DEVOTED
Chapter eight — "She's evolving"
A GUN'S BARREL was pointed at the ginger girl on the floor. A tall, green-haired girl looked down at the beaten up first-year, "If you're gonna continue being a sorcerer, then you better watch who you pick fights with!"
A stick flew down, making the girl retract her gun. Another tall, green-haired girl appeared, looking at her sister through her glasses, "Mai, what do you think you're doing to my errand girl?"
"Oh, you're so worthless I didn't notice you, Maki."
Maki retracted her polearm, "I'd say we're both pretty much worthless. All you do is imbue things with cursed energy. You don't even have a cursed technique."
"Well, that's better than not having cursed energy at all. If I keep looking up at my goals, then my neck will start to hurt. Sometimes I have to look down at what's below me."
"Forget it. What a waste of time. We're both at the bottom," Maki turned to the first-year, "Nobara, can you stand up?"
"I doubt it. She'll be down for a while. I got her pretty good," Mai's words stopped when the bottom of Maki's polearm neared her face, "What? You wanna go at it?"
Nobara snuck behind Mai, pulling her down to the ground in a chokehold while she wrapped her legs around the other girl's arm, "Nice teamwork, Maki!" Nobara spoke into Mai's ear, "You tore my new tracksuit. Leave your uniform behind as compensation."
Mai glared at the ginger, "Maybe I should put some more holes in your body next. Besides, your legs are too short to make this look good," she looked at the long, black dress she wore.
"I'll kill you!"
A large figure appeared beside the girls, "Mai, we're leaving."
"Wha—?" Nobara looked at the third-year who attacked her classmate, "Where's Fushiguro?"
"Don't worry. Panda and the rest are with him," Maki said, referring to her platinum blonde classmate and her (h/c)-haired underclassman.
Todo looked at Mai as she stood up from the floor, "You look like you're having fun."
"As if! I was just getting started," Mai emptied her gun's chamber.
"Forget it," Todo reached into his pocket, searching briefly before his hand gripped onto an object, "Unlike you, I've got some important business in Tokyo," he slid his hand out of his pocket, holding up a ticket, "Takada's meet-and-greet event!" The three women stared at the large guy in concern as he begun walking away with tears brimming in his eyes, "What if I miss the train and don't make it on time? Who knows what I might do... Let's go Mai."
"Sheesh! You're such a pain!" Mai followed after the guy, briefly turning around again, "Hey, everyone. Don't think we'll go easy on you at the Goodwill Event."
Nobara fumed, "What?! You think you won or something?! I said leave your uniform!"
"Yo, idiot. Shut it. What happened today doesn't matter. We'll stomp on 'em at the event," Maki said as she turned around, taking a few steps.
"Maki..." Nobara followed after the green girl, "Is it true what she said? That you don't have any cursed energy?"
"It's true. I can't even see curses without these glasses," Maki slid off her glasses, "I use tools that have been imbued with a curse, but I can't manipulate my own energy like everyone else can."
"Then why did you become a sorcerer?"
"To piss people off. Think about it. What if someone who's looked down on like me became a great sorcerer? How would my family react? I'd love to see their faces," Maki smiled as she put her glasses back on, "C'mon, let's go see Shoko."
Nobara leaned into Maki as they walked, "You know, I really respect you."
"Good for you."
"Megumi, are you alright? Sorry I couldn't get here sooner," the (h/c) girl gently held her friends head, turning it to the side as she checked for any major injuries.
Megumi's vision was blurry but he could make out that voice anywhere—his best friend, the girl he's known for years was in front of him. Megumi opened his mouth to ask if she was alright. How had she been holding up after Yuji's death? Was what Mai said true? If so, could he had pressured her into keeping someone she deemed a monster alive? But as his mouth opened, the only thing that would come out was a groan.
