Author's note:
To Ace Degenerate: I agree that Gojo is often both underutilized and improperly written in a lot of JJK fanfics. However, I hope to break the pattern with this story. As for who the two are, you will be finding out in a few short paragraphs.
--
Chapter 2: A New Normal
(Satoru Gojo POV)
He rolled out of bed and tripped on a shoe that was lying on the ground. As he stopped his fall in midair, he chuckled to himself at his little slip up.
"Still getting used to someone else's body," he says with a laugh. As he ambles for the bathroom to relieve the buildup in his bladder. He catches a look at himself in the mirror.
It was always odd to see another face looking out at him instead of his own. Brown eyes where there should have been blue. A long scar traveling down over the bridge of his nose and another at the corner of his mouth. Closed eyelids where his real eyes hid behind. At least the white hair stayed the same, even if Yuji liked to keep his shorter.
While he watched, his face changed in moments. The lower eyes slid up to occupy the main spots while Yuji's eyes disappeared. He grew taller and lankier as his hair lengthened as well. His features changed and scars faded to unblemished skin as Satoru Gojo was looking back instead of Yuji Itadori.
Heh, there is that gorgeous face. It was a crime to hide this beauty from the world, even if only for a short time, but it was a necessity per their deal. After all, the nights were for Yuji and the days were for him.
Once he emptied a truly impressive amount of liquid from his body (he should check if he broke this world's record for biggest leak), he slipped out of the clothes that Yuji had fallen asleep in and tossed them in the dirty laundry hamper. Thankfully, Parian had made their clothes capable of adjusting to their different forms at the simple cost of triple price. Money well spent for a quick change between him and the kid.
He finished buttoning up his white dress shirt after slipping into a pair of light blue pants with comfortable leather shoes. As was customary whenever he finished getting dressed, he took a few moments to admire himself in the mirror as he slipped on his pair of heavily tinted shades. After all, if you don't take the time to admire perfection, how can you expect anyone else to?
He skips out of the bedroom and slides to a stop in the occupied kitchen with all of the flair one should expect from a special-grade sorcerer. "Lisa-chan! Sherrel-chan!" he calls out with a grin. "Did you miss me?"
"No," they say in unison as they momentarily pause in their breakfast only to return to eating immediately afterward.
That just won't do. He expected more and he wasn't leaving until he got it. If he couldn't make them wish for his departure, he couldn't leave with a clear conscience. That was his burden and he was humble enough to carry it without complaint.
"Oh, I see why you both are so grumpy," Gojo says with a wiggle of his eyebrows behind his sunglasses. "My little brother's girlfriends must miss their Itadowi-wowie. I know this is just how you express your sorrow."
Sherrel just sighed as she refused to look away from her bowl of cereal. Lisa, however, took the bait perfectly. A vein seemed to throb on her forehead as she tried her best to avoid reacting. She just needed one last itty bitty, eensie weensie, teeny tiny push. It just so happened that Gojo was just the man for the job.
"Awww, Lisa-chan is such a little tsundere," Gojo says with delight. "Yuji really knows how to pick them."
The little nudge was just what the doctor ordered. Lisa's last remaining hint of self restraint was finally used up as she immediately throws her bowl of cereal at the sorcerer. Not that it really did anything. The milk and fiber mixture just slammed into Limitless and slid down the side of the shell of infinity. Gojo just grinned from behind his protective cocoon as Lisa fumed at his untouchable nature. It was like having a blond Utahime to pick on again. There were few things he truly missed from his world, but the reactions he could wring out of the temperamental sorcerer were second to none.
"Now, I must be off," Gojo says with a brilliant smile that would have stolen the hearts of any girl not already infatuated with his vessel. "College classes to take, girls to pester. My schedule is already packed. See you girls later."
The only response he got was a middle finger from Sherrel and a glass chucked at his head from Lisa. He just chuckled before disappearing from sight.
--
(Later at Brockton Bay University)
If there was one perk to being reincarnated through Yuji Itadori (besides the whole, not being dead thing), it was the simple fact that he ended up a couple of years younger. It was probably a result of the strength of Yuji's body resisting the force of even Gojo's soul and limiting how much it changed. As it stood, this still rendered him around twenty two in the end.
When he was a Jujutsu sorcerer, his strength was well known ever since his birth. This meant that he was expected to become a sorcerer from the moment he grew up. That was the goal his entire life was steered towards, no matter what he might have wanted instead.
Now, don't get him wrong. He enjoyed a good fight and making buds with the other Jujutsu sorcerers. However, there was always a wonder what he could have done if he hadn't been roped in from the start.
