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Bursting out of the veil, the angelic sorcerer soared closer to the ground before placing Kugisaki back on her feet. The nail sorcerer dusted off her clothes. Hana turned back towards the detention center, “I’m going for Fushiguro next.”
“Don’t!” Kugisaki’s authoritative words had her stopping mid-flight, “Go for Itadori.”
“But what if he does something rash?!” Hana was doing her best to keep her nerves in check, but this whole situation just kept getting worse.
“You think Itadori won’t either?!” Kugisaki gestured angerly with an edge of impatience. Her nerves were just as fried. The words echoed in her head, but she was having difficulty processing it. She wasn’t strong enough to carry both out. She had to pick and if they hadn’t already dealt with the curse, then-
The skin on her cheek split open, “There’s no time.” Angel’s voice a beacon for her to latch onto. “We need to move.”
The nail sorcerer shooed them off, “Then grab whoever! I don’t care! Get going!”
“I’m going, I’m going!” Hana yelled back before phasing through the veil once more. Soaring through the domain maze of never-ending concrete while tracking the residuals she’d left behind from their first escape. Please let them be okay. The thought repeating in her mind as she delved deeper in the twisting cement pathways. A few mask curses popping out of the wall that dissipated just as quickly when she manifested and played her light infused trumpet in small bursts. Maybe if she just…
‘Don’t, Hana.’ Angel’s voice clear as ever in her mind.
But what if-
‘Do you believe you can avoid hitting Itadori? Or using just the right amount of cursed energy?’
Hana bit her lip as she zipped down another corner. I- I don’t know. She’d never had to use her technique on such a strong curse. There was the very really chance she could put too much into her cursed energy output and Itadori could end up as an accidental casualty. They still had more than half of Sukuna’s fingers left to collect. She didn’t want to screw this up because she couldn’t stay in control. If he was going to die, she didn’t want it to be because of some stupid mistake.
‘Calm yourself.’
The angelic sorcerer took a breath in as the wind whipped through her hair. Letting it out as she took a turn downwards.
Hana burst out into open air above concrete pillars. The sound of a scuffle flowing up to her as she found the source of it to three others below. Two humans, a curse, and a plethora of bunny shikigami. Itadori was down a hand. Her stomach twisted at the sight. The bipedal curse let out a force of condensed cursed energy spreading outward destroying the bunnies surrounding it and ceasing entirely at the clear sound of light meeting it. All eyes went to Hana, trumpet in hand, ready to play it once more.
As soon as Yuuji’s eyes landed on their saving grace, a flash of a plan came to mind. He lunged the short distance between himself and Megumi grabbing a hold of his uniform. Twisting and throwing the stunned shadow user into the air towards the angelic sorcerer. Hana had enough time to be similarly stunned before snapping out of it to rapidly descend and catch Fushiguro before he could start falling.
“Get him out of here! I’m gonna let Sukuna out!” The self-assured words of Itadori were anything but assuring to the other two sorcerers.
“Are you nuts?!” Fushiguro beat her to exclaiming at the radical plan. There wasn’t time to argue, but they couldn’t rely on Sukuna. He was a curse. He’d slaughter anyone he got his hands on if given the chance. They-
‘Move, Hana! There’s no time!’
“You’re not allowed to die, got it?!” Hana yelled as they zipped upwards to a square opening offshoot above them. Fushiguro adjusted his grip to stabilize himself as he yelled down at the lone sorcerer, “I’ll be pissed if you do!”
Zipping through the jungle of concrete searching for the edge of the domain. Fushiguro taking out the few curses that popped up with Nue before dissipating it for a clear flight path. The edge of a domain itself was always misleading. Rarely would it ever appear as something as simple a door. Hurdling as fast they were at what appeared to be a solid wall would make anyone freeze up. Hana certainly was not engraving the memory of Fushiguro clinging tightly against her as they surged through the edge of the domain. The smooth surface of the black veil appearing not that far off from where they had emerged. The chill of a thousand-year-old grudge gripped the sorcerers at their core. It froze Hana in place entirely. She could feel death creeping in. The skin on her cheek split apart, “Keep moving.” Angel’s voice breaking the spell with her calm demeanor.
