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Chapter Text

Nero rushed towards Urizen, sword drawn, Exceed at Max-Act. “You fucking bastard!”

V struggled to hold him back. Dante was down and out, and both women he’d come with were out cold. Griffion rushed towards Nero, only to be too late as Nero was, similarly to Dante, met with an invisible barrier which halted him.

“GRRRRRRR-!”

Urizen merely sighed, unimpressed. “Your lack of power is your downfall. Perish, mortal, as the rest of the filth.”

Tentacles shot through Nero’s torso, piercing his internal organs as the strike with Red Queen immediately lost strength. Nero still held on, however, and pushed on the barrier to no avail. Despite the engine within the sword propelling him forward, he was still slowly losing ground.

“So what do we do, V?” Griffion asked, “This is the endgame. If we die here, everything's done for.”

V gulped. This outcome had been what he was truly dreading. He thought Dante could handle it, and if he didn't, he'd have Nero use the Devil Sword Sparda to win.

What he didn't expect, however, was the brashness of Nero and his own lack of strength. His lack of power would be his downfall here.

He stepped backwards, sweat forming prematurely as Urizen stared at him.

“Well? Have you come to give your life to me?”

V gulped once more. He didn't want to die.

He wanted to be whole once more. He did NOT want to die.

“V. Hey, don't freeze up on me now! You’re gonna have to act!”

Urizen leaned back upon his throne. He could wait for this loathsome mortal to recompile his thoughts. Then he'd destroy him.

V tensed, choosing to fight. He had come too far to run. Urizen must be stopped now, and even if V would die before he kills Urizen, so be it.

In a way, it was a poetic death; the humanity of Vergil dying twice to arrogance against an overwhelming force. Once against Mundus, and the second against himself.

All three familiars understood what their master wanted.

V was Vergil once again, throwing away the saya of Yamato just after Temen-ni-Gru.

Except, instead of Yamato being his weapon, V had his cane.

He mouthed one word.

“Charge.”

Nightmare erupted from the ground, tearing through the room. A wave of exhaustion immediately hit V as he was summoned.

Griffion nodded grimly, then dove headfirst at Urizen, being met with the crystallized form of Yamato.

Shadow followed suit, using Breakthrough to rush forward before being met by an invisible barrier.

Shadow pierced through the barrier with her strength, lending way to a stronghold from Nightmare while Griffion was still struggling with Yamato.

Urizen brushed off the hit, summoning a large fireball that was swatted aside by Nightmare to protect V. Nightmare warped forward with an illegal move, throwing a punch towards Urizen as the demon king caught it with ease. Another punch came and was blocked.

The two were locked in an arm wrestle while Shadow charged up a skewer.

V panted. He was not moving, and Urizen was not focusing on him, yet he felt drained of power. He knew any second now that he would pass out.

Nightmare faltered as V’s vision blurred, allowing Urizen to send a beam into its core.

Shadow took its place while Nightmare recuperated by extracting nightmares from the people below the Qliphoth tree.

Griffion finally managed to break through the Yamato’s defense, leaving the sword still in its saya on the battlefield undefended.

The three worked with good synergy, but it was still not enough. V needed more power. His familiars, despite being in Devil Trigger, was doing minimal damage to Urizen. The large demon laughed - cackled, really - as the three tried to land any meaningful hits.

“You call yourselves demons?!” Urizen roared, throwing the three familiars across the room with his voice alone.

Nightmare was desummoned and melted into a pile of goop.

V was jolted, but held himself up using his cane.

Griffion retreated into V’s tattoos to avoid being stalemated. Shadow followed his lead.

V was now alone with the demon that started it all. The demon whose lust for power doomed him. The demon whose lust for power damaged them beyond repair. The demon whose lust for power threw away the last family they had.

He looked at Dante’s battered body. He had to either finish this fast or hold out long enough for Dante to wake up.

He then scanned his surroundings.

“Well? Are you done already?” Urizen taunted.

V locked his eyes at Yamato.

It was the key.

Yamato reacted to V, as he tried to take it back. He needed more power, and the devil arm could provide him with that and then some.

Runes appeared on his hand as he recalled all the information he’d learnt from the libraries he went throughout the world. A simple attraction spell. It took nearly no energy to cast, but was quite powerful in practice.

Yamato floated before flying towards him. Urizen spotted this and immediately casted the same spell, stopping Yamato in its tracks.

“Yamato belongs to ME. Not to a FILTHY mortal like you.” Urizen gritted out.

V didn't reply.

V saw his life flash before his eyes as his muscles bulged and tensed with demonic energy - the little reserves he had left. He was putting his all into Yamato. A last gambit, to sacrifice his remaining power for the power that was within Yamato.

The ground cracked as the air crackled with charged energy. V screamed as he let out one final pull -

-straight into his chest.

Urizen had planned it all along. He'd pushed when V pulled.

Urizen chuckled, then broke into laughter.

“You fool. Did you think you could handle Yamato in this way? How foolish.”

It's okay, V’s mind told him. He could work with this. Yet his body rejected the idea.

He heaved, pulling on Yamato before tearing it off his chest. His gambit had worked, in a way. He now had more power than he'd ever had before, but he was now destabilized by the stabbing of Yamato with the intent to kill by Urizen.

His skin broke off in flakes.

It seems that his condition’s deterioration is hastened by Yamato.

“V..” A weak voice called out.

V looked at the source. Dante was struggling to stand, but he could see it clearly now with V holding Yamato in his hand.

“V… no, Verge… bring em hell for me, huh?” He threw an object at V, which he recognized as the broken Rebellion.

V knew that Rebellion could awaken some sort of power within the user when stabbed, based on the fact that when Vergil stabbed Dante to make sure he died, Dante did the opposite and came back stronger.

Rebellion could give him more power.

Without any hesitation, V plunged the sword within his chest, feeling his condition stabilize rapidly. He had no idea why that was, but he did not care. He was now ready to face off against Urizen.

He was no Vergil.

He was V. But he had a heart and that's what mattered.

“If a thing loves, it is infinite,” V quoted as he dashed towards Urizen.

It was a clean slash through Urizen’s barrier spell before he was face to face with the demon king. He spun through the air with grace, mimicking a fraction of Vergil’s power as he sliced through Urizen’s open palm.

Urizen was enraged.

“You.. you dare spill my blood?!”

After this statement, true hell began.

Previously, Urizen had been playing defense to toy with V’s familiars.

Now, he was playing offense. Incredibly aggressive offense.

Beams - from above and below - sprawled to reach towards V, who dodged it with as much speed as he could muster.

Until one nicked him. Then another. Then another.

V’s legs burned and got more and more charred as time went by, slowed down. This resulted in more beams to the body.

He could not keep this up.

V collapsed on the floor, Rebellion still stuck inside his chest. He looked towards Yamato and realized there was only one option.

He drew two slashes into the air and fled the Qliphoth with both Rebellion and Yamato in tow.

Chapter Text

V stumbled out of the portal, feeling the energy around himself. Rebellion was still stuck within his chest, and it would have to do for now. He could feel the demonic energy spread throughout the realm similarly to the underworld, yet it looked like the original realm he'd come from.

He fell, a red light emerging from within.

He felt weak; not weak in the sense of demonic energy - he has plenty of that from the Devil Arms he'd gained from the Qliphoth - but rather, his body. His limbs felt shorter, and as he looked down, he realized Rebellion had disappeared. He could feel its presence, similarly to the Yamato he held in his left hand. The blade was still in its saya.

He scanned his surroundings. He was in a forest near a mountain pass.

He thanked his rational thinking for landing on the option of opening a portal with Yamato.

“I CAN’T BELIEVE IT! WE LIVED! WE ACTUALLY LIVED!” Griffion cheered.

“I'm living on borrowed time. Rebellion cannot sustain me forever.” V replied, summoning his cane. He used his cane to push himself upwards as he moved, attempting to identify where he was.

“Also, you’re lookin’ kinda different,” Griffion noted, his body flying out of V’s tattoos.

“How so..?” V unsheathed Yamato, using its sori as a reflection.

“See that?” Griffion poked at V’s face. “That's baby fat. You’re not supposed to have that.”

V followed, pressing at his cheeks. It felt pillowy, but not to the point of being chubby. He felt like himself, obviously, so that was a good sign.

“Yamato must’ve done something to me.” V concluded, before sheathing Yamato into its saya.

It was then that the side of the mountain pass erupted in a show of molten fire, an orange light dazzling despite the forest blocking the view from the light.

“Ugh.. that's bright. Want me to check it out?” Griffion offered.

“Please do.” V allowed, closing his eyes and sensing the demonic energy of the nearby area once more.

It seems that the area was now saturated with demonic energy, there being two absolutely massive fountains of them in the centre. While V knew he wasn't that weak in this state, with both Yamato and Rebellion in his possession, it was still comparatively large.

If he were to fight them both, he would win against the smaller but struggle with the bigger.

Just then, Griffion returned.

“V! We gotta get outta here!”

“Wh-”

“The guy who has the biggest energy! He saw me! He's coming-”

Griffion was snatched out of the air before he could say anything more.

V was shocked. He did not do that.

The hand had come from a white haired man with a blindfold.

“So? What do we have here? A curse, ha?” The white haired man asked.

“Let him go.” V prepared to unsheathe Yamato.

“Ooh, feisty! I like that.” The blindfold had a large smirk splitting his face. “Unfortunately, you're not gonna land a hit on me since you’re so weak.”

“Gojo SATORU!” Another voice rang behind him. “You still haven't finished me!”

“Oh, shut up. It’ll be your turn next.”

V turned to the other voice, seeing a volcano-headed humanoid. He wasn't sure if it was a demon or a human; but now that he is close to the blindfold, he knows that he is human, just with a bunch of demonic energy within him. V secretly wondered if he was another son of Sparda, with the hair and overflowing energy.

It was a shame to have to potentially fight another of his kin, but if he had to fight, so be it.

The white-haired man took off his blindfold, revealing piercing blue eyes. At this rate, he could well and truly be another son of Sparda.

That made his heart sink.

It was then that a wave of fire was thrown at them by the volcano head, which the white-hair deflected easily with an invisible barrier - at least, that's what it looked like. It reminded him of Urizen’s barrier spell.

Nevertheless, he didn't have time for this.

“If I defeat this demon, will you let my familiar go?” V asked the man.

“Huh? He's yours? That makes sense. Go free, shikigami.” The man released Griffion, who gasped for air. “Holy shit!” He coughed out.

“Take a break, Griffion.” V pulled Griffion back into his tattoo.

“He's yours.” The white-haired man hummed, pointing towards the volcano head. “What's your name, by the way?”

“V.”

“Just V?”

He nods.

“Gojo Satoru. I'm the strongest.”

With Gojo’s strength, he may very well be the strongest.

V nods, before flicking his fingers. Syphoning energy from Yamato, he could sustain Nightmare for much longer before needing to recharge.

“Nightmare. Search and Destroy.”

A meteor flew into the volcano head immediately, as the demon struggled to get the goop off of him.

“AGHH!” The volcano head clawed at the goop, but it stuck. It could not get the goop off itself.

Just as the goop reached its torso, the volcano head decided to sever its legs. A good call, V thought, as the curse leapt backwards.

The legs disappeared into Nightmare’s body and V felt a sizable boost of power. He raised an eyebrow. That was weird.

Nevertheless, Nightmare warped forward with an Illegal Move before throwing a punch downwards, tearing through four trees at once before forcing the volcano head to flail spectacularly in the air before grabbing it with his other hand.

The volcano head had no escape.

“Wait!” Gojo shouted. “Give me a few more minutes! Don't kill him.”

V was confused, but complied. Nightmare had the demon by its back foot anyways.

Nightmare held the volcano head in his iron grip, knowing his master wanted it alive rather than dead.

Griffion reappeared. “Well, that's weird. Ya got a sudden burst of strength?”

V nods.

“Nightmare seems to have absorbed part of this demon and gained more power from it.” He replied.

“Wait, he feeds off nightmares! What if this demon is just like us?! He's a nightmare too!” Griffion concludes.

“What are you waiting for? Absorb him! We need the energy!” Griffion shouted at Nightmare. Nightmare ignored him.

“We’re waiting for someone,” V sighed.

Suddenly, Gojo reappeared, holding a child.

“Sukuna’s vessel?!” The volcano head was absolutely shocked.

“Sukuna’s.. what?” V looked behind him.

“Heya! Sorry I took so long. Meet Itadori Yuuji. He's gonna be a spectator. Yuuji, meet V.” Yuuji waved as he was let down.

“You can let go of him now. I can take it from here.” Gojo smiled. V was skeptical, but nodded and desummoned Nightmare. He’d have to bear with it for now since Gojo was stronger than him.

Nightmare melted back into goop and said goop disappeared. The volcano head growled as he regenerated his feet. “Don't toy with me, you false humans! Domain Expansion!”

“This, Yuuji, is Domain Expansion.” Gojo explained. V looked in awe. A pocket space? He only knew of pocket time differences from Geryon. “A different dimension where the caster gets buffs from it.”

“Oh, so like buffs from video games?”

“Yep! And any attacks from the caster will always hit.”

“Always?!” V and Yuuji exclaimed simultaneously. “Always.” Gojo replied.

“So any attack I do will hit you without your little barrier, Gojo Satoru!” The volcano head snarled, throwing molten rock towards the three.

“...Shadow.” Shadow emerged from V’s tattoos, a battle-ready expression worn on her face. “Skewer.” V pointed his cane towards the volcano head.

Shadow’s head morphed into that of spikes bubbling in and out of its body, as the volcano head gloated about how its domain would burn them to cinders.

“There are two ways to escape a domain. One, is to find the boundary of a domain and break through from the inside, but more often than not, it's impossible to do so.”

SHACK!

The volcano head was pierced dead on by Shadow, halting its movements.

“I haven't time for games.” V states.

Gojo turns in the middle of his explanation to V, before using Blue to pull him towards him. “It's best if you stay close. Recall your shikigami too.” He warns V.

V obliges.

“Now then! Things might get rocky. Yuuji! What's the best way that we can escape this domain?”

“Find an exit!” Yuuji replied enthusiastically.

“V?” Gojo involved the summoner in the conversation.

“...I concur.” V replied, before going silent and glancing at the volcano head.

“Eeerr! All wrong!” Gojo denied, imitating a buzzer. “The best way to escape a domain..”

Gojo closed his eyes, and the world - the entire pocket dimension - trembled with demonic intensity. “...Is to overwhelm it with a much more refined one.” He opened his eyes, and V paled as he felt Gojo’s energy skyrocket. He could see a hand sign.

“Domain Expansion. Unlimited Void.”

Ice-cold words emerged from his mouth, blanketing the entire domain in its glacial temperature.

The domain went white, then exploded into stars - red, blue, purple, white - V could hardly count all of them. He could see the volcano curse pause, stutter, then freeze.

Just who the hell was he?! V thought.

“This, is the inner world of limitless.” Gojo explained. “Perception, contact, thinking – these actions, repeated throughout day to day life, are repeated over and over. Unlimited knowledge, at the palm of your hands.”

V remembered a quote from William Blake.

“To see the world in a grain of sand,
and Heaven in a wildflower,
hold Infinity in the palm of your hand,
and Eternity in an hour.” He chimed in.

Gojo was surprised, but he nevertheless nodded. “Exactly!”

Yuuji scratched the back of his head. “What does that mean..?”

V merely smirked.

“Ironic, isn't it?” Gojo asked rhetorically. “When given everything you could need, all you can do is nothing.”

V remembered that night. The night when the demons attacked Vergil’s home. He held Yamato, and yet could do nothing. Power was within his grasp, and yet he could only do nothing.

He clenched his fists. Those memories were past. He had to stop holding on to them.

“So…” Gojo walked towards the volcano head. “Now we just…” He tugged on the head as V looked in disbelief.

The volcano head came off in one clean yank, spilling purple blood and gore as the domain collapsed into a million pieces.

“...pull.” Gojo had a sadistic smirk about him now, as he took the decapitated head of the volcano head and stomped on it.

“Come on, just tell me where your allies are.. I promise I won't kill you.” V sincerely doubted this statement. “Oh, wait! You’re a curse! I've got to execute you! Sorry! I'll make it a quick death, huh?” The smirk grew wider.

The demon, or curse as it's called, scoffed. “I'll tell you nothing!”

V realized that Gojo wanted information. Fine. He'd lend a hand.

“Nightmare.” He called out for his familiar for the second time as the golem snatched the curse head from beneath Gojo’s feet.

“Probe. Seek the information he desires.” V points towards Gojo. If Griffion’s theory was indeed correct, then Nightmare should be able to take in the nightmare’s memories.

Slowly but surely, the environment around V shifts into a nightmarish interpretation of what the curse has seen.

A man. With bangs, but all other features are obscured. He had stitches on his forehead, and that is what's most highlighted to V. “You will die.” Was repeated over and over as Jogo, which is the name of the curse, he realized, shrank in fear as the landscape gave way to the beatdown that Gojo gave him.

Before he could peer further, he was interrupted by flowers breaking through the vision and Yuuji and Gojo cheering: “aaahh! Flowers! So pretty!”

V looked down upon the flowers. They were nothing special.

He could see a white demon flying in to rescue Jogo, which he assumes is in league with the figure. He snarled. “Fry them.” Griffion launched a barricade as soon as he exited V’s body, causing the white curse to stagger as the technique faltered as well. “Gouge them.” He tacked onto Shadow. He found that he couldn't summon Nightmare, for some reason. No matter. He could finish this with only two familiars. He unsheathed Yamato, and recalled his time as Vergil.

“Ashes to ashes.”

One judgement cut had caused an arm to be heavily damaged. The curse visibly recoiled as he tried to hold on to Jogo, and just barely succeeded in exiting V’s range.

He could feel half of his demonic reserves pour out into the attack. This was not good.

“Sensei! You go get him, I'll be fine!”

…Sensei?

Suddenly, it clicked. Yuuji was his student. Gojo was a teacher.

V is uneasy now. That man is a teacher?

Suddenly, roots erupted from beneath Yuuji, hanging him upside down while plants wanted to attack from below.

“OH MY GOD I’M SO SORRY! SENSEIII! SENSEEEEEIIIII!”

V groaned, feeling his muscles tense and bones creak as he slashed at the roots and the plants.

Gojo had stayed behind.

“I'm sorry, Sensei!! I caused you to-...”

Yuuji knelt in a dogeza pose, eliciting a chuckle from Gojo as V started to walk away.

“Hey, V! Do you have anywhere else to go?” Gojo asked him. V shook his head. “Thought so~!” He said in a sing-song tone. “You've got potential as a sorcerer! Come stay with us at Jujutsu Tech.”

V was about to reject the offer, but Gojo scooped him up regardless. “Great! Let's go!”

One teleport later, and V was at Jujutsu Tech. It seems to be a sort of traditional Japanese school.

“Welcome to Jujutsu Tech, V!” Gojo chimed, before warping away, presumably to get Yuuji to wherever he lived.

“Come on, V! Your socially awkward ass needs some friends, hahaha!” Griffion teased, hovering before him.

Moments later, Gojo warped back. “Let me give you a tour…”

~>

Gojo was face to face with Yaga Masamichi with V by his side. His former teacher, and now principal, groaned. “Satoru. You decided to enroll another student without telling me?”

“Yep!”

“And you’re aware that he may be a curse user, correct?”

“Yep!”

“You decided to go against all that to teach him?”

“Yessir!”

Yaga groaned once more. “Very well. I can't stop you. But I want him,” he pointed at V, “to have an interview.”

“Of course! I'll leave you to it. Good luck!” Gojo waved the both of them goodbye.

“So. You want to enroll in Jujutsu Tech?”

V meekly nods. This was not what he wanted, but fine, best to stick with the strongest he knows for now.

“Why is it that you want to do so?”

There were a myriad of reasons that popped into his head. One of them spoke especially loudly to him. The reason of Vergil.

“Power.” V boldly replied. “I need more power.”

This set Yaga off. This was just a red flag waving in the middle of a blue ocean. He let V continue. “Elaborate.” Silently, he unleashed his cursed corpse.

“Without power, you cannot protect.” V started to explain.

“V, look out!” Griffion spoke up, knocking a cursed corpse down before unleashing a double check. V was unfazed.

“Without power, you can protect no one. Not even yourself.”

“You want to protect others, correct?” Yaga asked. V nodded in affirmation.

“I'm sorry. You fail.”

V paled. “What?”

“I'll give you one more chance. Relinquish your shikigami and your cursed tools.”

Griffion glared at the principal, before retreating into V.

“I find that true answers come when a person is in danger. Do you not agree?”

V put down Yamato as he stood on his cane. “Gojo Satoru. He is powerful, yes?” V blocked a punch with his cane. “He can protect all he cares about. As long as he's alive, everyone is safe.”

(The opposite of Vergil, he realized. As long as he lives, everyone suffers. The thought gnaws at him, but he shoves it down.)

“What happens if you become the strongest? Will everyone automatically be safe then? What a naive view for a naive child.” Yaga replied, as more cursed corpses emerged from behind him. “What happens if you fail?!”

V grunted, summoning canes to help him fight now. He recalls Sparda, how the Dark Knight, despite being worshipped, being hailed as the strongest demon of his era, failed to protect him, and his brother - even his own wife.

“A man can't soar too high, if he flies with his own wings.” He grits out, stabbing his cane into a cursed corpse and tearing it apart, taking its energy with him.

“TELL ME, WHAT WOULD YOU DO IF YOU FAIL TO PROTECT SOMEONE YOU LOVE?!” Yaga roared, his voice boosted by demonic energy.

Flashes of memories flew through his mind. Dante. His wife. His mother.

“I will…”

His house burnt down.

He stabbed Dante with his own sword.

He split himself in two.

“...Do what I can.” V sighed, falling to the ground. “Fine. If you want to truly disqualify me, then that is fine. I will leave of my own accord.” He picked up Yamato, preparing to slice another hole in space.

“There is no need. You pass.” Yaga replied. “Welcome to Jujutsu Tech, V.”

~>

“Heya~! I'm back!” Gojo shouted with extreme enthusiasm, only to be met by both his students on their phones turning away. “Awwhhh. And I really wanted to introduce our new student here.”

“New student?” The seemingly emo one stepped up.

“Introduce yourselves now!” Gojo told them before vanishing.

“I'm V.” V introduced himself.

‘Just one letter?’ The duo collectively thought.

“Fushiguro.”

“Kugisaki Nobara. You better not be some emo kid who got lucky.”

V scoffed. “I'll have you know that this is not my first option for clothes. In fact, this could hardly qualify as clothes.”

“Prove it.” Kugisaki challenged.

“Hmph.”

He then recalled his appearance. He did seem emo. But he had to admit, his clothes looked good on him.

“I am not those freaks who opt to wear earrings and wear black for no apparent reason. This outfit is born of necessity.”

“Uh-huh, and you just so happened to have this as the only outfit in your closet?”

“I have no closet. I stole these clothes.”

…

That halted the conversation.

“Wait, what?” Fushiguro said in a stunned voice, as though he'd seen something die.

“... You’re broke.” Kugisaki simply states.

V was technically loaded, if you count the money currently in his clothes, but he wasn't sure if Japan would take his currency. Nonetheless, he nodded. He needed a story to get by in this world, anyway. He’ll start from there.

“Could've just said so.”

“Yes. I could. But you were the one pointing fingers.” V replied. “However, such action does possess its merits. If a fool persists in his folly, he will become wise.”

“Are you calling me a-”

“Kugisaki, stop.” Fushiguro grabbed hold of her collar behind her back.

V nodded at Fushiguro, glad for his intervention. He wouldn't know what else it'd escalate to except a fight.

Fushiguro nodded back, though with a little bit more hesitation.

“Let's settle down, then.” Fushiguro defused the metaphorical bomb.

“Let's.” V and Kugisaki both agreed.

As they went back into their rooms to turn in for the night, V was met with an empty room. It would serve for now, he thought, as he unraveled the sheets that Gojo had prepared for him.

Slowly but surely, he drifted off to endless night, protected by Nightmare.

Chapter Text

His morning was rudely interrupted by Gojo’s presence. V was brushing his teeth when Gojo appeared behind him in the community bathroom.

“V! What's up?” Gojo asked, to which V continued brushing.

V was contemplating grabbing Yamato and slicing the man through his neck later. He spat the toothpaste out of his mouth. “Nothing much.” He rinsed his mouth.

“Good! I'm taking you on a mission today. You’ll get to meet Itadori again!” Gojo cheered. He went to grab V, but Griffion intervened by shocking his hand before he got near.

“Ow!” Gojo faked. “Stay away from V, jackass!” Griffion perched atop V’s shoulder, flaring his wings to make him look intimidating.

“What a cute chicken!” Gojo cooed, holding his hand out. “Does it bite?” He stretched a finger near Griffion.

“Mess around and find out.” V replied, already leaving Griffion and Gojo to the common room, the sounds of his cane tapping against the ground fading out as he moved.

Now without a perch, Griffion continued staring as he flapped his wings. Gojo kept prodding and poking and the demon was frustrated by the fact that none of his attacks seemed to reach.

“Alright.” Gojo swatted him away, “Go back to V now, chicken.”

“I. AM. NOT. A CHICKEN.” Griffion angrily states.

“Heh. Try proving that next time.” He moved to fetch V.

~>

V saw Fushiguro making coffee with the communal coffee machine. By the extra cups, V estimates that Fushiguro had drunk at least three cups.

Fushiguro noticed V and offered a coffee. V refused. Fushiguro nods and continues to brew more coffee.

V checked the clock. It was still eight AM, bright and early in the morning. He clicked his tongue, electing to flip open his book of William Blake marked with his own name and sit on the couch with proper posture while placing his cane such that it leaned against the couch.

"The Sun does arise,
And make happy the skies;
The merry bells ring
To welcome the Spring;
The skylark and thrush,
The birds of the bush,
Sing louder around
To the bells’ cheerful sound,
While our sports shall be seen
On the Echoing Green.

Old John, with white hair,
Does laugh away care,
Sitting under the oak,
Among the old folk.
They laugh at our play,
And soon they all say:
“Such, such were the joys
When we all, girls and boys,
In our youth-time were seen On the Echoing Green.”

Till the little ones, weary,
No more can be merry;
The sun does descend,
And our sports have an end.
Round the laps of their mothers
Many sisters and brothers,
Like birds in their nest.
Are ready for rest;
And sport no more seen
On the darkening Green.”

He closed his book; Gojo was staring intently. “It's impolite to stare,” V states.

“It's even more impolite to walk out on a conversation!” Gojo countered, feigning disapproval with an exaggerated “hmph!”

He's a manchild, V thought, Griffion agrees. Even Nightmare seemed to send his vote of approval. He shook his head mentally. He should at least try to be amicable to the strongest here. He could very well help him defeat Urizen as he is now.

“You’re quite persistent.” V noted.

“I got stabbed in the neck and came out alive; try me.” Gojo seemed to joke.

Being stabbed in the neck was no big deal. Vergil has come back from worse before. Though, to a regular human, it would probably be shocking, as humans could not regenerate.

“How did you survive?” He asked.

“Oh wow, you believed that? Most people I've told dismiss it.” Gojo shrugged, “Well, it's something called Reversed Cursed Technique. It should be something you know since I see it circulating all throughout your body constantly right now.”

“...You haven't taught me anything despite being my sensei.” V bluntly pointed out.

“Oh, right! I forgot! Let's have a crash course right now! Nobara-chan will be joining us later anyway.”

“So, what do you know of the energy you use?..”

V listens intently, absorbing all the information he can. He learnt that Domain Expansions, the ones that both Jogo and Gojo demonstrated yesterday, is the pinnacle of Jujutsu. V internally scoffed. Compared to magic, Jujutsu is quite limited.

Though, one of the things that caught his interest was not one of the complicated things like binding vows, but rather, Cursed Energy Reinforcement.

V needed that, if he was going to keep himself standing without his cane.

“..how do you do Reinforcement?”

“What? That's really basic. Yuuji i- was,” Gojo turned to Fushiguro, realizing there was someone else in the room. Fushiguro shot him a suspicious look. “Training for that with movies I gave him to watch. To do it, just focus on flowing your cursed energy from your stomach to your limbs. You’ll figure it out.” He winked.

Using demonic energy in that way had never really crossed his mind before. Demons used blood to replenish their strength and increase it beyond their limits. Using their own energy as an enhancement to their bodies rather than attacking with spells was unheard of.

Slowly but surely, a purple energy flowed from his torso to his hands.

He could feel Rebellion bubbling up for battle.

“Ooh, that's unique! Purple cursed energy? Pretty. Yuta has pink cursed energy, though and that takes the cake for me.” Gojo explained.

“Who's Yuta?” V asked.

“One of your senpais. You’ll meet him eventually.” Gojo dismissed, “Now! Try to hit me with your cursed energy!”

V focused on his hands, then threw out a punch. It landed, sending Gojo's hand backwards. He raised a brow.

“Huh. Not even Megumi’s managed to do that before with his full power.” Gojo looked at the coffee drinking Fushiguro, giving him a nasty glare.

V realized this gave him a good opportunity. He could fight on his own without his familiars - or rather, shikigami - as they called it. If he was going to explain away his abilities, he'd have to learn the proper terminology.

A hand touched Yamato's tsuka. Her energy seemed to lean into the touch.

-.-

It was one PM.

“Oi, anyone want to get lunch?” Kugisaki asked. She'd woken up a few hours earlier and was now demanding food.

Gojo had left for a mission, but not before leaving his black card to Fushiguro.

Fushiguro turned to V. “Any suggestions?” He asked.

V shook his head. He didn't even know what restaurants were in the city, for crying out loud.

“I’ll get us sushi.” Fushiguro sighs, tapping away on his phone and manages to type in Gojo's credit card information without looking at the card.

Kugisaki notes this. “How can you recite sensei's credit card number without looking?”

“Obviously because I've used it a lot of times before.” Fushiguro deadpanned.

“Oh, so Gojo-sensei’s lent his credit card to you a lot, huh? The school year’s just started. Are you his favorite child or something?” Kugisaki asked, or rather, teased.

“Something like that.” Fushiguro replied nonchalantly.

V begins flipping through his book. Small talk was not his thing.

“Hey, V. Since you seem to be so interested in this book, care to enlighten us on what it says?” Kugisaki asked, staring daggers.

“Don't mind him,” Griffion answered for V, “Mr. Poetry over here just looooves reading.”

“A talking shikigami?!” Fushiguro and Kugisaki exclaimed simultaneously.

Before Griffion continued, V gave him a look that said “go with their flow”.

“Nah, fuck that!” Griffion countered, “Last time your ass almost got us both killed is because you never talked to your brother about anything!”

Truthfully, V did not want his family history to be revealed to be a bunch of strangers. He slammed his book shut.

“He who desires, but acts not, breeds pestilence.” He reached out and slammed Griffion’s beak shut, his face hot with either embarrassment or rage. He couldn't tell, but there was definitely at least a little of both. He desummoned Griffion and makes a mental note to give him a talking to when they’re alone.

“You have a brother?” Kugisaki asked.

“Yes.” V replied.

“What's his name?”

“Dante.”

“What's he like?” She followed up.

“Rude. Uncouth. Carefree.” He said wistfully.

“How old is he?” She asked.

“He's my twin brother, younger by six minutes.” He replied. His expression looked uncomfortable, and everything about his demeanor screamed uncomfortable. His hands were jittery. His eyes darted away from Kugisaki.

“Best six minutes of your life, right?” She noticed, and attempted to joke.

“Heh. Yeah.” That elicited a bitter laugh from V, grabbing hold of his cup of water.

“Do you know where he is now?” Her curiosity had now peaked.

“Probably dead.” V replied.

“Oh.” She had no words. She'd pried too much. “I'm sorry.”

“Don't be.” Dante is probably dead by his foolishness, anyways.

“...I have a sister.” Fushiguro started, “Her name is Tsumiki. She's in a coma right now.” His gaze felt like he wanted to be reassuring, like he wanted to say “you’re not alone.”

If V was touched and shocked at the same time, he did not let it show.

Fushiguro was alright in his books.

Lunch passed by with a silent acknowledgement and a quiet bonding as they ate, the sushi feeling strangely sweet.

-.-

“Oh, the newbie’s here? Good. I want to see what he's made of.”

The woman, introduced as Zenin Maki, or just Maki, was his senpai and trainer for today. V looked at both Fushiguro and Kugisaki. They were running circles around the track while Maki was challenging him.

The other senpais had been nice, but they were both training along with Fushiguro and Kugisaki.

“I'll let you use that cursed tool there. Come at me.” She raised a wooden katana.

“Are you sure? You have a training katana. Is it not more appropriate for me to-” V’s voice was cut off by Maki throwing another wooden katana at him. “If you want to fight on even terms, then fine. No cursed energy.”

V was Vergil. Vergil had mastered the Katana. He would do fine, but most techniques of the Katana required physical strength. The Yamato could compensate for this, but since this wooden katana was not Yamato, it could not compensate for V’s physical weakness.

“Hah! Good luck,” Griffion explained.

V growled.

He readied himself for a drawing sword cut. “Come at me,” He challenged Maki.

“Gladly!” Maki rushed, swinging at V while aiming at his midsection. Was she going to try and use brute force to win this?

He swung, and was forced to block this strike. Maki immediately broke through his defense, landing a solid hit on his side. V coughed. That wasn't the outcome he was expecting. It seemed his constitution hadn't gotten better with the use of the Rebellion.

He staggered, attempting to trip Maki, but found that her feet were firmly planted on the ground. He felt powerless. What is this?! He growled in frustration to himself, as Maki brought her katana back for a stab. He readied himself, reminding himself that he was not Vergil, and that his body was not strong enough to execute moves Vergil could pull off without a hitch.

He aimed at Maki’s blade with the back of his sori. Back to basics it was.

He parried the strike masterfully, shocking Maki as he left her off balance. Not enough to fall, but just enough to stumble. V took this opportunity and landed a strike of his own by swinging at her neck, to which she blocked with an upwards slash. He had put her in an unfavorable position simply by getting behind her while she was off balance. However, as Maki was stronger than him multiple times over, she easily blocked and attempted to disarm him, only to find that his grip is far harder than she imagined.

She leapt away from V, now seemingly more serious than before. “You know your stuff.” She noted

“The Yamato deserves a wielder that knows how to wield it.” V replied, the response coming straight out of Vergil’s mouth.

“So that's the cursed tool’s name?”

“Such questions do not matter at this time.” V shut down the conversation.

“If I win, you’ll tell me everything about it and let me use it for a bit.” She states, getting ready to fight once more.

“In that case, allow me to show you my motivation.” He tapped into the Rebellion’s strength, yet she did not register it as cursed energy flow. Curious. Terribly curious.

He darts, a bit faster than she expected. He uses a dashing quick draw, yet she was able to counter all the same easily due to her strength. “Is that all you've got?” She taunts.

He pivots, going behind her and using an upper slash before she could react. She notes this a split second after it happens, and when she does, she spins around to slash at V with her waist momentum.

He doesn't counter; instead, he leaps upwards and does a helm breaker with his wooden katana, using so much of his strength that it breaks upon impact of Maki’s head. He lands, unscathed.

“Oh.” She could only say as she felt the back of her head bleeding and several splinters pierced through.

“Ooh!” Several jeers found their ways from the track. Panda was especially ecstatic. “Maki got beat?!”

“Shut up! I ain't defeated!” She shouts, “The dumbass got his sword broken!”

“Technically, that would be a killing blow.” V points out.

“The first strike I landed would be a killing blow!” Maki argued back.

“A bisection would not necessarily be a killing blow. According to Gojo, RCT could fix that type of injury. What you aim for is the head,” He points to the brain, “If the brain cannot direct RCT to one’s body, the impact would be far more devastating than those without.”

Maki growled. V was technically truthful in his statements.

“Fine!” She concludes while blood continues dripping from her noggin. “Fine! You win. But that doesn't exempt you from training! Go run loops with them!” She points to the gang. She then heads off.

“Where are you going?” He asked.

“To Ieiri-sensei. She can use RCT.” She left.

“You beat her?!” Kugisaki exclaimed as V headed over.

“Apparently.” He brushed it off.

“You had a sudden boost of strength near the end.” Fushiguro analyzed. “You weren't that strong when you started the fight.”

V thought back to the win. It felt good, but was it really that good when the battle wasn't even fought with his own strength?

Vergil would probably disagree. After all, he went after the power of Sparda without trying to get stronger himself other than studying the blade.

Correction: Vergil would probably not care.

V was not Vergil.

V felt bad.

Now that it was fine, Griffion reappeared. “Hey, quit mulling! I wanna see you suffer!” The demon cackled.

He sighed. He should not mull on these feelings.

“Yes, yes I did.” V replied.

“How?” Fushiguro asked.

V merely smirked.

~>

Shoko was examining another body in the morgue. It wasn't that bad of a job, in all honesty. She didn't face anyone or anything, for that matter. There would be a sorcerer requesting healing here and there -

“- Ieiri-sensei!” Ah. That was Maki. She must've gotten hurt.

“Let me have a look.” She replied, before Maki sat down before her.

A head injury?

“What did this?” Shoko asked, before waving a hand to heal Maki.

“The new guy that came in. His name's V.”

Oh yeah. Sat- Gojo did say something about that.

She had replied to his bragging without humor. “Did you really adopt another kid from the streets?”

“Eh, yeah.” Came the reply. “He's strong, and he's already sorta acquainted with sorcery, so why not?”

“You’re impossible.” She sighed.

Right now, she was beginning to think he wasn't that impossible after all. V was a strong sorcerer, at least grade 1, if he could damage Maki like that - with a wooden sword, no less.

She took a pair of tweezers and pulled on the splinters. It took a bit of effort, but she was able to rip the splinters free. She then sealed the wounds shut via RCT.

“Maybe I'll have a look at him in a few days,” She idly comments.

“Oh, I'll be sure of it.” Maki replies.

“Don't be so rough with him, Maki. Yuta’s first time training with you ended in me having to look at a lot of wounds. Don't give me more work.” She instructs.

Maki nods before heading out.

~>

Gojo laughed hysterically as Panda told him about the training. “Ahahaha~! Did V really do that?! That's hilarious!”

Maki was silently fuming in the background of their conversation.

“Tuna, tuna.” Inumaki pitched in. Gojo had learnt to interpret his words, and knew what he had to say.

“He even corrected her?!” The man clutched his stomach, bent over with laughter. “Man, I should really get V to train with me some time.”

~>

The three first years now sat at the dinner table, eating food. “So, how did you even outmanuver Maki anyways? She's really skilled with the katana.” Kugisaki led the conversation.

“I dabble,” V replied curtly.

“I think mastering Iaido isn't really dabbling, V. Unless you wanna make all these idiots look like amateurs.” Griffion squawked.

These days, V did not know whether to shut Griffion up for exposing details he did not want to expose, or encourage this behavior as antisocial as he - Vergil - is, he still wanted some conversation here and there, especially now with his pride put down and laid to rest, V was as free as Vergil could be as a human being.

“Mastering Iaido feels really hard, though. You don't look like the master type.” Kugisaki doubted.

“You should've seen him in his prime! He looked the part too!” Griffion replied.

“His prime?” Kugisaki was now talking to the bird instead of the man. What prime? Wasn't V fifteen or sixteen like the rest of them? His appearance seems to suggest so.

“Enough.” V did not want to discuss who he was with people he just met. This was an issue. Griffion talked too much and was over sharing, he decided.

The chatter faded with Fushiguro eyeing V even more suspiciously than before.

Chapter Text

V stood with his cane as he read his book.

Fushiguro and Kugisaki were both purchasing drinks, and he was patiently waiting for them to finish up. It couldn't have been that hard to just insert a couple of coins, could it? V was really contemplating exchanging the currency he had.

It had been a few days since they started training for the sister-school event. V had no inclination of participation, but according to Gojo, it would be a learning experience.

Setting aside his pride, V knew that was false.

He had also inquired about their clothing - the uniforms they were during exorcisms. Fushiguro merely asked, “Did Gojo not give you an outfit?” He had to ask Gojo if he had to wear a uniform. If not, he'd have to shop for new clothing soon.

“So you’re the first years.” A similar voice to Maki spoke. V didn't bother to look. He picked up his cane, wary of any sudden movements.

”The higher ups are gonna want you dead along with Yuuji, V. You’re too strong for them. Since the principal of the Kyoto branch is a real sucker for higher up behavior, he'd probably order his students to kill you.” Gojo had said.

V took the threat seriously. Let them try, he thought. He’ll be gentle with them.

“Who are you?” Kugisaki asked.

“How rude!” The woman replied. “You know my twin sister but not me?”

V closed his book. “I assure you, we do not know who you are. Please spare us the pleasure,” He added a heavy drizzle of sarcasm, “of guessing, and tell us.”

“Fine! Such pricks you are. I'm Zenin Mai.” She replied.

“V.” He replied, still keeping an eye on the ogre. Zenin had little to no cursed energy. As the humans in this realm relied on cursed energy, her physical strength was low as well, unlike Maki. The ogre was the real issue here. He could take him on, but it would require the usage of a lot of his energy.

To put it simply, V did not want his time to run out preemptively. He'd already gone overboard with Maki.

“Fushiguro.” “Kugisaki Nobara.” The two had gone with shortened introductions, following V’s lead.

“I'm just here to ask, isn’t it such a relief that Sukuna’s vessel is dead? Surely his presence took years off your life.” Zenin mocked.

Wasn't Sukuna's vessel, ergo Yuuji, alive?

As he opened his mouth to repeal this statement, he saw the annoyed expressions on both Fushiguro and Kugisaki’s faces. Did they truly believe that?

He remembered how Gojo changed his tune about Yuuji’s training. He remembered how Yuuji was separated from his peers.

What if Yuuji was presumed dead for a purpose? V nodded to himself. Gojo did say Yuuji’s execution is highly demanded. It was definitely to protect Yuuji as a premature sorcerer. From Gojo’s crash course, he knew that Sukuna was a dangerous curse, the strongest of them all. “The King of Curses”. Perhaps Yuuji was being trained to reach that level of strength. Yes, that made sense.

(Deep down, he wished he could be as strong as Sukuna is.)

From the corner of his eye, V saw Fushiguro observing him.

Gojo probably has a reason to make them think Yuuji is dead.

“I joined after Sukuna’s vessel perished,” V began, “but I can tell when someone is missed.”

“I can tell you are not one of them.”

From the shift in Mai’s expression, V knew he had cut deep.

“Why you-”

She was stopped by the ogre.

“You seem interesting. What kind of woman is your type?”

…

“Pardon?” V replied after a wave of silence.

“Your type.” The ogre repeated. “Your fetishes reveal everything about you, and so I want to get to know you by your fetishes. Depending on your answer, I'll beat you only half to death today because I'm feeling generous. It can even be men. I don't mind.”

V parsed his thoughts.

“For example; I like tall girls with big asses!” Todo proudly proclaimed.

V was shocked at the bluntness and the unabashedness of his statements.

He looked around; everyone was silent. He could hear a bird caw, a leaf shuffling, and the sounds of both Fushiguro and Kugisaki’s minds breaking.

“I am not homosexual, but…” V gave it a bit of thought. “...but I will not share my preferences with someone whom I just met.”

“Fair enough. I am Todo Aoi, Grade 1 sorcerer and 3rd year at Jujutsu Tech Kyoto. I'm here to scout out Okkotsu’s replacements.”

Okkotsu. Now he had a last name to put up against the first. Yuta Okkotsu. That was the mysterious senpai who had travelled to Africa.

“That does not constitute someone I know.” V replied curtly. He confided in very few people. As Vergil, he had only confided in his own wife, and not even his own brother heard out what he had to say before attempting to stop him on Temen-ni-Gru.

“Just give me an answer.” Todo was growing impatient. He could tell by the man’s rising Cursed Energy. He was going to fight regardless of what answer V gave.

“Oh no, that's gonna be too hard for the turbo nerd. He probably reads smut under that book cover.” Kugisaki took a cheap shot. V ignored her while Fushiguro told her to shut up.

He hummed. He thought of his wife.

She was a strong willed woman, one acquainted with the arcane arts. She’d been unafraid of Vergil’s distant aloofness, and liked poetry. She'd spent time with him on multiple occasions just to study poetry of various poets.

He'd loved her. And he was sure she returned that love.

His eyes were wet, he realized. He needed to stop. He shouldn't cry in the public eye. Gods, he missed her. He missed her a lot.

“Someone who shares a common interest with me. Someone who will not be deterred.” V gave an answer, steadying his voice. It was not an answer Todo would probably accept.

“So romantic!” Mai comments, while Kugisaki nods in approval, “Maybe you aren't so bad after all.”

“...you’re one of them.” Todo was.. crying?

“Elaborate.”

“You’re one of those ‘personality’ sickos. It's just… so, so much of a shame to see someone so promising be so… boring.”

Without warning, Todo rushed forwards with a shoulder check.

Shadow leapt to V’s aid, getting him out of the way as Todo cruised by with his grasp.

“What the hell was that?!” Griffion screamed out, “Watch where you’re going next time, asshat!”

V contemplated summoning Nightmare, but he did not need the extra strength right now.

He turned to the two familiars he had summoned. Plus, they were more than enough with just a little help.

“Trigger.” He told them, as he felt the energy drain immediately increase. Shadow and Griffion were now both covered in a purple aura as Griffion cheered, “WOOO! NOW THAT’S WHAT WE’RE TALKIN’ ABOUT!”

“Either immobilize him or incapacitate him. Choose which you want to do.” He told his summons, and when they ran to fight Todo, he realized Mai was now holding him at gunpoint.

“Don't move, will you? I don't have a steady hand…” She moved to pull the trigger.

Fushiguro formed the hand signs to summon one of his shikigami while Kugisaki brought her cursed energy to the surface. V raised a hand just enough for them to acknowledge, but not enough for it to be noticed by Mai.

“I think you’ll find my shikigami are far more powerful than you've imagined.” V smirked, as Griffion teleported to his location.

“YOUR ASS IS FRIIIIEEEED!”

A round, dome-like lightning shock was unleashed from Griffion’s body, throwing Mai off of V and into a wall.

He dusted himself off as Mai fell back on the ground. “Schum.”

Griffion rushed forward back into battle, but was interrupted by Todo.

Todo knew.

Shikigami users could not fight hand to hand normally.

But V was the exception.

As Todo swung a fist, V stowed away his book casually before dodging by utilizing Shadow.

Fushiguro was shocked by the display of Shikigami mastery.

He funneled more energy from Yamato, before he held Yamato by the Tsuka and parried with Yamato still in its Saya.

