A/N at the end of the chapter


CHAPTER 17

{POV: Suzue Kujou}

Suzue stared at the curse in its single eye, incredulous; even Jogo looked back at her with the same confusion.

He weakly released the cursed energy he had been gathering for his domain expansion, as if the turn of events had suddenly made him give up fighting.

For a moment, there was only silence between them, each lost in their thoughts, trying to decipher the situation and decide what to do next. Suzue felt trapped in a bubble of surreal calm.

«So... he really left you here alone?» the curse asked in a guttural voice, still staring at her, his tone incredulous masking a growing sense of anger. Suzue could sense the disdain and surprise in his voice.

In a desperate gesture, she covered her face with her hands, trying to hide her frustration. "Oh believe me... I'm just as frustrated as you are!" she cursed mentally.

The situation was almost surreal; Satoru always managed to make everything extremely unpredictable, and this was testing Suzue's normally calm and docile nature.

Jogo suddenly seemed to snap out of the disorientation triggered by Satoru's disappearance. Slowly, the anger he had been repressing returned, and the cursed energy was once again summoned, more oppressive than before.

«He really left me here with this woman!?» he growled incredulously, flames beginning to form in his hands and around him.

Suzue snapped out of her thoughts, her survival instinct kicking in; without turning her back, she frantically backed away, trying to put distance between herself and the curse. Her mind raced to come up with a plan to get out of this situation as unscathed as possible. Her hands trembled slightly as she tried to gather the cursed energy needed to defend herself.

When she saw the curse launch himself at her, hurling a barrage of relentless flames, she used a large amount of cursed energy to intercept them with fireballs that exploded on contact with Jogo's attacks, extinguishing them.

One of Jogo's attacks was intercepted too close to Suzue, and the explosion forced her to retreat again, this time more disastrously. She had to avoid at all costs letting the fight end up in close combat, knowing that had always been her weak point.

The crackle of flames and the smell of smoke began to saturate the air, and small fires were starting to spread in the forest around them.

Regaining her footing, she quickly refocused on the curse, which was becoming more furious and aggressive by the minute.

«So your fire is supposed to be stronger than mine?» he asked back, his voice low and full of humiliation, once again charging flames in his hands.

"...seriously? Now he's taking it out on me?"

Suzue sighed, disheartened; Satoru really had a natural talent for annoying everyone and everything, but disappearing without dealing with the consequences of his actions was... irresponsible.

Quickly, Suzue counterattacked. She shaped a tongue of fire in her hands before touching the ground: apparently, nothing happened, and Jogo seemed quite annoyed by this. But silently, beneath the surface, Suzue's fire had begun to advance rapidly and inexorably toward the curse.

The ground began to tremble and crack rapidly above the creeping flame, and Jogo seemed to realize it. In a few moments, a column of fire erupted from beneath his feet, soaring high into the air and swirling.

The curse, though caught off guard, managed to dodge at the last second, seizing the opportunity to quickly close in on her, his fist charged with cursed energy.

Suzue sharpened her senses and didn't hesitate, using that moment to shield herself with a flame that intercepted Jogo's blow, consuming the cursed energy that coated it.

The curse stared at his arm, studying Suzue's cursed technique with apparent indifference, and she took the opportunity to quickly retreat to a safe distance.

"He's strong but... Not as strong as him." Suzue almost pitied Jogo; despite being an evidently powerful curse... he paled in comparison to the memory of her fight with Sukuna.

A shiver ran down her spine, recalling the physical and mental pain he had inflicted on her.

No. Compared to Sukuna, Jogo could definitely be called weak.

Moreover, he continued to act with extreme arrogance and a sense of superiority; in some ways, he almost reminded her of Naoya Zenin.

She decided to use the curse's arrogance to her advantage and take advantage of those moments when, underestimating her, he seemed to lower his guard.

She shaped fire in her hands and, with extreme precision, deliberately threw it at Jogo's feet, who predictably didn't move, too confident in his strength. There, the fire surrounded him in a perfect circle, rising into a menacing dome around him. The curse didn't seem impressed, maintaining a state of calm and contained fury.

