Chapter Text
Ryona Makoto, you truly are the most entertaining piece on this board, Kenjaku smirks with satisfaction as his careful planning unfurls without any issues.
Going through all the trouble of finding the elusive Izuru clan head was truly worth it. Isolated from the other sorcerers, rarely ever appearing in public. He had to let go of Bird's Eye View, a technique he was loath to be rid of, but infiltrating the inner circle of the Jujutsu council more than made up for it.
His thousand-year long plan was finally coming to fruition. Soon, he would be able to see it. The world after Tengen merged with the citizens of Japan.
What would the resulting era be like? Would curses flood the other countries on earth? How would the resulting curse look? Wouldn’t it be hilarious if the curse born from the merger was a Hyottoko?
Kenjaku's personal hypothesis is that curses will become more widespread, resulting in the birth of more sorcerers. The ecology between humans and curses is interesting. After all, by introducing curses into a region, the next generation will be more inclined to be born with a cursed technique or the ability to see curses.
Kenjaku's personal research into the matter yielded poor results, though he supposed it was his own fault for introducing too strong a curse to that isolated European settlement. He didn't get another chance to travel around the world before more interesting things were going to happen so he had to put a hold on that experiment.
But the correlation between cursed energy and sorcery is a theory worth investigating. When two non-sorcerers with slightly higher levels of cursed energy produce a child, the offspring may very rarely be born a sorcerer. More common than not, they usually just end up as a normal human.
The Geto family is a fine example of this. Kenjaku went out of his way to carefully nurture their bloodline with non-sorcerers that have above-average cursed energy. It took many generations before his efforts bore fruit but finally…
The boy, Geto Suguru, was born. To any normal person, he was the average child. To Kenjaku? He could see it.
The beginnings of a cursed technique, practically begging to be released. And oh how glorious it was when Kenjaku got to witness Geto's cursed technique.
He remembers it almost as if it was yesterday. Around that time, the woman who was supposed to produce Sukuna's vessel had perished. Would Kenjaku's 1000 year plan be derailed by such a thing?
Of course not! So he gave up one Blood Manipulation in exchange for possession of Kaori's body and Antigravity System.
Anyway, using the surveillance cursed technique ‘Birds Eye View’ he got to witness the very moment Geto manifested his cursed technique. The boy held out his hand toward a curse frightfully, demanding it to disappear.
Then the curse began to gather in his palm and Kenjaku was more than pleased at the culmination of his hard work. Geto did not subjugate a curse and form a contract with it, he did not tame it or create it.
He consumed the cursed spirits and made them his own. A never seen before technique, crystallised from the years of hard work Kenjaku put into the boy's bloodline.
Untainted by any techniques coming before it, a fresh and new technique with near endless potential. The perfect body.
Kenjaku was intending to simply manipulate the next incarnation of the Idle Transfiguration curse, Mahito, but with this development he could simply use Idle Transfiguration himself.
He nearly considered discarding his body for the Geto's immediately but he knew patience was key. And so he waited, trusting the pawns he laid across the board to reward him with even sweeter fruit.
And reward him they did. The up-and-coming star of the declining Ryona clan took Geto in. Kenjaku didn't even have to lift a finger. There was no need to think of a discrete way to have Geto enrolled into Jujutsu Tech anymore because of Ryona.
No traces could be led back to Kenjaku, giving him more time and leeway to mess around. With absolutely zero connection to Geto, no one would suspect a thing.
Truly, Ryona is like a cherub descended from the skies. Every action of his felt entertaining, almost as if he could see half of Kenjaku's board.
He would move his pieces, only for Ryona to counter some. But his foresight is lacking, he can’t see the entirety of Kenjaku's board. But nonetheless, this exchange has been the most entertaining one yet for Kenjaku.
Rarely do his plans ever get affected, whether positively or negatively. And yet this boy seems to know something he doesn't.
Curious. Kenjaku wants to know everything about the boy. He wants his body, he wants to read his memories. Just what goes on behind a mind that can predict some of his movements?
As much as he would like to thoroughly examine all of Ryona's memories, he knows that body is not his to take. Kenjaku needed a fragile mind he could break and someone close to Gojo Satoru.
