Of Curses And Demons

Chapter 5

Kagome groaned, her whole body hurt, her ribs in particular. The grade 2 cursed spirit's hand encompassed her torse, making it almost impossible to fight back and even harder to breathe. Not that Kagome thought she'd make it much longer as she stared into its gaping mouth. She wanted to puke; it was hideous with a smell just has nauseating. The curse's tongue snaked over its teeth, showing the dozens of eyes dotting the appendage, and fanning her with its moist breathe. The curse was going to eat her.

Her reiryoku came trickling forth. Taking on so many curses back to back had left her almost completely drained. Kagome only had enough to irritate the curse, and its response was immediate.

Her body was sent hurling into the wall; she could hear a rib snap, and her back cracked, her breath forced from her lungs. She couldn't even scream because of the blood filling her throat.

"Kagome!" This was the fourth time Megumi had said her name, each time with an increasing amount of fear. She looked up to see him running towards him, scooping her into his arms as the curse charged at them.

Their bodies were sent flying, but Megumi held her tightly as they crashed through the wall. He even maneuvered his body so he would be the one to land first. The force at which they hit had her seeing spots, the darkness creeping around the edges of her vision.

She held tightly to her consciousness and summoned her reiryoku again. It pooled within her, starting the healing process. Her cursed energy, she could feel circulating in her muscles, giving her just enough strength to roll them away from the curse that followed them.

It ran, green saliva spewing from its mouth, gnashing its teeth like a wild animal as it was about to descend onto them.

"Damn it!" Megumi struggled to get up. There was blood smeared across his face, Kagome couldn't tell if it were hers or his, but the sounds of grinding bones were enough for her to know they were both in no position to fight. But he tired, his hands trembling and body struggling to hold himself up. "Why can't I think straight?"

Kagome groaned. His body was pinned atop her, pushing painfully against her broken rips. She had sent Saturo a text demanding backup. He should have been here by now. At this rate, Kagome wasn't sure if she or Megumi would make it; neither one of them was coherent enough to fight, their bodies both on the verge of giving out.

Just as the curse was going to descend upon them, it gave a pain-filled shriek.

Kagome blinked, struggling to stay awake.

"Itadori!" Megumi yelled. "Why can't you understand to take those two and run?!" He struggled to his feet. Even in his broken state, Megumi put himself between her and the curse. And even still, he wanted to keep Yuji from needlessly dying.

"You're in big trouble yourself!" Yuji called back, jumping around the curse, keeping it from attacking them. He jumped along its limps, using its body against itself. He grabbed an arm, twisting it at the elbow. The way Yuji moved was mesmerizing. It was like watching a dancer, his body moving in practiced fluid motions. He was a citizen, and yet he looked like a sorcerer dancing in and out of the curse's attacks.

"Only curses can exorcise other curses! You can't beat it!"

"Is this the time to be saying that?!" There was a smile in Yuji's voice, a teasing tone despite the circumstances. "You're going to die too at this rate!"

Yuji runs up the length of the curse's arm. "If I went home now, I'd be having nightmares for weeks!" He used the curse's hair to swing around it, kicking off its eye. "Besides, I'm living with a rotten curse of my own."

The curse hits Yuji, flinging him and Sukuna's finger into the air. Both Yuji and the curse grabbing at it, only for the curse to grab Yuji, and Yuji catching the finger between his teeth.