Todo reeled back. “You may not be interesting personality wise, but you’re the total opposite in fighting!”

“I intend to finish this quickly. We are here to run a quick errand, and I know you have matters to attend to as well.” V remained calm, “After all, the most sublime act is to put another before you.”

He says calmly, before Shadow attempts to ram down a guillotine upon Todo’s head -

And was denied the opportunity as Todo leapt back, leaving the shikigami to hit the floor.

V couldn't perform a Judgement Cut. Not now. Void slash costed too much energy as well. For now, he would have to settle for basic sword techniques.

Todo ran forward, attempting to grapple him. Even though he had concealed it well with a feint, Vergil had seen enough fighting to know.

He funneled cursed energy into his hands. It was time to test his cursed energy reinforcement.

As an imitation of Dante’s Royal Guard, V had blocked it properly with his hand. He had not called out the phrase, “ROYAL GUARD!”, but he's sure if Dante was here, he'd be proud.

The split Darkslayer retaliates with a gut punch, but was met with air as his hand almost met Fushiguro’s face. Luckily, the latter manages to dodge before his face is damaged by the Royal Revenge.

Todo’s technique, he realized, was to swap things. He did not know what things he was swapping, but he knew people and demons were included.

That meant -

V slashed Yamato out of its sheathe with a drawing sword cut backwards, but found that he had slashed air once again. Todo taunted, “Is that all you have? It's getting stale!”

He shoved down Vergil’s remnant instinct of using Yamato’s intrinsic technique, Judgement Cut, to slice off an arm.

Instead, he sheathed the blade, awaiting an attack. Todo’s technique was used to disorient, but mostly to defend himself. So if V was to land a hit, he would have to play passive.

He closed his eyes.

As he felt a cursed energy signature approach and Yamato vibrating in warning before Todo’s strike, he slashed upwards.

Todo was immaculately parried.

Yet he kept going despite that, landing a hit on V, sending him tumbling to the ground.

Right. Even with reinforcement, he was still a bit too physically weak to overpower anyone.

So he settled for what he had done for the past month as V in Red Grave City. Use his summons.

He sheathed Yamato, before he stamped his cane on the ground. Shadow leapt out, its shape breaking into that of a large spike. Several spikes emerge from the assault, damaging the infrastructure around them.

Todo was not caught in any of them.

V growled. He would catch him.

Griffion sent out a double check, as V summoned canes from thin air, acting like summoned swords.

Todo merely swapped with them, avoiding damage before rushing forward.

V thought of Beowulf and how handy it would be to have him back.

He grit his teeth and parried his strike, going sideways to aim for a gut shot.

He landed the blow.

Silently, he commanded Shadow to finish Todo off.

The feline acknowledged her master's request, before transforming into a spiky cog and spinning across Todo’s heels.

The fight was over.

V had won with a cheap tactic.

He breathed out a sigh of relief. Not using Nightmare was a sort of mistake, but he was glad he didn't summon him. He had gauged his strength against the people here.

He stood back up with his cane, his arms barely functioning as he tried pushing off his cane to stand.

“You will not be able to walk for a while. I will accompany you to Ieiri-sensei’s to fix this injury with RCT.”

The three carried Todo away as the ogre grumbled about not being able to go to a Takeda-chan’s concert - V really needed to acquaint himself with the content here.

~>

When Gojo heard about this incident, he was overjoyed. He'd get to lord this over Utahime forever! The student he taught - albeit with little experience - won against her student!

“Oh, right. I guess they still need to investigate the curse at the cinema, huh?”

Gojo huffed.

“Well, I'll just call V over. It's not really that bad.”

He picked up his phone and made a call, specifically to a special blonde sorcerer.

~>

“You know something. About Itadori.” Fushiguro narrowed his eyes at V as they ate dinner, courtesy of Gojo’s credit card.

“I know what you know. Itadori Yuuji dies during the detention centre incident.” V replied innocently.

“Why'd you think he knows something anyways, Fushiguro?” Kugisaki asked.

“Gojo's let him in on a secret. I've seen it. He's told V something we don't know.”

“What do you think he has told me, hm?” V asked earnestly.

“He's still alive.” Fushiguro dropped the bombshell.

“WHAT?!” Kugisaki spat out her rice. “YOU KNEW AND DIDN'T TELL US?!”

V sighed. Fushiguro was intelligent. “Yes. Yes, he's alive. I do not know what Gojo had planned for him, but it seems to involve you not knowing Yuuji’s alive.” He saw no point in lying; the jig was up. “In fact, the first day of Jujutsu Tech was me fighting the Volcano curse while Gojo finished him off and brought Itadori to spectate.”

“He's practicing alone, but I do not know where. That is all I know.” V raised his hands in surrender.

…

V sighs as the duo kept staring at him. “Happy, now?”

“No!” Kugisaki counters, “we need an apology!”

He lets out a confused hum.

“Twenty Questions. No dodging!” Kugisaki imprints.

“Twenty-” That was a good move, in V’s opinion. “Fine.” He personally thought he did not owe them that much, but what harm would it bring if he complied? He could always leave.

“One! Where did you come from?” Kugisaki asked.

“...” V hadn't really thought of his cover story before. He had relatively modern clothing, meaning he lived in the city and could not say he lives in the countryside.

He thought long and hard about a potential answer, but he then realized:

He could give them half truths.

“A city.” He blandly replies.

“That's it? That's all we get?” Kugisaki complained.

“You asked for it.” And he did not necessarily have to reply truthfully either.

“Question two! What's your real name?!”

Now that was a deep cut. He couldn't just say Vergil-

“My guess is on Virgil.” Fushiguro pitched in. “Because of Dante and Virgil from the Divine Comedy.”

If he was shook by the accuracy of Fushiguro’s estimation, he did not show it.

Let's see… which Japanese name started with V - or rather, B?

His mind internally went over the list of all the names he could pick.

Screw it. He did not care. “I'd rather not tell.”

“No dodging!” Kugisaki replied.

“Skip.” He shot back.

“Nuh uh!” She stuck her tongue out.

He slowly opens his book and observes her reaction.

As soon as he gets it open, she clamps it shut. “Fine, fine! Question 3! What did the bird mean by your prime?”

Oh. That could be explained.

“Before I was injured, I trained in Iaido and was fairly proficient at it. Because of an accident, I lost the ability to maneuver well and was forced to quit.”

This excuse of a failed Iaido trainee could also correlate to his lack of money, as he could not earn a single penny from competitions.

“Question 4! What are your parents like?”

“... They’re dead.” V deadpanned. He genuinely did not want to think of Sparda or Eva right now. They had both abandoned him, despite his best efforts.

“...I'm sorry.” Kugisaki at least had a bit of sense.

“Question 5.” Fushiguro cut in this time, much to the chagrin of Kugisaki. “How are you so proficient with your shikigami?”

“I dabble,” He loved keeping Fushiguro in the dark. It is, after all, in Fushiguro’s name to hide in the dark. (伏黑)

“Question 6!” Kugisaki takes back the reins. “Why is your book so interesting to you? And why does it have your name on it?”

“That's two questions,” V narrows his eyes. He couldn't have people sneaking in questions. “And it's a William Blake poem collection. Dante kept stealing it for himself and so I etched my name onto the book. You can sense my residuals on the book cover.”

Fushiguro nods. He could see so indeed.

“Question 8! How did Gojo find you?”

“He found me in a forest.” V got up. He did not want to play their game any more.

“Hey! You haven't answered twenty questions yet!”

He glared. “An apology does not enable you to pry into my personal history. I've given you enough.”

It seemed they had gotten the message.

“You could stand to be less mean,” Griffion demeaned V.

“You could stand to expose less personal information of mine, Griffion. But can you? Will you?” V shot back.

“Jeez, you’re really cranky…” Griffion visibly backed down from that sass.

From there, V slept, but he had a distinct feeling he'd done wrong by the two of them.

Chapter Text

V woke up feeling well rested but with a pang in his chest. It had been a few days, and it seemed, every day, that Fushiguro and Kugisaki had been awkward around him. He ignored it for now. He sat up in his bed, grabbing hold of his cane which leaned against the bedside drawer. The bed creaked as he did so, seemingly complaining about V’s very presence and departure.

He saw a note atop the bedside drawer along with a transparent bag containing set of clothing.

“To V!

“Hiya! I came to drop off your Jujutsu Tech Uniform! I know you'd been wanting a set ever since you saw Fushiguro and Kugisaki wearing them! I didn't want you to feel left out!”

The note was written with a set of neat handwriting, yet the manner of speech that accompanied it gave V a sense of major dysphoria. This was clearly Gojo, but to think he had such beautiful handwriting…?

He read on.

“Remember Yuuji? I'm gonna have you go on a mission with him today. When you wake up, give me a call! I know you don't have a phone, so I graciously gave you one! It's in the bag with your uniform!”

V sighed. He grabbed the bag and placed it on the bed, then put away his cane and sat back down. He hadn't read the note in its entirety yet, but that could wait. He wanted to see what Gojo meant by a phone. Last he checked, phones were bulky and heavy, and were rather limited in their calling capabilities. He had heard peeps before heading to Fortuna, but he did not know what cell phones were.

Along with the uniform, which he noted to have a sort of motif, he saw a black rectangle. Not necessarily a rectangle - it had rounded corners - but not really not a rectangle either. He saw his face through the rectangle. Is it a mirror of sorts?

V fiddled around with the phone. How was he supposed to open the damned thing?

He was supposed to flip the phone open, right?

He placed strength into his arms to where he considered normal human level, and pulled against the phone. It did not do anything but leave a small scratch.

He flipped the phone around to what he assumed was the back. There was another rectangle, though this time segmented into squares.

He hums.

“What.” That was the only thing Griffion knew to say. “What does he mean, call?! This thing is a brick!”

He turned the “phone” to its sides. He then flipped it around. He looked at all four sides. He saw a smaller one at the top, and a longer one below on the left side of the mirror as well as having a large button on the right side. He guesses to turn it on he'd have to click one of the buttons.

He clicked on the longer one on the left. No response.

He clicked on the smaller one, and suddenly the phone turned on with vicious brightness.

“Welcome,” the screen displayed. “Let's set up your phone.”

“..?” V clicked continue, and so, an entire hour of his time went by in a flash.

After he had finished setting things up, he swore he was going to pop an artery. This infernal creation was as infuriating as could be. Why couldn't people just use faxes or telegrams or just plain old letters? Gojo is certainly using a note. This thing is overly complicated.

Griffion groaned, sharing in his master's feelings. Next to the bird, Shadow laid exhausted as well on the bed. V had summoned them both at some point to try and tear the phone asunder, but decided against it at separate points.

V explored his phone. His wallpaper was the default one, no surprise there, but something that caught his eye was the many squares the phone had called “Apps”, or “Applications”. Very well, if they were called that, then he would assume they'd be intuitive. You had to learn fast in order to apply things properly, after all.

His eyes locked onto the white phone (a phone he's actually familiar with) with a green background. This must be the call app.

When he'd entered the app, there was only one contact. Judging by the name “Favorite Sensei”, he assumes this is Gojo’s doing, yet he did not know how to undo or change the contact.

He tapped on the screen, and the image of the contact loaded to show Gojo taking a selfie of himself sleeping while he posed in front. He found himself oddly not shaking with anger, but rather a small giggle. The image was quite funny in a way that he could not explain, unlike poetry.

Before he proceeded with the call, he finished reading the note.

“With love, your favorite sensei
“P.S. did you tell them about Yuuji? I think they’re mad at me…”

He had indeed, but…

His heart panged as he thought of that night. He was only doing what he wanted. He needed privacy.

(It's all he has left.)

He clicked the button labeled call, and a “brrr” sound greeted him. He assumed this meant that the phone was calling Gojo’s.

“Moshi moshi?” Gojo’s voice came through clearly. It felt weird over the phone, but V assumed it's just the speakers at work. He placed it next to his ear as he realized he'd have to hear Gojo better.

“It's V.” He told Gojo.

“Ah! You’re awake! Finally! Did you try on the uniform I gotcha?”

“...no, not yet. I looked at the phone and before I tried on the clothes.”

“Go try it on! Get your chicken to take a photo of you! It’ll be great, I promise you!”

“I CAN HEAR YOU, JACKASS!” Griffion was visibly angry. V could understand his rage.

“HAH! CHICKEN!” Gojo’s voice exploded in V’s ear, causing him to drop the phone to the ground to hear a loud bang.

V gulped. That sounded like something fragile.

He picked it up to see a little scratch adorning his brand new phone. Was this a hindrance to the phone’s capability? He waited for Gojo to speak.

…

“...V? V? The chicken didn't really knock your phone away from you, didja? Or did you just drop it?...” Gojo’s voice came through clearly. V relaxed his tensed shoulders. It didn't. That's good.

“No, your voice did.” V replied.

“AHAHAHAHAHA! I thought you'd have a better grip!” Gojo’s laugh was deafening.

“Your obnoxiously loud voice led me to drop it.” V complained.

“You do know there's a volume button right there, right?”

Excuse him, what?!

He could adjust-

-Nevermind that, why didn't Gojo give him a manual?!

“Why didn't you give me a manual?!” V growled into the phone.

“I thought you knew how to use a phone! Kugisaki said last night they tried to play 20 Questions with you and you told them you came from a city!”

There goes his cover story, he supposed.

“...” V did not reply.

“Ooookay, it's my fault. I should've given you the phone with the packaging instead of throwing it away. It's fineee! It's one of my older phones I bought for a brief stint. It's a flagship! Since I don't really need it anymore, you can have it. Rest assured, you won't see my data anywhere on this phone.”

“...This phone took me an hour to figure out.” V muttered, but the phone managed to pick it up.

“What?! That's hilarious! The strongest first year right now and he can't even use a phone! Don't worry, I'll teach you! Let your darling sensei come and save you~!”

He'd rather die, V grumbled in his head.

“Send me the photo, okay? Ta-ta!” The phone beeped to indicate that it had lost connection and that V was cut off.

He looked at the uniform. It was folded up but he could tell Gojo picked the correct size for him. He took off his leather coat and put on the new clothing. He could feel some sort of button on the comfy material.

“Griffion.” After V had put on his clothes, he allowed Griffion to take a picture.

(A/N: Imagine DmC Vergil’s coat over V. There's a mod for it.)

V was fitted with a coat which covered a lot more than his last one. Beneath the coat, was a comfy black turtleneck shirt V was sure was 100% from Gojo and not from the school. It had a long tail, but given that he was not going to move much regardless, it was probably fine.

He kept the glove and ditched the bracelet. It was a reminder of who he had been before he was V. This particular glove had been Vergil’s.

For his pants, he wore dark blue slacks and finally had leather shoes to replace his unsightly sandals.

This… suited him a lot more than he thought it would.

He moved about, feeling the coat around. It was comfortable, and did not impede much movement - not that it had much movement to impede. Jujutsu High’s button was sewn on the highest button of the uniform, as a symbol for the school.

After Griffion handed it back, V was shocked to discover just how good the image quality of the camera was. He'd seen cameras in his time, but definitely not ones that produced images with this much visual clarity for such little time it had to be prepared on the phone.

He sent it to Gojo via SMS, and the white-haired sorcerer responded with a “I knew you’d fit” before refusing to elaborate and going dark.

He walked out of his bedroom, seeing Fushiguro in the community room. Guilt attempted to consume him, but he stood firm and stubbornly refused to budge.

Fushiguro looked up at V.

V stared back.

In their impromptu staring contest, Fushiguro blinked and looked away first.

“V.” Fushiguro said. “I'm sorry.. for that night.”

What?

“For..?” V asked. What was he apologizing for?

“For not stopping Kugisaki. I saw how she was pushing you. As much as I wanted to know, Kugisaki joked too much and went too far.”

This… was a change. It was mature of Fushiguro to be the bigger person and apologize even though it was not his fault.

“It's not your fault,” V replied, “It isn't you who should be apologizing. It should be me.”

Fushiguro looked up with eyes wide.

“I've been… hiding myself. I know you can tell.” It was hard for V to just spit it out. He carefully measured his words. It's been ages since he talked about his feelings with anyone. “It's just…” V looked at Fushiguro. “Last I saw Dante, he was barely alive at the foot of a curse.” He remembered how Dante told him to give Urizen hell and fainted immediately after, yet V did not do so. “Now that I've been thinking more, perhaps I should've died with him.”

“Don't!” A voice shouted from the corridors where the dorms were. It was Kugisaki. “You’re fine. You’re alive. That's all that matters.” She said, It was clear she'd been eavesdropping.

“Truly? Even though I wasn't strong enough? Despite the fact that I left my brother to die?” He was finally letting all his regret flow slowly outwards.

Fushiguro could feel the built up agony that V had been feeling. The cursed energy waves rolling off of him had been a sign. Griffion - he'd learnt his name from when V called him out at dinner - summoned himself and coiled his wings around V. “Hey, big guy. That didn't feel so bad, did it?” The cat shikigami of V’s popped up as well, curling up against V as though attempting to comfort him.

That wasn't possible, right? Were shikigami truly sentient like that?

Nonsense. He'd assumed so when he was nine and experimenting with his cursed technique. His shikigami did have emotions. Real ones. That's why he felt for the white dog’s death. That's why the potential of Shikigami dying was so, so unappealing to him.

The door creaked open, revealing Gojo coming in to retrieve V. “Heeyyy! V! Good to see… you…?” He was promptly silenced by his own reading of the room and the significant lack of… hyperactiveness? From his students.

He dictated that V had done something. And from what he was hearing and seeing inside the room with the six eyes, it was probably that V had made friends with his two students.

He sighs, “It fits you, V.” He gives a bright smile. He sees now with his six eyes giving him a detailed description of how V is feeling via cursed energy fluctuations. “There's nothing better than having friends to support you.” Gojo thought of Geto and how he had killed him, his one and only, in cold blood.

“I’ll come back in a couple of minutes. Jujutsu is a lonely job, V. But you’ve got time and friends.” He left.

There's a connection Kugisaki has been feeling with V.

Even though she hasn't known him long, she could tell he was real. That, even though he was strong, he wasn't an asshole, and treated everyone equally, though it may not appear kind. Throughout all these days of learning who V was, training alongside him…

She could see him as a part of her circle. A person that sat not in her chairs, but his own plastic lawn chair, Yamato placed on his left and his cane to his right whilest his shikigami perched on his body. It would be a dusty lawn chair, and it would scrape against the floor, but it was V’s, and both of them would know it. Whether it was his mysterious charisma or strength is unseen, but Kugisaki didn't care. She is his friend, as he is hers.

“V. I just want you to know we’re your friends.” Kugisaki spoke up. “I just want us to get along a little better.” She walked up to the surrounded V, and hugged the support structure. Griffion nodded and Shadow slowly blinked.

Fushiguro was not particularly handsy about his affection, but he related to V in a way that Gojo could not. Even though Gojo was technically his father, he couldn't connect with him and instead, Fushiguro looked to V as more of a friend than Gojo ever was.

He was calm, cool-headed, and strong. Exactly what Megumi wanted to strive for in himself, what Gojo told him as “his ideal self”. V was a representation of that. While he did not tell Megumi how to control his shikigami better, he had shown him against Maki, Mai, hell, even Todo and that is what matters the most.

Now that V needs help… he would not hesitate in giving it. Megumi may never say it, but he knows V has started something for them. For Megumi, an inspiration. For Kugisaki, a friendship.

What would he give to Itadori if he were here? He thought. That did not matter now as he hugged V from the opposite side of Kugisaki. Shadow purred, while Griffion cooed.

“Thank you.” V sighs, a sob disguised.

For now, they could stay like this for as long as they wanted.

At least for this little while.

Chapter Text

“What’s the mission?” V asked.

“That's a good boy!” Gojo cooed, patting him on the head. “Follow me.”

After the fact, V embraced his… friends. For over a few minutes until Gojo came in, snapped a photo, and threatened to show it to everyone, including his senpais if he delayed this mission any further. V complied.

One touch, and he was face to face with a blonde man.

“Oh, V!” Yuuji called out from his side.

“Yep! He'll be accompanying you on your mission today!” Gojo replied.

“Is it my belief that you’ll be leaving him with me?” The blonde sorcerer asked, obviously unhappy with this arrangement.

“Yeah! Why not?” Gojo chirped, “The kid needs the experience even though he's stronger than you. He’ll be invaluable as a sorcerer.”

“Invaluable, you say..?” Nanami sighs, “Apologies, but I will have to see for myself.”

“No probs! Bye bye Nanamin!” Gojo cackled as Nanami clenched his fist and demanded Gojo throw that nickname away from his thesaurus immediately.

“Cool uniform!” Yuuji complimented V.

“Ah, yes… Gojo picked this out for me. He has… a good sense of fashion.” V had a light smile on his face.

“So… Nanamin?” V emulated Gojo.

“No. Do not be like your sensei. While he is strong, he does not have my respect. One of the reasons he does not is because of that accursed nickname.” He replied. “My name is Nanami Kento. Grade 1 sorcerer.”

“Nanami, then.” V nods. “Can I be briefed on what the mission is?”

Itadori notes the exhaustion in V’s voice. It isn't quite like how someone would get physically tired, but rather, mentally tired, like overexhausting emotions by crying.

He mentally berates himself. It wasn't his place to speculate.

“This cinema was the site of an attack suspected to be a curse. The bodies of three students, now unidentifiable, are contorted and twisted into what the report describes as ‘things’. If this is true, then this curse could be devastating.” Nanami summarizes, “Can you see the residuals on the ground?”

Itadori looked confused. “Residuals?”

V nodded. “I can see them.”

“Would you mind explaining to Itadori, then? I'll be heading in.” Nanami briskly walked into the theater.

“Hey, no fair, I wanna-” Yuuji protested.

“No. You need to be prepared for what you see.” V shot down his rebuttal before it even happened. “Nanami is making sure he can give you some time to prepare before he lets you look at them.”

“...” Yuuji sighs. “Fine. Tell me about the residuals.”

V nods. “Residuals are traces of a curse or a person’s energy. They can be left anywhere if someone uses cursed energy. Some people are skilled at covering them up, but most aren't.” He recalls what Gojo had been saying to him during their crash course. “Though, for seeing them, you just need to search with your perception, not your eyes.”

“What??” Yuuji was even more confused. “What do you mean perception but not eyes?! Am I meant to touch the floor, or-”

“Your cursed energy.”

“Oh.” That made way more sense.

As soon as Yuuji looked again, markings started appearing on the floor, leading into the movie theater. “Are you ready?” V asked.

“Yeah. I can see them too.”

“Let's head in, then.”

The doors pushed open easily, and as they went in, Nanami gestured towards the three seats. “The residuals on the chairs.”

“There's a trail there,” Yuuji realizes.

“Yes.” Nanami agreed, “Follow me.”

“Hai! I'll do my best!”

“No. When minimum effort is all it requires, exert that precise amount. Do what is necessary, but no further.”

V was impressed by Nanami’s act of restraint. Yuuji deflated, “It's so hard to impress him,” He told V.

V hums.

They followed the trail onto the roof. Where they saw two curses lurking. Yuuji moved to fight, but Nanami stopped him. “Let me and V handle this.” He told Yuuji. “Don't underestimate me!” Yuuji replied.

“Make no mistake, I am not discrediting your skills. V is more capable, and you are still just a child. My job is to put my life before yours, and in this case, me and V are the best options to handle these two curses.”

“... I’d rather be underestimated than be treated like a child - isn't V the same age as me?”

“You've gone through life or death situations, Itadori. But, what defines the path to adulthood isn't major trauma, but rather, the accumulation of small despairs.”

“No.” V simply replied. Aside from having to conserve energy, he wanted to see what Itadori’s training resulted in. “Let him prove you wrong, Nanami.”

“?” Nanami sent a questioning gaze at V. He had a young appearance about him, but he held an authority about him that spoke of strength and control, a maturity beyond his years.

Deep in his eyes, he could see the firm gaze of a hardened warrior. Perhaps Nanami had jumped the gun on judging V’s maturity.

That gave Nanami more reason to tell V to help him instead of Yuuji.

He relents. V is right. He hadn't given Yuuji a chance to prove his usefulness yet.

“Fine. Yuuji, shout if you require assistance.”

Yuuji nods, and rushes towards a curse.

As they fought, Nanami suddenly shouts to Yuuji and V.

“Itadori. V. Pay attention to what I am about to say.”

Yuuji snapped to attention at Nanami’s command, but was distracted by the curse attempting to throw itself on top of him. He counters by slamming a fist into the curse’s abdomen, and having an impact of curse energy rush up for a second impact.

‘A delayed impact?’ V thinks. ‘Impressive.’

He was sure Nanami thought the same.

“My technique, Ratio, allows me to force weak points onto my opponents’ bodies. Anywhere, as long as it corresponds to the ratio of 7-to-3 on whichever part of the body I want.”

“Ow!- Is it okay to reveal that information?” Yuuji blocked a punch from the curse despite the distraction from Nanami.

“It's a binding vow,” V explained, “Information exchanged for cursed energy. It is equivalent.”

Instantly, Nanami’s cursed energy surged. He measured everything. He looked through his goggles, seeing lines and dots. He pinpoints the best point to land a hit and clocks it almost instantly.

He zipped across the rooftop, cleaving the human’s legs in a single sweep.

V was amazed at the speed at which Nanami dispatched the curse. “That's all from me,” Nanami states, heading towards V.

V immediately notes the color of the blood. Curse blood was purple, as he'd seen from Jogo. This was red, so…

“Halt!” V warned.

Instantly, Yuuji stops and leaps back. Nanami looks at V with a question.

“Do you see this blood?” V asked. “It's human blood. They’re human.”

Nanami was unconvinced, but immediately changed his mind once he saw a watch on the hand of the “curse”. He took out a phone and took a picture, surprised at V’s observation.

Yuuji was shook. They'd been fighting humans?

The “curse” lunged towards Yuuji while his back was turned, only to have Griffion dive in and slam it to the floor, blasting it with electricity. “V!” He called out.

V nods, before walking forward casually, passing by an Itadori that was still processing things. He stabs the “curse” in the head, killing it.

Yuuji was disturbed at how V was still able to calmly kill someone before him even though he knew it was human.

V flicked blood off his cane. He knew his demons would not get any nourishment from it.

“So, uh.. first time seeing someone die?” Griffion asked Yuuji. He shakes his head.

“Look on the bright side, bucko. V was freeing them from their suffering. They’re obviously not happy in this state-”

“...” Yuuji visibly slumped.

Nanami sighed. “Itadori. This is why I told you that I, as an adult, must protect you.”

“They didn't have proper deaths,” Yuuji replied. “They… they died horribly.”

“Agreed. They were likely not conscious once they'd been transformed into… this.” V concludes.

“I'll have it sent to Ieiri-sensei for an autopsy. For now, let's go somewhere else. We will catch the curse eventually.”

Yuuji nods.

~>

They were at an office, with Yuuji sitting quietly on a sofa.

“...Is Itadori there?” Nanami was calling Ieiri. Her voice called out to him.

“Hai.” He responded.

“It's true, what Nanami and V said. They were already dead, from having their bodies forcibly modified. What you were doing was simply freeing them from their misery.”

“They… they aren't supposed to die like this. This curse…”

“You’re a strong kid, Yuuji, so help others.”

“This isn't right.” His anger rises and his cursed energy briefly fluctuates. Nanami nods. V hums in approval.

“The curse manipulated its residuals.” Nanami tells him. “This isn't normal. We’ll have to use maximum effort to track them down.”

Yuuji nods. “Yeah, let's do our best.”

Nanami highlighted the places and locations they had to look out for, and people potentially involved.

“This person, Yoshino Junpei. He was at the theater when the deaths happened. This meant that he either is a curse user, or has relations to a curse. You two are to investigate who he is, and ascertain whether or not he poses a threat. If not, we will focus on the curse. If so, apprehend him.”

“I know an approximation of the location of the curse. I will continue investigating its whereabouts.” He told V and Yuuji, “Now go.”

Yuuji went out of the door, opened by Ijichi. “V?”

“Go without me. I have something to ask of Nanami.”

Yuuji nods, before Ijichi leaves with him.

“So, what was it that you wanted to ask?” Nanami inquired.

“You know where the curse is.” It was not a question, but rather a statement. “It's not an approximation.”

Nanami remained composed. “Yes.”

“You want Yuuji to investigate Junpei because it is better for his mental state and his strength to not fight such a powerful curse.”

“Correct.”

“Then no more words need to be exchanged. Let's go together.” V states.

Nanami wanted to reject, but he found himself unable to. V was unlike Yuuji. He was stronger - stronger than Nanami himself, perhaps - and definitely more experienced. It was logical to allow him to go with him.

“You are still a child-”

“This life's dim windows of the soul
Distorts the heavens from pole to pole
And leads you to believe a lie
When you see with, not through, the eye.” V quotes.

“What?” Nanami asked.

“Things are not as they seem,” V simply replied.

It clicked somewhat for Nanami. V is not as he seemed.

“You are older than you look,” Nanami asked, hoping V could verify.

V smirked. That gave Nanami his answer.

Chapter Text

Yoshino Junpei was someone who people deemed a loser.

He had no friends; the type of “friends” he had are nothing but douchebags and bullies that he had no choice but to interact with. If bullying could push people over the edge, Junpei would argue that he'd already fallen off.

So now, as those same bullies pushed their dirty cigarettes into his forehead, its searing sensation spread across his body like a stinger through his heart.

Even though his mind raged at this disparity - even though his body recoiled at this inhuman pain -

His soul had given up; what remained of rebellion simply dissipated, giving way into indifference.

So what if these people hurt him? It would pass. It would all pass. He didn't need to do anything. He was exhausted. Tired of this constant inescapable rejection of the school.

As they died, cursed to be mutilated in their final moments, he was curious, to say the least.

If a button was given to him to kill everyone he hates, he wouldn't press it. However, if he had a button to kill everyone who hated him, he would. It would be far better for him to simply not allow those who hated him to hurt him any further.

And so, when he followed the guy who killed them, he would find that they were involved in something much, much bigger.

~>

Nanami and V were in the sewers, scouring the place.

There were no signs of a curse. It had hidden its residuals well, but Nanami could see beyond the surface - bits and pieces of cursed energy flaked off the walls, as though hundreds of souls called out in agony and pain to them.

V could smell it too. Death was in the air.

“So, uh… think this is it?” Griffion asked, “The curse?”

“Probably, yes.” V replied, “Scout, Shadow.”

“You heard ‘im, kitty, go get' em!” Griffion joked.

“Your shikigami can talk?” Nanami asked.

“Only I can talk, but I understand whatcha mean.” Griffion replied for V, “V over here is pretty reserved, so I mostly talk for him.”

“I see.”

The pitter patter of their steps echoed throughout the sewers, as minutes uncomfortably stretched into what felt like an hour.

“...” Nanami was beginning to doubt his assessment. Perhaps it could be an abandoned base for the curse?

Shadow warped back to V, her fur being visibly more wet than before.

“Y’saw him?” Griffion asked.

Shadow nodded.

“You were undetected?” Nanami inquired.

Shadow nodded again.

V nods as Shadow propped him up. Nanami was forced to play catch up purely due to V and Griffion being much faster than him, the former being ungodly speedy despite his apparent walking disability.

~>

As they arrived, they could clearly feel another source of cursed energy in the same room as them. Nanami readied his cleaver, while V readied himself to draw Yamato. His cane was stored elsewhere now.

“Come out. We know you are here.” Nanami started.

“Good eye!” The curse replied, landing from the ceiling down to the ground. “Not many people would've detected me like that. But I guess you aren't normal, aren't you?” His cheshire grin was directed at V. “The name’s Mahito. Let me ask you something; Does the body come before the soul, or does the soul come before the body?”

“We are the Sons of Sparda. Within each of us, flows his blood, but most importantly, his soul! And now, my soul is saying it wants to stop you!” Dante’s voice rang in his ears.

“Heh. Then I'm afraid our souls are at odds, brother.” Vergil replied in his memory. It was the last memory Vergil had of his brother when he was still truly himself.

“The body moves because of the soul’s desire. The soul comes before the body.” V replied.

“Wow, you got that one right! But for the wrong reason. The soul shapes the body. My technique deals with that precisely. I call it Idle Transfiguration. I can manipulate my soul to form whatever I want my body to be, and I can manipulate yours too with just a touch.” His cursed energy rose, and V was not surprised. He'd revealed information for cursed energy.

“Butt your soul is a little lost, isn't it?”

“?” V was confused.

“It's weird, like if a minority of it is taken away, then the majority has to reform itself without the minority. Not to mention that your Shikigami have souls - the shape of a part of your soul. It feels like it's supposed to be within you.” Mahito explained. “But, ah well. If you won't tell me how you did it, I won't pry.”

Mahito burst forward, and touched V before anyone could react. Red energy sprung from V, stopping Mahito’s assault.

It's the Rebellion, V realizes. It's defending him from the attack.

“What?! Oh come on! That is so not fair! How come you have another soul acting like a shield to you?!” Mahito pouted, before attempting to kick V away. V drew Yamato from its saya, slicing Mahito’s leg off with one clean strike like a hot knife through butter.

At that moment, Mahito realized that he had fucked up. Massively. His soul was sliced through.

Even with his technique, he wouldn't be able to just walk it off. Even despite reinforcing his soul with cursed energy, he was still able to be damaged. Even worse -

He had felt it. The pain.

“Ack!” Mahito leapt away, but V was already giving chase. Shadow spun like a saw, flying forward in an attempt to harm Mahito, but he simply brushed it off like he hadn't been hurt in the first place.

Nanami calmly clenched his wrapped cleaver, before dashing forward, cursed energy brimming at the ready to maim. At this rate, he would have to go into overtime.

He did not like working overtime.

Griffion swung at Mahito, headbutting him. Even though he had done little to no damage to Mahito, what he had done was knock Mahito into V.

He swung sideways, but Mahito dodged by splitting himself and reforming himself as the blade passed by.

What he didn't notice was Nanami getting ready behind him, locking on to the ratio of 7-to-3 on his head.

[=•=•=•=•=•=•=¢=•=•=•]

Headshot.

Mahito’s head split open, and he fell forwards on his face.

Was he truly about to die?

He did not know. He hadn't experienced this degree of fear and anxiety in a long while.

He had to get rid of them. They were far stronger than he had anticipated. The goth guy was strong, but he could win against him. But with a Grade 1 sorcerer stacked against him as well…

Mahito croaked from fear, transfiguring himself into a semi-liquid shape before attempting to lose them in the water.

“Oh no you don't!” Griffion reacts, flying above the sewer water and sending a barrage of lightning into the water.

It didn't have to hit Mahito. What it had to do, however, was electrify the water.

Mahito halted in his tracks, the overload of electrical signals causing him to be unable to move with the water. It also caused him to be unable to use his cursed technique.

He was the human curse, after all. What good would his title be if he didn't have an anatomy similar to a human's?

Right now, it was back to bite him.

V threw his cane into the water like a pole, embedding it into Mahito. He couldn't summon Nightmare here, but that no longer mattered.

He warped, stepping on the cane’s handle.

Nanami was shocked at V’s display of agility, despite his inability to stand or move without a cane mere moments before.

“You’re right. My soul is split.” He told Mahito. “But right now, so is yours.”

Mahito’s body glowed white as cursed energy began to leak from the Nightmares’ attacks. That meant that V had Mahito dead to rights.

“Ah, but allow me to recite a poem to you before your death.” He flung Mahito back onto land, as Griffion moved to carry V by his arm.

After V moved back on land, he opened his book.

“Do what you will, this life's a fiction, And it is made up of contradiction.”

As V dealt the finishing blow, he did not realize that Mahito had left a small piece of itself unharmed and moved his entire soul into it. The piece of him that he'd sacrificed dissolved into thin air, exorcised.

Mahito had made a binding vow. In exchange for being able to cram his soul into a small speck even smaller than dust, he had to be willing to give away the excess amount of cursed energy that the body couldn’t hold.

That is, to say, basically 90% of his reserves are depleted.

~>

While V and Nanami return to Jujutsu High via Ijichi, V inquires as to where Itadori is.

“W-well, Itadori found the person. He said that he could use cursed energy, but he has only manifested his technique recently. He says he will return later.”

“Later? I see.” Nanami replies, as V continues reading through his book.

~>

Yuuji had released the fly head.

As Ijichi went out to catch the other fly head, Yuuji began to talk to the other people present, as the old man next to who he knew as Yoshino Junpei was speaking to him.

Junpei looked uncomfortable, and so Yuuji, upon closer inspection, decided to pull down the pants of the old guy and run a mile around the neighborhood.

Sukuna agreed with the action; the old man had to learn his place.

“You didn't have to do that..?” Junpei told Yuuji.

He did go a little overboard, but that's besides the point.

“Nah, I saw you were uncomfortable. You have a minute?”

~>

“So, you’re not the one who killed the people at the theater?” Yuuji asked.

Junpei nods. “Well, did you see who did it?” Yuuji asked.

Junpei shook his head, “No.” He had to protect Mahito’s identity. Maybe this Yuuji was just faking his empathy. Maybe he wasn't really interested in movies.

However, what Yuuji knew about those were so, so in depth. He was just like Junpei, observing them with detail. He knew every plot point, relished the effects, and loved the characters.

He let his guard down. Maybe he wasn't so bad after all.

And so, they spent the time of a lifetime together watching movies, hanging out with his mother.

This reignited hope within Junpei. Maybe the world wasn't all this bad. Maybe he could stand to gain from not being indifferent.

As Yuuji dined with them, he was smiling all the way.

~>

“Well? How was it?” Gojo asked V.

“How was what?” V replied.

“Ya exorcised a Special Grade curse on your first mission! The Higher Ups are gonna blow a fuse when they see this!” Gojo laughed.

“I have a distinct feeling I didn't do it properly,” V replied. “The curse burned, yes, but I could still sense its energy.”

“Well did you search around? Some curses do like sneaking around.”

“Yes, but I couldn't find it. It disappeared after I started searching.”

“Ah, well, it couldn't possibly have lived that long. You left it nothing to recover strength from, right?”

He nods.

“Good! I bet Nobara and Megumi would want to hear all~ about this!”

V nods, and gets up to head to his dorm.

“Oh! Almost forgot! I have something for you.” Gojo was holding out a card. V took it and looked.

It was an Identification Card of Jujutsu High. His profile picture is one of serious concentration as he read his book. Of course, the image did not include the book, but V knew that was from when he was reading a book.

Labeled next to his image, was a print labeled「特」.

“Congrats on becoming the Jujutsu High’s newest and youngest Special Grade sorcerer!” Gojo cheered. “I got the higher-ups to agree that you are DEFINITELY a special grade, given what you did with Volcano Head the other day!”

“... What's a special grade?”

“What?! I didn't teach you that? Impossible! There's no way!?” Gojo was shocked… by his own incompetence.

“Apparently you did not explain everything properly.” V sighed.

“Well! Let your sensei teach you!” Gojo starts, “A special grade sorcerer can do three things. One! A Special Grade sorcerer might be able to be killed by a cluster bomb!”

V was obviously not built to handle a cluster bomb, but Gojo seems to think otherwise.

“Two! Has an immense amount of strength even further beyond what a Grade 1 could do!”

That made far more sense than being able to survive a cluster bomb. V nods.

“Three! Deemed special by the Jujutsu Community, very, very exclusive!”

V hums.

“Anyyyways, you’re the 5th Special Grade right now.” Gojo’s face turned serious. “Now the Higher Ups know that they can't kill you, they’ll try to control you. Don't fall for their tricks.”

V nods.

“Now go to bed. Orrrrr do you need sensei to give you a good night kiss?”

V blushed. Hell no. He shook his head.

“Alrighty, I'm just messing with you. Good night!” He warped away.

As V continued walking, Fushiguro noticed him. “Oh, V.” He greeted. “Fushiguro,” V greeted back.

“Gojo told me you'd be receiving your ID card today. I've been curious as to what grade you’re in.” Fushiguro was sitting on the couch in the common room, as he realized Kugisaki was next to him, playing… connect 4? “Yeah, about time. What is your grade, anyway?”

Fushiguro inserted a coin into the board. V knew that Kugisaki could win in this state, but V doubted that she could. In his opinion, Fushiguro had more of an analytical mind than she did.

“Is there a scoreboard?” V asked as he put down his ID card face down.

“I'm up one!” Kugisaki enthusiastically proclaimed.

“We’re even,” Fushiguro shot back, an annoyed expression crossing his face.

“Hm,” V hummed as he went into the communal bathroom and washed his hands.

He exited, and saw that Fushiguro had won.

“Now I’m up one.” He had a neutral expression.

As V saw that they hadn't seen his ID yet, he decided to reach forward. “I'll be taking this ba-”

“-Wait!” They both simultaneously interrupted. “We just wanted to wait for you.” Kugisaki explained.

V nods.

As they flipped it over, they looked over V’s birthday.

“You… don't have a birthday?” Fushiguro asked.

“May 1st.” V replied.

“Oh. That's a long while.”

V nods again.

“WHAT!?” Kugisaki shouted, causing Griffion to exit V. “You’re shouting my ears off! Shut up!”

“Shut up, chicken! V is SPECIAL GRADE?!” Kugisaki howled back.

Fushiguro’s eyes were wide and his mouth was open. He'd never seen a sorcerer appear out of nowhere and have such explosive growth.

V’s mouth quirked up a little. He was proud of this grade.

Fushiguro dismisses the thought. V had this all along. He was growing, but he was already strong before.

“I’ll surpass you some day!” Kugisaki declared.

V had no doubt that Kugisaki could surpass him as he is now. But as Vergil…

No, he shouldn't think about this prospect. Urizen should not be able to come to him. Nor will he be able to get to Urizen in a while. Even then, how would he be able to defeat Urizen with the Qliphoth Fruit’s power?

He had abandoned them, left them to die.

And that guilt gnawed on his subconscious.

For now, he'd have peaceful days.

For now, he'd be happy.

For now, he'd be protected.

He smirked. “I'd like to see the both of you try.”

~>

The body of Suguru Geto paced around the area of their current hideout. Jogo was being revitalized in a hot spring as Gojo had taken his head off his shoulders.

“So, how'd it go? I told you you'd die. If it weren't for Hanami, you'd be dead, Jogo.” Geto purred at his accurate assessment, giving Jogo the best ‘I told you so’ look that his possessed body could allow him to muster.

The cursed spirit growled like an animal. “There was another with him. A shikigami user. He did most of the work before Gojo Satoru tried to finish me off.” He told Geto as his head floated in the spring.

“Oh? Do tell. Was it the Ten Shadows?” Geto asked, as Hanami responded for Jogo.

“.euqinhcet ruoy ot ralimis erom raf gnihtemoS .swodahS neT eht ton s'tI”

Geto was intrigued. As he recalled, he'd only shown these curses one technique, and that was cursed spirit manipulation. “Elaborate,” Geto waved a hand. He had to plan around that, if he was going to catch Gojo.

“He absorbed my body. I felt the cursed energy drain from me.”

One answer popped into Geto’s mind. Instead of simply manipulating a curse, this newcomer could absorb a curse in its entirety. Throughout all these years of living, Geto had only seen one person do this sort of feat, and even that fell short of the suitable criteria. He would've been one of the Fujiwara.

“Did you happen to catch his name?” He did not want to designate a nickname to the newcomer.

“V.” “.V” Came both their answers.

“Just a letter?” He raised a brow.

The two curses nodded.

“Huh.” Geto hummed, “Well, this V fellow is really strong if he could take on around eight fingers’ worth of Sukuna at once.”

“.snoisnapxE niamoD rieht dna urotaS ojoG yb detpurretni saw tub ,ot deirt I os ,tsaf tca t'ndid I fi eid ot gniog saw eh eveileb I .dloh htaed a ni ogoJ dah imagikihs s’V ,meht detcartsid I erofeb was I tahw morF” Hanami explained.

“Quite readily, it seems.” Geto searched his head for any contingencies. He had his ways of killing off these interlopers if they made too much trouble, but it would not do them well to expose themselves right now.

His mind’s eye turns from Jogo and Hanami to a particular curse that has been missing for a while now. What has he been doing?

Last he checked, the curse was playing with an experiment of his. He was beginning to worry he wasn't going to make it. He should start the contingency for if he does not return-

-”Jo-go~!” Speak of the devil, and he shall appear, it seems. Geto’s face remained relaxed, but inwardly he was quite relieved. The process of incarnation without Idle Transfiguration is quite arduous and the road was filled to the brim with binding vows. The curse’s technique is far simpler.

“Mahito. How was your experiment?” Geto greeted, eager to hear his results. Mahito’s research on souls is always good to hear, and given that Geto was going to possess his technique soon, the research could help him grasp the inner workings of it.

“Going pretty well, but two sorcerers tried to stop me.”

Geto sighed internally. That wasn't what he wanted to hear. Nevertheless, he had to act interested. “How strong were they?” He asked a general question. He already knew the answer to that, given this body’s memories of him at the Night Parade.

“Super strong! I tried tagging one of them but something else blocked it.”

Mahito was denied his technique activation? That was weird. If he could indeed be stopped, then his plans would be really troublesome.

Then again, he did say that something blocked it.

He snapped himself out of his thoughts. There was something he wasn't getting. Perhaps Mahito had been weak after overusing his technique.

“Why do you think he resisted you?” It was a simple question and yielded good results.

“There was another soul. This guy's technique is kinda weird though. He had a cursed tool inside AND outside him. I can see it. He had a soul orbiting his own, and the other soul blocked it when I tried to touch his. Oh, and his shikigami seems to be made of his own soul.”

What do you mean, two souls inside a body?! That was absolutely infuriating. Did one of the sorcerers set to be incarnated do so early?! Geto was genuinely irate.

“Any physical defects?” Geto asked.

“Nah. He was really nimble! I almost got away but he got me. I had to sacrifice a lot of cursed energy to get away.”

“Was the cursed tool a katana?” Jogo piped up.

“Yeah! How'd you know?”

“It's the same person. V.”

Hanami nods.

This V almost threw the largest wrench that Geto had ever seen into his plans. Luckily Mahito had some intelligence, or else he would've been toast, and so would he.

He growls. This is exactly like if Yuta Okkotsu was here when he started his longer term plans. He'd have to plan around them - after all, he didn't have two prison realms.

Now that Geto has done assurance on his plan once more, he asks Mahito, “Well, what about the experiment?”

“This was the smallest I could make a human soul.” Mahito holds out a tiny piece of what Geto assumes to be a human.

“The largest?” Geto inquired.

Mahito inflated himself, “THIS BIG!” He shouted, looking down on Geto.

