"Oh, so there is a way to save everyone... I just need to have powers, right?"
"He'll Die! But there's a small chance... One chance in ten thousand...!!!"
"What a good era this is. Women, children... they're crawling like maggots!"
"The likes of you can still move?"
"? I mean, it's my body."
"Don't move."
"You're not human anymore."
"By rule of sorcery, Itadori Yuuji..."
"As you are a 'curse'... I will exorcise you."
It was laughable. Entirely laughable and hilariously unrealistic. To anyone who had any knowledge of the grander schemes at play, it was a hilariously unrealistic assertion.
Therefore, it was fortunate that the person in question had even less sense and knew even less.
"Nah, I'm fine." He replied, raising both his hands. "Besides, we're both in a mess. Let's just go to the hospital."
Was that Itadori talking, or the cursed spirit? I can't tell... Shit, what should I do? What do I-
"What's the situation?"
Suddenly, a voice from nowhere interrupted Fushiguro's thoughts, a familiar voice that had, up until that moment, was unfamiliar as if he never had heard it. He turned to his right where a boy around his age stood, wearing a black coat made of material similar to his. His coat zipper was open and showed a casual white undershirt, contrasting with his black pants and coat. Brown bangs peeked out from under the boy's hood, the slivers of hair mysteriously flickering like static on a tv.
"Ayanokouji?" He said, the information regarding the newest Jujutsu High student refilling his mind.
"Whoah!? Where did you come from?" Yelled Itadori, who kept his hands up even while surprised. "Are you one of Fushiguro's buddies?"
"We go to the same school." Ayanokouji replied, approaching Itadori with both hands remaining in his coat pockets. "But anyway, who are you and where is the cursed item? I came over after sensing some malicious cursed energy—"
"I ate it."
That made him pause. Ayanokouji glanced over at Fushiguro, who looked away, then turned back to Itadori, who stared at him straight-on without any falsehood.
"You ate it." He said, the statement somehow sounding more like a question.
"Yeah. Sorry about that."
"...And you're in control?"
"Yeah? I mean, it's my own body."
"Ayanokouji, we can't be sure if this is Itadori speaking, or if it's the cursed spirit posing as him." Fushiguro interrupted, his hands forming into a sign in preparation.
"Don't be so on edge. I don't sense any malicious cursed energy." Ayanokouji replied. "And either way, I contacted Gojo-Sensei. He'll be here soon."
As that name was spoken, Fushiguro noticeably relaxed. He still held his stance and looked poised to attack, however.
"So, with that guarantee of safety... Itadori, is it?" Ayanokouji asked, pointing at the shirtless boy. "You say you're in control?"
"Yeah, I'm pretty sure." Replied Itadori, jumping up and down and flexing his fingers.
"Can you switch places with the curse?" Asked Ayanokouji bringing his hands out and gently cracking his knuckles. "And if so, could you give control for about ten seconds?"
"Hey, Ayanokouji?" Interrupted Fushiguro, unintentionally raising his voice.
"Is that a good idea?" Asked Itadori, somehow less phased than Fushiguro.
"Gojo-sensei is coming. This is the only chance I'll get to fight this cursed sprit." With hands dangling on each side, Ayanokouji approached until he was only a step away from Itadori. "And don't worry. I can at least keep us alive. So—"
His hand snapped up and flicked Itadori on his forehead.
"Let me meet the legendary King of Curses."
0 SECONDS
Itadori's nails extended and darkened, creating clawed hands that burst forth, aiming for Ayanokouji's head and abdomen. He sidestepped to the left, but the King twisted his torso and dragged his hands back, making a wide swing at Ayanokouji. He ducks under, but is met with a quickly-approaching front kick. As the foot rises, Ayanokouji grabs onto the King's ankle at extreme speed and uses it as a pivot to dodge again.
1 SECOND
Still on the ground, Ayanokouji pushes up Sukuna's ankle and tries to scissor the other leg, attempting to trip the curse. The King jumps and brings his hands back, putting them together to make a powerful hammer fist that's soon to land on Ayanokouji. He responds by rolling out of the way, but the part of the school they were on cracks and explodes under the impact of Sukuna's strike, sending the three into free-fall surrounded by rubble.
2 SECONDS
Unable to hold back, a large dog silhouette emerges out of Fushiguro's shadow, which soon fully forms into a pair of white and black wolves. The wolves materialize around the wall of the building behind them, using it as footing to jump off. As they charge through the rubble, they're knocked away by an Itadori with black marks around his face and torso, giving the two sorcerers a good look at the demonic king of curses.
3 SECONDS
The three land on a pile of rubble, standing a good step or two away from each other.
"Sorcerers have gotten arrogant in this Era." Cackled the curse. "A brat like you wants to meet me?"
6 SECONDS
"You aren't even a nuisance."
The veins around his arm grew pronounced as cursed energy flowed into it, his palm stretching out with clenched fingers.
8 SECONDS
"So die already."
His claws slashed towards Ayanokouji, creating a shockwave that exploded the rubble around him into dust. The curse grinned, his secondary eyes trained on the dust that rose from his strike. A simple strike, no doubt, but considering it was only...
...
...?
...Why had he struck there again?
10 SECONDS
Suddenly, the curse felt a blow land—No, he was in the middle of taking a blow.
The fist struck a hard blow on his right temple, rattling his vessel's head. Alongside this blow, he suddenly felt himself being suppressed, like a layer of earth was piling on top of him.
"Ow!" Yelled Itadori, who no longer had any markings around him. "That hurt, dude."
"Again? I can't completely take over. This Itadori brat... who is he?"
"And you're back like nothing happened." Mused Ayanokouji, more to himself than anyone else. "So you really can control it."
"And this Ayanokouji brat... That must have been his Innate technique. That lapse in my memory..."
"Yeah. It's noisy though."
"You know what else was really noisy?"
All three of them couldn't help but be shocked by the sudden presence of a man right next to them. A blindfolded man with white hair—such a description could only be one man.
"This mess you guys made." He said, tapping his foot on the rubble below them
He spoke while munching on a local confectionary called Kikufuku and holding a shopping back with a sweets shop logo on it.
"Just for that, you're not getting any souvenirs, Ayanokouji. Fushiguro can have some though."
The strongest was here, and that meant there was nothing more to say.
Satoru Gojo was now here, and that was all that needed to be said.