So, he promised himself that he would avoid the whole mess with parahumans for as long as possible. Yuji could deal with criminals and the like. He would just avoid the PRT and all of the gangs by being an unassuming normal college student. Well, as unassuming as someone like him could manage. This is what inspired him to spend his time attending college and earning just about every degree that exists. Even if he didn't want to be the Strongest anymore, he could still be the best of something else instead.
Currently, that meant being the best at taunting Crystal Pelham into losing her shit. He wasn't even taking this class, but sitting in it gave him an opportunity to mess with the second generation New Wave member while she was trying to write notes. That was worth missing a class or two for his medieval history degree. Or was it medieval art? Medieval fashion? It had something to do with castles and plague, he was sure of that.
"Come on, Crystal-chan," he whines. "You used to be such a party girl. Now, you barely do anything but study. Why don't you want to hang out anymore?"
"We have never hung out, Gojo," she replies in a harsh whisper. After all, a lecture was in progress. "You just follow me around and pester me wherever I go! The only reason I am studying more now is because my mom said if I didn't fix my grades, then she wouldn't help me pay for school anymore. I couldn't party even if I wanted to and I sure as hell wouldn't do it with you if I could!"
"Oh, you just know you wouldn't be able to keep your hands off me if you got the chance," the sorcerer says with a grin. "Ladies love to lose control at a party and I am the target of your feminine wiles. Oh, stop undressing me with your eyes! I must protect my purity for marriage!"
"Shut up," she hisses as her bully covers himself up like a timid girl. "You are going to make the teacher hate me. I need to do well in this class! And don't flatter yourself. You aren't my type."
"Silly Crystal-chan," Gojo says with a sad shake of his head. "I am every girl's type. They just haven't met me yet."
"I truly doubt that," the parahuman responds with a look of disdain. "Now, shut up so I can take notes!"
"Miss," the professor says. "Can you please keep it down? Other students are trying to learn."
"Got it, sir," she replies as she tries to ignore Gojo's calls of 'You got in trouble.'
She was warming up to him. He just knew it.
--
(Victoria Dallon POV)
She sat down in front of the grave of her best friend and tried to find the words to say. No matter how many times she came out here, it always felt like it wasn't real. Like if she were to go back home, Yuji would walk through the door any second with a smile on his face as he prepared to drag Amy out of the house and on some new escapade. Yet every day, the door was still empty and he was still gone.
"Hey, Yuji," she finally says. "Sorry I haven't been by in a couple of weeks. It has just been a lot with my senior year of high school and patrolling every day. I have been writing applications to colleges recently. I am probably just going to end up going to Brockton Bay University like Crystal, but it is kind of nice to dream about getting out of Brockton and go someplace new. Where everyone doesn't know how much of a mess I am. I broke up with Dean, again. I'm betting it will be only two week before we get back together. After all, with my aura, I'm not exactly spoiled for choices when it comes to dating."
"Dad is not doing too bad," she says. "He moves around a little more these days and doesn't forget his meds as much. Hopefully it sticks instead of going back. Mom is still as uptight and demanding as ever. Perfect is never good enough since she wants us to be even better."
"Todo is doing okay," she continues. "He was really struggling after you died, but he is back on his feet and doing good again. I hear he still polishes your trophy for winning nationals everyday before going to sleep. He also makes sure to watch out for Amy when she takes her midnight trips to the hospital that she thinks we don't know about."
"Amy is kind of slipping though, at least recently," Victoria was sad to admit. "She stays up to go to the hospital more nights every week. Todo and I try to keep an eye on her whenever she goes, but she is burning herself out more whenever I turn look away. She spend more time healing than she does sleeping or studying. If Mom didn't force her to maintain her grades, she probably wouldn't even bother staying in school. I think she misses you, even if she won't admit it."
"I miss you too," she says, her voice almost a whisper as she brings her knees to her chest and wraps her arms around them to curl up. "It's just not the same without you, not that you are even here. We couldn't even get your body back after you died. So really, I am just asking to a rock with your name so I can feel better. God, I am just as messed up as Amy without you. We could really use our best friend."
She forces herself to stop as she feels tears rolling down her cheeks. Deciding that this was enough for now, she wipes the tears away and tries to dry her eyes. In a few minutes, she is back under control and calm again.
"Bye, Yuji," she says as she stands up and runs her hand over the top of the gravestone. "I'll try to visit again soon."
Turning her back on the grave, Victoria lifts off the ground and flies away.
--
(Amy Dallon POV)
She was nudged awake by one of the nurses at the hospital. In yet another late night trip to the hospital, she had fallen asleep in the nurses' break room while trying to rest after healing over a dozen people on little to no sleep. No matter how exhausted she felt, she couldn't let herself slow down and allow someone to die just because she was feeling a little tired.
