December 24th, 2017
The Night Parade of 100 Demons
The day of proposed demise; the ill fated hour. In a classroom Yuta and Haku sat in silence, staring out the window knowing their classmates were out there confronting the danger head-on. Gojo had revealed the plan to the students that previous night, much to Yuta and Haku's objections. However, in theory, it was what seemed best.
All they could do now as they waited in the quiet was for the return of their friends. Yuta couldn't help but tap his foot anxiously. "I know Gojo Sensei said this was best but I'm still not okay with knowing our friends are out there risking their lives," he admitted, breaking the silence.
"Shiro is there," Haku responded absentmindedly. Their thoughts were preoccupied with other stresses.
Yuta looked at Haku hopefully, "Are they okay?"
Haku nodded, "They're okay, but there is a lot of cursed energy there. Panda and Inumaki's levels keep wavering."
"And Maki?" curious, Yuta asked.
"I still have a hard time sensing Maki, but the weapon she normally uses is okay." It was all Haku could give on the situation.
Despite the lack of certainty regarding Maki's condition, it did help to ease a bit of Yuta's worries for their friends. "Thank you Haku. We may not be there but at least there's always Shiro."
"Always," Haku repeated like a promise.
In a split second, Haku shot up from their seat with their eyes wide as their palms slammed down on the table. A reaction so sudden, it make Yuta flinch. Before Yuta could ask what was wrong, Haku ran straight for the exit. Scrambling as fast as he could, Yuta hurriedly followed without question; in situations like these, it was always best to trust Haku's instincts.
Once outside, Yuta figured out why Haku acted the way they had; the sky was being engulfed by a darkness unmistakable for a curtain. It surrounded the vicinity as Haku's gaze had been directed towards the school's entrance. Yuta followed it and there stood a figure that made his blood run cold— Suguru, Geto.
"I knew I'd find you here Okkotsu, Yuta. There would be no way Satoru would send a volatile gem like you in harm's way. Such a cowardice move." Suguru called out, strolling over to the two students leisurely.
Haku and Yuta stiffened their stances, preparing for the worst. Suguru's pleasant expression from earlier fell once his eyes rested upon Haku. He scowled, "And you."
"You should be out there, a feeble disgrace on death's doorstep at the hands of a lowly curse I wouldn't waste more than a few seconds of my time on," Suguru's distain unable to be hidden as he growled at Haku.
Haku extended their right arm out to the sides , flexing their hand as a soft casted white glow surrounded their figure. In a few moments, from the corner of Yuta's eye, something was coming towards them at a rapid speed. He took a step back as he looked at what could be approaching. It flew right into Haku's hand; their scythe.
Taking a more protective stance now armed, shielding Yuta behind them, Haku had a fire in their eyes unlike ever before. The sight amused Suguru as he let out a few laughs at the small in stature student, "What's this? The runt is going to attack me? Let me show you what happens to stupid puppies that bite off more than they can chew."
With impressive speed, they charged at Suguru; the weight of gravity was a nuisance that didn't burden Haku. Light as a feather floating in the breeze, Haku's footsteps couldn't be heard as they approached in silence. Striking with force, Haku swung their scythe with all of their strength, but it wasn't fast enough to catch Suguru off guard.
With ease, Suguru avoided the attack but Haku wasn't discouraged; the two became locked in a heated exchange. All that could be seen was the blurred, hazy glow that surrounded Haku like a visible aura as they fought with all their agility. The two were equally matched in hand-to-hand combat as they traded fist for punch back and forth. Haku moved like this was a dance between the two of them with grace and poise as they expertly kept their scythe in constant motion, balancing the uneven weight in synchronized time.
"Maybe you aren't as talentless as I suspected? But something about you..." Suguru trailed off in thought, blocking Haku's forward strike. "Is really off," he finished as he dodged once again.