«Don't underestimate me, sorcerer! Fire is my element!» the curse snarled angrily, advancing confidently, intending to walk through the wall of fire, but as soon as contact was made, the fire clung to him, and the wall of fire began to burn even more intensely.

Suzue could see the confusion on the curse's face as he slowly realized the properties of her fire. He futilely launched fire attacks at Suzue's flames, only to fuel them further.

«...You consume your opponent's cursed energy? What a cowardly technique!» he commented annoyed, trying to hide the concern for his arm engulfed in flames, flames he couldn't control.

"For a curse to hope to escape a fire that devours cursed energy... even if it's a special grade, it should keep him busy for a while."

Suzue crouched to the ground, taking the opportunity to catch her breath. Caught off guard by the situation, she had misjudged her use of cursed energy, using more than necessary to generate those attacks. She pondered how to get out of this situation, hoping Jogo would self-destruct in the middle of that fire dome, but for a curse of that caliber, it was only a matter of time before he broke free.

"...This is a problem." She thought with a hint of resignation, but at that moment she finally felt that familiar presence next to her.

Suzue was still on the ground, huddled up, when Satoru's cheerful and relaxed voice reached her ears like an unexpected relief.

«Hey there! Miss us?» he asked in a tone that seemed to completely ignore the tension of the moment.

Maybe Satoru had finally decided to come back and get her.

Suzue hugged her knees, hiding her face in them. She felt relieved, even though part of her wanted to scream in frustration.

This time she was determined to make him feel guilty at least a little... but she doubted she could keep a grudge against him. Despite everything, Satoru had a unique way of making her feel that everything would be okay, even in the most desperate situations, and she had to admit she had never really felt in mortal danger.

«Why did you leave me here alone...?» she asked weakly, in a whining tone.

«Come on, I told you to trust me, I was only gone for three minutes!» he replied with a slight laugh in his voice, as if it was funny. «Didn't exorcise him? You're too kind!»

"Or maybe not everyone can exorcise a special grade curse effortlessly in three minutes like you..." she added mentally.

Satoru took a few steps forward, studying Jogo still trapped in Suzue's flames, intent on observing and studying with evident irritation a point behind them.

«Yes, I knew it, your fire is definitely stronger than his!» he commented satisfied, placing his chin in his hands as if analyzing some successful experiment. «Leave him, I'll take care of it! It's a great opportunity to explain domain expansion to Yuji.»

With an arrogant smile, Satoru turned to her, standing calmly near Suzue's flames and turning his back to the curse behind him. Suzue pouted slightly, looking into his eyes for a moment while he wore that innocent and confident expression. It was frustrating not being able to be mad at him despite everything.

Instinctively, she released the technique as Satoru requested, confused by his words; it was then that she noticed another presence behind her.

She turned to the point the curse had been staring at and found confirmation of what Satoru had just said; a familiar cheerful voice was commenting on the situation.

«What... I was at school just a moment ago! Why does that guy have Mount Fuji on his head?!»

Yuji stood there, extremely confused by the situation, looking around bewildered. He seemed like someone who had just been dragged into a battlefield without explanations or warning; indeed, it was typical of Satoru.

Quickly, Suzue got to her feet and joined him; what was Satoru thinking, bringing him here in the middle of a fight with a special grade curse? She sighed regretfully.

«I'm sorry Yuji, Satoru dragged you into this...»

The boy scratched his head, smiling nervously. «Oh, it's okay! I'm used to it by now... I think.» Then he looked around again, «Ah-um... Kujou-san, did you do all... this?»

Suzue weighed Yuji's words carefully, following his gaze over the flames burning in the forest, the demolished road, and the holes in the ground. She felt a drop of sweat run down her forehead. «...It was the curse.»

She lied, or at least tried to; but from the nervous laugh Yuji let out, it was obvious he didn't buy it for a second.

«Is this how the infamous Satoru Gojo fights? Hiding behind women and kids?» Jogo behind them, now free from Suzue's fire dome, had resumed hurling insults, emanating anger and cursed energy.

