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A D V E R S I T Y .
"Use the floods of sorrow to row down to a new land filled with delight."
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You and Yuuji entered into a hospital, instantly being hit with the loud buzzing of chatter. Crowds of people flooded in and out of the halls, joyful expressions decorating their features. You skipped past them with a cheerful smile. Yuuji followed behind you, grinning, a fond look kindling in his mocha irises. You two then arrived in front of a certain room, swinging open its door.
"Grandfather! Y/N and I are here," he called out as you stepped in, waving happily at the old man who laid in a hospital bed. Upon seeing you two, Yuuji's grandpa scoffed. Your grin only grew bigger. You knew that he actually that enjoyed your daily visits, despite appearing upset on the outside. This was made self-evident as the old man's grouchy demeanour softened slightly when you handed over a bouquet of yellow flowers, a hand-written note attached to them.
He shook his head, sighing, before shouting at you guys, "I told you to stop coming here, you brats! And stop bringing these flowers with you!" He huffed, undoing the paper you had gifted him and reading it.
'Roses are red, this bouquet is actually yellow, I hope that you're staying comfy in your bed and that your days will continue to be mellow! ~Love Y/N, the favourite grandson <3'
The elder chuckled, clutching the sweet poem in his hand. As much as he despised those awful flowers, he always enjoyed seeing what crazy poems you would write to him. This one was actually a lot tamer than the previous ones—like for example:
'I hope that these beautiful flowers, painted the colour of piss yellow, will stream down soft lights of serendipity into your ageing life, and not run down your adult diaper.'
Yuuji's grandpa nearly threw a vase at you for that! Surprisingly though, it wasn't because of your piss poor metaphor, but instead, it was because you had written that he had an adult diaper when, to your surprise, that actually wasn't true.
Admittedly, the two of you had a strange bond. The moments you spent together were odd, sometimes even ending with the old man wanting to murder you, but you could always tell that he truly cared for you. He treated you as though you were one of his grandchildren—he treated you like a proper family member would. The elder joked and scolded you the same way he did with Yuuji, maybe a little more considering how much of a troublemaker you were. You remembered the number of times he had almost whooped you when your teachers would ring him up because you had fallen asleep in class; you never understood what was the big deal with that anyway. But even through any problem that would arise, even when the older Itadori had been admitted to the hospital, your relationship with him never lost its spark. It only grew stronger as you spent your late afternoons in the crusty room, cherishing the moments you were able to spend with him and Yuuji.
"We were gonna come anyways! And these are for the nurses," Yuuji huffed. He grabbed the new bouquet of flowers from his grandpa, placing them inside a vase by the windowsill.
"That's more of a reason to not bring them, you fool!" You smirked coyly.
'But Gramps, you need something to yell at when we're not here! That's what those beauties are for!'
"Why you!" Yuuji's grandfather rolled up a newspaper, weakly throwing it in your direction. When it hit you, you fell down to the ground dramatically, weakly waving your notebook in the air.
'You wound me, old man...'
"Oh get up, Y/N!" You laid on the ground, laughing. "But listen, my children, I have something important to tell you guys." You sat up at his words, intently paying attention to what the elderly person had to say.
"Yuuji, about your parents..."
"Stop! I don't care; I'm not interested," Yuuji interrupted with a snap, making you flinch. You tapped the boy on the shoulder.
'Yikes man, tone it down a notch, will ya?'
He glared outside the window, shrugging you off before speaking up again, "Grandpa, will you just stop trying to act all cool?" The boy gripped the base of the vase. "Just be your usual self, okay?" You sighed, slumping down to the ground. Yuuji was right though—the old man acting all dramatic made it seem like he would... pass away...
"But it's about your parents!"
"And I'm not interested!"
Yuuji's grandpa shook angrily, grabbing a fistful of his bedsheets while he roared, "You brat! A man wants to go out in style; don't you get it?!" You looked up, chuckling at his abrupt childish outrage.
'With an emotional monologue about your family history? Really?'
"You watch yourself, Y/N!" You held up your arms like you were surrendering, still amused by his reaction. The older Itadori huffed, crossing his arms. "And anyway, you two shouldn't be spending your time in this sad room. What about that club of yours?"
"I wouldn't come here all the time if I was so bored! And the club ends before five," Yuuji grumbled, tending back to the flowers. His grandpa looked to you for verification. You jabbed your thumb in the pink-haired male's direction as confirmation before getting up, checking to see how he was doing.