"Head on home, hon," the older woman tells her. "You have already done enough tonight. No one else is in any more danger than they will be in the morning. You should get some real sleep. It is still a school night if I am not mistaken."
"Okay," Amy says begrudgingly. Normally, she might have refused the concern and kept working. However, she was so tired that she was more worried about making a mistake while healing someone. "I will be back tomorrow though."
"Of course," the nurse replies. "Just remember, you can't take care of other people if you don't take care of yourself."
Amy just nods as she packs up her stuff and heads out of the hospital. Once she was back on the street, she plugs in her earbuds and starts up her usual playlist to help keep her awake. It was past midnight, but she was more than confident in her power and the protection it offered her. The threat of alienating the world's premier healer gives you a lot more leeway than people would think. As the first song begins playing, she takes off on the long walk back to the Dallon family home.
"Got a call on a random afternoon.
I pick it up and I see that it's you.
Like my heart you were breaking the news,
You said it's over, it's over, it's over.
Heading out cause I'm outta my mind.
All my friends are gonna see me tonight.
Staying here till the sun starts to rise,
And I'm, I'm gonna, I'm gonna
Dance hard, laugh more, turn the music up now.
Party like a rockstar, can I get a what now?
I swear I'll do anything that I have to
Till I forget about you!
Jump up, fall down, gonna play it loud now!
Don't care, my head's spinning all around now!
I swear I'll do anything that I have to
Till I forget about you!
Till I forget about you."
Amy's eyes caught on a pizza shop as she passed by. Almost like a ghost, a memory surfaces in her mind. The glass seemed to lighten as the shop was full of people. At one table, she laughed with Vicky as Yuji and Todo were racing each other to see who could speed eat an entire large pepperoni pizza. It squeezed her heart in a way that she loathed and she turned away as the glass faded to darkness once more. She crossed the street and stepped into a park which provided a shortcut and a way to avoid any memories.
"I thought I'd be here on my own
Waiting for you to knock on my door.
Since you left, I don't wait by the phone.
I'm moving, I'm moving, I'm moving.
I found a place where I can lose myself
And just leave your memory on the shelf.
See I'm fine, no I don't need nobody else
Cause I'm, I'm going, I'm going, I'm going!
Dance hard, laugh more, turn the music up now!
Party like a rock star, can I get a what now?
I swear I'll do anything that I have to
Till I forget about you!
Jump up, fall down, gonna play it loud now!
Don't care, my heads spinning all around now!
I swear I'll do anything that I have to
Till I forget about you!"
As she traveled along the walking path, she tried to shake off the feelings that seemed to be crawling out of her. She thought she had buried them two years ago along with an empty coffin, but here they were to prove her wrong. Instead of trying to deal with them, she just dials up the volume on her song and tries to drown out the nagging voices in her head.
"Spending money like you don't mean a thing.
I'm going crazy now, I don't even think.
I'm losing my mind, it's all I can do
Till I forget about you!
Dance hard, laugh more, turn the music up now!
Party like a rockstar, can I get a what now?
I swear I'll do anything that I have to
Till I forget about you!
Jump up, fall down, gonna play it loud now!
Don't care, my head's spinning all around now!
I swear I'll do anything that I have to
Till I forget about you!
Till I forget about you.
Till I forget about you."
She was so distracted by the song that she never heard the car until the headlights illuminate the area around her. With the car so close and going so fast, she knew there was no chance of dodging. It was at times like these that she wished her power worked on herself. Now, she was just going to die a stupid death because she didn't have anyone to protect her.
As the car bore down on her, she saw a flash of movement that shot down in front of the car. With a massive explosion, the front of the car was crushed in a screech of rending metal and the vehicle flipped end over end through the air. A spray of shrapnel flew at her, but it slowed down as it approached her until it finally came to a stop and fell to the ground. The car finally crashed to the ground and tumbled across the ground, mass of metal near unrecognizable after the damage it sustained.
Once the air cleared, she could finally see what hit the car. It was a man with white hair and dressed in a black uniform with a mask that covered the lower part of his face. A long scar ran down from his forehead and across the bridge of his nose. It sat between two eyes that glowed with blue and black flames. The only thing that stood out more was the second pair of eyes set below the first. They glow with an ethereal crystal blue before closing as she watched.
His eyes locked on her for a moment before looking away. He walked past her and ripped open one of the doors of the crashed car. She sees him draw a pistol from a holster on his thigh and press it against the man's head. Before she can rush forward to stop him, she is suddenly halfway across the park with the sound of a clap.