“Go back,” Fushiguro nudged her shoulder with his palm. “We need to subdue Sukuna before he gets out.”
“No, that curse is still there.” Hana retorted as she made for the veil. The domain hadn’t dissolved yet. “I can handle it. I’ll get him under control.” They passed through the veil into fresh air and a dreary open sky. Assuming that Itadori is going to be okay after all this… And sensing her concerns, the incarnated sorceress jumped in to assure her.
‘Sukuna is many things, but he’s not stupid. He’s waited over a thousand years for a vessel that can withstand his power and he finally has it.’ Hana mentally felt the equivalent of a shrug from Angel. ‘He can bluff all he wants, but he won’t let Itadori die. Of course that doesn’t mean he’ll stop him from getting hurt.’
I’d rather he care more about the body he’s sharing.
‘I share the same sentiment, but I doubt he’ll change his mind so easily. He’s rather stubborn.’
“I’ll back you up. You shouldn’t be going alone.” Fushiguro’s voice drawing her back into the outside world.
Internally, the sorceress nudged Hana. ‘Sukuna won’t go down quietly. That I’m certain of.’
And Fushiguro isn’t going to wait here if I ask, is he?
‘I don’t believe so. He’ll likely follow us.’
“She won’t be alone,” Angel stated from where she was still on Hana’s cheek. “Fushiguro, do you know how to establish a curtain?”
“Huh?” The teen narrowed his eyes at the mouth, “Yeah, but what does that-“
Air rushed past them as Hana zipped towards the ground and plopped Megumi unceremoniously at Kugisaki’s feet. Hana, still hovering, pointed accusingly at the shadow user, “He was gonna summon it!”
The nail sorceress eyes snapped to the accused who was slack jawed at the out of nowhere allegation. And just like Maki had been teaching both first year girls, Kugisaki grappled one arm around Fushiguro’s neck from behind, the other twisting one of his hands behind his back, and her ankles hooked around his front keeping them both locked on the ground. “You were going to do something that stupid?! Here?!” Nobara sounded short of furious.
“I wasn’t-,” Megumi tried to verbally defend himself in this losing fight. Not really trying to get out of the submission hold that was completely uncalled for. He caught the angelic sorcerer flying away, “Kurusu!” She passed through the veil once more without looking back.
The curse cried and shrieked, but it never stood a chance. Sliced to ribbons. Dissipating away as he took back his finger. Another drop in reclaiming his power.
Sukuna flexed his hand a few times. The brat wasn’t coming back to the surface anytime soon, but he would eventually. That was a guarantee. Unfortunately. The pathetic excuse of a domain rippled and faded away. The backless bench of the now empty courtyard of the juvenile facility wasn’t the most comfortable thing to sit on, but it was better than nothing. Leaning back on his palms as he stared up at the dreary sky threatening rain.
He had wanted to see more of that Ten Shadows technique, but he couldn’t afford to be that impulsive. Not right now. There was no way he could have predicted that Angel of all people would be in this era. If he tried to harm the other two children, she’d kill him on site. There was always the possibility he could kill Angel and her host, but then that ran the risk of having the brat’s execution moved up to effective immediately. He had briefly considered a gambit to rip out the brat’s heart and force him into making a binding vow, but he didn’t entertain it any further than that. Even if that child didn’t think it, Angel was no fool. She’d have them use her technique on the corpse to make sure he stayed dead and his efforts would be for nothing.
Then there was the fact that she hadn’t used her technique yet. Angel’s could work from a distance though he couldn’t recall if she needed line of sight for it to function. She knew where he was located, the curse was dead, and his presence was hard to ignore. Which meant one of two things: she isn’t able to exorcise him without being able to see him, or, the most likely option, she’s holding off on doing so. They did want him at full power before the execution after all. He took note that the original curtain had dissipated as well, and now another was forming in the sky falling over the detention center. Another precaution by that mousey man if he had to hazard a guess. They knew he was out then. Up and over one of the buildings and descending from the sky was that blond haired child. Angel’s signature halo and wings singling her out. The only thing missing was that otherworldly glow in her eyes. It appears some physical traits can carry over to vessels, but not all of them. Perhaps being a willing vessel had a part in what carried over. The subject would have been fascinating to study were it not for the fact that his was a prison. Still, Sukuna stood to greet the old sorceress. Whether it was the child’s own precaution or Angel instructing her to stay air born and out of his reach, it was impossible to say. Smart move.
