Corpse Flowers [Jujutsu Kaisen]

🥀 Chapter Eleven 🥀

Manjushage Seiran was silent as she looked down at the sleeping body of Fushiguro Tsumiki, the beautiful teenager laid in her favourite pink turtleneck as if she would be waking up any moment to greet her. The girl was not related to Seiran in any shape or form, yet over the past several years, Seiran had essentially considered her to be one of her own. It was a heart wrenching site to see her like this – comatose with no clue when she would open those twinkling eyes of hers.

Next to Seiran was her niece, and as she looked toward the young girl, she noticed the despondent look on her face. Shion was clearly attempting to hide her expression behind the long curtain of her wine-coloured hair, but Seiran could see right through her. It was not something that could be hidden from her eyes, these negative feelings that she was experiencing. Seiran felt sorry for her.

Kageyama Shion was a girl of sunny disposition, yet she did not speak very much as she brushed Tsumiki's hair for her, tying them into a neat braid and setting them on her shoulder. Shion finally turned her lilac-white eyes toward her aunt, the emotion apparent in those featureless eyes.

"I miss Tsukimi-Chan," mumbled Shion in a rather disheartened tone of voice. "I wish I could have been able to do something for her that day... it feels so terrible to see her and Megumi-Chan like this..."

Fushiguro Megumi had, understandably, taken the condition of his sister rather hard. Seiran had met with him when he had asked her to do something, and he had been distraught when he learned that Tsumiki had to wake up all on her own. Ever since that day, Shion had mentioned that Megumi changed.

Even Satoru had mentioned this to Seiran, and she had been crossed with him upon seeing how he had taken this situation. He was glad that it had prompted Megumi on the path of Sorcerer training, even if the situation was otherwise very unfortunate. Seiran had admonished him for him until he promised that he wouldn't mention it in front of the kids.

"I know, my love," Seiran spoke gently as she brought Shion into a hug, allowing the young girl to seek some solace with her. "I am doing my best to see if there is anything we can do for Tsumiki-Chan. I do miss her very much as well... seeing you, Megumi-Chan and Tsumiki-Chan together..."

During her coma, Tsukimi had been located to a secure location where she would not be further harmed. Seiran visited the girl often, and Shion would accompany her. On other occasions, Shion would visit on her own, or sometimes she would accompany Megumi. Every time, there would be a change of those beautiful lilacs and baby pink flowers in the vase next to Tsumiki's bed.

At the same time, there was a sense of dread arising in Seiran whenever she thought about Shion going out on her own. She did not want anything to happen to her niece, and so, she encouraged her to stay home more often and trained her even more extensively to make sure she would be safe.

With her natural affinity toward Cursed Energy manipulation and her natural ability to pick up things quickly, Shion was breezing through her training. And as she and her aunt left Tsumiki's room, an animated animal made of light followed after them, first appearing in the form of an owl as it flew to them and then a cat as it sat down upon Shion's shoulder.

It was quiet between the pair of them as they walked down the hallway, hoping to return home safe and sound just in time for dinner. Seiran was lost in her thoughts as she made her way through the darkened corridor, her mind trailing away toward none other than Getou Suguru.

Getou Suguru – the man who had once been one of her closest friends, her partner throughout her work as a young Sorcerer, her ideal man whom she believed would be her first and her last when it came to love. It had been such a long time since Seiran had last seen him, and even with the little news that she would hear of him, the heinous of the most heinous of his whereabouts, Seiran yearned to see him one more time. Yet she kept herself away from even the thought of it as –