探し出す | t. inumaki

four

You tried to open your eyes. They felt inflamed, so you shut it tight in an attempt to dull the pain.

Your head was spinning and throbbing. The world around you is still being comprehended by your brain and senses. How long has it been since you laid down on this bed? Your arms felt like boulders and your legs like boiled pasta.

Voices. There were voices around you, but their words were like spoken in different languages— you can't seem to understand what came out of their mouths.

Confusion. What happened again? Ah yes, an encounter with a particularly powerful high-grade curse, causing your defeat and fatal injuries.

Inumaki. You wonder what's he doing right now. He's safe, right? Where are you again? A tube; you feel it needled onto the back of your left hand. At the infirmary? Yes, it reeks of rubbing alcohol and unused bandages.

Everything is starting to sinking in. You feel the sudden urge to move. You close your right hand into fists. Your grip was very weak and so were you. Stretching your right arm upwards as if feeling for air, you open your balled fists and wiggle your fingers— a buzzing sensation coursing through your arms, and soon to your unmoving body.

Pain. Your chest and stomach burned, aching and throbbing— weakening your hands and causing you to abruptly bring them down with a thud on the mattress. The pain was excruciating. It was like constant sharp claws dug into your torso, stinging and burning your whole body. But in a while, it calmed down.

Ringing. Your ears were ringing. Then after a few calls of your name, you finally heard clearly.

"[y/n]. [y/n]!"

"ᵍₒⱼₒ... ₋ₛₑₙₛₑᵢ?" you croaked out, your voice rough and withered— a sign it wasn't used in a while. You sounded terrible.

"You're awake. I'm so glad." Gojo sighed relievedly and smiled a little.

"3 days. You were gone for 3 days after a special grade curse carved half of your guts out and slashed deeply through your chest. I worked my magic and thankfully, we still got back your digestive track and reformed your boobs." Shoko said, earning a snicker from your sensei.

"ᵤᵣᵤₛₐᵢ..." you groggily replied.

You heard hurried footsteps make their way to the room. The door slid open and you heard tired pants and heavy breathing as it did.

"[y/n]!" Maki shouted across the room, rushing towards your bed in heavy footsteps.

"Okaka!" Inumaki shouted softly as if disapproving your long absence.

"[y/n]... you gave us a scare." Panda said.

"ᶦ'ᵐ ᵇᵃᶜᵏᵏᵏᵏᵏᵎᵎ" you spoke in a small, rusty voice.

"Damn, you don't sound good..." Maki said, holding your tubed arm, squeezing it lightly, almost like checking whether you were truly alive.

You finally regained full consciousness. Your head was still throbbing, but you at least regained a good amount of cognizance of your surroundings. But it did not change the fact that your body was still stiff and lead-like from not moving at all.

You breathe in your surroundings and listen closely around you, trying to regain relaxation and tranquillity.

You pause. "ᵗʰᵉʳᵉ'ˢ ˢᵒᵐᵉᵒⁿᵉ ᶦ ᵈᵒⁿᵗ ᵏⁿᵒʷ ʰᵉʳᵉˀ"

"Salmon."

"Well actually, I think you do know him." Gojo said. "Yuta Okkotsu. Sound familiar?"