“Fallen One,” there wasn’t a single hint of fear in the child’s voice. Let’s see if that keeps up. “Could you switch back with Itadori?”
Sukuna raised an eyebrow, “Did you think asking me would work?”
“Could you switch back with him, please?”
He threw back his head in a loud cackle. Drawing it out just a bit longer than what would be considered appropriate. The uncomfortableness on the girl’s face was his reward. The sharp hints of his canine’s flashing in his grin. Sukuna’s mind already made up given everything he knew. Let them think they have him under control. It would serve him in the long run when he finally has a chance to make a move in his favor. …that didn’t mean he couldn’t have any fun now.
“There’s no reason to get all pent up. I don’t have long in this body,” Sukuna grabbed his wrist stretching it overhead to the side and repeating the motion to the opposite. ”So in the meantime, why not make it interesting?” Casually flicking a dismantle in her direction. The girl startled as the technique made contact, blowing past her, and cutting through the building behind her and shattering windows. She quickly glanced behind her, and then back to Sukuna.
“Did you throw something at me?!”
“Maybe,” an air of a challenge seeped in. He couldn’t help the little curl of his lips in a cheeky smile, “What’re you going to do about it?”
“Seriously, Sukuna?” There was the sorceress of the hour, Angel, butting in. It was almost nostalgic in a way. “You’ve been reduced to acting like a petty child?”
“It’s nothing like that Angel.” Sukuna sauntered over to the side circling around the flying sorceress. The girl turned in time with him, keeping him in her line of sight. At this angle he had a better view of where dismantle had hit the building. The cut on the wall had a blank untouched piece in-between where it should have been a clean line. Which meant that the technique itself wasn’t completely halted. Only the part that would have hit her. Now Sukuna could clearly put together what happened. By using extinguishment on herself, dismantle disintegrated when it tried to make contact with her but didn’t stop the technique altogether. Maybe if the output was higher, he could by-pass it, but that might not matter since her technique erases the technique itself. Output might not even be a factor. And he didn’t have the means for experimenting with his cursed energy. Not right now at least. That meant long-range wasn’t an option. “I can’t have a little fun? I’m not being unreasonable. Or would you rather I go find someone else to entertain me?” Let’s see how it handles close-range.
There was no build up to the bench soaring through the air for the sorceress. It was simply bolted to the ground one second then ripped out and being flung by Sukuna in the next. The precious seconds the child took to dodge out of the way had her turn her back on him for just long enough. Angel’s vessel whipped back around to scan an empty field below.
The girl was looking below frantically. “Where did he-” The whisper of a question for no one but herself. Sukuna, right above her, reeled his fist back across his body, “You should pay attention to your surroundings.” Bating the pesky winged sorcerer out of the sky to crash into one of the waiting correctional buildings. Debris dust clouds floating up among the exposed, jagged concrete and support beams. Shit. He actually wasn’t trying to hit her that hard. Blaming the fact that he wasn’t fully acclimated to this body yet. Letting himself fall until he was almost level with the open destruction and crossing the air itself in spurts of condensed cursed energy underfoot in a few strides. The inside of the facility he’d smacked her into looked to be some administrative office. If the split in half desk flung against the side of the far wall and broken file cabinets spilling out multiple documents was anything go off of. There was no sign of the other vessel except for the flung open office door further into the building. There were no footsteps besides Sukuna’s and the crunch of stepped on papers. He was half wondering where she would have flown off to as he stepped into the hallway and a decorative vase infused with cursed energy smashed against his head. The injury itself healing almost instantly before the damage could last. Sukuna inclined his head at the sorcerer flying down the hallway and kicking a window open.
