Fragility (Jujutsu Kaisen)

~ Chapter 23 ~

The couple felt a new sense of togetherness with their feelings out in the open. They couldn't say they were back to normal, though; their relationship had a different level of maturity. Their parents quickly noticed the shift, followed by their friends, as they returned to the school by each other's side. Satoru and Sachiko felt they had a higher level of trust and empathy for each other; for once, Sachiko didn't dread the future.

As the school year progressed, Satoru found himself getting busier and busier with solo missions while Sachiko spent her spare time trying to research the Chiyo family. Yu and Nanami were happy to help, but they believed it was just that she had an intense curiosity about the death paintings' curse wombs. Over the month, they found themselves in the library almost every night. Sometimes, Sachiko just read through the books they had found, or she sent them to work finding more references for her keywords. 'Noritoshi', 'Chiyo' and 'Death Paintings' were simple, but the less she told the two boys, the more they wanted to know. 

They were sitting in class when Yaga interrupted their lesson: "Sachiko, come with me, please." he ordered. The girl stared at him momentarily before she got up and followed him into the hallway. They were silent for most of the journey; she glanced around at their surroundings, trying to figure out where he was taking her. Soon, they stood at the entrance to the path of Tombs of the Star. "It was mentioned to Tengen that one of our students was searching for the history of the Chiyo family and the Death Paintings. They didn't care until it was mentioned you were a Hanabusa and a Chiyo child, so you have been granted special access to the cursed warehouse where the Death Paintings are stored." 

"You're kidding me, right?" Sachiko asked, blinking at him. She waited for him to make a joke, but he just stared back at her blankly. She shook her head and stared down the path. It wasn't too long ago she was running for her life on this path. Now, she didn't know what to do. She was a little afraid to see cursed objects related to her. "Or not. I would prefer if Satoru could come down with me." 

"You are the only one who has been granted access. Not that I would ever allow someone like Satoru to have access to this cursed warehouse." Yaga shouted, making the girl wince as she rolled her eyes. She let out a long sigh before she started walking down the path. As she passed the various landmarks Yaga had told her to follow, a slight discolouring on the ground made her stop.

Sachiko felt her heart contort as she cupped her hand over her mouth in an attempt to repress the gag. She closed her eyes for a moment before looking back down at the blood stain that sprayed off in a single direction. The blood stain of someone who was shot by a bullet. She never had a chance to mourn the death of Riko. Suguru had told her what had happened, but their attacker had taken her body. Satoru had taken it back, but Sachiko was on bed rest still when her body was dealt with.  

The teen took a deep breath and continued along the path until she reached the door of the Cursed warehouse. Sachiko stared up at the large door, her eyebrows frowning. She could feel something pulling her towards it, a sense of unfamiliar familiarity, a contradiction that made her weary. Her eyes drifted to the smaller door on the side. She walked over to it, opened the door and flicked the light switch. 

Hundreds of artifacts and cursed objects were stacked on shelves and behind locked glass boxes. The curse energy within the room was astronomical, but the same unknown pull was the only thing that had Sachiko's attention. She walked down a few rows before turning and walking to the end, the lights turning on and off automatically as she got closer. Nine jars sat on the table, all labelled from one to nine. Each other had a small embryonic curse floating in liquid, but Sachiko knew that despite their appearance, they were also human. 

The feeling returned as she stared at them, as though she was being reunited with a long-missing loved one. She slowly reached down and picked up the first one, her thumb lightly brushing over the glass as she admired it. "You're Choso, the eldest. My ancestor was your brother, though it's hard to believe seeing your form. Your mother and I are one and the same."