¤ (Y/n)'s Point Of View ¤
It was Junpei that started off the attacks, diving head first into battle against Yuuji. Yuuji happily fought back, seeming as if he was taking this as an opportunity to beat some sense into Junpei. Junpei summoned his shikigami, a jujutsu that I didn't know he could do. It seems Mahito taught him well in the span of only a few days. Junpei's shikigami looked like a jellyfish, large and gracefully floating in the air as it attacked Yuuji.
After Yuuji dodged Junpei's first few attacks, he send an attack of his own. Yuuji didn't know any jujutsu but his fist was just as effective- at least it would have been of Junpei didn't have his shikigami to take the hit for him. Junpei slid off the stage as his shikigami blocked the blow, now standing face to face with me. I was still stood beside the door, reluctantly allowing myself to stand out of Yuuji's way. He was closer to Junpei than I was, after all.
Untill now, I didn't realise that there would be an issue with Junpei recognising me. Only when our gazes connected and his eyes widened, I began to think of an excuse on the spot.
"(Y/n), is that you? Why are you here too?" Junpei asked on confusion, looking back and forth between Yuuji and I. I wondered if Jumpei mentioned having a girlfriend, was he connecting the dots?
"You're Yuuji's girlfriend, aren't you?" Junpei then mumbled in realisation, his features turning sour with betrayal.
"Mahito said that you understood. Was that a lie?!" Junpei that exclaimed, his voice full of hurt and pain. Junpei's outburst made Yuuji turn to me in confusion, his brrows furrowed.
"Wait, you know him too?" Yuuji asked in confusion, as I had a feeling he would.
"I met him a few days ago- just a coincidence." I told Yuujj calmly, making him nod slowly as he processed it all.
"Tell me, was it a lie?! Your friendship? Both of you!" Junpei cried out angrily.
"Neither of you understand! You're jujutsu sorcerers, so you never will. So just stay out of it!" Junpei yelled, ordering his shikigami to attack Yuuji once again.
I watched solemly as Junpei and Yuuji fought. I didn't want to fight Junpei, so I hesitated. I could tell that Yuuji didn't want to fight him either, his attacks were slower than usual- weaker. Junpei was his friend, and though I wouldn't call Junpei my friend- I think he deserved better than Mahito's manipulation. I've only met Junpei twice and very briefly, but neither times did he look this far gone.
Eventually, the fight broke out of the auditorium and into the hallways. I followed behind Yuuji as he threw punches at Junpei and his shikigami. Yuuji seemed angry at Junpei, his attacks were to let out his emotions. This wasn't something I should interfere in. This was personal for Yuuji. Eventually, Yuuji began using cursed energy againt Junpei, covering his fist in raw power only for Junpei's shikigami to block is effortlessly.
"I'll say it one more time. Stay out of this jujutsu sorcerers. This is none of your buisness!" Junpei yelled angrily.
"You don't tell me what my buisness is!" Yuuji yelled angrily, throwing another attack at the shikigami.
"What's the point, really...of saving indiscriminately? Don't overestimate the value of a life." Junpei seethed through clenched teeth, his eyes going dark as he clenched his fist. Now that response had Mahito's influence sprinkled all over it.
Before Yuuji could protest, Junpei ordered his shikigami to trap is in it's plasma. I didn't try to dodge, neither did Yuuji. The plasma enveloped us whole. My eyes glowed red the moment I was inside the curse, forcing it to recognise who I was. So, Instead of suffocating me like it was doing to Yuuji, it trapped me in a small bubble. This shikigami was a poison type, I could see it floating around me- seeping closer to Yuuji's form.
"Don't even think about poisoning Yuuji." I told the curse quietly, watching as the poison was retracted after my words. Yuuji didnt struggle against the curse, just watching Junpei speak through the clear jelly-like walls. I could still hear him speaking too- though barely.
"People always pretend their emotions are everything. But the heart is just the metabolism of the soul. It's all an illusion." Junpei spat bitterly.
