Fragility (Jujutsu Kaisen)

~ Chapter 28 ~

The only sounds in the darkroom were the heavy breaths of the three scared teenagers. They had managed to lure their stalkers into the building, but they hadn't counted on them putting up a barrier—one that took away what little light allowed them to see in the abandoned house.

"They are coming up from the right and left doorway," Sachiko whispered. Her vines leeched from her feet and were spread out throughout the house. She could feel each step and breath, but attacking them would remove them from this new sense. They slowly walked towards them like a fly into a web. Despite the fear and adrenaline that flooded her veins, she was confident they would win.

Sachiko flung her arm out, smacking Yu in the cheek, but it saved him from having a knife stabbed into his face. She groaned in pain as it lodged into her arm, but the room suddenly filled with the sounds of fighting. Grunting, scratching and thuds, yet their vision showed nothing.

Despite the vines, a man managed to sneak up on Sachiko. She felt his hand on her shoulder before the electrical signals tried to fire in her lower back, then just pure heat. Without a second to think, she let out a roar of anger as she swung around to hit the man. She could just make out the golden teeth in his mouth as the branch struck him in the face, sending him to the ground.

She tried to use her vines to keep track of him, but her feet were suddenly knocked out from underneath her. The connection she had with them was broken off as a hand wrapped around her ankle and dragged her away from her friends.

"Sachiko?!" she heard Nanami yell as she made out his shadow, searching through the dark space. She placed her hand on the ground, grabbing a few different vines, and with a burst of power, she grew a tree so tall it busted through the ceiling, filling the room with enough light to make out the person in front of them.

She flipped around, twisting her ankle as she kicked at the man's hand, forcing him to release her; they had barely made it through the doorway. He stood over her with that sickening grin. She saw the blade again appear as he gave a low chuckle, her eyes shining with fear, starting at the man. "I can see you guessed it, Kid; I loved taking their wombs. They had to be intact, but they said nothing about the rest of the body..."

"You are disgusting." She growled as she slowly stood up.

"I know, isn't it great?!" He said, holding his arms out. She went in for a punch, but he blocked it easily. He held the knife against his chin as though it was nothing; she managed to get her fear under control as she waited for an opening. "I don't have my brother's artistry, but I have his passion. You should have seen the lamp he made of the young kid that he killed a few years back. It's in my living room! He's so generous, and his craftsmanship is great."

She went in for a sidekick. He grabbed her ankle and twisted it, forcing her face into the ground as she fell. He admired the bottom of her feet and even held the other one up, "Let me go." She felt something wet touch her feet, and she let out a scream as she tried to rip them from his grip.

"Look at the scars on these babies. I've never seen such beautiful soles. I must take them as a souvenir, maybe a key holder..." He said as he felt his wet tongue travel across her feet again; she screamed out against her as she tried to get her arms underneath her. She pushed herself up and tucked them under her so a plant grew straight up, uppercutting him. He dropped her, and she fell flat against the ground before she scrambled to get back up. "You put up a lot more fight than the others. We didn't attack you because the school and the Gojo kid would be there to protect you, but it seems we underestimated you."

"You sure did, and you will not be leaving here alive. I promise you that," She growled, her eyes locked on the small cut on his chin. He laughed at her notion, but it was too late for him; a vine had crept so slowly up behind him and circled around his neck. The vine tugged him down the ground, winding the man. He struggled against it, but she sat down on his chest.