He initially thought he might have to use the medic girl, sending a few dead sorcerers to her should be enough to break her will. Then once her mind has broken, offer sweet promises of a gentler world, one where sorcerers don't have to hide and die.
The solution is simple really, if the public is aware of sorcery and curses then they'll be more likely to cooperate with the sorcerers. The Higher Ups wouldn't want their secret to be exposed so they never ended up making it widespread knowledge.
Well, Kenjaku doesn't particularly care about the society around sorcerers. As long as he gets to continue his research, he doesn't care.
But unexpectedly, the Geto boy was both fragile in mind and became friends with Gojo. He was practically throwing himself onto a silver platter for Kenjaku.
It didn't take much for Geto to break. The foolish cult worshipping tengen truly believed his words about maintaining the purity of Tengen, he didn't need to urge them much at all before they demanded Amanai Riko's death.
So they hired the sorcerer killer of all people to deal with the assassination. After witnessing Amanai's death, all it took was isolation.
Using his authority as a high ranked member of the council, he continuously gave Geto missions. Of course, they were all missions that benefited the boy. He needed to nurture his next body well, after all.
Cursed spirits to heal him, for defense, for trap setting, scouting, attacking. Geto's poor utilisation of the curses left Kenjaku utterly dissatisfied but the knowledge that body would be his sooner or later calmed him down.
The opportunity to break Geto finally came. Izuru's distant niece, Izuru Miki, was acting as the boy's window so he had the girl bring him to a village. The girl, obedient as she was, did as Kenjaku told her to and remained by Geto's side. After the massacre of that village, Miki helped Geto flee the sight.
The Izuru clan's cursed technique, Swap, allows them to teleport themself and whoever is holding onto them to a designated location. Only 2 such locations can exist at a time and it's what made the Izuru clan such a perfect fit for his plans.
Ryona, having brought Geto into Jujutsu Tech, was pressured to kill the boy himself. Thanks to Kenjaku's planning however, the boy escaped unharmed with the help of Izuru Miki.
Now… Kenjaku taps his finger rhythmically on the desk. How will you respond, Ryona Makoto?
Oh how he loves a mental game.
There's a girl in his class who the other kids avoid. She's always alone, sitting by herself and playing by herself. She looked lonely.
“Do you want to play together?” Yuuta extended a hand and smiled. The girl's eyes widened and sparkled as a radiant smile bloomed across her pretty features.
“Yeah sure!”
And so they played together everyday. During class, they're inseparable, always sitting side by side. Lunch is always eaten together, they walk home together and play after school together.
Before he knew it, Yuuta found himself a best friend in Rika.
“Yuuta, happy birthday!”
It was just like any other day, the only difference was that it was Yuuta's birthday. The two of them were sitting in the sand box when Rika took out a box.
“Thanks!!” Yuuta looks up from the mound of sand he was making and dusts his hands off to receive his gift. “Can I open it?!”
“Sure.”
Her lips curl into a honeyed smile.
Inside the box sits a pair of matching rings, with identical silver bands and a singular gem in the middle.
“A ring?” Yuuta takes one out and inspects it, the silver band shone prettily under the sun and the lone gem twinkled, reflecting a rainbow of colours.
“It's an engagement ring,” Rika wraps her pinky around his. Yuuta blinks owlishly, what did konjac have to do with anything? Is the ring really delicious?
The girl laughs at his response, taking out the other ring. “It's a promise. When we grow up, we'll get married.”
Blush creeps up Yuuta's cheeks at that response. He gulps and nods vigorously, “Yeah, I'd like that!”
He moves to put the ring on his own hand but Rika pouts before stopping him. “You're supposed to put it on me, and me on you!” Her cheeks puff out like chipmunks as she huffs angrily.
She holds out her left hand for Yuuta, “It's a promise, ‘kay?”
He slides the ring onto her hand, it fits perfectly. Yuuta's ring is a bit too large for his fingers, so he puts it in the pocket of his hoodie instead. “Mhm, it's a promise!”
But it was never supposed to end like this.
It was loud, everyone was shouting. But no one was helping her.
“Rika-chan…?”
She will be alright, won't she? They promised to get married.
When they grow up, they'll get married.
Right? Rika wouldn't lie to him?