"Don't restrict me with rules that are based on a delusion. What gives anyone the right to stop someone from taking a life? Nothing does." Junpei told us darkly, truly sounding villainous- almost like Suguru did all those years ago.
"Now just go sleep over there. There's something I have to go back and do." Junpei finished, turning around to head back the way we came, most likely to finish the job. But by now, Kiyotaka should have extracted the hostages.
Yuuji didn't let Junpei get even a step away, shoving his hand through the plasma jelly and grabbing Junpei by the back of his shirt roughly.
"Let us go." I told the curse, making it fall around us like water. Both me and Yuuji landed gracefully on our feet, Junpei's colllar still in Yuuji's iron fist grip.
"Who are you trying to convince here?" Yuuji yelled, launching himself at Junpei with double the strength. I flinched as the shikigami blocked the attack, deserving none of this.
Yuuji continued throwing punches against the shikigami that stood bravely infronr of Junpei like a shield. Eventually, Yuuji's punches became so powerfull that he launched the shikigami through the window and Junpei with it. They both landed on the roof beneath the window, rolling roughly against the bricks until they came to a painful hault.
"Why are you getting in my way? Why? Why?!" Junpei yelled hysterically, getying more furious by the second.
Yuuji jumped down onto the roof to follow him and I was about to join them when a shiver ran down my spine. I felt someone's presence- two people actually. They both felt so familiar, but one so much more sinister than the other. I gulped as I looked around me, looking through the window, behind and infront of me. I couldn't see anyone. But I could feel them, I know they're there. I activated my cursed energy and felt that there was two people nearby with my curse in their bloodstreams?
Was it Mahito? But who was the person with him? And how was my curse in his bloodstream when I was positive that I've never met someone with such a sinister aura? I could hear Yuuji yelling at Junpei beneath me but I couldn't quite make out the words he was saying, all I could feel was the chills that we were being watched by someone- something dangerous. My thoughts were interrupted as Junpei came flying through the windown infront of me, breaking the glass as he landed on his back against the cold tiled floor.
The boy cried out in pain as he shifted his weight onto his arms, attempting to stand up. The broken glass made it hard to so without hurting any further.
"Junpei, tell me. Did Mahito put you up to this?" I asked him quickly, knowing Yuuji was about to jump through that window any second now. But Junpei was tok hurt to answer me in time, wincing loudly as he tried to sit up. Yuuji burst through the window before I could ask again, landing safely where there were no shards.
"Even though I don't know what you're doing, I'll assume you have a good reason for it." Yuuji began lowly.
"But whatever it is...is it really worth throwing away the life you have?!" Yuuji asked passionately, Junpei bursting out in tears as he stared down at the floor in pure defeat. This caught me offguard.
"The human heart is just a delusion?! Could you really say that infront of her?" Yuuji asked, pointing to me. But something told me Junpei wasn't talking about Yuuji and I's relationship.
"People don't have hearts!" Junpei yelled, making Yuuji growl loudly with frustration. But Yuuji still didn't get it. It was so easy. Something had happened.
"You're still just trying-" Yuuji's angry yell was cut off by Junpei's loud cry.
"They don't!" Junpei interupted loudly.
"Otherwise, o-otherwise....then that could only mean people cursed me and my mom with those hearts!" Junpei cried out even louder, his voice getting angsty with raw emotion.
Yuuji paused at that last comment, his anger fading with the wind. I think Yuuji started to understand the same thing I was begining to grasp. His mother...she must be dead. Was it a curse? Or a ploy set by Mahito to trigger this reaction?
"That would just be too much. Then I wouldn't even know what is right and what's wrong anymore." Junpei croaked out through his tears. That's when he lifted his arm, summoning his shikigami again. But this time it looked different, its tentacles edged with weapons.
