Koi No Yokan (gojo x oc)

24. Special Grades

August 2007
4 months later.

"Reversed curse technique: voiding."

Shoko's bisected a number of test bodies for me. The skin begins to mend, wounds appearing to heal as time is reversed. My hands are already trembling, though. I can't breathe. Tracing a simple circle into the air is incredibly difficult. There's a powerful resistance I can't see. "One more," I beg myself, but the strain is so great that it hurts. Like skin turning raw in the cold, despite the blazing sun above us.

I lose control again. The previously steady stream of cursed energy ruptures out aimlessly, slicing the corpse into more than two pieces. I keel over onto my knees, crimson flecking into the dirt.

"You're overdoing it," Shoko says.

"She's right, Kaede-chan." Suguru's shoes arrive beneath my gaze. "Why go through all this trouble? Even if you reverse time on these bodies, there's no soul to bring them back to life."

I'm panting. "Once I figure this out, I can learn how to heal more than just test dummies."

"You're more likely to burn out before ever getting to that point," Shoko says plainly. "It's possibly you've hit your limit—"

"No!" Suguru is taken aback, but Shoko remains steady. I think she already knows I have no intentions of giving up. "I have to do this. I have to get stronger."

"You're already immeasurably strong."

"It's not enough."

Suguru's amber eyes try to study my desperation, the deep seeded fear beneath my skin. "Who are you doing this for?"

He's unaware of the promise I made a year ago, upon which everything depends. To think that days prior we had the intention of running away. I think back to that plan often, wondering what could have been. Had we gone through with it, though, I wouldn't have Satoru. "Don't tell anyone the experiment failed today." I pinch my nose to slow the blood flow. "We'll try again in a few days."

In the nearest bathroom, I clean the blood from my face. My complexion is leached of color, the darkness beneath my eyes more prominent than before.

It's hard to imagine I used to be considered the strongest. With the progress Satoru's made in such a short span of time, it's hard to remember any of us were considered strong at all. Only yesterday, he solidified automatic selection of targets. Before that, leaving his technique on at all times. With Reverse Cursed Technique constantly providing him a fresh palette, he'll never burn out the way I do. It won't be long before he figures out Domain Expansion or lost distance teleportation—the last two attributes I hold over him. If anything, he expects me to teach him. That was the point of our promise, wasn't it, to help one another get strong? I don't think Satoru realizes, though, how far behind he's left me.

The sole echo of my footsteps is joined by the rapid tread of another. The enormous clatter of my back against a vending machine follows. The glass chills me from behind, but my front is coated in an immense layer of warmth. Satoru seals his lips against mine fervently, kissing me as if he'd been restrained for years. His hand slips beneath the fabric of my top, pulling the edge of my bra up to take my bare breast into his hand. In pace with the kiss, his fingers begin to massage my skin.

I break away. "Didn't you get enough this morning?"

"You think I could ever get enough of you?" His lips travel down to my neck, sucking harshly to make bruises Shoko will have to heal. His fingers continue kneading my chest.

A voice I don't recognize travels down the hall. "Well, what do we have here?"

Satoru pauses, "We're busy," before his mouth and hands brazenly resume.

"That's a shame. I was looking for you two."

He leaves hardly any room for me to turn my head. When I do, I make out a tall woman with strong features. It's embarrassing to see her blatantly watching, but I know Satoru enjoys it. He likes being able to act as if we can do whatever, whenever, we pleased. It makes us seem powerful—made him feel powerful.

"If you want to watch," his voice vibrates into my throat, "At least be quiet."

"Even if I wanted to speak with my fellow special grades?"

Satoru stops immediately, and pulls his hand out from my shirt. "Special grade?"

The blonde's thumb proudly points in her direction. "Tsumoko Yuki."

The name registers in my mind. Tsumoko Yuki, the first special grade of our generation.

"What's with the sour look, Uematsu-san? You should have seen how excited I was to learn a new special grade came around, and a young girl too! I've been dying to meet you."

"Then where have you been?" I know the answer already: loafing around abroad instead of accepting any sort of mission. Frankly, I couldn't tell whether the idea of Tsumoko Yuki fascinates or disgusts me. How many more could have been saved if she weren't so determined to go her own path? How much peace does hse feel taking a step away?

"I've had a mission of my own," she says. "Research to create a world without curses."

"A world without curses?" Satoru scoffs. "And how do you think you'll do that?"

"There's two possibilities." She holds her fingers up. "One, you eliminate cursed energy. Two, you teach everyone to harness their own cursed energy."

"And how has that research gone for you so far?"

To this, Tsumoko frowns, which tells us she knows nothing beyond idealistic theories. "I've learned a lot, believe it or not. There's tons of possibilities if the higher-ups would bother to acknowledge them, instead of running things the way they do now."

"I thought there were only 'two' possibilities," I say. I've made my decision, she disgusts me. While charismatic and charming, Tsumoko claims to help a cause she puts no real effort towards. The way I see it, the world we live in will never allow the elimination of cursed energy or non-sorcerers, so, "Why waste your time fighting nature, when you could just help innocent people?"

"Those innocent people are the source of curses in the first place," she states matter-of-factly. "Jujutsu hardly give off any negative energy. The rest of the population—"

"Could spend their entire lives trying to learn how to harness Jujutsu, but they can't. I've seen them try."

"It's a working science," Tsumoko shrugs. "Anyway, I didn't come here to argue. In fact, I hope all four of us can get along as special grades. Geto-san was quite an interesting brain to pick." She laughs to herself. "I was going to ask you what your type is, Gojo-san, but I think I've already discovered the answer. You make a handsome pair."

Tsumoko begins to walk away, but turns back at the last second, "Oh, right, one thing. You don't need to worry about the Star Plasma Vessel." I feel my limbs tense at the mere mention of it. "Either there was already another Star Plasma Vessel at the time, or a new Star Plasma Vessel has already been born. Either way, Tengen is stable."

Right, Tengen's stable, that's what matters.

Satoru reaches for my waist once Tsumoko is gone. "I can't believe I stopped for that."

"Apparently Suguru already spoke with her," I say, "I wonder what he makes of all of that."

"Probably thinks it's bullshit too." He laughs. "A world with no cursed energy. Before you know it pigs will start flying."