“Very well. I'm proud of your progress.” Geto smiled. “Now, it's time to discuss plans for the sister school event…”

~>

It was nice, hanging out with Itadori, Junpei decides.

He'd been saying that people don't have hearts, and yet Yuuji had proved him wrong at every turn. He was kind, way kinder than everyone Junpei has ever come across.

He smiled, going to bed, unaware that a person had placed something rotten - cursed - into his home.

Chapter Text

Sukuna did not know V. By all accounts, he's seen the child in action twice.

However, he would much rather he be his vessel than this whiney brat.

V, even though he dresses weird, is quite the strong one. He commands three shikigami, and the last one is strong, potentially even stronger than what Fushiguro Megumi’s glimpse looked like.

“With this sacred treasure, I summon!” That cursed energy was phenomenal.

Sukuna would savor this meal, as this one was special. Even Gojo Satoru acknowledges this. He'd seen a moderately strong curse be handled by his shikigami alone.

Not to mention his cursed tools…

Each time he looked at the Katana, he felt the same presence from it as Hiten. He wants it. He would get it.

~>

Sukuna did not know V. However, as he interacted with the brat, he saw a glimpse of what he'd been through.

In his eyes, he could see a history far deeper than his body implied. They say the eyes are a window to the soul, and what Sukuna sees is an old soul trapped in an infant body.

He wonders; how did V become this strong?

He shakes off the question. The strength of Jujutsu sorcerers are determined at birth. He'd eaten his twin, so it was a different case how he was so strong.

They say that Jujutsu reflects one’s soul, and as he saw V’s shikigami, he realized that they aren’t just normal shikigami as well. They manifested from his torso on his tattoos.

Tattoos… they felt like his. Cursed tattoos, though his own branded him as a King of Curses, V’s surely would not symbolize that. Tattoos in Jujutsu did not come easy.

They symbolized hardship, and utter depravity.

Hah! Why would he not be depraved? He is strong, after all. A curse.

And yet, he sees that this man was not driven. Despite that, however, he can tell that he was. Something happened. Something made him lose motivation.

It's a shame, really. Through his eyes, his perception of the soul - he could see his soul was scarred, barely holding itself together with the assistance of another.

Then, there was the big question.

What happened for his soul to become so… fractured? In all his years, he'd never seen a soul that bad. With Hiten, he could puncture and affect the soul in some way, and now that he could see the soul physically, he knew something went wrong.

“I'll be watching you, V.” Bemused, he closed his eyes, content with his assessment for now.

~>

(Remember the timestamps! I'm trying to do like a dmc5 style thing here!)

September 4th, 10 a.m.

Junpei had woken up to a dead mother.

It was sudden - the smell of rot entering his nose as soon as he awoke, the sensation that something was missing, the ache of realization that occured to him once he saw that his mother, the only one who cared for him over the years, despite her flaws, sprawled out on her bed, bits and pieces of her organs spilled out.

He could see her heart, broken, red blots near her ribs.

Her abdomen was torn open, a majority of her stomach either gone or heavily damaged, like the person - the thing - that had torn it apart in the first place had no care for her body. It looked like scattered pieces of paper - broken.

He couldn't keep watching. He retched, covering his mouth as he did so. He didn't - shouldn't desecrate his mother’s body even further.

Tears uncontrollably went down his face. What happens now? What if people say he murdered her in her sleep? He couldn't be convicted with that, could he? He was going to jail, caught by the police ohgodpleasesomeonehelphim-

He started breathing. Not the calm type, but the rushed hyperventilation that he'd only seen from horror movies. He tried to stop it, but it kept going. Even as he tried to stop breathing, his body wouldn't stop. It was a suffocating sensation, and he hated every moment of it. He ran.

He thought of Mahito. Perhaps he could help? He rushed out from her room, spotting a mummified finger on his desk in the progress. He snatched it and placed it into his pockets, hoping that Mahito could identify what it was.

~>

September 4th, 11:30 a.m.

Mahito hummed as he was moving about in the city. Geto had said that it's best he laid low for now, but he realized if he wants to get stronger, he had to start grabbing more victi-experiments.

“Mahito!” A panicked voice called out to him. He turned back, and saw-

Oh, right! That experiment! He definitely forgot about him.

“How's it going, Junpei? Let's go somewhere else to talk. My la-home got washed out.” Mahito smiled, the sardonic smile he stole from Geto shining through, though it was more of a grin than anything.

“O-okay! Just.. just give me a minute.”

As they walked, people looked at Junpei weirdly. Mahito had almost forgotten that people couldn't see him, after interacting with so many others that could.

“My mom… she's dead.”

Oh! Really? That's good news! That means he's way more susceptible to his mani-guidance. Score one for Mahito! “Do you know why she's dead?”

That was a hyperspecific question, but he guesses Junpei didn't register it.

“T-this! I found it at my house!”

Sukuna’s finger! That's weird. Who put it there? The only ones that could've known are him, Geto and the other curses, maybe the sorcerers. Maybe he could turn Junpei against the sorcerers?

Perhaps Geto wanted him to move forward with his plan! That's it! He wanted to support him in coercing the King of Curses with them!

“Is there someone who wants you or your mom dead? Not many people know of this specific talisman, you know. You gotta go through a lot of effort to even get one. Maybe someone paid a curse user to have you or your mom dead.”

Junpei’s mind immediately went to the bullies at his school. Sure, three of them had died when he met Mahito, but there would always be more to take their place.

How dare they?!

How dare they kill his mother?!

It was one thing when they tried to kill him - he's indifferent to that - but his mother?!

By the fluctuations of his cursed energy, Mahito deduces Junpei has found his fake answer.

This was gonna be a good night.

~>

September 4th, 1:00 p.m.

Mahito was now touching Junpei. Even though his cursed energy had decreased considerably, he’d gotten some reserves from Geto, who kindly let him devour and absorb some low level curses to give him 30% of his previous strength.

His hands flexed across the frontal lobe, feeling it out. He'd felt others’ before, but Junpei’s was different. He was special, in that he was not going to be a sorcerer he'd turn into a curse-like human.

He molded Junpei’s soul like a pot, and he the potter. He touched on the pre-frontal cortex, and felt for the pathways of cursed energy. As he did so, he wondered what V’s would look like - would he have two pathways? Two for each shikigami?

“Your technique is quite versatile, Junpei. If only you knew how to use it…” He broke through the grey matter, and started poking new pathways for cursed energy to flow. He'd destroy some neurons in the process, but what's a few neurons to an ocean of cursed energy?

This technique was quite risky, and he hadn't tried it yet, but he bets that it wouldn't work on himself. Try as he may to emulate humanity, he is not the real deal, and thus his curse physiology would reject the changes he'd try to impose on himself and remain the same.

All that's to say, that Junpei was truly the luckiest of the sorcerers he met, for him to get a free boost in strength like this.

“People don't have hearts.” Junpei reiterated, “They’re heartless. They cause nothing but pain.”

Being formed from Humanity’s worst, Mahito could certainly understand Junpei’s perspective.

“Junpei… sometimes, people hurt. But let me tell you something. People lie. People always lie. The smiling faces you see? All lies.” Mahito smiled.

“I…” that lined up nicely with Junpei’s experiences. With his history, he'll understand Mahito’s perspective and use it as his own. “Yeah. Some people just deserve to die.”

“Yep.” Mahito agreed. “Now, if you want to kill them, I once had a friend that told me a line of speech. I think it's like poetry, but what I interpret as is something I want you to hear.”

Junpei was listening now.

“Do what you will, this life's a fiction, And it is made up of contradiction.” He quotes, “Do what you want to do. Life is a story you write yourself. People may oppose you, but I think you should do what you want.”

Junpei wheezed, feeling the damage done to his body. But this physical pain would not compare to what he’ll do to those bastards.

“All done!” Mahito cheered as always, and Junpei could feel much stronger than before. Cursed energy had more pathways to go from, and so his cursed technique would yield a greater output.

He summoned his shikigami, a blue jellyfish. He named it Moon Dregs, and he could see that it had grown much larger than the small itsy bitsy version from just days prior.

“Thanks, Mahito.” He smiled. Mahito might be wrong, but he is a friend.

“What are friends for, huh?” Mahito exclaimed. He'd tried racking his brain around that statement for a few days until Geto told him what that meant. For a curse that is born from humanity itself, he truly did not understand these positive facets of human niceties.

~>

September 4th, 1:30 p.m.

V geared up. It's his second mission today, and it was to go to a cemetery in Tokyo.

“Hi! You’re the Special Grade, right?” A blonde haired woman in a suit and tie approached him. V nods.

“V, right?” He nods again.

“I'm Nitta Akari. I'm your assistant manager for today.”

“Pleasure to make your acquaintance,” V replied.

He realized that in order to survive in this world, he had to exorcise curses. He knew he'd spend energy here, and so he decided to try and let himself do the work using Yamato instead of letting Griffion, Shadow or Nightmare do anything at all. They'd spectate at best as he had to conserve energy by any means necessary.

“The curse you’re about to be facing is a potential Special Grade. Right now, it's at around Grade 1 level, last time any windows checked. It seems to be able to summon shikigami of dead people. Good luck! I know this is your second mission, even though you’re strong…”

V nods. “The busy bee has no time for sorrow. I will be fine.”

->

September 4th, 1:55 p.m.

“Hey, V. If you wanna preserve energy, maybe don't get hit.” Griffion mocked as V got scraped on the shoulder by a flying skull. His body stitched together automatically by virtue of Rebellion, but V could tell Rebellion couldn't save him forever.

The curse was a skeleton. It was quite nimble, despite its apparent lack of joints. V questions why it would be.

He slashed with the Yamato, a cleave ringing through the air as the curse’s arm was sliced apart. He sighs as the curse regenerates.

“Y’sureee you don't need any help? I dunno about you, but I'm raring to go.” Griffion confirmed as V weaved through two limbs simultaneously thrown at him. These dead people were quite useless against the likes of him, who was keeping reinforcement up.

“He who replies to words of doubt/doth put the light of knowledge out.” He blocks with the Hiraji of Yamato, slipping backwards as exhaustion crept up on him. His demonic energy burned bright as his leeching of Yamato's strength started to come to an end.

He leapt and sliced, the slash left behind no longer burning Sapphire blue.

He curses as Yamato struggles against the head of the curse, the edge perfectly aligned yet struggling to push through thanks to the curse’s reinforcement. He tries another tactic, as the hand of the curse attempts to come crashing down on his head.

He leapt, and the curse slaps itself on the head.

“Hah! Well? Still don't want our help?”

V knows this wouldn't work without his Nightmares now.

He flicked his fingers. “Awaken, and gather to me.”

Nightmare erupted from the ground. “Fucking finally! I've been itching for this!”

V sheathes Yamato, now extremely aware of his limitation. He had energy to spare, sure, but his physical strength holds him back immensely.

Shadow growls before leaping into the air, turning itself into a spinning blade. It tries to bring itself down upon the curse, a tactic V had tried, and failed as well. It seems that the skull area was way too reinforced for either of them to pass through.

Griffion launched a double check, the lightning hitting the ribs as the curse shrugged off the attack.

Nightmare was absorbing all the shikigami it could, replenishing V’s stamina. He hadn't ordered Nightmare to do that, but he supposed that Nightmare had his best interests in mind.

That sounded very, very wrong. What type of nightmare had its bearer’s best interests in mind?

Nevertheless, as the shikigami of the curse dwindled in numbers, V gracefully twirled his cane and hummed a small tune. He was glad for the veil, as he was sure Nitta would definitely hear it.

He waited as he sat on the ground, petting Shadow. Griffion growled beside him. He couldn't do anything either. They could deal with the stray digit here and there, and that was fine for V.

The curse seemed to panic as it had run out of Shikigami to launch at V. He chuckles, stopping his tune before infusing energy into it.

“Nightmare. Take him.”

Nightmare acknowledges the command as V plunged his cane into the curse. His nightmares couldn't kill his enemies, but with an object of his, they could. Nightmare began assimilating the curse’s being as nutrients, as the cane caused its energy to flow freely outwards.

There was clacking of its skull, then its arms and legs, then nothing.

V had a content smile on his face as Nightmare ejected his cane out of itself, before dissolving into black goop once more.

It was then that V realized he had gotten more energy than he had coming in.

~>

September 4th, 2:10 p.m.

As he got in the car, Nitta was alerted to a notification.

There was a veil on the premises that was Satozakura High, and that any back up would be needed. A sorcerer is now fighting the threat. That was the message from Ijichi to Nitta.

Nitta was sure that since Ijichi knew she was escorting V today, he was requesting V’s help.

“There's an unknown veil at Satozakura High. It's not far from here, but since it's sort of urgent, I'll get you over. I'm sorry for not giving you a break!” Nitta apologized.

“Don't be. The thankful receiver bears a plentiful harvest.” V replies.

“What does that mean?” She inquires as she starts the car.

“Rest easy!” Griffion replied before V could open his mouth. “V over here knows you don't want this.”

“Thank you!” She replies as the car started moving, “Remember your seat belts, please…”

~>

September 4th, 2:50 p.m.

“Junpei! Stop this!” Yuuji called across the auditorium as Junpei pinned Shota Ito to the wall. Moon Dregs was at the ready, waiting to be unleashed upon its foe.

“Yuuji?” Junpei asked as Ito struggled against his grip, attempting to wriggle out of it. He slammed Ito into the wall to calm him down.

“Please! You don't know what you’re doing!” He shouts with all his might.

“Oh, I know what I'm doing alright.” Moon Dregs continued the pin its master started as Junpei walked onto the foreground of the auditorium stage. “That bastard,” He points to Shota, “Put THIS at my HOUSE!”

“I- I don't know anything.. about-” Moon Dregs responded to its master’s will, stabbing poison into him.

“SHUT UP! DO YOU SEE WHAT YOU’VE DONE?!” Tears scrawled down Junpei’s eyes with an expression Yuuji recognizes from himself. “You KILLED MY MOM!”

“I’m… sorry..!” Ito choked out.

“SORRY?! WILL YOUR SORRIES BRING MY MOM BACK TO LIFE?! WILL IT SOLVE YEARS OF SHIT I HAD TO GO THROUGH?! WILL IT?! YOU FUCKING WISH, YOU SCUM OF THE EARTH PIECE OF SHI-”

Yuuji grabs Junpei’s hand before he could deliver a punch that could kill him.

“Stop! You've let out your anger. You've made your point. You can't kill him. You need to grieve!” Yuuji attempted to console, but Junpei narrowed his eyes and threw him away. He breathed in. “I'm not like you, Yuuji… you want to save lives. You’re a good person. But me…”

He glares at Ito. “I want to make this bastard pay for all THIS!” He lifted his hair that covered his right eye, revealing cigarette burns that spread almost onto his eyes. Yuuji viscerally reacted, stepping back.

“I'll ask you only once. Get out. I don't want to hurt you, Yuuji. You’re my friend. I don't want you to die.”

“No! I won't let you kill him. I know you want justice. I know you want revenge! But this isn't the way! It never is!”

“So be it. If you're not with me, then you’re against me. There's no point in saving people who don't want to be saved.”

Junpei shouts, before pushing Yuuji off him with brute strength. Moon Dregs stab Ito even deeper, and he passes out, seemingly dead.

Yuuji flips back down onto the auditorium, staring into Junpei’s eyes. He clenched his fists, and launches himself at Junpei.

~>

September 4th, 3:10 p.m.

The two boys were locked in combat, as Yuuji dealt punch after punch to Junpei’s shikigami, who blocked every strike that threatened to land for him.

“Just stop it! You're not landing anything on me!” Junpei shouts, to which Yuuji switches sides and attacks. He lands a blow, but as he does so, Junpei pulls away before the cursed energy catches up.

“There's still a way! You can walk out of this!” Yuuji pleads. Even if Junpei has truly given up, he wants him to be saved.

“You lie! All people do! You’re just gonna switch faces!” He flings Moon Dregs into Yuuji, which stabs him with its poison. Yuuji grimaces at the pain, but realizes he could keep going. He grabs its tentacles and breaks it off, as Moon Dregs shrunk away.

“Just calm down for a second!” Yuuji punches Junpei in the gut, forcing his air out of his body. “What makes you think that?!”

“Mahito… he showed me the truth! He told me this!”

“Mahito…?” Yuuji recognized the name from Nanami’s reports. “He's a curse! You shouldn't trust him!”

“Again with the lying! Shut up! Shut up!”

Junpei was now fighting with his fists, though Yuuji finds that his output is actually far lower than what his shikigami deals.

The two separate from their fisticuffs match. “Then if you think everyone lies, what about your mom?! Are you gonna tell me she lied to you?! That her compassion is just a cover for something else?!”

“DON’T BRING HER INTO THIS!” He screamed out, attempting to land a straight jab. Yuuji manages to redirect it with pak sau, and switches styles to elbow him in the chest, forcing air out his lungs once more.

“Just THINK FOR A SECOND! Curses form from negative emotions! Do you think anything good could come from that?!” Yuuji argues. Junpei stops. What if what Yuuji said was true?

What Yuuji said about his mother was true. She'd never lied to him, nor ever hurt him. She'd only ever been there for him, loving him unconditionally. And he did the same for her too.

With a look of realization, four fingers found its way onto his neck.

“Hello, Sukuna’s vessel.”

~>

September 4th, 3:05 p.m.

V arrives at the premises. It's a bit eerie in that everyone was gone, but he managed to move. He trotted along the stairways, making his way through the school. He looked above and below. The floors were littered with residuals of that curse… what was his name again? Mahito. Mahito’s residuals.

At the same time, he could hear fighting, but from God knows where.

“Heya, V!” A cheerful voice greeted him. “Have you come to join the party?”

“My sincerest apology, brother. I was so eager to see you and couldn't concentrate on the preparation of the bash.”

“Whatever. At any rate, it has been a whole year since we last met.”

He chuckles with no humor in his tone. “The last time I participated in a bash, it ended with a curse falling.” He unsheathes Yamato, and points it at the voice which he knew was Mahito. “Let's repeat that, shall we?”

Mahito grinned, “I'd love to entertain you! But unfortunately, I have business to attend to. Buh-bye!”

Before V could even begin chasing, Mahito had already disappeared from sight. He started tracking the paper trail that was his residuals, and started seeing residuals of Itadori and a different person, one he assumes to be Junpei Yoshino.

As he followed Mahito, the curse seemed to try and throw him off track by covering up residuals, but he has enough experience to know that whenever something tries to lead you somewhere, it often leads to false paths and confusion. He proceeds with the residuals.

At some point, Mahito’s presence completely disappeared.

~>

September 4th, 3:12 p.m.

“Let Sukuna free, and I'll not kill him. It's a simple deal.” Mahito smiled warmly, though Yuuji could tell even that was a guise. “Come on, it's not that hard. Just tell Sukuna to come out!”

“I'll never do that!” Yuuji gritted his teeth in fury.

“Oh man, really? I thought that'd work.” He looked upset, like a toddler who realized he couldn't get candy by throwing tantrums.

As Yuuji tried to figure out what to do, Mahito started a countdown. “10… 9..”

Yuuji searched around for any objects used for distraction. A rock? No. The ceiling? No! He searched his pockets. He had nothing that could help.

“8…”

Sukuna chuckled. Was this brat going to cave to the pressure?

“7…”

Mahito looked in anticipation. Sukuna’s vessel's soul was shaking in fear.

“6…”

V was somehow now led to the rooftops, the residuals covering every inch of the school.

“5…”

Junpei was trembling. He couldn't believe Mahito could just betray him like this. Yuuji was correct. He should've left. He should've never interacted with Mahito.

“4…”

V called out Shadow, attempting to have it go to wherever Mahito was. Shadow sniffed the ground like a dog before carting V off below.

“3…”

Yuuji panicked. He couldn't let another person have an improper death like that.

“2…”

V was contemplating summoning Nightmare and tearing the school down. He needed to find them, damn it!

“1…”

Junpei shut his eyes. This is it. This is where his time ends.

“Zero!”

Chapter Text

“Zero!”

Mahito laughs. “Well, if you’re not doing anything of value, allow me-”

“-to give you death in return.” V had arrived, pointing Yamato’s mono-uchi directly at Mahito’s neck. It was a lethal shot, as Mahito’s soul health is now around 20%.

Before they could both react, he swung.

Mahito dodged, flipping backwards while letting go of Junpei. Junpei’s body warped, and shifted. V grimaced.

“V! He-” Yuuji attempted to say, but V held out a hand.

“Leave this to me.” V replied as Yuuji nodded, holding Junpei up bridal style and leaping out of the building, shattering a couple windows in the process.

“Damn! I thought I really got you this time.” Mahito chuckled. “I gotta work on my misdirection.”

V grabbed his book from his coat pocket and started reading.

“He who torments the Chafer's sprite
Weaves a Bower in endless Night.
The Catterpillar on the Leaf
Repeats to thee thy Mother's grief.
Kill not the Moth nor Butterfly,
For the Last Judgement draweth nigh.”

“What's that supposed to mean?” Mahito laughed.

V closes his book. Griffion appears, “You’re not worth even a single bit of karma for the last judgement!” He exclaims, charging in.

Mahito chuckled, “Are you underestimating me? Last time you had to use two shikigami.”

V silently commands Shadow to start charging a skewer from beneath his feet. He then rushes in himself, drawing Yamato.

Mahito converts his arms into whips, attempting to lash V. However, Griffion steps in, attempting to perform the same move as last time by throwing himself into V.

Mahito saw this coming, and as V parries the chains with Yamato, he reaches out.

V was touched just as Mahito was pierced in the heart - the soul - with the Yamato.

Rebellion burned brightly, and Mahito saw something else.

It was a man with white hair, his hair touching his nape. He was wearing a red coat, and was strumming an electric guitar while a neon sign behind him lit up. “Devil May Cry,” It read.

“Who are you?” Mahito asked, “You’re definitely not V.”

“V? Oh, Vergil. Well, funny story, you kinda went the wrong way. He's my twin. So, how about you get outta here and we’ll call it a day, huh?” The red man was no longer holding his guitar, instead, two guns, one black, one white, were trained on Mahito.

Mahito grins, as he dashes towards the red man. He seems to have no cursed energy, unlike V. “If I touch you… then he'll be vulnerable!”

“Welp, your funeral.”

The man in red shot at Mahito, but he was undeterred. He reached out to touch him, but the red man was now holding an unfamiliar sword, an ornate one with a skull embedded atop. The skull had its eyes open, red light beaming from within.

Before Mahito could react, the man cleaved through him like it was nothing. It was then that he realized what he had truly done.

This sword, instead of using Cursed Energy like most cursed tools, was using Reversed Cursed Energy.

Reversed Cursed Energy is harmful to any and all curses.

“Oh, and, before ya leave, the name’s Dante.” Dante gave a grin, before red light expelled Mahito from the vision. What he saw last was something akin to a curse in human form.

Nanami arrived to the sight of Mahito bleeding out on the floor unconscious while V skids backwards.

V spat out blood. It had been a while since he'd done that. Rebellion glowered dimly. Mahito had done a number to it. He felt the skin on his body crackle and break away, flaking off.

This was bad. Very, very bad.

“V!” Nanami calls out, “Are you alright?” V nods.

Mahito blinked back into consciousness before Nanami was able to deal a finishing blow. He rolled out of the wrapped blade’s attack, and sprung upwards in order for his feet to touch Nanami.

He was in disbelief. What the hell was this curse?

Clawed feet dragged Nanami by the coat, flinging him into a wall. He managed to plant his foot, and redirect that momentum. He launched himself at Mahito, arm at the ready.

Mahito wiped the grin off his face as before he made contact with Nanami, Shadow appeared and stabbed him through the head.

BLACK FLASH

Black sparks emerged from Nanami’s fist, a critical hit just in time in order to throw Mahito into the wall and down below.

“Chase him down!” Nanami calls out. His cursed energy was now burning brightly, Overtime be damned. At V’s feet, puddles of black goo wrap itself around him and carts him off to follow Nanami.

~>

Mahito was slammed through several walls before landing outside the school. His soul was now at around 9% health. He had to leave.

But this – this was exhilarating! The threat of his life, the fight itself, everything about it just screamed itself to him. His face and features contorted into a manic grin. V would be in for a surprise.

A curse approached him. Without thinking, he opened his maw wide and swallowed it whole.

He now had enough cursed energy to at least replenish his health.

10%

11%

12%

13%

That was enough.

He prepared himself to continue fighting.

V leapt onto the scene first, as he started taking this far more seriously than before. Rebellion was damaged, and it has accelerated his condition once again.

“Nightmare,” he rasps, his throat breaking off in parts as well, “Slay All.”

A meteor throws itself onto Mahito’s location as black tar threatens to consume him.

“Three shikigami?! You really are taking me seriously!” He guffawed, as he separated himself from the goop. It had taken some of his strength to do so, but unlike Jogo’s experience with it, he could pull away.

Nanami arrives as well, tearing off his tie and wrapping it around his fist. He was not risking V’s life today. Cursed Energy burned brightly, as black sparks surrounded Nanami in an aura of gloom. In his goggles, he narrowed his eyes.

Mahito will be exorcised today.

V unsheathed Yamato, hoping to use its energy to fix himself. It was to no avail.

Griffion threw down rows and rows of barricades, five columns of electricity beating down on Mahito as he evaded the strikes of Nightmare. Its glowing eye scanned Mahito, piercing into his soul. He merely gave him a small wink and dodged downwards, just enough to dodge Shadow’s morphing into a hedgehog.

Spikes rose as Nanami dodged all of the ebony appendages, aiming at the point in Mahito’s gut between 7-3.

[=•=•=¢=•=•=•=•=•=•=•=]

Mahito coughed up blood as Nightmare caught up, sending a laser beam into him. Internally, he was panicking. Nightmare’s stronghold is far too much cursed energy output for him to take.

8%

Nanami threw a punch that tried to cave his skull in. Mahito morphed himself into a spike ball, yet Nanami managed to leap back in time and avoid overcommitting. Griffion came with an attack immediately after, throwing up a large dome of lightning as Mahito morphed back into human form. He scrambled, trying to get out, yet Nightmare’s tar held him firmly.

7%

V sighed, giving Shadow the Yamato as she transformed into the form of Vergil. Although he was covered in an inky black, V could discern his features well enough. The doppelganger rushed forward, accelerating the speed of its slashes as it attempted to shred Mahito within a thousand cuts. Mahito tried to dodge, but the tar was getting to him. He could only morph his torso to be so thin that Yamato couldn't cut properly. Nanami was now waiting for an opportunity.

6%

Shadow went back to V as he mustered up strength to call Nanami. “Take this!” He shouts. He would've never done that before as Vergil, but V is no longer in a position to be picky. He threw Yamato at Nanami. Nanami took it and unsheathed the blade. Even though he was not a sword expert like Kusakabe, he would do for now.

Somehow, Yamato was whispering. It directed his every move, boosting his cursed energy output as he performed the correct moves. He sliced with precision, slashing at the tatami mat that was Mahito.

5%

Mahito was on the ropes. Nanami was going to kill him at this rate, and Nightmare was not helping. Every time he tried to touch Nanami, its goop managed to keep him away from contacting its surface.

V joined the fray as Mahito felt his cursed energy drain from his body. His vision blinked between consciousness and unconsciousness.

Is this… death?

2%

Mahito has truly fainted.

The beating at him became a blur, and the only thing he could see now was himself - his soul.

He reached out, and he opened his maw, two hands connecting in his mouth.

“Domain Expansion. Self Embodiment of Perfection.”

The eruption of energy from Mahito was enough to knock the both of them backwards. An infinite distance formed between them as hands clamped on hands clamped on hands.

V’s shikigami dissolved into nothingness, returning to him.

“I've got to thank you, V. It’s you who gave me the opportunity to unlock my full potential.”

V saw Urizen once more. A curse sitting on a high throne.

He clenched his fist, feeling the rush of cursed energy. He had to finish this.

“Nanami. Give me the Yamato.”

Nanami let out a sigh, giving V his tool back.

“The best way to escape a domain..”

Gojo closed his eyes, and the world - the entire pocket dimension - trembled with demonic intensity. “...Is to overwhelm it with a much more refined one.” He opened his eyes, and V paled as he felt Gojo’s energy skyrocket. He could see a hand sign.

“Domain Expansion.” V held Yamato in one hand, while holding her tsuka in another.

Nanami looked on in shock.

“You can't really have a Domain Expansion! If you had, you'd have used it against Jogo!” Mahito called bullshit. “I’ll give you time-”

V’s hair erupted into white, and he disappeared into blurs of blue. Mahito had felt it in that split second.

V, in that moment, was synced in mind and body. He, for that single glimpse –

– was whole.

“Wh-” Before Nanami could react, Mahito had sustained several critical injuries, and the black environment had holes torn into it.

V reappeared, sheathing Yamato in a vertical position. As the habaki slotted itself into the koiguchi, Mahito’s Domain shattered. He panted, before falling into unconsciousness, dust flying from his body.

1%

It was now just Nanami and Mahito.

V had done most of the work, and so Nanami picked up Yamato once more, feeling its energy course through him. It felt wrong stealing it from V without permission, but even though Mahito was weakened, he couldn't take any chances.

As he darted forward, Mahito pulled up a close sewer grate and disappeared, escaping into the system. Nanami attempted to give chase, but after he'd entered the sewers, there was no longer any sign of Mahito. He cursed, climbing back upwards.

~>

Itadori awaited him on the surface, fists at the ready. “Nanamin!” He exclaims, “Are you both okay? I saw a giant black sphere with cursed energy nearby, then it got torn apart!”

From Itadori’s description, he'd returned too late, and if V hadn't done whatever that was, they would be dead. “That was a Domain Expansion, Itadori. If it weren't for V, I'd be dead.”

“V?” Itadori turned to look at V, whose skin looked as though it was breaking apart. “V!” He called out, but he seemed to be unconscious for now. “Wake up!”

“Calling out to him is irrational, Itadori. We have to carry him back to Jujutsu Tech. He can seek help from Ieiri there.” Nanami instructs, before calling Ijichi.

~>

“Nanamin! What's up?” Gojo was at the front gate of Jujutsu Tech, waiting for a manager to take him to his next mission.

“Make way. V is in critical condition.” Nanami was holding V as Itadori attempted to greet his sensei.

“What?” Gojo’s voice immediately turned serious and down an octave from his usual child-like tone. He took off his blindfold, as Nanami’s conscience cowered under the other man’s glacial glare. “I'll take him.”

Without missing a beat, Gojo immediately grabbed V’s body and warped away, leaving Nanami and Itadori alone. Nanami held Yamato in his hands. “Get in the car. Ijichi will drive you back to Gojo’s hideout for you.” Itadori gravely nods, and heads to Ijichi’s car.

~>

Gojo rushed V to Shoko’s. He was not dying. Not now. Not ever.

When he saw Shoko, she was equally shocked at how the newest Special Grade was damaged like this. She took out a flashlight. “Out. Now.” She told Gojo.

“I want to sta-” Gojo attempted to argue.

“OUT!” She shouts, “Close the door!”

As Gojo closed the door, Shoko checked for a pulse. He still had a pulse, but now she felt as though she was breaking through skin with every touch. That didn't feel right. His cursed energy was in disarray. He seemed fine on the outside, seeing as his pupils reacted accordingly to her flashlight, and how his heart beat according to her stethoscope.

She outputted Reversed Cursed Energy, and found that something else in his body was absorbing the energy instead of his body itself taking it in. Even still, she knew his body was better now by how his skin started mending itself together. She kept outputting the energy, hoping he’d wake up soon.

~>

“Dante.”

V – no, Vergil – greeted, his form in its entirety.

“Heya, Verge. Long day, huh?” Dante chuckled. He was wiping the Rebellion of any stains.

“It has been.” Vergil replied, sitting down next to Dante. He was unarmed, probably because the Yamato wasn't something he could bring with him in dreams, “How are you here?”

“I'm not,” Dante replied softly, “I'm just a memory. Something you made up of your own imagination. Rebellion can't talk to you, so you just have to talk to it,” that statement left Vergil confused.

“Ya damaged it, dumbass. Even after I gave it to you, you still almost got it destroyed permanently. If it weren't for me, it would've been destroyed by now.” He shrugged, as the Rebellion shone clearly in the red haze of this place.

“...Thank you, brother.” This was not a sentence that Vergil would say, but he realized his time as V had an impact. “I hope I will see you soon.”

“For your information, I'm still not dead.” Dante gave a mischievous smirk, as V returned to the living.

~>

“Gah-!” V awoke in a cold sweat. Shoko watched over him as he stumbled, snapping a few pictures as he did. Instinctually, he reached out for Yamato, but found that it was not there.

“Where's my katana?” He questioned Shoko, “Oh, I dunno. When Gojo grabbed you, you didn't have it.” She replied flippantly, “Are you feeling fine?” She asked.

V felt for his body and skin. It was fine, not flakey nor covered in dead skin. It seems that she had delayed his condition somewhat.

“By the way, your friends are waiting outside. If you don't mind, I'll let them in.”

V nods.

Opening the door, Gojo rushed in first, then Fushiguro, then Kugisaki.

“V!” They all called out in unison before engulfing him in a worried hug.

Even though the air in the morgue was quite cold, V could swear he felt warm.

“Don't pull that dying act on us, okay?!” Kugisaki scolded, “We have enough of that with Itadori.”

“I am clearly still alive.” He allowed himself a small smile.

“Yeah, unlike someone.” She was staring at Gojo. “Whaaat?” He asked, confused.

“They know.” V states, “Itadori is still alive.” Fushiguro nodded. Kugisaki was still staring intently at Gojo.

“Come on, V! That was meant to be a secret between us!” Gojo pouted.

“A secret we deserve to know. I know you meant to protect him from something, but your actions gave you away.” Fushiguro glared at Gojo. “I expect an apology!” Kugisaki growled out.

Gojo sweated. “Alright, I better get to my mission now, bye~! Oh, and I’ll see you later, V!” He practically ran with his tail in between his legs.

“How bad was it?” V asked Shoko, who was now smoking a cigarette. “It's quite complicated. I think it was an internal hemorrhage, but I'm not sure. Your skin was literally peeling off your body in dust, but after I tried Reversed Cursed Technique, your body took it in and it started healing. Then you woke up. You’ll probably be fine, just a little fatigued. You can return to school tomorrow.”

Kugisaki cheered while Fushiguro smiled.

A light knock on the door, and a familiar voice called out, “V?”

Kugisaki and Fushiguro turned their heads. They couldn't believe it.

The door opened to reveal a familiar teen in a red hoodie. “V! And… Kugisaki and Fushiguro…” his voice trailed off. Something was very wrong here.

The night ended with Itadori having to use a funeral photo frame from Kugisaki the whole time they were all visiting V.

~>

For a few split moments, V was Vergil once more.

It was quite the experience, having been bested simply by a demon who somehow knew the existence of the Rebellion still embedded within his body. But for that moment, all Vergil could think of was the disgust he felt at himself. His weakness.

As he darted around the Domain, he could see Mahito’s smug grin and Nanami’s shocked expression. He furrowed his brows as he continued, knowing he only had little time left before the demonic impression ran out.

This curse would die. He would make sure of it.

However, despite his appearance and lack of physical ailments, Vergil still had only fractions of fractions of his original amount of demonic power, and so had to make do with less slashes aimed at critical spots.

And yet, the base man managed to survive. Vergil saw one of Mahito’s pupils whirling to look at him. His rage was boundless, and his wrath was uncontained. He had a limited time in this state and he needed to make it count.

Just as he got ready to deal the final blow, his body glowed in sapphire blue. His energy was running out, but as he moved back to his initial position, he was given a glimpse of the Qliphoth – specifically, Urizen.

The demon - his demon - stared back, unimpressed. V felt a tingle of fear as his white hair dissolved into black, feeling Nightmare’s presence with him once more.

Chapter Text

After V had recovered, Kugisaki, Fushiguro and Itadori started warming up to him even more. He hesitated to call them friends at first, but they made him happy. They kept him happy. That was enough for him.

“Oi, why do you three keep giving me draw fours?!” Fushiguro groaned, looking at his deck of Uno cards. On the table was three draw fours total, granting him twelve cards.

Oh, poor Fushiguro, unaware of the horrors of the world, V thought.

“We’re ganging up on you! Right?” Kugisaki grinned as V shrugged. Itadori nodded, “Hell yeah!”

The joy they radiate as they play was way more than what V – Vergil has experienced in years.

He thought about Dante; about the Qliphoth, and instantly, his mood was ruined.

He didn't deserve this, did he?

“V! It's your turn! Hurry up!” Itadori called out, to which V glanced at the last card placed on the table. It's a red 6.

He searched his deck, and found a blue 6 to match.

“Two cards left.” V mutters.

“I'll change that sooner or later..” Fushiguro grumbled. His mood is a little sour, given that his hands are now full of cards.

Kugisaki came next, and she put down a wild card. “Yellow,” She says, to which Fushiguro nods. “Draw two.” He motions to Itadori, who’s slack-jawed with shock. “What?!” Itadori fake cried. “Revenge.” Fushiguro gave a satisfied grin.

“Well, draw two!” Itadori put down another draw two, this time in red.

…

Wait, this was his turn.

He could feel the Dante in him cackle as he scrambled for any draw twos or even just a skip or reverse. Two cards left, his ass.

“I was angry with my friend;
I told my wrath, my wrath did end.
I was angry with my foe:
I told it not, my wrath did grow.

And I water’d it in fears,
Night and morning with my tears:
And I sunned it with smiles,
And with soft deceitful wiles.

And it grew both day and night.
Till it bore an apple bright.
And my foe beheld it shine,
And he knew that it was mine.

And into my garden stole,
When the night had veil’d the pole;
In the morning glad I see;
My foe outstretched beneath the tree.”

He quotes, a glint with murderous intent present in his eyes.

“That’s ominous.” Fushiguro notes.

“Just draw the cards, V. No need to make a fuss out of it!” Griffion blabbered as he clenched his fist, but made no motion to shut him up.

He grumbled, before taking out four cards from the original deck.

The four cards were each of different color, but they were all non numerical cards. That was truly frustrating.

Kugisaki drew again, now having the least amount of cards in the battle. Itadori had four, while Fushiguro… Fushiguro was a lost cause.

“Red 1!” She calls out, placing the card down.

“Blue 9.” Fushiguro places down the card.

The entire table went silent.

“Out of all the cards you have you chose a blue 9? It's supposed to be red, genius!” Griffion is the first to chastise him. “Ya blind or something?” Using his feet, he tapped at the red 1 that was placed.

“Shut up. I was distracted.” Fushiguro amends the mistake by taking the blue 9 back up and throws down a red 7 instead.

“By what, exactly?” V asked, following the opening his familiar had made, “What could you possibly have been so interested in that made you distracted from your current predicament? You have more than twenty cards on hand.”

“Oooh, thinking of a secret crush? Tell us!” Kugisaki asked, or rather, teased.

“No!” His eyebrows were so furrowed together you'd think it was a unibrow. His face heated up. “Even if it was, I would never tell.”

“Aww, is someone a little shy because of a little crush?” Itadori half joked, joining in the game of “bullying Fushiguro”.

“Focus on the game!” He barked, and that settled them down. At this point, he looked as though he was halfway between throwing his cards away and slamming the door to his dorm shut, or initiating the last shikigami’s subjugation ritual on them. Neither of them were that favorable.

V had seen that once. That energy was not something he wanted to experience again.

It was a game of blackjack with Fushiguro and Kugisaki. V was acting as the house, and so he was shuffling the cards perfectly with riffle shuffles. He then cut the cards in half and handed out the cards.

“You both get one card,” He explained, “You may reveal it to yourself now. The one who reaches closest to 21 points before the game ends or another player busts wins.”

“What’s a bust again?” Kugisaki asked.

“When you reach higher than 21 points. Moving on,” V replied, “If you do land at 21 precisely with the card I am about to give or the card after that, then it is called blackjack and it will override anything else. It's the largest victory you may get.”

The two nodded. “Now, place your bets.”

”Bets?”

“We… aren't playing with real money?” V was obviously confused.

“No?” Fushiguro replied, yet as he went on to explain-

Kugisaki slammed a 5,000 yen banknote onto the table, “I’ll do it!” She then turned to Fushiguro, “Unless you’re a little bitch?”

“Language,” Fushiguro weakly countered, eliciting a chuckle from V. “Of course you’re a bitch! You haven't even tamed half your shikigami repertoire yet!” Griffion mocked.

Fushiguro deflated, “That was a low blow.” V agrees, “I concur. That was quite the low blow, Griffion. Spectacular, even.” Kugisaki laughed as Fushiguro blushed, “I’ll tame everything alright.”

”I'm sure you will,” V replied. “Now, should both of you bust in the same round, all proceeds go to the one with the higher initial chip count, that is the card that you are about to reveal.”

“Fine. Take my money.” Fushiguro placed a 5,000 yen banknote onto the faux casino table.

”Should you think that you’re confident, you may double down at any time. Note that you must raise at least double of your initial value for it to count, and I will give you another card. You cannot hit afterwards no matter what.”

“That's a bogus rule, V, and you know it!” Griffion argued, “But real casinos use it to get people to bet more, don't they? I'm merely following the mold.” V nonchalantly replied.

The game starts with Fushiguro getting a 5, and Kugisaki getting a 6.

”Now then. Hit or stand?”

“Hit,” They both replied.

V dealt two cards. He then had Griffion check their cards to ensure they aren't cheating.

“Fushiguro has a 15. Kugisaki has a 13.” He whispers as V nods.

“Now?” he asked.

“Double down!” Kugisaki grinned. She placed another 5,000 yen banknote while

“Stand.” Fushiguro passively stared at nothing.

V dealt a card to Kugisaki.

“21 chips!” She cheered. “You lose, Fushiguro. This is all mine!” She greedily took all the money for herself. Fushiguro was unimpressed.

“Again.” Fushiguro’s cursed energy spiked. “Again?” V parroted. “It's best to cut your losses while you can.” “It's the behavior of a little bitch, that's what!” Kugisaki grinned viciously, “Just let him go again!”

V shrugged, before regathering the cards and shuffling a new deck.

Kugisaki won another time, this time due to her initial chip count being higher than his.

“You’re about to owe me money tonight, Fushiguro!” Her grin turned predatory.

She did not go back on her words, even as V tried teaching Fushiguro about splitting his cards. Her all-in style coupled with her luck allowed her to practically double her pot every time she won.

By the end of it, Fushiguro was livid. V could tell just by the rise and fall of his chest, and the little spikes of cursed energy that grew more frequent by each moment.

“I win again! Uh, what's wrong with Fushiguro-”

“You say I've never tamed even half of my shikigami?! Then let me show you what the hell I’m dealing with!” Cursed energy broke through the roof, and V was sure everyone in the estate knew what this meant. He could hear panicked footsteps coming from the ether as Fushiguro breathed in.

“WITH THIS SACRED TREASURE, I SUMMON!” He roared, as V felt – and heard – a wheel turn.

“What the hell?!” Kugisaki asked, and V wanted to ask the same question.

Wait. They had teased him for not taming all his shikigami. Which means this is a-

“Calm down, Fushiguro, I-”

“Too late! Here we go, motherfuckers!” He grinned just as viciously as Kugisaki was.

V shuddered. It was good that Fushiguro had such great cursed energy control that he managed to stop the subjugation ritual then and there. To be fair, he would've lost his cool like that too if he lost to Arkham like that five times in a row while they played cards.

In his cards, however, he found an Ace of Spades mingling among them. What the hell?

“V! It's your turn again! Speed it up!” Itadori rushed him.

“Huh? Oh.” V nods, throwing down a green reverse to match the green 4 that was placed.

V won this round; Itadori came last. At least Fushiguro would not, as the younger generation would say, “crash out”.

Chapter Text

He woke up for absolutely no reason.

V took a look at his phone. He’d gotten more adept at using it, and so he's able to use it properly. 5 am. That's frustrating. He groaned, as Griffion attempted to manifest beside him. He stopped him, knowing that his loud voice would prevent him from going to sleep again.

He yawned; normally he wouldn't do such a thing. Strangely, he's quite drained.

He touched his torso. Rebellion responded in kind.

He reached for Yamato. The devil arm came to him readily.

He decided to brew a pot of coffee. Today was the day for the Goodwill Event, after all. He couldn’t afford to be tired now.

~>

Fushiguro woke up to the smell of coffee and breakfast. What's going on? Did Gojo come back and was trying to cook them something?

He looked at his alarm clock. 5:55 am. This had to be illegal, he thought, who would wake up at this ungodly hour? It had to be Gojo. He never sleeps.

He brushed his teeth and washed his face, as he headed to the common room to find V laying down a Full English Breakfast for himself, Fushiguro, and Kugisaki. Is this a dream? He asked himself.

“Ah, Fushiguro.” V notes, “As an apology for yesterday and the day before, I've decided to cook breakfast for you. I've also brewed a pot of coffee, though I'm not sure if it's to your liking. Which type of coffee would you like?”

“Black.” He replies, sitting down at the other table. The coffee table was reserved for games and games only.

“Ah.” V nods, “As black and bitter as your soul, I presume?” He chuckled as he spoke. It was quite a modern joke, but he gets why it's that funny.

“You’re the one with the edgy getup when you first arrived.” Fushiguro retorts.

“Ah, well. That is quite fair.” V poured a cup of coffee, then slid it across the table. The cup somehow did not spill despite the force behind V’s push. Fushiguro catches it and takes a sip.

“Careful, it's-” V’s warning came too late as Fushiguro downed the whole thing almost immediately – no, he inhaled it like Kirby.

V shrugs. “Dig in.”

The two ate as Kugisaki woke up to the clattering of plates and the smell of coffee. She checked her phone. “What are these idiots doing at 6:10 am?” She exited her room and went straight to the common room.

“What the hell? You’re eating breakfast? That's way too early!” Kugisaki complained.

“It might be unreasonable, yes, but I woke up early for no reason and decided to cook a meal for all of you. You might as well enjoy it.” V passively replied.

“Someone’s cranky.” Griffion chimed in.

“It’s hard to not be when you wake up for no reason only to find you can no longer fall asleep.” V replied as he took a bite of the sausage.

“Ah, what the hell. Pass me the coffee?” She asked, but V stopped her.

“I can smell your breath stink from here even though you’re at the entrance. Go brush your teeth.”

She sighed as she returned to the bathroom.

“So, what do you think about Itadori?” Fushiguro asked. V was munching on his eggs while Fushiguro was eating the mushrooms.

V dabbed his face with his napkin. “Itadori? He's…”

V went through a couple of different vocabularies in his head, but he eventually settled on one. “... Strong.”

