The Priestesses' Voice | a Jujutsu Kaisen fanfiction

07

Tokyo Metropolitan Curse Technical College, Tokyo, 2018

Noriko didn't get up when Itadori and her classmates knocked for breakfast either. How many hours had she been lying there, she wondered, in the the same shirt Ieiri had given her and her original uniform from yesterday? The sunlight trickled in through the gap in her hastily drawn curtains; she lifted her eyes to peek through the crack out of the window onto greenery. Her eyes were dry and irritated from hours of staring at the wall next to her bed.

A few moments later, she finally managed to muster the energy to push herself out of bed. Swinging her legs over the side, she glanced around her room - her umber eyes landing on her haplessly placed holster. A curse... she mused... of course, her only solace in this forsaken world would be double-edged. She snickered aloud bitterly, before her expression dropped again and she rose to undress and prepare clean clothes.

Noriko couldn't bring herself to walk all the way to the shower rooms within the dorms so settled for sponging herself down at the faucet her room. Drying herself off, she prepared her skirt, shorts, a new shirt and a light pink hoodie - she didn't feel well enough to wear the hideous navy one. She smoothed down her bangs, re-tying the bandages around her low pigtails. Rummaging through her jewellery box, the First Year pulled out a set of stud earrings and a few bracelets.

Deciding she'd postponed herself long enough after a minute of staring lifelessly into the mirror, Noriko turned to the holster - that vengeful feeling bubbling up in her gut once more - and picked it up with sheepish hands.

"You make me sick, you know?" Scowling at it, she forced herself not to gag at the feeling of it's cursed energy - energy that'd made her so comforted before. It had enabled her to do anything she wished (her wishes were very small), and now it'd destroyed her. Either way, she clipped it around her leg, not bothering to replace the ink canister.

She supposed now she'd had more time to think about it, she knew what the black heart had meant. Princess Shikishi had fallen ill during her occupation of Kamo shrine as Head Priestess, until it became unbearable and she'd left to become a Buddhist nun - her poetry often contained themes of her lamentations of it, if they weren't describing the weather or love that Noriko had never personally felt. She remembered bitterly that she'd been moved to tears in sympathy for the princesses when she'd read her poetry - but all that was left now was anger.

But what in all of Yomi, did Shikishi's illness have to do with her?

After a few sombre minutes of contemplation, another sharp knock sounded at the door, and from the familiar energy, she knew it was Satoru Gojo.

"I'll be a second," she responded, not moving her eyes from the floor, however, after another heavy silence, she yanked on her trainers and scooped up her schoolbag. She removed the old shirt, throwing it away in disgust, before opening the door to her instructor. "Does the principal want to see me?"

"Bingo~! My student is so smart~!" Gojo cheered, shooting her a goofy smile, which wasn't acknowledge by his student as she locked her door behind her, dropping the key into her bag which resumed it's usual place over her shoulder. "I explained to him as best I could, but I have a feeling you probably have a better understanding of the events than I do."

It was silent between them - apart from their steady footsteps - as they walked down the corridor towards the exit of the dorms.

"Did... did you see what happened?" Noriko brought a hand up to lightly grasp at the fabric of her hoodie. She kept her emotions in check, however difficult it was.

"I did, and I'm not sure it's something we should be talking about here," Satoru shrugged, guiding her into the open as they crossed a courtyard. She didn't say anything more as they approached a separate building. Like most the school buildings, it was built in a traditional style and had the signature shoji doors - Noriko forced down a wave of nausea. Her instructor pushed them open and they entered a dim room. Her footsteps were notably lighter and she glanced down - with much apprehension - and noted the tatami flooring.