┌─────────❍─────────┐
"I've said it. I've warned you."
└─────────❍─────────┘
"Suguru!," I called out desperately as soon as I had my sight on him, but rather than turning to me, he kept his full attention on someone else– Satoru.
"Are you the strongest because you're Gojo Satoru or are you Gojo Satoru because you're the strongest?"
Suguru's eyes– they looked painfully empty and emotionless, but the depth of my understanding of that look would not fool me twice. He looked just the same when he asked me to make him forget about Amanai.
"Kill me if you want, there's a meaning to that," he mumbled before turning his back on us.
The Suguru I know would only either walk towards Satoru or by his side. But now, he was walking away. It was an image I knew I'd regret if I didn't do anything to stop. I pleadingly held back Satoru's readied attack despite knowing he would never curse his best friend.
Focusing all my cursed energy on my speech and setting Suguru as its only and direct target, I uttered, "Stop."
He did.
His feet froze on the spot, as well as his whole body. I ran to him, disregarding the backfire on my still unrecovered throat. I could not fathom what led to this and I refused to believe that after Yume, I'd lose yet another friend with no explanation why.
My hands rested heavily on his shoulders as I tried getting him to look at me. He wouldn't. His hands were balled into fists, seemingly filled with so much anger.
"I don't want to see you right now."
What...?
"Suguru, I'm sorry for using cursed speech on you, but please. Let's talk properly." My heart rammed against my chest as I tried thinking of anything that I possibly could have done to earn such hostility. His eyes was filled with so much distaste that it pained me to keep in contact with them. They were not devoid of emotion anymore, but full of loathing.
He inched closer to me as his voice stooped dangerously low. "I shouldn't have believed you. She shouldn't have, too."
She? Is he talking about Yume?
"Whatever she told you, they're not true. Suguru, you need to believe me in this one. Before I was cornered, an arrow from her-"
"Stop living inside your own bubble," Suguru muttered bitterly. He walked past me, letting our shoulders touch one last time before disappearing the moment I turned around.
I couldn't move.
There was no way Suguru would do that.
"Let's...go back first," an equally shaken Satoru took me by the wrist. His grip tightened when I pulled back. I didn't have any intention of going home without Suguru. I couldn't leave him to himself. If Yume was around him, who knows what she would tell him again. It would be too late to bring him back by then.
"Let me go." I urged through gritted teeth. My vision was turning into a blur as hot liquid emerged from my eyes. "Satoru, this isn't making sense!"
"Please don't make this harder," Satoru's voice broke. "He already left the area. Let's retreat to Yaga sensei and find him some other time."
"Where's Yume?," I demanded, trying to keep my anger contained. I trusted her, so much that I rejected all ideas of her being a threat despite the impending danger I had always felt when she was around.
"I..." Satoru avoided my eyes. "Please, let's not talk about her for the time being."
"I need to know. You have to tell me," I pleaded, holding on to his arm tightly.
The desperation to know what was happening got the best of me, but Satoru chose to hold his tongue. He held my cheeks and caressed them ruefully. Fear betrayed his eyes as those blue glossy irises stared back at me with inconsolable regret. "Please calm down, (F/n)."
They really plan to keep me in the dark.
"Enough of this." I pulled away from his embrace and left to find the only person who could answer my questions.
──❍──
Ichihara Sena, the sorceress who made a deal with my previous clan to grant me this hellbound technique, was the only person who could give me answers.
"(F/n)-chan, my loveliest girl!," she beamed as soon as she saw me standing in the doorway of her so-called fortune-telling tent. No matter how much I loathed asking her for help, she was my only chance.
"I need to know something."
"Figured." Sena's expression changed. "Tell me about it."
"I just woke up from an injury and everything around me is a mess, I want to know the truth," I simply narrated. There was no need for elaboration. Someone with her type of cursed technique would know what I wanted. I snatched the pocket knife from her hands and used it to cut through my palm and draw out a part of my lifeline in exchange for her services. "You can do that, right?"
