Chapter Text
December 25th. The aftermath of The Death Parade of a Hundred Demons.
Talismans and seals littered the four walls that surrounded the two of you. You were bound to a chair with ropes pinned to the ground with big metal nails. On the ground, multiple candles sat near the edge of the wall, framing Okkotsu in a glamorous yellow light. “You had so many chances to kill me back then. Why didn't you?”
He jumped off the edge of seat, not really expecting any kind of conversation to spark between the two of you. He was too busy daydreaming. Thinking about the last time he was here. “Well… You had the chance to kill my friends back on the balcony, but you didn’t so I think it's fair. Why didn’t you kill me?” Yuta pondered.
It was a little strange that he wore a black uniform instead of a white one like he used to but you werent gonna question that. “Because I couldn’t. I’m too weak.” You admitted.
“I don't think you’re weak. You’re very strong, like Maki-san!”
You don't know anyone named Maki. But Maki is a girl's name. “The glasses girl? Is she your friend?” You only knew her as the Zenin failure, the name Geto used whenever he referred to her. If Yuta was calling her strong then it must have been a bad matchup.
Okkotsu nodded enthusiastically. “Yup! Do you have any friends?”
“My curses I guess. There's also Mimiko and Nanako.” You tried to think of any others but outside of them there aren’t any others. Your life is actually kinda sad once you take the time to properly reflect on it. “Why am I here?”
“You’re here to be executed.” WHAT?! “But don't worry! Gojo-sensei told me I just have to stall for a little while he sorts things out.”
Gojo Satoru… He killed Geto, why is he trying to prolong your death? They were best friends but you don't see how that applies to your situation. “Why?”
“Because the higher ups at Jujutsu Tech shouldn’t be able to damper the growth of a promising young sorcerer.” He dropped the sombre tone and adopted a more playful one. “I’m Gojo Satoru. Nice to meet you!” He reached out his arm as a simple greeting.
… Should you tell him or is he gonna figure it out himself? “Um… They can’t shake your hand, they’re tied behind their back.” Behind the tall figure Yuta peeped out and pointed his finger.
“Oh, right. Let me get that for you.” Gojo knelt down to remove your bindings. You looked down at his face. It wasn’t malicious or anything but your gut said otherwise. The ropes dropped to the ground with a soft thud and you flexed your hands to test their movements.
Gojo stood up and your eyes followed the hand directed to the door. “By the way there’s someone waiting for you outside.”
You didn’t want to get your hopes up but you wanted it to be Geto. You know he’s dead but if they're best friends then maybe- No he’s dead, you saw him die. You feel a little lost without him. If it was Nanako and Mimiko then they’d probably need some help recovering after Geto’s death as well. You're probably better off than the two because you weren’t as close to him as they were.
You opened the door. It’s Tora. His eyes were dark, dull, like he’s been up all night worrying about you. Usually he’d be pacing around but he was too tired to do that. He looked up and his eyes softened. “You’re alive. Come on, let's go home.” The situation was partially his fault. He couldn’t tell you to stay away.
“Nope! Sorry. The only deal I could negotiate with the higher ups is one where L/n-san stays under careful watch in Jujutsu tech.”
“They’re not going to school there! They could die! Do you know how many loved ones i’ve lost because of-” Tora made the mistake of laying his eyes on you and the words in his throat died down.
“L/n doesn’t need to go to school, they just need to stay in their facilities until the higher ups know they aren’t a danger to anyone anymore. L/n is the only one who gets to decide that fact.”
All eyes were on you, all awaiting your decision. “I want-” Your eyes flickered towards Tora’s anxiety ridden face before staring back into the ground. You squeezed your eyes shut and bawled up your fists. A hand landed on your shoulder and you didn’t need to look back to know that it was Yuta. “I want to go to school. I want to be strong. I want to fight the strong. I wanna learn more jujutsu because that's the only thing I enjoy doing nowadays.”
Before Yamasuki’s death you had no one. You stayed quiet and did all the bare minimum work required for school. You had a guaranteed spot in the world as a company slave, a nobody in a crowd of everybody else. You thought you were fine with it, you really did but jujutsu was the thing that gave you friends. You want to stay with Geto’s group, you really do, but you can’t.
“If I can meet more jujutsu sorcerers, I promise you I won't die. Okkotsu, he’s really strong! He only became a sorcerer around the time that I became a curse user and he’s already so much farther than I am. I want to catch up.” You released your tight bunched up fingers and looked back up at your uncle.
His pupils shook and he brought a hand up to his face. You were strong, he knew that. Did he want to prevent you from dying or did he want to prevent you from growing. It wouldn’t be a lie to say he dreaded the day he’d be all alone with no one to be around for him. Curse Ren. Curse Ryuko. He didn’t want to do nothing in his comfortable life anymore.
Gojo clapped his hands together with a smile on his face. “Alright! We should go there as soon as we can.”
“Wait, there's two schools right? Can I go to the one in Kyoto? I feel bad for beating on your students and I don't think they’ll be happy when they see me.” You pointed out.
“You don't have to do that! My classmates are really nice so I’m sure they’ll accept you.”
Yuta is a nice boy. He’s way too nice. “I also want to beat you, Okkotsu. Going to your rival school will give me better chances to fight you. Is it okay if I do that?”