Satoru, for his part, let it all slide off him and maintained his relaxed posture. «You seemed to be struggling against the woman!» he commented sarcastically.

Suzue swallowed; she silently hoped Satoru wouldn't direct the curse's wrath back at her. For a moment, she could feel Jogo's eye glaring at her with hatred before the cursed energy began to grow denser and more oppressive.

«The boy is only here to learn! I don't need to hide, I mean... you're weak.»

The way he pronounced those words, enunciating each one clearly with a tone dripping with mockery, and with that smug smile on his face... it would drive anyone crazy.

Naturally, that last insult was the final straw. Jogo growled and completed the hand seal with a fluid movement, unleashing all his rage. The air swirled, and the temperature suddenly became scorching.

«Domain Expansion. Iron Coffin Mountain!»


{POV: Satoru Gojo}

Satoru looked with a mix of satisfaction and boredom at Jogo's head crushed under his foot. The curse muttered insults, his expression twisted with hatred and anger.

"Wow, it lasted even less than I thought." Satoru commented mentally, shifting his foot slightly to better immobilize Jogo.

The curse's domain had turned out to be a disappointment, an experience that didn't justify the audacity of facing him head-on.

Their fight had been brief. He had used Unlimited Void for only a few moments, and Jogo's domain had crumbled like paper.

During the battle, Satoru had taken the opportunity to explain domain expansion and countermeasures to Yuji.

Suzue had remained silent, staring into space with an extremely tired expression, unimpressed by Jogo's flames, and if she, an expert in flames, wasn't impressed, then that was just further confirmation: that curse was weak.

Yuji had watched the fight with wonder, releasing expressions of amazement, and Satoru could hope he was back at the top of the boy's favorite people list.

And now, Jogo lay under his foot, still glaring at him with hatred.

«You know, your domain was really impressive...» he cleared his throat, speaking with palpable sarcasm. «But you know what was even more impressive?» he let out a mocking smile.

Jogo seemed to get even more irritated, his face contorting in a grimace of hatred. «Satoru Gojo, you—»

«Bingo, correct answer!» Satoru mimed a short applause, his smile fading as he put his blindfold back on, ignoring Jogo's invectives.

He glanced at Yuji and Suzue, who were watching him from a distance; Yuji still had a look of admiration on his face, which Satoru enjoyed, while Suzue...

"Ah. She's... angry?"

Her face was calm and serene as usual, but Satoru could recognize the subtle signs: slightly narrowed eyes, clenched lips, a slight blush on her cheeks. It all clearly indicated: "I want to go home and sleep" and probably also "How could you leave me here alone"

Satoru had already experienced how complicated Suzue could be to deal with when she was angry. The contrast between her usual calm and patience and her rare but powerful displeasure was stark, and he certainly didn't want to replicate the experience.

He could feel her burning gaze hidden behind that apparent docility, and he decided to flash a disarming smile, one he used rarely, reserved only for special situations.

«Suzue...» he tried to start, his tone calm but full of tension. «It's not what it seems. You know how much I care about my teaching duties, and this was a golden opportunity to teach Yuji something, you know?»

She looked at him with those eyes that seemed to pierce his soul, a mix of reproach and relief. Then, with a sigh, she lowered her gaze.

«...Next time, please let me know.» she said in a soft voice, her tone a mix of tiredness and understanding.

Satoru merely bowed his head slightly in apology before glancing at her one last time.

"Sure, with that sleepy and slightly pouty face, she's even more adorab—" he lifted his hand and slapped himself lightly, forcing himself to turn his attention back to Jogo, still crushed under his foot.

Now that he had precariously calmed Suzue, he needed to resolve this situation quickly and extract the information he needed from him.

«Jogo, my friend...» he said in a colder, more controlled voice, increasing the pressure with his foot slightly. «Shall we have a chat about who sent an incompetent like you to challenge the great Satoru Gojo?» he asked in an almost friendly tone, but the sardonic smile on his face betrayed his true intention.

Jogo growled, trying in vain to free himself from his grip. Even immobilized, he found the strength to cast one last defiant look. «Go to hell, Satoru Gojo. And take the woman and the brat with you.»