As the fight between the two dragged out with not even so much as a scratch on Suguru, Haku was becoming more and more pissed. A new plan of attack was needed as Haku flipped out of the way of Suguru's advance. Putting some distance between them, Haku firmly planted both feet on the ground for the first time in the fight as they dug the tip of their scythe into the ground. The staff crossing their body as the blade scooped upwards.
"Blessed Technique: Nine Tails of Divine Punishment."
Launching themself into the air, they twisted fully as a blinding white light of positive energy traced the movements of their scythe's blade; curving through the air making a full circle that hurdled itself in Suguru's direction. The light refracted into nine different directions, all heading Suguru's way as he beamed in amusement.
"Oh? By chance could you be..." He wondered aloud, preparing to evade the nine beams of blinding light.
Like an acrobat, Suguru contorted his body through the air narrowing missing each light ray. Successfully avoiding all but one, the last tricky one left no evident path of escape and he was struck squarely in the stomach. As the light came into contact with his cursed energy, it felt like a fire was quickly ravaging it's way through his veins. It burned hellishly hot inside of him as he let out a groan in pain; the first time in a long while he felt a sense of agony like this.
Although it burned worse than any other unpleasantry he had experienced in many years, it also ignited his enthusiasm. As the pain began to subside, he panted slightly with a wide smirk on his lips, "My my, how things have taken a twist."
Suguru brought his hands together as he expelled a grotesquely misshapen curse possessing exceptional amounts of cursed energy, "If that's the case, you'll only get in the way of my plans and I'll need to dispose of you immediately..."
"White Dragon."
•
In Shinjuku, hundreds of curses ran rampant through the streets as sorcerers failed to keep up at a productive rate. The curses were amounting faster than they could be exorcised. Amidst the chaos, Gojo had a lingering suspicion confirmed.
"Something's not right— Geto isn't here or in Kyoto." Not even interrupting his thoughts aloud, Gojo took care of an approaching curse with a single arm movement.
"Gojo! It's the school!"
Frantic, Ijichi came rushing to the teacher with his phone in hand after receiving the urgent update. "Sorry, I know the timing isn't good, but a curtain has been casted over the school and Okkotsu and Namie are trapped inside. Most likely Suguru is there too," Ijichi continued.
Under his breath, Gojo cursed himself for not seeing it sooner. He looked around and immediately spotted those he had been searching for. "Panda! Toge! Maki! No questions— You're going back to school." He yelled over the ensuing chaos of their surroundings.
The three students had been invested in their own squabbles at the moment and were more than confused about the sudden change in plan. Maki quickly ended the fight between her and the cursed spirit as she went over to Gojo.
"Why? What's going on?" she asked and not too long after, was joined by the rest.
"Geto is at the school with Yuta and Kohaku. I'm going to teleport all of you as close as I can, but you need to hurry. I'll settle things as quickly as I can here." Gojo warned. This was the first time the students had seen their usual carefree, arrogant teacher, show any sign of distress and urgency.
That change in behavior, the students knew this was incredibly serious and a danger far worse than anything they'd encounter in Shinjuku. On his word, Gojo teleported his three students in the direction of the school to aid their ailing classmates.
Gojo's smile was long gone; he was angry, pissed about a number of details. However, he didn't have much time to himself to dwell on those feelings when a newcomer had joined the scene. He flaunted a long tethered rope of black whip as the stranger flashed a smile.
"Hey Special Grade— I hear you claim to be the best jujutsu sorcerer alive right now. Why don't we see about that, shall we?" The man provoked.
Of all things, a battle between an unknown forgettable foe was not something Gojo was in the mood for. Irritated and short of temper, Gojo barely gave the stranger the time of day. He pulled the bandaging away from one eye as he glared with eyes sharper than a dagger, "You look like a pain in the ass. Sorry but I'm very busy at the moment."
•
At the Tokyo campus, things weren't fairing all that well.
"We'll have to do this together!" Yuta cried out at the top of his lungs to be heard above the screeching spirit.
Haku looked back over their shoulder quickly and nodded. Yuta readied his sword as Haku went back to reconnect with him. The two communicated without words but through complete trust in one another as they advanced together.