The room slowly fell silent, the lack of noise not being suffocating or awkward though. Instead, it was quite refreshing as the ambience lightly hummed in everyone's ear who was in the room. Considering the amount of busy chit chatter and wailing that crowded the hospital, the silence was like a breath of fresh air. In the tranquil atmosphere, the ill elder gazed at you fondly. Both of you stood with your backs to him, the amber luminescence adorning each of your features. He and you seemed to be absorbing the light as it radiated off your figures, blinding the grandfather. Through squinting eyes, a small smile sprouted on his lips at a realisation.
You two had grown up so much and were destined for great things in the world—he was sure of it. He was sure that you didn't need him to care for you anymore.
As the old man watched, you stood beside Yuuji, assisting him in caring for the newly bought bouquet. The boy handed you the scissors he was using, watching as you trimmed the stems of the beautiful flowers. In the middle of your snipping though, the old man let out a cough. You spun around instantly, putting down the shears. You walked up to him, patting his arm, a silently sign that asked if he was doing alright.
Yuuji's grandfather only sighed, calling out quietly, "Yuuji, Y/N..." Yuuji hummed in acknowledgement, finishing up the flowers while you sat down by his bed, paying close attention.
"You two are strong kids so help people. It doesn't have to be all the time, but help whenever you can. Even if you don't get any gratitude, just help them out..." He gazed at the wall ahead, the light in his irises losing its hue. His voice grew weaker yet, in a raspier voice, he continued to speak. "And when it's your time, make sure to be surrounded by others... Don't end up like me..." he whispered before turning on his side, a small grin lingering on his features.
You stared at him, the grandpa's words still processing in your head. Despite his genuine advice, you found yourself clenching your fists, your breathing rapidly picking up. Your nails dug into your flesh, trying to calm yourself down, yet your anxiety only peaked higher and higher. A casket you long ago buried had begun to unravel itself inside your mind, unleashing terror that spread like a wildfire, ravishing every corner in your body. You trembled, a horrid memory suddenly flashing through your eyes.
∘₊✧──────✧₊∘
In a dark, hazy vision, blurred figures towered over your shivering body. Evil gleams glinted off their pale yellow teeth. Hands were splattered with splotches of blood dripping, trickling down on the cement.
Splat.
Ear-piercing heinous cachinnation rumbled, stabbing jolts of blasphemy into your mind. Curled up fists stained a lethal crimson flung back before striking you.
"H̵̛̛̦̉̒̍̀E̴͎̪͔͐͆̆̋͑͋L̷̳̠̘̖̞͑̍̓̿̽͘P̸̩͌̇͗̎̇̎̀̔̆—̴̢̨͙̜̺̹̟͇̖͚̏̀͊͂͊͌̕̚͠"
Splat. SPLAT.
Your cries rendered useless. Vermillion gushed from your body, painting the scenery with awful stenches of agony. Midnight charcoal dyed your sight in tiny spots, growing even bigger until consuming your entire sight.
SPLAT! SPLAT! SPLAT!
Like the ticking of a clock, the sounds kept on going—they wouldn't stop.
BAM!
Your figure creased in half, the wind getting knocked out of you. You could hear a crack in your stomach; the gears being shattered.
The ticking fell silent—everything fell silent. Your hands that once determined how you spent your hours, completely broken. With no ringing, no lights, no parts moving, you could only wonder in the abyss.
Was this your time...?
∘₊✧──────✧₊∘
You shook your head, snapping yourself out of your terrified frenzy. You bit your tongue, blinking away tears that threatened to spill while you attempted to cool down. You shot your head up, the old man flicking into your line of vision. Gazing at him, your trepidations began to ease, the distressing banging in your ears from your haunting past reducing down to a low whirring. You sighed, flopping your head on the old man's bed.
You thought carefully about the words he had uttered. If you had to be honest, the notion of assisting others had always been a foreign concept to you. As a child, you never received any form of aid, despite being forced against your will into the most traumatising situations. No matter how much you cried or pleaded, no one ever acted like a prince charming to save the distressed you. The people who also surrounded you back then were never pleasant to be around. They used to loom over you like huge bears trapping in a tiny squirrel, thrusting punch after punch into your gut. These crowds used to shout at you, calling you a monster as they were so concerned with murdering you instead. In these moments, it made you wonder what was even the reason for going out of your way to help others.
