Chapter Text
YUUJI
Long ago, in a quiet village of Avenhama near the border of a small kingdom, lived an ordinary girl named Itadori Yuuji.
She is a peasant girl who lives with her grandfather in a small cottage at the edge of a small, ordinary town.
Her parents were travelling merchants who died when she was a mere toddler. Killed by monsters called Curses.
Yuuji is, for lack of a better word, unremarkable.
With amber eyes, tanned skin kissed by the sun, long hair that's pink at the top and brown underneath, and more built than most fifteen-year-old year old girls her age.
She is seen as an outcast.
A friendly and warm girl, Yuuji generously lends a helping hand wherever she goes.
And yet, she isn’t close to anyone, neither old nor young, much less friends with people her age.
There are two teenagers she hangs around with sometimes, and they'll catch frogs, dare each other to enter abandoned graves, and try to summon ghosts.
But even then, they are more like acquaintances than friends, whom Yuuji feels she can't truly be herself around.
And so really, it’s just her and her grandfather. That’s all she’s ever really known, and it's all she'll ever know.
And she's learnt to be satisfied with it...
Right?
—
A strange man stands at the edge of Yuuji’s porch, cloaked in dark purple and white, the lower half of his face hidden behind a smooth mask. He looks important, judging by the insignia stitched on the front of his cloak, but it's not one she recognises. By the bulge in his side, it's obvious he's concealing a weapon.
Yuuji squints at him. "Um, who are you?"
"Is this the Itadori household?"
She shakes her head, alarm bells ringing in her mind. "No. I think you’ve got the wrong house. The wrong village, even.” She starts to close the door, but the man sticks a booted foot between it and the frame.
“Your grandfather is Itadori Wasuke?” The man asks, but it sounds less like a question and more like a fact.
"Look, man," she says, backing up a step, deciding what's the worst that could happen to her if she slams the door in this man's face. "If you don’t leave right now, I’m gonna scream loud enough to bring every Knight from the next town here."
The man hesitates, eyes widening just a smidge, but remains where he stands.
"You don't believe me? I'll prove it to you." Yuuji cups her hands to her mouth, inhales deeply, and bellows: "SOMEONE HELP! THERE'S A CREEPY MASKED MAN TRYING TO KIDNAP ME! HE WANTS TO MAKE ME HIS CHILD BRIDE—"
Something hard and made of wood thwacks the back of her head, and Yuuji welps, cutting off her own shouting. She rubs her head with a groan as her grandpa comes to stand beside her.
"What are you doing making so much damn noise this early in the morning, brat?" Wasuke grumbles, holding his cane. He pauses, noticing the strange man outside. Then the insignia.
Yuuji moves her shoulder to block her grandpa's view. "It’s nothing, Gramps. This creep had the wrong house. He’s just leaving." Then she slams the door shut with both hands and hopes the masked man gets the message and leaves them alone.
Turning back to her grandpa, she helps Wasuke back to his room, ignoring his protests and wounded pride.
"Why are there flowers on the table again?” Wasuke grumbles, squinting at the fresh bouquet she’s transferring to a chipped vase. "I told you not to waste our money on such things anymore."
"They’re not for you," Yuuji replies evenly, adjusting the vase. "They’re for the doctor. She’s coming by tomorrow to check on you. Here, it's hot." She then hands a cup of medicine for her grandpa to drink, the steam curling at the surface.
Wasuke scoffs, taking the medicine and putting it on the windowsill instead of drinking it like he's supposed to. "I told you to stop hiring a doctor already. There isn't much they can do anyway. My time is coming whether or not they do something."
Standing by his bedside, Yuuji's fingers curl into fists at her sides. Knowing already what grandpa will say.
"Quit worrying about this old man and think about your own future," he says, voice rough with age. “Find a decent boy to settle down with. You’ve got no reason to be stuck out here. You'll die alone if you stay here."
It's the same argument they've had before. The same one they've had a hundred times ever since grandpa started falling ill a few years ago.
"We’ve been over this already, Gramps!" Yuuji snaps, heat rising in her voice. "I told you I won't leave you! You’re all I have left! I’m just trying to help you, why do you keep trying to push me away?" She regrets yelling at her grandpa immediately, but she doesn't take back her words, nor does she apologise.
It doesn't quell her anger, especially as grandpa crosses his arms and exhales heavily. He rolls over to face the wall, his back now to her so she can't see his expression. "If you won’t marry, then… help people. You're a strong kid, so help people."
Yuuji turns away and doesn't listen anymore. She can't. If she does, she'll say something she'll really regret.
As she turns to leave, grandpa keeps talking. "Help people so they remember you," he says. "So you don't die alone. So you don't end up like me."
The words hang heavy in the silence.