In tandem, they alternated their attacks in sync. Not a millisecond to spare as a ruthless onslaught of strikes commenced from all directions as Yuta and Haku left no opening in sight. The spirit's revoltingly molten flesh oozed every time it had been pierced by a weapon. It secreted a gelatinous liquid of foul odor that threatened to stick everything it touched to the spirit's body. Although it moved rather slow— weighed down by it's own bulbous figure, it hardly seemed like physical attacks did it any harm at all.
"You've forgotten about me; that's a fatal mistake."
In Haku's ear, Suguru whispered harshly from just behind the student. Before Haku could react, they had been lashed backwards several meters within the span of a single second— stopping only once Haku's body had made contact with the concrete wall. Upon impact, their body stiffened and the grip they had on their weapon ceased; it fell to the floor with a soft clattering sound. Like their weapon, Haku slumped downward and didn't move another muscle.
"Haku!" Yuta called out, averting his eyes from the cursed spirit for only a second.
In that time, the spirit swung a nasty strand of its discolored gel at him that stuck to his clothes. Trapped like an insect, the spirit whipped Yuta high into the air and sent him crashing into the ground. It rattled his bones and bruised many surfaces of his flesh but with a shaky motion, Yuta severed the strand that connected him to the spirit with the blade of his katana.
He got to his feet, firmly facing Suguru. Just as Suguru was about to take a step forward, his head turned in a different location, "Oh? Someone's opened a hole in the curtain? Some plans just seem to always have minor setbacks."
"I'll give them five—
Before Suguru could complete his sentence, the source of the intrusion made their appearance. Rubble and debris were sent flying as walls had been blasted into oblivion. An enraged Panda charged onto the scene with Inumaki and Maki on his back. The two students hopped off and Panda went berserk, immediately gunning for Suguru and unleashing a furious attack of punches.
Inumaki and Maki made quick with the accomplice curse. One command and it ruptured, bursting into several drops of foul smelling gel that rained down upon the scene as the two tried to cover their noses. The spirit wasn't a lowly underling like the ones to be found in Shinjuku; it was stronger and Inumaki couldn't help but be sent into a coughing spree.
As Panda and Suguru travelled in their battle, out of the corner of his eye, Panda noticed the slumped and unconscious figure, "Haku?!" He called from concern but Suguru was quick to take advantage of Panda's slight distraction.
"Pay attention! I'm your opponent!" Suguru hissed, slamming his leg into Panda's side forcibly and into the pavement below— cracking upon impact.
Panda looked to his side, "Toge!" he yelled for help.
Despite already being in a distraught state, Inumaki didn't hesitate as he ran and leaped through the air to provide assistance. Surrounding Suguru on both sides, Panda latched onto his leg and held him in place as he growled, "Pay attention."
"Crumble Away!"
Under the immense pressure, an invisible force bore down with the weight of several tons as a crater smashed into the ground, crushing Suguru from above. The command was powerful, enough to have Inumaki coughing up blood as it spattered along the jagged pavement. Panda was quick to come to his side, "You okay?"
"Ikura..." Inumaki choked out weakly, pointing to Yuta and Maki in the distance.
In the heat of the surroundings, Yuta and Maki had rushed to Haku. If someone were to just come across the student, they appeared to be sleeping peacefully. But on closer inspection, Yuta saw the stream of fresh blood along the side of their head. A fractured skull most likely, not to mention the high possibility of other more severe sustained injuries in other places unseen.
Something within Yuta snapped upon seeing his friend in such a state; his friend who had just opened a part of their heart to everyone just yesterday and smiled when it was rare for them to do so. Before Yuta could do anything, a loud blast rumbled from behind causing both students to look.
On the ground, Panda and Inumaki were lying there, gravely injured, as Suguru rose triumphantly from the debris of the crater with aid of another curse of his employment. Relatively unscathed after being subjected to the full brunt of attack, Suguru smirked as he flicked his wrist. Maki's eyes grew wide and before she could step out of the way, a barreling spear of cursed energy had been launched her way. Traveling at a speed so high, it was akin to a bullet launched from a gun as it lodged itself in her stomach and didn't stop as it pierced the entire way through, exiting through to her back as she weakly collapsed to the floor.