“What?” Fushiguro asked.

“He who kisses joy as it flies by will live in eternity's sunrise.” V quotes.

“What about Sukuna?” Fushiguro wondered.

“Sukuna has never spoken to me. Not once.” V replied.

“How? You’re strong, you defeated that Special Grade, and he never spoke to you?!”

“Is it truly that weird?” V asked. "Perhaps I'm just not that interesting to him."

Fushiguro nods.

Kugisaki reentered the common room, and V held out her plate to her. “A full English breakfast? I thought I'd never get to eat one of those!” She grinned. “Thanks!”

“This is really good, V. Thanks for the meal.” Fushiguro nodded.

Vergil had cooked once or twice while he was young for Dante and his mother, but he got his culinary skills from his ventures across the world to search for Sparda's power. He learnt everything he could, as he cooked meals for himself that would be deemed delectable.

Now, V was glad this skill was coming in handy.

(As Gojo heard of this, he got jealous of V for having such a good grasp on cooking when the only thing he could cook was instant ramen.)

~>

It was morning, and Gojo had come to pick them up along with Itadori by his side. “I had a plan, you know.” Gojo told V. “If you hadn't revealed anything, I would've surprised them with the reveal of Itadori being alive.”

“Don't you think that would cripple them mentally rather than them being happy? They would not trust you after that. You knew and yet you chose to hide it from them. Don't you see what that causes?” V argued.

“...oh.” Gojo gulped.

“Not so great of an idea now, is it?” V knew he was right.

“...yeah.” Gojo concurred.

~>

“Sukuna’s vessel?!” Principal Gakuganji was shaken.

“Yep!” Popping the p eagerly, Gojo leaned into Gakuganji’s ear, “Or is your senile ass unable to see directly three feet in front of you?”

“Get off me!” Gakuganji ordered, but Gojo decided to keep messing with him in an impromptu ASMR session, “What do you mean? I'm enjoying this.” Gojo replied, a grin ever present on his face.

V instantly knew now what Gojo meant by being a sucker for the higher-ups. He demanded respect, yet he held no power. He glared.

“Who are you to command Gojo around?” V asked, “You have no power. Your eyes show no motivation. Perhaps you should consider leaving life.”

Yuuji felt Sukuna nodding at all of those statements and agreeing, “V has spirit, I’ll give him that.” The thousand-year old curse praised.

Gojo cackled as the scarred woman gave him a stern look. “Young man, you are in deep-”

“I apologize. The opportunity was too opportune not to pass up.” He allowed himself a smile.

“Power isn't everything. Principal Gakuganji has years of experience over you.” The woman argued, but V shook his head. “A bootlicker isn't a principal.” Gojo backed V up. “I’d much rather listen to Yaga than Gakuganji, you know why? Because he's respectable. Just look at this old man’s face! You'd think he's begging to be punted-”

“-ENOUGH!” A voice roared. It was Yaga. “Satoru! V! You will apologize to the principal.” Yaga bowed to Gakuganji. “I apologize for their behavior.”

“Don't. I want to hear it from them.” Gakuganji replied.

“Truth can never be told so as to be understood and not be believed.” V sighed, almost dramatically, as though he was in a theater and performing Shakespeare.

Sukuna was cackling. Full on, bent over cackling. He was entertaining, he’ll give V that. The King’s inner domain echoed with laughter. Even Yuuji’s lungs threatened to give out and start laughing.

“Anyways! Let's get things going!” Gojo warped away, before coming back with a pile of gifts. “Here are your souvenirs! Utahime, you don't get any.”

The scarred woman, now known as Utahime, clenched her fists. “I didn't want any!”

Each of the Kyoto school members were given great souvenirs. However, as it came to the Tokyo students…

“Since V spoiled the surprise, I went on an errand run for your gifts!” He handed out a packet to Fushiguro. He looked and saw it was African candy.

He then handed one to Kugisaki, which turned out to be a voodoo doll. “I even put in my own cursed energy! Your attacks with this will be so effective the curses won't know what's coming!” He grinned.

The last was reserved for V, as he placed a box on his hands. The box was large, but V managed to unwrap it, revealing books on African culture and their literature. “Since you like books so much, I decided to give you something to read! Don't etch your name on these books, now!”

V blushed. That was a one time thing with his most prized possession.

“Welp! With everything settled, let's start the event!”

~>

Team Tokyo was in their own room as they discussed their strategy.

“V could hold off Todo,” Fushiguro plotted a monopoly car representing V onto a monkey, representing Todo. “We've seen what he can do with his shikigami. He could incapacitate Todo.” Kugisaki nods.

“Barely,” V replied. “Itadori is physically stronger than all of us here, so I nominate him to fight Todo. I would rather I didn't waste energy fighting him when I could be exorcising curses.”

“Wait, wait wait. What do you mean he's stronger than all of us here? Even Maki?” Panda questioned, skeptically.

“Yes.” V doubled down without hesitation, “I’m sure Fushiguro can testify, since he's seen Itadori in action without cursed energy.”

“If all of us were to fight him without cursed energy, he would win.”

“Don't be like that, guys! I'm not that strong.” Yuuji chuckled.

“You should stop being so humble.” V replied.

Maki seemed a little irritated, but she did not say anything.

“Alright! Itadori vs. Todo!” Panda placed down a tiger against the monkey instead, leaving the car alone.

“Salmon.” Inumaki nods.

Suddenly, a memory entered V’s head.

”The higher ups are gonna want you dead along with Yuuji, V. You’re too strong for them. Since the principal of the Kyoto branch is a real sucker for higher up behavior, he'd probably order his students to kill you.” Gojo had said.

“We need to protect Itadori. You've seen how Gakuganji reacted against his existence.” V states. “If anything, he'd send students to kill him to destroy Sukuna.”

“This kid is smart,” Sukuna grinned underneath Yuuji’s skin.

“Good idea. You cover him, then.” Maki spoke up, “You could probably deal with everyone in Kyoto without an issue since you’re a Special Grade.”

V nods. Fine. He'd oblige.

~>

“At the designated time, we’ll split into Panda and Megumi squads to scout. You and V go handle Todo.” Maki instructed as they ran, just after the signal for the start of the event rang.

In front of them, a small insignificant spider hovered above the ground. “Where are you going…?” It asked.

“It's small fry.” Panda identifies, before Megumi shouts, “Senpai, stop!”

Just before they could get to the curse, the trees before them were broken down to reveal Todo busting through. “Alright! The gang’s all here! Come at me all at once!”

“Scatter!” V calls out, as he flicked his fingers and summoned all three of his shikigami. He was not in a mood for holding back. His hair flickered white before their eyes.

A goopy rock of a hand punches Todo away in an uppercut as Nightmare leaps into the fray from the ground below.

“What's this? A new shikigami? You really are interesting!” Todo grinned wildly.

“I've been hiding this from you, Todo.” V draws Yamato. “I know you won't win against it.”

“Such arrogance! Maybe I can forgive your taste in women after all!” Todo chortles, before Yuuji rushes in, catching Todo unaware. He lands a triple kick, before attempting to step on his face in order to kick him away.

The gorilla persists, his stance unwavering. “Nice speed,” He compliments, before using his brute force to punch Yuuji. V sees this, and blocks with Nightmare. The golem catches his fist readily, and clocks him in the face instead, sending a laser beam at him.

Todo recovers, “Alright, come on!” And springs into it head on. He slammed a punch into it, yet it did not budge. Its core thrummed with power, the purple glare covering Todo’s vision as it stamped down.

“Yuuji. You said you would win against him, correct?” V asks as Todo gets blasted away by Nightmare’s Domination in the background. Yuuji nods. “Then I will not get in your way. Griffion will be a safety net if someone tries to assassinate you, and, if you’re in any further trouble,” He conjures a replica of his cane. “Funnel Cursed Energy into it, and I will appear. Before that, however, use it as a weapon however you like.”

This was an extension of his Gambit technique, one that allowed him to warp a set distance with his cane in order to finish off demons. He used a binding vow in order to make it so he could warp to Yuuji from anywhere in the grounds of the event.

[Binding Vow:

V cannot summon any other summoned canes while this particular cane is active.

He cannot use Gambit on his real cane while it is active.

He must refrain from using Gambit for at least thirty seconds before this cane can be used.

In exchange, he will be able to warp to the summoned cane once the vow is broken by a second party, funneling cursed energy into it the same way V would utilize Gambit as a technique.
]

Nightmare dissolves before Todo could land a hit. “What?!” Todo gawked as his fist met goop. “Apologies, but I prefer to be pragmatic with my fights. Yuuji will be more than able to handle the likes of you.” He taunts, before Shadow carts him off.

“What's up, Yuuji?!” Griffion flexes his body, before he perches on top of his shoulders. “Alright, let's get this over with!”

“Tch. Just one. And he's the weakest, as well.” Todo complains, before grinning, “Ah well, if you’re as strong as he says you are, then you can handle this!”

Yuuji barely dodged a punt by a hair. His hoodie billowed in the wind as the force generated from the whiff almost immediately tore it off. He goes for a chest blow, but finds that Todo has already disappeared.

“?!” He was swept off his feet easily by Todo, who attempts to punch in his face. He raises V’s cane to defend, allowing it to absorb the impact of Todo’s punch. It cracked.

Elsewhere, V could feel the cane stir. “Shit.” He said as he was searching for curses separately. Shadow was an excellent candidate for scouting, as she blended in with the shadows.

Yuuji throws away the cane as he realized it wouldn't hold for another second. He went to kick Todo, using his vulnerability as an advantage. Todo spots this, however, and grabs it immediately. “So, you want to play like that, huh?!” He swings Yuuji around like a ragdoll before slamming him into the ground once more. Yuuji spat out blood. His heart was working overtime and his bones felt like static - scratch that, his entire body felt like it was enveloped in static, even more so as Todo kicked his skull.

Tinnitus did not concede as his head was bashed in over and over. Blood spilled out while Todo grinned in glee.

Where the hell is Griffion? Yuuji attempted to think, but he was pinned down and in the process of being beaten up, so he could not think straight.

Said demon was thinking of ways to incapacitate Todo. Knowing the sorcerer, the same trick was not going to work twice.

“Griffion. Once I deploy you, you are to circle the arena for any potential threats to Yuuji. If you see that he's about to die, intervene. If you see that he's being ambushed, incapacitate the attacker the best you can.” V explained his game plan.

“Okay!” Griffion replied, “Just saving Yuuji. Got it.”

Right now, he couldn't really save Yuuji without putting himself at risk. If he goes into Stalemate now, he wouldn't be able to be revived in any other way than with an overwhelming amount of Cursed Energy, something V couldn't afford to provide right now.

As he deliberated his choice, Todo stopped kicking Yuuji on the head. “Don't tell me… you’re already tapped out?” He stopped pinning the pink haired teen. “Ah well. I guess if you can't fight me, he’ll have to do.” His gaze turned towards Griffion, the demon feeling extreme unease as he realized that he'd have to fight Todo.

The last time they fought, Todo had managed to almost knock him into Stalemate thrice in a single match, so he was more than glad when V pulled him out to serve the bitch Mai.

Todo leapt while Griffion attempted to dodge. One clap, and he was within his grasp. “You think you can run from me?” He asked. “Fuck off!” Griffion screamed out, enveloping himself in an orb of lightning. Todo was forced to freeze by Griffion’s liberal use of lightning into the Central Nervous System.

Yuuji got back up steadily. His pulse was uneven, but his vision was starting to clear up. He's not dead. He's alive. Sukuna chuckled at the pathetic display.

“Wake up, brat.”

“!!” His vision cleared up immediately. Sukuna was attempting to take control. “N-no!” Yuuji clenched his fists as tattoos started to overwhelm his normally blank skin, and a second pair of eyes threatened to take over his normal scars.

“If you don't want me to take you over permanently and destroy everyone you know, GET UP! ENTERTAIN ME!” The King roared in his ears, the tinnitus returning with a vengeance.

Blood was dripping down his eye. This was fine. He could handle this.

Sukuna was enjoying making the brat suffer. This was the best freak show he's had in a while since whoever the hell the Void Generals were.

“GET UP!” He roared as Yuuji’s body threatened to coil himself into a ball.

“GET UP!” He chants, swapping to his secondary mouth, now having it scream outwards through Yuuji’s palm.

“GET UP!” Yuuji’s vision was beginning to blur, yet Sukuna’s calling anchored him to reality in a twisted way.

He could clearly see how Griffion threw Todo away from him easily. He was helping, unlike him, who got beaten in less than ten seconds flat.

“GET UP!” Sukuna roared once more, as Yuuji’s vision cleared up entirely. His focus was on the downed Todo. The man was already getting up.

“SHUT UPPP!” Yuuji replied with a roar of his own, sending birds flying away from the forest.

The King of Curses laughed as his jester staggered. “Oi, you!” He pointed to Todo, “You think you can just pound on my head like that?! What if you made me more dumb than I was?!” Yuuji asked Todo, who brushed himself off. He had a few scuffs here and there, and his physical strength was ever so slightly diminished from Griffion’s attack still coursing through his neurons, but he was still whole.

“Takada says that the best men are a little dumb. Don't worry about it.” Todo grinned. “What’s impressive is how you managed to survive. First year, what is your name?”

“Itadori Yuuji.” He replied, unsure of where this conversation was going.

“Itadori, what kind of woman is your type?”

…

“What?” It took him a few seconds to process that one. “Why?”

“I'm appraising you.” Todo replied simply.

“If I were to pick… it'd probably be a tall girl with a big ass. Like Jennifer Lawrence!”

Todo sobbed. The gods had blessed him with both a rival in V and a brother in Itadori. The memories that have never been, those that he thought he'd never recall, returned to him.

“...” Sukuna looked from Itadori’s perspective, confounded beyond belief. “What's that brute doing now?”

~>

V, Itadori, and Aoi had once attended the same school. V was always the best of them all, with his love of literature quite literally carrying him through school life. Even throughout the years, he'd graduate top of the class, never once faltering, even beating Aoi’s own scores despite having sworn that he'd never studied a day in his life.

“This test is truly surface level,” V sighed as he placed down a math test with a 100 on it.

Meanwhile, Itadori, his brother, was struggling with Math. In fact, he was struggling with every subject where V was not. It almost seemed like he'd been held back with the amount of insight he has on certain subjects like Japanese history or Literature.

“It's too hard,” Aoi could recall Itadori saying as he gave him the result, labelled with a 40/100 as he sobbed.

“It's okay, brother. I'll help you pass.” Aoi wiped away his tears, “It’ll be just a little bit of pain, then it’ll be alright.” He went to hug Yuuji.

Meanwhile, V managed to become so advanced in his subjects that he managed to skip to Aoi’s grade despite being the same age as Yuuji.

While Aoi was furiously jotting notes on statistical probability, V was reciting poems from that book he always kept. He resisted the urge to rip it out of his hand and tear it apart.

~>

“Yuuji. I'm going to confess to Takada.” Aoi said, as Yuuji gasped, “Really? No. Please don't. I don't want to pick up the pieces.”

“Why are you assuming that I'm going to fail?” Todo asked.

“Well, why do you think you can succeed?” Yuuji shrugged. “I dunno, maybe it's just a gut feeling.”

“Anne Sullivan once said to Helen Keller, ‘what idiot admits defeat before even trying?’” Aoi wrongfully quotes.

“That's Inoki who said that.” Yuuji sighed. “Be careful, though. I heard she's already in love with someone else.” He patted Aoi on the shoulder. “Ganbare, brother.”

~>

As he went to confess to Takada, he saw that she was talking to someone else. “P-please accept my chocolate!” She said, in that adorably cute voice of hers. It was valentine’s day, yet none of them had gotten as much chocolate as a certain other person has.

“... Some are born to sweet delight, some are born to endless night. Oh.” It was V, who looked briefly at the chocolate before taking it in hand. He looked flushed. “Takada, I… Thank you. I didn't know… you thought this of me.” V was struggling to spit his feelings out.

“You do feel the same..?” She asked. Aoi felt his heart drop to the floor.

“I do.” V was smiling now, accentuating his cheeks dusted in his blush. “Anata o aishiteimasu.”

As the two kissed in front of Aoi, he felt his heart shatter into a million pieces.

V, the person who acted the most aloof out of the entire grade, who acted the most edgy, who's just plain boring, managed to get Takada, one of the cutest girls in their class.

How is this fair?!

~>

“Let me get this straight, the one who she's in love with… is V?” Yuuji asked, obviously befuddled.

“Yes!” He cried out. “Why does mistress fate torture me so?!”

“Look, V’s my friend. Maybe I can talk him out of this.” Yuuji nods. “If he agrees to pull out, she's all yours, Aoi.”

Aoi nods as the school bell rings. “That’s my cue to class. Good luck, Aoi,” Yuuji smiled. “After class, ramen’s on me.”

In class, they sat together, with V smiling faintly, Takada was on his right, reading his book with him.

Even though Yuuji had agreed to pay, the ramen was far saltier than anything Aoi had ever eaten.

~>

Tears streamed down his face as he was glad he'd rediscovered his friend. His besto friendo.

“You never lose to anyone in your hometown, huh… it seems you truly are my BESTO FRIENDO!” Todo cheered.

“Huh?! But we just met?!” Yuuji got ready to fight once more.

Immediately after, the sound of a gunshot rang through the forest, putting Griffion on high alert. He flew to the target, before shocking her point blank. Her eyes widened, then closed as she fell off the tree she was perched on, only to be saved by a blood disk, which gently placed her down to the ground.

Griffion looked at where the blood disk had come from. It was his time to shine.

As Noritoshi Kamo shot out an arrow, he found that a bird had caught it.

“What the?!” He attempted to command the arrow back to him, but the bird snapped it in two before throwing it away. “Tryin’ to kill Yuuji? Think again, bitch!”

An orb of electricity surrounding Griffion caused the teen to swing out from the tree as well, sharing the fate of his classmate. However, at the last moment, he managed to coat his body in blood in order to stop his fall.

Itadori began running, as Griffion spotted the blue haired girl in front of him charging up something. He didn't know what it was, so he fired off a double check. The orb pulsed with electricity, entering the range of her Simple Domain. She moved on instinct, parrying the lightning and electrocuting herself, allowing Itadori safe passage around her.

A creepy robot came next, and Griffion takes his momentum and struck him in the chest by diving straight into him. Robots ran off electricity, so what if..?

He fired off a five pillar blockade, temporarily disabling the robot. He then spotted the blue haired girl getting up, and instead of letting her, he took a memo from Nightmare and fired off a variation of double check. It featured one beam straight from his orb and did not spread, concentrating on a single target. The girl was immediately knocked out.

He spots Mai, being tended to by the blood disk kid. He dives in with round robin, then fires energy bullets into their nervous system. They get paralyzed instantly.

What's left was the kid in the sky, who was attempting to fly away. “Oh no ya don't!” Her broom was laughably slow, and he managed to catch up.

“...Please don't?” She chuckled nervously, “...please spare me. I'm a cute girl, aren't I?”

“Not cute enough, dingus! AHAHAHAHA!” He cackled, as he shocked her off the broom, then redirected her falling momentum with a sideways push. She landed on the floor, unconscious but alive.

“Nice one, Griffion!” Yuuji complemented, “I thought you weren't going to help!”

“V literally sent me to protect you.” The bird demon deadpanned.

“Tch.” Todo looked at Griffion in disgust, then turned back to Yuuji. “Even if they’re knocked out, that doesn't stop me! What kind of best friend am I if I won't help you grow as a sorcerer?!”

“W-wait-” Itadori was slammed with a chest blow. He recovered by handspringing, and attempting to kick Todo in the jaw. He succeeded, and Todo was stunned slightly.

Is he… growing?

~>

V was being carted around the forest by Shadow. It was scenic, and he felt tempted to start writing poetry himself.

“Sounds of nature
All around me, undenatured-
Such a sight to see.”

Compared to Redgrave City, he was sure that this is the best forest he's ever been to.

Footsteps approached him as heavy breathing could be heard. V listened close, then pulled out Yamato as they approached.

“That's close enough.” V locked on to their looks. It was Megumi and Maki.

“Oh.” He sheathed his blade.

“Aren't you supposed to be fighting Todo with Yuuji?” Megumi asked. “What happened?”

“I left Griffion with him. He’ll be fine on his own. Griffion is enough to take out any sorcerer weaker than Todo.”

“What about Todo himself? What if Itadori can't handle him?!” Maki asked worriedly.

“He’ll manage. I know because Griffion and I have a sort of link. If he feels something, I know that he's feeling that feeling and vice versa. He's not panicked, so I'll take it as a good sign.” V explained, “Meanwhile, I'm just taking the scenic route. Greenery is so hard to come by these days…”

“At least exorcise curses! What's wrong with you?!” Maki growled, to which V smirked, “I exorcised the biggest curse of all, does that count?”

It was true. In the surveillance room, Gojo was chuckling at how V managed to exorcise the curse without so much as a tidbit of effort. It had been a Grade 2 curse, so Nightmare had received a nutritious meal.

“You little shit!” Maki barked, “but fine. I guess we win?”

“Yes. But I still do not know why we aren't declared the victor yet.” V replied calmly.

The answer presented itself as a veil slowly draped over the area of the forest ominously.

Chapter Text

“Mahito.” Geto requested.

“Yeah? What do you need?” Mahito replied.

“Since you're weak right now, I'll have you do some sneaking around. When Hanami performs the distraction, you’ll go and retrieve Sukuna’s fingers alongside the death paintings.”

”?V tuoba tahW“ Hanami asked, a hint of uncertainty in his voice.

“Pay him no mind. I will deal with him.” Geto smirked.

~>

“See, I told you! V could solo the entirety of Kyoto!”

Gojo laughed as Utahime was fuming. “With one shikigami, no less. What have you been feeding your children? They’re as weak as you - wait, even weaker than you!” He grins as she was extremely tempted to throw a boiling cup of tea at his face.

She knew that would be a waste of tea, and she was a mature woman, so she would not do that.

The two observed V’s activities as he moved close to the second grade curse.

V stumbles upon the curse; a generic one with warped faces and a fucked up body. He summons Nightmare, and the day is one as Nightmare seemingly claws upwards from the gates of hell and drags the curse down under.

“Aaaand score one for Tokyo! We’re up three now!” Gojo’s grin was so wide it covered his whole face. “Should've trained them harder, Utahime.” His grin thins, and Utahime clenched her fists.

“Yosh! Tokyo wins by exorcising the second grade curse!” Gojo calls into the mic, but finds that neither V nor Megumi, Maki, or any other student had any reaction to them.

“Hm?” Gojo was confused - the mics have never failed before, unless…

His thoughts click into place just as his brain processes the foreign cursed energy that's currently forming itself around the arena. He bursts up from his chair, “The students are in danger. We have to go.” His voice drops an octave, and Utahime shivers. Gakuganji sees the inky surface on the monitor and decides it's best to follow the six eyes wielder’s intuition.

~>

As the veil was draped over the area, a large curse emerged.

“... A special grade curse?!” Megumi was the first to pick it up. “Shit! We have to back up!” He summons Totality, and V sees the white curse that saved Jogo. Hanami, if he recalled.

“Why are you here?” V asked. “You seem to have a comradery with the other curse. His name is Jogo, correct?”

Hanami nods. ”.neeb ev'dluow reve yeht naht resiw emoceb dna eid ,esaelp os …detpursid eb ot smetsysoce ,raeppasid ot stserof ,tliw ot srewolf esuac snamuh ,raey yrevE .selttes tsud eht nehw snamuh eurt sa tsixe lliw eW“

Roots immediately spring out from beneath the ground, as V realizes what's happening. He can't possibly dodge this quickly without utilizing Gambit. He leaps, going through one branch and surfing on it with Shadow. His plan? Summon Nightmare at a more opportune moment.

Shadow sends him upwards before it's knocked halfway into stalemate. V realizes he's practically on his own now. Totality wasn't doing him any favors, and Megumi’s shikigami wouldn't be able to do anything –

“That's it.” A thought crosses V’s mind. “Megumi! Summon it!”

“Summon what?!” He shouts back.

Mahoraga would be a great distraction, but would it work against them? V weighed his options. It's not worth it, he decides. Such a strong shikigami would no doubt kill them all.

“Nevermind-” as soon as the words left his mouth, he found that he was pressed down onto the floor.

A woman was in front of him now, pressing her cursed energy onto him. “Oh, no, no, no. We can't have you ruining his plans, now can we? Do as Hanami says, okay? Just die.” From her distorted tone, he knows she's a curse. But where could there be a curse this powerful?

The curse seems to be recently formed, by her unstable form.

“The more human a curse looks, the stronger it is.” Gojo explained in their crash course, “of course, you with your strength can take most of them out, but that's just something to keep in mind.”

She looked human. So human, in fact, that if one was to take away her distorted voice and general floatiness, she would be mistaken for a human in her twenties or thirties. She is wearing a black blouse, with a beige dress with sideswept hair.

~>

“I enjoyed my time as her,” Geto smiled fondly as Jogo and Mahito looked in the background. Hanami was chilling on the beach with Dagon, appreciating the scenery. “But since both you and Hanami need a little help against V, I'll lend a small bit of help.”

Before him, was Itadori Kaori’s corpse preserved in frozen ice. He had Uraume to thank for that. “Now then. Let's get to work, shall we?”

The curses stared in horror as a black smoke erupted from the corpse while Geto smiled – no, grinned as Cursed Energy flowed from him to her.

~>

There were two special grades on site. This was bad. This was extremely bad. V was getting crushed under the pressure as he attempted to get back up. Rebellion pulsed, thrumming to comfort V, but he wasn't physically strong enough to get back up.

“N-nightmare.” He barely managed to summon before it launched V into the air, freeing him from the crushing gravity. The golem threw a punch, but was immediately caught by the curse with a gravity push. She smirked, “Quite naughty, aren't you?” She seemingly teleports herself to behind Nightmare and launches a pulse.

Nightmare was shot away.

V coughed out blood.

~>

Megumi and Maki were now facing Hanami. Said curse knew that with Kaori distracting the main threat, V, he could have free reign on what to do with the brats.

Of course, what he intends to do is kill them in a swift manner. It always is. After all, the faster he kills them, the faster their corpses will nourish the Earth.

More roots sprouted from the ground, as Hanami prepared himself to launch wooden balls. As he placed down seeds that would no doubt flourish into good plants in a few years’ time.

He launched himself forward.

Megumi reached into his shadow storage, taking out a generic black sword from his many attempted forgeries of cursed tools. He also takes out Playful Cloud, throwing it to Maki. She accepts, and the two launch themselves at Hanami after they’re ready.

Neither had to state their intent. They knew what the other wanted from their techniques in fighting.

The two hacked at Hanami’s roots, Playful Cloud being used to slam off his roots one large chunk at a time. With Maki’s strength, it was clear that Hanami’s roots were no threat.

They saw Hanami’s movement, and swung.

Hanami’s rush was interrupted by a bonk to the head by Playful Cloud and a stab to the chest with a black sword. Totality joins in the fray, attempting to scratch him. Hanami then launches wooden balls, stabbing both Totality and Megumi, who shrugs off the pain.

He then swings his arms, launching a field of flowers. Megumi was stunned as his desire to fight was sapped while Maki grinned and used Playful Cloud like a whip, using her chain of body to deliver pain directly to Hanami’s head. He spluttered, but wasn't deterred, instead landing a large punch on Maki’s side.

She was launched away, as Griffion managed to catch her.

“Sheesh! Be more reckless, would ya? Maybe this time I won't catch ya!” He chuckled, letting her back down. “Tch! Whatever, chicken.”

“Will everyone stop assuming that I'm a chicken?!” He shouted in disbelief as Maki rejoined the fight.

“At the rate that Fushiguro and Maki are going, they’re going to lose. We’re going to have to step in, brother.” Todo and Yuuji were following Griffion, and saw the situation that Maki and Megumi were in. “But! I won't lift a finger until you land a Black Flash.”

“A black flash..?”

“A black flash. Now go!”

Todo pushed Yuuji forward, as he joined the fray.

Now with three people threatening Hanami, he decided to unleash something that would cripple any sorcerer. He flung out flower buds.

Megumi managed to parry one with his black sword, then had Nue fly in to block the rest of them. He’d seen enough times how V would use Nightmare or Shadow to take hits instead of him.

Nue wrapped itself around its owner, tanking all the flower buds. As Megumi felt his Cursed Energy drop at a concerning rate, he desummoned Nue.

The flower buds landed at his feet, but he was not incapacitated.

Just then, an uncomfortable amount of cursed energy was just radiated from behind Megumi and Maki. It was V, he realized. The curse that V was fighting had unleashed this.

“Summon it!” V’s voice called out to him.

What did he mean?

Megumi’s cursed technique was versatile. He could mix and match shikigami, merging them until he got something that's very strong.

There was no time to think as he leapt over a root on instinct.

~>

The female curse was, frankly, extremely frustrating as an opponent.

She could press him down at any moment, and he couldn't hit her because of the fact that she could use her technique to repel him or Nightmare. Shadow had tried to hit her, but was instead knocked into stalemate.

They stared at each other in a stalemate of their own.

Yamato whispered to him.

Right. She could probably negate the fields, but he needed to save his energy for the most opportune moment.

For now, he'd have to make do with his demons.

“Aren't you getting tired, boy?” She asked him, “Just lay down. You’ll be an interesting specimen for him.”

“Who’s he? The one with the stitches?” V took the opportunity presented. “I’ve seen him.”

“Oh, you know him? Then I won't have a need to tell his name.” She lunged forward, this time with hands at the ready. He obliged, as Nightmare presented itself.

An uppercut was countered by a flippant swat, a laser being lazily countered by a small barrier.

“Don't you get it? You’ll never win.” She smiled, “I've got the means to keep you away from me. From what Jogo told me, your shikigami absorbs curses by grabbing and assimilating them. You’re strong, child, but I'm stronger.”

“Why are you trying to get me to give up when you know that I won't?” V asked as he broke away.

“You know something.” She replied, her peaceful facade slowly melting away. “Something I must know.”

“Tell me the question.” V was unsure of what he was about to be asked.

“Where is my child? My son?” She asked. “He says you took him, stole him from me. I won't ask again!” She howled, the shockwave of cursed energy formed from her despair dispersing throughout the entire veil.

“Let's solve this peacefully. What is your name? Perhaps we can search the national index, and-”

“You have him! I want him back to me, now!” She shouts, V cringing at the volume. It was then that a familiar energy caught his attention.

~>

“You… do you know a curse named Mahito?!” Yuuji asked Hanami. “The patchface curse. Do you KNOW HIM?!”

He recalled how Junpei convulsed as he rushed him to Ieiri-sensei. He was able to recover, but is stuck in a coma. Mahito did this. He needed to find him and end him himself.

“Yes.” Hanami replied.

“RAAGGHH!” Blinded by rage, he summoned the cursed energy into his fists and slammed another punch into Hanami’s gut. The latter used wood to protect himself as he was sent flying.

Megumi steeled his nerves. He was fighting a special grade curse. He had to think like a special grade as well.

“Why did you run? With your strength, you could've taken out that curse handily.” Sukuna had said at the detention centre regarding the fingerbearer.

“Use your noggin, Megumi.” Gojo was serious in his statement. “Jujutsu relies on interpretation. What you interpret your technique as is far too rigid. You have to think bigger. Larger.”

Megumi was confused. “What do you mean?”

“I’ll make this easier for you. Imagine a stronger version of yourself. One that's strong enough to rival me or Sukuna. One that's freely broken through every single border you've held yourself down in.”

He hadn't thought of the possibility of him winning. What he only thought of was losing, or pyrrhic victories. He cursed himself.

Right now, what he had to imagine… was winning!

He clasped his hands together. He thought of what the first things his strongest counterpart would be able to do.

“DOMAIN EXPANSION!” He shouted, “CHIMERA SHADOW GARDEN!”

Immediately, his cursed energy soared to his call, flooding the area with shadows. The darkness took over as the sun was consumed. All that's left was Megumi’s deranged grin, Yuuji’s determined eyes and Hanami.

Megumi’s domain was open with no sure hit effect. However, this was enough for him. He teleported in front of Hanami, summoning all the black swords he had from his inventory and watched as the shadows propelled them into Hanami’s body in a move reminiscent of V's summoned canes.

Hanami attempts to land a punch, but meets liquid as Megumi’s form dissolved into nothingness, replaced by several Nues all converging on his location. He tried to dodge, but their electricity manages to nick him and hold him down for the entire assault.

What could he do? What could he do to surpass V? Surpass Gojo?

~>

Todo walked up next to Yuuji, the domain seemingly unaffecting his stride.

“Brother.” Yuuji was confused for a moment, then he was slapped. “You aren't thinking straight. Anger is a great motivator, but too much anger is contrary to focus. Right now, focus is what you need. Calm down.”

His anger threatened to consume him once more, but Todo’s slap had grounded him.

Right. Getting angry doesn't solve anything.

“I see you get it now, brother. Go!” Yuuji leapt at the command, darting off towards the battlefield.

His eyes glossed over. His saliva dripped from his mouth, and as the barrage of Nues ended, Hanami was met with both Megumi and Yuuji coming from both sides.

BLACK FLASH

A dual Black Flash practically left a hole in Hanami’s stomach as he staggered.

Yuuji and Megumi didn't register with each other. They were in sync in body, and Todo could see it with his own eyes as his brother had achieved something that many would consider to be impossible.

BLACK FLASH

It was a kick this time, sending the curse skywards. That had nearly dislodged his jaw. He attempted to steel himself, but was interrupted as Todo picked up a black blade near him and threw it, swapping with it as it rose and used its momentum to stamp Hanami down.

BLACK FLASH

Hanami had grossly underestimated the two sorcerers. V was not the real issue now. It was these two.

Simply put, Hanami was playing the victim here.

Maki joined in the fray as well, deeming it the correct opportunity to. She swung Playful Cloud, slamming it into Hanami as he tried to get up.

Both Megumi and Yuuji revved up their punches next, on opposite sides yet on equal posing.

BLACK FLASH

Both of them had officially tied the record with Nanami and Gojo as the most consecutive Black Flashes ever done, and Hanami was quite literally in agony. He was about to be exorcised. He couldn't even get an opportunity to expand his domain as all of them jumped him.

Running on a Black Flash high, Megumi grasps it. Domain Expansion, and how it should function. As the domain enclosed itself, Hanami was suddenly hit with poison, electricity and puncture wounds. These were Megumi’s shikigami at work, as he sacrificed some of his energy to do so.

This was his sure hit effect.

As Hanami withered away, Megumi realized he had won.

Sukuna grinned at Fushiguro Megumi’s growth.

Todo realized he wasn't even needed.

~>

The domain shattered, and V could feel that familiar energy again. He was attempting to hold off Kaori, as she went on the offensive. He rode on Nightmare, the beast being able to go toe to toe with Kaori. She growled as she attempted to blast Nightmare and V away, but V managed to unsheathe Yamato and slash through it.

“What?! How is that even possible?!” Kaori asked. “Only fools expect their opponent to be easy pickings.” V was standing on Nightmare now, as he utilizes his Yamato in a stance that spoke of “drawing cut”.

Suddenly, an arm was off. Kaori screamed in horror.

V smirked, feeling the energy attack her body venomously through judgement cut.

Followed after, her leg. She screamed as her dress was almost torn. She grasped at her foot, before growling and reattaching it to herself.

Should he do it now?

He could feel that the cards were tumbling down now. He had to finish this quickly. Judgement Cut had taken too much energy. He had to preserve it. He felt for Gojo –

He sliced a pulse from Kaori. Now was not the time to think. It was the time to act.

“He whose face gives no light, shall never become a star.” He grasps Yamato's tsuba. This would take everything he had.

As he executed his move, the veil broke down to reveal Gojo’s piercing blue eyes.

Kaori saw V – no, someone else. V was someone else. He had the same white hair, sure, but it was truly not him. He wore a different coat. A different hairdo. Most importantly of all… his presence was far different than before. She could see him, but could not react quick enough to parry his slashes, nor even activate her technique. In an instant, her body threatened to crumble onto itself as his strikes were precise and aimed to kill. Had she been a human, she would've died.

Gojo saw V – he was not V. He had slicked back white hair. Despite being the same hair color as V when using Nightmare (he never bothered to check with V which color was natural) the cursed energy that radiated off the man was unnatural, almost like that of a curse. This man did not wear V’s Jujutsu Tech uniform, but his energy, despite its weirdness, was still unmistakably him. So who the hell was he?

Before Gojo’s question was answered, V collapsed.

Chapter Text

V blinked awake at the sight of his friends. He reached for Yamato, finding it placed next to him. She seemed to glower with happiness upon his awakening.

“Maki tried to grab your katana, but I stopped her,” Megumi started, “are you okay?”

“As best as I can be.” V slowly sat up, Rebellion pulsing as he used its energy to do so.

“Sensei told me that you nearly defeated the curse, but you couldn't finish it off, so he did.” Yuuji states, to which V let out a small chuckle. He had used Judgement Cut End two times on a curse and yet neither times could he finish it off.

“Did we win?” V asked.

“We did, even on the second day. You were out for a while.” Megumi replied.

~>

After V had collapsed, Gojo immediately warped behind him, holding the fallen darkslayer as he sheathed Yamato for him. He glared at the female curse as he slowly descended towards the ground, holding V while Nightmare dissipated.

“G-gojo Satoru…” Kaori was shaking in fear at his presence. “I-”

“Don't you dare say anything more.” His voice was so low that it could be considered a growl. His blindfold down, he knew what he saw before him was a newborn Vengeful Spirit unable to harm him in any meaningful way. From the way her cursed energy pathways went, he knew her technique had something to do with Gravity.

“S-stay away!” She launched a pulse of anti gravity at Gojo, but was negated by Infinity.

“You hurt my student. Do you think I'll let it slide like that?” Gojo chuckled, a manic expression crossing his face. “No, I don't think I will.” He raised a finger at her.

“Nine Ropes.” With one chant, he had boosted his purple to 120%. “Purple.”

Kaori screamed as Gojo put a hole through her body, continuing the trend of dismemberment by V. Her clothes were now even more torn than before.

“Rot, like the curse you are. Blue.” He summoned two blues on either side of her, threatening to rip her apart. He needed to see her suffer, feel remorse for hurting V. He needed justice. Her screams echoed throughout the entire area.

“What are you doing?! Just exorcise her! Quickly!” Megumi shouted behind him.

“Stand back, ‘Gumi. I’m showing this spirit the definition of fear.” His eyes outshone the sun, as the two lapse blues got closer and closer. She screamed, until she was gone, exorcised.

~>

“ooh.” Mahito winced in the background, “That's kinda graphic. I like it!” He smiled, as Kaori looked in horror beside him.

“What?” Mahito asked, “You’re one of us. Of course I have a backup plan for you. Curses should act as their instincts demand, and my instinct is to be cunning.”

Mahito knew that Kaori would be able to handle V at his strongest, but he also thought that Gojo would be a threat. So, he cloned her with Idle Transfiguration, using a human soul to merge with the soul of a random curse that Geto had obtained. On the field was Kaori with half of her soul. Next to him, however, is still Kaori, just with the other half along with a half of a human soul suited to her own.

“Let's head back to him.” Mahito suggests, pulling her away from the view with a sack on his back.

~>

“Gojo also mentioned seeing you in a different appearance. You had slicked back hair, a ‘sick coat’ and everything! Like a classy swordmaster!” Yuuji put the emphasis on ‘sick coat’ with air quotes.

Oh. Gojo had seen him as Vergil.

He'd have to answer for that, wouldn't he?

His mind flashes back to Urizen and how he had seen him.

The past will catch up to him, whether he likes it or not. The last judgement draweth nigh…

He sighed, “He must be seeing things.” The best thing he could do now was deny, deny, deny.

“No. He physically can't see things incorrectly. Six eyes make sure of it.” Megumi replied, “but it also grants him a higher rate of processing and thus perception. He saw you like that for a few milliseconds, then you were back.”

“Yep.” Gojo replied, entering V’s room. “I can't see things incorrectly. Your cursed energy flow was different. More curse than human. What are you?” His eyes glared deeply, as though staring into his soul, the intensity threatening to sear into him.

V gulped. He couldn't fess up.

Gojo shrugged, “Y’know, Gakuganji and Utahime are really suspicious of you. Strong kid, who shows up out of nowhere, and somehow knows Jujutsu with his own technique? I'm surprised when I found out you were off the radar. I had to have someone fake a national registry entry for you AND call off several execution attempts by those entitled elders. They think you’ve been doing something. Something against Jujutsu Tech.”

“So I'll not ask again. Are you a curse user?”

Rebellion, true to its name, stood firm, igniting within V. Cursed Energy bubbled to the surface, and V smirked instead of doing anything else.

“What’s that supposed to mean?” Gojo continued glaring. “Admitting fault? It's not too late, V.”

The smirk fell apart. “The past is… a bitter place for me.” V sighed, “You have your own nightmares too, don't you? Do you want to see them unearthed, showing everyone your pain?”

That statement shook Gojo.

Immediately, memories of Suguru shot up through his mind. Tears threatened to drop, as he kept telling himself to keep it together. He couldn't fall apart on his students. But…

“In exchange for sharing my nightmares… will you share yours?” Gojo asked, a chained hand extending out towards V.

A binding vow.

“Last time your ass almost got us both killed is because you never talked to your brother about anything!” Griffion’s voice rang through his skull.

Tell the truth, a part of him said – no, demanded. Tell them your burden. Share it so it doesn't crush you. He blames it on Dante, the sentimental fool.

V is Vergil’s weakness personified. His humanity.

Is it not human to cry? To share your feelings?

Yes, V decides. After all:

It is right it should be so;
Man was made for joy and woe;
And when this we rightly know,
Thro' the world we safely go.

Joy and woe are woven fine,
A clothing for the soul divine.
Under every grief and pine
Runs a joy with silken twine.

“I accept those terms.” V grasps onto Gojo’s hand. Chains echo throughout the entire room as both Megumi, Yuuji and Kugisaki feel the weight settle upon all their shoulders. “Probe.” At the same time, V summons Nightmare and shows everyone the burdens of Gojo.

They watch as a young Gojo goes through the trials of the Gojo clan, suffering in success. They watch as he rose to fame, becoming the strongest even at the age of 15.

They watch as Gojo meets friends – Geto, Shoko, even Yaga, who was his teacher.

They witness his missions, often ending in seconds with a cursed spirit exorcised and Gojo getting away scot free.

Then, they saw the mission.

How Gojo slowly grew to love and protect Riko Amanai, the star plasma vessel, as though she was he and Geto’s little sister. They watched as Riko spent her last days seeing what could've been - what should've been for someone like her, who is destined to die.

Then, he was stabbed in the back.

“Suguru! Take Riko and go!” Satoru orders, “I can handle him!”

“Are you sure?” Suguru asked, summoning a cursed spirit to ferry Riko and Kuroi away.

“Positive! Now go!” He summoned a large blue to tear away the forest, the unknown assassin now having disappeared.

“So the Zenin clan sent you to take me down, huh? Zenin Toji?!” He roared out to the scenery.

“I go by Fushiguro now.” Toji replied, before appearing in front of Satoru.

He was stabbed in the neck, then flipped like a pancake as Toji crippled his body. Cursed Energy shot up to defend yet the dagger broke through, slicing across his body like a knife through butter.

Megumi was shocked at who it was. Now it clicked for him. It was his father who tried to kill Gojo and nearly succeeded.

Satoru laid there, down but not out. They could all feel his frustration, at how the so-called strongest was defeated in ten seconds flat, by a man with zero cursed energy, no less. His pride was chipped.

“Come on, sensei!” Yuuji cheered, “Win!”

His consciousness wavered, but his determination did not. He had to live for Suguru. For Riko. He couldn't die now.

RCT flooded his systems, the Nightmare almost collapsing because of the potency of its effects.

He rose from the ground, a phoenix’s ashes in dark divine. The Honored One was born.

After Toji was defeated, Satoru tried to find Suguru, only to find Riko’s dead corpse. He knelt, sobbing as he did so. RCT did not ease his sorrow.

Satoru saw Suguru once more, wearing an expression of grief. “You’re late, Suguru.” He said evenly. “Should we kill them?” He asked his moral compass.

“No. There's no point.” Suguru replied, his gaze sullen.

“Without strength, you cannot protect anyone…” V murmured.

Suguru started growing distant. Scars began dominating his body, and Satoru grew concerned.

“Hey, Suguru. Are you okay? You look thin.” Satoru asked one day in practice.

He put on a fake smile and oh it was so obvious he was hiding something. Yet Satoru did not notice. “I'm fine, Satoru. Just… tired, is all.” He looked sad, angry, almost… regretful.

(He’d come to realize, years later, that Suguru was not fine.)

“Satoru. Suguru has just murdered over 100 non-sorcerers in a mission.” Yaga’s voice boomed out.

The change was so abrupt that none of them had any chance to adjust. “Ha?” Satoru faked not hearing. He couldn't hear it. Suguru is a friend. His one and only. Why…?

“The higher ups are sending you to execute him. I understand if you don't want to, but this is non-negotiable.”

“No! I won't hear it! He won't - he never would-” His world crumbled into itself, as he babbled grief infused words.

“I failed him, Satoru. I'm sorry.” Yaga moved forward, locking Satoru in an embrace.

In the end, instead of Satoru and Suguru being the Strongest, Satoru bore the burden alone.

“You’re late, Satoru.” Suguru chuckled at the end of the Night Parade. Despite his attempt on Yuta’s life, Satoru still wanted to have him alive.

“Not even gonna curse me, huh?” Suguru asked. Satoru shook his head.

“You are my best friend, my one and only.”

To Gojo Satoru, this strength is a burden.

To V?

Gojo took a deep breath, his eyes sullen, his tears threatening to spill over. He immediately put his blindfold back on. “You've seen it,” He told them, “My nightmares.” He let out a weak smile, “Let's hear yours, V.”

Kugisaki had no words. She realizes what Gojo had been burying. Her annoying sensei seemed more human now, in her eyes.

“Very well,” V replied. “Let me tell you a tale.”

“Long ago, there was a curse named Sparda. He served another, in an army. The other curse’s name was Mundus.”

“Both Mundus and Sparda were strong curses. They were the strongest curses the world has ever seen.”

“What about Sukuna?” Yuuji pitched in. Sukuna was quite curious as well.

“Far stronger.” Sukuna grinned. Is that a challenge?

“After the a while, he wisened up to the damage he was helping do to humanity. He rebelled against Mundus.”

