
"You... You can... use cursed energy?"
"Yeah. Did you think these are regular tattoos?"
The grip intensifies and Nobara's body is flung across the path decorated with trees on each side.
"Like a cat... Like a cat!! Like a cat!!" Nobara yells as she watches for the incoming ground, aiming for the right timing for a good landing.
Fueling her body with cursed energy, she lands on her feet with a heavy thud and connects it into a back roll. At the end she launches five nails with her hammer towards a speedily approaching Maki.
The Zenin parries all five with her spear and follows up with another horizontal swing, landing a heavy hit at Nobara's side.
"Nngh!" Nobara stumbles backwards but she stays on her feet, to her surprise. She only now takes note of the fact that her cursed energy felt unusually deep and voluminous. And her control felt much more refined than the last time she was in a fight, which was with Mahito.
"I guess I'm okay?" Nobara says, clutching her side as the mild sensation of pain fades away.
She notices the sasumata descending down and she blocks it with her hammer.
"That's a sturdy little mallet for a sturdy little jujutsu sorcerer." Maki remarks.
"My cursed technique gives this little thing an innate force for destruction, I'll have you know."
This property of her cursed technique is to ensure that most of the time she's able to penetrate the sample material of an enemy when using Resonance. For this reason, she keeps a squeaky toy mallet, her Benign Hammer, to avoid inflicting lethal damage when fighting in training purposes or friendly bouts. And even the force of the toy hammer when swung is boosted as well.
The downside is that any attempt at reinforcing the hammer with cursed energy goes solely into its defence. During the mission in the detention center, due to her habit of only reinforcing the nails with cursed energy, her hammer was broken in combat. So she works towards preventing such from happening again.
Maki swiftly punches her in the face with one hand. Stumbling back, Nobara narrowly avoids the fork landing on her head and she watches it land and break into the ground.
"I knew it. It's like punching into a water tank. That attack from before was meant to break your ribs."
"I don't think I wanna be friends with you anymore."
Nobara knew what Maki meant. It's as if her cursed energy and her prowess of controlling it had upgraded since she was reborn. Kodoku's words of her being a higher being ring inside her head.
"I wasn't really planning on making friends today anyway. But you will answer my question and only then will I let you go."
"Well what is it?! If you're gonna ask me if you're crazy I would say yes! Very crazy!"
"Thanks! Those who use jujutsu ought to be crazy, you know."
"Ah... Yes you're right."
Maki then unravels the cloth on Ash Splinter.
Nobara takes a gulp as she sees the metal's sheen, its reflected light giving the spear the image of it having its very own killing intent.
Maki standing perfectly still with zero guard in her posture makes the situation look even more dangerous.
In the blink of an eye, the sasumata is already inches from Nobara's body, and she narrowly evades to the side. Due to the difference in her cursed energy after rebirth, if this was her previous self she would have been gutted before even realizing it happened. And she knew this.
Nevertheless Maki follows up with a swift kick which sweeps Nobara off her feet.
Maki notices the nails in front of her. All pointing at her, they unleash skewers which Maki evades.
As Nobara gets back on her feet, Maki notices that she's grinning. With all her teeth.
"What's got you all cheery?" Maki asks.
"I'm just glad I'm not dead."
Nobara notices the lingering curiousity in Maki's eyes flicker at her response. She realizes this mysterious question was more of a practical inquiry and less of a verbal one.
Maki takes a battle stance this time as opposed to standing still and conspicuously idle like before.
"Oh crap..." Nobara tenses.
Before Nobara can bring out more nails, Maki already appears in front of her, holding her spear behind her own back. Nobara immediately swings her hammer but the Zenin seemingly disappeared.
Maki had just used the ancient Taido martial arts technique, Knee Release.
Nobara feels the steel-like sensation of Maki's Manji Kick colliding with her face and launching her off her feet.
The falling Nobara strikes the ground with her hammer, sending a wave of dust and rocky debris.
Maki, deducing that she would opt for a ranged attack, dodges the wave of flying nails by doing a split, agilely getting back up on her feet immediately.
"You're taking this situation pretty well, considering that your dear comrade is now your mortal enemy." Maki says.
"I may be, but it sure is pissing me off." Nobara replies. "Besides... I can tell you're not really trying to kill me."
"Is that so..."
A sharp pain in Nobara's head. The same headache from before. Flashing hallucinations of a young man in a mask. This time she sees his face. And it leaves her completely stunned.