(Y/n) sighed, forcing Megumi to look at her as she frowned at the blood dripping down his face, "Stupid Todo..." she went to his left side, pulling his arm over her shoulder as she wrapped her right arm around his waist, "Let's get you to Shoko."
The walk to the school doctor was a comfortable silence. The two always enjoyed moments where they basked in each other's silent company. Feelings could be hard at times and the other was there for support. But the silence was driving Megumi insane. The boy wished to stare at his friend's face, but due to Todo, everything was blurry and the pain all over his head and body was too much. He looked to his left, eyes trying to make out every detail he could remember about (Y/n)'s face, 'Where have you been?'
(Y/n) used her free hand to push open the door, "Shoko, Megumi needs some help." Inside of the room was Nobara and Maki. Nobara sat on one of the beds while Maki cleaned her wounds. (Y/n) smirked at the two, "Oh~ What's this?" The other two girls flushed bright red.
"(Y/n)..." Megumi's rough voice called her attention as she sat him down onto a bed. His voice was cracked and she frowned at the obvious pain he tried talking through.
"No, don't talk. I'll get Shoko. I know she's in—" Megumi wrapped a hand on her wrist, only for her to pull it off with an apologetic smile, "Sorry, Megumi. I'll be quick."
Maki watched (Y/n) leave the injured boy, she looked from a knowing Nobara to the said boy as a smirk grew on her face, "Oh~ What's this?" she mocked (Y/n)'s earlier phrase, "Come on, Kugisaki. Let's give them some space." Megumi would've blushed at his upperclassman's words if he weren't in so much pain.
(Y/n) walked out of the small side office with the brown-haired woman following behind her. The two approached the boy and Ieiri Shoko began examining his head while (Y/n) sat beside him, fiddling with her hands for a while until Megumi's head was all patched up. (Y/n) shifted her focus from the boy to the doctor, "I'll let you rest for a bit, Gumi. Hey, Shoko. You can do Reversed Cursed Technique, so... Can you help me? I'm trying to do it too, but I'm not exactly sure what it is—negative energy looks slightly different from positive energy, but I have no clue how to do it. And Gojo-sensei just says multiply the negative energy... Whatever that means."
Shoko thought for a moment, trying to come up with words, "Hm... I'm sorry, (Y/n). As difficult as it is to do it, it's difficult to explain it," she walked to a supply closet nearby, pulling out a CPR mannequin before coming back to (Y/n) and Megumi, "Do you have your pocket knife on you?"
(Y/n) reached into her pocket, pulling out a new red pocket knife, "Sukuna engraved his name into my old one so I tossed that into a river."
"Engraved his name? Wh— Anyway," Shoko flipped the knife open, admiring the black blade before plunging it into the chest of the mannequin, "This is the best I can help you. Come back to me when you've patched the hole in its chest." She closed the knife, handing it off to the girl along with the mannequin before walking back into her office, leaving the two teens to themselves.
"Reversed Cursed Technique?" Megumi's voice startled the girl as he looked at her less blurry figure, "You've been working on your jujutsu?"
(Y/n) turned around with a nod, sitting on the chair beside Megumi's bed, "Yeah. That's why I haven't been practicing with you and the others for the Goodwill Event—I'm already good at close combat. I improved on my long distance attacks recently, though they could use a bit more perfecting... There's also something I want to try with Cursed Technique Reversal, but I need to learn how to make positive energy first."
Megumi's vision was clearing up by the second and he looked over (Y/n)'s expressions as she spoke, "You seem... unbothered... By Itadori's death and the whole Sukuna thing, I mean." (Y/n)'s tense posture dropped as quickly as it came at Megumi's unknowing words. She opened her mouth to speak, but nothing came out so she shut it again and offered her friend a smile as he continued to talk, "Are you bothered?"
"I was, but I'm using his death as motivation to get better. We should all do the same," (Y/n) set the mannequin on the chair she once sat on, opting to lie on the bed with Megumi, "Move over a bit. I'm so tired."
