Megumi x Y/n | Set In Stone

18 - Drowning

Maki Zenin's POV (ten minutes prior)

The elevator buzzed as it came to a halt at the first level. The doors slid open to reveal a hallway with indoor plants by the walls and shining marble tiled floors.

"Alright, where should we look first?" I asked.

Toge and Panda stepped out of the elevator and I followed behind them. Toge pointed to a sign that read 'Swimming pool'.

"A swimming pool, huh?" I replied, "Well that would explain why people from random levels have gone missing."

I followed the boys along the hallway, following the sign's arrows that indicated it was at the end of the hallway. Panda opened a pair of large glass doors and the three of us entered the indoor pool.

Nothing seemed out of the ordinary; the pool was large and filled with clear water so still that the surface looked like glass.

"Can you feel the cursed energy, Toge?" Panda asked.

"Salmon."

"It seems to be coming from the pool."

"Don't tell me we're going for a swim," I groaned, remembering that it was that time of month.

Panda stuck a foot in. "Don't worry, it's not that  cold."

I could tell quite easily that he was lying. Toge unzipped his jacket and threw it on a nearby pool lounge chair, revealing the black curse marks on either side of his mouth.

"I'll keep a lookout while you guys go for a swim," I told them.

"No, I'll keep lookout," Panda objected, "You and Toge go in."

"What? No, you can go in," You said, "You said the water was nice."

"Yeah, well... I lied."

"That's a terrible reason to not go in. At least I actually have a reason!"

"No you don't, you just don't want to go in because it's too cold for you!"

"Idiot, I'm no pussy! I'm not afraid of a bit of cold water!"

"What's your reason, then?"

"What's your reason!?"

"No, I asked first!"

"Don't care!"

"Salmon cod roe!" Toge yelled, grabbing our attention. He then told us in rice ball ingredients to give our reasoning.

"Fine, well if you really have to know..." Panda mumbled hesitantly.

There was a short silence. Then Panda and I said at the same time:

"I'm on my period."

"I can't swim."

There was another moment of silence. Then Panda pointed at me and said, "But you can still swim!"

"No I can't! Why can't you swim!?"

"I'm a living stuffed teddy-bear! Whenever I go in water, my body soaks up the water and I sink immediately!"

"Bullshit, have you even tried to swim before–"

"Shut up!" Toge yelled, making the two of us stop. He then gestured from the pool to him, communicating that he would go by himself.

Before his cursed technique wore off and I could speak again, he dived into the pool. I watched as he swum deeper and seemingly disappeared through the pool's floor.

Then I realised that Toge shouldn't even be in there, anyway.

When my voice returned, I told Panda, "He can't use his cursed speech underwater!"

"I knew we should've waited for Gojo-sensei!" 

I looked back to the pool and walked up to it.

"Maki, wait–"

I dived in before I could hear the rest.

The surroundings underwater completely changed the moment my head was underwater. The pool appeared to be infinitely deep and dark. Unconscious bodies in bathers surrounded me, who all appeared to be dead. Panda was right; the water temperature was freezing.

I swam towards one young girl who lay in the water and felt for a pulse. Strangely, I could feel the low beating of her heart, even though she was underwater and getting no oxygen.

She wasn't breathing, either; nor was anyone else in the pool. Whatever cursed technique was placed on them was keeping them from needing to breathe to survive.

I looked below to see Toge hurriedly swimming to the surface, looking as if he was almost out of oxygen.

I breached the water with him, breathing in fresh air. He was gasping and coughing.

"Pretty dumb of you to go in there by yourself," I said.

He glared at me, and I knew exactly why. Maybe I shouldn't have wasted time arguing about who was going in, anyway.

Before I could say anything else, I felt something long and muscly wrap around my leg. I was pulled into the water so fast it took Toge a second to register.

"STOP!" He yelled at the water, but it was too late. I was being pulled underwater so fast that I could no longer see him after a second and couldn't see much after two. The water was murkier and dark since it was harder for light to reach, but I could still see what had captured me.

A giant, glowing yellow eye peered at me with a rectangular pupil, the kind of eye belonging to an octopus or squid. The face was large and reminded me of a squid, too, except it had strange glowing curse marks surrounding its eyes. A long tentacle had wrapped around my leg, cutting off the blood circulation to it.

I tried to break free of the tentacle, but suddenly felt a sharp, agonising pain shoot through my leg. Large spikes, similar to teeth, had poked out from the suckers of the tentacle, shooting through my skin and latching onto my leg.

I grabbed a cursed weapon out of my uniform pocket and slashed at the tentacle. This did nothing; the curse's skin was too tough to break through. 

In response, the curse smacked me with another tentacle, knocking the weapon out of my hand and knocking the glasses off my face. Now I couldn't see the curse.

I could feel myself running out of oxygen. It made my lungs burn and my head grow dizzy. I prayed that Gojo and the first-years would get here soon.

Curses that have adapted to survive underwater are no match for even some of the strongest Jujutsu Sorcerers. Martial arts skills can no longer be used, meaning I'm useless underwater. Cursed techniques that require speech can't be used, either. Not to mention we have limited time underwater due to lack of oxygen.

I knew the first-years would be our best hope. Out of the ten shikigami Megumi has, two are aquatic ones. I wondered if Y/n could use their cursed technique underwater, too.

I was starting to lose consciousness. Gojo-sensei and the first years better get here soon.