So Rika will wake up, right?
Rika can't leave yet.
She can't. Not yet. He's not ready.
“Yuuuuu…taaaaa…”
That was Rika's voice…? But- but she's on the ground, isn't she? “Huh…?” Yuuta lowers his gaze, his eyes meet with two deathly white hands and a deformed mouth rising out of Rika's blood.
“Yuuta… Once we become aduuuuults… We'll get maaarrieeed,” The deformed mouth morphs into a smile, a mockery of the smile that once comforted him. “It's a promise.”
Incident Report: Tokyo Prefecture, Sendai City( ■■ School)
Persistent bullying from his classmates led to this incident, in which 4 male students, including the ringleader, were severely injured.
I almost killed them, Yuuta remained curled in a tight ball even as he was brought to a strange room. The bullies at school… Why didn't they listen?
He warned them! He tried his best, why won't anyone listen to him?! It's not his fault… It's not his fault, It's not…
“Dooon't cryyy… Yuuuutaaaa…” Rika's ghost wraps her massive grotesque arms around him. Her skin is waxy and smooth, cold to the touch and inhumanly large.
Even in death, after changing into some kind of vengeful ghost, Rika can't bear to see him cry. Yuuta strokes her arm gently, it used to be warm.
Not anymore, his mind quips back. The boy tenses and pulls away.
I can't… can't keep living… like this, Yuuta gets off the ground and grabs a knife off the ground. He morbidly wonders if the people who threw it in here wanted him to kill himself with it.
It's not like they care if he's dead or alive… They told him he's going to be executed. A bit morbid to be telling a 16 year old but…
He would be better off dead anyway. Rika must not be able to pass peacefully because of their promise…
“When we grow up, we'll get married.”
If he died…
No one would be able to get hurt because of Rika, then… he and Rika can finally rest. No more injuries, no more regret, no more pain.
Just him, Rika, and their promise. Doesn't that sound nice?
Yuuta tightens his grip on the knife, directing it at his throat. He can do it, just one swift movement. Then no one will get hurt because of him again.
“Clang!”
Just as he musters up the courage to drive the knife into his throat, Rika intercepts him and the knife twists under her grip as easily as clay in her hands.
“Noooooooo…!!!! Yuuuuuutaa… You caaaan't hurt yoourseeeeeelf…” Rika cups his face and the knife clatters uselessly against the ground, twisted and deformed by the grip of his curse.
It's all his fault… Everyone just gets hurt around him… Why can't he just die? Why? Why? Why?
“Yuuuuuuutaaaa dooon't cryyyy,” Rika's curse strokes his hair, slicking the unkempt tresses back as she rubs her ‘face’ against his head. It's all so much like her and yet not at the same time.
He wishes he had died back then instead of Rika. Or they both could be dead, or better yet in an ideal world neither of them are dead. But no, he's stuck with Rika and her vengeance.
Unable to live without hurting others and unable to die without Rika intercepting it. How is he supposed to live with himself, when all he brings is pain and destruction?
“Ryona-sensei,” a playful voice calls out from behind him. Yuuji rolls his eyes and moves toward the side so the person behind could step forward.
I never thought about it, but I grew taller than Mr. Gojo, didn't I? His teacher in another life moves to his side, an amused smirk gracing his features as the two men move to collect their future student.
Special Grade curse victim, Okkotsu Yuuta. Man, that's a name Yuuji hasn't heard in ages. Counting from the death of Okkotsu in the future till now… about 50-ish? Roughly 50 years. An extremely rough estimate.
He can't remember his senior's face that well, when thinking of ‘Okkotsu-senpai’ the first thing that comes to mind is the heir of the Gojo clan in the not-so-distant future.
Seniors Inumaki and Maki both sported different hairstyles in their first year so he wonders if Okkotsu will as well… The report said the boy agreed to a secret execution but Yuuji can't quite imagine his dependable senior in that sort of situation.
“Oh wow,” Yuuji stops and stares at the room Okkotsu was being held in. It's the same room he was in when Mr. Gojo gave him a choice, to be executed now or after absorbing all of Sukuna's fingers.
Satoru grimaces at the sight, “Yikes. These are some nasty seals for a kid.”