Throwing a dismantle just close enough to clip a few feathers on the retreating sorcerer and completely blasting the wall to fine chopped brickwork. Simultaneously, Sukuna threw another dismantle upwards this one controlled enough to only make a hole big enough to haul himself up to the next floor. Repeating the same motion upwards two more floors before angling another dismantle at a downward angle near the wall he’d broken three floors down. Then another at two floors down while he sliced the floor above him once more, hauling himself up, and entering a full sprint. Luck must have decided to give him a hand today because he didn’t need to use his technique when he could jump right through the waiting glass window. And just as he predicted, there was the girl directly below him. In her attempt to put distance between where she thought he had been, she’d rushed right into where he wanted her.
Fragments of glittering glass rained down in slow motion towards the angelic sorcerer as she turned towards it. She didn’t have enough time to get far before Sukuna’s hand made contact with the right side of her waist. The navy blue uniform shredding in perfect lines as he pushed further and met flesh which in turn those uniform lines ground into skin rapidly bubbling up splurts of blood coating his fingers as it spread. Sukuna’s grin turned manic as Shrine ground deeper into skin exposing muscle and urging it even further to cut- The grin dropped. His brows drawing together in bewilderment as Kurusu twisted and grabbed hold of his wrist with both hands, using the weight of gravity against him to pull it behind the curse and simultaneously tightly wrapping her legs around his middle and digging her heels into him. There was a mean comment on the tip of his tongue when he felt teeth digging into his neck from behind along with a surge of invading foreign cursed energy pushing, pushing, pushing him downward just like-
Sukuna’s laughter exploded out of him. Swinging his free hand into the child’s hair and dragging his sharp nails leaving bloody lines and clawing up hair by the root. All the while his laughter hadn’t stopped. Hana dug her teeth in harder tasting copper on her tongue as she squeezed Itadori’s wrist. Pouring all her focus into carefully outputting extinguishment. Too much and she’d kill him. She could do this. She had to. Otherwise he’d get out and start causing chaos, and then it’d be all her fault and-
There was a tapping on her head where the claws had been. “Kurusu! Kurusu, it’s me!” Hana didn’t let up at what could easily be Sukuna masquerading as her classmate. “Kurusu,” Itadori’s voice sounding a little strained, “that’s starting to hurt, like a lot.” Teeth still buried in flesh as her cursed energy creeped out slowly but surely applying her technique through both their physical contact and the wound itself. Not trusting for a second that this could be-
‘Hana, I believe it is Itadori who’s in control now.’
Hana cracked her eyes open. Relaxing her jaw enough to dislodge it. Spitting out bits of filmy blood as they descended. Once Itadori’s shoes hit the ground, she let go of his arm and uncurled her legs from his abdomen. Which earned her curling over partially again, her hands clutching at the profuse flow of her own lifeblood spilling out from the wound marring her right side. Neat, uniform lines marking her waist traveling outwards, but the worst of it localized to her waist where bits of muscle were exposed at the top layer of skin having been sliced off.
“I can-“ Yuuji reached for the sorcerer stopping short at the state of his blood crusted hand. Wiping off the flecks he could on his clothes. “I’ll-“ Catching sight of his other hand that had strands of ripped out blond hair sticking to drying blood. Pressing his mouth in a line of clear discomfort as he wiped that off too. Some of the blood stuck underneath his nails. He reached out once more with determination. “Let me carry you back.”
“No, I-“ Hana tried to straighten up, but only managed to reopen more of the even lines ingrained on her exposed skin. Curling over again as the steady stream of blood increased. “I can make it.” The strained sound of her trying to sound convincing while her mind was consumed by the burning pain of uniform slices. She didn’t even feel the skin on her cheek budge as Angel spoke. “Hana, you should take his offer. You’re in no state to be moving on your own after taking a direct hit like that.” Yuuji hovered nearby waiting for the actually hovering sorcerer’s reply.
Hana considered the offer once more. Her pride wanted her to stick it out back to school. She could still move after all. …not well, but she could move. ‘Hana, it’s okay to rely on someone else.’ The rational part of her brain knew that Angel was right. And the sticky blood on her hands was quickly getting her to lean in that direction. The dark blue of her uniform eating up the red that seeped into it. “Okay…” The vessel folding in on herself as Yuuji took her into his arms. Letting herself settle in as the other vessel briskly dashed off for the detention center entrance. The veil having dropped once both hosts were in control. The sound of arguing greeting them as they rounded the corner.
