November 17th, 2018, Tokyo Jujutsu High

  Jujutsu High was a location in Tokyo built for the purposes of training young sorcerers. It was the size of your typical high school, if not larger. Due to the low number of JuJutsu sorcerers, the building at most housed only around a few dozen people. This disparity led to the majority of the school's halls being vacant. Since the culling games began,Sorcerers were more busy than they had ever been, so this vacancy was more prevalent than ever before. Something I was becoming familiar with.

  The hall was quiet—too quiet. He had been here for months and was aware you could go hours without seeing anyone. But it was never like this. Empty; this place was empty. At his assessment, he hunched down in his seat. Collecting his hands into his lap and gripping them with each other. The boy looked forward to the wall in front of him, trying to distract himself with anything at all. After a few seconds of staring at the blandness, his eye once again drifted towards the end of the hall.

  At the end of the hall there were two white doors with a small glass window on each one. Beyond them was Jujutsu High's medical bay, where Shoko Ieri was currently doing her best to heal everyone. It had been over 24 hours since she started the process. Every time she came out for coffee, The boy was updated on her progress. Maki and Angel had been healed fully; Hakari was receiving treatment now.

  Maki had taken the brunt of the sneak attack Sukunas servant had performed on them. Her entire body had been covered in frostbite, limbs becoming mottled with black and blue. Just like in Shibuya, the girl hadn’t targeted the boy in particular, instead just covering him in ice before retreating with Sukuna.

  “You really are so boring.”

  Angel had both her arms removed by Sukuna. He had barely managed to slow the bleeding down, it was a miracle she had been able to survive long enough for him to get her to Jujutsu high. Even more of a miracle, that Shoko Ieri had been able to heal both of her arms as well as the rest of the damage.

  “You should spend your lives stifling your misery.”

  The boy had been mostly unharmed—a few scratches but nothing serious. His physical wounds were minor, but Yuta and Inumaki said it was better if he stayed here to rest instead of following them. The boy was determined to find some way he could assist. After all, because of him Megumi is...

  “HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA”

  The boy wasn't even worth killing to the one who had harmed his allies. A fact the boy was keenly aware of. From the very beginning, he had been seen in that way by the devil. The boy realized despairingly that’s probably how he saw everyone; human beings were just toys for him to play with. In the heat of the moment, he had tried to question why the devil was the way he was. But it was a fruitless question. A curse is a curse; there’s nothing more to it. Spreading misery is just his role in life. Like how the boys was to remove every last trace of that monster from the earth.

  Feeling something wet on his hands, he looked down and realized that he had dug his nails into the flesh of his palm, drawing blood. Tiny splatters of blood dripped onto the floor, making quiet yet distinct pings in the silence of the hall. Absent-mindedly, he pressed down with his fingertips to the open wounds, attempting to stop the bleeding. After a few minutes had passed, his endeavors were unsuccessful. With a sigh, he sat up and began to move towards the nearest classroom, attempting to find a cloth of some kind to stop the bleeding.

  “Yuji! I’m sorry it took me so long to get here. I was—You're bleeding! What happened?”

  Rounding the corner, Yujis… acquaintance took him by surprise. Taking the initiative, Choso had ripped part of his robes while rushing over to his sibling. Collecting Yuji’s hands into his own after he noticed Yuji’s scrape. Methodically he wrapped the upper palms of Yuji’s hands, with the robes he had ripped off.

  “There, all better.” Letting go of Yuji's hands, Choso held his head high and put his hands on his hips. Striking a pose before letting out a huff of air through his nose in satisfaction. Yuji probably would have laughed at this display ordinarily. In his current mental state, he just let out a sigh before responding in a tired voice.

  "Thanks; I was fine though Choso. Just got myself on my nails. Shouldn’t you still be resting? Miss Ieri said you needed two days of rest before you're up and about.”

  “It’s improper for the big brother to sit around licking his wounds while the little brother is standing proudly. I’d be a failure as the eldest to not be there for my little brother after what happened.”

  His enthusiastic display stopped suddenly, eyes turning downcast and a slight frown making its way onto his lips. This was because Yuji had turned his head down and began to tighten his fists once again. His frustration began to reach a boiling point as Choso began to breach the subject.