A bald, old man with multiple face piercings sat in a chair, "Yaga's still not here? Time comes at a high price for an old man who doesn't have much left."
The door slid open as Gojo walked in, plopping down on the couch in front of Gakuganji Yoshinobu—the principal of Kyoto Jujutsu High, "Principal Yaga won't be coming here for a while. We forced Ijichi into giving you a fake schedule," he crossed one leg over the other, "Let's talk about it..."
"It? What are you talking about?" the old man stroked his chin.
"Don't play coy, old man. This is about Itadori Yuji. A conservative like you has to be involved," a wicked grin spread over Gojo's face as he uncrossed his legs as he spread them apart.
"Well I'll be. The youth these days..." Gakuganji let out a breath of disbelief, "Don't even know how to speak with respect."
Gojo's smile fell just as quickly as it appeared when he leaned forward, "I don't intent to. It pisses me off how high-and-mighty old folks are today."
"Hey! How dare you?!" Kyoto High second-year—Miwa Kasumi looked at Gojo, "I'll be sure to tell the people in charge about this." 'Oh my god! It's actually Gojo! It's really him!'
"Go right ahead. I won't be long," Gojo waved a dismissive hand at the blue-haired girl before looking back to the old man in front of him.
'He talked to me! He talked to me!'
"Last night we were attacked by two unknown special grade curses."
"I'm sorry to hear that."
"Save it. That happens all the time to me. It's like getting flyer handouts on the streets."
'Wow! He's so cool!'
"Those curses were able to communicate. I bet there are more out there on their level. And it's not just enemies. Hakari, Okkotsu and Todo from your school. The students these days have gotten much stronger. Then there's the Geto Suguru incident from last year as well as a vessel of Sukuna appearing."
"What're you trying to say?"
"Don't you get it?" Gojo chuckled, "The wave of power that you guys have been ignoring to maintain your status and in the name of stupid traditions has gotten huge and is approaching. The new generation won't be limited to special grade," his wicked smile appeared once more, this time it was wider, "If you think I'm the only one who's gonna question your authority, you're gonna be in a world of hurt, old man! There's something else, but I think I'd prefer to see your face when it happens. So don't fall over dead just yet."
"You've got quite the mouth..."
"Yikes! I've said my peace, so I'm outta here," Gojo stood up, walking out the door before popping back inside, "Oh right, Principal Yaga should be here in about two hours or so!"
For two weeks after Gojo's meeting with Gakuganji, the white-haired teacher watched (Y/n) continue to pump the CPR mannequin with regular negative energy. To say the girl was frustrated would be an understatement—she was fuming everyday, but all that meant was more cursed energy to practice with. She currently sat on the couch, back touching the armrest as the plastic body laid on the seat beside her. Two males peered over the couch, observing her work, eyes closed in concentration as her hands hovered over the large hole in the plastic chest. The girl's brows furrowed, "Gojo, Yuji... I can't concentrate on my energy if all I can see and feel is yours."
Gojo took a few steps back, pulling Yuji with him. The boy cocked his head, "You can see and feel our energy?" Beside him, Gojo let out a light chuckle.
"Of course she can. Absorption makes her pick up on energy and presences a lot better than most people. Apparently, some people's energy looks and feels unique—for example: mine," Gojo smiled proudly.
"Your energy is only unique in the sense that it makes me want to stab my eyes out," (Y/n) sighed, going back into a deep concentration.
Unseen by the two teens, the blindfold on Gojo's eyes stretched upward, his eyes shooting up briefly as he noticed a slight change in the energy the girl was manipulating. It was the slightest flicker between negative and positive energy, but it was definitely a start. All that was left was for the girl to find that flicker and hold onto it for longer periods of time until she's finally able to produce positive energy consistently. Gojo nudged the pink boy, "(Y/n), we'll let you concentrate. C'mon, Yuji. Let's continue training." 'I can't wait to see the look on that old fart's face...'