【ｋｏｉ ｎｏ ｙｏｋａｎ】Yuta Okkotsu

𝙻𝚊𝚝𝚎 𝚗𝚒𝚐𝚑𝚝 𝚝𝚊𝚕𝚔𝚜

Kiomi Saki

This isn't normal. None of this should be normalised to a teenage girl, a child who eliminates curses up until the sun rises up. But there are some who are considered gifted. Blessed to be stronger by others, and at all cost protect the weak. Though those rules are unwritten, it should be common knowledge by everyone.

I open the door to the dorms, my breath heavy as I fight the urge to close my eyes. A full week of enduring the need to faint is what I have overcome, and it may as well become part of my life by now. They say it is all well, the safety of others- of the weak, ensured.

The strong shielding the weak.

I lazily take off my combat boots, not caring what noise I may make at this time of night as I let my back collapse onto the sofa. I feel my sight become a blur, the taste and smell of curses still lingering in the air, the face of a helpless man screaming and kicking whilst making it harder to exorcise the damned cursed spirit.

To hell with the weak.

My right arm lifts up to cover my eyes, exhaling through my nose as I feel myself getting lightheaded,
"I feel like dying today..."

I mutter, to absoloutely no one. Besides, who in god's name would still be up by this hour?

"Kiomi-san?"

For some reason, something in me warms up just by hearing the familiar voice. I pry my hand away slightly, only to be met by a cursed boy's dark silhouette in the dimly lit living room we both inhabit. His head peeked out from above the couch, leaning against the back of it while he looked down at me.

"Yuta..." I couldn't fight the small smile forming onto my face, a slight bit surprised that I was caught off guard and couldn't sense his presence.

"What...Why are you still awake?"
"I could ask the same to you."

I sit up slightly, propping myself up onto my elbows as I attempt to show a non exhausted grin, not like he could actually see it in such darkness.
"I just finished a mission...took longer than expected."

He doesn't at all seem satisfied with my answer. The change in atmosphere and posture could tell it all,
"Ah... alright then."
"You don't seem content with my answer, pretty boy."

And he answers a beat later,
"You're lying. Your missions usually take way longer than this."

Even without seeing him clearly, the frown on his face was as bright as the sun. Ever since our shared conversation in the sushi restaurant, Yuta and I have been conversing more and more frequently without experiencing an awkward silence.

So attentive, I let a chuckle slip past my lips. The thought of having someone who could actually be awake enough to hear me come through the door is actually frightening. Having someone else who also has a messed up sleep schedule, or mind, accompanying me in the lonely night.

I gave into a smile, "You were always awake, weren't you?"

A question that needed no answering to, making Yuta shake his head slightly as he walked to turn on the kitchen light instead.
"I never sleep- well at least I try not to..." his voice trails off, a yawn overcoming him as I sit up to get a better view of Yuta.

The way his eyes were begging to be closed shut, his slouched back and heavy eye bags were enough to make me feel slight pity. For a boy who claims to never sleep, he's done particularly well in waking up early each day. Of course he does. His drive to rid of the curse in him is what motivates him. His passion, his determination, his love towards her.

I pursed my lips at the thought of Rika, "Do you never try to talk to...you know...Rika?"

A laughable question it might be, humorous to Yuta probably as I expected him to topple over laughing. But then again, it's Yuta. The depressed cursed teenage boy I saved. The cursed boy merely smiles, holding his mug in one hand as he looks over to me.
"Not ever since being haunted by her face in my dreams, no."

I experienced it too, is what I wanted to say. Although nothing leaves my mouth, I give an understanding nod instead. After realising that the past would always chase me till my sleep, I was slightly grateful for the stockpile of missions that made me occupied. I stopped consulting with Elysia aswell, as she could only speak in riddles with no assistance with the matter.

"Sometimes when I do see a glimpse of the past Rika...I feel sick to my stomach."

I know the feeling.

"Knowing that I couldn't even do anything made me feel useless... even until now."

I've always felt that way.

"Sometimes I feel that Gojo-sensei was right… love is a twisted curse."

Love is for the weak.

I let out a hum, eyes casted down to instead look at my nails and speak whatever comes to my head, "He told me the same thing. But I thought it was so I would steer away from dating anyone."

And for a moment, I catch a glimpse of Yuta's sheepish look.
"You-you've never... had a lover?" he questions me, his cheeks flaring up into a vibrant pink while avoiding any form of eye contact. He sounds lost, astounded, even. It's as if the facts I conveyed to him were all white lies.

"Never really thought of having one, really. I admit that the topic of romance does hang higher in the books I read, but I've never experienced what it's like to be loved romantically by someone."

My explanation seemed to bring Yuta some courage to at least look me in the eye, his lips slightly parted at the information he received. He seems to stay like that for a moment, the same startled look looming on his features.

I take notes on his face features, softly lit up by the light shining right above the kitchen counter behind him. The colour on his face seemed to return after enrolling in Jujutsu High for a while, and he doesn't look as skinny and bony as he did. His hair was growing a tad bit longer, more fluffy but never kept neat. My gaze goes down to his lips, his slightly chapped, parted lips.

I feel myself getting warmer by the second, my heart thumping so loud I can almost throw it up. He looks at me, with such eyes that cloud so much thought. And I absolutely feel myself getting weaker just by this, and I absolutely hate it.

I return my gaze to his eyes,
"Too shocked to speak?"

Yuta flinches by the sound of my voice, almost as if he was in a haze whilst looking over at me. He then shakes his head, watching his unkept raven hair move as a blush rises to his ears. He covers his mouth with the back of his hand, eyes not meeting mine as I can barely make out his muffled voice,
"You're just... too pretty."

╰── ⋅ ⋅ ── ✩ ── ⋅ ⋅ ──╯

Author's note<3
So this is just a small thing I wrote down, just to show how Kiomi and Yuta grown on eachother!
Also please don't forget to vote and comment your thoughts!