  To Choso’s credit, he had managed to stop himself from unknowingly pushing his little brother's buttons further. He had anticipated his younger sibling to be saddened given the severity of what had transpired. His enigmatic entrance was supposed to lighten the mood enough for him to broach the topic, but he realized too late it was still too soon to do such a thing. Despite being the eldest, he still had much growing to do. For if he stopped trying to better himself, just what kind of example could he be to his little brothers?

  “Yuji, follow me. There’s something important I need to show you.”

  Making a gesture to follow with his hands, Choso began to walk away, not having anything better to do. Yuji began to follow him halfheartedly. As they walked, the robes Choso had wrapped around Yuji’s fists had grown wetter. The bleeding had begun anew after the most recent venting of his frustrations. He didn’t make any attempts to clean or stop it as they walked however. Having blood on his hands was something Yuji Itadori had grown used to by now.

  “Choso, where are we going exactly?”

  It had been half an hour since their venture through the school had begun. There seemed to be no destination in mind as they traveled. Going down countless halls and turning without rhyme or reason. Yuji was aware the school was big, but he had begun to doubt Choso’s sense of direction ten minutes after their trip began. The last twenty minutes had only served to strengthen his doubts. Still, it’s not like he had anything better to do, so he hadn’t brought up such doubts till now.

  “We’re going to see the rest of our family. I didn't have a chance before, but now I can get them back from the warehouse.”

  “Oh, that’s good, Choso. I’m happy for you.” He tried to put some enthusiasm into his response, but it came out half-hearted. Yuji had meant what he said, but it was difficult for him to appear amicable with him or anyone for that matter right now.

  After he finished his response, Choso stopped and turned to look at him. Standing in the middle of an exit way that leads to a grassy area. Looking ahead, the warehouse could finally be seen. Yuji walked past him and over the brush towards the building where his younger siblings were. He had made it to the door and was about to open it before Choso's voice rang out from behind him.

  “Yuji… Do you mind if I ask you something?”

  Turning around, Choso was about ten feet in front of the warehouse. Yuji had been expecting him to jump at joy at finally being able to set his brothers free. So it was surprising seeing him restrain himself and ask him a question first. Then again, what did he know? They had only interacted for a few days in total. Despite his constant claiming of Yuji as his younger sibling, Yuji himself hardly knew the guy.

  “Go ahead.”

  “Yuji, do you..." He looked down at the floor while pausing, briefly bringing his hands up as he did so. Just as quickly, they fell back down to his sides before he looked up and continued on. “Do you hate me?”

  “No, why would I? Besides, you should probably hate me; I’m the one who killed your bro--.”

  “You’re not to blame for their deaths, Yuji. Don’t you dare think it’s your fault. Eso and Kechizus blood is on my hands.”

  You might be reading a pirated copy. Look for the official release to support the author.

  Interrupting him, Choso disagreed with Yuji’s assessment and gave his own. Yuji wanted to rebuke him and say that it was in fact his fault. But assigning blame wouldn’t get them anywhere. No matter how many times people told him that Sukunas rampages weren’t his fault, he didn't believe it in the slightest. The same was probably true for Choso about his brother's death. It occurred to Yuji that maybe him and his “brother” weren’t so different. At least when it came to their need to shoulder the blame.

  “When Kenjaku and his group of cursed spirits woke us up, they told us the situation and what they wanted. I decided that we should side with them because I didn't think people would be able to accept Eso and Kechizu's visage. I thought living as curses would be better for them. I took the easy path. As a result, Eso and Kechizu paid the price.”

  Choso began to walk towards his sibling after he finished speaking. Yuji took a hesitant step towards him, Assuming Choso wanted him in close proximity for some reason. Surprisingly, Choso walked past him and went towards the shed. Opening the door.

  “I’m… I’m not sure how many people I killed in Shibuya. When we were sealing Satoru Gojo, it was the plan to kill them as collateral to set him off. I didn't want to tell you about it since I was scared of what you'd think of me. I didn't want you to hate me.”

  "Why are you telling me then?”

  The door to the shed was open, and Choso had turned around to look at him. Yuji always knew deep down he had probably murdered people in Shibuya. The reason why he didn't ask before is because he was scared of the answer. Driving one of their limited allies away would have been quite the blow. He wasn't sure what to think of Choso. Did Yuji hate him?