The two young sorcerers ceased their bickering once they caught sight of Yuuji jogging their way with a very injured Hana in his arms. Nobara had taken to slapping at Megumi’s arm demanding he take off his jacket even though he was already in the process of shucking it off. Wordlessly folding it up and helping Itadori and Kurusu maneuver it so the sorceress could apply pressure on top of the now covered series of wounds.
“I’m okay,” Hana weakly supplied.
“No, you’re not,” Yuuji countered matter of fact.
“No, I’m not,” the angelic sorcerer agreed.
“You’re both idiots,” Nobara stated to which both vessels’ expressions turned guilty. The sorceress pulled at the red of Yuji’s collar exposing the angry scabbing puncture marks of teeth on the juncture of his neck and shoulder. “And who bit you??”
“Me…” Hana weakly replied from her tucked in position.
Megumi breathed out an irritated sigh. “That was completely reckless,” trying and failing to appear unaffected but the words biting out regardless, “You’re lucky neither of you are dead.”
Nobara’s ire switched targets. “Oh, like you’re one to talk Mr. ‘I’m going to summon a shikigami I can’t control’ to fix everything.”
“I told you I wasn’t-“
“Fushiguro,” Yuuji’s brows knit together in concern while his tone was chastising, “That’s super dangerous. Why would you do that?”
“I-“ The shadow user flexed his hands looking upwards for a second before looking to the injured sorcerer. “Kurusu, tell them I wasn’t going to summon Mahoraga.”
“Huh?” Said sorcerer raised her head from where it’d fallen back on her fellow vessel’s shoulder. “He wasn’t going to summon it. Sorry.” The admission convinced Yuuji, but not so much for Nobara.
“She only said that because you told her to!”
“Oh my god,” Megumi turned away from all three of them pulling out his phone as he walked away tapping on it before holding it to his ear.
“Don't you walk away from me!” Nobara followed after him, and Megumi indeed proceeded to ignore her allegations. Turning away each time as she kept trying to get in front as he spoke calmly to the other person on the line.
“Uh, hey,” Yuuji quietly asked the sorcerer still in his arms. “You holding up okay?”
“Mhm.” The tired reply coming from where she’d settled to leaning against him once more while holding the makeshift gauze of a jacket on her side. Completely missing the way Itadori’s eyes shined with regret. “Sorry.”
“’s fine. ‘s my job after all.” Once again she missed the other vessel open his mouth as if to say something else but stopped himself. A thoughtful expression betraying him weighing the matter internally and rendering him silent. The bickering from the other two was good background noise as they waited and eventually the assistant manager, Ijichi, pulled around to their location. The frazzled man relaxed a minute amount when he counted all four of them approaching. The man opening up the passenger door for Itadori to deposit Kurusu. The vessel also assisting her with her seatbelt while trying to minimally disturb her slow bleeding injuries. Once she was buckled in and the door closed, she slouched her whole body weight into the chair as the post adrenaline fully hit her and only pain remained. Everyone else climbing into their respective seats and soon enough they were driving off towards the school.
The nail sorceress leaned forward one hand braced against the passenger seat the other picking through bloody, blond hair. She lightly scoffed at the blood crusted scratches, “That guy has no tact.” Nobara glanced at Megumi. “Does reverse cursed technique bring back hair?” The shadow user shrugged. Itadori grimaced beside him. “Ugh, why do I bother with either of you.” Turning her attention back to the angelic sorcerer. “You just need to brush your hair a certain way and it’ll cover it up easy ‘til it grows back.” Hana’s small thanks barely audible and were it not for the sorceress being so close she wouldn’t have caught it. The older girl moved a few more stray pieces of yellow hair before settling into the back. The thick tension of the car sliced through by Nobara as she pulled out her phone and started dictating when the three would be going shopping with her with no input from them to which that started some petty arguing in the backseat. Ijichi slid a dial on the dashboard. The radio playing at a light volume. The injured sorceress closed her eyes. Focusing on the normalcy of the now as she breathed evenly to the dull pulsing along her side in time with her heartbeat.
‘I’ll let you know when we’re there.’
Thanks, Angel. A little upward tug at one corner of her lips as she listened to the small, noisy world around her.