(Author-San whispers: Oh boy...)
¤ (Y/n)'s Point Of View ¤
One week had past by me quite quickly. Maybe it was due to the fact that everyday seemed the same. The schedule never changed for the last seven days. Wake up, breakfast, train, dinner, sleep, Sukuna.
It was starting to get tedious doing the same things everyday and the only thing that kept me from complaining was the fact Yuuji always seemed so excited to start each day. It was his enthusiasm that kept me going. Nothing interesting ever happened anymore and over the past two weeks I still hadn't been able to make contact with him. I was starting to loose hope.
Satoru had been training me on two things so far and had been switching between them everyday. Hand to hand combat and attacking with my fan. But today he said that we would try something different and this was the reason that we stood at the head of a long line of market stalls during the summer heat.
"Okay, so there are 3 cursed objects hidden in this market. I want you to find them all." Satoru told me, handing me modern day money that I still hadn't gotten used to yet. I was confused at his words, not expecting this kind of training.
"How?" I asked him in confusion. Would he tell me how the objects looked like or literally just send me in blind.
"Each object emits their own type of cursed energy. All you have to do is try and sense their cursed energy, similar to how you track Yuuji." He told me, trying to make it sound simple as possible. But even then I was still confused. I could only track Yuuji because of my connection to Sukuna. I follow what feels like a rope tying us together and this was certainly not the case with these cursed objects.
"I'll be waiting here." Satoru told me as he leaned back against the wall behind him, pullinh out my phone and pausing me from asking the continuous questions that I was only seconds away from asking. I sighed at his vague instructions before perking up at his words, now realising that I would have to go through this alone.
"You're not coming with me?" I asked in slight panic.
"I would but I've noticed you seem to be good at observing people's emotions so I think it's best for me to stay here so you can't cheat." He told me, flashing me a grin. My cheeks puffed out in dissapointment at his words, not even realising how close he was getting to figuring out my cursed technique.
"Alright, I'll see you soon then." I bid farewell with a frown, turning on my heel to prepare to walk myself into the bustling market. But before I could emerse myself into it, Gojo spoke up again saying,
"If you're in trouble, call me!"
Giving the man a nod in response, I walked into the market and adjusted the bag on my shoulder. Recently Satoru bought me a phone so that I could start being able to contact people if I was in danger now that I didn't have a bracelet to protect me anymore. After seeing my new phone, Yuuji seemed to be quite jealous and often complained about how much more expensive it was than his phone. But even ridden with envy, the boy still taught me how to use the device with a smile on his face.
And so I began my walk down the market, staring at the stalls left and right of me and hearing people yell out what they were selling. It was a crazed atmosphere but nothing that I couldn't handle. Honestly, I didn't know what I was doing and thought that maybe it would come to me naturally as I strolled.
I tried to feel the atmosphere around me, just as I do when I try to look for Sukuna. But in result, I ended up locating Yuuji who was a few streets away and most likely training with Nanami today.
With a huff, I stopped reading the atmosphere as that had clearly gotten me knowhere. What was the point of this exercise? Would I really need this in the future? Frustration was slowly taking over me as I realised how how this would truly be for me. Turning back on my heel, I tried to give a pleading look to Satoru who I found to be completely blocked by the busy shoppers around me.
And just as I was about to whine out loud, I sensed something. It was tiny and almost went unnoticed by me. It felt like a pin prick, a shift in the air. But it was there. I definetly felt it. Was this what Satoru meant? Standing still in my position, I began looking around me and tried to pinpoint which of these items were the cursed objects.
They all looked the same to me. Nothing really stood out. Objects ranged from gold to silver or wooden and plastic. Nothing looked cursed. That is, untill my eyes landed upon a hairpin. It was made of amethyst, my favourite type of stone. It looked beautiful yet something inside me churned the moment I set eyes on it. It was almost like it was calling out to me, begging me to put the piece in my hair. So without thinking about it any longer, I came to the conclusion tht this was indeed one of the items.
I payed for the piece which the lovely lady quickly baged for me, seeming to be happy to get rid of it. It was cheap as far as I could tell. Bagging it insde my backpack carefully, I then began to walk down the streets of the market once again. I still had two more items to find and buy in order for this exercise to be complete.
As I continued to stroll down the streets, I began to feel something. This time however didn't feel like an object. This felt different, like Sukuna's energy but different. My brows furrowed as I let the feeling take ahold of me. It almost felt like it wanted to guide me somewhere. So I followed this cold feeling down the market, tracking it in just the way i knew it wanted me to. Was this another cursed object? I wasn't sure.
It didn't take me long to find the source of this feeling, leading me to an alleyway at the edge of the market. I knew I was far away from Satoru now which did put me on edge. Gulping slightly, I stopped walking and stood awkwardly at the head of the alleyway without daring to take another step in. I've watched enough movies with Yuuji to know what happened to girls who enter alleyways.
Not making a sound, I just stared forwards into the alleyway and tried to see if I could make out exactly what was inside that seemed to me trying to lure me in. But after straining my eyes, I realised that whatever it was needed to reveal itself because I was definitely not going in.
