It's a new dawn, it's a new day, and I'm feeling good.
Better than yesterday anyway. There's still a little bit of conflict inside of me, I won't lie to myself about that, but for the most part I feel that it has calmed.
I am a Jujutsu Sorcerer, and I think it's only after talking with the old man that that fact has truly crystalised within me.
I feel so much more complete these days. Not just from this, but from Tamamo's love and my acceptance into the Shinto atmosphere.
This world is really starting to feel like a home I belong in now, rather than the fantastical adventure world I viewed it as at first. This isn't Narnia to me anymore.
Nagiko appears happy with the change in me too. Probably because her magical detective eyes are telling her that my resistance to her feminine wiles has dissolved entirely.
Oh the woes of me~. How terrible~.
Regardless, it is time for round two of the competition, and I kind of didn't feel like participating at first.
Luckily, Nagiko noticed and reminded me of an important fact.
I have only beat up the Onmyōji. I haven't beat up my fellow Jujutsu Sorcerers yet.
Ergo, more cool Techniques to see! Yippee!
So yeah, I don't really care about the fighting. I honestly think I'm more or less done with this level of strength. I'm just waiting for my bet with Sukuna to come around, because some part of me just doesn't want to become a stronger version of myself without him there with me.
But even if the fighting won't be interesting, I do want to see the Techniques. Partly just for fun, but also partly because of Sukuna again and also Kamo-Sensei.
Both of them are terrible friends after all, it's so difficult to get them to actually sit down for a conversation sometimes. However, if I have a bunch of Jujutsu related stuff to talk about, then that will hook them in for sure and I can get some quality bonding time with my bestest buddies.
Sukuna especially. One has to interact with him in a very specific manner to keep him civil. It feels a little bit manipulative to do, but since the alternative feeling is that of my fucking arms being cut off, I think I'm fine with that.
"You could at least have the courtesy to pretend to be engaged," Nagiko says from my side.
We're at that giant square I saw when flying in, and it is indeed being used for the duels as I suspected it was for. There's an audience of nobility on one side of the field, while Nagiko and I are on another with our fellow Jujutsu Sorcerers opposite the Onmyōji.
It's a nice day, too. The sun is shining in the sky, there ain't a cloud in sight.
Right now it's Minamoto no Yorinobu who's stepping up against one Fujiwara no Motozane, so I'm only feeling mildly interested at best.
Yorimitsu is the twin I'm interested in. It feels mean to think, but Yorinobu just doesn't stir the same kind of curiosity. I was also interested in seeing Motozane at first, because he's the only Onmyōji who didn't take part in the fight the other day. Well, I guess I didn't fight the girl who knows Gojo-san or that pink-haired chick that turned the sky into a bowl either.
However, Nagiko has informed me that Motozane doesn't even have an Innate Technique, so my interest has diminished.
I feel a little bad for him too, since he's the only one with that disadvantage, but at the same time, it's rather impressive that he's even here, if as the sole Grade Two.
"Ehhh~, I kinda rushed ahead and had all the fun I could have here already. I've been debating the pros and cons of ditching to check in on that granny. I wanna hear more about her son's courting attempts. She's quite the story teller."
Nagiko huffs an amused breath and turns back to the field, leaning against me with her head on my shoulder as she does.
"You're not the only one that wanted to show off, you know?" She says, and I turn slightly at her tone to see her eyes looking up at me. "I would like it if you stayed."
I can't help but smile at that. "If you just want me to praise you, all you have to do is say so. I have plenty of thoughts~."
She smiles in turn, no doubt seeing my praise with her eyes, and honestly, seeing them in action so often just makes me want cool special eyeballs of my own. Oh! I just had an idea! And thanks to Reverse Cursed Technique, I don't even have to worry about accidentally destroying my eyes in the process!
"I am aware," Nagiko continues fondly, "However, I would like to at least earn the praise first. Consider it a concession to my pride, hm?"
"Sure, sure~. I'll be sure to praise you incessantly. Just don't bully your opponent too much, else I'll tease you instead~."
"Hmmm~?" She gains a coy smirk as her voice drops lower. "What if I like that even more~?"
Before I can react to that incredibly hot sentence, a loud, deliberate gagging interrupts us and immediately causes Nagiko's expression to crumble into a deep scowl as she regards Ashiya Dōman, walking up to our seats.