Neither person says anything for a long time before Yuuji says over her shoulder. "I’m going to the forest to pick mushrooms for dinner. Don’t wait up."
She doesn't expect a reply.
She only feels partially guilty for slamming the door shut too loudly on the way out.
—
When she leaves the house, she's relieved that the masked man is nowhere in sight and hopes he never makes an appearance again.
At fifteen, Yuuji does whatever work she can to get by, like chopping wood or hauling water, just so she can afford medicine for her grandfather.
But sometimes, it’s still not enough. So she turns to the forest behind the village, where the herbs and mushrooms are in abundance and, most importantly, free.
With a woven basket on her arm, Yuuji heads towards town.
The nearest town is a walk and a half away, and she’ll have to pass through it to get to the forest. So if she wants to get back home before sundown, she decides to hurry.
Today, like most days, she wears a faded red kirtle over a thin underdress that used to be white but now leans grey. Her shoes are cracked at the soles, worn soft from years of use.
Her long pink hair is tied back in a loose ponytail with a torn scrap of cloth.
On the way through town, she pauses to wave at a few familiar faces.
She helps an old woman carry her bag of groceries and climbs a fence to shake a wooden toy free from a tree for a group of giggling kids.
Unbidden, Yuuji thinks about her grandpa's words.
"Help people so they remember you. So you don't die alone. So you don't end up like me."
Something didn't feel quite right with what grandpa said.
Isn't it selfish to help people so that they'll remember you?
Shouldn't people help other people solely because it was the right thing to do?
But Yuuji can't help but think of herself as a hypocrite. She helps people because she can, because she wants to.
But she can't deny that the warm feeling she gets when people thank her for her help or give her tokens of appreciation is what encourages her to keep helping others.
She shakes those thoughts away, compartmentalising them for later, as she enters the forest.
She has to venture further in, where the best berries and mushrooms are. As well as the medicinal plants, she picks out to give to the town doctor for grandpa's medicine.
The forest hums with a quiet stillness, where dappled sunlight spills between branches, and soft leaves crunch beneath her shoes.
Time ticks by without her realising, as her basket becomes filled with forest greens, berries, and medicinal plants.
Yuuji crouches low, her basket on the floor by her thigh, as she examines a bush of red berries, examining whether these were safe to eat or not.
From nearby, a twig snaps and Yuuji's head shoots up.
Her heart jumps. Could it be a wolf? A bear?
Even if she could outrun those animals, it's not wise to take the situation lightly.
She’s deep enough in the forest that it's unlikely to encounter another human. She's deep enough that if something did happen to her, no one would know. And worse, no one can help her.
She falls quiet, putting down her basket and grabbing a thick branch with a sharp end she finds on the forest floor.
She grips it tightly in both hands as she comes out of her crouch slowly. The leaves rustle overhead, and there is no more birdsong.
Yuuji forces herself to take calming breaths, as the presence behind her comes closer and can't be ignored any longer.
Her shoulders tense up, and she spreads her feet apart, ready to strike as she spots another's shadow.
And then she swings, and her makeshift weapon cuts through the air in a smooth arc that creates a sharp whoosh.
The figure ducks low as if expecting it, and so the strike hits nothing but empty space.
Yuuji only has a split second to notice her attacker's face—a boy with black hair around her age—before she’s tackled to the ground.
Pinned down, she wastes no time in trying to throw the attacker off of her, kicking and punching wildly. Though the boy is having a hard time keeping Yuuji down, he's fast, dodging and fending off her attacks.
"Oi! Quit it!" Her attacker snaps, eyes sharp and annoyed.
She manages to catch the attacker's face, pushing on his face and then pausing when she gets a good look at him.
She looks up at the boy— no, girl, who takes advantage of her momentary distraction to swat her hands away and pin her arms beside her head.
Yuuji swallows, cursing internally for getting distracted so easily. She glares at the other girl as hard as she can. "Get off of me, you asshole! If you don't, I'll scream so loud your ancestors will hear me—"
She bites her tongue at the sword pressed to her throat. When Yuuji swallows, she hisses, feeling her skin get nicked on its sharp edge.
The girl leans close, eyes further narrowing as Yuuji uselessly moves her head away. Around them, darkness seemed to press closer between the trees, swallowing up the remaining light.
And Yuuji blinks her eyes rapidly, desperate for any drop of light left.
"Who are you?" the girl asks, voice cold and level. "Why did you attack me? Did someone send you?"
Despite the panic, Yuuji bites back. "I should be asking you! You were the one sneaking up on me!" Her wrists twist in the other girl's firm grip. "I was just defending myself, and then you attacked me!"
"What are you doing alone in the forest?"
"To pick berries, dipshit." It isn't like Yuuji to resort to name-calling so soon. But sue her; a strange girl just attacked her.