"So predictable..." he sighed in his head.

With a fluid movement, he increased the pressure of his foot on Jogo's head, causing the curse to moan in pain.

Satoru tilted his head slightly, his smile widening. «You don't have much choice, you know? Either you talk, or I'll make you experience hell on earth. And believe me, I can do it.»

«Yuji?!»

Satoru snapped to attention, alerted by Suzue's worried voice. His reaction was instant: with a powerful kick, Jogo was sent flying, rolling several meters away. However, Satoru didn't allow himself a moment of satisfaction because his gaze immediately returned to his two companions behind him.

Yuji was lifted several meters off the ground, trapped by a long branch that seemed to have a life of its own and had grabbed him by the leg. The boy was flailing in the air, desperately trying to find a way to free himself.

«Kujou-san, help me, please!» Yuji pleaded desperately, suspended and flailing in the air by his leg.

Satoru frowned slightly, noting with a hint of disappointment that he wasn't the boy's first choice for help. However, a growing satisfaction filled him as he watched Suzue, with promptness and determination, generate a fire katana in her hands.

With a precise and swift strike, she cut the large living branch, freeing Yuji and leaving the remnants to be consumed by the flames.

Yuji fell heavily to the ground, hitting his head with a thud that made Suzue flinch. Her expression turned to genuine concern as she knelt to make sure the boy was okay.

"Ah Suzue, so gentle and yet so brutal." He chuckled, finding the contrast extremely amusing.

The moment of distraction, however, had been enough. He immediately looked for Jogo's head that he had kicked aside, scanning the surroundings with his eyes, but he couldn't find it. He used Six Eyes and sharpened his perception, but there was no trace of Jogo, nor of the curse that had evidently come to his rescue.

This was... unsettling.

A curse that had managed to intervene so quickly and save its comrade, perfectly concealing its cursed energy, was certainly worthy of attention. Probably another special grade curse on par with Jogo.

Even more unsettling, if he were to be honest, was the concept of "comrades" these curses seemed to have developed. A special grade curse had just intervened to "save the life" of another special grade curse? It seemed almost human behavior, from that perspective.

Anyway, they were gone now.

"Though I don't think they'll be a problem. Nothing I can't handle," he thought with confidence, approaching Suzue and Yuji.

Suzue was scanning the boy's head again for any trauma from the fall; she still didn't seem to realize how tough Yuji's head could be. In that, they seemed just like mother and son: Yuji had a tough head for real, Suzue only metaphorically.

He paused for a moment, watching the scene with a tender smile. There was something incredibly reassuring about seeing Suzue take such good care of Yuji.

The boy, still a bit dazed, got up with Suzue's help, mumbling, «Thank you, Kujou-san, Gojo-sensei! I'm sorry, it's my fault they escaped, even though technically... it was Gojo-sensei who dragged me here.»

«Hey, Yuji, next time try to avoid getting caught by living branches, okay?» he commented wryly, trying to bring some semblance of normalcy to the situation.

Yuji nodded, his face still showing a tense and nervous smile, while his gaze shifted between Satoru and Suzue with a mix of admiration and recognition.

Still smiling, Satoru looked around carefully, assessing the damage: the collapsed road, craters in the ground and asphalt, a large fire spreading more and more, no veil... Yaga would not be happy at all.

He felt his carefree smile fade slightly. He already anticipated the principal's outburst and the endless report papers to fill out with Ijichi. He massaged his neck, sighing resignedly: after all, it was partly his fault for leaving Suzue there alone.

Speaking of Suzue... he scrutinized her carefully with his Six Eyes. He saw her look up with a questioning gaze, feeling the weight of his scrutiny; she looked like a small defenseless animal surrounded by fierce hunters. Seeing that, his resolve wavered for a moment.

«Suzue,» he began sternly, «you wasted at least a third of your cursed energy in just three minutes. And you certainly don't have a little.» His words carried a slight hint of disappointment. «No wonder you're so tired! Your stamina... sucks.» he concluded bluntly.