"Could you two please be considerate of those around you? Hearing such a demonic entity speak in such a tone is deeply disconcerting." Ashiya gives a theatrical shiver, hugging his arms and everything. "I think I am going to be sick."
"Dōman-kun~!" Nagiko's bright and friendly greeting is heavily contrasted by the promise of murder in her eyes. "What a pleasant surprise. I had worried that your absence indicated that you might have bravely attempted to have a thought and hurt yourself. Are you well?"
"Oh, I am just fine, Kiyohara-chan~, though I do deeply appreciate your treasured concern. Why, I had worried that your cold, misbegotten heart was incapable of such mortal trappings. But it is gladdening to hear that you are as... emotional, as a woman of your..." Ashiya waves a hand in a circle as if searching for the word for a moment before simply sniffing imperiously, "Well, as a woman like you should be~."
Ow ow ow, please don't squeeze my arm that hard.
"Wow!" I quickly exclaim, studiously not looking at either of the bickering siblings, "The next match is starting! I sure can't wait to see what happens!"
Nagiko huffs and turns back to the field, while Ashiya rolls his eyes and moves to sit on my other side.
Conversation changed successfully! Gosh, I am such a scheming schemer, muahaha~.
Now if only this didn't leave me trapped between them... I feel unsafe.
Regardless, the fight is about to begin, and hopefully it'll be more interesting than the boring few that have already passed.
"So who do you think will win?" Ashiya asks with a smile.
"I feel like it's rather clear," is my dry reply, because it really is clear.
"Who knows~, it might be closer than you think."
I raise a brow at him, but don't say anything. I also don't look at Nagiko, because now he's got me curious and I feel like she would be all too happy to spoil the suspense that Ashiya is trying to build. He clearly knows something I don't after all.
It doesn't take long for me to see what Ashiya is talking about.
The two duellists both wield a sword, which I have learned is actually a more common weapon among Sorcerers than it is Samurai and the like. Turns out, Samurai, or at least the proto-Samurai of today, have an incredibly versatile armoury, not just swords.
The fight begins as normal, and I watch intently as Yorinobu's blade erupts into flame, which both looks cool as Yomi and reignites my desire to get a cool fire attack.
"Yorinobu-san's Inherited Technique is called Blazing Courage," Nagiko quietly informs me, and I do appreciate that she waited until it was revealed to do so. Spoilers suck after all. "It is not anything special, but there is some decent power to it."
I nod along with her words as we watch Yorinobu steadily advance on an understandably nervous looking Motozane.
However, Ashiya's cryptic words are soon clarified as I watch Motozane take in a deep breath, crouch into a ready stance, blade held steady, and create a Simple Domain.
"Without a Technique of his own," Ashiya comments, though I only pay him half a mind as a wide grin splits my face. I don't know what it is exactly, but something about seeing this fills me with an incredible sense of satisfaction. "Motozane-kun was quite motivated to learn."
Yorinobu pauses briefly, obviously noticing the barrier, but I can see him underestimating it. A fact that costs him dearly once he steps into the Simple Domain, as Motozane move with surprising speed and dexterity. Swinging around Yorinobu's hastily raised defence and ending the bout in a single blow.
A round of murmurs echo through the crowd at the unexpected victor, and Yorinobu is clearly displeased by this course of events. To the point that he almost looks ready to keep fighting.
Luckily, he chooses not to act so shamefully, because I would have intervened if he had. Fujiwara no Motozane has just become someone who I will not let die easily.
Because Simple Domain to me and Ashiya is just another tool in out pocket, but for this guy, it is all he has. So Motozane will put way more focus on the Technique than either of us ever would.
I want to see how far he can take our Simple Domain.
"Good choice," I say to Ashiya, and he accepts the compliment with a modest nod.
However, there is no chance to talk further on the subject as my name is announced for the next bout.
Nagiko pulls away from me as I stand, and I send her a brief grin.
"Wish me luck."
"I should hardly think you need it," she quickly responds, making me roll my eyes playfully.
"And you complain to me about lacking courtesy~."
She rolls her eyes right back at me.
"Kami, you two are insufferable," Ashiya mutters from the side, which naturally earns him Nagiko's glare, and I only hear her response as I decide to quickly beat my retreat before they can get into it.