The only person spared and left standing, Yuta. He watched in horror as his friends had one by one been struck down right in front of him. He saw the light leave their eyes as their bodies went limp and the blood that stained their clothes as it spread to the outer layers and down their skin. It made him sick, utterly repulsed at how a person could be capable of such a wrongdoing.
With a cold look in his eyes, he blankly glared in Suguru's direction in the distance as he was lost in himself. He had nothing but anger left within as he beckoned with his hands,
"Come Rika!"
Calling her forward, she grew to overshadow the land beneath her as her ravenous teeth pulled upwards into a menacing smile. With her help, Yuta was able to quickly carry his classmates out of harm's way to the safety of the school building. The last to be transported, Haku as they laid in Rika's arms, a dreadfully ashen grey in complexion. The four unconscious students, a result from giving their utmost best to protect one another.
Yuta knelt down and put his hands over them, "Thank you, all of you. I promise I won't let any of you die so long as I'm here." An advanced curse technique, one he had seen Ieiri using multiple times in their countless trips to the infirmary. Quite a powerful spell and the only one strong enough that would also aid Haku with it's complete reversal of cursed energy instead of harming them more.
Standing up and looking out over the ledge of the storied building, Yuta fastened his grip on his sword, "That man." Yuta pointed with the tip of his katana. "He's our enemy for what he's done to our friends."
"DO YOU HATE HIM YUTA?!"
Yuta nodded, "Yeah. I hate him."
"THEN RIKA HATES HIM TOO!"
The pair jumped down from the building's ledge as they met Suguru on equal turf. Suguru obliged as he couldn't stop beaming, "The Queen of Curses herself. How marvelous— I just want you more and more."
"I will never forgive you." Yuta growled, steadfast in his glare and composed stance of attack; this was revenge and a fight for his friends who had nothing left to give after doing their most.
Yuta's serious nature amused Suguru as he snidely remarked, "Challenging me? You're going to die."
"I gonna kill you!"
☁︎ ┆ E P I L O G U E
The faint pulses of a mechanical beeping as it faded in and out. Each time louder and louder as it became clearer the darkness they saw had only been because they were closing their eyes. Soon enough, the rustling of fabric, the hushed voices, and scraping of something metal could be heard.
Though their eyes felt heavier than the weight of lead, with effort they fluttered open slightly— slowly needing time to adjust to the bright levels of daylight that pour into their retinas. They blinked rapidly and soon the images of what they were seeing registered in their minds.
It was a bed in the infirmary where they were laying and surrounding all sides were their classmates. Noticing first, Panda began to excitedly jump, "Haku's awake! Haku's awake!" he shouted only to be shushed by Maki.
From just waking up, loud noises rang in their sensitive ears as Haku flinched in pain. Maki slapped Panda on the shoulder, "You idiot! Be quiet it hurts Haku." she aggressively whispered.
Opening their eyes once again, Haku looked around slowly, settling last on Yuta who smiled warmly, "Glad you're awake Haku."
"How—
After having not used their voice in so long, their throat was incredibly dry and hoarse. It was completely shot as they choked on one measly word. Inumaki quickly got a glass of water, and came back to help Haku drink it slowly; he knew full well that pain. In their weakened state, Haku could only manage a few sips but it was enough to rehydrate.
Haku tried once again, "How long was I asleep?"
"About a week and a half now," Maki answered.
In surprise, Haku's eyes grew wide and they tried to get up but it was no use. Their body was weighed down by everyone refusing to let Haku move unnecessary should they aggravate old injuries.
Yuta shakes his head, "You fractured your skull and broke several bones. Ieirisan was able to mend most of the injuries, but you should stay lying down."
"I should've just died," Haku whispered quietly as they stared at the ceiling, not processing that their mind and mouth were in unison.