  He… he wasn't sure. Choso was a murderer, but then again, so was he. So were all sorcerers; killing curses and curse users were their roles. Then again Choso had killed civilians, innocent bystanders who were sucked into a game they shouldn’t be playing in. But he seemed regretful, unlike Sukuna. Didn't that mean Choso deserved an opportunity to change? Could Choso even change? If Choso could, didn't that mean that anyo-

  “Tsukumo saved my life in our fight against Kenjaku. Getting me away from him before she tried to take him out along with herself. She told me it’s where I die as a curse, and it’s time I live as a human. I didn't know how I should go about that until a few hours ago when it struck me.”

  He paused, and a slight smile found itself on his face before he continued.

  “I needed to help my little brother."

  Walking into the now-open warehouse, Choso flipped on a switch next to the door. Looking in, Yuji could see plenty of boxes stacked on top of one another. They were in the back and only filled up about a tenth of the building's total space. From what he could tell they didn't have any identification on them. All just blank wooden boxes.

  Choso went to the back and moved a box to get the one underneath it. It looked about a meter long and a foot wide. Taking a hold of it, he brought it to the front of the building where Yuji was. Setting it down in between them both, he took the top off.

  Peering inside, Yuji was able to see six cylindrical tubes. They had a metal top with clear glass sides; each was filled with some kind of fluid, and a small fetus-looking thing was in each one.

  Guess I know why they're called death-painting “wombs” now.

  “There’s no easy way to phrase this so.”

  Choso scratched the back of his head and let out a sigh.

  “Yuji, I want you to eat your big brothers.”

  "...Huh?"

  Yuji gave him a deadpan stare as an answer to his strange request. Words of confusion came out before he was able to restrain himself. Yuji had eaten plenty of gross things. Sukunas fingers being the most notable ones. But just because he had didn't mean he developed a craving for human body parts… Or just half-humans in this case. Choso, seeing Yuji’s confusion, was ready to explain.

  “My brothers are similar to Sukuna's fingers in that they’re souls are currently housed in objects. The difference is that unlike how Sukuna’s fingers need a powerful vessel to contain them, my younger brothers are able to be contained by anyone. The downside is that they need to completely overpower the vessel they’re using, otherwise they can’t manifest their will. Because of this, they should only be taken in by non-sorcerers with very low aptitude for cursed energy.”

  “So then why do you want me to be their vessel?”

  Following along with his explanation, Yuji was failing to see why he was proposing he be the one who consumed his brothers. If he did it sounded like all of Choso’s brothers would…

  “My little brothers each contain a separate part of blood manipulation. I’m the only one who’s able to use the technique completely. If you become the vessel of all six of them, you should be able to use blood manipulation to the same effectiveness as me. If you’re able to gain blood manipulation, your combat ability would skyrocket. I’m not sure how long I’ll have to train you before we collide with Kenjaku and Sukuna. But at the very least, you should be able to pose a sizable threat to them both on your own.”

  Yuji’s initial reaction was to state the very large gaping hole in his plan. But stifling that instinct and thinking it over, he had to admit it made sense. After Sukuna had incarnated in Megumi's body, Maki and him had been able to keep pace with the king of curses. Physically, the gap between him and Sukuna wasn't insurmountable; the real gap lay in their application of cursed techniques. Of which Yuji had none to speak of. If Sukuna had been able to use his technique to his full capacity after he hijacked Megumi, both Maki and Yuji would have been dead within a handful of seconds. Yuji had to admit it was unlikely they’d be given the same luxury of a Sukuna who could barely use his cursed technique the next time they clashed.

  His lack of technique had never really bugged him before. Yuji had always found a way around it by compensating with sheer power. But against Sukuna, who already had the edge in that category, on top of his incredibly deadly ability to send out invisible slashes, it didn't take a master tactician to see who would be the victor. If he gained blood manipulation, the distance between them would close by a large margin. Still, it would be impossible to beat Sukuna on his own. But with the help of everyone else and Gojo...

  After Yuji had finished ruminating on Choso’s proposed plan, he looked up and met Choso’s gaze. Throughout his explanation, he had kept his voice measured and quiet. Yuji couldn’t deny that if he went through with this, he would be able to contribute a lot more than before. Still, if he went through with this then...

  “Choso, are you sure about this? It… It makes sense tactically, but you’re brothers, they’d...”

  “It’s fine, Yuji. I appreciate your concern, but this is what’s best for everyone, my brothers included. The only way for them to be able to take physical form is to end the life of another. I don’t want them to come into this world tainted by such a sin. If I were to do such a thing on their behalf, I’d be no better than a curse. It’s the responsibility of the elder siblings to lend aid to the younger ones in times of hardship. So please, let us help you, Yuji. It’s not like they’ll be gone. Inside of you, they’ll live on."