“He defeated Mundus, earning the title of Legendary Dark Knight. After sealing his power in his cursed tools, Rebellion and Yamato, he placed the last portion of his power within a sword that's unleashed by merging two halves of the perfect amulet used to seal it. The Devil Sword Sparda. With it, he sealed a majority of Mundus’ forces and himself into a separate space aptly named the Underworld.”

Megumi noted the similarity in V’s tale compared to Tengen’s barriers.

“He settled down, and had children. Their names are Dante and Vergil. They were twins.”

He let the information settle in with a dramatic pause. Kugisaki started, “Wait, so-”

“My name is not V. It never was. My true name is Vergil.”

Megumi knew it. He was right.

“Fushiguro was right?!” A general consensus went over the three students, Gojo nodding as he held in his tears. He still hasn't quite recovered yet.

Most importantly -

“You’re half curse?!” Yuuji shouted.

“I am not him.” V states. “He is not me. He is the one Gojo saw. The one with the slicked back hair.”

“Vergil looks kinda handsome.” Naturally, with the six eyes, Gojo could see every detail of Vergil's appearance. “I wonder if I could steal that hairstyle…”

V blushed. “I see… but regardless. Dante and Vergil grew as rivals. The latter is more skilled, but the former has more talent. Both were given a portion of Sparda's power in the form of Rebellion,” He touched his chest unconsciously. A red light presented itself. “And Yamato respectively.” The blade was called to his hand, shining a blue glow.

“This cursed tool shares the name with a death god, huh?” Gojo nods, “Kinda fitting, given what kinda damage Vergil did to that curse.”

“The brothers hadn't always seen eye to eye. They would always fight, often times drawing blood from each other. Fighting dominated the better part of their childhoods.”

“However, their lives fell apart when Mundus attacked.”

Their hearts sunk.

“When they were nine, Mundus’ forces attacked their home. At the time, Vergil was out alone in a playground, reading his book that Dante had stolen and given back. Yet, he was still attacked.”

“‘Where is his father?’ You may wonder. Sparda had disappeared without a trace shortly after he'd given the two twins each a half of the perfect amulet. Neither Dante nor Vergil knew what happened.”

“As Vergil fought, desperate for survival, he was almost killed, at least, maimed beyond saving.” His cursed energy bubbled to the surface. He didn't want to relive that moment. “It is then that his inner curse awakened. When he awoke, the curses were gone, and in his hand, was the bloodied Yamato.”

“When he'd went back to check up on his family, he'd realized none of them had come from him. Neither Dante, nor his mother had come for him. They abandoned him.”

Kugisaki gasped. Megumi’s eyes widened. Yuuji held a sad expression.

“And so, he set upon his own path. He'd learnt, that day, that strength meant everything. Without strength, he could not protect anyone. Not even himself.”

This statement was aimed at Gojo, he was sure.

“Years later, he'd find a city worshipping the legend of Sparda. He went to investigate, but instead found a woman. One thing led to another, and..”

Kugisaki gasps, “You had sex?! At 16?! How?!”

“So… the preference you told Todo…” Megumi connected the dots.

“Was her, yes.”

“Do you miss her?” Yuuji asked.

“I miss her, Yuuji. I miss her a lot. But I eventually had to go. In an effort to claim his father’s power, Vergil went to raise the tower of Temen-ni-Gru, the entrance to the underworld. There was a man named Arkham. He'd told Vergil that, in order to raise the tower and connect both worlds, he'd have to get Dante’s half of the amulet, along with shedding the blood of Sparda on the pedestal.”

“I gave my invitation to Dante, and he was out to stop me. And so he did, as Arkham tried to claim the power of Sparda. We stopped him, however. The amulet split apart, and the sword of Sparda was lost once again, back to its sealed form, the Force Edge. They fought for the force edge, and Vergil lost, falling to the underworld.”

“There, he encountered Mundus, and died in a bout of combat. What's left was a shell of his cursed strength, Nelo Angelo.” His cadence began to waver. It had been hard to talk about himself in a third person, dissociating from himself, but now – now was what he'd been facing.

“Fourteen hellish years went by. Do not ask what happened.”

“Then, one day, Vergil in Nelo Angelo was reawakened by Dante, giving up his half of the amulet. Without cursed energy, Vergil was dying, struggling to hold himself together.” He smiled grimly, as he demonstrated to them how his skin flaked off, “Exactly like this.”

A wave of silence washed over the room.

“Plagued by the temptation of finding more strength, Vergil decided to purge the weakness within himself – me. And so, I was born. Using the power of the Yamato to separate man from curse, he managed to purge everything that made him weak. His nightmares, and his humanity. I am that humanity, personified.”

“What happened… to the curse part?” Yuuji was almost hesitant to ask.

“The curse grew into its own identity. That was what Dante died to.” His grim smile turned into a bitter laughter, “Ironic, isn't it? A lifetime of rivalry, only ending with me being the victor when I did not care for such trivial matters.” Tears streamed down his face. “Do you understand now?”

“No matter if you’re V or Vergil, you are still our friend. We’ll find that curse and exorcise it.” Megumi declares.

“That curse is strong… almost as strong as Mundus. Are you truly willing to risk your lives for it?” At least, with the Qliphoth tree’s fruit.

“Jujutsu Sorcerers already risk their lives. You think we’re any different? I'm touched, Vergil.” Kugisaki grinned.

“Just V is fine.”

“Vergil.” A mouth appeared on Yuuji’s cheek. “I see you are not so different from the sorcerers of old. Now I know why you possess these tattoos.” The mouth grinned. “When I get out of this body, after I kill Gojo Satoru, you’ll be a worthy opponent to me.”

“Hey! Like I'll ever let you win!” Gojo pouted.

“Heh.” Sukuna grinned.

And so, with a clean sweep of victory, Tokyo takes home the prize once more of the Goodwill Event.

Chapter Text

In class, V lets his mind wander. It'd been a few days after the Goodwill Event.

Where was he going? What was he doing?

In the world of Jujutsu, he’s strong. He could do anything. He could pursue greater power.

Rebellion nudged against his heart as he thought of this. It seems that even its impression Dante doesn't want V – Vergil to go down that path once more. He has company. Friends. Hell, he's even called them by their first names now. It feels like he's known them for a long while, despite the fact that it's only been a few months.

With Gojo here, he's safe. He's protected.

The thought was so foreign that he threw it out of his mind almost immediately. His hands were balled into fists, as he fidgeted in place. He observed the sunlight peering in, as he thought of Urizen. The demon had seen him. He'd glared. The two times that he temporarily became Vergil once more, he'd seen the demon half. But this time was different.

~>>

As Vergil landed his last slash on Kaori, she screamed. When he collapsed, he saw a vision.

“And now… I will have EVERYTHING!” The voice belonged to Urizen. His voice boomed, his stature straight, and his body vibrating with excitement. The Qliphoth fruit laid within his reach, its nature as a fruit of blood apparent as the bright crimson color contrasted with Urizen’s relatively muted blue. Urizen chomped down on the fruit, as he saw a person with white hair.

“No, don't do it!”

~>>

Was it Dante? Was it Nero? He didn't know. All he knew was that by hiding, he could potentially allow it to pass by. He’d escaped. He's living a different life. One filled with Jujutsu.

Was V a coward for this? Absolutely. Did he care? No.

“Rebellion cannot sustain me forever,” V had said, as they first entered Japan.

Even now, with Rebellion clearly pulsing through his system, he could feel his skin peeling away, his life slipping from his fingers. Yamato tried to hum in comfort, but V disregarded his beloved sword. He needs more power to sustain himself. More power to live.

“V!” Gojo called. He was now holding a Mathematics textbook. Right. They were having Math class. “Care to come out and show the class how to do this question?” He points at the blackboard. V raises an eyebrow. What the hell was this?

There was a scalene triangle with three known sides. Solve for phita which is the sole left angle in the triangle.

“...” He thought of what he'd learnt from Gojo, which came up blank.

Strangely enough, the books in the libraries he'd visited over the years finally had its uses other than literature.

“The law of cosines. In order to find phita,” He points to the angle, “Plug in the numbers in the formula, and you get cos(phita) equals to b² + c² - a² over 2bc.” He got up and wrote on the blackboard, being careful to not scrape it in a godawful way.

“Now can you solve that without a calculator?” Gojo challenged.

“... What?” V had to process what Gojo had just said. Solve trigonometry without calculators? That's preposterous, isn't it?

“Can you?” V asked back.

“Sure I can.” Gojo smirked, “Want me to show you?”

V turned behind him. Megumi was sweating bullets. Yuuji was shaking his head and Kugisaki was mouthing “no”. He smirked.

“Yes.” He nodded, then watched as the classroom devolved into a series of “why would you do that?!” And “noooooooo!”

~>

After the lesson was over, Kugisaki smacked him over the head with her hammer. Not the toy, mind you, but the real deal.

V bled from the head, but the wound mended itself like it was never there almost instantly. It reminded him of his innate regeneration, in a way as Vergil.

“Woah! That's cool!” Yuuji looked starstruck. “That's the RCT we saw Gojo sensei do!”

“Rebellion constantly outputs RCT. I have no idea why.” V shrugs, as he gets a message on his phone.

Your Favorite Sensei, 1:03 pm
V how are u doin
your sensei is in trouble
the old guys need you there
go there ok? they r gonna strongarm me into killing u if u dont show
come quick

Your favorite sensei has sent his location.

(⁠・⁠∀⁠・⁠)

“..?” V furrows his brows. This was unusual.

“Holy- is that the Samsung Galaxy S9 Plus?!” Kugisaki spotted it immediately. “Special Grade salary is really good if you can buy that.”

“Gojo got me that at the start of the school year. Said it was a flagship he used for a while and that he could spare it for me.” V explained as Kugisaki took his phone. “-hey, give it back!” This felt extremely familiar.

Dante.

Right. “This is important, Kugisaki.” He clenched his fists. “Gojo sent me a message.”

“HAHAHA- you have his contact set to ‘your favorite sensei’? What a teacher’s pet! No wonder you’re the favorite!” Kugisaki howled in laughter – V could swear she was going to bend over – , showing Megumi and Yuuji. V bristled as they snorted in sync, with Yuuji bursting into laughter. At least Megumi had the decency to not laugh at such an embarrassing thing.

“I don't know how to use this phone and it came preloaded with the phone when I got it! I don't know how to change it. Give it back to me!” V reached with his cane, using the hook end to try and get it back. “Okay, fine. You’re a boomer, by the way.”

Neither of them knew that this statement was true. V, not knowing modern slang all that well, never picked up on it.

“Thank you.” V brushed the dust off his screen, before commanding Shadow to take him away.

“Wha- hey, you can't just run like that!” Yuuji shouted, but V was gone.

“So…” Megumi started, “I suppose they’re not joining us for lunch.” He sighed. “Any ideas?”

~>

September 11th, 1:30 pm

V barged into the room of discussion for higher ups. Gojo stood in front of them. Though his back was turned, he had a soft smile on his face. His students were here.

“How rude!” One of the elders shouted.

“Calm your jets. V’s only here because I told him to come. What good is a trial when the defendant can't even defend himself?” Gojo assured the elders, albeit with an edge to it.

“Vergil. You stand accused of being a spy to curse users. How do you plead?” The voice of one of the elders boomed at V. V sent Gojo an accusatory glare. Gojo shrugged, as though he was apologizing.

He better be, V thought.

“Not guilty.” Assuming this was a fair trial, V nonchalantly replied.

“From now on until I say that you are dismissed, all words you answer to us will be truthful, and nothing else. Do you understand and accept this binding vow?”

V could now sense the presence of curse energy suppressing talismans threatening to grab hold of him. He looks at Gojo, and Gojo nods.

“I accept.” The chains of a vow wrap around his soul. His hold on Yamato tightens, though his expression remains unchanged.

“Did you, at any point during your enrollment at Jujutsu Tech, spill any of Jujutsu Tech's secrets to outsiders?”

That was a fairly easy question to answer, though he was still on guard. “No.”

“Did you attempt to kill the Kyoto High students during the Goodwill Event, or at any point whatsoever?”

“No.” That was very true. He'd set out to maim, not kill. His nightmares couldn't kill, regardless of his intent.

What is up with these questions?

The higher ups seemed to murmur among themselves. Were they coming to a consensus already based on a few questions?

“Where did you come from?”

His heart skipped a beat. He was right to be cautious. His expression physically turned dark. He gave the same answer he as he did to Gojo.

“The past is a bitter place for me.” He answered with a bit of a bite.

“Answer us, Vergil!” The elder before asked again.

He was abusing a loophole within the binding vow. He didn't have to say anything. Fitting, considering people did have the right to be silent.

“V doesn't have to answer anything.” Gojo put extra emphasis on his alias. “I've heard his story. He deserves a break. I would appreciate it if you would give him what he deserves.” His blindfold was now off. The shockwave of cursed energy was enough to make the elders shudder. The shoji screens the cowards hid behind seemed to creak.

“Gojo Satoru. If Ver- V refuses to speak of where he comes from, we cannot ascertain his allegiance-”

“I can.” His tone got stronger. “V isn't a demon. He isn't someone you control. Neither is Yuuji, Yuta, or anyone else.”

The higher ups were forced to shut up and listen.

Oh, the irony. V sighed.

“V is strong, but that doesn't mean you can control him like a guard dog. God, even Usami is getting tired of your shit, and he's the most obedient dog you have. Do you know when to back off?” He expanded his Infinity, knocking all the shoji screens down.

These higher ups are truly getting on his nerves. One encounter is all he needed from Gakuganji to know how all these people would act against him.

“Sensei.” V got his attention. “Thank you for defending me, but I believe I can send a more effective message.”

“Do tell, V.” His sensei was smirking now, the glare having died down into an intrigued stare.

“Nightmare.” The demon floated up from below the restriction seals. The elders panicked, attempting to sic the seals on V, but his body was protected by Gojo’s Infinity as the seals floated in place, harmless.

“Do what you need to do,” Gojo grinned. He'd been on the receiving end of Nightmare’s mental attack just yesterday. These elders could stand to at least bear some accountability.

“Dismiss me.” V told them.

“Y-you are dismissed.” The elder that was oh-so-imposing was now shrunken on the ground. Not bound by a binding vow now, V was still not satisfied.

His own ice blue eyes pierced through them like needles in the spine, unlike Gojo’s predatory glare. He needed them to suffer. He needed them to quiver. Not unlike Gojo’s fear tactic, but a deep seated fear that will never go, like branding his name atop the psyche of everyone here.

“Oh, we match!” Gojo noted with glee as he fluffed up V’s white hair.

“We match? Please.” They couldn't be more different. Gojo let go of his hair.

“Reap what you sow.” The purple core of Nightmare shone, as he cursed the elders to fall into darkness.

The elders collapsed from their seats as V nodded in approval. “Keep them in their nightmares. At least for a whole day.”

The whole day was a lot. Time dilation makes things excruciatingly slow.

“I bet they’re eating right now,” Gojo said to V.

“They probably are,” V replied, “Given the time.” It was now 1:45 pm. Gojo checked his phone. He winced at the time, “Yeesh. Better get going. What do you want to eat? Maybe we should do some teacher student bonding! I'll see if Ijichi has a Special Grade mission for us.”

V chuckled. “Perhaps.”

~>

September 11th, 1:12 pm

The trio were chewing on some cooked meat. They'd gone outside for some shabu shabu instead of takeout.

“Mmm!” Yuuji moaned in delight as he dipped his meat in his personal combination, then chewed. “This is really good!”

Fushiguro deadpans, “This store would be closed if it wasn't.” He mindlessly swished his pork around as he did so. It was slightly brown.

Kugisaki nods, “This store is really expensive! Over 7000 yen per person? That's insane. We’re lucky we have sensei’s credit card.”

The pot bubbled as Yuuji dipped a second piece of meat in the pot. “Brat,” Sukuna said, “Give me one of those.”

“You want that raw or what?” Yuuji asked, quirking an eyebrow. Sukuna growled, “do you truly think a king would be that uncivilized?”

“The legends did say that you’re not a picky eater. I don't see how raw meat would be beneath you.” Kugisaki shrugged in a sarcastic dismissal, “I dunno, sounds pretty uncivilized to me.”

Megumi simply observed and chewed on some kombu. He did not want to be involved in this, but he did find the bullying of the famed King of Curses entertaining.

Just how long would they be able to get away with toying with him like this? A stray thought crossed his head. He frowned. Now’s not the time for that.

“Then you clearly know nothing-” Yuuji shut his mouth by stuffing the meat within his mouth, “Here’s your meat, Sukuna-sama.” He grinned as he spoke.

Kugisaki laughed at the sarcastic expression as Sukuna was forced to shut up.

Sukuna tore the meat from Yuuji’s hand, almost trying to tear a whole finger off, but Yuuji shoved his hand away at the last second.

“You brat!” Sukuna growled, before being shut up with another piece of barely cooked meat.

“He's mad, alright.” Kugisaki chuckled.

His manifested mouth disappeared, only to reappear on his cheek. Yuuji was already in motion, using his left hand to slap the mouth like a game of wack-a-mole. Megumi could tell they'd done this a number of times before today, as given away by Yuuji’s readiness and Sukuna’s little hesitation in pulling that trick.

From afar, it looked as though Yuuji was swatting a fly.

“The food’s getting cold, Itadori.” Megumi sighs.

“Oh! Sorry!” Yuuji sheepishly replied, as he tried his best to shove Sukuna’s influence down into the drain.

~>

September 11th, 2:00 pm

V was eating some sweets with Gojo. He didn't expect much from his sensei, but he'd exceeded his expectations with his lunch. They were eating cake. V was sure that his newfound human metabolism would find this much sugar excessive.

“Oh, Ijichi just messaged me! Special Grade Curse, Futakuchi-onna… this is the perfect mission for us!” He grins, as V nods. “Quite so,” He replied. “Shall we go?”

“Right after I finish up my slice!” Gojo chirped.

~>

September 11th, 5:00 pm

Ijichi had carted them over to where the curse was last seen. “Do be careful, especially you, V-V. I know it's your third mission.”

“Re-lax, Ijichi! He nearly took out a special grade when we first met! He'll be fine. It's just a curse with a mouth on its back. What's the worst that's gonna happen?”

“S-still. Do be careful. I'll be off to other sorcerers now. Call me when you’ve finished the mission.”

“We know the drill.” Gojo smiled.

As Ijichi’s car drove away, V raised a hand and two fingers. “Emerge from darkness, darker than darkness. Purify that which is impure.”

A black veil slowly draped itself around the area, covering the area in darkness. Not that it matters; it's almost sunset anyways.

Gojo knocked on the barrier. “What a sturdy veil! Who taught you that?” He asked, “Oh, wait, don't tell me. It's me, isn't it? I'm your sensei! Ahhh, I did such a good job!”

V did not speak, and he remained so until they entered the veil.

“V! What would you do to attract the curse’s attention?” Gojo asked, “I'm genuinely curious what other sorcerers do. Curses usually hide from me when I try to exterminate them.”

“According to the library within Jujutsu Tech, curses are attracted to strong cursed energy. However, overwhelming energy would scare them off. It stands to reason that toning down your energy to a reasonable level for the curse would do.” V analyzed, laying it out for Gojo.

“Oh. Haven’t thought of it that way. Great plan, V.” Gojo nods, his face in an expression of deep thought as V senses his cursed energy spike downwards almost immediately. “Your cursed energy is weaker, but it should be enough to do the job.” Gojo looks around. “But now that Infinity isn't active, you won't have a safety net. Just stay on the lookout.”

Almost on cue, the curse strikes. A strand of hair flies directly into V as his form vanishes into a puddle of darkness. Gojo looked in confusion, unable to sense his cursed energy.

Suddenly, V’s voice from behind him catches his attention. “On me!” He shouts, as Griffion emerges from his tattoos. “Ah! Feels great to be-”

“Nice, the chicken’s out to play!” Gojo chuckles, his body splayed wide. Griffion bristles, his feathers sparking with electricity. Shadow emerges from beneath V as well, growling at Gojo.

“Cute kitty,” Gojo notes, a hint of sarcasm in his voice.

An inhuman screech erupted from the left of V, and he took it as a sign to use Gambit. He notes how Kaori’s scream was way more impactful compared to another Special Grade.

Back on the Tokyo Jujutsu Tech fields that once hosted the Goodwill Event, the artificial cane that V gave to Yuuji exploded with cursed energy.

He warped upwards, dodging a swipe from a pissed curse. Gojo pitched in, shooting a shot of red like a laser pellet. It lands on the curse, exploding and causing a dent.

“Surprisingly useful,” Gojo notes, completely ignoring how V stumbles to find his footing once more after falling a great distance.

“Shall we dance?” V asked Gojo.

“How polite!” Gojo squeals. “Yes, yes we will.” Infinity was back up, as the curse finally made her appearance.

Futakuchi-onna shot out several more strands of hair from her head, which Gojo dodged easily. V, however, was being carried by Griffion. “Have you been eating? You’re getting heavier.” Griffion comments. V sent him a disapproving look as the bird demon let out a huff before flinging him towards the curse.

V drew Yamato, slicing through her hair. She shrieked, before leaping forward and attempting to repeatedly stab V in the torso. He pivots downwards, easily dodging all of her moves. He then uses the momentum to slice off all of her hair strands at once.

“How dare you?!” The voice hadn't come from her mouth, but rather from the back of her head. “My hair… it's ruined!”

“Aaaand this is where I tag in.” Gojo warped in front of V, “or would you rather-”

V summons Nightmare, as the golem warps in an Illegal move. It stamps on the ground, charging up its Domination at its maximum power.

(The one used against Todo was but a mere fraction of Nightmare’s true power.)

Gojo hums in an impressed tone. “That's almost my full power. Damn!” He whistles. “Let me join in.” He revved up Red at Maximum Output, before blasting it at the curse.

She turned around, and –

– opened her maw, taking in every bit of energy greedily. “Thanks for the meal~” The mouth at the back of her head licked its lips as V grimaced at the attack not working. “Oh, come on!” Griffion complained.

“Eh, whatever.” Gojo shrugs, “so it can take more hits than one. If anything, it's more of a punching bag.”

Griffion nods, “Never thought I'd agree on anything with you, troll doll.”

“First time for everything, huh, chicken?” Gojo smirked.

“I am not a-” He was halted by V, who summoned him to save him from a punch from above.

“Deadcursesayswhat?” He grins.

“Wh-” The curse opened its mouth, as Nightmare crept behind it.

“PURPLE!” Without even waiting for a response, Gojo shot a large dose of his Imaginary Technique. The curse was backed into a corner. She had to focus on taking in the energy. However, she could not focus on Nightmare, who grabbed her legs and dragged her into itself.

V unsheathed Yamato and went to stab it into her head. The curse was absorbed by Nightmare, kicking and screaming as it did so.

The veil came undone.

“That's the last of her, I guess.” Gojo hums. “Though this shikigami of yours is really powerful.”

V nods, giving a light smile.

“Ah well, let's head back. I'm sure the sugar we ate earlier is gone from our systems, anyway.” Gojo gave another lazy grin, his blue eyes narrowing with satisfaction.

~>

September 11th, 7:09 pm

The trio were Mario Kart 8 Deluxe as Gojo and V came back. “What’d we miss?” Gojo asked them, as they both took off their shoes.

“Fushiguro keeps getting Blue Shells and I don't know why!” Yuuji whined.

“You kept getting lucky with Bullet Bills!” Megumi argued back. It was clear he was fuming from how much his sweat had accumulated on his head, and his clearly exasperated cursed energy.

Kugisaki was strangely silent, like her soul had left her body.

“What happened, Kugisaki?” V asked. Kugisaki had placed her controller down.

“They kept… they kept getting me with green shells.” She was almost brought to tears, V could tell. “They just wouldn't stop…” Her eyes held no tears as of right now, but she felt exhausted of all emotion.

V could understand this feeling. He recalled multiple times of Sparda's power within his reach, yet being stolen by someone else.

“Then hit them back harder.” V simply replied.

Kugisaki slapped V on the arm. The skin almost immediately crumbled away and was replaced by a new layer of skin thanks to Rebellion. V was not deterred by the pain, and looked into her eyes. They were burning with fury.

“Your first instinct is to tell me to ‘get gud’?!” She huffed, “Fine! I will get gud!”

V didn't know what that was about, but he had a feeling he didn't want to know. He looked in the kitchen to see Gojo scrambling for something.

“What are you searching for?” He asked.

“My recipe! I’m gonna cook something!” Gojo cheerfully chirped.

“Is it something with a lot of sugar?” V asked.

Gojo contemplated it for a second, scrounging his eyebrows, before nodding.

“Too much sugar isn't good for dinners. It would enter your bloodstream and provide you with energy so you'd stay awake instead of falling asleep, which you should be doing during the night. I'll cook.” Gojo looked offended. V had none of it. He effectively kicked Gojo out of the kitchen.

Soon, the aroma of beef wafted out from the kitchen, as V cooked up another British dish. He made sure he did the plating justice as he made five servings for each of them.

“So fragrant…” They all mumbled as Gojo joined in to play Mario Kart.

~>

September 11th, 8:56 pm

“Bon Appetit.” V placed down the dishes, as the four marvelled at his cooking.

“Beef Wellington?!” Gojo recognized almost immediately, “Didn't know you knew how to make this!” He dug in, taking a bite. He moaned in delight. “So good! Maybe you could even rival Gordon Ramsay!” He grinned.

“How do you even know how to cook?” Megumi questioned.

“Oh, my… my mother taught me.” V was caught off guard. Cooking should be a skill everyone knows.

“If I had food like this all the time, I wouldn't be eating out at all!” Gojo declared with satisfaction, clear in his tone. “I’m glad you like it.” V replied evenly, before he started to dig in as well.

“You should cook for us more!” Yuuji added, his voice being a bit muffled from the food. V cringed at the lack of manners. “You shouldn't talk with your mouth full.” He corrected after he swallowed his food.

“Oh! Sorry.” Yuuji sheepishly replied. “But still, I can cook as well, if you'd like! Maybe tomorrow?”

“Yeah, tomorrow.” V allowed himself a small smile.

Chapter Text

Dante blinks awake. Where was he?

He tried to find Rebellion, but he could not do so. It hurts to think, but he remembers.

“V… no, Verge… bring em hell for me, huh?” He had thrown the broken Rebellion at V.

He'd thrown Vergil his sword. Where did Vergil go?

His gaze shifts from his resting place, his joints aching as he turns his head. His neck was really stiff. Turns out, being propped up by hands manifested from a demonic tree is really bad for your bones. Who knew? He certainly didn't.

“I really am getting old,” He grinned.

He chuckled at his joke, but his grin faded as he turned to look at the Qliphoth. The poison tree stood tall, its ebony roots still stretching into what Dante assumed to be the Underworld. One fact registered for him.

Vergil had failed.

His breath hitched in his throat. It was so much better when Vergil hadn't tried fixing his own messes.

At least he would be alive then.

He checked his pockets. Nothing was gone from his jacket, and he took out his fragment of Yamato from Balrog that he'd hidden in the deepest compartments of his red jacket. He'd used runes on it, so much so that the self repairing jacket would sooner fold up into a small package rather than let the fragment of Yamato be destroyed.

His fists were clenched. “Damn it, Vergil.” He sighed, the reflection on the triangular piece of the demonic Devil Arm shining at his face.

For a moment, he could see Vergil – no, V – being happy. Maybe they could’ve been a family.

~>

V stirs from his sleep; last night was… something. He reached out for Yamato, as the blade responded in kind. He touched Rebellion, and the blade seemingly purred in delight.

What time was it?

September 12th, 4:29 am

His phone was displaying the date and time. He sighed. He was losing sleep far more than usual. Had it been something to do with his visions? It wouldn't be the first time the Visions of V plagued him.

He remembered Urizen’s blue-green glare, the overwhelming power his demonic side has shown without attachment. He silently wonders if Dante was truly alive, if Urizen had won.

“For your information, I'm still not dead.” Dante gave a mischievous smirk. V remembered that clearly.

Could he take the Rebellion’s word for it? Could he take his own word for it?

He dismissed his own thoughts. He took his book, which laid on the bedside drawer next to him. He flipped to a random page, and started reading from there. The pages crunched softly against his fingers, the images registering in his brain as Blake’s words tugged on the part of his brain that loved it most.

In time, he began to start reciting those poems.

…“But no light from the fires! all was darkness
“In the flames of Eternal fury.”

“In fierce anguish and quenchless flames
To the deserts and rocks he ran raging,
To hide; but he could not. Combining,
He dug mountains and hills in vast strength,
He pilèd them in incessant labour, 115
In howlings and pangs and fierce madness,
Long periods in burning fires labouring;
Till hoary, and age-broke, and aged,
In despair and the shadows of death.”...

The book of Urizen is an interesting tale. But the Urizen he was dealing with…

Urizen is no creator.

He’d been broken from his concentration on poetry. Sweat dripped from his hair, his skin, his chest – everywhere it could. Could Urizen find him? Would he truly be safe here? What happens… what happens if he finds him?

As though by chance, he saw an ebony root peaking out from his window. Since his room was situated on the ground, he could see it clearly. The root had a red core –

No. No, no no no nonononononono-

His breathing turned erratic, his body shaking, the sensation of his bedsheets long forgotten.

He blinked once, then twice. The root was gone.

His stomach churned. The shadows in the room were cutting deeper than ever before as V gulped. He was hallucinating. Yes, he was hallucinating. There was no way Urizen could return.

At the same time, he had to consider this scenario.

Yamato reached out to V.

The veil between dimensions was thick here. It couldn't be punctured, no matter what. There was no way Urizen could send a root of the tree here, let alone the entirety of the tree.

Even if the Qliphoth were to reach him, he could rely on the others. Gojo could handle it, right?

V did not know the answer to any of those questions, as he cradled his arms and tried to get back to sleep.

~>

September 12th, 1:00 pm

Gojo was having a one on one sparring lesson with Megumi while the others were out. Ever since the younger had landed four consecutive Black Flashes with Yuuji, he'd been rapidly growing in Jujutsu. The teacher attributed it to the Black Flash high, as he'd coined the term. Once a sorcerer lands a Black Flash, his Jujutsu compared to before would be like Earth compared to Heaven.

“Nice job, Megumi! You lasted thirty more seconds than last time.” Gojo’s face was still pristine, his tone even and unchanged, as though he hadn't broken even a single droplet of sweat – to be fair, he really hadn't.

Megumi clenched his fists. He was sweating all over, his digits on the floor as he got back up. His eyes were bright with determination. “Again!” He demanded.

“I get that you’re trying to learn all that you can from your old man, but what's the rush?”

“Tsumiki’s not getting any better.” Megumi grits out, “I have to be strong. What if… what if I die before she wakes up?”

Gojo sighs. He brushes off the dust that had accumulated on his own clothing. “Look, Megumi. Do you know what Jujutsu is, at its core?”

“You told me it's all about interpretation.”

“That's for your cursed technique. What I am talking about is this,” He flicked Megumi’s forehead. “Your mind. What you think. What you believe. I personally think that to be strong, to be the strongest…”

“Sorry, Amanai.”

The world was upside down.

“I don't think I’m bearing any grudge over your death.”

“The world, right now… feels, so, right.”

“You have to be selfish. Jujutsu is an individual sport, unlike the baseball game we just played against Kyoto. Taking risks that are considered irrational, then growing from extreme stress… this is the path to becoming stronger.” Gojo explains, “For that, you need to know what you want. What drives you?”

“What drives you?” This was a question he'd asked his senior, Hakari Kinji. The man was a gambling addict, his purple hair a rebellion of the norm. However, he was strong, almost a Special Grade, yet Gojo was adamant on the higher ups being the limiting factor to his equally limited rank.

“Heh. Well, it's simple. Everyone around you. Do you see them? Their passions are burning. Like a fever that will never cease. I live for that fever. To do what I want, what I'm passionate about.” Hakari grinned. “Though, it's a little too early for you to understand. What drives you?” He'd asked Megumi.

“I…”

“I…”

He'd been indecisive then. But he's made up his mind since the Detention Center.

“I want to see good people live. I want to help them live their best lives, like Itadori. And I want to punish those who make others suffer. Is that selfish?” He asked Gojo.

“Heh, I guess you've found your motivation.” Gojo shrugs. “Look, Megumi. It may be selfish, but it's your reason for fighting. Remember that. Remember that you must live for Tsumiki. Let yourself grow before even considering summoning Mahoraga.”

“Don't die before I see you again, okay?” Hakari had said, “I want to hear about your fever then.”

He has to stop thinking Mahoraga is the answer. The divine shikigami almost never is. He would kill Megumi before doing anything to an enemy.

V’s face came to mind. He had to ask. Was it selfish for him to want this? His doubt was still present, but it's now lessened.

“Now, show me what your domain has to offer,” Gojo offered a grin as Megumi clasps his hands together.

~>

September 12th, 2:20 pm

V was having a sandwich from the pantry. It was made with specific flavors in mind. He hoped that he'd be able to establish at least some flavor within the sandwich, which he found to be almost expired.

Needless to say, as he chewed, it felt… odd, to say the least. The texture was off, and he didn't feel confident in saying that this was his work.

He'd recovered from the thoughts of Urizen somewhat, and so, chose to distract himself by having a small snack and thinking of what to cook for tonight. Even though Yuuji had offered to cook, he declined, stating he had something else in mind for Gojo.

“What’cha making, V?” Griffion asked. “A sandwich? Can I have some?”

“You can have … the whole thing.” V paused, reorganizing and rethinking the entire sentence before sighing and just handing the sandwich to Griffion. The bird demon opened his maw and bit into the sandwich.

“That's ham, bacon, cheese… lettuce… tomatoes…” Griffion swallowed a bite. “This stuff feels weird.”

“The bread is going to expire in a few days, so I used it for a sandwich.”

“Ah, it checks out.” Griffion flapped his wings, before downing the remaining sandwich in one go. “So! Any curses to kill today?” He asked, his claws planted on the table. He tapped impatiently, just as a person would with their feet.

“None as of recent. Yuuji and Kugisaki went for training. Shall we join them?” V consulted his nightmare.

Griffion hummed, a low tone as he shrugged. “You don't seem to be in the right mood, V. You were panicking at four am. Wanna tell me what that's about first?”

“... I saw Qliphoth roots.”

“What?”

“Qliphoth roots. Those with the sharp tips-”

“I heard you the first time! What do you mean you saw one?!”

“It's probably a hallucination, we shouldn't worry about it…” V attempts to disregard the situation by getting up and walking away to find the duo, but Griffion flies in front of V near instantly. “Are you insane?! You have to tell this to Gojo! The guy's unhinged, but he's at least strong!” His voice conveyed nothing but pleading, his motions a blur.

“It's a hallucination!” V adamantly shouts. His face tenses, and his hand shakes.

“You've gotta tell someone, V. It’ll make you feel better.” Griffion pleads.

“I've told you, haven't I?” V weakly declines. “It's enough.” He exits the common room.

~>

September 12th, 2:28 pm

Before he could enter the sports ground, a faint beep sounded from his phone. Kugisaki had taught him to change it, and even gave him her contact information. Fortunately, Gojo Satoru was no longer Your Favorite Sensei.

He sighs, before checking the message.

Nitta Akari, Just now
V! I'm sorry for interrupting whatever you’re doing. Tell everyone that they have a new mission. This includes you, too.
I’ll come to get you in fifteen to thirty minutes. I'll brief you on the way. Thank you!

He turned off his phone with a click. He heads in to gather Yuuji and Kugisaki.

~>

September 12th, 3:24 pm

“There has been three unexplained deaths in two months,” Nitta explains, “The three victims were killed all over Japan, so I looked into the connection. They all attended the same Junior High for two years.”

“So they’ve been cursed back then,” Kugisaki speculates, stroking her chin. “The curse then proceeded to show itself after this long while.”

“That’s possible.” Nitta nods, “That is why we are going to that high school right now. On the way, we can ask a mutual acquaintance about their school lives.”

As the car continues driving, V, who was in the front seat next to Nitta, observes the outside. His eyes traced the city around them, as he repressed a yawn. He never yawns.

“A funeral?” They note as Nitta’s car reaches the acquaintance’s home.

They had died the same way as the acquaintance.

“How troublesome..” V mutters. “My condolences,” He told the family.

~>

September 12th, 4:00 pm

Dante maneuvers the ruins of Red Grave City. He sighs. Death is in the air. His white hair flows with him, as he was off to retrieve a special Devil Arm.

Devil Sword Sparda.

He could sense it from the moment he woke up. The Devil Sword Sparda was near and he could retrieve it immediately. Currently, he was wearing Balrog, the Devil Arm keeping a lookout for Dante.

“On your right,” the Devil Arm whispered as Dante holds a stance. He dodges an Empusa’s strike and grins. Finally, something to let out his frustration on.

”Swordmaster!”

A stance change, then Dante was dishing out boxing blows like he was training in the style since the day he was born. He launched the Empusa up with a minimum dragon, punching it until the demon exploded into a mess of red orbs.

Dante shrugs, as Balrog ignites to clear off the demon blood. “Guess that's the end of it.”

He continues a few paces, leaping over tall cliffs and nimbly hopping past Qliphoth roots. The roots could not get him as he would overwhelm them with a few blows. He laughs at their poor attempts to get blood from him.

To draw blood from a son of Sparda is a rare thing.

He was left with nothing to distract himself, only his thoughts. He thought of Vergil. Urizen. His muscles subconsciously tensed. His eyes seemingly glowed.

The hybrid demon could sense the Sparda’s presence growing closer. He could just feel it.

”Trickster!”

He hops up, seeing a few Nobodies dancing around the Sparda. He chuckles.

“Dante, are you-” Balrog attempts to speak, but was shushed by Dante as he leaps into the fray.

“Whew! Y’all dancin’ without me? I could do a dance battle!” He pulls out his dance, a slow, melodic beat to battle against the Nobodies’ nonsensical hops. He grins, starting with a few stamps, then…

Wait, what should he do?

Ah, whatever.

He doesn't let the doubt flash over his mind as he continues dancing. The imaginary beat playing in his head slows, and so does he, as the Nobodies have ceased their dance. They chittered, seemingly cheering for his performance.

“Thank you!” Dante bows, as the Nobodies suddenly lunge at him. He dodges, pulling out Ebony.

”Gunslinger!”

He fires off a few rapid shots at a time, placing a few bullets into the Nobodies.

Oh wait, they could regenerate.

Being in a coma could really damage your brain.

He pulls out Balrog, slamming a kick into a stray Nobodies that got in his way. He then footstools on it, leaping up towards the Sparda. It seems that the Nobodies were trying to prevent him from doing so.

”Swordmaster!”

He slams down onto the horde of Nobodies, Balrog igniting in a blaze. An intense heat immediately washes over the arena, as it seems to accelerate his punch, creating a mini whirlwind as he hits the Nobody.

The demon recoiled, only to have Dante hop and stamp on its head, flying upwards as he did so. Another Nobody tried to stop it by leaping, but Dante flipped and landed on it instead, propelling himself forward. He grasps the hilt of the Devil Sword Sparda, and explodes in a burst of energy.

Devil Trigger.

He morphs the Sparda into a scythe, the greatsword listening to his command. He lugs it at the Nobodies and watches as the Sparda cleaves through them with no issue whatsoever.

He poses as the Nobodies’ eyes explode with vigor, creating another crater within the already ruined city.

He catches the returning Sparda, then reverts to his human form. With the Sparda, he could potentially kill Urizen.

He explores the ruined city, now aimless as he has acquired the Sparda. He thought of the Qliphoth, but first, he wanted to know how long it had been since he tried to kill Vergil – Urizen.

Urizen must be counting the days he has left.

Turning a corner, he notices a bird demon – well, a portion of it, anyway. He immediately turns back out of the corner. He wanted to know what's happening first.

“Have you found the Sparda yet?” The bird demon asked another demon, as Dante realizes who it's supposed to be.

“No, I have not.” Cavalier Angelo replies, his gaze solemn.

“You idiot! If the son of Sparda has woken up then he would've retrieved it by now! We’re this close to having His kingdom last forever, and yet you still refuse to work well?!” The demon growls, as Dante took it as his cue.

“Heya, ladies. I assume you’re looking for this?” He gestures to the Sparda.

“Sparda’s kin…” Angelo growls, before the Elder Geryon neighs and slows time for Dante.

Unfortunately, this petty trick won't work on someone who's much faster.

Trickster!

He zooms at Angelo, as the Sparda morphs itself into a longsword.

~>

September 12th, 4:03 pm

They were going to talk to a staff member to try and find the cause of the curse.

“Hey, there's some punks here! Let's beat em up and set em straight!” Kugisaki told them with a mischievous grin.

“Wait, why?” Yuuji asked.

“Ha?” The two punks that were mentioned rise to the sound, only to see Megumi glare at them from behind the two. V was getting ready to summon Griffion as well, his cane stamped on the ground and a sheathed Yamato bound to his coat.

The punks immediately bowed, “I-it’s good to see you!”

“Ah, so they do get it,” Nobara boasts, stroking her hair back. The action reminded V of himself.

“One’s aura is unable to be suppressed!" Yuuji basked in the attention.

They’re obviously not talking to you, V thought to himself.

“We haven't seen you since graduation, Fushiguro!”

Nobara visibly wilted, while Yuuji went slack jawed with shock.

“I went here for Junior High.” Fushiguro states, getting in front of the two.

“That leaves so many questions,” Nobara grips Megumi’s shoulder to turn him around. “What did you do to them?” Yuuji asked.

“I beat them up.” He replied with mild annoyance, as the two relinquished their grip.

“People from other schools can't be here,” Came a voice from nowhere. They looked in its direction, as an old man emerged.

“We have a permit,” Nitta swiftly states as she hands out her pass for the old man to see.

“Ah, you’re the ones..? But you all look so young…” He squints his eyes, as they widen, “Fushiguro! Is that you?” He asked, recognizing the teen.

He nods, “Hello.”

“He remembers you!” Nitta smiles, “That makes it way easier! I'll leave this to you!” The professional facade she had dropped in an instant.

V hums. Megumi briefs the man, now known as Takeda thanks to Megumi’s information.

From that information, they now know that Yasohachi Bridge was most likely the prime location of the curse.

“Ah, Fushiguro, before you go, I just wanted to ask,” Takeda starts, “I remember when you were attending, Tsumiki was taking such good care of you. How's the girl doing now?”

“She's… not well.” Megumi sighed. “She fell into a coma a while back.”

“Oh no. I'm sorry for asking.” Takeda sighs, “I hope she recovers soon,”

“I hope so too.” Megumi sighs.

As Takeda walks away, Yuuji opens his mouth to say something, but stops himself before he did so. V and Nobara already knew about Megumi’s situation, and so did not say anything else.

Getting in Nitta's car, they drove away.

Chapter Text

September 12th, 6:39 pm

They had reached Yasohachi Bridge. The bridge was bustling with cars and people as per usual, and as V investigates, sending Shadow and Griffion out to scout, he sees nothing out of the ordinary. A slight spike of cursed energy from a road rage there, but otherwise completely normal.

“There's nothing here.” Kugisaki complains.

“Indeed,” V replies, propping himself up with his cane, “Let's go back. We won't do much good here.”

Griffion flies back, feeling the intent of V. “Both the kitty n’ I saw nothing.”

“Hm.” V hums. He moves swiftly as the trio of sorcerers follow along with him like ducklings following their mother.

“Wait, V! I have an idea!” Yuuji says.

~>

September 12th, 7:39 pm

Dante parries the strike from Cavalier Angelo as he swings the Sparda into a direct collision course with the Elder Geryon. The Geryon screeches in pain, as Angelo growls. He charges his lightning, throwing it out at Dante.

He moves, his speed so quick that it looks as though he'd formed afterimages. He leapt with Balrog, then dove foot first towards Angelo. The general groans and a lightning blast is launched.

Electricity meets fire as the elements meld into each other.

Dante dashes in front of Angelo, bringing Sparda down in an arc. Angelo raises to defend, but the Sparda cleaves through the weapon with no issues whatsoever, revealing a particular person trapped within.

Trish.

He sighs, “Hooh, boy. This is really a good warmup match.” He points to the bird demon, “so, what's your name? Never seen you before in the underworld.”

“How dare you, son of Sparda?! I am Malphas! The King’s advisor!”

“How about you advise him to stay out of my way?” Dante steps on Angelo’s sword as he practically flies towards Malphas. The sorceress screeches in fear as her bird half pokes at Dante’s attack.

He hacks the Sparda into it, however, and halts its assault. He then uses the rotation generated by the slam with Sparda to spin into a clean punch with Balrog, practically slamming the humanoid part of Malphas onto her bird body.

“Nice face,” Dante chuckles, “You look even better now, face down.”

Malphas growls, before Dante was interrupted by a newly healed Angelo. He backflips, grabbing the Sparda as he enters Devil Trigger, and in a burst of strength, slices off the arm of Angelo.

“Hah! Disarmed!” He shouts.

The Angelo cries out in pain as Dante sees the limb fly off somewhere else. He doesn't care about where it goes; he just wants the Angelo gone for now.

The only way to do that…

Swordmaster!

He readies himself for a strike, as Angelo attempts to sneak a punch at him, now that he is quite literally disarmed. Dante spins the Sparda around his flying hand, and the rotational force of the slashes manage to generate a large gash in the Angelo’s armor.

He could now see Trish even more, trapped. She made no attempt to move as he observed the chest cavity start to heal.

“Damn, this healing factor’s really annoying me,” Dante sighs, dodging the pecking attack from Malphas without even looking. “Could you not? I'm having a moment here.”

“The audacity of you to request that!” Malphas curses Dante, summoning a large meteorite roughly the size of a city block.

“What kinda spell is that?!” Dante gawks at the sheer scale.

“Burn, son of Sparda, along with your ilk!” She throws the meteor down, as Dante chuckles. “If you think that can kill me, you've got another thing coming.”

Trickster!

He dashes in front of Malphas, completely disregarding the threat of the meteor.

Swordmaster!

He slashes Malphas repeatedly, hoping to land a critical blow. As he falls, he uses an Air Hike.

Trickster!
Swordmaster!
Trickster!
Swordmaster!
Trickster!
Swordmaster!
Tricks-
Swordmas-
Tricks-
Swordmas-
Tri-
Sword-
T-
Sw-
T-
S-
T-
S-

Malphas had enough. “Angelo!” She screamed out, as Dante was dragging his sword across her face with reckless abandon for the meteor.

Angelo rushes for Dante, as he ceases his assault. Malphas is now at least halfway gone in terms of health. He flips his sword backwards, and stabs Angelo in the gut, barely avoiding Trish in the process.

“...?!” Angelo staggers, then falls as easily as a Domino. The husk of a demon disappears into a puff of dust, reforming into something else as Trish is left on the ground.