Maki realizes that Nobara is 100% vulnerable and with her guard completely down. Swiftly jumping in the air, she lands a midair roundhouse kick, sending her opponent spinning until she hits the ground on her back.
"Not killing you doesn't mean you're gonna be 100% alive." Maki says, leading up with a stomp on her head. That stomp lead to another stomp. And another. And another.
Throughout all eleven rock-shattering stomps on Nobara's head and face, Maki's body was not driven by a single iota of ill will. Rather her mind, exuding with pure disrespect, searched for the possibility that Nobara would draw respect from the enemy who currently showed her merciless domination, being the jujutsu sorcerer that Maki was up until the hour her world turned upside down.
Raising her foot, she looks at Nobara's heavily bruised face and bleeding nostrils.
"You really are a damn water tank. That would have totally pulverized the skulls of most sorcerers."
"..."
Nobara silently stares at Maki, her face bearing no emotion. Maki decides to finalize her inquiry.
"I'll give you a real question... this time. What does this pain and violation bring about from the depths of your soul?"
"..."
Nobara takes a deep sigh before sitting upright.
"Gratitude." She wipes the blood beneath her nose. "To the both of you. To Yoshino for not telling me about my friends outright. That could have wrecked me a bit. And to you..."
Nobara stands on her feet. "For making me realize that cherishing my true friends doesn't mean I can't take down their evil selves."
Maki sees Nobara's previously empty eyes heat up with rage. Seeing the sight and hearing her answer, Maki can't help but smile in satisfaction.
"Splendid, Kugisaki."
They both notice the presence of another.
"Moon Dregs!"
Two long gelatinous tendrils with obsidian spikes as spearheads lunge at Maki. She evades them and jumps onto a tree branch.
"Kugisaki!! Are you alright?!" Junpei arrives, gripping her shoulders.
"Yoshino!" Nobara gleefully exclaims. "Seeing you makes me slightly less enraged."
"Your face! Oh no... What did she do to you?"
"Exactly what it looks like. She defiled my beautiful face."
"I knew from the start that she was a Curse User. But I wasn't sure how to tell you..." Junpei says, refreshing the guilt he felt inside. "I'm really sorry I didn't tell you!"
"Hehe... I'll have you buy me milkshakes for a whole month before I consider forgiving you." Nobara says with a mischievous smile.
Junpei is taken aback but how jovial she was about everything, but it takes away the huge weight of his shoulders.
"You can relax now, Kugisaki. I'll take her on." Junpei says, his jellyfish shikigami swimming to his side.
"Relax? Absolutely not. I've never been more fired up in my entire life."
"Are you sure? Those bruises don't look good."
"I'm doing fantastic." She grips her hammer and levitates her nails. "If you're done worrying about me, let's jump this fool."
"I forfeit. Sorry." Maki says with a grin.
"Eh...?" Both Junpei and Nobara voice in unison, equally dumbstruck.
Maki gracefully jumps down.
"Yaei. Over here." Maki commands, her shikigami hopping to her side. Its name means 'shadow of the night'.
It opens its mouth wide and Maki shoves the sasumata inside. The bird effortlessly swallows the entire thing.
She then looks intently at Nobara.
"I like your fire. Don't ever let anyone extinguish it."
She walks into the midst of the trees. With that, her presence vanishes.
"Is it okay to let her leave?" Junpei asks.
"Let her go. I'm sure we'll meet again anyway." Nobara replies. She touches her face. "I hope Larue can fix this."
"I wish I got here sooner." Junpei says, returning his shikigami.
"How did you know I'd be here?"
"Oh yeah. I had help from a friend of mine. I haven't told you about her yet." Junpei turns to the trees behind them. "You can come out now, Yuko."
A far distance away, the tall young woman named Yuko Izawa peeks from behind a tree.
"Is the violence already over?" She nervously asks.
Nobara is dumbstruck once again.
JUJUTSU NUGGETS: The Tsuki Tsuki woman Junpei bumps into is this world's version of the terrified waitress in the restaurant where Jogo burned those people alive.
AUTHOR'S NOTE: To the manga readers who are now on the final chapters of the Jujutsu Kaisen manga. Naturally I don't think refresh the whole spoilers thing so I'm just gonna say it.
I really believed Nobara did die in Shibuya. There are others who shared the same thoughts. But the copers coped. They never stopped coping and they won. She lives. Eyepatch Nobara is a true part of the reality that is Jujutsu Kaisen.
Now I say, I hope that you will enjoy my version of Nobara as much as you enjoy the one written by Gege Akutami. Thanks for reading.