“I’m sure the higher ups won't mind too much. Kyoto is the capital of curses so it means they can better keep track of you.”
“Sweet! Hope you don't mind me plotting against you, Yuta!”
“If that's the case, I’ll train extra hard so we can have a good fight!”
You were too much like your mother, always itching for a fight. Tora, he’s selfish, he knows but there are other people who would be just as sad as him if they lost their loved ones too. Curse Mei Mei for unlocking the tiger’s cage. “If you’re becoming a sorcerer then I am too.”
“Uhm.” Yuta held his hand up, like he was asking for permission to speak. Gojo playfully struck a pose and pointed to his student. “Yes! Yuta-kun!” “I’m all for increasing the jujutsu workforce but do you even have any experience?”
“He may have only been a grade two when he quit but I can assure you he is more than capable.” Mei Mei approached the group with elegance. Jesus this halfway is getting cramped. And there's this random kid behind her too.
“Mei Mei? What are you doing here?”
“Getting paid for all my hard work during the Death Parade. By the way I’m taking your pay too.” She devilishly remarked. Tora shut his mouth, not bothering to argue with the bird manipulator.
You tapped your finger against your knee. Bracelets adorned your hands as you shared a conversation with one. Currently you sat inside a black car as it travelled across the prefectures. You were a little irked at the thought of a long ride inside a cramped vehicle. “Why couldn’t we have taken the trains?”
Nitta Akari –really kind girl, shame she has to deal with you– kept her eyes on the road and took her time thinking of an answer. You kind of had an idea of why you had to be escorted there by car. You only asked because of the thick silence encapsulating the two of you. As soon as the auxiliary manager came, you were sent off to the car, not getting any time to gather your stuff. You would’ve loved to listen to some music right now.
“It’s mainly just a preference the more traditional sorcerers have. They’re so focused on exorcising curses that they don’t have time to learn how transport systems work.”
You nodded and toyed with your bracelets again. Shouldn’t she be at least a little worried she’s driving a terrorist around or did they not tell her about that. You could kill her right now and escape back to the group but there wouldn’t be any merit in that. You want to fight Okkotsu and that's final.
You leaned your head on the window and gazed at the sights. You could make out the silhouette of a tall shrine structure and you perked up at the sight. “Are we there yet?” You asked almost like a little kid. “No, almost.” Nitta replied. She found it strange how quiet you were at the entirety of the ride but almost funny how excited you were when you arrived in front of the school.
Just like Tokyo Tech, it was absolutely stunning. Massive buildings, tall with beautiful wood browns. The grounds were meticulously maintained and the hedges were nicely trimmed.
Nitta waved you over. “Come, I'll show you to the dorms.”
You quickly paced yourself to match her speed. You tried to catch a glimpse of the other students but so far nothing. Well it is Christmas, they're probably at home with family.
Or recuperating from the attack on Kyoto. You really hope they don't know about your association with it. (luckily it was the former)
A woman with a large scar on her face and the clothes of a shrine maiden greeted you. She was panting a little with beads of sweat gathering along her forehead. Stupid Gojo, always forgetting to tell her stuff before it's too late.
She cleared her throat and wiped the sweat off her forehead. “I'm Iori Utahime. I'm part of the faculty at Kyoto Metropolitan Curse Technical College.”
Iori dismissed the blonde and took you on a tour inside the dorms. “Gojo’s informed me of your situation. Your luggage will arrive at a later date.” She opened the door to your new living space and a box sat on the neatly made bed. You opened the box and gud through the contents.
“In there is your new uniform and a cell phone.” They took your old phone to see if they could locate the other members of Geto’s group. You really hope they don't see what's in it.
The rest of the tour was fine. You got to see the classrooms and training facilities before you were sent back to your room. You debated letting all your curses out like you normally do at home but decided not to. Somehow that meant wearing them instead of placing them on the bedside table.
That night you had a strange dream.
You stood under the cherry blossom tree at your old school. The same one that Yamasuki died under. There they lied peacefully against the base of the tree. Itsuki waved you over and you sat by their side.
“Thank you.”
“What?”
You whipped your head over to the deceased student and they smiled. “Thanks for cursing me.”
“Oh, uh. No problem.” You had no idea why they needed to thank you for that. Didn’t you ruin their life? Yamasuki took notice of this and placed a hand on your knee. You looked away to the side but they leaned into your ear and whispered some words into it. “You know you're always talking to Hanako but never me. I’m right here you know?”
You froze up at the closeness, almost like they stabbed you with Mortis’ paralysing technique.
They pulled away and you finally let yourself breathe. “I never understood why I had all those allergies. I could never fully enjoy my own life. Even though my beauty was what made me popular and well liked I would’ve traded it all just to not have those allergies. I’m happier now that I’m dead and don’t have to eat.”
“Oh” You nodded. You didn’t really have anything else to say to them.
“But just because I’m happier doesn’t mean I don't want you to use me.”
“Right”
“And also I don’t need to eat but there's a lot of food I still want to try.”
“Sure”
“And please make me some vocal chords. I wanna speak and your technique is perfect for that.”
“Will do.”
“Also- Also-!