“Wh- he went down…”

“No pressure, but if you wanna live, ya might as well call off the meteor.” Dante grins, pinning Malphas down onto her bird body with the Sparda.

As the meteor approaches, Malphas is forced to make a choice.

~>

September 12th, 6:41 pm

“And you’re… sure about this?” V asked, a bit of hesitancy in his tone.

“Yep!” Yuuji grasped onto the plastic cord tightly, the cord wrapping around his entire waist.

“If it breaks?” Fushiguro asks.

“Griffion. Stand guard. If Yuuji's string breaks, save him immediately.” V sighs.

“You got it, V.” Griffion flies downwards.

“You’re absolutely, absolutely sure?” V asks again, his grip on his cane a bit harder as he did so.

“Yeah! Let me do it!” Yuuji insists, his fists pumped.

V pushes Yuuji off without fanfare as the plastic cord had already been secured a few meters away to a light pole. “WOOOOOOOooooooooahhhhh…” Went the pink haired boy as he tumbled down the bridge in a pseudo bungee jump session.

“He's gonna be fine, right?” Nobara asks.

“...” V stamps his feet, as he opens his book, “Every morn and every night, some are born to sweet delight, some are born to endless night.”

“What does that even mean?!” Nobara practically growled at V, her stature shaking.

V returned an unsure expression.

“How do we retrieve him?” Megumi asks.

“Griffion.” V replies.

“Oh, you humans with all your fancy cursed energy can't even get up high ledges on your own?! So high maintenance!” Griffion swoops down with a complaint, as the three sorcerers see a smiling Yuuji being carried upwards by the bird demon.

“That was so cool! Another thing crossed off my bucket list! Thanks, V!” He chortles, as Megumi grumbles something about “I didn't save you for you to die again”.

“Did you see anything?” V asks. “No curses?” Yuuji nods. “No residuals?” Yuuji nods again.

V sighs as he facepalms. “Truth can never be told so as to be understood and not be believed.”

~>

September 12th, 7:20 pm

They were now eating Onigiri. V was having tuna Onigiri, while the others had plain flavors – on V’s cash, of course, because they strong-armed him into paying.

Even Nitta, the one who's supposed to be footing the bill as their manager, decided to join in.

“Why would you want me to pay, Nobara?” V sighed.

“We don't have the money, V!” Nobara conjured up an excuse out of thin air.

“Megumi? What about Gojo’s card?” He asked the emo, to which he shook his head. “Gojo took it back to spend money on a trip.”

“And no one, not even the manager,” He glares at Nitta, to which she grins, the little bastard, “had the foresight to bring cash?”

“I did, but, well, it'd be out of my own money and HQ won't let me claim purchases like these.” Nitta continued smiling. “Sorry!”

“Come on, just use that Special Grade Salary of yours! It's not like you've been spending it on anything.” Yuuji pleaded.

He is right, of course. V never spends his money on anything other than clothing, but even the clothes he wanted (hint hint, a tailored dress shirt like Vergil’s) couldn't be purchased thanks to time constraints.

“Fine. You’re cooking tonight, Yuuji.” V relents.

“I can't believe such a strong sorcerer like you bent to the will of these brats.” Sukuna says to V.

“... I wish I hadn't done that, frankly.” V replied. This was opening the possibility for him to be footing bills for the trio of sorcerers & himself. This meant monetary loss, which he wanted to prevent.

“Fushiguro!” The voice of the punk from before returned. “I found you! Thank Goodness! This is my sister. I was talking to her about you investigating Yasohachi Bridge.”

“Fujinuma…?” Megumi questions.

“?” Everyone stares at him for an answer. “A classmate,” he clarifies.

“...I'm glad you remember me.” the girl replies, “There was this person in our neighborhood, Morishita. He passed away recently, then I heard about how you’re investigating Yasohachi Bridge, and I thought it's more than a coincidence…”

Megumi looked to Nitta. She shook her head.

“What do you mean?”

“Are they connected? The death and the bridge, I mean.”

“No. We’re just-”

The girl’s expression turned into shock as she started panicking. “I went there during eighth grade. I was there at night.”

“Is anything troubling you? Anything unusual?” V immediately cuts in the conversation. “At home, at school, or what you have going on in life.”

The girl nods. “My family runs a shop… for some reason, every night when I return, the automatic doors are always wide open… I think it's creepy, but my family thinks it's a coincidence every time… it's creeping me out.”

“When did it start?” Nitta followed up.

“A week ago.”

Every victim dies after at least the second week of the condition of the automatic doors. Megumi narrows his eyes. They still had time.

“Is there anyone else who went with you?” Nitta asked.

“...so, it has a relation to-”

“No.” V cuts her off. “We have no reason to suspect that, no. The deaths are unrelated. We’re just researching paranormal activity near the area for a school project.”

“...what kind of school project..?”

“About psychology.” V narrows his eyes. He wishes she’d stop asking these questions.

“Oh! That's a relief… I went there with two senpais from my club… Tsumiki was there too!” She turned to Megumi.

“!” All of them were immediately in shock. Tsumiki?!

Megumi contained himself. Steeled his nerves. Held tight the hands that threatened to shake through his facade of calmness. His teeth were gritted and his face was wound.

“I see. I'll ask Tsumiki about this, then.” His voice demands that it be given a crack, but Megumi denies it the opportunity. He gets the words out before his oesophagus shuts down.

“Alright! I'll escort you both back, then! Can't have you run on a bicycle now, can I?”

The two nod, as they get carted off by Nitta.

“It's okay, Megumi.” V states, “We'll exorcise it.” He places a palm on his shoulder. “I'm sent to watch over you all as a Special Grade, anyway.”

“V… I…” Megumi seizes up.

“We exorcise this curse, tonight.” V tightens his hold. “Don’t panic. Trust me on this.”

Megumi knew V was right. He's a Special Grade, capable of eliminating Special Grade threats. With him here, he could rest assured.

But his heart is telling him that he couldn't do this. That the mission is too dangerous.

“You know your sister is cursed. Shouldn't you kill the curse before your sister dies? If the Sun and Moon should ever doubt, they'd immediately go out! Do not doubt yourself. If you don't, trust me! I will do it!”

“I…” Megumi tenses, before he lets out a sigh. The tears that were built up had now subsided.

V had stopped him.

“Let's go.” Megumi replied. “Let's exorcise this curse.”

~>

They went in from beneath the bridge, as Nitta instructed. They entered the Incomplete Domain.

No words were exchanged as a bunch of curses shot up all around. Nobara held her hammer. “This one will be rewarding to exorcise.”

V nods. “Indeed. I'll be leaving this to you.”

Suddenly, a large cursed energy rushed across the domain, as V immediately sensed it. He turned to see a green curse.

The curse was large, with a human head atop its gaping maw below. It looked as creepy as it was powerful. V clenched his fists, but before he could get a word in-

“Ha? Someone beat me to it? That's weird. Whatever!” The green curse then proceeded to run.

“This is a different case, right?” Yuuji asks Megumi. He nods.

“Then he's mine.” Cursed Energy erupts from his hands as he rockets forward towards the curse.

“Oh..? You want to play with me..?” The green curse turned back.

“Nah, we want to play with you!” Griffion emerges, following Yuuji.

~>

???

What is this..?

He felt strange. This sensation was like… he couldn't remember.

What he did remember was the feeling of power. Power, coursing deep within his veins, filling his blood with grit, his body with strength, and his mind fortitude.

A strength he never wanted to let go of.

Chapter Text

Griffon dove forward as Yuuji punched. The green curse laughed, before spitting out some sort of liquid. Griffon launched a barricade, causing the liquid to splatter into it as though it was physical.

“Thanks, Griffon.” Yuuji thanked his savior.

“Yeah, yeah, don't mention it, kid!” Griffon replied, his wings wide open. “The real fight starts now.”

Yuuji rushes forward, a crater formed under his feet as he pursues the curse. The curse pivots, its balance steady despite its massive size. Yuuji’s fist meets air as Cursed Energy comes up from below.

Griffon intercepts, darting into the curse before it could hit Yuuji. The bird glared at the curse, and the curse saw what Jogo, Mahito and Kaori were talking about.

“Y-you’re strong! That’s not fun!” The curse cried out, evading Griffon’s blasts as he did so.

“What’s wrong with strong opponents?!” Griffon laughed out, lashing at the curse. He squirmed, dodging out of the way, being grazed by the lightning that Griffon emitted.

“Ack-!” The shock allowed Yuuji to get a hit in, the large impact forming a dent within the curse’s body. He flew away, and Yuuji gave chase. He dashed forward, a fist cocked at the ready.

The curse flipped, blocking the punch with its hand. Its joint threatened to bend, but it did not do so.

Griffon took the opportunity, sending a double check straight towards the curse, disrupting a move that it made with its blood. The acid-like substance dissipated in Griffon’s blasts as the demon expelled a dome of energy, blasting the curse backwards.

Yuuji followed next, pressing forward with great speed. The curse’s mouth was ajar as it was being pummeled by Yuuji’s strikes. The poor curse couldn't even react as Yuuji finished the barrage with a punch, forming a hole through its torso.

Just then, Yuuji notices Nobara’s cursed energy disappear.

~>

V decided to join Nobara and Megumi in doing wack-a-mole. He knew that Nightmare would be able to mow down the moles and Yamato would enable easy access to the curse, so he joined in the fun.

“Whoever gets more moles wins!” Nobara declares, hammering a nail into a mole as the rest all immediately take damage. “Resonance!”

Megumi was holding one of his generic black swords, dashing around and slashing all that he could. It reminded V of the vision in Gojo’s memory, when Toji darted around the area. Despite the latter being an assassin, V could see some of the moves being passed down to his progeny.

As for himself, all he needed was a single flick before Nightmare mowed down everything within a twenty foot radius. He really needn't do much. He hummed a tune as he walked through the chaos Nightmare generated, twirling his cane as he barely dodged a strike from Megumi while his sword slashed at a curse behind him.

Reinforcement was really useful, V notes.

He shrugged off the attacks of the other sorcerers as Nightmare followed him where he went. He was calm and composed, the best at this out of any of them; he hadn't even been keeping count.

It is then that a liquid-like goop emerged from where Nobara was standing. Hands reached out, and she was taken.

“Nobara!” Megumi shouted.

“I’ll be fine! You and V keep wacking the moles!” The girl replied as she was taken.

V turned to see Nobara being taken. “Shadow!” He instructed the demon to follow Nobara.

A million thoughts ran through Megumi’s head at once. This felt just like the detention center. There's no way…

Pattern recognition was a normal thing for humans. But at this moment, it spelled doom for all of them but V.

Nightmare blasts the last of the curse away as V pins his cane to the floor. The green curse rushes by as Yuuji follows. “I want in too!” The curse was grinning.

Yuuji turned to them. “I'll go get Nobara.”

V nods. “Go. We’ll handle it from here.”

Griffon cawed, “Should I go with him?”

V nods again, Griffon following Yuuji into the portal.

It seems that even V knew what’s happening.

A white bodied curse fell down to the ground, laughing maniacally as it did so.

The exact same type of curse as the detention center.

“I can take it,” Megumi states.

“You can.” V mutters.

The curse lunged as the entire atmosphere shifted. V hops onto Nightmare’s back, avoiding a strike from the fingerbearer. Megumi summons Nue and Totality, the two rushing forward to strike at the curse.

Nue dove as the fingerbearer leapt. Nightmare used a beam upwards to force the curse to reposition. Just as the explosion erupted, Totality took hold by jamming its fist within the fingerbearer.

“Good strategy,” V compliments.

“Thanks to you and Gojo.” Megumi replies.

The curse did not falter; in fact, it laughed with glee as it welcomed the challenge.

Such action reminded both of them of Sukuna.

V did not intervene as Megumi planned his next attack, Gama and Nue holding the curse at bay. He took his generic sword from the shadows, darting forward as a boom rang out in the arena.

Megumi leapt, slashing and stabbing where he could as Totality coordinated its claw attacks in a compliment to its summoner.

The curse dodged; Totality seized the opportunity with a slash, injuring the curse. Nue dove in, swooping it out of its kneecaps as it electrified the curse.

Wait a moment. Those moves….

V continued observing as the shikigami’s movements reflected in his eyes clear as day.

Was Megumi emulating Shadow and Griffon?

Megumi was indeed emulating Shadow and Griffon, with himself added in the mix. He knew Orochi and Banshi couldn't be of any help, so he opted to emulate V’s approach with his shikigami, making use of less to do more.

And right now, it was working.

V looked impressed as Totality swept the curse upwards like a ragdoll, only to have Nue stamp it down into a stab from Megumi, like some sort of combo.

By the time Megumi was done, the curse was laying on the ground for mercy.

“Hah… hah… hah…” Megumi panted, his cursed energy reserves drained. V was much more efficient with his shikigami’s attacks than he was with his own.

The curse regenerated at a much slower rate, but it was still alive. It is then that it started morphing and changing, warping its skin. Megumi looked shook.

The curse took on a shape that was only foretold in legends, an evolution beyond curse womb to grown curse.

~>

While Yuuji was fighting the twin curses with Nobara, Griffon and Shadow as support, Sukuna stared unimpressed. They were weak, compared to him. The brats could take them down on their own, even without the help of Shadow.

V was coddling them. And it made the fights he was looking at, within Yuuji and within the fingerbearer, far, far too boring.

Suddenly, the curse that had taken only one of his fingers evolved, bursting in a fountain of black miasma. Sukuna grinned. Now was his chance.

Yuuji felt the soul within that was Sukuna’s suddenly disappear from his body, and it made his attack falter.

“Resonance!” Nobara continued with announcing her technique while threatening the brothers with their lives.

~>

The curse warped and shifted into a form that the history textbooks documented very well.

Four eyes, four arms, two mouths.

Ryoumen Sukuna.

“So I see. Curse flesh feels more rubbery than human flesh.” The curse flexed his fingers. His power had doubled, tripled – no, at least the strength of ten fingers.

“Sukuna!” Megumi gasped. He did not have the strength to kill a curse of this magnitude.

“Fushiguro Megumi. You did well against this curse, but what I want to see is not you.”

He points at V, still riding on Nightmare. “Vergil. Dismount your shikigami.”

V complied. “You wish to fight me.”

“Of course,” Sukuna grinned. “I want to see how selfish you can truly become.”

“You underestimate my power.” V held out Yamato to Sukuna, before unsheathing it with his thumb, a resounding click echoing throughout the domain. The dark slayer glared at Sukuna, the latter seeing something else.

A faint image of Vergil imprinted itself onto Sukuna’s mind.

Suddenly, a storm of slashes rained itself down upon V. Megumi was not exempt from this, as he expanded his own domain to clash against the King’s.

The two weren't even, but with Megumi taking in only a small amount of space, the sure hit effect would be negated without any issue. He knew he could only hold for a few minutes.

“Finish it quickly!” Megumi shouted. “I can't hold it for long!”

“He's right. What you endured was but a mere fraction of what I could do.” Sukuna grinned, “Impress me before then, and you will not see it occur.”

V entered the stance of Koncho-no-Kamae, arms bent to hold Yamato above his eyeline while his legs bent on the ground.

“You would lunge at me callously?” Sukuna raised an eyebrow.

“Try me.” V replied. He seemed more Vergil than V at this moment.

Sukuna grinned, “Very well.”

The King sprung forward, his four arms poised to strike.

V meets the strike with his own, swinging in an upwards arc as Sukuna’s strike was deflected. The King looked impressed as he slid on the ground, turning on the balls of his feet to strike at V, testing his reaction.

Nightmare interjects, grabbing Sukuna’s hand and shining his purple core. Sukuna strained against the grab, but nonetheless was able to dismantle the demon away into Stalemate.

V’s eyes widened. This is the first time any of his demons went into Stalemate.

“No shikigami to rely on? What a pity. Too bad you lent them to the girl and the brat.” Sukuna clocks V in the face, dust flying off of the impact zone as V flies across the arena. Sukuna throws several slashes, to which V decisively parries all of them with Yamato. Nothing left a scratch on the blade.

Sukuna continued, this time increasing the frequency of the dismantles. V was pelted, but he could perceive them. He burst forward, slicing down every slash as he saw Sukuna chant.

“Recoil.” His second mouth loudly chanted, his lower pair of hands forming a hand sign as V was suddenly sent back by a flurry of slashes. V tenses, then pulls Shadow away from Yuuji and Nobara, using it to dodge every single individual slash.

He didn't have Nightmare to rely on. Not now. But he needed all the help he could get.

Shadow countered, stabbing Sukuna in a flash of purple energy. The demon's body pulsed ominously with purple, as he emitted a low chuckle and sliced off the extended appendage of Shadow. The feline let out a screech of agony before disappearing in V’s tattoo.

“Hm?” Sukuna noted the gain of the tattoo on V. “Cursed Tattoos, doubling as shikigami summoners… clever.” He feinted a strike to V’s head, but instead swept V’s balance from underneath him.

Before Sukuna could attack, Griffon sent a double check directly into his curse body.

“Ya okay, V?” Griffon asked.

“Keep him at bay.” V replied.

Griffon nods. “Ol’ King of Curses and still can't even beat a child?” He mocked Sukuna, the latter sighing, “A chicken like you would never understand the depth in tasting your enemies before they perish under your grasp.” Shrugging, “Though, I supposed you would do for now.”

That was the same sentence Todo had said before Griffon was trapped.

He prepared a dome of electricity as the King appeared behind him. A thousand cuts pierced through the demon as he hissed at discharged.

“AAAAAHHHH-” Sukuna involuntarily screamed out, his nervous system overloaded.

What was the best way to finish the fight?

V thought, his thoughts pivoting towards Yamato.

The Yamato could split man from devil – no, the Yamato could split. Split anything.

What if he split the energy of Sukuna from the curse? The only instance of Sukuna controlling something, according to Gojo, is if a finger of his had been ingested.

So what if he split the finger from the curse?

This line of thinking was quickly shut down by his own head. No. That was dishonorable. Sukuna had challenged him, and he had accepted. He cannot turn back.

Griffon retreats, as V enters the fray once more by stabbing Sukuna in the gut. Blue energy pulsed around the blade as Sukuna felt something come over him.

The darkslayer pulled out his katana, and before Sukuna could react, sheathed and unsheathed it in a matter of microseconds, an ungodly amount of cursed energy poured into an attack.

Judgement Cut.

Sukuna’s torso split in half, a large gash forming. Yamato had cut clean through.

Judgement Cut.

Sukuna was blinded, all four of his eyes taken out in a single strike.

Sukuna immediately reached out, still blinded.

Judgement Cut.

Sukuna had the arms on his left sliced off by a timed strike.

Sukuna grasped onto V’s neck, sending waves upon waves of cleaves deep in his neck.

V felt his skin crackle and his knees give out.

Sukuna was still alive, like a bug that refuses to be exterminated.

“Is this your limit?” Sukuna mused, kneeling down to V’s level as false skin covered up stitched together muscles. “How dour. Here I thought you would be interesting.”

How… how had he lived through this?!

“Even if you destroy this finger, it’ll only be a 1/20th of my true strength gone. If this is the best you can do, then you should give up.” Sukuna glared, his eyes flipping from a dark grey to its usual crimson red. “You've disappointed me greatly, Vergil.”

He lifted V by his hair, a crooked grin as he slammed his fist into V’s gut, beating him down on the ground as Sukuna had locked him into a combo of his own.

“You see, I have been wanting to taste your fighting for a while now… I let myself be hit by your pathetic assault.”

Sukuna casually states, beating V’s frail body down with two arms as his second pair shrug.

“... You are truly wasted potential given form. Where is that determination? The motivation to fight? The ruthlessness in attempting to reclaim your father’s power?”

Vergil was the crying child fighting demons all on his own once more.

Vergil was the resolute samurai facing his greatest demon once more.

His heart beat in his chest. “Hmph. What a boring dish. Fushiguro Megumi. I hope this’ll serve as a warning. Do not,”

V’s head was stamped on, the King pushing his skull deep into the blood within his inner domain.

“Disappoint me.” Sukuna finishes, as Megumi flinches.

V reached out to Nightmare, his skin flaking off. His essence was slipping, his body disappearing at an alarming rate.

He needed more power.

He couldn't summon any of his demons. Nightmare remained in its slumber.

He reached out to Yamato, the blade shimmering in all its glory. But even then, such an exquisite blade is still tarnished by its wielder's blood.

“Your blade, however…” Sukuna picked up Yamato, his massive palm covering the entirety of the Tsuka. “Impressed me. It has held up against all my attacks, and it reminds me of a weapon of mine. I'll be taking this.”

No. No! Yamato!

V panicked, his form trembling in fear, anger, rage, sadness – all at once, a mix of emotion.

He didn't have enough power. He needs more power.

Blue energy poured over his body.

~>

Urizen felt a pull.

Since his fight with that human, he's been remembering more things. Memories of memories, from a distant time.

He was…

He was a Son of Sparda.

He carried the legacy of the Dark Knight.

Bah! Such feelings did not matter. All that matters now is power. Dante would be an issue, but he'd already taken care of the little pest, so there was no way of stopping him from gaining power.

Not even Mundus would rival him.

(To tell the truth, he'd found the name Urizen quite appealing to his name. A magnificent name, for a powerful Lord.)

Yet, as the tug grew more persistent, Urizen found himself unable to ignore the flood of memories that entered his mind.

He had thrown away the sheath of Yamato once, to face Mundus.

He had been… something. But he knows he'd failed.

For some reason, something washed over him. Pity, perhaps? Maybe a yearning? He did not know. He ignored it as a very specific Knight of his entered his throne room and knelt for his Lord.

“Speak, servant.” Urizen candidly spoke.

“...my Lord, it is an opportune time to take in the Qliphoth fruit. Why have you not done so..?” The servant had one arm, but his strength is far larger than its size implied. That is why Urizen had taken it as a servant.

“Hmph. Such action would be foolish. Limiting oneself to the blood of Red Grave City is a foolish move. I want power. If more power means to amass more sacrifices for this power, then I will do so.”

“... A Gambit for more power?” The Knight asked.

“Yes,” Urizen replied, “A gambit, low risk and high return.”

As it stands, no one could defeat him.

For some reason, the Knight resonated with him. Some sort of bonding? That was impossible.

The Knight nods, “... I will take my leave.”

“You may,” Urizen allowed.

A sudden jolt shook him from his throne as his head burst into a packet of agony. What was this sorcery?!

He could see the deposed waste face down on the ground, begging for power. Urizen sneered. The fool had stolen Yamato and what had he done with it? Get it stolen yet again? Humiliate himself with power he could not wield?

He never lost anything. The waste would not get it.

But even still, as he glanced at the Knight, an idea entered his head.

~>

A second wind.

By all accounts, V should be dead.

Yet he was not.

He hears Urizen’s voice, however distorted it may be.

“For all your bravado, you still require my power to win, pest.”

He was scared by the voice, but his headspace was messed up enough as is. Urizen could not threaten him now, anyway.

“Know this, worm. You are worthless. I am giving you power to see you suffer while limping on nothing but fumes.”

The message was clear. He had gotten more power. Sukuna had shown him that he shouldn't be complacent just because he was strong. Nothing could save him forever.

Might controls everything, after all.

If you are weak, then you cannot protect anything.

Not even yourself.

His truth revealed once more, V awakens, a burst of Cursed Energy forcing Sukuna away from his body.

He would protect.

He would be the hero his past self yearned for.

Vergil blinked, his form revealed to Sukuna. The King grinned, “I see you've-”

Blue shimmered on Vergil’s arms and legs, as he rushed forward for a single strike, betting everything he had on it.

BLACK FLASH

Sukuna spat out blood in disbelief, releasing his grasp on Yamato as V plunged his fist in his torso.

Megumi looked in disbelief as V landed a Black Flash. The inner domain crackled as Megumi’s domain began gaining ground.

V coughed out blood, his skin flaking once more. Urizen’s power had expired, but even from that small burst, he had experienced true power.

He needed this. More.

BLACK FLASH

He wasn't afraid of the Qliphoth. He would gain enough power to not be afraid. This was a promise.

Vergil emerged once more.

So that he would no longer be helpless.

BLACK FLASH

So that Dante would not die in vain.

The inner domain crackled, collapsing as V landed his final

BLACK FLASH

Sukuna was no more, replaced by another finger of his.

V’s arms collapsed to dust as he collapsed to the floor, the cracks on his body apparent.

Megumi disengages his domain. V was down. He was dying.

“V…” A hole formed in his gut. He wasn't strong enough. He had failed.

He wonders if he should've summoned Mahoraga.

~>

The night sky was clear as Megumi hauled V out of the cave. The latter’s legs were next, fading fast as the dusting was seemingly not affecting his torso or head.

That meant he had time.

That meant he had to hurry.

Megumi ran for V’s life, calling Ijichi as he did so.

Chapter Text

Inside the Qliphoth - June 9th, 12 pm

The Nestling was born.

He cried, the sound echoing throughout its chambers. The dark armor, courtesy of Urizen, bound and shackled him.

He did not know anything; but he cried nonetheless, the wail of a demon nestling. Urizen nods in small approval. “You have been reborn,” The Demon claimed. “A divine privilege. You will serve me, Nestling.”

Urizen flicked his fingers, creating visions – apparitions – no, doppelgangers. Of the one he recalled most in his fights.

The nestling’s eyes flickered between the glimmering blue entities: a shaggy-haired human whose left eye was covered by such hair, wielding a cane; a bird demon who would not stop chittering incoherent phrases, sparking electricity; and a feline demon, barring its teeth.

“You will train under my watch,” Urizen instructs, “Until you are ready.”

Instantly, the two demons rushed forward while the human stayed behind. The Nestling raised a sword to protect himself, but found that he did not possess a sword.

Instead, Urizen snarled. “You will earn the right to possess a weapon, fool.”

The Nestling dodged, finding his one armed fighting extremely difficult against these demons. Neither of them could be damaged much by his armored gauntlets. Yet, the Nestling pushed on, wrestling the feline as she attempted to claw his helmet off. The Nestling kicked it off after a small struggle, as instantly the bird demon charged in, talons raised with a buzz. The Nestling was stunned in place.

The glowy blue doppelganger of a human moved forward, confident in his strides; his cane twirled around, as the Nestling felt a cane slowly jut into his heart, a sensation agonizingly painful and slow. The Nestling could not resist, his hands moving in desperation as the cane moved without fail, like air through his lungs.

He was beaten in seconds.

“Again.” Urizen shouted in boredom. “Again, Nestling. Move.”

Now the Lord’s jester, the Nestling struggled to stand. The cane implanted within him dissipated, and he still continued to reach for a sword.

Urizen looked in apathy. If the Nestling wants a weapon, he will earn it, as he told him.

The same man along with his demons appeared, as the Nestling prepared himself to fight, with arms raised resembling that of a boxer’s stance. The man seemingly cocked a brow, but his facelessness hid the motion.

His demons charged once more, this time as one. The man taunted the demon, not even paying attention to the Nestling as he flipped open a spectral book.

The Nestling dodged a dive from the bird, grappling it and throwing it at the feline. The feline leapt, its body spun into a saw blade as it flew down upon the Nestling. The Nestling raised his gauntlets to defend, sliding under the pressure just in time before the bird sent a torrent of electricity at him. The strike missed, the Nestling darting forward and landing a clean punch on the bird demon, sending it flying into the wall.

The man closed his book with an audible thump.

The bird rejoined the fight, its vitality unwavering. The Nestling punted the feline, the demon not even budging from her spot. Instead, she bursts into thorns, causing the Nestling to be punctured, held in the air like a stake.

The man shrugged, before throwing his cane into the Nestling's face, bringing it down as a blunt weapon. It could not do anything as he felt himself split down the middle.

Urizen silently dispelled the opponents, then resummoned them in a hard reset.

Three strikes and he was out, the Nestling found.

He was chained before his Lord, hands and feet bound to the ground by Qliphoth roots jutting from below.

His heart beat in his chest, realizing now his Lord is fuming. That his days were numbered..

The Nestling could see purple before everything went dark.

Training had begun; and he would fail. Every day, he would wake for pain, sleep to ache. He'd dreamt of a sweet release. He was a human, he knew. He was no devil. He had a human hand, a human mate, but he was happy. He did not desire power.

His dreams would show him he had been good, had a life full of love and care. What drove him mad, however, was the lack of specificity. He could not remember their faces. He could remember events from the past, but never reality.

He could see two people playing as he shyly joined. They were children, but the color was off, the clothes were off, the sunlight was off..?

He would awaken to being punctured through the chest, his heart pumped with something. It was not his own blood, that was to be sure, but it felt painful nonetheless. A needle – no, a stake through his torso, even worse than what the feline demon had done to him with her sharp edges.

He could see others, reporting to his Lord with fervor. He did not like his Lord, but He gave him power, He gave him strength, He allowed him to become stronger and stronger. To embrace himself.

One day, he'd win. He'd earned his weapon – a dark greatsword, filled with power. A gift from his Lord?

“You have earned it, my Nestling. You may serve as my Knight,” his Lord claimed.

The Knight bowed, knelt with respect. He had been granted recognition. A reward for his efforts by his Lord. The demon watched as his Lord continued, “I have a quest for you.”

~>

The Knight moved swiftly, crossing borders in a matter of hours. He first departed from Redgrave, then moved swiftly across international borders. The ruins of the city did little for his mission.

His Lord had entrusted him with this mission and he would not fail. He had granted him power, life and purpose. He would die for him.

Fortuna, August 7th, 6:34 pm

The Knight had arrived. His instinct proved correct. This land… Fortuna, as his mind had supplied, was filled to the brim with people. Suitable nutrients for his Lord to grow.

As the sun sets, the Knight observes. Watches.

A woman was alone, outside, staring at the sun. She had auburn hair, hazel eyes – Kyrie – why did he know?! The Knight clutched his head. Something threatened to come over him, but he repressed it in time, only a few gasps and groans escaping his mouth.

“Is someone there?” The woman asked.

The Knight couldn't risk his cover being blown. He left immediately, as Kyrie was left staring at nothing.

“Nero..?”

~>

September 30th, 3 am

Urizen sat in his throne, the Qliphoth roots nourishing his body as he sat in wait. Power flowed through his veins, his armored form a fright to his subordinates.

“Where is Malphas..?” He idly wonders. This subordinate of his, though annoying, was a useful demon to have around. He propped one hand on his pseudo throne and propped his head against it.

Lusachas emerge from the ground. “Find Malphas.” He harshly commanded.

Malphas was not found.

Urizen silently seethed in his throne. Echoes of blood rushing through his veins no longer excited him as it did four months ago.

Four months. That's how long he had sat upon this throne, long after the Qliphoth fruit had been crystalized. The only reason why he hadn't devoured it? An investment.

It was a few days ago when Urizen had sensed a disturbance. A small decrease of blood here, a root cut off there. Malphas had volunteered to investigate. The Demon Lord approved of such, allowing Malphas some of his own power in order to give her the power to use some of her more costly spells.

Since Malphas had disappeared, a sudden flare of power had registered on the Demon's senses.

The Devil Sword Sparda, formerly possessed by Cavalier Angelo, was now being wielded by someone else. Urizen knew who it should be. Malphas had warned him against the Devil Hunter.

“Dante…” Urizen minced his words. He recalled all the hatred he once had for the younger sibling. They were of the same cloth, and yet Dante chooses to oppose him over and over, unaware of his superiority.

Urizen clenched his fists on the throne. With the Devil Sword Sparda, Dante could put up a fight against him.

The odds were even.

An idea entered his head.

The Knight is one of Urizen’s best soldiers. The Angelos failed him, but he had not. Despite his inherent disability, uncommon amongst demons thanks to their healing factor, Urizen could sense immense power within, lying in wait.

The procedure to lend him power had awakened certain attributes of a demon within him, but the Knight was still just that. A Knight. A person slammed shut inside a case of armor. Not a proper demon.

He cursed the Knight's weakness, yet as he tried to rip the humanity out of the Knight, it was met with protest, from both his own hand and his Knight’s soul.

Why can't he just rip the godforsaken weakness from his Nestling's body?

He'd made a demon out of a mere mortal - a feat that not even Mundus had accomplished perfectly - and yet his Knight’s arm remained a point of failure for the demon Lord. He'd discussed it with Malphas once. She told him that she would find a method, knowing her head was on the line.

Now that she's gone, Urizen would have to do his own research.

Urizen sighs. Dante would have to wait. For now, he'd investigate.

He hoped his Nestling could deal with this mission.

He peered at his loathsome half, finding that the human was down, but not out. The demon Lord grinned. He knew just the way to cheer himself up.

~>

Geto stirs in his new hideout. The last one was far too risky, too close to Jujutsu Tech. Granted, the most dangerous places are often the safest, but he was not taking any chances, especially since he hadn’t amassed enough curses to kill everyone who came in his way.

Yes, despite being more powerful than 99% of the sorcerer populace, Geto was still afraid of the Six Eyes and the disaster it could bring onto his plans.

Especially since Muta knew they'd been suspicious, and relayed as such to him.

Naturally, Geto found him a new place to stay.

“They killed my brothers.” A voice in the corner gritted out.

“?” Geto raised an eyebrow.

Choso glared, “Why would you send them on that mission?!”

“Be rational, Choso.” Geto sighed, tired of his son’s bullshit. “Simply put: I didn't know Sukuna’s vessel was this powerful. Do you truly think I can predict the strength of someone I've only ever known by watching?”

Choso bristles. Geto was right.

“Itadori Yuuji… Kugisaki Nobara…” Choso mulled over the names, a vein popping up behind his forehead skin.

“Ah, it's so good to see my children get along,” Geto smirked.

Chapter Text

September 30th, 7 pm

Trish still hadn't woken up.

Dante had set himself up back in Devil May Cry’s main office, with Trish sleeping on the couch wrapped like a burrito. Dante sulked, the Sword of Sparda behind him as he sat on his chair, like a throne for the weakling.

He was strong, but he could not save anyone.

Is this how Vergil feels? Powerless?

He'd gone on expeditions to find Lady, V, Nero – any of his friends and family. Through the ruins of Redgrave, destroying Qliphoth roots along the way. Devil Sword Sparda hacked through them with ease, its wielder trudging through waves upon waves of lower demons.

Sure, he could destroy any demon that came in his way… but he never seeked this power. Only Vergil did.

Dante shook his head. This was no time for sulking. If he couldn't find Lady, then he’ll take it up to Urizen himself.

Grabbing Ebony and Ivory, Dante passes the makeshift grave he'd made for Vergil. He gives a glance to the grave, reminding himself that this was for his brother, the one he'd lost to his demon.

“Hang on, Verge. I’ll avenge you.”

~>

September 15th, 11 am

V has not woken up. It'd been 3 days, and Megumi was getting anxious.

“He's making progress,” Ieiri assured him. “His limbs are regrowing with the energy I gave him.”

Megumi clenched his hands, his thumbs twiddling with trepidation as he'd returned from a recent mission. He'd been promoted to Grade 1 for his strength, the ability to expand a complete Domain and his ability to land a Black Flash granting him a spot among the best Jujutsu Sorcerers.

A hand latched onto his shoulder. “Don't beat yourself up over it, Megumi.”

It was Gojo, wearing sunglasses instead of his usual blindfold. His tone was low, his voice serious instead of his over-the-top tone his voice usually took.

“Gojo.” Megumi wilted. “I… I tried to follow your advice. I fought to win. I did win. But Sukuna just…”

“I saw the reports,” Gojo nods, “you fought well.” He gave a weak smile. “You’re growing stronger, Megumi. I can feel it.”

“But V…” Megumi grits his teeth. He starts shaking. It's clear he'd cried over V’s body once or twice. Gojo wasn't sure.

“He’ll be fine. Not like you can do anything about him.” Gojo sighed.

“If I knew RCT, If I had been a little stronger…” Megumi cursed.

“You’re blaming yourself over something you couldn't control. Sukuna had control over the inner domain. You could only clash with him.” Gojo smiled softly, the hand gripping his pupil’s shoulder giving a light squeeze in assurance.

V’s cursed energy flickered.

“!” Both people turned their attention to the body, as Griffon emerged from V’s body.

“Look, kid. You’re blaming yourself for something you shouldn't. It's all fate. You couldn't have won. What’cha gotta do is get stronger…”

Griffon thought of Vergil. As a part of the half demon, and representative of his nightmares, he knew very well what Vergil stood for.

“... Might controls everything.” Griffon seemed to regret his words, his body actively flinching. “Sorry. Wrong words. Bein’ strong is good, but it's what made V like this. He tried to get more power, and it made him into a shell of himself. A whisper. An echo, whatever you wanna call it.”

Megumi nods. “But what I need now is power.” His words seemed to slip through, the very statement being natural to himself.

At that moment, Griffon saw Vergil in Megumi.

“I caused him to be like this. I'll fix this.” Megumi got up from his chair, fists still clenched. Gojo lifts his hand away, not knowing what his pupil is trying to do. He tries to follow, but Griffon stops him.

“Gojo.” Griffon says with a tone the teacher had never heard from the shikigami – direness. “A powerful curse is gonna come, and we’re gonna need your help.”

~>

September 15th, 11:03 am

Yuuji and Nobara sat on the stairwell together. They both individually felt bad for V, the former wishing he could've done better.

Nobara had purged his concerns about killing humans, but it wasn't scratching the surface of what occurred to him.

Tsumiki – Megumi’s sister – had been cursed directly because of Sukuna. This was what Sukuna had told him. The mere absorption of Sukuna’s essence had triggered the deaths of the victims of the curse at Yasohachi Bridge. Megumi didn't know. He couldn't have known.

“I'm an idiot…” Yuuji slumped, his palms on his face. “I shouldn't have swallowed the finger.”

“It's not your fault.” Nobara sighed, her face neutral. “V's in this condition because of Sukuna. Not you.”

“I enabled Sukuna to do this! I should've locked him to myself!”

The King grinned at the brat’s regret. He'd always love theatre dramas. The sorrows, the conversations, the characters – the King loved it all.

“Shut up.” Nobara scoots closer to Yuuji. “Sukuna did this. Not you.” She grabs his collar. Yuuji flinches, being abruptly pulled up close and personal from his crouched position. “It's not your fault!” She shouts. “It's not your fault…”

“She's projecting,” Sukuna thought. “But she's not entirely wrong.”

“Nobara, I-” Yuuji grasps her hand, slowly pushing it away from his collar. “-I wish I could say that,” He said with bitter resentment, his gaze shying from her. “But it's true. V’s dying because I swallowed the finger and allowed Sukuna to hurt him. Megumi’s in distress because I swallowed the finger and cursed Tsumiki.”

His gaze turned to Nobara. “I hurt you because Sukuna ripped my heart out.”

“You idiot.” Nobara’s expression turned to one of sorrow, her face contorting to fog up her eyes. “It's Sukuna who did all these things. It's never you. The Yuuji I know doesn't curse people.”

Yuuji let out a shaky breath, his own eyes fogging up as well. It's been three days, and yet none of them have stopped worrying about V, despite his condition seemingly rapidly stabilizing.

“Let's go.” Yuuji got up from the stairwell. He ignored the base instinct of crying, and instead extended a hand towards Nobara. “We have to get stronger, so V doesn't have to go through that again.”

Nobara took his hand.

~>

September 15th, 4:44 pm

He'd been trying the subjugation ritual for hours in an empty dojo of Jujutsu Tech.

The shikigami he'd been trying to tame was Madoka, the deer which could output RCT. It was a logical next step in his path to tame everything from his repertoire, and also critical to staving off V’s condition. The deer could heal others, not just Megumi, and so he wanted it. He needed it.

“With this sacred treasure, I summon!”

His tone was calm, yet his brows were furrowed. His shadows extended to far beyond his own body’s length. He forms the hand sign of an orb, then the head of a deer.

“Jewel of Resuscitation. Madoka.”

The deer arises from the shadows, bellowing as it did so. Megumi stared it down, the deer gracefully circling around its summoner. The deer did not seem to know that it was going to be subjugated.

Megumi pounced, as the deer took notice. He coated cursed energy on his hands, throwing a punch, testing its strength.

However, only his bare fist met the fur of the deer. It wheezed, before throwing its antlers into his stomach.

He flew into a wall, shocked by its strength.

“My cursed energy…” He thought to himself. “Was it negated?”

The deer galloped forward, as Megumi leapt away. He summoned Nue, the bird charging and diving into the deer. It leapt over the bird as it dove downwards, landing without even so much as buckling its knees.

Was its tactic to stall him out?

His question was promptly answered as the deer rushed forward, coated in RCT. Megumi’s eyes widened, coating his cursed energy on the legs -

His leap was cut short as he was impaled in both arms, his cursed energy negated. He yelped pathetically as the deer seemed amused at the summoner’s audacity.

He tried to ignite his cursed energy, pry the deer’s antlers away from him, but each attempt was met with failure as the deer kept erasing his cursed energy whenever he tried to summon it.

He bent his knees, wincing as the deer stabbed his body into the dojo’s walls. The deer had disabled his method of summoning shikigami, so he had to use his physical strength to pry it out.

He contracted his core, lifting his legs as he kicked at the deer. The deer dodged easily, the legs not even grazing a single bit of its fur.

Megumi was let down.

He glared at the shikigami, as he summoned Datto. The rabbits flocked towards the deer from every angle, as Megumi purposely left the rabbits’ number smaller. He had to see the rabbits fade in order to know a blind spot, after all.

The rabbits dissipated one by one harmlessly against the deer’s fur, as Megumi noted the delays between each dissipation. The back was less guarded than the others.

He could feel the crimson ichor of his body drip, flowing down his hands. He couldn't feel anything.

If he could tame this…

He would be able to break Tsumiki’s curse. He was able to save V.

He needed to win.

He lifted a black sword from his inventory, untarnished by outside air. He dashed forward, bolstered by cursed energy. He leapt upwards as the deer predictably lunged forward, as he used his physical strength to push the blade into the deer’s body.

The deer seemed to slowly turn to the direction of which Megumi inflicted damage, and snorted. The deer ruthlessly swung its backside, tossing Megumi and his sword away like a ragdoll. His back hit the wall of the dojo, including his head. Ringing invaded his ears as his vision suddenly started to sink into darkness.

It was a peaceful deer, but it would not hesitate to maim, Megumi thought.

He clenched a fist.

Damn it…

It loomed closer.

Closer.

Closer.

Until it was no more than a few paces from its summoner’s location.

With a start, it wheezed and galloped at Megumi.

Megumi summoned Totality, and the canine swiftly shoved him out of the way before being forcibly released by the deer's constant RCT.

This gave him enough time to slam his palms together.

“Domain Expansion!” He called out, drawing upon the lack of lighting within the dojo.

“Chimera Shadow Garden!”

The domain could now be closed, thanks to Megumi’s use of the outer shell of the dojo as an outer shell for his Domain.

The deer halted, as though caught in headlights. Megumi took its inability to outright disregard his domain as a good sign.

Blood trickled down his vision. It seared, burning against his eyes. His arms threatened to go limp from the intense motion and cursed energy Megumi had just put into them.

It didn't matter. His domain could summon shikigami for him.

He had enough cursed energy for a pseudo-sure-hit effect as he'd done against the white curse from the Goodwill Event, but should he? He contemplated as he let his arms go limp. He’d focus on kicks. His arms could break if he went on. He had to be tactical about this.

He couldn't be strong if he was disabled.

The shadow puddle that formed his domain launched Megumi forward at obscene speeds as the summoner spun forward for an axe kick infused with cursed energy.

The deer’s neck visibly bent, though not broken. That was fine. That was progress.

He let himself fall into the shadow puddle, as he commanded Gamas to grab the deer on one of its hind legs. The deer yelped as he tried to forcefully subjugate the deer by pulling him into his own shadows.

He emerged with a bounce, spinning around for a kick. The deer stumbled, but did not falter as it howled, getting rid of the Gama and stabbing its antler through the sorcerer’s gut.

Megumi swore he could hear something explode.

He spat out blood as he fell into the shadows of his domain.

A wave of Shikigami took his place, as Megumi felt his domain start to crack and collapse. He couldn't keep this up. He sent out waves of low cost shikigami as he knew himself that more costly shikigami like Orochi or Banshi would do nothing but be dissipated in a mere touch.

As the deer was distracted, he came up from below, hooking his legs onto its own, and pulled.

The deer yelped, but Megumi did not budge.

Unfortunately, neither would the deer.

The two were locked in a battle of attrition, with there being a clear victor. It certainly was not Megumi.

The Domain cracked, revealing a hole as Gojo moved in.

“You know, blindly taming shikigami isn't the best choice. You could die.” He was not impressed.

He warped in front of Madoka, a Red blasting it into cinders.

The Domain collapsed, Megumi’s body ejected from the shadows.

“I.. want to..” Megumi groaned out.

“I know you’re trying to help.” Gojo sighed, “But this isn't the best way. Would you try to tame Mahoraga without my supervision?”

Megumi shook his head.

“Exactly. Next time, just tell me. I'll be there, no matter what those higher ups tell me.” Gojo picked the teen up. “You’re my kid. I’ll protect you.”

Gojo warped the both of them to Shoko’s.

~>

September 19th, 2:58 pm

V still hadn't woken up.

Shadow loomed over her master, acting as a guardian of sorts as V’s friends came in to visit him.

By now, half of his left arm and right leg had healed. Shoko had been generous in her serving of RCT.

It was Yuuji who came in this time, as Nobara and Megumi were training with Gojo. He sat down on the chair next to the bed, looking over V.

Shadow liked Yuuji. He was a kind soul. She leapt into his lap.

“You want scratches?” Yuuji asked with a faint smile.

Shadow purred in response.

Yuuji scratched her fur absentmindedly as he wondered what V was thinking of right now. Would he approve of what Yuuji did? Would he forgive him?

=>

V drifted in the ocean, all alone.

The ocean wasn't clear, but murky; its reflection a dark mystery. V stared at it once, and Vergil glanced back. He could not feel Rebellion. Yamato was by his side, as usual.

It was a surreal sensation, feeling weightless and held down at the same time. The weightlessness slowly disappeared by the minute, replaced by a sense of weight. He was on his own. No Rebellion, no Dante.

It feels like there's supposed to be something more, but he sees nothing. Nightmare must've blocked everything from his sight.

With this, he was left alone with his thoughts.

=>

September 19th, 2:23 pm

They were in the classroom once more, with the tables and chairs moved to the sides.

Gojo claimed that he could help Megumi. He didn't know what was in store.

“Alright, listen up!” Gojo instructs. “I'm gonna teach you something important. Since Cursed Spirits with Domains will be more common for you, I'll teach you an anti domain technique.” He smirks, though it never reached his eyes.