Suzue jumped, surprised by the abrupt and direct way he addressed the issue. She blushed slightly and bit her lip, recognizing the evident truth in his words. «I-I'm sorry, I've never really dedicated myself to physical training...» She lowered her gaze to the ground, suddenly making herself small.

"No kidding." he commented sarcastically in his mind, remembering how she couldn't even open a water bottle.

Satoru pushed away the compassionate thoughts trying to creep in.

"No, I won't give in. It's for her own good."

The matter needed to be addressed, especially for her sake; she couldn't always rely solely on her technique, no matter how versatile, thinking she could finish every fight from a safe distance by setting everything around her on fire. Now, as a special grade sorcerer, she would be assigned complicated missions, and Satoru knew he couldn't always be there to fix her messes.

«No worries, from tomorrow you have a nice training program too!» he smiled, his tone softening slightly, hoping she would understand the importance of it. «I prepared it myself! Yuji, there's an extra training package for you too, don't sigh with relief just yet.» he concluded proudly.

Suzue's eyes shot up again: you could clearly see a flash of terror mixed with worry. Understandable.

Behind her, the same expression could be seen on Yuji's face, who had stiffened and stood at attention. The two exchanged a resigned glance, sharing silent mutual solidarity.

«...I'll do my best.» Suzue commented dejectedly, with the tone of someone resigned and heading towards death.

«Yes, Gojo-sensei!» Yuji declared with determination.

Satoru crossed his arms over his chest, feeling overall satisfied.

«Good, we only have two months to get you ready, so let's make the most of it!» His expression now took on a challenging air, then he turned to observe the fire still raging behind them, almost as if he had forgotten about it. «Now Suzue, can you please do something to put out those flames?» he asked with fake drama.

He saw Suzue sigh slightly and slowly advance towards the fire, cursed energy beginning to flow, and with a fluid gesture, the flames bent slowly to her will. Despite being visibly exhausted, Suzue managed to control the fire with a grace that made it seem incredibly easy.

«Get ready for what...?» she asked weakly while concentrating on extinguishing the fire, giving her back to Satoru.

He realized he hadn't actually shared that part of the plan with her or Yuji.

«Oh? Didn't I tell you?» he let out a cynical and amused grin, just thinking about that moment and what he planned to do put him in a very good mood.

«In two months there will be the annual Goodwill event with Kyoto sister school!»


{POV: ?}

«You're kidding? I tried to stop him.» he commented calmly, addressing the curse next to him who was lounging comfortably on a deck chair by the sea.

He turned to look at the expanse of water, the sound of the sea in the background the only audible noise within that domain.

«Oh! Glad to see you're all okay!» the curse commented from the deck chair, staring at a point behind him.

Suddenly, Hanami entered that space clumsily, carrying Jogo's head under her arm.

He turned to them, raising an eyebrow. «Well, you really went to save him!» he commented sarcastically. «So Jogo, is it clear now why Satoru Gojo can't be confronted so directly?»

This last comment sparked the fury of the head, which was already a bundle of nerves.

«Who do you think you're talking to?!» it shouted, while Hanami carried it towards him.

"Ah. As strong as he is stupid and arrogant." he commented mentally with disdain, turning back to watch the sea.

«So I was right?» he asked again, addressing the two curses that had narrowly escaped death.

«Sukuna's vessel is still alive, yes. That Satoru Gojo brought an audience to the battlefield, that brat and that annoying insignificant little woman...» his voice was a vortex of contained rage, his single eye narrowed at the burning memory of the humiliation suffered.

"Wow, that's a lot of adjectives to describe just any woman." he chuckled mentally.

He tried to read beyond Jogo's words, the anger and frustration he perceived as he spoke seemed to almost suggest...

«...What? You got beaten by the woman too?» he studied Jogo's reaction with growing amusement.

The curse's expression was twisted with burning humiliation. «That wretch uses a cowardly cursed technique!» the head shouted, squirming under Hanami's arm. «The fire of that sorceress burned more fiercely than mine and—»

«And devoured your cursed energy?» he interrupted abruptly, already predicting the continuation of his invectives.

Jogo scowled without commenting further, boiling in his rage.