Distant sobs suddenly echoed in the chambers of your mind, halting your thoughts. Flashes of your despairing shouts in your horrendous, decrepit state shot through you, making you flinch. The agony, the desperation, the horrors you once faced—it made you realise that you never wanted anyone to experience what monstrous events you once went through.
With this epiphany, you were now determined to follow the words of Yuuji's grandfather: to help others. You would help them no matter what. You would prevent children, and even adults, from falling into the state of isolation in their own anguish and frights as you wished to pull them into a safe haven. You wanted people to experience the true, kind nature of humanity, to be saved just as you wanted someone to do the same for you all those years ago.
A determined expression steeled on your features. You looked to the man who had brought a new purpose into your life. You reached for his hand, grasping it tightly—
He was freezing cold.
Your eyes widened. No, no, this wasn't happening; it couldn't be! Your fingers rushed to his wrist as you firmly pressed against it, hoping to feel a pulse, a sound, a feeling—just anything!
...
Dead silence greeted you.
You froze, the breath ripped straight from your throat. Aghast hysteria struck your brain, frying your sense of thought as your body was rendered immobile. This wasn't happening. This wasn't happening.
"Hey, Grandpa?" Upon hearing Yuuji call out his name, you snapped out of your dismayed state, the reality of the situation settling in for you. A tear trickled down your cheek. You leaned in closer, gripping the grandfather's hand as though trying to grasp the remnants of his soul. You wrapped a pinky around his own pinky.
I promise you, I will devote myself to helping others, even if it costs my life.
You sat there for a moment. You slowly grabbed your notebook, trembling, writing down the words you so dreaded. You then handed it over to Yuuji, your writing utensil dropping on the bed.
'He's gone, Yuuji.'
The room froze at that sentence. A beautiful, blossoming life had just been cut, stripping away sunlight from the world. The smell of despair swarmed the dead area, dreadfully greeting a new, horrid age of mourning.
─── ･ ｡ﾟ☆: *.☽ .* :☆ﾟ. ───
After Yuuji called for the nurses, his grandfather was wheeled away from the room. The two of you watched remorsefully while the elder's body slowly drifted away from your sight. You leaned against a wall, your head banging onto the harsh surface as your knuckles dug into it. Yuuji sighed, his eyes lingering where his grandfather once was. The freshman blinked, shaking his head before glancing over at your figure. He smiled morosely, strolling up behind you.
"Hey, Y/N, don't be so sad. Grandfather wouldn't be so happy if we kept crying about his death," Yuuji reassured you. He placed a comforting hand on your shoulder before turning you around, pulling you into a hug. You sniffled, leaning into his embrace as the teen rested his chin lightly on your shoulder.
For a moment, you stood there, the slow beating of his heart resounding in your ears. Pitter, patter. You felt your troubles slip away at the soothing sounds that chimed like a soft lullaby, luring you into a state of serenity.
You slowly pulled away, the corners of your lips perking up. Yuuji was right; the old man probably was cursing you out right now for being such a crybaby. You chuckled lightly at the thought. The pink-haired boy gazed at you with a fond smile, patting your back softly.
"I'm gonna fill out all that boring paperwork, okay? You can just sit down and wait for me." You nodded, taking a seat in the reception room. Yuuji proceeded to go to the front desk, chatting with the nurse while he signed all the necessary papers concerning his grandfather's passing.
You proceeded to pull out your notebook, flipping to a blank page. You mindlessly began to sketch Yuuji's grandpa, not caring if your drawing was a masterpiece or a shitty stick figure. You just wanted to make sure you would never forget the old man. Engrained in your drawing, you didn't pay much regard to what Yuuji and the nurse were conversing about until a certain line he said caught your attention.
"My grandpa would be mad if I moped around... So I'll just have to laugh while I burn him up." You giggled at the odd line, your mood lightening up at Yuuji's weird remarks. Even in such a tragic time, you admired how strong the male could be.
"Well, that's finally done! Come on Y/N, let's go—"
"Itadori Yuuji, correct," a male voice called out. You averted your attention to where it came from, puzzled at the stranger calling for your friend. Standing in the hall of the hospital lobby stood someone that you recognised from the track field at school.
