Corpse Flowers [Jujutsu Kaisen]

🥀 Chapter Five 🥀

Four hours had passed since the bounty upon Amanai Riko had been lifted, which had caused Manjushage Seiran to feel the very first sense of relief since their mission had begun. And she only felt much better when they arrived back at the Jujutsu High with Riko. Seiran knew that only more troubles awaited her in the future, but she was relieved to be back here, to the only place she considered home.

"Everyone!" spoke up Geto Suguru as they stepped through the last barrier and into their school's protection. "We can take it easy for a bit now... we're inside the Jujutsu High's barrier!"

"What a relief!" cheered Riko up.

"Yes..." agreed Misato, letting out a sigh of relief after everything that had happened with her and with Riko. "I'm relieved,"

"Satoru-Kun," Seiran said as she looked toward the white-haired boy, and she could see just how exhausted he appeared. Satoru looked toward him. "Thank you for working hard and protecting us all,"

Those words cheered Satoru up at once, much to his returned fervour, "Anything for you, my love! But I have to say, no more! No more babysitting for me! I only want to sleep in the arms of my baby!"

Even from here, Seiran felt Satoru let go of his Barrier Technique, and he immediately reached to throw his arms around her – but just as his long arms circled around her shoulders, a piercing feeling went through her chest. Her eyes widened, meeting with the shocked look in Satoru's as they were strung on the same sword.

"Do I..." forced out Satoru as he looked over his shoulder to find a faintly familiar man standing behind him, having stabbed right through him and Seiran. "... know you from somewhere?"

"Don't sweat it," responded the man's gravely voice, unfazed by the young boy's question. "I'm not one to remember some dude's name either,"

It took Seiran a moment to get a proper glimpse of the man behind that voice, and she found the attacker to be a tall and heavily muscular man. His straight, unruly black hair reached his ears and were sitting open, and he had deep green eyes with thin black eyebrows – and the most striking feature about him was a scar on the corner of his right lip.

But what did catch her attention about the man who had attacked them was his clothing. Seiran found them fairly recognisable – a tight-fitting short sleeve shirt, tan baggy training pants with a black belt weaved through the waist and black martial arts slippers. She could always recognise a person associated with the Zen'in, even with no Curse Energy.

"I once went to see the Gojo kid with the Six Eyes..." commented Fushiguro Toji. "... to see what the fuss was all about," He glanced at Satoru. "It was only one of two occasions that anyone was aware of my presence when I stood behind them. Second only to the pretty girl with you,"

Now, everything made sense to Seiran, as she recovered from her surprise. She had seen this man before, long ago, when her grandmother had dragged her along with herself to visit the Zen'in Family. This very man, looking as old as he was, had approached her in secret but she had fled from him, having disliked every man of every age in that Clan with the way they looked at her.

"You remember me, don't you, young lady?" asked Toji as he grinned at her. "You were a pretty girl then, and you're beautiful now. I've never met a more attractive woman before – of course, you're strong, too, along with that Romeo over here. That's why I waited until you were both worn down,"

As their blood spilled to the ground and mixed together, both Seiran and Satoru moved quickly, with the girl repelling the sword out of their bodies and Satoru forcing the man into the air, taking him by surprise. And much to his further shock, Suguru swept into an attack immediately as well.