"The only thing I suffer is you."
I can't deny that that is a cool line, but I'm certainly not going to turn around to say that.
Instead, I simply walk up to the field, feeling like I'm entering a colosseum, which really just makes me want to shout the classic line. But that desire is somewhat drowned out when I suddenly become rather conscious of the many eyes on me.
I'm not nervous or anything, it's just an odd sensation to feel so much attention on myself all at once. Even the Emperor himself has come out to watch, sitting high and isolated, flanked by two masked Sorcerers.
It's only now that I'm realising that I do not think I have ever been told what the Emperor's name is. Or if I have, then I forgot. But looking at him... I don't know. There's something oddly familiar about him.
Maybe it's just because he looks like a skinnier, less handsome version of myself? Then again, that can describe a lot of people. It's probably just that I can feel the Sun under his skin.
Amaterasu's Blessing, I presume. What with him being the Divinely Appointed Ruler and all.
I move on, if only to avoid staring at the one guy I'm probably not allowed to stare at. Instead, I just smile and wave at the crowd.
This isn't like a sports event, so it's not like anyone is cheering or chanting or anything, and I probably should act more reserved like everyone else.
I just don't feel like it, so I won't. I even send Tamamo a not-at-all-subtle wink once I find her, or Nariko or whatever. That gets some gossip going around her, which I find deeply amusing. It does mean that she is almost certainly going to pout at me later, but that's honestly just another win in my book.
Funnily enough, my opponent is set to be none other than the ocean man himself, Tachibana no Nagayasu.
He does not seem to find this fact as pleasant as I.
"Nagayasu-san!" I greet once we are close enough to speak without shouting.
"We are not close, Narauko-san," is his cold reply. So naturally, I stick my tongue out at him, because I am a mature individual.
"You're using my name, it's only fair~."
"You do not have a family name, Muji-san."
"Hah! Who told you about that?"
The look of incomprehension on his face in response to my delighted questioning tells me that no one did, and he just happened to have the same idea. Somehow, that is both funnier and a little bit disappointing.
"Narauko-san," Nagayasu begins after a moment of silence. Both of us ignore that we should have started fighting by now. "I have a request."
"Sure." I blink after speaking, realising with some amusement that I just agreed without even thinking about it. That was just pure instinct to hearing a request, and I think that's kind of cool honestly.
Plus, it does seem like Nagayasu has calmed rather significantly over the past few days. He seems contemplative, instead of just the angry I was expecting. Like he's been thinking a lot.
"I would like you not to hold back. I am aware of what that means, I have had time to think. But..." He looks at the floor for a moment, as if he isn't really sure of his own words, but when his eyes rise back up to meet my own, they seem alight with a bitter, gritted kind of resolve. "I need to see it," he almost whispers the words. "I need to see how vast the chasm is between you and I."
I don't respond right away this time. It's an oddly difficult thing for me.
I've been running around like I'm allergic to trying basically this whole time. Even when I have been going 'all out', that has sort of just been a lie. Even against Sukuna, I haven't truly given it my all. Though, he is the same in that case.
We're both conscious that when we do fight, and I mean properly fight, we will likely only get to do so once. Plus, there's that bet, so we're both trying to keep some tricks up our sleeves from one another.
Regardless, the point is that I've been holding myself back even when I've been actively trying not to, so it's just... Kind of difficult to go against that. This oddly reminds me of how it felt trying to quit smoking way back when. Oh! That reminds me, I should start smoking again.
It'd be a shame to waste Tamamo's awesome Yakuza style smoking pipe she got me.
Stop getting distracted!
The point. Is that I feel a rather intense natural aversion to the idea of not holding back even a little bit.
However...
I really don't think that there is much more that I can really experience here. I'm kind of just... Well, I feel like I'm done fighting to keep myself weak.
Plus there's that Angel guy, Bez-chan. We didn't really get to fight properly, but he was strong enough that I doubt I'd have been able to win while shackling myself. And then there's Tamamo too, she's stronger than me right now for sure.
All of this is a round about way to say...
"Yeah... Sure, alright. I'll show you."
Something in me unwinds as I say it out loud. Those semi-subconsciously placed limitations I've been living under.
Because yeah, I'm done playfighting.
I want to feel challenged again.