"Come out, I know you're there." I called out, trying to hide how nervous I was on the inside. Somehow I knew that whatever was hiding in this alleyway was alive, human probably. But I knew that whoever or whatever it was, was very strong.
The person didn't need to be told twice what to do, slowly walking out of the darkness and into the light. Their stitched face and long hair became clear for all to see as they stepped out of the shadows. The man situated himself infront of me and offered me a smirk, chuckling at my form.
It was Mahito.
"Hello again, little dove. I've heard you've been searching for me." The spirit said with a confident smile, now standing a mere foot away from me. I wasn't sure why he was so close but I couldn't complain, not if I wanted him to help me.
After two weeks of searching for the man, he was finally here infront me. I knew I needed to speak with Mahito the moment Yuuji revealed that it was him who killed Junpei. At first I wanted to know why he did it, why he murdered such an innocent boy. But then Yuuji began to tell me more about that day.
Yuuji told me that Mahito could touch someone's soul and deform them in anyway that he wished. He was a con-artist, changing the human body in any way that he wished. Mahito liked to call them puppets and Yuuji thinks that he probably has thousands of them hidden in places everywhere.
When Yuuji told me this, I couldn't help but remember the day I met Mahito. Of course, I didn't tell Yuuji that I met Mahito. Ths day I met the spirit, we were attacked by a human girl. This girl certainly looked abit deformed but even so, she had a heart. And with this heart, I was able to save Junpei and stop her from hurting him...Or rather she stopped herself from hurting him.
But even so, I couldn't stop thinking about that event when Yuuji rambled onto me about his experiences. That girl could fit the description that Yuuji gave me about Mahito's technique. And first I thought, why would Mahito want to attack me using another person. But then I realised how interested he was in my cursed technique and how much he wanted me to show him. That girl was him pushing me to show him. And it worked.
That's when I realised how helpful Mahito's technique could be to me. How much it could her my technique grow. How much it could help me control my power. It was hard to practice my power knowing that every hour of the day I was supervised by someone. I couldn't have any time alone to practice my cursed technique. And even if I did, my technique only works on living things and I still wasn't ready to kill innocent people.
But with mahito's cursed technique, he could manipulate the way body's were formed around a soul. It could have a heart and I would be able to use that heart for training. Yuuji once told me that anyone effected by Mahito's technique was surely dead, so I wouldn't be killing anyone. At least that's what I told myself to make myself feel better about this all.
Of course, I understood that Mahito was not an innocent man. His intentions was far from pure and she could in no way forgive him for killing Junpei. But honestly, Sukuna was no saint either. And in order to aid him, I had to look past Mahito's crimes.
"How did you know?" I asked him softly.
"I've been around...Just very busy. Sorry I couldn't come sooner." He apologised with a fake pout, showing me that he was not taking this meeting as serious as I was. The man twirled his hair around his finger as he waited for me to reply, staring me in the eyes with a grin.
"I wanted to ask you a few things." I started, hoping that he would answer my questions truthfully.
"Shoot." The man said playfully, making me look up at him in pure confusion.
"Shoot? Shoot what?" I asked him. Wasn't shoot to do with guns or arrows? Did he want me to shoot him? Was that how badly he didn't want to answer my questions?
"Shoo--You know what? Nevermind. Just- Ask your questions." He told me, giving up on explaining his language quite quickly.
"That day we met...Were you the one who made that girl attack me? To see my cursed technique?" I asked him, starting with the questions that would confirm other questions.
"Yes." The man said simply, telling me the truth as he interlocked his hands behind his back.
"Can you do that whenever you'd like?" I asked him again, trying to see if he would actually be of any use to train me.
"Yes." He once again replied simply.
Then I moved onto the question that I wanted to ask him for a good while now.
"...Did you...Did you really kill Junpei?" I asked him quitely, the question almost being to quiet to be heard. But Mahito heard it...and he smirked instantly.
"Yes." He answered, his smirk only getting wider as he saw traces of pain grace my features.
"Why?" I whispered out hesitantly. After seeing him begin to chuckle, I began to regret that question.
"Because I needed to push Itadori to the edge." He told me poetically. But I didn't understand what he meant by that. The edge? Why was that so vague?
"The edge of what?" I asked him.
"The edge of despair." Mahito told me, his grin turning into one that reminded me very much of Sukuna's. They were so very similar the two of them.
"Why?" I questioned, still not understanding him motive behind this.
"Because then the boy would rely on Sukuna's power." Mahito explained. Before I could ask why again, the man decided to continue,
"Because then Sukuna would be unleashed and then I coud convince him to join our side."
Our side? Side of what? Then I realised...Their side of the war...The war against the humans. Mahito was a spirit who has no care for human life. This was the only answer that would make sense. But Mahito needed Sukuna's help because he could not take humanity alone...or was it 'they'. Mahito clearly had allies. But even they were probably no match for Satoru. I'm assuming Satoru was their biggest threat. And with Sukuna they could take them...and in return they would probably help Sukuna aswell.