Hey, isn't that Mr Porcupine! Wait... I'm getting bad vibes from this... I knew he was suspicious—
"I'm Fushiguro from Jujutsu High School. I'm sorry but there's no time." You sighed, getting up and heading towards the spiky-haired male. You flipped to a new page before writing something with a bitter taste in your mouth. You held up your notebook in his face, stopping the boy in his tracks.
'Look, we don't know who you are, but our pops just died. Would it hurt to at least wait a minute or two??'
He bowed while apologising, "I'm terribly sorry about your situation." He then stepped to the side, focusing his dialogue on Yuuji. You gaped at Fushiguro, your state of mourning now replaced with loads of irritation at him. How dare he just ignore you?!
The audacity this man has—
"But you see, the cursed object you have is extremely dangerous. Hand it over right now."
"Cursed object?" You tilted your head as Yuuji asked the male, both of you confused by what he was talking about. Fushiguro proceeded to pull out his device, showing you an image of the thing he was referring to.
"Oh yeah, I found it! I don't really mind giving it back, but my upperclassmen have taken a liking to it. I'd at least like an explanation though." Yuuji demanded.
Fushiguro began to explain how curses worked and how they fed off of negative energy produced by pain, regret, humiliation, etc. He went on about how that box Yuuji had taken was something called a talisman that deflected other curses the more bad energy was put into them, eventually feeding on them and even changing form. Apparently, the talisman that Yuuji grabbed was classified as 'special grade' which meant it was extremely dangerous.
Yada yada, Sonic's cousin could've just said the box was a no-no that could kill a lot of people, like even more than playing COD or GTA. That would've gotten the point across way better.
"Now before anyone dies, hand it over," Fushiguro commanded.
"Look, I don't care," Yuuji told him, throwing the box over to the porcupine guy. The male swiftly caught it. "You better explain this to my friends though!"
Fushiguro opened it up, his eyes widening when he saw the object, or lack of an object, inside. "Where are the contents?!"
"I already said the Occult Research Club has it!"
"Where do they live?!" You sighed, dangling your notebook in front of the pressing male.
'I really don't think that matters, considering that they said they would peel off the seal tonight or whatever.'
The newcomer read your lines several times in disbelief, unable to discern if what you wrote was the truth or not. Yuuji glanced at your notebook before nodding. "Yeah, they did mention that! Is that bad though?"
Fushiguro shook his head, snapping out of his baffled stupor. "It's not just bad..." He stared both of you dead in the eyes before uttering,
"They'll die!"
─── ･ ｡ﾟ☆: *.☽ .* :☆ﾟ. ───
The three of you immediately dashed for the school, rushing to go save your upperclassmen. You breathed heavily while running, only being able to keep up with the others because the fear of your friends becoming injured fueled your adrenaline to the max, propelling you to sprint even faster than usual.
God, you wished that they would be okay.
"Do seals come off easily?"
"In normal instances, the seals wouldn't be able to be removed from someone with no cursed energy." How could they just be casually talking while running?! You were over here, barely even able to catch a breath! "This time though, the object inside is too strong and the seal is old; that makes it peel almost like regular paper."
Upon arriving at the school, you panted aggressively as you threw your hands on your knees, hunching over in pain. You hadn't pushed yourself to run like that in ages!
"Y/N, are you okay–"
You and Yuuji suddenly froze, feeling an overbearing amount of pressure radiating from the school, almost suffocating you.
Just what in the hell is rampaging inside that school?!
"You stay here. Tell me where the club room is," Fushiguro commanded, the presence not fazing him in the slightest bit. You frantically dug for a notepad and pencil out of your back pockets. You then pulled on the male's arm in concern, holding up a newly written note for him to see.
'Hold on, we're coming to help you! I don't know what the fuck is in there, but surely it can't be good!'
Yuuji nodded in determination, shouting, "yeah! And our friends are in there! We have to do something—"
"Just stay here," Fushiguro retaliated back sternly. He glared at the both of you, his deadly gaze glueing you to the ground, before taking off.
You glanced at Yuuji who hung his head low, noticing how much the boy was trembling. And honestly, as much as you wanted to urge him to just barge into the scene, you were just as afraid as he was.
But your friends were inside. The only people who had brought peace into your previous life of hell were sitting up there, potentially exposed to lethal danger without them even knowing it. However, you knew that if you were to walk into that school, then you would also be caught up in that hazard zone—hell, you could even die!
Help people... Be surrounded by others...