Nagayasu nods, not with gratitude, but with a grim sort of resignation. As if he knows that he will hate what awaits him, but is resolved to march forward regardless because he knows that he must.
I can respect that.
I just hope he finds ambition in what he sees and not despair.
"Are you ready?" I ask, just to be sure, and he responds by summoning a pair of swords into his hands.
No more words are needed.
I step forward, and Nagayasu blinks as my forefinger pokes him between the eyes.
This is exactly why I have always held back. Because I have learned so much from fighting, even when my opponents are all so weak. But like this? What is there for me to learn?
A range of emotions flash through Nagayasu's eyes faster than I can track them, though some are more clear than others, disbelief chief among them.
Without meaning to, he stumbles a step backward, and I only know that he did not mean to because I cannot imagine him ever willingly doing such a thing. I also see the exact moment that he realises what he did, and how that just burns at his pride.
I let him work through it. Nothing I say right now would help him, so I wait for him to come to terms with the facts himself.
"Why." The word comes out hoarse, more a statement made to empty air than a true question. That only comes when he finds the will to raise his head and once more meet my eyes.
"My clan has spent over three centuries producing the finest Sorcerers in the realm. My blood contains history. My path has been carved since before my birth by generations of peerless talents. So why," he sounds almost desperate as he repeats the question. "Why is a commoner like you so far ahead of me?"
I know that now isn't the time to be acting casually, but I honestly can't help myself from rolling my eyes at the load of crap that just abused my ears.
"That's stupid." Never let it be said that I am not honest. I keep talking before he can get too mad though.
"Your predecessors are not guiding path, nor do they know how far you will walk. They are merely a helping hand to pull you forward the first step. Every step after that is up to you." A sigh leaves me, because I'm probably being harsh. I'm just a big fan of individualism and free will and stuff. Am I a hippie?
"If you want to know why, Nagayasu-san," I continue, very purposefully making sure to call him by his name and not Tachibana, "It's simple. You have been standing on the shoulders of giants for your entire life, so you have only ever had cause to look down. But... isn't history something to be surpassed? Perhaps you should try looking higher up instead."
Nagayasu's eyes widen minutely as he stares at me, and I find myself starting to grin at the look of dawning realisation on his face.
Still with wide eyes, Nagayasu's head turns down again, only this time he is not looking at the floor, he is looking at himself. I watch with trembling anticipation as he brings a hand up to his chest, over his heart.
"Look higher," I barely hear him whisper, the words coming out shocked, and much more importantly, enlightened. "I see... Thank you." His head raises once more to meet my eyes, and he really does seem like a different man already, it's awesome. I Love this. "I understand now. My path has already been walked. Maximum Technique:—"
Hm? Nani?
"—Pursuit of the Everlasting Dream."
I watch, genuinely stunned, as Nagayasu starts to age, growing taller and broader and older until he is a middle-aged man. But it's very clear what he is doing by the roiling waves of Cursed Energy flowing from his skin like tides.
He is literally becoming a stronger version of himself; that's so cooooool!
It's just a shame that it won't make a difference. Because even with his potential realised, at his strongest, he still is not The Strongest.
However, before I can prove as much to him, I feel a ripple in my shadow and turn my attention thataway, holding up a finger to Nagayasu like I'm on the phone.
"Sorry, I've got to take this," I say as a Black Butterfly emerges from my shadow and rises to land on my hand.
I barely recognise the Cursed Energy. I think it's from a guy I met briefly on a mission once. Fujiwara no..... Kaneda? I think? We didn't really talk long. I do wonder why he would be contacting me, but that curiosity is answered with incredible swiftness.
Yo, Narauko. It's Yoshikane. I can't send these things by myself so you're just going to have to trust me on that.
Anyway, I just wanted to say fuck you, asshole.
That is all.
Goodbye;
...Friend.
Ehe, so we are friends? He finally admits it? How drunk is he right now~?
I shake my head and chuckle at Yoshikane's behaviour, but I can't deny that it really does feel amazing to hear. I love making friends, after all, but I won't lie. It can get a little bit disheartening that my Love is so often one-sided.
...This might actually be the first time anyone has actually, straight up called me a friend in this world.
"Hehe, what a goof—" I cut my sentence short as a ripple passes through the air, and I am immediately alert at the strange feeling, absently noticing a number of Sorcerers—and are they Shinobi!?—appear in a defensive formation around Emperor what's-his-name.