It stings.
"You know what, some things are better off unknown."
"I've already given my payment. Just do what you have to."
Sena seemed displeased when I shut down her advice, but I just ignored her completely. She scoffed and grabbed my hand, chanting a few incomprehensible words before light took over our surroundings. I closed my eyes to protect them.
A blinding pain suddenly hit and caused my head to throb. I hissed, shouting for her to pause. However, I couldn't move an inch, even my fingers were paralyzed. Frost hugged my tensed body, the cold seeping through my skin.
What's going on?
When my eyes shot open, Suguru was right in front of me. There was blood all over my hands and clothes, and a pile of severely wounded people around me. I still couldn't move, but the direction of my sight was changing. This body was not under my control.
"Geto-san!," someone else's voice exited my throat.
I'm inside Yume's body.
"You're here!" Suguru sighed in relief as he held my arms to support this body's weakened state. "What happened?"
"Geto-san." Rapid heartbeats erupted from Yume's chest when she scanned Suguru's side. Shaky hands covered her slightly agape mouth, muffling her panicked breaths. "Where... is (F/n)?"
"We got separated looking for you." Suguru couldn't help but swallow, confused. "But first, are you alright?"
Yume herself was not in a good condition, the deep gash on her chest too obvious to ignore. But that seemed the least of her worries. "I... I clearly told you not to leave her."
"Answer me first. What happened? Yaga sensei clearly instructed us not to engage in a fight," Suguru scolded.
"No," Yume whispered to herself. "No no no... This is my fault."
What's happening? Was this before I got cornered by the cult?
Why does she look so distressed?
"I will call her, let's get out of here first. The children are with me now and the area is clear, too." Suguru took out his phone and made an attempt to call the manager when Yume's hands frantically clung to his arms.
"You don't understand, you have to find her!"
Suguru tugged back. The girl seemed to not understand the gravity of the situation. She was focusing on the wrong things. "Why don't you explain first?"
Voiceless whimpers left Yume's throat. She looked around, her hands reaching for anything she could find. "There is no time. There's no time."
She tore the inner lining of her skirt, finding there was nowhere else to write in. And to her own blood, she dipped her fingers and began to write a word of three letters.
Run.
Her fumbling hand lost hold of her bow countless of times before she successfully picked it up, accompanied by an arrow exclusive only to her.
Yume's vision was clouded with tears, making it hard for me to see clearly. However, it was visible how puzzled Suguru was with her desperation.
With the note tied to the arrow, she mumbled what seemed like a chant then released the arrow accelerated by cursed energy.
"You know something, don't you?," Suguru glowered, his eyes mired in disbelief.
❍
A bright light flashed and the scene changed. It was the time I came to save Yume, the same day when Riko and Kuroi were killed while she was abducted. My original body was within sight, summoning my hyena as our last resort. Miura had not yet arrived.
Yume's body was tightly bound, trembling in fear. Her eyes stung with tears while she choked in her sobs. She squirmed and struggled, but her efforts were in vain. When my sight panned downwards, I got a glimpse of the rope wrapped around her arms and waist. It was heavily drenched with blood from several knife wounds on her arms and chest.
But while I could hear Yume's thoughts loud and clear, none of them were directed towards her own pain. She was calling for me inside her head, desperately pleading.
"Please, whoever is listening– a god or anyone else. Please don't take her away."
My heart sank when I began to put the pieces together. Yume, despite her failing consciousness, was trying to reach out to anyone for a binding vow. Just ensure I would get out of there safely.
A stray offer was only done when there was no hope in a situation, but the risks were often greater than the benefits.
❍
"Can you please tell me what's happening? I'm a bit scared."
We were in front of Ichihara Sena this time.
"The girl you're talking about is the Inumaki girl, right?," Sena clarified.
When did Yume talk to this woman?
"Yes, she's... my best friend," Yume quietly stated. "I don't understand what's happening, but I feel cold whenever I touch her. It doesn't happen with anyone else, though."