"And what are you doing here alone, huh?" she asks, and the girl freezes. "Or were you actually trying to kill me?"
The girl's eyes widen, and her mouth falls agape just the smallest fraction. It's the first slip in her no-nonsense, assassin-like composure.
And then her blank mask returns, and she frowns. Looking away, she doesn't reply for a long moment, then: "So you really are just a normal villager with no ulterior motive?"
Yuuji would have thrown her arms up in exasperation if they weren't currently pinned down. "YES!" She screams, and the girl winces.
Again, the girl's demeanour changes to almost something like embarrassment and the sword at Yuuji's neck is pulled away and slid back into its scabbard.
Then the girl removes herself from atop Yuuji's waist and climbs to her feet. The shadows melt away, letting the scarce sunlight filter back between the trees and leaves.
She extends at hand out for Yuuji to take, but Yuuji is already pushing herself to her feet.
The girl pulls back awkwardly and instead kneels to pick up Yuuji's basket.
The tips of the girl's ears turn red as she hands it back to Yuuji, gaze having dropped to the floor. "Here."
A small laugh bubbles out of Yuuji, and she takes her basket. The tension leaves her shoulders. "So it was all a misunderstanding, huh?"
The girl nods and stands. She picks up her own belongings: a large, heavy-looking satchel. Its contents clink faintly with the sound of metal as the bag is slung over her shoulder.
"I’m...um, sorry for attacking you. I thought you were… never mind." The girl looks her over. "Did I hurt you?"
Yuuji smiles easily and shakes her head, dusting off the dirt on her dress. "It’s just a few scrapes. Nothing major. And I heal quickly, so it's fine."
"I can compensate you, if you want. I have money." The girl reaches for a pouch tied to the belt around her waist.
Yuuji laughs again, louder and freer than she's felt in a long time. "You don't have to pay me, silly! It was an honest mistake, and it all turned out well in the end, didn't it?"
Her reply is an agreeing hum.
"But if you really want to make it up to me, why don't you tell me your name?" Now that the danger’s passed, Yuuji finally gets a good look at the other girl.
The girl has inky black hair that's short, messy, and with spiked strands at the top. Her blue eyes are blue in the same shade of forget-me-nots.
She's got a sharp jawline and thin lips, and she’s tall, too. At least half a head taller than Yuuji (which is saying something, when Yuuji is taller than almost every girl and woman in her village).
She wears a loose white tunic tucked into black trousers, and scuffed but sturdy boots. Even though her choice of attire looks simple, she exudes luxury.
And despite her long lashes and frankly very pretty features, it can be easy to mistake her for a boy at first. She carries herself with this blunt, unsmiling edge unlike any girl Yuuji knows.
Like she's not afraid to take up space in a world that doesn't treat women so kindly.
The girl scowls at Yuuji and her top lip curls, showing the barest of teeth. "Why should I tell you?"
Yuuji sighs and puts her hands on her hips. "It's the least you should do, no? It might as well be common courtesy after you attacked an innocent person." She says, sounding like a scolding mother, but the smile she wears is clearly teasing.
As expected, the other girl caves, cheeks reddening with embarrassment. So, quietly, she answers, "Fushiguro Megumi."
"I knew it." Yuuji beams, her head tilting to the side. "I knew you'd have a pretty name."
And the girl, Fushiguro, blushes furiously, shoulders rising to her ears as she snaps, "Shut up!"
Yuuji ignores her and bows in greeting. "I'm Itadori Yuuji, by the way. Are you trying to get to town, Fushiguro?"
"...Yes."
"I figured. I don’t recognise your face, so you must not be from around here." Yuuji pauses. "Why are you heading to town, might I ask?"
Fushiguro hesitates. "I’m here on business."
"What sort of business?"
"I can’t tell you." The bag on her shoulder clinks again as she adjusts it, as if daring Yuuji to ask more questions.
Yuuji backs off. "Ah. Personal stuff. Got it. I won’t pry anymore." And Megumi seems to relax.
A beat as Fushiguro's lips are pressed into a firm line as if in an internal debate with herself. Then, "Do you… Know the way there?" She asks, seeming a little sheepish.
Yuuji blinks, then lets out a small laugh. "Yeah. Just head west, that way." She points. "Keep going straight and you’ll hit the road into town."
Fushiguro looks in the direction she's pointing, then nods appreciatively. "Thank you...for the help."
"Of course!" Yuuji waves as Fushiguro walks off. "Take care! And don't go sneaking up on girls anymore!" She laughs as Fushiguro's ears turn red again, but the girl doesn't look back.
What a strange thing to happen to me...
After Fushiguro disappears behind the trees, Yuuji returns to her gathering.
In a couple of minutes, her basket is finally full enough, just in time as the sun begins its slow descent.
It's time to head home.