𝐈𝐍𝐅𝐈𝐍𝐈𝐓𝐄: 𝐠𝐨𝐣𝐨 𝐬𝐚𝐭𝐨𝐫𝐮 𝐱 𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐝𝐞𝐫

(iii) memory

"so tell me about intelligent-spirit-kun", y/n said as they sat down

"he has an ability i've never seen before", nanami admitted, "it disfigures humans to the point of no return."

"really?", she looked kind of excited, "who even created him?"

"we don't know.... yet", he said

she hummed, "alright i'll try to track him"

he nodded and she closed her eyes, concentrating on sensing a cursed energy from something other than humans. she stopped abruptly though as a thought popped into her head.

"i don't think that the person who created the curse would be foolish enough to let anyone track him."

"that's true but can't you break through barriers too?", nanami asked

"i can", she sighed, "but it won't be easy"

she spent the next few hours concentrating on some trace of the curse they were looking for but was eventually unsuccessful. she sighed disappointedly.

"it's okay", nanami assured, "it wasn't supposed to be this easy anyway"

"hmm", y/n mumbled, "i think i'll go into the city for some time."

he nodded, leaving her to her thoughts. she turned to kuro.

"what do you think huh", she petted him, tickling behind his ears as he came forward, "who might this curse be?"

and then she just asked him to stay put as she went out for a walk. she purposely avoided the familiar spots that she had forced herself to forget, finally finding some sort of solace when she turned a corner to enter an abandoned alleyway.

truth was, she was very sure that whoever set up the curtain must've known that she was trying to break through it. and so she wanted to lure them out. it wasn't as if she couldn't handle it anyway.

"i've been waiting", a voice that had something like an echo to it called out, making her stop. "zenin y/n"

"am i supposed to be scared?", she asked, turning to face what she assumed was an intelligent curse.

"you should be", the voice continued. it wasn't the human-like curse she was supposed to be looking for, like she'd hoped.

instead, it resembled the hideous curses she saw more often than not. grade 1 at the most. difficult to deal with. but not impossible.

"hmm where's the other curse?", she asked, unperturbed

"so you were the one trying to break the barrier"

"what about it?", she smiled pleasantly.

the creature ran towards her, throwing an attack which she dodged owing to her speed. he launched another, rather strong one which she was ready to counter as it came towards her.

but before she could, something happened.

her thoughts began running so haywire she could barely speak. a wave of memories took over her brain. memories she had hoped to keep buried.

she tried to clear her head, tried to turn her focus back to the incoming attack but no luck. it was as if someone was forcing her to think those thoughts and relive those moments.

and someone was.

one particular memory that played in her head stood out.

flashback: six years ago

"i don't... i don't understand", y/n's bottom lip trembled at the expressionless face of her boyfriend

"we're done", satoru said, almost indifferently. as if it wasn't affecting him the way it was affecting her.

she tried to keep her composure and failed miserably, giving him a defeated expression.

"so the last three years?", she felt like she couldn't breathe

"they were a mistake y/n", he stated plainly

"you're hiding something", she squeezed her eyes shut, refusing to believe what she'd just heard, "t-that's the o-only explanation."

"i'm not", he said, "we just don't work together"

"LIAR", she glared at him, tears welling up in her eyes, "if you're gonna leave me, at least give me a proper explanation satoru. spit it out."

"i told you-"

"that's not a real reason"

"well", he said words she'd never thought she'd hear
him say, "i guess i just don't love you anymore."

she looked into his cold eyes, tears finally rolling down her face, "do you mean that?"

"y/n.. i"

she lifted her hand to bring it to his face but... but it didn't reach him. she couldn't touch him.

of course.

his cursed technique. he was using his cursed technique. on her.

is this what they had come to? did he hate her so much that he didn't even want to let her touch him?

"i see", she whispered, "bye satoru"

her heart felt so heavy she could barely stand up straight. everything fell apart.

"i'm sorry", he mumbled as she walked away, but she hardly noticed, not knowing where she was supposed to go from here.

end of flashback

y/n sat on the ground, looking helpless, being so caught up in the memory she barely felt it when the attack hit and injured her. a few tears fell from her eyes, pricking the cut on her face. it was as if she'd experienced it all over again.

"geto-san's ability really is cool", the spirit chuckled, reaching forward towards y/n who was dazed by now. he gathered all the power he had to release into one attack.

but it would never touch her.

"it seems", a voice sent him cowering in fear, "you're gonna die a rather... painful death."

"that voice", y/n thought as she collapsed, "no way"

˜"*°•.˜"*°• . •°*"˜.•°*"˜

ah yes daddy has arrived