REVENGE「GOJO SATORU X OC」

THIRTEEN

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Chapter Thirteen: This Is Not A Coincidence. But I wish It Were.

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AKI looked down at the boy in the bed. He was laying on his stomach, his shirt off, with his head buried into a pillow. His back tensed as a woman held a cloth there, already stained with his blood. Two other teenagers stood against the wall, worry laced on their features.

"Gojo, there you are," The woman said, turning to look up at him. "Jujutsu isn't healing it."

"It won't," Aki said, walking forward. "Wounds caused by demons don't react to healing techniques."

Gojo crouched next to the bed, placing his hand on the boy's sandy-blonde hair. He moved his face away from the pillow and looked at him. Gojo frowned.

"What happened?" Gojo asked.

"I-I don't know," He grimaced.

"We were walking back after a mission," The girl against the wall said. "We just heard Yuuji scream and looked back to see a shadow whip past and Yuuji fall to the ground."

"A shadow?" Aki echoed. "You didn't see what it looked like?"

"It was too dark to see," The boy replied.

Aki looked around before she found a box full of gloves. She took a pair out before slipping her hands in them. Ieiri moved back, carefully removing the cloth she'd been using to help control the blood.

Three deep gashes lined the middle of his back. Claws had been dug into his skin, tearing the flesh into almost shreds. Bruises had begun to form around the wound, showing the trauma and the force of the attack.

"Three marks. It's a taunt," Aki said. "This kid's been targeted."

"By what?" Gojo demanded.

"Not really sure," She muttered. She turned and faced the Ieiri. "Could I get a suture needle and some thread?"

"Of course," She nodded. She pushed a cart towards her, making her thank the woman.

"What's your name, kid?" Aki asked, lifting a needle and she flicked the air out of it. She injected it into the back of his neck.

"I-Itadori Yuuji," He replied, relaxing after a minute.

"If it's alright with your teacher, Itadori, I'm gonna be tagging along with you for a while," She said, threading the needle.

"W-What does it mean that he's been targeted?" The girl asked. Aki finally remembered her name as Kugisaki. The other boy was Fushiguro.

"To put it into simple terms, a demon has found him suitable for something. Whether that be killing him, possessing him, or making some sort of deal with him, this mark will tell other demons that he's already been claimed," She replied, tying the thread off as she finished stitching the first wound. "The demon will usually lurk around until they find the perfect moment to strike."

"Is there any way to track the demon?" Fushiguro asked.

"Oh, I've already found it," She said, making them all look at her in surprise. "Koko's handling it now. I found it when I came inside. It followed you here."

"So demons can get past the veil that keeps the curses out," Kugisaki said.

"Is there any way to seal the school to keep them away?" Gojo asked.

"Get me a bottle of olive oil," She replied, placing the equipment away after she wiped the blood away from the wounds. "I'll anoint the school."

She took her gloves off and tossed them onto the tray. She took the string from around her neck, showing the vial hanging there. She took the cork off before dipping some onto her finger. She grabbed Itadori's head and turned it to face her, drawing a cross with the liquid on his forehead.

"Holy water," Gojo explained.

"It'll ward any demons off of you. You two, come here," She beckoned. "If it's after your friend, it'll be after you next."

"So what do we do? Lock the school down?" Kugisaki laughed.

"In fact, that's a great idea," Aki turned on her heel to face Gojo. "Make every student report back to their classes. Keep everyone in the school. I'm going to go around and anoint the place to create wards. I'm also going to survey the surrounding hundred-meter perimeter looking for a nest. In the meantime, do me a favor."

"Yeah, what's that?" Gojo asked, rising to his feet.

She opened the door. "Tell Nathaniel to get his bitch ass up here."

As she left the room, she left a lingering presence. She paused in the hallway, waiting for the feeling to go away. It didn't. So she turned around and walked back into the room. Her attention fell to Ieiri.

"Odd question: do you still have the bodies of the sorcerers?"

Ieiri and Gojo exchanged a glance. "They're being transferred in an hour. I can take you to them."

"Wonderful," She said, following the woman out of the room. She walked down the hall before turning to the left, opening a metal door.

"They're in here. Just don't mess anything up on them, alright?" She said. "They're being returned so they can be buried."

"I won't," She replied. "I just need to check something. In the meantime, could you wrap up Itadori's wounds? Cover them entirely."

Ieiri nodded and let the door shut behind her. Aki walked to the row of tables, reaching forward to read the tag attached to their toe. She walked up to the body, pulling the sheet back. She looked down at his face, a slight frown on her face. She looked around until she found a pair of gloves. She walked back to the body, rolling it over onto its side.

Her breath hitched. She quickly returned the body back to its original position and check the rest of the bodies. She quickly disposed of her gloves and rushed down the hall. She swung open the door to the infirmary.

"He is not to leave this school," She said, turning to Gojo. "I don't give a shit who I need to argue with, but this kid is not leaving these premises."

"Why?" He asked.

"What's going on?" Itadori asked.

She walked to the windows and drew the curtains shut, moving around the room as she yanked them all shut. She took the slip of paper from her pocket and then took her phone out.

"Aki," Gojo said. "Explain."

She looked up from her phone, her lips pulled into a frown.

"It's the same fucking demon."

Gojo frowned at her. "What do you mean? This thing is after Itadori now?"

"W-What?!"

"Calm down," She said. "I'm going to kill it. But if you want to survive you need to stay here. I'm going to put a ward up. It'll keep everything; curses and demons alike out."

"Where are you going?" Gojo asked, watching as she began towards the door.

"To find this goddamn sanctuary," She replied. "Tell Nathan to be prepared to decipher a lot of books."

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