The Priestesses' Voice | a Jujutsu Kaisen fanfiction

30

Tokyo Metropolitan Curse Technical College, Tokyo, 2018

Shikishi

"Hmm? And who might you be?"

As Shikishi's vision began to sharpen, she gazed past the dust particles floating in front of her into the dark shadows beyond where the voice had come from. She could just make out a figure: around her height, dark clothes, white hair... a dark energy... a curse.

"I could be asking you that." The cool tone of her voice cut through the dim silence, acting as a stark contrast to the playful tone of the curse across from her - which was uncomfortably similar to that carefree tone Noriko often used... when she was toying with people.

Friend or foe, Shikishi couldn't tell.

"Hmm...," the man stepped closer and his image became clearer, "a sorcerer? Or... a curse?"

"I'm not interested in conflict," the red of her eyes glowed in the darkness as they locked onto a curious cylinder clutched in the curse's right hand. An embryo? A curse? Something inbetween? She guessed that seemed to be a reoccurring theme. "Or whatever you're doing here. I just have a few questions."

"Questions, huh? But you still haven't answered mine," the white-haired curse began to grin, raising an eyebrow at his ambiguous acquaintance. His polarized irises followed his fellow curse's to the Death Painting in his hand and then returned to her face. Another sealed curse? He wondered to himself.

"You're currently speaking to Shikishi Naishinnō of the Heian Period, however, this body goes by Noriko Kamo," the girl shrugged, taking a couple steps back to lean back on a crate and fold her arms over her chest. Mahito's eye twitched at the familiar surname as he noted the unusual coincidence and glanced down to the Death Painting again. Perhaps they were distant relatives, he hummed morbidly to himself.

"A princess? You'll have to forgive me, I don't really care for petty human history," he scoffed smugly, rubbing the back of his neck with his freehand in mock meekness. The curse across from him didn't even blink at his subtle insult. "I would tell you who I am, but - "

"You don't need to, I'm not here for you," Shikishi interrupted, running a hand through her bangs as she became aware of her limited time. How long would his distraction last? "I'm looking for a plague curse, which you seemed to have encountered recently."

"A curse looking for another curse? Well, I might've come across a plague curse recently." Now genuinely intrigued, Mahito couldn't help himself moving closer to the sorcerer - noting her lack of care into what he was stealing. "The sorcerer's seem to be collecting all sorts of interesting people recently. Perhaps you'd be interested in our -"

Shikishi clicked her tongue in exasperation.

"Tch! You curses are so insufferable!" She snapped venomously, feeling her already-short temper reach it's boiling point. She didn't know when her next chance to gain this kind of information would be. "I asked you about a plague curse! Are you so lacking in intelligence you can't even answer basic questions?"

There was a heavy silence.

"Ah~! You've pissed me off now," Mahito lunged forward, reaching out his free hand to grab a hold of the vessel before him. He gripped his palm around her uncovered forearm and began to manipulate his technique - but Shikishi didn't move.

Trailing his eyes up, his dull irises met burning red ones and he felt the world around him shift.

"Your soul - "

The figure in front of him dissolved into a black abyss which bloomed out around him, encapsulating him in Shikishi's own biosphere as it melded into existence like ink bleeding onto a page. Trees, koi fish, a set of red lanterns floating ominously above his head... and a looming shrine formed before him.