I saw it charge for Yuuji at Junpei's order. Yuuji didn't even flinch, almost as if he was going to let it attack him. My eyes widened as I slit my arms, activating my blood. But before I could make a wepon, Yuuji looked me in the eyes and held his hand up in objection. He wants Junpei to hit him? But why? I forced myself to stay back at Yuuji's request, flinching as I let the shikigami pierce Yuuji through the chest and shoulder.
"W-why didn't you dodge it?" Junpei croaked out weakly, ordering his shikigami to vanish as he crawled forward in panic. So that's what Yuuji was trying to accomplish, to prove to Junpei that he didn't really want to hurt anyone. It was easy to strike Yuuji knowing that he was perfectly able to dodge the attack. Yuuji began to stumble forward to Junpei with a solemn look on his face, leaning down infront of him and putting a comforting hand on his shoulder.
"I'm sorry...I said a lot of arrogant stuff without really understanding anything." Yuuji apologised softly, making me purse my lips. Junpei looked so broken.
"So, tell me what happened to you. But I swear to you if you do, I won't curse you anymore." Yuuji promised gently.
"Please." I added on, making Junpei's eyes flicker to me sadly.
That was when Junpei explained to us about the death of his mother, as I suspected. Her body was torn in two. Junpei said that a curse was lured their by one of his classmates, thus why he wanted to take revenge. But the only thing that could lure a curse was the finger of Sukuna. Where would Junpei's classmates find a finger of Sukuna- let alone know what to use it for? This stank of Mahito's evil schemes. But this wasn't really Mahito, was it? It was the person above Mahito.
"No way...your mom. I'm so sorry." Yuuji whispered. That's when I got an idea.
"Junpei, join jujutsu tech- become a jujutsu sorcerer with us." I suggested, making Yuuji gasp happily at the idea.
"Yeah! You'd like it! There are really strong crazy teachers, good reliable friends there! If we all work together, I guarentee you we can find whoever it was that cursed your mom- and then you can make them pay for what they did." Yuuji told Junpei excitedly, but I wasn't focused on Yuuji's speech, only the impending feeling that someone was coming.
"Let's fight together!" Yuuji exclaimed with a grin, holding his hand out to Junpei. But this wasn't the time for grins. Something was going to go wrong.
"Yuuji-" I began to warn, but it was too late. I was interupted by the sound of footsteps, coming down the stairs. I could hear the chuckles too. I recognised them. Mahito. But it wasn't that man that was the cause of my fear. But if it wasn't then who was?
Mahito approached slowly from the staircase, making Yuuji freeze before catiously standing to his feet.
"Huh, who are you?" Yuuji asked naively.
"It's nice to meet you, vessel of Sukuna." Mahito grinned. It was only me and Junpei that could see the malicious look in Mahito's eyes. I slit my wrists again, activating my cursed energy the moment I saw Mahito raise his arm towards Yuuji. Even Junpei panicked, attemting to jump infront of Yuuji- and failing.
"Mahito, no! Don't do it!" Junpei screamed, sounding fearful for Yuuji's life. But it was okay. I was here to protect Yuuji. I wasn't going to let him die again, no matter how much trouble that may bring me in the future. I took a step forwards in order to jump and intervene int Mahito's attack. But before I could, a hand placed itself on my shoulder. My eyes widened as I looked to my left, someone directly behind me. I didn't even feel them coming.
This person used jujutsu to warp me onto the roof, long before I could even figure out who this person was. I jumped backwards the moment we landed on the roof's concrete floor. The person infront of me grinned at my cautious movements, hiding in the shadows as they chuckled.
"It's nice to see you again, Queen of curses..." The man finally spoke, making my eyes go wide as he stepped into the light. Everything from his black hair to his closed eyed smile looked exactky the same. My lips trembled as I said,
"S-Suguru?"
(A.N ~ Vote and leave a comment for how excited you are for the next chapter! ;)
Chapter 53 Quote Teaser :
"Am I wrong or don't you already have a lover? Or does this not count since they are in the same body?"