He squats into position, a swirl of blue forming and expanding around him. His blindfold remained on.

“It's a Simple Domain.” Gojo stands up with a neutral expression, “It helps weaken all Cursed Techniques and boosts your own, like a typical Domain. Even though you-” He points at Megumi, “-have a Domain Expansion, this technique helps refine your barrier making. I saw your Domain while you tried to tame the deer, Megumi. It's downright horrendous!”

The students could feel that something was troubling their sensei, but neither could pick up on what it was. Megumi nods.

“Now! Try to do it!” Gojo grinned.

“What?! We only get this as our demonstration?!” Nobara complained.

“What? It's easy~! Just try!” Gojo replied, pointing at her feet. “Try doing what I'm doing right now. Getting the pose down is important. Act like you’re unsheathing a sword.” He posed, right hand at the front and left hand at the back, as though holding the Saya of a Katana.

Nobara struggled with the pose, while Megumi experimented with his sword.

“Here.” Gojo moved forward, pushing Nobara’s hand back a small bit. “You’ve got to really~ hold that katana! Or else it won't work!” He said as Nobara successfully does the pose with his instruction. “Yay! You did it!” He cheered.

Megumi was now in the pose correctly without additional instruction as well.

“Now comes the hard part. Expanding this Domain.” Gojo reveals his eyes, a wave of energy flowing around the two students.

“It's like projecting your voice. Use your gut, and don't force it out. Or else it’ll come out like a wet fart.” He snickered at his own joke.

What does projecting a voice have to do with expanding a Domain???

“There's no relation between the two!” Megumi groaned, disgruntled as his hands trembled.

“Well…” Gojo tried to think of something else as a metaphor. “Like a radar! You have to expand the cursed energy outwards to form a perimeter! That's what Simple Domain is. The objective is to use your own cursed energy to saturate an area, causing the opponent’s cursed energy to lose potency.”

“How the hell does that make any sense?!” Megumi was even more confused than before by that last part. Gojo answered one question and gave another.

“You know how electricity's formed by moving delocalized electrons, right?”

Megumi nods. Nobara did not know what the hell electrons were, but went along with it.

“When Redox Reactions occur, the more reactive substance acts as the Reducing Agent, and the less reactive substance acts as the Oxidizing Agent. This means electrons are passed through from the R.A. to the O.A.”

Gojo was sketching a diagram of a chemical cell, complete with a detailed example. Zinc metal acted as the R.A., and Copper metal acted as the O.A., while Copper Sulphate and Zinc Sulphate acted as electrolytes. Potassium Sulphate dabbed on filter paper acted as the salt bridge. The two metals and their respective sulphates were separated in two beakers, with the salt bridge connecting the beakers.

“The reaction is based on how much electronic potential your chemical holds. In this example, since the potential of Zinc is higher than Copper, Zinc passes electrons to Copper.”

Oh. So that's… what..?

The concept was starting to fly over Megumi’s head.

“Since Zinc is passing through the correct terminal on the voltmeter, the result is positive.”

“The same logic applies to the Simple Domain. It's not that you’re directly weakening your target’s cursed energy, but making it so your cursed energy has more potential than your opponent's and dominates over it. A constant Domain Clash.”

“I see. I don't get it.” Nobara blankly stares.

Megumi sort of (?) gets it.

Cursed Energy swirled around his body as he projected it outwards in a maelstrom, the mint blue energy swallowing everything around itself within a nine feet radius.

“That's it!” Gojo claps his hands. “Good job!” He grins.

“So… just do that.” Nobara was clueless.

Megumi stood up, the Domain being anchored to him.

This… this was invaluable.

~>

September 20th, 10 pm

Megumi was supposed to be going to sleep.

Yet, a certain white haired man was standing next to him.

“Your output’s all well and good,” Gojo claimed. “Just inefficient. I want you to start not bottoming out, like me.” He points to his eyes. “It takes a long time, but trust me, it’ll be worth it. What I want, is for you to be able to exert just equal energy for equal results.”

Megumi was still confused. “What does that have to do with sleeping..?”

“You’re going to restrict your cursed energy output from today onwards, and you will learn to be efficient by taking less and less of your actual cursed energy to do something.” He throws Megumi a plushie. “One of Yaga’s cursed corpses. If you exert too much cursed energy while in its presence, it’ll punch you. Relentlessly.”

Megumi shuddered.

“Don't try to cheese it by using no cursed energy either. You have to use a baseline amount.” Gojo got up for the door. “I made sure to pick the coolest plushie around! Aren't I the best?” He smiled at Megumi as he closed the door.

Immediately, he got punched.

~>

September 25th, 10 pm

He had told Gojo to come, as he wanted to summon the Madoka again. Gojo obliged, warping in as Megumi had summoned the shikigami.

The deer rushed, as Megumi crouched and summoned the Simple Domain. The deer continued, however, stabbing Megumi through the chest.

The world shifted colors as the deer disappeared.

Megumi groaned. His cursed energy wasn't strong enough to overwhelm the deer.

~>

September 27th, 1 am

He stewed in defeat the whole day. His reserves were running low as the plushie kept hitting him. He was cranky and exhausted, yet he couldn't sleep properly.

Why? He asked himself.

He did not have an answer, as his sleep was interrupted by another punch to the gut.

~>

October 3rd, 9:34 am

V’s body now had a quarter left to recover, as his skin stopped flaking off.

The trio visited him, as Griffon expressed his gratitude to them for V.

“You’re gonna have to get strong, kids.” Griffon sighed as the trio left. “A storm is approaching.”

With Simple Domain firmly grasped, and a few days of being punched under his belt, Megumi was finally ready to perform another subjugation ritual, under Gojo's supervision from afar. Very far.

The deer stood before Megumi, egging him on.

“Simple Domain.” Megumi allowed a swarm of blue energy to take over the arena, the deer surprised, but otherwise unperturbed.

This time, it would work.

He leapt forward, Cursed Energy infused into his normal blow.

Madoka snarled, but Megumi’s strike went through. Finally, the deer yelped, as it found that its RCT was not working as effectively as before. He grinned, barring his teeth.

The deer attempted to ram him with its antlers, but Megumi dodged with ease, having seen this coming a mile away. The deer was going down today, whether it liked it or not.

He gripped onto the antlers, flexing and hopping onto its back. It thrashed around, attempting to get Megumi off, but he did not relent. Instead, he retrieved his sword from a shadowy puddle in the ground, stabbing it into Madoka, much to Gojo’s delight. “Good job!” He shouted from afar, his grin evident.

The deer continued to resist, but Megumi did not panic. He needed to get stronger. That involved subjugating this shikigami.

He dragged his blade along the back of the shikigami, slicing the back of it in two.

Nothing could come back from that. Not even the deer.

Madoka collapsed easily into his shadows with no real struggle behind it.

He had acquired a new shikigami.

He summoned it with a hand sign, and it bowed to him.

Finally.

Chapter Text

October 3rd, 1 pm

V was fully healed, his body intact once more. Gojo nods at Megumi as he summons Madoka, its nose touching the unconscious darkslayer. Healing energy poured from it to V, as his torso started to pulse with red energy.

Yuuji and Nobara look in the background, their presences noted, but otherwise not doing anything much.

He seized, twitched, as the energy began to cause his body to jumpstart. His eyelids pried open, and he took a deep breath. He was sweating, as though he'd woken up from a nightmare.

“... Megumi..” He recognized the emo boy first, then deviating his gaze towards Gojo. “Gojo..?”

“V!” Gojo grinned, the corners of his mouth reaching his eyes. “Good to have you back, my dearest student!” He wrapped his arms around V’s body in a hug. “I was sooo worried!”

“Good to see ya, V!” Griffon greeted his friend.

“V!” Yuuji screamed out with all the excitement of a golden retriever, joining in the hug. He was grinning ear to ear as well.

Nobara joined in, “don't go dying on me again!” She chided V.

“How long…?” V asked. “How long was I out?” His voice was worn, weak, hoarse, as though he'd aged a few years in what was probably a few days.

“Eleven days!” Gojo unwrapped himself, “But hey, at least you aren't dead.” He smiled warmly.

“I appreciate the sentiment.” V sighed.

Then, he realized he was without Yamato.

“Where is Yamato?” V asked.

Megumi took it out of his shadows, handing it in pristine form back to V. “I knew that someone would try to take your katana, so I stored it in private storage. No one knew.”

“Except me!” Gojo added unnecessarily.

The devil hunter took his weapon back, and moved to get off the bed. All four of the currently standing moved to hold him up immediately. “Easy!” Yuuji chided, “you’re still fragile!”

“Apologies…” V grunts, as he was practically hauled off the bed by all of them. The devil hunter struggles on his feet, but once Cursed Energy came into his system once more, he was able to stand like a normal person. He grabbed his uniform, wearing it in a simple motion, and clipping Yamato to the coat, before summoning his cane.

“Would anyone care to tell me what has happened in these eleven days?” V asked, his irritation apparent. “I would rather I be in the loop than not.”

At the mention of those days, Megumi blanched. Yuuji blinked. Nobara looked away. Gojo…

Well, in an act that's severely out of character, Gojo doesn't react. He didn't even reply with a quip or anything as his smile slowly drops, revealing a serious face.

“V.” The voice held authority, and V could feel that his sensei is serious about his words. “A Binding Vow isn't made lightly. I never put a time limit on things, but I know you haven't shared everything.”

His heart sunk.

What? He practically told them everything! The only thing would be…

Griffon shrugs, “Sorry, V.”

Griffon had sold him out.

“The Qliphoth.” Gojo starts, “Demonic tree that feeds on human blood. Why did you never tell us about this? Even you knew you couldn't dodge it forever.”

“The Qliphoth- the Qliphoth cannot hurt any of us as of now. I made sure of it.” V timidly replied. He felt like a child being scolded.

“Then what about the roots you saw?” Gojo asked, “V, why are you withholding information?”

“I…” V struggled to reply. “Urizen, he… he can't possibly cross into this realm without assistance.”

He holds out Yamato. “I made sure of it. This significantly delays his progress, even if he wants to follow me here. Just the act of taking Yamato from him makes this impossible.”

“What?”

The question was asked by all other people within the room.

“The Yamato… its ability is not only to split man from curse. It can also split. Unconditionally. It can split space. Unfortunately, the technique is something I am too weak to utilize.”

“So it's Cursed Technique is something way cooler than just cutting?” Yuuji asked.

V nods. “Satisfied, Gojo?” He questions the white haired sorcerer.

Sukuna silently notes this. This was no ordinary cursed tool. It was no longer just similar to Hiten. It was far superior, as much as it pained him to admit that a cursed tool made by himself was weaker than another.

Gojo nods. “Good. You’re not alone, you know. If something’s haunting you, we can help. I can help. I'm the strongest, after all. I'll leave you to talk it out. The higher ups were probably banking on you dying.” His grin slowly returns, and he goes to warp away.

“We missed you, V.” Nobara was the first to speak up. “You… you almost went ahead and died just like Yuuji.” She pointed at the pink haired teenager, who wilted at the mention of his fake death.

“I'm alive, right? That's all that matters.” V smiles. No restraint, just smiles. After all this, all the hiding, the secrets… he felt lighter. They were his friends. Friends that he found along the way. He will get stronger and stronger to protect them. He swears it.

~>

Things had gone back to normalcy after that. No Qliphoth, no random strong curse popping up, and certainly nothing interesting.

V was content with that, however, as he sat and flipped through his book. His friends were safe. He'd make do in this peaceful world. Yet, one thought still consistently crossed his mind.

Dante.

Sure, the Qliphoth wasn't something to fear here, but what about Dante?

“For your information, I'm still alive.”

What if that was the truth? What if V had left his own brother to die?!

Calm down. This wasn't an attitude that V could have right now. He was safe. This was peaceful, he could have the life he wanted to live. He had to move on.

Move on.

Yet Urizen remains.

~>

Nightmare – V’s coma

He was floating in an ocean.

The ocean was vast, yet empty. The environment held no shine, yet the ocean managed to reflect light. Its silvery sheen seems almost metallic at times, with V reaching down to touch, only to find that it was most absolutely water as moisture fills his hands.

All was peaceful. He needn't think. He needn't act. He needn't fret about anything.

Nightmare kept him in stasis, most definitely shielding him from all the horrific things his mind could conjure. It's funny, really, to think that a demon born from nightmares would block nightmares for its wielder.

Too bad he didn't have his book with him.

Yamato was with him, as always, yet he didn't think to check on her.

That is, until the ocean started making waves.

Tendrils rushed out from beneath the water, immediately latching onto V’s foot as it tried to drag him down. The poet refused, slashing at it with Yamato, only to find that it had mysteriously disappeared.

A hint of panic shot through his face, as he suddenly realized his tattoos were gone.

He sank deep within the ocean.

“Vergil!” A voice called out.

V blinked. He was laying on the ground. He felt around, feeling grass in every press of his palm. “Finally!” The young voice shouted again. V looked to see a young Dante, finding his whole body to have shrunk. The sun was piercing his eyes now.

“How long was I out?” Vergil asked, as Dante shrugged. “No idea! Come on, we have to settle the score!” He carried his wooden greatsword, though Vergil could see Rebellion behind him.

He himself was now holding a wooden replica of Yamato and Force Edge, with the real Yamato hanging off his waist, attached to him via his saya.

Over yonder, he could see their home, burnt down, but still serviceable.

A sword made itself known as Dante jabbed into his personal space. Vergil took notice and parried immediately. The wooden replica felt different in his hands from Yamato itself, but that's fine. He grasped his katana, dashing forward and struck. Rapid Slash caused Dante to block, while his brother’s strikes almost overwhelmed his defense entirely.

Dante gave a mischievous grin, and Vergil did not know why. He flicked the katana, as Dante was now going on the offense. The attacks felt choreographed, like they'd been fighting like this for years and years.

They were locked in a bind, with Dante pushing forward while Vergil looked for any way out. He swept at the legs, and Dante’s footwork promptly fell apart. Vergil flipped Dante like a pancake, pinning him on the ground with a foot.

“That was fun!” Dante grinned, laughing as Vergil looked at him, puzzled. “Fun?” Vergil questioned.

“Yeah! Isn't this fun?” Dante asked.

His inner demon purred at this sentiment. Of course it was.

As for his human side…

He frowned. “Not any more fun than reading a good book.” He lifted his foot off of Dante’s chest while the boy pouted. “Really? Those boring books of yours? Come on, Verge! I know you had fun! Let's go again!-”

Without another word, Vergil lunged forward, and time suddenly blinked.

“Why… brother?” Dante, now in his teenage years, looked at Vergil with those stupidly soft eyes of his. “Is power… really…”

Vergil was indifferent.

He slicked his hair back. “Yes.” Without hesitation, Vergil shanked the blade into Dante even further, forcing his brother on his knees.

What had he done?!

V looked in horror as the rain continued. Vergil walked away as he claimed Rebellion and ripped Dante’s half of the amulet away from him. Dante had gotten in his way. He would unlock the power of Sparda.

He'd make sure of it.

The vision continued as Vergil’s path deviated so far from his original counterpart. He'd taken Force Edge on his own. He defeated Arkham.

All that, but V could see that Vergil did all that with a lack of a smile.

“Do you see this, my loathsome half?” A gravely voice called out. “This is what we would've been… without you.” V recognized it as Urizen. “See how powerful we are… without this… compassion? This hesitation about our brother? When we stop at nothing for power?”

“We become unhappy.” V retorts.

“We become powerful.” Urizen grins. “Isn't power what we want? It certainly was what you wanted when you fought but mere days ago?”

V wavered. Yes. Urizen was correct. “So why couldn't we agree? That you are just dead weight? You are the trash that I threw out. You are not Vergil.”

“Neither are you, then.” V narrows his eyes at the beast.

Urizen seemed to make a shrugging motion, though his body was constrained to his throne. “Touché.” He replied. “But power is what we need. Otherwise…”

~>

“MAKE IT STOP!”

Vergil screamed out, hands on his head as Mundus chuckled in dark amusement. “Ooh. That was the first time you screamed that loudly. Shall I leave you to rest, Nelo?” The demon lord asked.

“That… is not… my name…” Vergil breathed out, his voice no more than a whisper.

“Not your name?” Mundus’ voice was tinged with even more amusement than before. “Then I suppose that I will continue.”

Vergil screamed as pins prickled his body, the black ichor of Mundus' making piercing straight through. His eyes tried to shut close, but couldn't as Mundus had forced his eyes open to watch. “That’s good,” Mundus nods, “Makes you wonder how foolish you were to challenge me.”

Mundus gently caressed Vergil’s cheek, as though Vergil was a nestling, and he, the parent, was ready to hone this nestling into a powerful demon.

Vergil said nothing.

Too much pain.

Like burning in a fire that just wouldn't cease. Vergil was physically cooked alive, as Mundus attempted to boil away his humanity, or at least, isolating it.

The flames turned from black to blue-purple. Mundus grins in satisfaction, his three eyes projecting his delight.

~>

V gasps, recovering from his vision.

“Pathetic.” Urizen growled slowly. “How weak do you have to be to be broken by such… barebone methods?”

“These nightmares… they’re a part of me now. Mundus no longer scares me.”

“Truly? Despite how powerless you were? How intriguing.” Urizen seemed to shrug. “But alas, you are insignificant compared to me.”

“Do you know anything other than spewing insults, Urizen?” V told his other half. “Back up your threats with words, or break it down for me, how exactly do you plan on killing me when I am far away.”

“...” Urizen went silent. It was clear to V that he did not have an answer.

“I do not plan on killing you.” Urizen slowly starts. “I plan…”

V’s body suddenly started to tingle.

“...to do…”

His stomach churned. Something was crawling upwards, creeping through his digestive tract.

“...this.”

Suddenly, his throat exploded with the force of a thousand needles, the tentacles returning and whipping V in a show of absolute dominance. He spat blood. He leaked blood.

Until, he realized, he was no longer leaking blood.

“-heh-... You speak of being pathetic, and yet you… are that so…” V chuckled. “You seek power with a set mind. You are not like me. Power without purpose… you are no better than a feral demon.”

As the storm erupted, and V felt pain shoot through his limbs, he knew his words had gotten to Urizen.

“Mark my words, my abhorrent half. I will find my way back to you. And I will make you suffer.”

~>

“Yo! Earth to V!” Griffon called, sending V back from his stupor. “Thinking about Urizen again?”

“... Yes.” V did not deny it. “But I am also worrying about Dante.”

“Dante got knocked out, right? He's probably dead.” Griffon expressed, “Rest yer head, V.”

“The man who never alters his opinion is like standing water, and breeds reptiles of the mind.” V replies. “Dante told me that he was still alive. In a vision.”

“What are ya, clairvoyant? I don't think so. Dante is dead. End o’ story.”

“You were right.” V thought back to when Gojo confronted him mere days ago. “This hallucination of mine… I should've told someone. Urizen is coming.”

“I hope you ain't in over your head, V.” Griffon sighs as they start moving once more.

Just then, he gets a ring on his phone.

~>

He arrives at the location that was sent by Nobara, it being a building that's in the middle of the city. “Go up,” the message read.

A restaurant?

V enters to see Megumi and Nobara talking, the former giving the latter a glare that could melt ice. Typical annoyance, V supposes.

“Oh! V! You’re also here!” Nobara greets, ignoring Megumi’s expression, and V realizes that Megumi's glare straight up melts when he notices that V was present.

“You called me here,” V complained.

To Nobara, accidentally calling V was probably the best decision she could've made. Megumi was giving her the glare of a century. If looks could kill, she'd be buried far lower than six feet.

To Megumi, he has just been trying to tame the next shikigami. He'd summoned Kangyu twice in the same day, and even his enhanced cursed energy control couldn't save him from being pummeled. He'd almost died both times and had to call for Gojo’s help with dispatching the shikigami before things went even worse than a grievous injury.

He'd healed with Madoka, so he'd at least look presentable. But he did not like being interrupted.

As for V, he's just glad that the one friend that isn't an idiot was here.

Nobara praised whatever god was above for doing for her the equivalent of calling one’s grandma when their parent was about to destroy them either physically or verbally.

“This is Ozawa! She's been trying to get with Itadori!” Nobara explains. “She had an insane body transformation!”

“So it's like that?” Megumi asks, as V nods. “I see.”

“It's like that!!!” Nobara confirms with three exclamation marks.

“Does Itadori have a girlfriend?” Ozawa asked.

V does not know.

Megumi opted to answer. “No, definitely not.”

“Why?” V asks. For all he knew, Yuuji could have a girlfriend outside of sorcerer work – he'd met him only two months ago, after all.

“When he had to abruptly move to Tokyo, he seemed to be not that upset about it. This meant that he had no attachment to the people in his area. Not to mention the pinup poster in his room. No girlfriend would want their boyfriend to have that.”

Valid points, he admits. V nods.

“What do you think, V?” Nobara asks.

“I agree with Megumi’s assessment.” He replies, as Megumi offers a cup of coffee to him. He'd been standing rather than sitting, and his height was starting to feel like an issue as people started staring.

He sits down next to Megumi, declining his offer for a drink.

“Erm, by the way, do you know his type?” Ozawa anxiously asked.

“In exact wording, it was a tall girl –” Megumi muffled V’s voice as he attempted to let the vulgar part of Yuuji’s sentence be known. “Shut!” Megumi whispered.

V took the hint.

“You have a real shot!” Nobara toasted Ozawa with drinks before typing to summon Yuuji.

He notices that Megumi was now holding a book. “What book are you reading?” He asks. The cover was unrecognizable. “It's not a book. It's manga.”

“Manga…?”

All parties involved abruptly turned to look at V, the atmosphere suddenly halted.

“... I'm supposed to know what manga is.” V concludes.

“What do you mean you don't know what manga is?!” Nobara exclaims in horror. “For someone who reads this many books I thought you'd know at least something about manga!”

To be fair, he never read manga before raising Temen-ni-Gru.

After a sandblasting of information about Manga, V’s salvation arrived in the form of Yuuji. “Oh! V! You’re here too!”

V sent Yuuji a pleading look.

As Yuuji met his eyes and turned to look at Ozawa, he could feel a panicked air around Nobara.

Oh, right. He was reuniting with a friend after a year of not seeing her. Of course Yuuji would not recognize-

“Oh, Ozawa! What are you doing here?”

10 - 10

V stared in disbelief while the duo of Nobara and Megumi held signs that depicted the number 10 on one hand.

~>

Yuuji was cooking tonight.

When V offered to cook, Yuuji declined. “Nah! I promised, right? Before everything happened. I'm gonna make all of you taste my cooking.”

Fair enough, V supposed.

“V, I want to ask something.” Megumi asked.

V nods slowly.

“What drives you?”

“I need more power!”

“Might controls everything.”

“Protection.” V averts his gaze. “To protect those whom I care for. Protect myself. I seek power so that everything I've been through will not happen again.”

“What about you, Nobara?”

“Same as V.” Nobara didn't bother with explaining further.

…

The silence felt deafening.

“I apologize for ruining the mood.” V sighs.

“If you’re really that sorry, then you'd finish the game of twenty questions with us.” Nobara smirked.

“Gladly.” V smiles, as Yuuji calls out from the kitchen: “Food’s ready!”

“We’ll have to postpone that.” Megumi interjects.

V hums as they head to the dinner table, where Yuuji was now busying himself with plating his dishes and giving food to everyone around him.

Tonight’s dish: Soba.

V grabbed his chopsticks, took up a handful of the noodles and slurped, almost as soon as the others started to do so. He wasn't used to slurping noisily, but since Japanese culture demanded so, he'll do it for the sake of being polite.

He chewed, testing the flavor in his portion. It's earthy, but not in a bad sense. The texture was firm - which he supposes was intended. He looked to see Yuuji staring at him expectantly. What was he looking at? V thought he'd already followed every bit of etiquette he could remember. He froze as he looked at Yuuji’s gaze.

“...is it good?” His voice sounded almost hesitant.

Nobara and Megumi were practically in sync, erecting their thumbs so fast it looked as though only a mere twitch had occurred.

“V?” Yuuji asked again. He seemed a bit anxious about V’s reaction.

Oh, his reaction.

He finishes his noodles, and gives a pleasant smile, despite the fact that he didn't like or dislike the food particularly. “You did not disappoint.”

Yuuji cheers. V's heart warms.

In that moment, he feels as though he is truly loved, and not alone.

He wants to protect them. All of them.

Chapter Text

October 3rd, 10:37 am

Dante roams the streets, looking at the absolute devastation that Urizen had caused. He'd dismantled several Qliphoth roots on his way to the tree, and it seems that the demonic influence near this wasteland has diminished quite a bit.

Good, Dante’s demon nods, That demon deserves to lose his turf, brother or not.

Oh, not to mention he'd acquired this sick new motorcycle that he'd obtained from Cavalier Angelo. It groaned as Dante flung himself off yet another piece of debris, doing flips in the air before drifting in another direction towards the Qliphoth.

“WA-HOOOOOO!” His screams of thrill echoed throughout the empty scenery, yet nothing answered. No demons, no humans, not even animals. Smoke billowed, yet no fire erupted.

Snagging on a bent stop sign, Dante manages to fling himself into the air, recalling the motorcycle and transforming into Devil Trigger. With the Sparda, he could fly, and he'd been using the Cavalier purely for efficiency's sake.

After the trimp, he curled up into a ball, spinning before unfurling his wings, letting it catch the wind before flapping it once, twice, thrice, for good measure. Dante wasn't good with Physics and the like, but his Devil filled in the details.

However, his flight was intercepted by a flash of blue.

Dante's eyes widened in horror.

This being…

No! He had to focus.

He pried himself off of the Knight, before kicking with both legs. The Knight groaned and lost control of their flight paths, causing them both to plummet to the floor.

Not that it was an issue for either of them.

The Knight was perplexed. Is this the Dante that his Lord spoke of?

“You are… Dante…” The Knight gasped, his voice a whisper.

Dante remained silent in an uncharacteristic act, transforming back into human form. “It's Nero,” His senses told him. “It's your nephew.”

Was he back on Mallet Island?

Nelo Angelo screamed as he warped and disappeared, dropping Vergil’s half of the amulet.

“...!!!” Dante rushed to pick his brother’s half of the amulet up, before realizing what he'd just done.

He'd killed Vergil. Destroyed him. Tore through his body when he could've saved Vergil somehow. He was a murderer.

“Devils never cry.”

Dante’s face twisted as he knelt on the ground on both knees, clutching Vergil’s half near his chest. His whole body was shaking. The skies seemingly started to swarm around him.

“Devils never cry.”

He'd sent Vergil to the underworld, and he'd sent Vergil to the cold embrace of death.

“Devils never cry.”

Lady’s voice played in his head. “Somewhere out there, even a Devil May Cry when he loses a loved one.”

Dante broke, full on ugly crying and sobbing as his tears formed a puddle. He cried and cried until he had no more tears left to shed, when all the sadness had departed through his eyes, leaving nothing but apathy for his journey.

“Come on, Dante… Devils never cry.”

“Nero!” Dante screamed out. The Knight flinched, blue wisps seeping through the armor. “Wake up, Nero!”

“Who… is this Nero you speak of…?” The Knight asked. “I… do not understand… my name is…”

“My Knight, you are my Nestling. You will carry out my whims, but you are my heir. Your recent work has been stellar so far… I will grant you a name.”

“Of course.” The Knight knelt.

“Your name shall be…”

“Nelo Angelo, Knight of my Lord Urizen.” The blue wisps stilled, hanging in the air as though chains to his body. His demonic power rose exponentially. The Yamato shard in Dante’s coat reacts violently.

It was as though after speaking his name, Nelo had grounded himself. His power flows like a calm stream, opposing Dante’s volatile energy.

Dante’s pupils turned into pinpricks. Vergil would never do this. This was something only Mundus would do. His brother had inflicted something far greater than Mundus’ torture on his own progeny.

“This can't be Vergil…” Dante whispers, almost like a prayer. “Why..?”

Preying on Dante’s temporary distraction, Nelo lunged forward, sword drawn and ready to hack. Dante notices, and flips out of the way before Nelo could do any damage. He steps on the greatsword, bouncing off.

In an instant, Nelo had launched a cross-slash at Dante, who used Round Trip to cancel the attack before darting forward and retrieving the sword before bringing it over his hand and towards Nelo. He had to be sure. He wanted to disprove it.

Nelo blocked, using his legs to kick Dante away. The Devil Hunter stumbled, but did not falter as he slashed at the side where Nelo lacked his arm.

Nelo spun, parrying with rotational force. Devil Sword Sparda went flying.

Dante was distracted. Off his game. He couldn't think without the image of the other Nelo without his helmet, displaying the image of his dear brother’s head.

As Nelo aimed towards Dante's heart, he swapped to Balrog and trickster dashed away, reappearing behind Nelo, Balrog at the ready.

The devil within Dante snarled as it wrangled for control – and Dante let it free.

“I cannot erupt, I must control!”

A faint song plays around Dante's body, just enough for Nelo to hear, but not enough for him to comprehend. Dante leans on one side as Nelo swings at the other, before a gut punch finds its way to Nelo.

“I cannot erupt, I must explode!”

The dark angel used his greatsword to block Dante, but to no avail. The half devil penetrates through the quarter-devil’s charge like a drill through a brick wall, socking him regardless.

Nelo blinked.

Dante was now in Devil Trigger once more.

Runes surrounded the two as Dante fought, applying random spells to Nelo’s body. Nelo now knew one thing.

Dante was far, far out of his league.

Nelo seemed more nervous all of a sudden, the calm, grounded mindset vanishing in an instant as Dante, even without his father’s power, started beating him down, pummeling him while Nelo could only watch and block attacks with a dented greatsword.

Spontaneously, the assault ended with a roundhouse kick to the floor. Nelo laid defeated, as Dante huffed and growled.

Nelo recognized the demonic language when he heard it.

“You… kin…” Dante growled again. “Vergil…”
Vergil? Nelo questioned in his head. What Vergil? Who is Vergil?

“Brother…” as if Dante heard Nelo’s query, he replied. ”Mine… Your… father….”

Vergil was Nelo’s father. Dante’s brother. And now, as the devil stared him down, a heatwave of intensity, Nelo couldn’t help but think about his own sire. Was Urizen Vergil?

“Is… Urizen Vergil?” The question was uttered in a whisper, and the devil nods. “Shed… armor….” The red devil replied.

Dante is his nestmate.

“SHED ARMOR!” In an almost barbaric scream, Dante leapt forward, the Devil Sword Sparda flying straight back to his hand, giving him an insane power boost. Nelo raised his dented greatsword, blocking Dante’s first strike, giving his dark greatsword a serrated edge.

Without warning, Dante extended his strike, swapping to Balrog. The sword of Sparda was nowhere to be seen.

Nelo’s whole body rang in pain, pain, absolute pain, as Dante’s assault was relentless.

It felt as though he was training as a Nestling once again, fighting against the blue doppelganger. Every bit of his cane was imprinted upon the Nestling’s skin and bone.

No, no, no, nonononononononononononononono!

His Lord’s power was not enough?!

Nelo’s greatsword shattered with a bang, Dante’s strikes overpowering Nelo’s defense. Another stray punch started to be aimed at Nelo’s face – he blocked, yet sprained his arm. He yelped, leaping back and started running.

Dante couldn’t be bothered to follow after Nelo. In a flash of runes, he transformed back into human form, as he came to his senses.

The memories came back to him. Nero was alive… that’s… good. At least better than what Dante had initially thought of him. A grimace overtook his face, realizing now he had expended a large amount of energy in fighting his own nephew.

He didn’t feel like having fun. He started walking.

~>

October 19th, 7:04 am

V had slept soundly. He’d been training with his classmates and his upperclassmen the days before, and heading on exorcism missions in his spare time. It was mundane, as he was too strong for any regular curse to endanger him, but it was fine. Nightmare had gained a lot to feed on these days.

The aroma of food entered V’s sinuses, and he knew what it was.

Someone was cooking breakfast, for some reason.

He slowly opened his eyes, realizing what this meant.

His door opened with a small creak, as he moved outside, now dressed in a black coat over a white t-shirt. It was simple, and it beat any eloquent clothes he had in his closet right now, including his Jujutsu Tech uniform.

Suppressing a yawn, he brushed his teeth.

“Smells good!” Griffon chirped.

“It does, indeed.” V replied.

It turned out to be Gojo handling the food. It wasn't too burnt, per se, but seeing the excessive amount of sugar being placed on top of the dish was concerning.

To V, anyway. Gojo was humming blissfully as he placed a dose of syrup-

-okay, that's it.

V moved forward with Gambit and pushed Gojo away, the latter seeming to have deactivated Infinity. “Let me handle this, Gojo.”

“If you say so, my darling student!” Gojo chirped. He turned towards Griffon, “and his favorite chicken.”

“I AM NOT A CHICKEN!” Griffon erupted, causing the entire dorm to short out and the lights to go off.

V sighed. The stove won't be turning on any time soon unless he finds the breaker box.

He turns his attention to the thing that laid before him. What the hell was this?!

He is almost impressed with how black Gojo had managed to make what was otherwise a perfectly fine pancake.

Plus the syrup, now that he had started looking into it further than before.

He sighs. This was going to be a long day.

~>

October 19th, 9:03 am

Yuuji’s day was off to a slow start; the vessel had barely gotten dressed, brushing his teeth with haste while Sukuna pestered him on a random topic within the modern age. If not that, then he’d be pestering Yuuji about people, those he found to be interesting characters or people who caught his attention.

Like V, or Megumi.

Pretty soon, as his sight adjusted to the brightness of the sunlight, he’d suddenly get a jolt of energy through his system — purging the exhaustion out of his body before it could corrode anything other than his sluggish motor functions.

It was then that he noticed his sensei on the couch, lounging around as he mindlessly watched TV.

”Oh, Yuuji-kun! Come sit!” Gojo patted the spot next to him on the couch while Yuuji nodded, heading to the desired spot. His sensei’s arms wrapped around him as the two of them watched a mindless programme.

This reminded him of when he was training to control his cursed energy, only with less stakes and his sensei being next to him — also, the TV was playing, well, TV other than movies.

”Vergil is awake,” Sukuna notes. “I can sense his cursed energy being more active. He must be using that bird shikigami of his.”

”Nice observation, jiji!” Gojo chuckled, “You want a medal with that?”

”Stay in your lane, Gojo Satoru.” Sukuna replied with disdain. The sarcastic remark really did him in.

“Nope! We’re gonna be fighting one day when I get you—“ He points to the mouth that had formed on Yuuji’s cheek. Sukuna seemed to contemplate on biting Gojo before realising it would be more proper of him to just not do anything. “—out of my student’s body, right? Might as well get with the times on modern trash-talking!”

”The brat’s memories has plenty of information on this ‘trash-talking’ you speak of. No more but mere taunts designed to bait the opponent into raging,” Sukuna somehow managed to convey the motion of a shrug with only a mouth. “I am a king. I will not fall victim to these childish remarks.”

”Oh, really? Why don’t you try baiting me, then?” Gojo grins.

”My words are wasted on a bumbling fish like you.” Sukuna concludes as he vanishes.

“Scaaaaaaaared, Sukuna?” Gojo drawls out his words.

Sukuna did not respond.

”He’s scared,” Gojo concludes.

”Who’s afraid?” V asks as he moves out of the kitchen, several plates in hand. He’d become the defacto chef these few weeks, as he was an early riser and multiple people in the pseudo household loved his cooking. He sees Yuuji, and raises an eyebrow. “Yuuji?”

”He’s talking about Sukuna.” Yuuji fills V in.

”Truly?” V queried. “Curious.”

As though summoned at the sight of V, Sukuna reappears. “The fool truly thinks that I am afraid of his technique.”

V hums. “The fool who persists in his folly will become wise.”

”You are truly the foolish one here. Which is why when we fight — after I finish off Gojo Satoru — You will perish. Your potential is wasted with your mindset.“

“Hm.” V ignores the statement, placing the dishes on the table.

He was serving a few pieces of grilled cheese, each adorned with their own ingredients to his fellow students’ preferences.

Those students, of course, include the second years.

“Kelp.” Inumaki was the first to emerge from the second year dorms, waving as he did. In truth, V hadn’t seen his senpais much other than breakfast since he almost died at the hands of Sukuna.

”Greetings, Inumaki.” V acknowledged, “Your dish is over there.” He points to a grilled cheese sandwich with an extra dose of mayonnaise. “Salmon.” The white-haired senior nods, moving over to the breakfast table.

”Is that grilled cheese I’m smelling?!” Nobara practically slid out of the first year dorms, “V, you did leave out the fat right?”

”A healthy diet is crucial to maintaining a good figure.” V nods. He didn’t know much about healthy diets, given that he’d been using demon blood as sustenance his whole life, “low fat cheese, different type of bread.” But he’d managed with searching on his phone.

”Thanks!” Nobara was grinning ear to ear. V subconsciously smiled.

”Where’s Megumi and Maki?” Gojo asked. “oh, and Panda.”

”Tuna Mayo.” Inumaki explained as Gojo nods. “Oh, okay.”

”Whoa, everyone’s here already?” Maki was surprised as she moved from the second year doors, Megumi moving from the first year dorms outside the shadows.

”Yeah, you’re late.” Nobara states.

”It appears so.” V nods.

”Well, without any further ado…” Gojo grasps the grilled cheese in his hands — thinly coated with Infinity — “Itadakimasu!”

~>

October 19th, 7:20 pm

Muta Kokichi stewed in his pool. It would be today, when he’d be reborn out of his body.

He recalled his humiliating loss at the hands of one V from Tokyo. Briefly, he’d wondered who this V is, even enquired Geto about it, but the latter did not know who the former was, calling him an “aberration” to be fixed.

So, this meant that V was outside of his planning.

He’d already had his plan laid out in front of him. After Mahito had fulfilled his end of the binding vow, he’d use the cursed energy reserves he had saved up in order to kill, or at least cripple the curse so that the event that Geto was planning would be less troublesome for the likes of Gojo and the others.

He wasn’t sure if he could win against Mahito.

Ergo, he had a backup.

A couple hours ago, he’d sent out a drone.

~>

October 19th, 3:39 pm

Megumi had been defeated by Koso for the tenth time in a row.

V sighed. Since he’d awoken, he’d been acting as Megumi’s teacher, rather than Gojo. Which, in his opinion, was of no issue. He liked spending time with the gloomy teen — in a way, he reminded him of himself, when the wounds of getting left behind was still fresh and bleeding.

The desire to pursue strength was strong in Megumi, and V would guide him.

Right now, Megumi had been working on using the shikigamis’ techniques for himself, without even utilising the hand signs. So far, he’d only gotten Madoka’s technique to work, acting as a less costly version of Reversed Cursed Technique — and acting as a fast track to unlocking his own version of RCT.

V shuddered. He didn’t want to see the gloomy teen in a high state ever again.

The teen had been summoning Mahoraga every few seconds just for a chance at beating the divine general, when any sane person would’ve seen the power gap between them and realized, “no, I am no fool, I am not dying today.”

Koso could use flame breathing, acting quite similar to the Zenin clan’s technique of Blazing Courage. Megumi had seen this, and thought of what to do.

”Other than its technique, it has no defences, correct?” V had asked.

”Yes..?” Megumi asked, confused at the direction this was going.

”What if you had a way to nullify its technique?”

This was a rhetorical question for V, as he knew of an answer from Gojo teaching him so — Domain Amplification, or, more accurately — Domain Envelopment.

V had no domain, so he couldn’t master this technique.

But Megumi…

”Nullify its technique…” Megumi mumbled.

V could see a light bulb on his head physically appear.

”Domain Amplification.”

”Correct.” V smirked.

Yet, Megumi’s lacking in his barrier techniques had bled through into his own incompetence at using Domain Envelopment.

”Damn it!” Megumi pounded the tatami floor. “Why isn’t this working?!”

“Must more blood be shed?!”

”Patience.” V sighs, moving forward with his cane. “You’re doing great.”

Suddenly, a brown sphere penetrates the dojo’s windows, a voice playing:

”Hello, V.”

”Mechmaru..?” Megumi asks, recognising the patterns.

”This is a pre-recorded message. I need your help.”

V shut up and listen, as Mechamaru explained everything that was related to his own involvement at the plan of Geto’s.

As the recording finishes, V pales. Megumi pales as well, while the drone flips over and falls onto V’s hands, splitting its shell into forming a radar directly pointed to Muta Kokichi’s location.

”Let me come with you,” Megumi states. “You need help.”

”I do not. I want to keep you safe.” V shakes his head. “I can help Mechamaru, but there’s no telling how strong Mahito will have gotten. You need to find Gojo.”

~>

Soon, he'd arrived at the Qliphoth. He could feel Urizen’s presence brewing, almost suffocating to any lesser devil. He took a whiff, and his nose scrunched up.

“It smells like crap in here.” He notes, wafting the air with his hands. “Was it this bad couple of months ago?” He starts moving while cupping his hands to his face. “HEY VERGIL! YOU STILL HAVEN'T LEARNT FROM LAST TIME? MAKE YOUR TOWERS CLEANER!”

Urizen was bemused. Does his brother think that he could command him?

“Foolishness, Dante, foolishness.” The phrase came to him, expelled in a distorted tone. “The rot is a trophy.”

Dante's devil was in agreement, and at the same time, frightened by the sheer power that his brother was outputting.

His human side did not budge. In fact, he chuckled. “You used to love saying that.” He grins. He slings Devil Sword Sparda over his back, slowly walking into the tree. The entrance closed behind him, the invitation accepted.

~>

October 19th, 8:49 pm

What was taking them so long? Muta wondered. Both V and Geto were taking their sweet time. If his calculations were correct, from Tokyo Jujutsu Tech to travelling towards here in this new lair in Gifu, it would not take this long.

“Hello, Muta.” A saccharine voice caught his attention, as he glared at the new arrival.

Geto Suguru was ready to just go according to plan, transfigure Muta into becoming a functioning human rather than a paper doll, and then be done with the whole binding vow debacle. Mahito trailed behind him, along with a new cursed spirit…

… who should’ve been exorcised.

”Can we get this over with?” Mahito asked. “This scum isn’t worth it.”

”Watch your tone, curse.” Muta bit back.

”Alright, alright. Raise your head.” Mahito placed a palm on his bandaged head, as it unravelled. His body glowed with an unnatural color, as he stepped out of the tub of his own making for the first time. He flexed his muscles, feeling out his cursed energy reserves.

Did he retain his Heavenly Restriction despite his blatant bypassing of it? He smirked. This makes it easy. Perhaps he’d be able to kill Mahito after all.

”Well? How do you feel?” Geto asked. “Good? Bad? About the same?”

Muta wasted no time. The ground crackled as he smirked. Just in time, as he had timed all his proxies to be. Dust flowed around the air freely, and the ground broke.

~>

Dante stared down Urizen as the latter sat in his throne.

”So, we fighting or what?” Dante asked. “Come on, let’s finish this, big bro.”

The sword of Sparta sparkled as he felt his strength increase.

”You hurt my nestling.” The demon lord spoke, not with indifference, but with something else tinging his voice. It was not amusement, nor was it fear.

A feeling Dante was intimately familiar with.

Unyielding rage.

”My. Nestling.” Urizen declared, as Nelo appeared beside him. “And you dent his sword, nearly destroy his armour?!”

His sole visible amber eye burned with the intensity of a thousand suns, a purple mist overcoming his body as he sat up from his chair, turning to place Nelo within the chair, as Qliphoth roots wrapped around Nelo’s body. “Rest, Nestling. Today I will show you my might.”

”Heh, and here I thought you were heartless… seems like you do care about your son after all.” Dante cracked a joke that no one laughed to. Not even himself. In fact, he grimaced, as Urizen seemed to wail at the crude joke, appalled by the notion that demons would care for their children in the same way that humans do.

Hypocritical, a voice in the back of Dante’s head whispers.

Roots planted itself on the floor, as Dante’s mouth widens until it looked — resembled like the crooked, easy smile he usually carries. He dodges Urizen’s trickery with spells easily, parrying the ones he could not dodge.

They were truly equal in strength, now.

Urizen didn’t taunt. He didn’t seem disinterested, but focused.

That disposition reminded Dante too much of Vergil.

Urizen isn’t Vergil. He isn’t. The existence of V proves that theory.

Right now, he needs to kill Urizen, avenge his brother. Save his nephew.

His rage boiled and simmered as the tears inside him boiled away into smoke and fire. Balrog reached out, as Urizen sends a wave of power that barely jolts Dante. “Getting slower, bro.” He taunts, as Urizen sends out a wave of time slowing bubbles.

What use was slowing down time if you know damn well your opponent could move beyond the speed of light if he wanted?

Swordsmaster!

Dante swung, as Urizen counters with a sweeping kick.

~>

Ultimate Mechamaru howled as Muta settled inside its cockpit. This was it. His magnum opus. All or nothing. If he died now, it would all have been for nothing.

He remembered the face of the one he loved most, her blue hair and her sparkling eyes a beacon of light for his dark existence.

”Let’s go!” He calls out, as Mahito grimaces.

“What an ugly mech,” he comments.

A blast of cursed energy was immediately fired out at Mahito, who stood still. Regular attacks couldn’t damage him anyway. The lasers evaporated the forests around them, and Muta checks the fuel tank that held his cursed energy reserves —

“13 years, 3 months and 6 days.”

— He looked to see Mahito looking shocked as his body was scuffed up. Damaged. He internally cheered. He could save his technique charges.

Mahito puffed up his arms and swung, landing a direct blow on the sluggish mech. Muta wasn’t stunned, but he saw that his hull integrity had gone down.

It was a good idea to dodge.

Muta groaned within the cockpit, pushing one of his arms forward. The mech creaked, its movements creating dents on the ground, as cursed energy reinforced its movements.

“13 years, 3 months and 0 days.”

Mahito’s eyes widened as the mech suddenly disappeared from view. “What the fff-”

In an instant, the mech was directly in front of him, arms cocked and ready to swing.

“Technique Discharge: Simple Domain!”

Muta commanded, as a blue aura wrapped itself around the fist of the mech.

Mahito grinned. He leapt upwards, attempting to run up the mech’s arms to get to the cockpit. He ran forward, arms and legs morphing into spikes that trudged through the metallic surface of the energy infused mech.

“!!”

Muta noticed, and mentally commanded his other drones to come forth. Two drones burst out of the Absolute mech, all running off their own cursed energy.

September 23rd, 1:35 am

In the dark of night, a Mechamaru drone appeared in the room where many of Yaga’s cursed corpses were stored.