  His expression was stiff as he began, but it grew softer as he went on.

  “I’m sorry, Yuji. I said this was to help you, but in part it’s for my brothers as well. Don’t feel as if you have to do this for their sake. It’s your decision to do as you wa--.”

  "No, it’s fine, Choso. I’ve already made up my mind. If you’re okay with it, then everything's alright.”

  Reaching down, Yuji grabbed the first of the death painting womb capsules. He brought it up out of the box and began to fiddle with the top, trying to get it open. After a few seconds he realized the lid had to be turned to the left to open it. Pouring out the contents onto his palm, the liquid was surprisingly warm as it ran across his skin before falling to the floor.

  Yuji’s concern was whether or not Choso would be alright with his brother's lives coming to an end. After confirming that he was alright with it, everything else about the ordeal seemed trivial to him.

  With a slight thud, the death painting womb fell onto his hand. Despite its size, Yuji could feel its weight—the weight of a life. So small and fragile, he could crush it all too easily. Bringing it up to his face, he tilted his head back before dropping it in, and swallowed it down with one breath. It didn’t taste bad, but that wasn't to say it tasted good. More accurately, it tasted like nothing.

  As Yuji Itadori reached down to ingest another death painting womb, thoughts of if what he was doing was right or wrong never crossed his mind. He had a role to play and would do what he had to see it through. While questions on the morality of what he was doing did occur to him, a different set of questions held greater importance to Yuji. Questions he had been suppressing since that bloody night.

  The night he was cursed. Cursed by a man whose only intention was to reassure the boy no matter what road he took. Cursed by a comrade to look for an answer to a question, an answer the boy had twisted so he could fall into place easier. Cursed by himself to live an aimless empty life, all so he could fulfill the first curse passed onto him.

  All three curses had mixed together within the boy that night. They had shaped his mentality and until now he hadn’t bothered to question this mindset of his. Ironically enough, it was his big brother that allowed him a chance for introspection at the way he had begun to view the world. His brother had done so unknowingly, In his attempt to help his younger sibling overcome the wall he was faced with. He had steered his sibling in the right direction to overcome the wall Yuji had built within his own mind. Had he known about the help he had provided, he would have expressed gratitude at being able to give his younger sibling aid.

  Everyone has roles to play in life.

  Sorcerers had to exercise curses, curses had to spread misery, and ordinary people had to live their lives. It was through these roles that this war between man and curse had developed. Everyone was just a cog in the machine of life, no one was truly special or unique. Even people like Gojo who kept sorcerer society afloat could be replaced, or had people who played the same role before him.

  Everyone has roles to play in life, and they must follow them

  But just who determined what role was suitable for each person? Could a person's role change throughout their life? What if someone didn't like the role they had been assigned? Could someone have a role forced upon them by another against their wishes? Could someone live their life not following their assigned role and be happy?

  Everyone has roles to play in life, and they must follow them to receive a proper death.

  As he reached down to eat the last death painting, Yuji looked towards Choso. He wasn't doing anything in particular. Just standing there and watching. He said he was going to live as a human instead of a curse. He had changed both his reason for living and his role from what they originally were. A curse not spreading misery, instead living as a human.

  It seemed impossible, and yet everything Choso had done since Shibuya had been for the benefit of Jujutsu High. If he could change, couldn’t anyone. Could people like Ryomen Sukuna, Kenjaku, or even Yuji Itadori himself...

  No.

  Swallowing down the last death painting, the sorcerer pushed such thoughts aside.

  “You’ve got it from here.”

  Too many people had suffered already. All that's left was to put an end to everything once and for all. People like Sukuna were too far gone to ever change or atone. His role as a curse was long since cemented.

  “Help people.”

  Being Sukuna's vessel and absorbing as much of that evil as he could before dragging it to hell along with me was his role. He no longer was his vessel, but all that much didn't change. He'll force Sukuna out of Megumi and save him. That is the role he’s been assigned. One He'll see through to the end.

  Bound by curses, Yuji Itadori continued to cling to his pittable armor. One so fragile it would crumble to dust with a single well placed poke. Still he shielded himself with that armor, for without it he would be left in the open cold once again. Unsure how he would fulfill the curses those he cherished had left to him. Those curses, without them. Just who was Yuji Itadori?