'Strange..'
Sumida pulls the hood of his cloak down, no longer hiding the confusion on his face. He looked around the bar, hand on the empty stool beside him as if he was afraid to accidentally slip- wasn't Y/N suppose to meet up with him?
Work needed to be done. Information needed to be exchanged.
The man glances at one of the windows. The day has just started, so maybe he can take a trip to the womans humble abode? Maybe drag her out and force information out her.
Reminiscing about their previous encounters, Sumida contemplated more. Should he really barge in her house like that? Sumida knew not to underestimate her.. But something felt wrong. Terribly wrong.
'Did Y/N get herself in trouble?'
It felt like a pit on the bottom of his stomach. Like a rock being thrown into a deep ocean.
The boy takes a deep breath before pulling out a few coins from his pocket and placing them down on the wooden counter in front of him. After paying for the drink he previously ordered and finished, Sumida swiftly leaves the building, flipping his cloak back up and hiding his face.
He gulps, now getting anxious.
'I feel like.. I'm gonna see something horrible. Maybe that's just Y/N's face?'
The boy cracks a smile which is immediately replaced with a frown.
'Not now, damn it!'
The boy passes by Nanami's bakery, not bothering to look back and question the man about you- they have already talked and Sumida got what he needed from Nanami.
He gulps, his walk now turning to a run.
When the man had finally reached the few empty houses at the outskirts of town, he was already sprinting as if his life was on the line.
He has been to Y/N's house a few times now and it's always about visiting and making sure no curse user is lurking in her forest. There's always something suspicious about how the trees stood and the leaves swayed in the wind- Sumida despised going here.
'The closer i get, the stronger i could feel it.. There it is!'
He maneuvers around the trees standing in his way and quickly avoids the rocks blocking his path.
'.. Cursed energy that strong?!'
He could feel it all the way from where he is. What could possibly contain such a large amount of energy?
Sumida finally reaches the end of the path, huffing and out of breath. Though there was no time to spare for him to rest.
He made his way to the house, his run now turning to a walk. His brows furrow when he sees a pool of blood on the ground and trailing to the front of the home, his suspicion and concern now growing. Sumida looks at the door that was closed shut- from what he's seeing, someone must've been forced inside after being dragged.
'The curse energy i'm sensing is starting to fade.' he thought, looking over his shoulder. Y/N's home is in the middle of a forest with some trees cut down to create room and the entrace is also the only way out. Whoever is trying to escape through the forest won't be too hard to detect since they might get lost, so Sumida should take things slow.
After all, someone might be in dire need of help..
The man gulps, now approaching the door which he starts to open- his fingertips cold and body tense. He wasn't afraid of what or who's waiting on the other side. Sumida's more concerned of what happened. Why is the house so quiet and who's blood was shed?
Y/N's level-headed and stable. Atleast that's based from what he has seen. Knowing her, she'd try to prevent anything like this from happening.
'God, if i have to fight anything, i'm done for.' he contemplated activating his technique, but then decided to save his strength for when he really needs it.
He needs to remember that he can't charge into battle. He may be strong with a weapon and a technique, but that doesn't mean his body can keep up.
With a sigh, Sumida opens the door.
"Fu... Fush.."
Two bodies laid limp on the wooden floor. One boy was on his stomach, desperately trying to reach out to the other who's laying on his back. One seemed to be unconcious from how he wasn't responding to the boys weak yet desperate calls.
'Ah! Isn't this the Zen'in?' Sumida enters the home, 'And him.. Yeah, i know the two of them..'
They both have techniques. Sumida's sure that what happened wasn't just any normal break in- it was a fight.
Itadori, who's body is in pain, hears a creak behind him. That was enough for the boy to get nervous once again, now looking over his shoulder to see if Mahito had returned to hurt them.
His eyes widen. Who greeted him is a familiar face, and although he should be relieved it isn't Mahito, Itadori still didn't feel safe around a guy who had hurt Y/N.
"Hey, don't worry. I'm a good guy." Sumida reassures the boy, "What happened here? Where's Y/N?"
"How can i.. Trust you?" Itadori groans as he tries to turn his body so he can lay on his back, "You stabbed miss Y/N.."
No response. Someone was too busy looking at his wounds.
Sumida gulps as he sees a deep cut on the boys stomach, his clothes soaked with blood. Had Itadori taken another blow, then his organs would be the one spilling out. Sumida hesitantly reaches for the cut with his dominant hand, his palm glowing a soft blue.
Itadori raises his left arm, attempting to swat away Sumida's hand though his attempt was fruitless. The man had already used his other free hand to grab Itadoris arm.
"You wanna get better or what?" Sumida then mutters, "Don't fight it."
Reverse cursed technique. Taught by Ieiri herself. The woman saw potential in him and she had nothing to loose- teaching is something she's surprisingly good at.
Nonetheless, Sumida's glad he's able to put what he learnt into good use.
"Why are you helping?"
Itadori asks once again since his last question was left unanswered.
"Because you're hurt. Now, tell me what happened here?" simple and straightforward. Itadori groans as he tries to get up, propping himself with his arms. Sumida is surprised at how quick he recovered.
"Someone took our friend.. It was a curse who did it." Itadori starts, "And we lost.. "
His answer is vague.
"Curses.. No wonder." Sumida sighs as he stands up, attempting to walk over to the unconcious Zen'in though before he can take a step, Itadori grabs his ankle.
