Sweet Dreams | Jujutsu Kaisen

♡ | Sweet Dreams | Chapter 1

Notes: After all this time, I'm finally writing Ayume's story. It's not her bio unfortunately, but it's something! Slowly but surely making progress. 😎 Hope y'all enjoy!

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Tick tock... Tick tock... Tick tock...

That god forsaken sound was all that could be heard echoing from within the darkened room. A young girl lay restless on her bed as she watched the clock strike 12. Her eyes only growing heavier as each moment passed. She was tired. Oh so tired. Yet she knew sleep would never come, no matter how hard she tried. She felt nauseous, and her head was pounding. Chills ran down her entire body as a sinking feeling of dread twisted itself into the pit of her stomach. It was cold. Too cold.

Her eyes squeezed shut, in a silent prayer that it would all just go away. That for once, she could rest easy. But it never seemed to be enough. The thoughts that plagued her only growing worse as each night passed, flashing through her mind on repeat each time she so much as closed her eyes. Never had she felt so helpless, yet her tears had long since dried after the first few sob filled nights. All she could muster now was a sigh of defeat as she climbed out of bed, wrapping the blanket tightly around her shoulders in an attempt to cling onto whatever warmth she could. The floorboards creaked ever so slightly beneath her feet as she made her way over to her bedroom window, allowing moonlight to illuminate the small room as she drew back the curtains.

One might assume that the unknown of the night would only cause that feeling of unease to grow, yet the soft glow of the moon and sight of the star filled sky seemed to comfort her ever so slightly. The only thing that was able to bring her any sort of peace during nights like these. In fact, It wasn't uncommon to find her fast asleep on the window seat by the time morning came, her head resting upon the glass. Though tonight, she'd be lucky if she managed to get any sleep at all. It must have been over a week by now since that incident. Yet the memory was still as fresh in her mind as the day it had occured.

The weather had been perfect that afternoon. So of course, her mother had suggested she go outside to play in the garden. It was her favorite thing to do on days like these after all. Nothing had seemed out of the ordinary in the slightest. That was, aside from the young boy that stood just outside the gate. The one the girl had been too focused on the pretty flowers in front of her to notice. Though, it didn't take long for the sinking feeling of being watched to creep it's way into her stomach. It was odd to her, how unrecognizable he was. What with all the connections her parents had in the small town that they lived in. Yet, she didn't think much of it at all. Perhaps he had just moved in nearby, or was there visiting a family member. Whatever the case may have been, he looked rather lonely.

"Do you wanna come play with me?" The girl had innocently asked. Yet, the boy simply stood in silence. If not for the slow tilt of his head, she would have assumed he hadn't even heard her at all. It was as if he didn't understand a single word she spoke. It wasn't until she was about to ask him if he was alright that she noticed it. His eyes. His dark, hollow eyes staring straight at her. The longer he stared, the more afraid she became. Her heartbeat began to quicken, her breathe heavy as the air around her seemingly grew cold. Something was wrong. Very, very wrong. Everything inside her was telling her to run. To get away from there as quickly as possible. She could've easily made a break for the back door, but her legs felt numb. All she could do was watch helplessly as the boy's hand reached up to latch onto the gate. The voice that came out from his lips didn't even sound human, sending chills down her spine as he spoke. "G..Got....G...Games...?" He had asked as he continued to slowly climb over the gate, Who could've known that such a silly question could instill such fear.

The girl's chest began to tighten, to the point she could hardly breathe. Her hands flew to her head, tears streaming down her cheeks as she began to hyperventilate. Though somehow, in her panic induced state, she managed to pick up a small rock off the ground, swinging back her arm and launching it in the boy's direction as she screamed. "Go away... Go away... GO AWAY---"

It was at this that boy's face turned from that of a blank stare, to a look so contorted in fear that it looked as inhuman as the piercing shriek that ripped through his throat. The next few moments were all a blur. All she could remember was her father bursting through the back door, yelling things about "how the hell a curse managed to get in here." Of course, none of it made any sense to the girl. All she knew, was that what she had just experienced wasn't natural. No, it was something much, much darker. And she never wanted to see it again. Though as she would soon come to understand, the life that she had now found herself in was not one that was so easily left behind.

Ayume Nejireta never wanted to become a Jujutsu Sorcerer.

And yet, this was the path that had been laid out for her from the moment she was born. "You will be strong." They had said. "Protect the weak." After all, It was she who had been blessed with the power to change the world, wasn't it? Or at least, that's what she had been lead to believe by all those around her. She had heard the way her father had spoken of her, to man with the golden button that had arrived at their home just days later.

"Of all my four children, only my eldest daughter inherited the family technique." He had explained. "The curse she encountered was weak. Likely a grade 3 at best. But by the time I had arrived, she had completely incapacitated it. Had she been prepared for such a situation, I don't doubt she could've exorcised it herself."

The girl in question sat just outside the door, listening closely to every word he spoke. Just thinking about that dreadful afternoon and all those sleepless nights made her skin crawl. Never again. That's what she had been telling herself. It was the only thing keeping to her sane after that. Never again. But her father, it seemed, had different plans for her.

"She has potential. Under the care of Jujutsu Tech, I'm certain she'll be a great sorcerer." The smile never once fell from his face as he spoke. It was clear that he took great pride in his daughter, or rather, what she had done. Her "technique" as he called it. She had something her other siblings did not, and he would do whatever it took to ensure that it didn't go to waste. This was the chance their family had been waiting for. To make their name known to the rest of the Jujutsu world. All thanks to her, their beloved daughter. All according to plan.

Ayume Nejireta never wanted to become a Jujutsu Sorcerer.

And yet, this was the path that had been laid out for her from the moment she was born. And really, who was she to refuse?