'King of Curses'

- 2

An abandoned Inari shrine surrounded by forests, sits still in broad day light. The walls were torn and the paper doors rot away from the weather that aged them. Spiders of all kinds, made home in the crevices of the wood. The concrete stairs had been overgrown from the native plants that surrounded it.

Nobara and (y/n) meet Gojo and the other two 3rd years at the abandoned shrine. (Y/n) looked at the distasteful sight before her. An old Inari statue was covered in grit and overgrown shrubs.

To think this was once a shrine devoted to Inari. What would Seiichi think of this place?

(Y/n) thought, walking up the disheveled stairs that began to crumble away.

"Auh-ha! (Y/n) it's finally nice to see you again!" Gojo raises his arm and waves at (y/n) as she finished climbing the stairs to the shrine.

Two men sit beside him on a stone basin. One with black hair with a mean looking face, the other with pink hair, beaming with joy.

"Oh cool! You're (y/n) right! I've heard so many things about you! Oh and that fight we had at the Goodwill event; it was nothing personal." The boy with pink hair jogs up to her with so much admiration.

She flinches at the overly happy boy, his joyful mood lifting the dull area around them. From behind, the guy with black hair grabs the boys' collar, and pulls him back from (y/n).

"Don't go scaring her, you idiot! Introduce yourself first!"  He says letting go of his collar.

"Oh right! I'm Itadori Yuji, you can just call me Itadori by the way." His smile was so kind and playful that it warmed (y/n).

He seems like a nice person to hang around. Despite our fight from the Goodwill event last year.

"I'm Megumi..." The guy with black hair says, tucking his hands into his pockets.

Him on the other hand, is kinda scary. I don't think I've met him at the event.

"Great! Now that, that's over and we all know each others names, we should pay more attention to the special grade inside that disgusting looking shrine over there." Gojo claps his hands together, swaying side to side with a grin on his lips.

They all look behind Gojo who was pointing at a small wooden shrine.

A special grade, is in that tiny little shrine?

"Now you might be thinking, Gojo how in the world does a big bad special grade, fit in that tiny shrine?" Gojo walks behind (y/n) and grabs her shoulders.

"Hey, you perv!" Nobara kicks her teacher, forcing him to let (y/n) go. Though he seemed completely unbothered, like it was normal for his students to kick him.

"Well let me answer that question for you..." He smiles while crossing his arms.
"It so happens to be, that special grade knows domain expansion, and it's pretty good at it." He says, shrugging his shoulders.

Wait what! We're going up against a powerful special grade right of the bat!

"Anyyways... don't die on me got that, chow!" Gojo winks at the four before disappearing down the stairs.

"Wait you idiot!..And he's gone." Nobara wines collapsing to the ground pulling the weeds out from the dirt.
"Why does he do this all the frickin time!.. he's driving me crazy! That old man is gonna give me grey hairs!" She huffs.

"N-Nobara calm down. I'm sure it's fine." (Y/n) says lifting Nobara off the ground.

"That moron...Well if he's in a good mood, than he knows we can take the special grade down." Megumi glares at the shrine, folding his arms around his chest.

"You think? I guess, I mean we have all come a long way since that last special grade we fought..." Itadori scratches his head at Megumi's comment.
"Oh wait! (Y/n) don't you own a kitsune! This mission is right up your ally!"  Itadori raises his tone and smiles at her. She felt a little intimidated by his sudden changes in attitude.

"T-that's true, um..." (Y/n) raises her index finger and pointer finger, sketching a symbol in the air.
"Seiichi..." she whispers.

Next moment a white fox appears out of thin air. Elegantly hoping around (Y/n) before heeling at her side.

(Y/n) eyes widen at the sight of her yokai. She didn't know why she was surprised. Everything was the same. Seiichi looked exactly like he did, the first time they met, but something was different.

What is this all of a sudden? Why do I feel like I've seen him in a past that I can't remember?

"This is...agh, Seiichi." (Y/n) says nervously introducing the yokai to her classmates, still confused at her thoughts.

"Oh wow! So it is true. You do control a Yokai" Itadori's eyes beam with bright light as he crouched down to Seiichis' level.

"I wouldn't say control, it's not as if I force Seiichi to do anything for me... he just does his own thing." Embarrassed (y/n) looks down at Itadori petting Seiichi.

This guy is suppose to have the 'king of curses' inside of him right? Why does he act so childish? I doubt Seiichi likes being petted by him too.

"We should start." Megumis' low voice echoed around the open yard. Itadori sat up, dusting the dirt off him before facing Megumi.

"Oh yea you're right. Should we start, (y/n)?" Itadoris' smile softens as he gazes his eyes towards (y/n).

Her stomach flutters at his gaze and her cheeks begin to flush red. Seiichi notices and nudges her hand with his wet nose, a glare in his eyes.

"S-sure..." she says brushing Seiichi gaze away.

Megumi creates forms with his hands, and a black wolf appears beside him. 3 little dots, connected by lines sat on its forehead. 

So that's a shikigami? They're somewhat familiar to yokai right?

(Y/n) looks down at Seiichi who was also looking at the black wolf.

Though, if Seiichi really wanted to, he can transform himself into a man...can shikigami do that too?

When they all step through the paper screen doors, the inside of the small shrine does not fit its exterior. The inside was a huge tradition Japanese dojo covered in a tatami mat floor.

An open hall, lined with shoji screens, to the left trailed to the room behind.

Everything seemed normal to them. It just looked like a big traditional Japanese house, but that didn't let them fool their Senses. Without a doubt something in the atmosphere didn't feel right. The smell of cherry blossoms was so sweet it could make you sick.

"Yuck! The hell is that smell? It's so sweet." Nobara was quick to cover her nose, looking like she was about to feel sick.

Then a faint chime of a bell rings around the room, catching everyone off guard.

Wait... those bells! Have I heard them before?

Without thinking, (y/n) trails off to the next room over, Seiichi following close behind.

"Wait! (Y/n)!!" Without realising, Itadori went chasing after her.

Just before finally grabbing onto her sleeve, the wooden door behind them slams shut, separating themselves from Nobara and Megumi.

Huh? Wait what just happened? How did I get here?

(Y/n) looks back, see that she wasn't in the same room she was in before.