"Impossible. That attempt had surely failed." he thought back to that summer night; he was certain of what he had seen, that attempt had definitely failed, and to be honest, he still had to find a plausible excuse to justify that failure to the King of Curses without compromising their precarious alliance.

«Describe her.» he ordered with an authoritative smile that left no room for objections.

«You want me to describe Satoru Gojo's woman?» Jogo retorted defiantly. Hanami joined in the provocation, mumbling something incomprehensible.

«I want you to describe the woman who kicked your ass!» he smiled innocently, narrowing his eyes to slits and imposing his authority.

He heard the curse behind him, still lounging on the deck chair, chuckle mockingly at Jogo.

After a tense silence, the head resumed speaking.

«Slender. Black hair. Red eyes. I barely heard her voice.» it was evident that he wanted to close that chapter as quickly as possible.

"Hmm? Did I really miss someone that time? But to give Jogo a hard time... What if?" he took his chin in his hand, retracing the events of that day precisely. "Maybe that attempt wasn't such a failure after all? And now she's with Sukuna's vessel?"

He couldn't help but let out a satisfied chuckle. "I wonder if he's already noticed. At this moment, he could be extremely happy or extremely pissed off, hard to say."

Suddenly, the entire situation was becoming very interesting. If things were really like this, maybe he had just found a way to cement the alliance with Sukuna without a doubt.

He approached the edge of the sea, calling the attention of someone - something - that quickly approached the shore under the surface of the water.

Her translucent and diaphanous skin reflected the surrounding water, while her eyes, two deep blue wells without pupils, seemed to contain the entire ocean.

The curse had barely emerged from the surface of the water, only the head adorned with blue hair and eyes peeking out. She stared at him apathetically, waiting to understand what he wanted from her.

She had never been much of a talker, not because she couldn't speak but simply because she didn't want to; and this was a quality he particularly appreciated.

He knew well, though, that behind that apparent calm and quiet was a storm ready to unleash with the force of a hundred tsunamis.

«Umi, dear, I need you to do something for me.» he asked with a gentle smile. He could only ask her; after all, she was always obedient, and he doubted that at that moment Jogo or Hanami had any desire to do anything for him.

«Would you go to a place and check something for me? South-west of Tokyo, in the countryside, there should be the ruins of a village of an old sorcerer clan.» he continued with his request, the curse still staring attentively. «A river runs through the village. Use your ability to interrogate the memory of every drop of water.»

His smile loosened, taking on a more cynical connotation.

«I want to know exactly what happened that night, after I left.»


A/N

Hi guys? How are you? I'm still closed up in my home waiting for my son tò be totally better, then hopefully we can hope to do some field trip toghether ❤️

As I mentioned, I'm not very satisfied with the chapter. I might revise it in the future, but it was necessary for the lore that Jogo report back to the not-so-mysterious person about Suzue! (ᗒᗣᗕ)՞
Facts:

-So, technically at this point in the story, Jogo is stronger than Sukuna, as it's repeatedly stated that Jogo's strength is comparable to about 8 fingers of Sukuna, while Yuji has only ingested 4 so far. However, Suzue's perception of Sukuna's strength is amplified by the desperate situation she was in, with Sukuna playing mind games with her and the fact that he was possessing Yuji's body, which forced her to stay on the defensive! Against Jogo, on the other hand, she has more freedom of action, giving her the impression that he is weaker than Sukuna.

-Satoru's teleportation is never really explained, like many other things in the series. I think it has to do with Limitless and the distortion of space around him, which would allow him to move within a "folded space," giving the impression of teleportation. Anyway, just my idea!

-The rural area southwest of Tokyo is the area around Mount Hakone.

-"Umi" (海) means "sea" or "ocean." The ocean plays a fundamental role in Japanese culture since Japan is an archipelago, and it's an element that can evoke serenity. But the ocean can also be stormy and unpredictable, giving the name a nice duality.
Umi is my original character and is a curse. I won't say too much because we'll get to know her better later on.

-The whole "water has memory, go and see the memory of that river" thing is kindly borrowed from Frozen II, thanks Olaf!

And with these snippets of information, I leave you! ❤️