Todo stood in front of her as he looks down with a stern expression on his face. "Let's go home, sister," he says. His tone offered no room for argument or disagreement. "The park this late at night is no place for a woman."
A gunshot cracks in the still air of the park. Amy tries to run back towards the white haired man, but Todo grabbed her arm and held her back. "Why are you stopping me?" she asks him. "He is killing people! We have to stop him!"
"Not all lives are worth the danger that comes with saving them," he says. "I would gladly risk my life to rescue my sister, but I am not willing to let her run into danger for common criminals."
"You expect me to walk away and let him slaughter them?" she asks incredulously. "To do nothing to save them?"
Another gunshot echoes through the abandoned park. "Yes," Todo answers. "You have a kinder heart than most, sister, but know this. That man only kills those who forfeited their right to live. If they die, they deserved it long before he came."
"It's my job to save lives, Todo," she snarls. "Not stand by while someone ends them."
"Then mourn the dead they created," Todo says, his voice resolute. "Not their killers."
"All I need is one touch to stop you," Amy threatens.
"If defeating me was within you ability, sister, you would have already defeated me," Todo replies. "I would never lay a hand on you, but I would not allow you to win. This is a fight you have already lost."
Amy glares at the larger boy and tries to not flinch as the crack of the gun resounds once more. He just met her gaze with a calm one in return as he gave no ground to her will. She knew there was no chance of Todo giving up since he was the only person more stubborn than she was. No logic or emotions could make him change his mind once he set it to something. So, she is forced to accept that any men that survived the crash is already dead.
This sentiment is sealed by the final gunshot in the night before silence reigns across the park once more. Amy squeezes her hands so tightly the nails dig into the skin of her palms and draw blood. Despite her desire to do something, she was forced to let people die when she could have helped. It ate at her that she was so powerless despite her parahuman ability. She was still just the same weak pathetic Amy.
"Take me home, Todo," she whispers as she finally releases her clenched fists.
The boy nods before clapping his hands and starting them on the series of jumps back to her house. For the first time in a long while, Amy Dallon just wanted to go to sleep.
--
(Yuji Itadori/Curse POV)
I leaped across the rooftops as I pursue the sedan attempting to escape. I had raided one of the ABB's stash houses that stored the drugs they funneled through their brothels. Lots of the product was the same stuff they used to dose up the women they hold captive to help keep them docile. I used my arrival as an opportunity to destroy any product they had and teach a lesson to the men guarding it.
My anger at the Yakuza wannabes distracted me enough that a group of four made it out and into a car. They tore out and onto the road before I could put a bullet in the car and disable it. Instead, I took off in pursuit as the stash house burns to the ground behind me.
They swerved and crashed their way through the nocturnal traffic present in any city, even one as decayed as Brockton Bay. I choose to pursue them instead of eliminating them immediately so I could try and follow them to another ABB base. I would only take them out if they endangered someone beyond being general nut jobs behind the wheel.
However, unlike I predicted, they drive out of ABB territory and into the area patrolled by the PRT. With this change, I need to stop them before a hero comes in and interferes.
One of the men peeks out of the car and sees me following across the rooftops before he calls out to the driver. They careen off of the road and go crashing through the fencing around a park to avoid any more buildings I could run on. An itch scratches at the back of my mind like I was forgetting something.
The answer appears all too soon as the headlights of the fleeing car illuminate a pedestrian who happened to be passing through the park. The itch becomes a scream in my mind as I realize who was standing there. Amy Dallon, one of the first people in the world to ever really give a shit about me. A person who I abandoned because it was easier for me. Because I am a coward.
Anger surges through my mind as my Cursed Energy flairs. They are going to hurt Amy. That means their time is up. Now.
I call on a variation of my Six-Shooter technique to account for the growing distance between me and the car. It makes their head start trivial when I can just travel as fast as a bullet.
"Six-Shooter Technique: Shot Step."
By using one of the stored rounds of Cursed Energy, I am able to accelerate beyond the speed of sound for a burst of speed. It is only for a relatively short distance, but it allows me to outpace all but the fastest enemies if only for a moment.
I fly through the air in an instant and appear above the car. With another Shot Step, I send myself soaring straight down in a steep dive. As I approach, I tap into my third round of Six-Shooter.
While I commonly use them offensively as an additional strike, that is only the first stage of use. With enough practice, you can release them in time with the actual impact. This creates a blow at least twice as strong as normal. Since it accompanies the typical blast of Cursed Energy used in physical blows, there was only one name for it.
"Six-Shooter Technique: Double Barrel."