His grip is tight for someone who's guts was on the verge of spilling.
"Don't hurt Fushiguro, please." he mutters, making it sound more like a threat, "If.. You make him well, I'll tell you what i remember.."
'I was already planning on doing that!' Sumida thought, 'I can't let you two die. Y/N would murder me.'
"Okay, that's a deal." Itadori's grip loosens and Sumida continues, "He's Fushiguro and you are..?"
The man rinses and repeats. He gently holds up Fushiguro's head to get a better angle, hand hovering over the boys bleeding forehead.
"I'm Itadori Yuji.."
'A normal kid. But this guy's..'
Sumida contemplated wether he should tell the boy the truth about his friend Fushiguro or let him continue and explain what happened earlier. Eventually, he decides to leave it be- he's in no position to say it and it seems like Itadori isn't aware of it either.
As an informant, he has heard a plethora of gossips in the past. He understands why Y/N would want to take in Fushiguro after he ran away from his cruel family, but how did she even fiind him? Better yet, what made Fushiguro stay with her?
The man shakes his head.
'That's none of my concern. I'll just ask her instead of finding it out myself.'
"I'm Sumida Okimoto, a friend of Y/N. Apologies if i didn't make the best first impression." The man introduces himself in return, keeping it vague.
Itadori turns to look at Sumida and Fushiguro, wanting to see how his friend was doing. He's not in a.. Great condition.. He's definitely the most beat up.
"Where did the curse go? I sensed it's cursed energy." the man starts.
Itadori replies, "It ran away.. To the forest directly in front of the house."
Both knew something the other didn't, but neither of them were aware of this.
Sumida knows about Fushiguro's heritage and Itadori knows better than to let Sumida chase after Mahito. But why.. Why wasn't he saying a word?
Maybe he's afraid. Aftaid to admit he had any connection with the curse- who is the one who forced him to eat Sukuna's fingers and made him the vessel of said demon.
To make things worse, Itadori couldn't clearly recall what happened before Mahito left. The boy doesn't know if he was force fed a finger or two yet again and Sukuna being too quiet was enough for Itadori to panic and assume the worst.
He gulps, 'Maybe i am.. Scared.'
'I'm terrified.'
Sumida stands up, pulling up his cloak. He was done here and he had gathered enough intel. He's going after that curse.
"Does it have blue hair?"
He walks past the boy whom is still sitting on the floor. Shocked, Itadori's eyes widen- it may not have been said verbally, but his surprise is already a big give away.
The curse indeed has blue hair.
And there's a huge chance that it was the same curse him, Nanami, and Y/N encountered the night when they were at the red light district.
Sumida could only show Itadori a smile before leaving the house,
"I'll save that friend of yours!~"
Oh.. He's in for a big surprise.
The galloping of two horses caught a lot of people's attention.
Some would look the other way- assuming it was a competitive race between two ladies, a chase, or just a harmless ride. Fortunately, no one really cared enough to stop you and Kugisaki to question what was happening, or else it would've been a pain to think of a made up story.
You were in front and the girl followed behind.
You curse the school for being so far away from your home. In situations like these where people might be in danger and are relying on your help, time is gold.
"Nobara! You okay?!"
You ask the girl, feeling bad for taking her away from her duties. She was supposed to fend off curses with the other young sorcerers, but this is a serious matter that only you and her can settle.
The two of you seemed adamant about leaving and it did sound urgent so of course, with no questions asked, Tsukumo and Utahime agreed with letting Kugisaki go.
"Yeah!" she replies, brown eyes focused on the path in front of her. The two of you were now out the town and is close to heading home.
Here it was again- the sudden rush of adrenaline that she's been craving ever since she left Tokyo. It was back and it felt so good. What was waiting at home? Does she get a chance to fight again?
"We ca-!!"
A yelp and the sound of leaves rustling.
Kugisaki's horse stops in its tracks when she pulls on the reins, her heart dropping to her stomach when she sees your body being lifted in the air by what seems to be an overgrown branch from a tree.
"Y/N?!" she calls, "What happened?!"
You struggled, unable to free yourself, "I don't.. Know!"
!!
From behind the trees, Hanami emerges. A curse with branches as eyes and it seems to be the one preventing you from escaping the branches wrapped around your torso and arms.
"You..!" Kugisaki got ready to reach for her hammer and nails though was immediately stopped by you.
"NOBARA, GO! Alert the boys and leave! I can take care of myself!" you shout, wincing as the grip around your body tightens. Hanami stays quiet.
'Y-You're leaving it to me?!' were you insane? She wouldn't know what to do!
Kugisaki then takes a deep breath. She was getting the thrill she wanted, right? The girl should at least be capable of handling it.
'Fine! I can deal with this!'
She sends you a nod before quickly leaving with her horse.
Once she was out of sight, the curse lowers you to the ground though your body is still bounded. Hanami walks and stands in front of you, still not saying a single word.
"What do you want?" you ask, brows furrowed. You were at a disadvantage. You can barely move your hands to pull out a needle.
Hanami stood there and your eyes widen when the branches started to wrap around your whole body. Your vision began to get dark as even your face was starting to get covered by wood.
Hanami spoke,
"Seperating you and Satoru Gojo is necessary."
It struck you.
Mahito had already made his move.