TO LOVE A MONSTER ❪ jujutsu kaisen ❫

ii: introductions to an oblivious victim.

TOKYO JUJUTSU HIGH, NOVEMBER 2016.

Tokyo Jujutsu High is a picture of serenity with widely spaced buildings making up the school grounds and lush trees hiding it from the view of others. Kaori holds on tightly to her white suitcase ❪ containing all of her meager belongings ❫ when she spies the two figures waiting for her. The taller one is a man with hair whiter than her's, bandages looping around his powerful eyes, a friendly smile on his face. Gojo Satoru, a God amongst Jujutsu folk. A single raise of his eyebrow sends people shrinking back but Kaori has been through worse than a man who knows his own worth so she returns his gaze evenly, bowing. "Gojo-sama," she greets before turning to the other man. He has tanned skin and wears thick sunglasses, his figure strong and sturdy. "Principal Yaga,"

"'Gojo-sama'?" the man repeats, lips twitching with amusement. "How polite, and how utterly expected of the Fujiwara heir," Kaori refuses to flinch at the unfamiliar term. That was her cover story; the child of Fujiwara Tooru finally coming to take her place among the Jujutsu Sorcerers. It had made Tooru's lip curl in disgust to think of her as his daughter but he was willing to do anything to gain more control over the Higher Ups. He was playing a delicate game of chess, controlling all the factors to make sure he emerged at the top. "Just call me Gojo Sensei, Kaori-kun," he is all too cheerful in a way that sours Kaori's mood, but why would he ever need to be wary? His carefree nature comes from his power, and as long as he is powerful, he will be nothing other than lax.

"Kaori-san," Yaga greets, gestures inside. "Let us go. The other students have been aware of your transfer and are looking forward to it," Kaori nods back, keeping silent as she observes the school. Its traditional decor is sturdier than most, made to withstand the massive cursed energy carried by its students and faculty, and the familiarity of the sliding doors acts as a balm to her nerves. Yaga abandons them after a while, smiling at Kaori before barking an order for Gojo to 'behave himself'. Gojo simply smiles mischievously, crooking his finger in a gesture for her to follow him.

"Yuuta!" he calls, rapping his knuckles against a bedroom door. It slides open, revealing Okkotsu Yuuta in all his glory. He isn't as big of a menace as the Higher Ups emphasized, Kaori thinks to herself. In fact, Yuuta is quite pathetic. Despite being extremely tall, he hunches over as if he's trying to make himself appear small, fearing taking up more space than needed. The green of his eyes is more pronounced by the black marks smeared under his nervously fluttering lids, and those eyes widen further when they make contact with Kaori. She doesn't understand why he's so anxious. The cursed energy around him makes up for his nervousness though, thick and tangible, settling like heavy weights around Kaori's body. She feels her own power stir under her skin, pushing it down impatiently.

"Gojo Sensei, I thought you were going to head straight to the classroom and wait for me there?" his voice is soft, nearly a whisper.

"I was," the teacher agrees before wrapping an arm around Kaori's shoulders. She resists the urge to stab him, forcing her tense body to somewhat relax. She can feel Gojo's eyes on her, curious because of her surname and the mystery behind her perfectly shrouded appearance. She expects the scrutiny, almost welcoming it because his happy demeanor is too overwhelming, something unexpected that accosts the expected. "This is Fujiwara Kaori! She's new too," Yuuta smiles at her, timid and shy. It sweetens his face, making him look more like a teenager than a traumatized man with the worries of the world on his shoulders.

"Nice to meet you,"

"Nice to meet you, Okkotsu-san," she echoes the sentiment. Gojo claps his hands abruptly, beaming.

"Alright, let's go and meet the rest of the First Years!" he turns and nearly skips, the action so ridiculous that Kaori blinks at him for a moment before following obediently. Yuuta fidgets next to her as they walk together, most likely unnerved by the silence of her footsteps and the lack of words, but Kaori doesn't feel the need to fill it. She is here, she reminds herself, to get a glimpse and understanding of Okkotsu Yuuta's weaknesses, to find a way to counteract his strengths and crush him. They stand outside the door as they wait for Gojo's voice to call out to them. Up close, Kaori can feel Yuuta's Curse and can see it hover around Yuuta's figure while glaring at her. She's unperturbed, only slightly disturbed by the level of obsession it has with the boy. It's one thing to be Cursed, it's another thing to know that the Curse once used to be someone close to you. She shakes off the thoughts as soon as they come. She is here to kill, she thinks to herself sternly, not to feel sympathy for the boy. Yuuta Okkotsu is Cursed, and he is Cursed for a reason. She can not underestimate the boy simply because of his pathetic nature.

"Come in, you two," she walks a few steps behind Yuuta, watching as the First Year's eyes widen at the horrific amounts of cursed energy rolling off him. She moves quickly to the side as soon as the green haired girl flies forward, and stares as the trio of First Years glower at Yuuta.

"Don't you know that you're Cursed?" the green haired girl seems to be the natural leader, lips curved into a sneer. She's pretty, like a warrior with her dark hair tied up, the sharp panes of her face made harder by the glare in her amber eyes. "This is a place to learn about Curses, not a place for the Curse to be hanging around," her words are harsh and spat out just as venomously. Yuuta swallows, wilting in front of their grim expressions as what looks like a Panda and a boy with light hair surround him with equal venom.

"Curse?" he repeats, the word rolling off unfamiliarly on his tongue.

"The number of people that die mysterious deaths or go missing in Japan is over ten thousand a year on average," Gojo says from where he's leaning against the wall. "A majority of those are actually not accidents. They're caused by Curses, born from negative emotions. Among them are also some evil cases, caused by Curse Users. You see, only Curses can affect other Curses. This place is where we learn Curses to exorcise Curses. Welcome to Tokyo Jujutsu High School," the expression on Yuuta's face plainly shows that all of this information is new to him, and Kaori frowns.

"Do you not even know that?" she questions, pursing her lips when her words make him wallow further.

"Don't be so callous, Kaori-kun!" Gojo scolds her lightly. "Yuuta was nothing more than a normal human before he came here," Kaori begs to differ. Normal human or not, the boy is Cursed and there's something in him that caused it. Curses are drawn to each other, she remembers, and there must be some aspect of Yuuta that caused him to be the way he is now. "I suggest you step away now," the First Years blankly echo out a 'what?', and Kaori steps back when she sees gnarled arms reach out of the blackboard. They grab the girl's cursed tool with a ferocious grip, further coming out of the shadows and revealing its twisted face. Its as horrendous looking as other Curses, except its fangs twist into a snarl as it starts to say a few words. Its voice is as wretched as its appearance, mangled and distorted until it spins between the voice of an innocent girl and a jealous witch.

"Don't bully Yuuta!"