But I know Sukuna better than anyone. Sukuna is the type of man to allow you to help him. He is a bit of an actor so he would pretend to help you too. And once he dosen't need you anymore, he would kill you for participation. At least that's what he was like before he met me. I wasn't dumb enough to believe that that side of him has completely disappeared. And maybe in this case, this would actually work out. Mahito was actually more of an asset than I realised.
"Ah, sorry for my rudeness. Ryomen Sukuna is the King of Curses. The strongest of our kind." Mahito explained, telling me what I already knew. That's right. Mahito didn't know who I was or my connection to Sukuna. But unfortunately, I couldn't keep everything a secret from Mahito if I wanted him to help me.
"I know who he is." I said softly, watching as Mahito's stitched face contorted into on of curiousity. That was probably something he didn't expect.
"And how is that?" He asked, eyes soarkling with interest as he spoke.
"I'm friends with Sukuna's vessel, Itadori Yuuji." I told him. I was sure I could tell him this much. The only thing was I couldn't go into detail with my relationship with Sukuna or my true life.
"You're a jujustu sorcerer then?" Mahito asked me, stepping closer as his curiosity got the best of him. I couldn't hide the digust on my face as he asked me that question. I would never become the very thing that ruined me.
"No." I said way too quickly before hesitantly continuing,
"Just Gojo Satoru's appreticce."
As soon as I let him know that specific detail, the man visibly became all the more interested in what I had to say.
"That's very interesting. Well little dove, I have a question for you now. Why have you been searching for me? What could you possibly need from me?" He asked with a tilt of his head. Mahito understood that I didn't come here just to ask if he was really the one who killed Junpei. Nanami could have confirmed that for me.
"Your power." I said truthfully, havjng no filter on my words. I was just going to be staright to him, as much as the nervous part of me wanted to run away. I knew I need to do this. For sukuna. For me.
"And what would you need that for?" The spirit questioned with an amused grin. It seemed he was enjoying himself. After all, the first time we met I had a different mind set.
"To help me train my cursed technique." I finally said, now letting all my cards out on the table. It seems my words were funny to him since he instantly roared out in laughter.
"What, is your special grade sorcerer not good enough for you?" He asked, talking about that Satoru was sopposed to be my teacher yet I was out her seeking another. It was quite amusing, yes.
"He is a great teacher!" I defended, not wanting him to think Satoru was weak or anything. That man was far from weak and could easily kill Mahito. I didn't want him to get the wrong image of him. But as those words slipped my mouth, I could see that Mahito took notice of how defensive I became.
"He dosent know, does he?" Mahito smirked, guessing my situation right away. The man was smarter than he looked. I sighed at his words and shoon my head, telling him no.
"Why do you keep it a secret?" He asked curiously, wanting to know if there was something bigger to this that he wasn't seeing. Of course there was, I just couldn't tell Mahito that.
"Because he wouldn't understand." I told him, now beginning to feel guilty. Was I doing the right thing? Yes of course, it was for me and Sukuna. That's all I wanted. Just me and Sukuna.
"Interesting...Now, Little dove...Why would I agree to help you develop your cursed technique? What do I benifit in sharing my precious time with you?" He asked me with a raised bow. I knew he would ask this. And this would be the part that hurt me more than anything.
"Information." I said simply, telling him the one word than I knew would capture his attention. The one this I knew he needed whether he would like to admit it or not.
"Oh?" He responded, waiting for me to continue with my offer.
"I'm with Yuuji everyday. I'm with Satoru everyday. I know a thing or two." I mumbled out, my heart aching from this betrayal. How fitting it wad that I was offering to betray those who I assumed would only betray me first. How much of a hypocrite was I?
"Well, I'll have you know that we already have a spy." Mahito said with a cheeky grin which made me freeze in place. He has a spy? Someone in the school was already betraying them? As much as I wanted to know who it was, I couldn't allow myself to make a big deal out of this.
"Does this spy know where to find one of Sukuna's fingers?" I asked Mahito, making his eyes widen and his grin turn into a breathy laugh. I wasn't offering him knowledge that I didn't actually know and he knew that by the look on my face. Where did I learn this information? Maybe Kiyotaka shouldn't speak on the phone so loudly. He never knows who could be listening.
"Do you?" Mahito asked, launching the question right back at me which made me give him an innocent smile.
"Possibly." I said vaguely. Maybe things would really work out for me? I just had to throw out all my morals along the way and ignore the guilt burning in my chest.
"You're a sly little thing, aren't you?" Mahito asked me, loving this new person he was seeing before him. Was I sly? Maybe. But I've said it before, that I would do anything for Sukuna... Anything for the possibility of us. I could only shrug at the man's question, not really wanting to answer it.
"Tell me little dove, who's side are you on?" Mahito mused, asking me a question he seemed genuinely curious about. I wondered if he could see the darkness clouding over my eyes as I answered his question,
"My own."
(A.N ~ PLOt TwiST YaY! You guys hate me now don't you? EvEn so voTE anD COmMeNt)
Chapter 59 Quote Teaser :
"You took longer than I thought you would."