"Do you have an idea about what could've triggered this? Any traumatic experience or something related?," Sena asked. "A life or death situation maybe."
"There was one," Yume's voice answered, proceeding to narrate the whole Star Plasma incident and her abduction.
I knew just what the next words would be.
"You cursed her," Sena answered, heaving a deep sigh. "You called out for a divine pact, but a curse happened to answer your pleads. In exchange for saving her, you'd be cut off her life. That's what you promised, right?"
"But there has to be a way to undo this, right? I kinda miss having sleepovers in her room and sneaking in snacks. It's not like we're gonna be like this forever." Yume's voice faltered, but she remained convincing herself with a happy tone. "I think she misses me, too. I... I already finished a bigger dreamcatcher to give her."
"You are a jujutsu sorcerer, kid. You know well enough what happens when making a deal with curses," Sena glowered. "If she knows about this, the purpose of the pact will be defeated."
This...
"The sensation you're feeling whenever you touch her is a warning to stay away. I'm sure it affects her in some ways too." Sena massaged her temples with her index and middle finger, gazing at my host body helplessly. "If you continue staying, you'll end up putting her in trouble, too."
"Please tell me you're joking...," I could hear Yume laugh nervously. "She's my only family, please don't scare me like this."
"I wish I am, but you can try it if you don't believe me." Sena shrugged. "Just don't come crying if what I said happens. Worst case scenario, one of you dies."
"I can't do that..." My host body got on her knees, making Sena's body tense and her eyes widen. Yume grasped the fortuneteller's skirt, her forehead touching Sena's knees. "I can't lose her, Ichihara-san. I'll do anything, please help me reverse it!"
"It's inevitable, young lady. You already made a deal with someone else. If you make a deal with me, you will not be able to handle it anymore." Sena tried to shake her off with deadset and disapproving eyes. I could feel Yume's hopes wavering as she started to sob.
Yume, please... don't cry.
"I can't. I can't!" Her fingers grasped Sena's clothes more desperately as she shook her head, rejecting everything Sena had said. "That's (F/n)-chan, she's my sister. I can't stay away from her."
"Get up. You know crying won't change anything."
"I'm not leaving until you help me out. Just anything will do. Please..." Hard sobs racked her chest. My host body's vision was all blurry it was spinning in discomfort. But then again, her own pain was the least of Yume's concerns. "Ichihara-san, that little sister of mine always gets cold in winters. She'll call for me despite acting unaffected. I'd have to knit her scarves and... and... make blueberry tea."
Yume... Please.
"(F/n)'s very stubborn and decisive, so people might think she's apathetic, but she isn't," she continued through pained whimpers. "She gets lonely very easily, too. What do I do if she gets sad? What if no one's able to tell? What if she cries and no one's there?"
Sena pursed her lips into a thin line. "You're just making everything more complicated for your own sake. Stop."
But Yume would not get up, lowering her head even more. "I'm begging you, please."
❍
I wanted the flashbacks to stop. It was too painful. I doubted Yume while she put my welfare above hers and everyone else's. It was no one's fault, but the last things I told her were not what she should have heard from me.
Right now, I wanted nothing but to return to reality and find her. I wanted to hug her. I would apologize, make it up to her, and help her find a way to undo the binding vow.
"Yo, Yume." It was Satoru.
"Ayee, just confess, you know." Yume's playful tone made Satoru's eyes widen. "I promise you, nothing bad will come out if you do. I guarantee it under Gakuganji sensei's name!"
"Choose a better person to swear it on." Satoru grimaced. "And why should I believe you, eh?"
"Because we are in the same boat! What more would I want other than seeing my own best friend happy?"
It was that time when we were on the training grounds and I caught the two of them chatting.
"Should I set you up with Suguru, then?," Satoru asked while grinning.
"Gojo-san! I said I'm not interested!"