My fist crumples the entire engine compartment of the car down to the ground as the rest of the car goes flying into the air.
'Gojo, use neutral Limitless on Amy,' I think.
'Anything for my little brother,' the older sorcerer replies as he opens his eyes under mine. Whenever he had to use Limitless while I was piloting our body, he always had to reveal his Six Eyes to help activate his Cursed Technique despite the ease he had in his own form. Gojo theorized it was likely due to interference with my own Innate Technique.
As it stood, the barrier formed around Amy and caught all of the shrapnel in the field of infinity before they ever came close to touching her. When they all clattered to the ground, I couldn't help but look at my old friend up close for the first time in years. Not that I deserve to call her that anymore.
She looked good after all of this time. She had bags under her eyes from all of her sleep deprivation, but that was just par for the course when it came to a workaholic like her. Her hair was a little longer than before and it seemed like she had grown a bit too. She had grown from a pretty teenager to a beautiful woman, at least in my eyes. She looked at me in shock as Gojo finally closed his eyes.
'You could go to her,' Gojo suggests. 'Just stop punishing yourself for your past.'
'I made my choice,' I answer. 'No matter what, I have to live with that.'
With that thought, I avert my eyes and walk past her to the crashed car. I could sense Todo entering the range of my senses so I knew he would retrieve Amy any second. Now, it was time to punish the men foolish enough to endanger my friend in front of me.
I rip open one of the mangled doors and see one of the men still alive. I pull one of my pistols out of its holster on my thigh and check that a round is already chambered. After I press the barrel against the man's head, I wait instead of ending it immediately. I don't want Amy to see this if I have a choice.
Like I had hoped, she is replaced with a rock that falls to the ground as Todo substitutes her. This finally grants me the opportunity to end the man's life. With a single bullet, his head splatter across what was left of the car's passenger cabin.
I slowly make my way down the car to the next door. Like the first, I tear the door open to reveal another passenger. This one was clearly less injured in the crash from how he struggles to move the gun away from him as I press it against his forehead now. His concussions meant that the fumbling attempts were as effective as a drunk, but he was definitely trying. I reward his efforts with a swift bullet through his skull which kills him instantly. Better than he deserved.
I round the car as I move to the left passenger's door. I yank the contorted metal apart and grab a hand which tried to stab me with a pocket knife. I just use my grip on his arm to stab the blade into the man's own leg. He tries to howl in pain, but I cover his mouth with my hand to muffle the scream. It is cut short by a bullet into his temple which coats the interior with yet another layer of grey matter and gore.
The driver was saved for last as I slowly walk toward his door. He was cognizant enough to try and unbuckle his seat belt, but he continued to struggle with trying to remove his legs from the confines of the crushed dashboard. It had compacted down on his lower legs and left him unable to move or run away as I advance. As I take each step closer, his frantic struggling only increases.
I don't even bother opening the door for this one. I just grab him by the collar and force him to look at me.
"You have made more than enough mistakes in your life to earn a bullet," I say as my voice is little more than a growl. "But your biggest mistake was trying to hurt Amy. It doesn't matter if it was just an accident or some bad luck. It will definitely be your last mistake."
Unlike the others, I don't shoot him in the head. Instead, I just fire the single round into his neck. He immediately reaches his hands up to his neck as he tries to stem the bleeding. As he does his best, I know that just as much blood is pouring down his throat and into his lungs. He will drown in his own blood within a minute. I watch until he stops moving to ensure it did the job. I didn't derive any pleasure from watching his eyes go dark. I just didn't want to leave no room for mistakes.
I return my pistol to its holster as I take a step back from the car. Focusing my Cursed Energy, I use another of my abilities.
"Detonation Manifestation: Incendiary."
An incendiary grenade forms in each of my hands. I flick the pins out before tossing them into the car without another word. As I walk away, the grenades explode and ignite everything in the car in a massive bonfire. The vehicle goes up like a match as all of the bodies and evidence turns to ash in the roaring flames. The gas tank eventually erupts in a huge fireball which tears the car apart, but I had already left the park behind as I continue on my nightly hunt. Cursed Spirits and criminals aren't going to kill themselves, now are they?
--
Author's note:
That's it for the second chapter of A Vessel Vigilante. I hope you all liked seeing the different perspectives I was trying to go for. I thought I did a pretty good job capturing each person's personality, but let me know if you disagree.
Feel free to write a review and give me your opinions on the story so far. I always read them and try to answer any questions you have at the start of each chapter. They also help keep my motivation and writing pace up.
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If you are interested in my other work, you can find the stories through my profile.
A pleasure as always,
Titan900
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