And they used it on two kids… He chuckles to himself at the thought. The elders were right to be cautious with him and Sukuna but why would they need to do this for Senpai and Rika?
The cursed spirit listens to Senpai, unlike Sukuna. She seems friendly too, if a little intense. Yuuji was surprised when Okkotsu came to ‘execute’ him and Rika came out of nowhere to hug him.
“Wonder what all this is…” Satoru opens the door, the oppressive feel of the cursed presence immediately hits. It's a familiar weight, intense and chilling.
The Okkotsu he remembers had Rika under control, the cursed spirit wouldn't leak such malicious cursed energy like Sukuna passively did. So Rika needed to be tamed…? Yuuji looks at the ground and notices a warped piece of metal attached to a handle.
Satoru, being the bolder and far more insensitive of the two, picks it up with a grin. “Okkotsu Yuuta, this… was a knife.”
Yuuji gulps, he looks at the knife and back to the boy who would become his dependable senior. He knows it's impossible for people to be perfect, even Gojo-sensei had his flaws so Okkotsu must have had some too. But to think… Even Senpai wanted to…
Okkotsu doesn't try to deny or lie. He states the truth simply as he remains curled into a ball.
“You're pretty depressing, huh?” Satoru drops the knife casually, the metal clanking fills the eerie room and filling the awkward atmosphere Yuuji felt.
Oi, oi, oi, Satoru… That’s way too insensitive even for you, Yuuji drags his palm across his face slowly and lets out a long sigh. Did his presence in his teacher's childhood result in this insensitive personality? He can't exactly imagine the Gojo-sensei telling a kid who just tried to kill himself that he's depressing.
Okkotsu remains in a sulking mood, even refusing to go to Jujutsu Tech. He doesn't want to hurt anyone again, a feeling Yuuji can sympathise with.
It's a bit funny, isn't it? Okkotsu-senpai started out unable to control Rika, then he gained full control. Whereas Yuuji was a cage that failed to entrap its inhabitant. Because of him, so many people died.
Gojo-sensei could have seen Okkotsu's grandkids, maybe Iori wouldn't have abandoned his family to search for him. Fushiguro wouldn't have died early because of brain damage, he and Kurusu could have spent more years together.
Yuuji can understand where his senior is coming from. The fear of hurting more people, of being the cause of death and being unable to control a monster. So many times, Yuuji wished he was dead. Wished that Gojo-sensei had killed him back then. It's all because of him that so much destruction happened.
“Won't it get lonely all by yourself?”
Satoru's words snap him back to reality. The man focuses his gaze on his friend, a relaxed air of confidence around him. “The curse you're afflicted with… Depending on how it's used, you can use it to save people too.”
“Save others.”
Yuuji's breath hitches, though his eyes are locked on Satoru he can see Okkotsu's eyes widen with fragile hope.
“Learn to harness that power. You're just throwing it all away,” The man squats before Okkotsu, lowering himself so he and the boy can look eye to eye. “But even so, it's not too late, you know?”
Yuuji allows a soft smile to grace his face as his senior's eyes firm up with some resolve. It's still shaky and uncertain, the boy's mental still looks weak. However, it's a stark improvement from the boy earlier who wanted to die.
Oh right, Yuuji reaches into his pockets. “Alright, enough with the heavy talk!” He moves to Satoru's side and pats Okkotsu's shoulder. “The curse you have, Okkotsu-kun, is scary. But don't worry, your teachers will handle it. So you can rest assured, we won't let Rika hurt others if you lose control.”
The boy averts his gaze, feeling uncertain about his words. He's never known anyone who could defeat Rika after all, so the promise Yuuji makes must sound bizarre to the boy.
“You can call me Mr. Ryo, or Mr. Ryona if you're not comfortable with that,” Yuuji beams at the boy, he takes out the candy from his pocket, presenting all five flavours to Okkotsu. Cola, strawberry, soda, melon, and grape.
Okkotsu-senpai looks so cute when he's confused, the old man coos internally as he sees the boy blinking owlishly. Okkotsu stares at the candy, then at Yuuji. He sheepishly takes the strawberry flavoured sweet after some prompting from the old man.
Awwww, Senpai you used to be so adorable!