That's when the butterflies come.
Black Butterflies, like the one I just received.
A lot, of Black Butterflies. Almost every single shadow I see has a butterfly leave it, and plenty of people get multiple at once.
Somehow, I feel suspicious that this is, in fact, not a good sign.
"What are the odds some kids were just taught the Technique and decided to screw around, eh?" I jest to Nagayasu, but he doesn't seem to hear me, too busy staring intently at the butterfly in his hand.
He seems rather concerned.
This makes me incredibly curious, which actually just winds up annoying the crap out of me, because why did everyone else get a butterfly but not me? All I get is Yoshikane telling me to fuck myself.
"Oi, Marty McFly, what's going on?" People are starting to make a ruckus and having everyone around me seem to know what is going on when I do not is driving my curiosity insane.
My words finally manage to garner Nagayasu's attention enough for him to actually respond, and it does leave me a little on edge so see him looking so stunned as he answers with only a single word.
"War."
...Huh.
///
Taira no Yoshikane
///
Taira no Yoshikane has never made a big deal over his lacking talent in Jujutsu. The insults washed off of his back like water over a rock, and he lived his life well enough. He carved a niche out for himself, and he was satisfied with that.
He is still a Taira after all, so it's not like he has ever lacked anything. Food, saké, women. Just about anything he's ever wanted he could have, so he was never really bothered about it.
But it was always there. That small, niggling doubt in the back of his stomach.
His weakness never truly bothered him, not like it so clearly had with so many others. Sugawara no Gojo comes to mind. He only met the brat once, but the despairing aura around the kid gave him goosebumps.
His weakness was not a bother. It was just... A little bit annoying.
But truth be told, it was simply not annoying enough for him to put much effort into overcoming it. He's seen the kind of training proper Sorcerers put themselves through, and honestly?
Not his idea of a good time. That involves both copious amounts of saké and at least one beautiful-in-the-dark woman.
So he compromised. He gave up his ability to be a Sorcerer entirely, and left all of that scary stuff for his Innate Technique to handle.
All he has to do is pull out a rib bone, but apparently that's something one can get used to, and his Technique thankfully made the process mostly painless.
But beyond that, his Technique can turn his bones into Dragons, and with his Binding Vow, his Technique became strong enough that he could claim to be a Special Grade One Sorcerer despite not having a lick of Cursed Energy.
He always found that fact incredibly amusing. He would often wander around the other useful Sorcerers in his clan and say such things as 'It's nice to meet a fellow Grade One'.
They always made such amusing faces. They also beat him up semi-frequently, so eh. Win some, lose some. Though he mostly lost.
That is besides the point however.
See, there is a reason that Yoshikane is having such thoughts as he sits with his back to a wall, staring at the still form of Kiyohara no Motosuke and the roughly two-hundred honourable fools that fought to defend this place.
The point, is that Yoshikane is rather familiar with Binding Vows and the power that one can reach by utilising them.
So when the Dragons formed from each of his ribs bar one all fall one after the other, unable to even score a drop of blood from their foe; Yoshikane merely sits, and he waits.
He doesn't have the attention to spare to the fallen, or perhaps he is just seeking a distraction so that he does not have to.
Either way, his mind is on his Soul. What little of it he can perceive anyway.
His plan is rather simple. He will give up everything. His life, his potential. All that he is, all that he has. He'll give it all up, in exchange for just one attack. That is all he asks.
Just one chance to kill a man.
It's not even revenge that has driven him to this choice, nor is it duty or any such thing. His motivation is a lot simpler than that, and it is an emotion that he has carried with him through his entire life, ever since his lack of talent was first declared.
Yoshikane's only motivation here is spite. Pure and simple.
The sound of steady footfalls in the sudden silence from battle draws his attention up, and he tries to ignore the fire and the death, and look only at the man approaching him.
Your eyes are always so cold, he thinks to himself as he regards Taira no Masakado.
Masakado himself is a rather unassuming man, for all that his titles are so awe-inspiring. Nothing about him really stands out. Simple brown hair, average looks, average height.
It's only the coldness in his eyes that separate him from a normal man. Even with all the blood and the fire and the death surrounding him, Masakado only appears bored.
As if the giant skeletal Dragons that he just slew were nothing more interesting than the grass in his garden.