"Drop the honorifics," Satoru corrected. "And don't act so shy, you even took care of him one whole night when he had fever~"
"No no no! Don't get the wrong idea!," Yume's voice hastily denied. Her body, the one hosting me, was laughing. She looked genuinely happy doing these things for me while I almost cursed her in spite back then. "I just stayed with Geto-san because I think he's bothered, mentally and emotionally. I'm not the best person for him to talk about his feelings with so I suggested he opens up to (F/n)-chan. I was sure she could help."
"Hm? Why her?," Satoru, being Suguru's own best friend, inquired.
I felt a throb in my chest as I listened to her crestfallen voice. Now, I wasn't sure if the pain was mine or hers.
"Because I'm sure they both have a lot of regrets...like saving me."
❍
"I don't think she's going to speak," said a rough masculine voice. From the shadows emerged familiar faces– those trapped and killed in my domain during the ambush. "Don't stop until we get something from her."
But this was before our encounter, judging by the clothes they wore. Did this mean they got Yume a longer time before the day of the ambush?
"Where did you even get this girl?," asked the redhead. "So lucky that curse of yours managed to slave this idiot up. That technique's really strong. You can be a match to that curse manipulator in Jujutsu High."
"You...wish," Yume scoffed in a weakened voice. Several dry and painful wheezes followed when the red-haired woman slammed her head on the hard asphalt ground.
"What are you waiting for?" The woman glanced at the young girl holding pliers in her hands. "Heal her then start all over again."
And so, the young girl did.
After fully restoring Yume's chained and bloodied hands to their previous appearance, the tip of the pliers clipped on her nail. With force supported by cursed energy, blood squirted out of her nail root as the nail was pulled out mercilessly.
No...
I knew it would have been how hell sounded. Yume's spine-chilling screams blared across the room while about five people watched, waiting impatiently as if they were devoid of human emotion.
"Speak. How do you deal with that cursed speech user?"
"No... No. No. Never!"
Another nail.
It was not my current body and I could not feel the exact pain she was feeling, but my blood and whole body froze in horror. Shivers ran down my spine as the squeaks of the mechanical device filled my ears.
Just thinking about it hurts.
"The source said that's her best friend." The man who first spoke returned. "Cursed speech is already a pain, but that modified ability is fucking worse."
Another nail. Yume's screams were torturous to hear. And to think I was the reason behind her suffering. I was gravely mistaken. She did not betray me or anyone.
She remained faithful to our friendship even in the face of death.
"Why don't we just abduct this girl and use her to blackmail that Inumaki?," asked another member.
"No, we can't alert them beforehand. The master wants to keep Gojo Satoru out of this. He seems to be doting on that Inumaki girl."
So the orders are actually... from a clan?
"She won't come for me. That girl hates me," Yume spat. Her breath was ragged and laboured, but she stood her ground. "Kill me all you want, you won't get anything from me."
Another nail.
"Speak."
"N-no...," she whispered raggedly, voiceless whimpers accompanying her sobs. "Never."
Yume, why...
"That's not going to work. Heal her and attach the relic to her," the man ordered. "We can listen in through that."
"What? Are we sending her back to Jujutsu High?"
"If she tries to say anything, she'll be as good as dead with everyone in there," the man scoffed. "Once she talks to that Inumaki girl, we'll get more details on how to capture her safely."
❍
The flashback returned to the last mission we had. My host body was sprinting from one turn to another in the labyrinthine hallways.
She was looking for me... to save me?
Then that arrow was a warning?
"Please be safe. Please be safe," Yume's voice chanted shakily as fingers pulled away stray hair blocking my vision.
The door opened in front of me, meeting face to face with my original body. There were too many curse users blocking my way, but I was sure it was me.
Suguru was also about to enter, but my host body, Yume, pushed him out before darkness occupied the room in mere milliseconds. "Run away! Don't follow!"
Wait. No.
If she went in to save Suguru then, what happened next was...
"Domain Expansion, Siren's Labyrinth."
Yume– she was...
"Die."
...inside.