Muta knew he couldn't risk depleting all his cursed energy on his own mech without reinforcements, and despite the fact that V was a factor, he couldn't bet it all on the mysterious special grade sorcerer.

Ergo, he turned to another option – Cursed Corpses. Specifically, ones that could sustain their own cursed energy.

Panda was one of them, but people would notice if he was gone for more than a few days.

Not a problem; he needed to see what made the cursed corpse tick, then iterate on the design.

Panda laid asleep within the pseudo dungeon on a fluffy bed, cursed energy slowly regenerating after a day’s worth of training.

Muta glared at the puppet as he activated the prototype he had within his own Mechamaru.

“Activate: Pseudo Six Eyes.”

Tinges, shades, colors, it all faded away as what's left were the outline of the cursed energy the Mechamaru could detect.

Ah.

Three cores, entwined.

He'd found his limit without compromising too much of his stockpile with trial and error.

It was worth it, however, as this amount of cursed energy could create puppets that were the equivalent of special grade sorcerers, almost like a duo of sorcerers on demand. He wonders why Yaga never did this.

Mahito’s grin falters as he realized none of the cursed corpses before him had true souls. Nothing was human, and he couldn't manipulate something that was never there.

“Good old fashioned bashing, then!” Mahito cheered, arms already transformed into blades. His speed increased as his legs morphed into hooves, slicing and dashing through all the Mechamaru –

Except, that wasn't what happened.

“Iai: Yuzuki!”

His strike was intercepted by a puppet which had a blade poking out of its forearm as a blue circle spread out over the puppet’s body, covering the mech’s surface.

96%

Mahito bled.

Muta grinned. Mahito grimaced. Geto was astonished.

Muta never could perform Simple Domain.

But by observing his sensei, Kusakabe, during training, he had enough data to imitate it with his Ultimate Mechamaru.

This is his trump card. Mahito will not win here.

Mahito took a deep breath as he attempted to bring down Mechamaru. The other launched itself, as Mahito raised his still hoof-like foot, and kicked backwards, causing the other Mechamaru to be sent flying.

The two were locked, as Mahito looked into the eyes of the Mechamaru restraining him, hoping to see even a single semblance of a soul.

Unfortunately, Muta already knew of Mahito’s technique, and had taken extra precaution not to allow his mechs to be destroyed readily.

Mechamaru went for the feet. Mahito seized the momentary loss of balance and spun, quite literally. He flipped the puppet like a pancake, as Muta commanded the Absolute mech to sweep its own arm off.

The speed was unmatched; the wind came before the hand, serving as a warning. Mahito did like a mosquito and transfigured himself smaller, allowing himself to be carried by the current. He could expand his domain and probably finish this, but with Muta’s usage of Simple Domain, it would be impossible for Mahito’s technique to work properly, and it’d be a waste of time.

Besides, even if he could do that, what’s the fun in doing so?

He reformed himself into his normal state in the air, as the second Mechamaru approached from behind, attempting to drag Mahito down as he tried to flying with his arms morphed into wings.

“Tch!” Mahito caught the puppet before getting an idea. He morphed a palm into a large spike ball.

Pssssh!

That absolutely did the trick.

One Mechamaru down.

Muta couldn't believe what he had just seen. What kind of bullshit was this?! His Mechamaru was supposed to be far more sturdy!

It doesn't matter now!

“5 year charge: Pigeon Viola!”

Red orbs orbited the mech, as Muta glanced down on the energy counter.

“8 years, 3 months and 0 days.”

Mahito’s goal was clear. He needed to get to the cockpit.

One blast, two blasts, three blasts – all was avoided as Mahito dived and pivoted, moving all around as he tried to direct the blasts to hitting the top of the Mechamaru mech.

However, what he did not know was that the blasts were all preprogrammed projectiles designed to pivot around the Mechamaru mech in order to harm the intended target.

“Stupid blasts! Just follow me already!” Mahito whined while Muta prepared for a Simple Domain of his own.

“Technique Discharge: Simple Domain!”

Focused on the blasts that were following him, Mahito did not see the drill bit that flew towards him beyond the speed of sound.

A sharp whistle burst through the air after the sound barrier had taken its last breath.

Mahito bled once more.

90%

83%

79%

Mahito’s soul was rapidly losing vitality. That wouldn't do.

He placed his hands on top of the drill bit as he attempted to remove it.

70%

“Grrr-”

The red orbs that were launched before homed in on him, blasting into him after he'd moved.

45%

Muta chuckled - no, cackled. He needed this. This momentum. Mahito would die, at this rate. He only needed to fire a few more blasts.

“One year charge: Ultra Cannon!”

43%

Mahito braves through the pain, removing the drill bit just as he was damaged.

His body fell harmlessly to the ground.

His breath shuddered. He got up. It would take time before his soul could mend, but it's fine. Soul damage was something he's very adept with.

45%

60%

Mah/ito

30%

“Greetings,” came a voice from behind. Mahito dared not look, as an ivory blade poked through his abdomen, or rather, where it's supposed to be. “It's past your bedtime, young one.”

~>

Dante clashed blades with the demon lord, his power struggling for control. He was so close. He could feel it. Urizen was weakening. The Sparda pulsed in agreement, and Balrog burned bright.

“Pathetic!” The demon lord roared, the chamber shaking as Dante was sent back. He pulled out Kalina Ann, Lady's gun that he'd retrieved during his trip to the Qliphoth.

Infusing as much demonic energy into as he could sustain, he fired. A red hot bullet shot out, and Urizen deflected it with an invisible barrier.

The Sparda and Balrog could penetrate it no problem; the problem was his other weapons.

No time to think, as spikes erupted from the ground.

“Perish.” Urizen snarled while Dante hissed. They both were in Devil Trigger, pushing forward with everything they had.

And apparently, that everything was starting to run out.

With ragged breaths, Dante flew backwards, Urizen having won the clash.

“Well, well, well, brother…” Urizen boasts. “It seems I've surpassed our father’s power. It makes sense. After all, you've never lost anything.”

An artery burst at that statement.

His power rose.

“NEVER LOST… ANYTHING?!” Dante’s laid back attitude gave way into an unfiltered temper. “YOU HAVE NO IDEA! DO YOU THINK I HAVEN'T MOURNED YOU?! THAT I WANTED THIS POWER?!”

Urizen flinched. The demon lord didn't know why.

The Qliphoth shook as Dante called upon power deep, deep within himself.

Horns slowly formed on his head, as his wings multiplied in amount.

“YOU ARE THE ONE WHO LEFT ME BEHIND! DO YOU THINK MOM WOULD’VE WANTED TO LEAVE YOU BEHIND?! NO! SHE KEPT SEARCHING UNTIL SHE COULDN'T!” His vocal cords screamed in dismay while it went lower and lower. “I'VE LOST EVERYTHING BECAUSE OF YOUR SEARCH FOR WORTHLESS SHIT! AND YOU… YOU HAVE THE AUDACITY TO TELL ME YOU’VE LOST ANYTHING?!”

“I’M DONE, VERGIL. I'M DONE COMPENSATING FOR YOUR LITTLE HUNT FOR POWER! FUCK YOU!” A crimson explosion covered the entirety of the throne room as man and devil forcefully collided together with vigor and rage.

What stood – no, floated before Urizen was nothing short of divine.

Sin Devil Trigger.

~>

Further in the future, 10:34 pm

Yamato reacted.

V peered down at the blade, pulsing in a blue color.

Then, everything changed.

Chapter Text

October 19th, 9:03 pm

V had Yamato firmly implanted within Mahito’s torso. “You find myself at my blade quite often,” V joked.

“I do.” Mahito nervously chuckled. “But don't think I'm giving up yet!”

Against Mechamaru, he couldn't use Domain Expansion because of his puppets’ lack of soul and the mech’s use of Simple Domain. However, against V…

“Domain Expansion: Self-Embodiment of Perfection!”

… He could use it.

The expansion is instant. Shock could barely get across V’s face before his soul was touched.

This time, Rebellion did not protect him.

=>

Vergil – half of him – stared down Mahito, holding a broken Yamato. Mahito relished the pain that the human was going through. His inner domain was cracked, depicting a home behind him, burnt down and leaving only a painting behind.

“Nice domain.” Mahito compliments. “Looks like I'll tear it down. Shame.”

The half of Vergil choked. “Don't you… dare.”

The reveal of Vergil’s weakness was far worse than V had initially realized. Without Rebellion sustaining his soul – isolated – he was only a human without demonic power, standing against a foe he couldn't defeat on his own.

“Give me… power…” He silently whispered to the broken Yamato. The katana did not react. It seems the katana soul bound to himself was as battered as Vergil was.

“Awww, now that's a shame.” Mahito slowly walked forward. “No more power? No more poetry to taunt me?”

Vergil remained silent.

“Sounds about right.” Mahito grinned. “I've won, Vergil. You lose.”

“How… do you know… my true name..?” Vergil croaked out, his cracked skin and missing half of his body not hindering his ability to speak.

“Your brother.” Mahito simply states. “He did a number on me last time, you know? But I respect you for eating him. You’re following your own instincts.”

Vergil’s singular remaining eye widened at the mention of consuming his own brother. No matter how thirsty for power he was, he would never ever siphon off his own brother.

Alas, there was nothing he could do now. There was nothing he could do, and with a flick of Mahito’s technique, he would perish. Cease to be.

“This is it, Vergil. But, for the record, I'm glad I met you.” For a moment, Mahito’s smile seemed genuine.

Just as he tried to activate his technique, it ceased. Everything halted. Everything ceased.

10%

He was no longer holding Vergil’s soul in the balance.

And then, he was stabbed in the back once more – this time by claws rather than a katana. Mahito glared behind him, domain collapsing.

What stood behind him was a wolf, no doubt a shikigami.

Fushiguro Megumi had followed V, and he would make sure Mahito paid for nearly killing V again.

“Damn it!” Mahito screamed out as he attempted to make contact with any of his digits on the wolf, but it had seemingly dissolved into the shadows.

Geto had warned him about the Ten Shadows user, about how he’d grown abnormally powerful within these few months under the tutelage of V, and that he could certainly rival Mahito in strength.

But why were they both here in the first place?! Didn't Muta make a binding vow?!

“Under the conditions of the binding vow, I will not tell Jujutsu Society about your plans and my reward, as well as the rendezvous point of our operations and espionage.” A Mechamaru drone had stated before them as a stand-in for Muta Kokichi.

What they did not know, however, was that the one who made the binding vow was not Muta, at least in the eyes of Jujutsu. The binding vow was on an individual entity of Kokichi’s making, and did not correlate to Muta himself.

With the sure-hit effect disabled thanks to the Domain clash from Fushiguro, Mahito was now forced to either go through Fushiguro first or he would not be able to reach V’s soul with his hands alone, with the other soul tanking the soul damage for him and retaliating instead.

The damned man in red — Dante — would make sure of that.

“Divine Dogs: Totality!”

The wolf from before was recalled to Fushiguro’s side as V hacked a wet cough. The effort of resisting Mahito alone had taken a toll on him — and Mahito possessed the truest means to end a demon by destroying their souls. V worked similarly to that in a regard; if his soul dies, his body dies with him.

“Don’t… let him touch you.” V advised while Megumi sent out another hand sign. “Jewel of Resusitation. Madoka.”

Binding Vow: Fushiguro Megumi must chant the summoning phrase for each individual use of his shikigami if not using their physical forms. When using the shikigami’s technique, at least one part of his body must be obscured by shadows.

This was the solution that V had come up with for the issue at hand for Megumi.

In an instant, V could feel his wounds being healed. Megumi had one of his hands in his pants pocket, the other pointing towards him. He nods at V in an “I told you so” expression. “Don’t you start with me..” V groans.

Megumi was confident, but he didn’t show it.

Mahito darted.

Totality intercepted.

”IDLE TRANSFIGURATION!” Mahito shouts, attempting to plunge his hands into Totality’s body. Megumi perceives this, and desummons his shikigami. Taking out his hand, he puts his two digits together to form a Mudra.

”Nue!”

Mahito bursts through shadow-like liquid, aiming his hand solely on Megumi’s side. His speed was fast, being boosted by the same hooves from before. However, he didn’t expect something else to intervene.

A fist erupts from the shadows — more accurately, a piece of goop covered rock.

Nightmare returns in all its glory, ready to serve its master. Nue dives from the spot which Megumi’s clashing of Mahito’s domain resided, practically slapping Mahito upside the head whilst he was still recovering from Nightmare’s dramatic entrance.

Its singular purple eye turns back at V, almost beckoning him to come close. V obliges, and leaps on top of Nightmare. The Knight of V has just been promoted.

Violet energy converges around Nightmare’s singular eye as it turns to glare at the downed Mahito in a fluidity V had never seen from his bulky familiar.

Mahito attempts to get up, but fails as Nightmare slams down, arms splayed and belly wide onto the curse. “What the ffffffuuuuu-“ He screams out.

Nightmare melts into goop.

Mahito did not get away in time. He could feel his soul being devoured. He opened his mouth to scream, yet nothing exited. He was faced with death once more.

He scrambles, looking around for any sign of Nightmare’s soul.

His eyes started to fail him. His hands frantically felt around for something solid.

V paled as a hand reached out to grab the core of Nightmare, unsheathing Yamato —

but it was far, far too late for that.

Mahito’s singular hand manages to latch on, and V could feel his connection with the gargantuan familiar wane.

“What a fascinating shikigami… almost like a pet curse of sorts..!” Mahito grinned like a small child as the goop evaporated in his assimilation, leaving Mahito behind with a droopier appearance than before. “He’s strong. Very strong! I’ll be taking him for myself.”

Nightmare was still there, V knew. The connection they shared was proof of that. Yet with every moment that Nightmare stays within Mahito’s body, the more probable the death of his strongest demon was.

40%

50%

70%

Megumi was starting to slip. The domain was fortifying itself, winning the clash by the second. He clamped his hands together once more, forming a Mudra. This felt eerily familiar to when they’d fought Sukuna.

Instead of clashing to win, Megumi only had to open a hole. A hole big enough for V to escape, and, before that, stall Mahito’s domain for as long as possible. If he let go now, that meant Mahito would be able to activate his technique without even touching him, and he didn’t want to test his prowess with Simple Domain, much less Domain Envelopment.

Megumi’s cursed energy thrummed. V placed his hands on Yamato. Mahito stretched out his arms, almost as though he was welcoming V to the real battle.

V’s emerald eyes flashed with a burst of blue, the blue of his remaining demonic power temporarily overpowering the yellow of his human side.

He’d go all out from the start, stop Mahito before he could do anything.

”I’ve seen that trick already, Vergil,” The curse sighed. “Can’t you do something more original?”

In a flash of blue, Vergil unsheathed Yamato in the exact spot he stood, his eyes glinting as Mahito aimed to target Megumi. Even in this moment, he was exhausting far too much strength just to even stand.

In a way, becoming whole, even if just for a few seconds, is still like transforming into Devil Trigger for V.

“Don’t move.” 66%

Mahito tripped as one of his legs failed him, falling off as he continued leaping on one leg.

“Ashes to ashes!” 53%

He rolled, taking in the impact of the fall as he realized he couldn’t recover his limbs easily.

Vergil could no longer speak. He unsheathed Yamato once again.

40%

The leading hand of Mahito’s assault fell off, and thus flew towards Megumi. Vergil’s calm demeanor broke as the hand landed on his friend.

Binding Vow: Mahito can use his technique on any detached body part of his. In exchange, he must charge up his technique and declare when he will be attacking. This remote transfiguration also drains 10% of his total Cursed Energy pool from his body.

Mahito grinned. Megumi flinches and shuts his eyes, preparing for what is surely his fate.

“Idle Transfiguration.”

~>

“Kaori, if you would do the honors of disposing of our guest?” Geto asked the female half-curse standing next to him, while Mechamaru Absolute stomped around the battlefield looking for the Domain.

Kaori looked apprehensive.

”He might know a thing or two about your son, you know.”

She barred her teeth. “You mean it?”

”You’ll find out eventually, right?” Geto stuck his tongue out and shrugged in mock ignorance.

Just then, Mechamaru 1, the one launched away by Mahito mere minutes before, attempted to tackle Geto, but Kaori stopped it with her anti-gravity technique. The bot stopped in mid air.

”Well?” Geto gave her a smug look.

”I’ll do it.” Geto was her source of information and the only one that had been amicable to her from the start, being the closest thing to a friend since her rebirth as a curse.

Muta winced in the cockpit as he witnessed weeks of his effort down the drain. Even if he had told V to come here, he is still not in control. Not yet.

He saw the curse from before, the woman who's all too human. She's a Special Grade, possibly even higher. A Vengeful Cursed Spirit.

Best to take it out before things get worse.

It was a bit hard to form hand signs from the mech, but with its sluggishness came an advantage if he managed to pull the mudra off.

Kaori raved, flying with her innate technique. Mechamaru looked in abject horror as she flew further up than the cannon, nullifying its effectiveness. She looked feral, her clothes more torn than before.

“1 Year Charge: Ultra Cannon!”

The Cursed Energy within the blast surged, yet it did not hit its mark. She swung, tearing off the cap to the cockpit with one single burst of Anti-Gravity.

Of course, Mechamaru had a failsafe in times like these, and so cables came out from the body to the detached cap, attempting to reel the mech head back in.

Muta’s sweat drenched his clothes. He had to run.

NOW.

His feet moved before his brain, and his primal instincts took over. Using his own cursed energy, he ejected himself from the cockpit, falling freely downwards as the mech toppled over.

He used the mental link with his drones to issue an order to carry him, yet as he looked back –

– Kaori was already in front of him.

No! No! Not when he's so close to victory!

Not when…

The image of the one he treasured most popped into his head. He must protect her. He had to live, even if it meant fleeing like a coward.

He'd experimented with his Cursed Energy before. Unique traits were a thing he'd seen in historical texts, and through the eyes of Mechamaru, due to the existence of one Hakari Kinji, and so he tried to utilize his cursed energy in an explosive way.

He'd have to bet it all on this – on a misshapen form of Cursed Energy manipulation.

He threw his hands forward, letting Cursed Energy surge forth. This took a great deal of cursed energy from his tank, but it would do. If it worked, he wouldn't have to fight anyone else afterwards – aside from maybe Mahito if he encounters him again.

The next step was to destabilize the energy – overload the body’s trained instincts with pure, unadulterated emotion, letting all the cursed energy he had flow into one, single, explosion.

The energy formed turned from blue to red, as he poured all his anger, all his sorrow, all his indignation outwards.

The claws of the female curse loomed close to Muta as they both fell, his arm shaking from the cursed energy usage.

Cursed Energy Extension – Unleash!

The sky exploded in a vibrant crimson red, as Kaori flew outwards from the smoke like a fly flicked with a finger.

Muta had launched himself with the explosion, conveniently landing himself in a lake that was next to where his mech lay. His hand was torn, his cursed energy was out of wack, but he was fine. Mentally, at least. It had WORKED!

His scattered mind quickly reorganized himself in order to form his next steps. For one, he would have to run.

“I'm sorry, V, but you will have to handle this on your own.” Muta apologized mentally as he exited the scene, deep within the woods which he'd been almost buried six feet under in.

~>

Yuuji felt an itch.

It wasn't like the things that he could scratch – if he could, he wouldn't be feeling it. No, it was something else. Something serious. Something related to Sukuna.

He could feel when Sukuna was reminiscing on his past memories. They shared the same body, after all, and so Yuuji would know when Sukuna would start thinking of someone from his past in the Heian era.

Sukuna was bored.

He sat atop his throne of bones, not entertained. His jester had been oddly silent today, even with the coaxing of the girl brat that they'd been living with. “Oi, brat. Do something.”

“Like what?” Yuuji asked back.

“Something entertaining.” Sukuna ordered, “Preferably something that involves you being miserable.”

“Nah.” Yuuji shrugged. “It's my body, so I can do what I want. I wanna do nothing.”

That was fine. He'd find pleasure in thinking about something else.

Except, there was really nothing much to recall, was there?

Everything was boring. He'd reached absolute power, and he couldn't even utilize it properly against fools that were so weak he fended them all off simultaneously while having an open wound for a chest. A wound, mind you, that he'd inflicted upon himself to make things fair.

V – V was someone who could probably relate. It didn't take a person with keen senses to see how lacking he was, both in power and in soul. Soul especially, since he felt… incomplete. Scratch that, he looked incomplete. His soul was malnourished, almost like it was on the verge of death constantly. That was probably why he had another soul orbiting around him.

In his opinion, before V had told them about anything, he'd thought V probably hadn't ingested a cursed object, but rather eaten his twin brother within the womb just like Sukuna, hence becoming strong.

But now, there were too many holes in that theory for it to be fact.

Sukuna groans. He wished that Kenjaku hadn't picked this brat as his vessel. He was weak, and undeserving of the power of the King of Curses.

~>

Megumi didn't die.

He stared as the hand flopped at him in slow motion, his brain struggling to find a way to dodge, or move out of the way without compromising his own Domain, but it did not work. He shut his eyes.

His eyes opened once more to discover that he was, in fact, whole. Mahito looked equally as bewildered as him.

“HOW?!” Mahito screamed indignantly. “HOW!” He repeated again. “HOW DID YOU DO THAT?!”

V realized this was his chance. Aiming a strike at Mahito, he swung –

30%

– only to find it hitting a minor part as it sliced off Mahito's arm, goop falling off his body. He could feel Nightmare’s power partially coursing through him.

He reached out, using the telekinetic pull spell that he'd used months ago against Urizen. He hoped this would work.

The sigils around his palms shone in a scalding bright purple. His familiar wanted to leap out of Mahito, but the body of the curse was far too stubborn for that to happen.

He clenched Yamato, blood spewing from his mouth, skin flaking off.

Just one slash!

He swings –

– and misses.

Nightmare was sealed off from him once more. His strongest demon, now gone to the clutches of a curse.

He hissed, the whispers of a threat crawling on his throat – yet it never came.

=>

Megumi witnesses his friend – his teacher’s defeat. The hands that were performing his Domain Mudra wanted to loosen, to help V.

“Still holding on?” Mahito grins, his cut off limbs regenerating sluggishly as the Domain Clash was now even once more. “Well, you’re dead here. V can't save you, and I can certainly over take you with this,” Mahito regenerates his missing arm, and forms a mudra of his own.

Megumi's Domain immediately falters, as the darkness of his shadows are getting slowly overtaken by Mahito’s Domain.

He clenched his teeth. V laid next to him. If he could do it fast enough…

No. He can do it fast enough. What was he doubting himself for?

“Imagine a stronger version of yourself. One that's strong enough to rival me or Sukuna. One that's freely broken through every single border you've held yourself down in.” Gojo’s voice guided him.

His eyes glinted with a darkened blue as he ditches his Domain Expansion. “Whatever!” his Cursed Technique was burnt out, but that wasn't what he was using.

“Truly a wasted treasure.” Sukuna sighed.

He had to put his potential to use, this time.

A fiery blue aura engulfed him and V, as Mahito reached out to perform Idle Transfiguration with his sure-hit effect. Megumi was faster, however.

“Domain Envelopment!” He calls out, before an empty domain takes in the effects of Mahito’s technique.

“HOWWWWW!” Mahito whined again. “You know what?! I’ll do it myself!” he paces forward, attempting to press his hand against Megumi, but he swept the legs and went for a punch.

Before Mahito could realize what was happening, black sparks had already struck.

BLACK FLASH

15%

How did his fist affect him?!

Mahito was flung back, Domain already cracking open. The forests laid bare before them, as Megumi kept his empty domain up.

He rolled along the ground. Megumi loomed behind him without a shred of mercy in his eyes.

“I see.” Megumi states simply.

“What..?” Mahito moved backwards in shock.

“If I keep nullifying your technique, you will take damage.”

Mahito gulped. What the hell was this kid?! This was insane!

“This is the end, Mahito.” Megumi raised his fist.

Thinking fast, Mahito attempted to shift himself into something small.

It wasn't needed, as a clawed hand blocked the way.

“Don't hurt him.” Kaori now stood before Megumi, her hands now clenched around Megumi's.

V groaned. He had been the reason Megumi was here, and yet he was still too damn weak to fight. He had to save him. Just one person.

Yamato responded to his call, granting him more power.

He rushed forward, as Kaori looked in horror.

A hand cut off, V knew Megumi could handle this from now on. “Run.” V states, before Megumi obliges and grabs V’s hand, running away into the darkness.

Geto descends behind her, riding on a curse.

Chapter Text

October 19th, 11:34 pm

Megumi hid within the trees’ shadows, V in tow. The latter was conscious, clinging on, barely. His skin flaked off in clumps, his body regressing to what it was before he'd entered this realm. Rebellion was doing its best, but it wasn't enough.

Megumi was pouring everything he had into healing V, and it had only secured a few days’ worth of time.

“Still no reception…” Megumi muttered, one of his hands glowing with Madoka’s RCT and held up to V's chest at his request. He turned his phone off. “Has your hair always been this… white?”

“You've seen me use Nightmare.” V replied.

Megumi paused, taking a few seconds to reevaluate all their battles. V did indeed have white hair, the same white hair that he now possessed when summoning Nightmare.

“If this is the end of my life…” V starts, before Megumi’s palm closed into a fist. “Don't you dare say that.” His tone was threatening, but his intentions were not. “We will find a way out.”

“Mahito had nearly claimed my life.” V states simply. “If he does this… forcing his way into my innate domain once more… then I'd be dead. Even without Idle Transfiguration.”

“Yamato’s helping, isn't it?” Megumi notes. “It's been funneling cursed energy to you all this time.”

“Astute.” V paused. “Of course.”

~>

October 19th, 10:09 pm

Satoru was growing suspicious.

As he fended off Yuuji and Nobara’s attacks for the final spar of the day, his mind drifted to V and Megumi.

“Where are you going?” Satoru asked with the tone of a suspicious parent.

“Helping someone.” V crypticly replied, leaving Gojo in his confusion as he exited the barrier of Jujutsu High.

Soon, he'd received a mission from the Higher Ups, and so he was forced to move.

Later, when he'd returned, he'd heard from Yuuji and Nobara that Megumi had left the premises following V.

“Megumi’s been awfully close to V…” Yuuji states his observation.

“Yeah! It's always like this. Megumi runs off to train with V, Megumi goes to help V with a mission, Megumi spends time with V instead of us…” Nobara lists all the times that Megumi had willingly followed V into combat.

“Could it be…” Yuuji clenches his fists, “LOVE?!” Nobara nods profusely. Satoru hadn't taken her for a fujoshi.

He raises an eyebrow from within the blindfold. What in tarnation were they talking about? Megumi’s been straight all his life.

“There was this one time, when V wanted to train with us, then Megumi pulled him aside…”

But what if..?

“And then there was another time when V was cooking, then Megumi went into the kitchen to help him, then the food came out a bit too salty…”

The image that came in his mind supplied by Nobara’s speaking would give him nightmares for days. No. Absolutely not. He prayed this wouldn't happen.

“...And then there was this one time when Megumi was going out on a mission and V sent his shikigami to look over him-”

“Stop! Stop! Stop!” Satoru screamed, interrupting Nobara’s mumbling, “I don't want to hear about it!”

“Oi! Sensei! Are you even paying attention?!” Nobara shouts, throwing nails in his direction, which he dodges to the side readily without skipping a beat. He'd agreed to using no Infinity for the fight, seeing if they could survive at least half an hour against him. It had been nine minutes since they started, and their main strategy was to throw nails and overwhelm him until he couldn't attack.

Yuuji comes from behind, fistful of cursed energy in hand. Satoru realizes this as an eye trained itself onto Yuuji’s fist. He claps, warping above to allow Yuuji’s fist to hit the shadow of himself.

“You've improved, Yuuji-kun!” Satoru compliments while he lands.

Nobara snaps her fingers:

“Straw Doll Technique: Hairpin!”

Oops – he'd miscalculated.

An explosion of Cursed Energy from Nobara’s nails sent him off balance to his right. These nails were unlike the ones she brought with herself on normal missions – seeming far more like V’s summonable canes, constructs that she could make at any time. She'd been experimenting with her tactics, adjusting her needles to imperceptibly trap her opponents. A good use of her zoner status, to be honest.

Yuuji swung, as Satoru lets his body fall limp to grant the illusion of security.

“I got you-”

Then he swung, a leg boosted with Cursed Energy and Blue clocking Yuuji directly in the jaw.

The boy spat out blood, as Satoru instantly recognized that he went overboard. But he didn't apologize. He never does.

“You've gotta get stronger if you’re spitting out blood at that!” He taunts instead, using his backwards momentum to spring into Nobara instead, putting her in a headlock. “And you've let your guard down~!” He sing-songed.

“Let me go!” Nobara screeched with all the ferociousness of a tiny kitten, as Satoru purred, “Don't worry, Nobara-chan~! I'll take good care of you.”

“That better come with the best-”

Before Nobara had finished, Satoru swung with his arms laterally, flinging her into a wall. The entire dojo shook, as she coughed and created a doll made from cursed energy. “Here goes nothing..”

She pulled out one of Satoru’s hairs – where did she even get that?! – and slammed a real nail into it.

“Straw Doll Technique: Resonance!”

Oh no.

Gojo’s RCT immediately fired up as spikes punctuated his entire body. The tatami mats that covered the ground was now painted in blood. Guess who was on cleaning duty tomorrow?

Him. It was him.

“FFFFFFFFFFFFUUUUUU-”

An explosion of Red light seeped through the entire dojo, and two figures promptly exited the building as though shot out of a cannon filled to the brim with gunpowder.

Satoru was the cannon AND the gunpowder.

~>

October 21st, 7:24 pm

It had been days since he's last seen V or Megumi.

He was starting to think that the speculation that Nobara and Yuuji had laid out were real.

An image of Suguru came to mind.

The pain gnawed at him, but it did not outweigh the worry he had for the both of them. He'd been holding off the higher ups from declaring both of them curse users, but he doubted he could hold them off much longer.

He fidgets with his phone as he was in a text war with the higher ups, struggling to type full sentences before the old men started almost yodeling for V to be incarcerated.

You fear what you can't control, after all.

Now, it would be fine if Satoru let the both of them be incarcerated, since both Megumi and V were stronger than any regular Grade One sorcerer or curse, and all the Special Grade sorcerers being unavailable to execute them, if not for the fact that Yuuta was still in Africa.

The higher ups could interrupt his education with Miguel and force him to hunt Megumi and V.

Now that was an issue. Despite the fact that he'd personally gone to Africa to warn Yuuta before the Exchange Event, he didn't feel good placing such a dilemma on his student.

As the thinking ceased, he'd realized he'd stopped typing.

He stared at his phone, as one last message of the higher ups reigned supreme.

“It seems we have reached a consensus. Fushiguro Megumi, Vergil and Muta Kokichi will be executed as Curse Users by any Special Grade Sorcerer(s) available.”

Shit.

The phone screen cracked and exploded in Sparks as Satoru cursed his scattered brain.

He thought of what he could do. Megumi and V weren't safe out there. Yuuta would defeat them readily, much less Tsukumo Yuki.

Just then, he could hear disbelief echoing throughout the dorms. Just from the voices he heard, he could hear Maki pounding the ground, Nobara’s cursed energy rise and Yuuji scream in dismay.

These old men certainly work fast, huh? Satoru’s gaze narrowed.

There was no way for him to dispute their claims now.

He took out a spare phone from his pocket, and dialed someone strong that could keep them safe.

~>

Zenin Naobito considered himself someone pragmatic.

He, however, also wanted to strengthen the Zenin clan.

So when the announcement for Fushiguro Megumi’s execution came, he genuinely could not believe his eyes.

What happened to living for his sister, he wonders? To go and piss off the higher ups at HQ for this?

He took a sip of sake. He chuckles. Just like his old man, it seems. But he was to be inducted into the Zenin clan eventually, so he does not really care. His record will be wiped clean anyway.

Knock.

“Come in.” He mustered his most sober voice.

The doors open to reveal his son, Zenin Naoya.

“Naoya. Anything to report?”

“Fushiguro Megumi. Wasn't he to be inducted into our clan?”

“Not as he is right now, no.” Naobito shrugged. “But I could pull a few strings to tell the guys at HQ to let him off the hook. Whatever this V fella is though…” he hums. “...Ah, doesn't matter.” He grins.

“Why do you care so much about this guy?!” Naoya snapped. “His reputation among the elders are shot. What could we possibly gain from him?”

“The Ten Shadows Technique, boy.” Naobito waved his cup around. “With the technique rivalling the Limitless technique, we could rival the Gojo again. What part of being strong d’ya not understand?” Naobito finished his drink, before deciding to forgo manners and drink straight out of the bottle.

Even an idiot could see what the elderly clan head was implying.

“You… you want him to be clan head?!” Naoya practically screamed. “B-bu-”

Naoya froze, entrapped in a glass like frame.

Naobito slowly moved from Naoya’s back. “You oughta learn… to respect your elders, boy!” His strike struck true, flinging Naoya into the ground.

He tossed the bottle of sake at Naoya’s head, there was a clink, then the container cracked open.

“Go refill my drink.” He exited his quarters.

Naoya laid defeated.

~>

October 21st, 3:03 am

V was now fully healed once more.

Madoka had worked its magic, and V’s current decay was back at manageable levels, at least enough for the Rebellion to hold it back.

The two maneuvered through the forest, feeding off random animals that would occasionally cross their path. Megumi could sense that V was in a terrible mood.

This bothered him. He felt as though he'd upset someone like Tsumiki, but it wasn't her.

Had he come to hold V in such regard?

Perhaps. But right now, he wants to make V feel better.

“V…” Megumi starts, gaining the attention of the coated sorcerer. V was holding a cane once more, Yamato hanging from his coat. His white hair swayed in the wind, as he moved in slow steps. “Do you know what I think of you?”

V’s footsteps ceased.

”You’re a good person. You could’ve gone your own way, but you didn’t. You stayed with me, helped me hone my technique. Guided me through Jujutsu even though you’ve learnt it for less time than I have.”

V’s grip on his cane wavered.

“You’re a good person.”

”Good person, you say?” V laughed, a bitter air penetrating his voice. At this moment, it was as though Megumi could see V’s sorrows — the years of resentment that he’d saved up. “I am of no good, Megumi.”

“...” Megumi sighed, moving ahead of V.

~>

October 28th, 5:30 pm

Nobara swung at a dummy in frustration. She wasn't nailing anything down. Gojo’s tutoring was nothing but useless to her, and V was the only one who could understand her techniques. She conjured a Cursed Energy infused nail, striking it into the wall behind the dummy.

“DAMN IT!” She screamed out, her hands sore from the hitting she’d done to the dummy. She'd been promoted to Grade One status, and yet she couldn't repay V for all the good he'd done for her.

Worse yet, he and Megumi were both curse users, declared missing for no reason.

She wanted to repeal this. She really did. Yet as she approached her sensei, he shook his head.

“I'm sorry, Nobara, but the geezers made up their mind.” He states silently, his head held low with a bitter tone of resignation. This was extremely uncharacteristic of the usually loudmouthed sorcerer, she noted. “If I could, I would.”

She turned to the skies above, hoping they would be alright.

~>

October 31st, 7:00 pm, Shibuya Station

Muta stumbles throughout the forest, now out of range for any person to detect. He checks around for residuals, and finds nothing. He takes a sigh of relief.

As it stands, he's already back to full with his cursed energy days ago, but he couldn't alert Geto nor Mahito by summoning any Mechamaru units from the bunker. As such, he planted a hand downwards onto the ground.

“Technique Lapse: Creation.”

A green light shone from the ground, as he thought of a unique design. He'd thought – fantasied about this scenario once or twice, that he'd get his body back.

A suit of armor.

His cursed energy reserves replenished far quicker than anyone else’s, thanks to his heavenly restriction, and now he has a better output with his body being whole once more.

What if he boosted all his physical stats?

Just like Itadori Yuuji, what if he had a body that could be called “superhuman”?

This was the answer.

“Mode: Mobile!”

A suit of armor wrapped around his body, as his cursed energy output suddenly increased by more than 50%.

This was great! He felt great!

He could win!

He dashed forward, streaming through the forest with insane speed. The trees were slowly collapsing as he went, breaking the sound barrier as he moved. He felt alive.

Exhilarated, he ran. Upon miles and miles of land, Muta ran like never before. He would make it back home in a matter of hours if he was fast enough.

Yet, as he ran, his mind thought back to V and Megumi.

He felt bad, and from the little he knew out of the drones he created moments before, he, along with them went missing – declared Curse Users to be executed.

He halts, as suddenly a bustling cityscape appears before him, a dark curtain slowly lowered over it. He was too late.

“Fuck!” He cursed out, slamming both palms on the ground while green electricity crackled.

With the refined process of creating sentient cursed corpses in his repertoire, he could now create at least one at a time. With the veil closing down, he couldn’t risk his own body being compromised, nor can he risk Mahito’s Idle Transfiguration damaging him. He could only hope, as the veil lowered, that his communication device he’d left somewhere in the station could reach someone, or one of his Sentient Mechamarus could reach Gojo Satoru before he was too late.

=>

V stumbled, falling to his knees as he coughed out blood. Megumi went to hold him up. “V!” He grimaced, as the older of the two’s cough did not cease. Megumi summons Madoka, healing V as they continued moving into Shibuya. “Are you okay?” Megumi asked, as V nods slightly. He was weak, yes, but he was strong enough to not die by a sneeze.

“We’re close to the city. I can feel it.” V states. Megumi grunts.

As they approached, a veil draped down upon the city as a green streak rushed towards the veil. “Hold on tight.” Megumi summoned Totality and allowed the werewolf to carry them both into the veil before it closed down.

~>

October 31st, 7:31 pm

Muta had expanded a veil around himself. In order to perform his plan well, as it pained him to admit, he would have to do things like he usually did so. The cursed puppet he'd created was self-sufficient, yes, but can be directly controlled by him.

He maneuvered through the crowd, people marvelling at his costume. He tried to find Geto, Mahito, or any curse, really, but it was oddly quiet. No one has noticed the veil yet, and it's probably because of the apparent festivities surrounding Halloween.

“Nice costume! Where'd you get it?” A person asked.

That said, he felt a bit self conscious being the center of attention. “...I made it myself.”

“Ah, neat! I got mine from this one guy making professional grade costumes. It cost like a shit ton of yen, but it's worth it.” The man was dressed in full Gundam gear, and Muta had to say he was impressed by the dedication. “Who’re you supposed to cosplay?”

“It's original.” Muta expressed. “Just some creation I made myself with a bit of coding.”

“Wait, you mean I'm speaking to a robot? That's insane! What's it powered by? What's the programming language?”

“...” Muta had never interacted much with his classmates before – the only one who'd spoken to him in a casual way being Miwa. “A few double A batteries.” He lied. “And Assembly.” That much was true.

“Double A batteries?! That's like insanely low energy! But you were running so quickly!”

“Add enough lubricant and you can do anything.” Muta shrugged.

He did not, in fact, add lubricant to any part of his machinery. His technique did that for him.

“Hey, what's your name?” The man asked. “I'm Sakura Hiroshi.” He extended a hand.

“Muta Kokichi.” He grasped the man – Sakura’s hand with a shake, bewildered behind the Mechamaru at how normal this had been. He'd expected people to scream, to point at him and state that he's a freak. Yet none of that had happened.

“Activate: Pseudo Six Eyes.”

These eyes were modelled off the original Six Eyes’ functionality of seeing cursed energy on an atomic level. At least, that's what Muta liked to think. In truth, these were performing “echolocation” with cursed energy, sending it outwards in order to generate a response from the body – that is, information on cursed energy pathways.

He'd seen non sorcerers with these eyes, so he had something as a base, and he could see Sakura was not one of them. He was a sorcerer, but an untrained one. Cursed Energy leaked in waves.

He could've seen the curses.

“Have you seen any suspicious people?”

…

“What?” Sakura asked, bewildered by the sudden and violent topic change. “What do you mean by suspicious?”

“Patchface, some guy with a volcano head, and a woman.”

“Uhhh…” Sakura thought for a moment.

~>

Mere moments before, 6:57 pm

Kaori strolled along the Shibuya premises, seen by the common people due to her now half-cursed nature, courtesy of Mahito’s idle transfiguration. She moved as people gawked at her beauty.

“Mommy? S-sorry, mommy? Sorry-”

Sakura stuttered, as Kaori continued moving, mingling with the people. She had her head held high, taking a sip of the vodka offered to her, before spitting it out.

“It seems the half curse transformation really made me hate alcohol…” She muttered to herself.

She points at the person who’d handed her the vodka. “You shouldn't drink so much. It's bad for your liver.” She said in a motherly tone, specifically, the tone when you'd done something wrong and your mother was trying to give you a stern talking to.

The person didn't mind too much. He reached for the vodka, only to have Kaori fling the bottle into who knows where. The drunk tried to complain, but backed off in fear after Kaori glared.

“That seemed to do the trick.” Kaori thought, as she walked away satisfied.

~>

Present Time

“Uhhh… which woman?”

“She had black hair, a black shirt, and some torn clothes.”

“...Yeah, of course!” “She was really hot…”

“What was that?” Muta couldn't hear through his speakers. He should probably work on their vocal range other than the high end.

“I’ve seen her.” Sakura nods.

“Where'd she go?”

“That way.” He pointed south-southeast of himself, to which Muta nodded gratefully and blasted off.

As Sakura continued looking on, he made an observation.

“Wait, was he flying without lift?”

~>

October 31st, 7:15 pm

V had resorted to using Shadow to move, her moving certainly better than having him move and wasting his cursed energy. His condition had accelerated considerably. Megumi could hold his body back, but he needed Madoka’s full force in order to stay charged. He needed someone who could output RCT who could stay with him at all times, and Megumi had been the person who'd done that.

“What is this, some sort of drinking party?” V asked, an eyebrow raised.

Megumi nods. “Every year at Halloween, people gather at the Shibuya Crossing to drink. It doesn't matter if they’re old, young, male, female… Everyone joins in.”

“How uncivilized…” V mutters, as they move past waves and waves of drunks, Shadow having to reveal her feline feet just to step over the small inclines of what was once a fully functioning human. “Muta had informed us of a crisis soon, correct?”

Megumi nodded, again.

~>

October 19th, 3:39 pm

“V. This is a recorded message. Listen to me. You don't know me, but I am a student from the Kyoto school. My name is Muta Kokichi, though you may know me as Mechamaru. A plot is unfolding and I need your help.”

V narrows his eyes. This wasn't suspicious at all.

“On October 31st, an incident will unfold at the Shibuya Crossing. I have no idea what will unfold, but what I do know is that Geto Suguru, the same Curse User responsible for the Night Parade, will unleash another wave of curses in the hopes of luring out Gojo. I had to give information about the school to them in order to repair my body, and I plan on killing one of the curses I believe are under his possession. Mahito, the patchface curse.”

Megumi pales. V doesn't react.

“I might die in this attack, so I’m asking you to support me in this attack. Kill or damage a curse, if possible. Please. Even though neither of us know each other, please help.”

V could feel the desperation in Muta’s voice, plastered all over his face like he was grasping at an olive branch too far out of reach.

“Lead me.”

~>

October 31st, 7:15 pm

“Stay on guard.” Megumi advised.

V remained silent, taking in the scenario that they'd put themselves in. The night sky was covered by the veil, yet no one seemed to notice. The first step would be to see what was happening with the veil and dismantle it, if possible.

“So, want me to look around for ya?” Griffon asked.

“Please do.” V replied, as the familiar soared into the skies, flying away.

~>

October 31st, 7:38 pm

Satoru receives a call. He was walking back to Jujutsu Tech after eliminating a curse.

He picked up, a buzzing, crackled voice leaving his phone:

“Hello, Gojo.”

He recognized that voice.

“Muta.” His eyebrows converged in a show of rage, the concern for Megumi and V coming back in full force. With a tone of malice, he asked Muta:

“Where are you?”

Muta flinched.

“Shibuya Station.”

“Stay there.” Blue whirled into action, as Satoru expanded Infinity to launch him into the sky with all the grace of a god. “And don’t move.”

“Wait, I-”

Satoru cut off the call, before a sonic boom echoed throughout the near area as the Honored One’s wrath broke through any semblance of reason. Muta had something to do with Megumi and V. He just knew it. Muta was discovered to have disappeared soon after Megumi and V left.

He’d agonized over this; why would Megumi and V not tell him, their sensei, and handle it themselves rather than consulting him first – matter of fact, why not have him handle everything? Why would they have to go help Muta without backup?!

V, who’d basically told him everything about his origin.

Megumi, who he’d practically raised.

And now, they’d paid the price for having helped. Satoru felt cheated. Felt helpless. He poured more cursed energy into Blue, as space distorted around himself – trees flew by with insane speed as his concern boiled over. He’d already failed them. He needed to save them. He needed to bring them back.

All this, because of Muta.

Involuntary tears exited his sclera.

~>

October 31st, 7:40 pm

Gojo Satoru breaks through the veil

Megumi and V raised their heads as a loud roar echoed throughout the city. The drunks covered their ears as Gojo Satoru entered the fray, landing swiftly on the ground.

=>

“It seems our unwelcome guest is here.” Geto purrs. “Let’s give him a warm welcome, shall we? Lure him to where I would be.”

Kaori nods, as Choso moves with her.

Chapter Text

I feel like I owe y'all an explanation for why I just stopped at the start of Shibuya.

Like, seriously. I held this back for so long I realized exam week is coming up, so I had to halt this for a bit. There's also the fact that I have multiple competitions I have to go through, just praying that I score enough points to get some stuff on my portfolio.

As a direct result, I didn't have enough time to read the jjk manga, nor can I watch jjk s2 because my shared Netflix account with my friends got hit with the password sharing curse. But I still wanna work on this so I just wanna ask: would it be fine with y'all if I skimped over the Shibuya arc and skipped straight to the semi-original arc (takes place in Shibuya)? I had some things altered in the Shibuya incident, but I'll try to give you plot points before going back and rewriting chapters and maybe add in new stuff.

I'm feeling sorta burnt out with the studies I'm doing, even though my grades this year is nowhere near important enough for me to be this stressed. Very demotivating stuff.

My family's going through some stuff right now. I feel disconnected from my dad's side, and disdain towards my mom's side. It's not this fic that's causing this, but rather outside factors that caused this fuckass burnout. I've also hit a sort of writer's block since I've been drying up my delusions of V toolbox. Might be working on another fic though, just not a dmc/jjk one, but rather a Sonic the Hedgehog one.

Thanks for sticking with me for so long, but I'm gonna have to, uh, back off the gas pedal for a bit because my fuel tank's run out.