"What?! What are you saying Haku?" Panda gasped.
Yuta brought his hand down on the bed and got Haku's attention quickly. Haku's eyes were full of unsuspecting shock as Yuta gave them an expression of all seriousness, "There's no way we'd let that happen so I want you to promise me that you'll stay alive no matter what Haku." Yuta held out his hand, pinky outstretched. It was the most sincere of promises— a pinky promise.
Haku merely gave him a questioning glance but Yuta continued, "There's something important I need to tell you. Everyone else knows already."
Seeing as how Yuta refused to let the matter go, Haku raised their hand unsteadily and the two interlocked their pinkies, sealing their promise. Yuta's expression warmed as Haku let go, resting their arm beside them once again.
"I broke Rika's curse. As of now, I'm just an ordinary Grade 4 sorcerer. When all of that finished, I was approached and offered a chance to train abroad in Africa with another powerful sorcerer." Yuta revealed.
"You're leaving?" Haku whispered quietly like they had just been betrayed with the amount of surprise in their tone.
Yuta nodded, "I leave in a five days. I was really hoping you'd wake up before I left so I could tell you in person." Although he spoke with a lighthearted tone, Yuta's smile wasn't one of happiness. It was rather that he was trying his best to be strong for Haku's peace of mind. "That why Haku... You need to live on for my sake. When I come back, you absolutely have to be here."
"Not just Yuta, all of us. There's no way we're letting you die." Maki interjected, also speaking with sincerity in her tone.
Inumaki raised his hand for a high-five from the bedridden student, "Sha-ke." He leaned over to make it easier for Haku who returned the gesture.
Despite all the encouragement, Haku still carried the weight of guilt in their heart, "I'm weak. If I was any good then maybe I could've done more."
Panda went over to give Haku a gentle pat on the shoulder; something that always eased Haku's worries, "You accomplished a lot, not just against Suguru but in everything since you've come here."
"Don't feel helpless, you should believe in yourself. Do this and you'll have nothing to fear going forward," spoken with words of wisdom, Yuta reached out to take Haku's hand in his and gave it a reassuring squeeze. It was the most he could do to comfort his friend he knew would have many more hardships in his absence.
Maki glanced at the machine with Haku's vital signs and noticed their heartbeat, "We've bothered you enough Haku. We'll let you rest."
The students bid Haku goodbye as the infirmary was once again hollow and lifeless. The only sounds being the rhythmic beeps of the machinery, the gentle chirping of birds outside the window, and the wind as it billowed through the white curtains. It was an environment of stillness that Haku knew all too well; one that resurfaced their lonesome memories of tiresome days spent here wondering of they'd ever get to go home. Now, in the silence, Haku wanted nothing more than the ability to be able to get up and follow friends out that door as well.
Haku turned their neck to the side and on the bedside table, they saw a familiar sight. A vase of white tulips from the zen garden had been left as well as another card. The sight made Haku smile and they swore the first thing they would do once they had the energy would be to read that card.
"I'll get stronger. Not just for myself but to protect them— everyone. I can't have another tragedy like that repeat itself. That's unacceptable." Haku spoke aloud to the empty room.
They gritted their teeth as the thought persisted, "A vow for the future, a future where I will become someone capable of being relied upon. I owe it to them— myself. I promise that I will save all those who are suffering and can't save themselves because I know just how soul-crushing and disgraceful that feeling is."
Not just their own memories, the memories of Master Tengen's past came flooding as Haku relived the pain of the past. A single tear streamed down Haku's cheek as they felt the ache in their chest grow. The words of the prophecy were engraved into the very depths of their mind as if Master Tengen had carefully taken the time to etch each stroke from within.
A soft white glow illuminated Haku's figure as it brightened the air of the infirmary. An ice-cold feeling graced the skin of Haku's forearm. As they looked down, they noticed a silvery inscription shimmering before dissipating as quickly as it came. The icy rush fled as well as Haku clenched their fist; the muscles of their forearm tensing.
"Because that is the White Dragon."