You sighed, standing up straight at the familiar voice that rang those promising words in your soul. The old man was right. The same people that were stranded in that structure were the same people who had given you a life, who had given you meaning in this world. Even when you couldn't speak, they let you have a voice, they let you be heard. Grandpa, Sasaki, Iguchi, and Yuuji—they all meant everything to you and, even if it meant taking your own life, you would do anything to keep them safe, to keep them happy.
You looked over at Yuuji, surprised when you saw him sporting the same resolute gaze as you. "You thinking what I'm thinking?" You nodded eagerly.
'Hell yeah; let's go fuck up some shit.'
─── ･ ｡ﾟ☆: *.☽ .* :☆ﾟ. ───
"3, 2, 1!" You and Yuuji kicked open the school window, barging into the building. At the strong impact, the glass shattered, shards flying around you like little sparkles floating in the air. You both landed on the ground when you noticed a huge, gross-looking monster that was consuming Sasaki.
So that's what a curse looks like?! Bro, that looks like the Pokemon Muk, the purple slimy, nasty looking piece of shit!
Yuuji immediately charged for the curse as he punched it, knocking the beast to the ground. At the same time, you pulled your friend out of the monstrosity eating her before jumping ten feet away from the thing.
"Good job, Y/N!" Yuuji patted your shoulder, throwing you a thumbs up. You nodded gleefully while carrying Sasaki in your arms.
"What time... is it now..." the monster cried out. You shuddered; you couldn't believe that thing could actually talk.
Fushiguro glanced at the two of you in shock before performing some hand motions, summoning a pair of foxes that began to eat away at the curses. "Normally, I would be pissed... But, good job guys." An irk mark popped on your forehead. You curled up your fist, ready to punch him. Once again, the audacity of this man–
"What are you acting all high and mighty for?" That's right Yuuji, you tell that man off!
"By the way, what's that eating the curses up?" Yuuji pointed to the foxes, making you awe at them. They were so pretty, even if they were eating something so disgusting.
"They're my shikigami," Fushiguro informed you two before raising an eyebrow. "You guys can see them, though? Normally, people can't see these curses, the exceptions being when facing death or in special places like this."
Now that Shadow the Hedgehog mentioned it, these monsters actually looked familiar to you. Growing up, you used to always see these ugly creatures roaming around the streets. You never really gave them much attention though; after all, they never really messed with you. You were too caught up in your own issues back then to pay any mind to what they truly were anywho.
"Now that you mention it, I've never really seen a ghost before," Yuuji mused, scratching his head.
"You're not scared though?"
The male sighed. "Well... I was. But then I saw that... people actually die." He glanced at the beast from earlier before gazing at his upperclassman lying in your arms. "So I figured, for the people that I know, if they were to die, I wanted them to do so in the best way possible."
Way to go, Yuuji! We love a heartfelt speech!
Yuuji chuckled, awkwardly mumbling, "I don't really get it either..." You nudged him, giving him a big nod of approval. He grinned, ruffling with your hoodie before catching sight of a weird, nasty looking finger on the floor. The salmon-haired male picked it up curiously. "This is..."
"Yeah, special grade cursed object Ryōmen Sukuna. Or at least a part of it."
Sorry, what now– Ryō– Ramen So tuna?? Food? Fish—Fish?! First carp, then salmon, now this?! What is with all of the fish?!
"Forget about it—it's dangerous, so just hand it over."
The pink-haired freshman rolled his eyes, messing around with the finger. "Yeah, yeah." A hand began to form in the ceiling, causing your eyes to bulge out in terror. Fushiguro then noticed it after you, causing him to shove you guys out of the way. "You guys! Run," he shouted. The ceiling where Fushiguro had been standing suddenly caved in, making you stumble back in terror.
"Fushiguro," Yuuji cried out. Feeling your foot bump into something, you looked down, noticing a passed out Iguchi. You sighed, glad that he was safe as well. You proceeded to gently lay Sasaki next to him before jumping back up to Yuuji's side.
You saw the enormous monster grab Fushiguro. It threw him off to the side with such a strong force, slamming the boy against a wall of the school building. The wall completely shattered, flinging him outside the school as the shikigami he had summoned began to dissipate. The curse growled inhumanely before chasing Fushiguro in pursuit. You aggressively slapped Yuuji's arm afterwards, the terror in your eyes saying everything.
This isn't good—what the fuck have we gotten ourselves into?