It's a little bit insulting really, which just makes Yoshikane feel ever more spiteful.
But he does not hate.
"A Special Grade sure is scary, huh?" Yoshikane says once Masakado is closer, but the man does not even blink, never mind respond. "You always were a little shit."
His words are only meant to annoy, because they are about the same age despite him being Masakado's uncle, so he has no idea what the man was like in his youth. From what he has heard at least, Masakado was once a very different man. One that knew how to smile, if nothing else.
But Masakado remains silent in his approach, and Yoshikane doesn't bother to try resisting or running. There would be no point to it.
Masakado does not waste any time, either. He doesn't hesitate a step or pause before acting. He simply walks up to Yoshikane and grabs him by the neck and lifts him into the air, all with the same casual motions that one might use when rearranging the trinkets on their desk.
Except, Yoshikane acts right before the hand can reach him.
He bursts into motion, tilting away from the hand and thrusting his right arm up at the damn traitor's face.
Time seems crawl to a fraction, leaving him watching in slow motion as his own arm explodes into a shower of gore, leaving behind only a perfectly pristine spike of bone. Sharpened to a perfect point and overflowing with every ounce of Yoshikane's Cursed Energy, his potential, even his very lifeforce.
He watches with a feeling akin to bated breath as the spike of bone, created from the sacrifice of all that he could be, lances straight for the weakest point on any man, the eye.
Masakado's expression does not change. In that fractional moment, he does not react. Does not flinch. Does not blink.
And then the blow strikes and Yoshikane's vision turns white and his skull pounds with a sound like a million gongs being struck all at once all around him in every direction.
By the time his vision does return, every ounce of his body is keening in agony. He barely even notices the pain, his mind not having the time or the presence to process it.
The grounds around them are ruined. The floor beneath them cratered. The wall across from him, shredded.
Yet right in front of him, Masakado stands.
Yoshikane feels his body sag at the sight. A single rueful, almost disbelieving laugh leaves him at the absurdity he is witnessing.
His attack landed.
That spear of bone containing enough power to kill any reasonable Special Grade hit exactly where he meant it to.
It hit him right on the unprotected eyeball, and it stopped there.
Yoshikane accepts his defeat fully then, quietly murmuring one final complaint.
"At least have the courtesy to flinch."
Masakado still does not respond.
As if the attack never happened at all, Masakado simply reaches forward again and grabs him by the neck, before holding him aloft. He reflexively grabs at the arm holding him up and kicks his legs, but it's like hitting a solid wall. Unsurprisingly.
"N-not going to—urk—to mono—ghuk—log, Nep—phew?" He struggles to get the words out as Masakado's hand slowly begins to tighten, an unstoppable force. "Give me— final— words?"
Masakado's hand never stops tightening
Yet even as that primal, animal instinct in the back of his mind starts to scream, to screech panic through his mind like a virus. Even as Yoshikane's body thrashes and kicks and does all that it can to rebel a fate it knows cannot be avoided. Even as his sight blackens at the corners, as his mind fills with helpless dread at the inevitable...
Yoshikane feels no hate.
Because when he looks into those cold, unfeeling eyes... He can only feel pity.
It is only then that Masakado's stone-like façade finally changes. His mouth opens, but he only says a single thing. One sentence— a single answer to Yoshikane's questions, delivered in a tone of voice entirely devoid of life, as if merely speaking is something tiring.
"What would be the point?"
Through what small fractions of his consciousness that remains, Yoshikane finds those words just hilarious.
Ha—
///
A/N: He~llo! Dear readers!
O.O
Yoshikane-kun~! Nyooo~!
Anywho, there is a thing that is both very good and very bad! A certain chapter is rapidly approaching, and it is a chapter that I have been imagining literally since the start of this fukin fic a little over a year ago.
So I am both excited to write that and incredibly anxious that it will not live up to the, honestly probably too high bar that I have set for myself.
Idk. I very rarely know what I am doing, but things kinda just seem to work out, so let's hope for the best, yeah?
Also! This chapter has a few song lyrics in it, so I figured I'd make the title a song title too. I would highly suggest listening to the song and thinking about Yoshikane for immersive reasons :). The song was chosen very carefully for its lyrics, so imagine Yoshikane thinking them.
You could consider it bonus content :D