Of Curses And Demons

Chapter 8

Kagome was up early the next morning, donning her uniform before stepping out to greet her classmates. Gojo had told them to meet him in town.

Jujutsu High School was seen as a Religious private school, and as such, the facility had a building that was used for housing both students and other Jujutsu Sorcerers. Men and women were placed on either end of the building, with temporary rooms in between for sorcerers who were passing through.

Stopping in the small receiving area, Kagome grabbed Yuji's uniform from the waiting cursed doll. Principal Yaga made the uniforms fairly quickly due in part to his dolls and their assistance. Kagome thanked the cursed corpse- Emily, with a pat on the head. Emily then hurried off, no doubt happy to return to her master.

It wasn't hard to find Yuji's room as it was just to the right of Megumi.

She knocked gently.

On the other side was a soft shout and several bumps before the door was flung open. Yuji's hair was in disarray, much like his clothing. His face was flushed upon seeing her, changing various shades of pink.

"Ah! Higurashi! Good morning!" He rushed; his eyes darted from her face to the floor.

"Good morning, miko." Kagome stiffened, eyes snapping to Yuji's neck where another mouth had appeared.

She shivered, her mind going back to last night. "Good morning, Sukuna." Kagome muttered softly.

Before he could say anything else, Yuji was covering his neck. "Sorry about that, Higurashi." He bowed his head in embarrassment.

Kagome laughed nervously. "Don't worry about it, Itadori, and please call me Kagome." She smiled.

His grin was sheepish but pleased. "Alright, then call me Yuji."

"Sorry to wake you so early, but I thought I should drop off your uniform before we headed out to meet Gojo." She quickly explained while holding the pile of clothes out to him.

"Oh, thanks."

She nodded awkwardly. "I'll see you out front when you're done." With that, Kagome turned quickly on her heel. Heat rose to her cheeks as she hurried away.

Yuji shut the door quickly, leaning on the cool wood in an attempt to collect himself, but behind his eyes, all he could see was her. A cold sweat gathered on his brow, his face growing flush as he remembered his dream from the night before.

She lay beneath him, her skin bathed in moonlight; the light played along her hair, making it look as if the stars had been placed with the midnight strands that fanned around her heart-shaped face. Her pale blue spaghetti strap top hung from her shoulder while the hem rose to brush against her midriff. She looked surreal, almost otherworldly, and yet she was warm against his touch.

Her eyes flashed open, pink surrounding her sapphire gaze, and where the colored clashed was a ring of glowing violet. She looked like a feral goddess.

She spoke though he couldn't hear her; the only thing he understood was his name against her petal pink lips. It was a beautiful sound that sent his usually calm heart racing.

He caressed her face and neck, and she didn't dare to move. She bit at her lip, absentmindedly abusing the tender flesh. Then he was kissing her, capturing her lips in a demanding kiss, his lips burning against hers. Its rushed, but the feeling lingered even as he pulled away.

And then he woke up in his room, the window ajar, and he swore he could taste her on his lips; even her scent seemed to linger in his nose. He had gone back to sleep, embarrassed to be dreaming of his classmate, but the rest of the night had been filled with that same dream, over and over again—him watching her sleep from the window.

Yuji hadn't ever been all that interested in women, never having had a school crush or even a girlfriend. The most interest he'd had so far was a celebrity crush on Jennifer Lawrence, so that's what he assumed he liked: tall, blonde, and funny. He barely knew Kagome, yet she made him nervous, excited, and warm, everything he had heard liking someone felt like.

It didn't help that Sukuna spoke about her insistently.

'Our miko is beautiful, isn't she?' The cursed spirit's voice brushed against his mind in a husky whisper, a smirk in his voice. 'Just think what it would be like if she could be under us every night.'

"Shut up," Yuji growled, his eyes pinched tight.

From his mind's eye, Yuji was bombarded by Sukuna's lustful thoughts and even imagery of Kagome gasping beneath them.

He growled out in frustration, pushing the spirit's voice into the recesses of his mind before hurriedly going to the bathroom to wash up before heading out to meet the others.

"You think you'll stop by since we're in the area?" Megumi boredly mussed, his voice filling the silence that had fallen over them as they waited for their teacher. Even the car ride had been filled with an awkward silence.

It took Kagome a second before a bittersweet smile pulled gently at her lips. "If we have time, Mama has been asking when we'll all be able to eat together again." They shared several meals at the Higurashi Shrine, each becoming a cherished memory, filled with warm laughter and the comfort of home.

"It has been a while since I've had Miyuna's cooking." Gojo chimed happily, grinning as he joined the conversation.

"It's only been two weeks." Kagome giggled.

Gojo took on a half-pout. "And a dreadful two weeks it's been. Miyuna's cooking is to die for!"

She laughed. "I'll have to tell her you said that!"

Yuji looked at them owlishly, clearly curious about their conversation.

"Miyuna is my mom; my family owns a shrine in the area," Kagome explained softly.

"Oh, so, are they also sorcerers?" Yuji asked curiously.

Gojo looped an arm around Kagome's shoulder, momentarily losing her balance due to the added weight. "No. Kagome, here is a special case, kinda like yours. She is what's known as a miko. There aren't many, but most mikos' and monks can use reiryoku; divine energy, versus what we sorcerers use, juryoku; cursed energy. And what makes Kagome special is that she can use both. Whereas all the elders want you dead, they all want Kagome to birth more dual wielders."

Kagome didn't bother hiding the disgust that washed over her face or the chills it brought. Just the thought brought on the memories of countless greedy stares- each one seeing her only as an item to be obtained and controlled.

Despite Gojo's teasing tone, she felt the weight of his arms, the way he held her just a bit closer. He was just as disgusted, yet his touch reaffirmed his promise to her: 'I won't let them use you.'

Even Megumi stiffened, his eyes narrowing, showing his hatred for the elders. She wasn't sure if he'd known; then again, her situation seemed to be one of those open secrets.

"They will be the first to die." His voice was sudden, the usual mischievous edge gone, and his presence muted.

The three stared at Yuji, seemingly alright with the Cursed Spirits declaration. Even Yuji, his hand covering his cheek, the hint of a red gaze peaking through his fingers.

And then Kagome laughed, the sound taking everyone by surprise but working to dissipate the tension. "They can try, but the Zandaka council won't allow it." The Zandaka council was just that, a council of Monks and Mikos that resided over temples across the world. Members were elected by their strength and their communities. They strive to bring peace and harmony, and maintain the cohabitation between humans and demons.

Gojo laughed at Yuji's puzzled look, moving to loop his arm around the teens shoulders. "You got a lot to learn, newbie!" He grinned, pulling Yuji in the direction of their destination.