Between the Darkness and Light | Satoru Gojo x OC

- Chapter 16: An Unsettling Encounter -

Morning comes quicker than I thought it would. I wake up feeling slightly more sore than usual. I slowly drag myself out of bed, stretching my limbs to loosen the kinks. I grab a change of clothes and head to the shower.

The feeling of the hot water running over my body is soothing. It's like the heat is washing away not only the physical fatigue, but the mental one as well. I let out a low sigh of contentment as I let the water run over my body. I wash myself quickly, eager to get the day over with.

I wrap a towel around my body and exit the bathroom, making my way to my bedroom. After drying off, I change into an old white t-shirt and gray sweatpants, the perfect outfit for training.

I don't bother doing my hair, knowing it was going to be messed up anyways. I look at myself in the mirror one more time, giving myself a little pep talk.

"You can do this," I whisper to myself. I lean down to grab a banana from my snack box and scarf it down. I chug some water before grabbing my katana and my water bottle then heading down to the field where Maki said we would be training again.

As I make my way down to the field, I notice Maki already standing on the edge of the field, swinging her staff with practiced precision. Her hair is in a high ponytail and she's in her normal purple training outfit. When she spots me, she nods as a greeting.

"You're late."

"Sorry, sorry." I give her an apologetic smile as I make my way over to her, my katana bag slung over my shoulder. "Slept in a little too long."

She glances at me, her eyes scanning me from head to toe. "Ready to get your ass kicked today?" She smirks.

I let out a small sigh and draw my katana from its sheath. I twirl it a few times, getting a feel for the weight and balance in my hands.

"As ready as I'll ever be," I say, trying to sound more confident than I actually feel.

"Good." She twirls her staff with practiced ease. "We're going to do something new today. Right now your attacks are pretty useless without some cursed energy to back it up. You might as well be swinging a wooden sword around." She retorts.

"Hey! I could do some damage with a wooden sword!" I protest, waving my katana around for emphasis. "Plus...you don't have cursed—"

I let out a yelp as she swipes her staff at my feet, causing me to come crashing to the ground. The wind is knocked out of me as I land on my back. I lay there sprawled on the ground, staring up at the sky, trying to catch my breath.

"Ow...." I wheeze.

Maki walks over to me, leaning down so she's in my vision. "You were saying?" She says darkly.

I glare at her as I slowly sit up. I rub my side where I landed. It's probably gonna leave a bruise.

"Yeah, yeah. I get it. You don't need cursed energy to kick my ass." I mutter, still trying to catch my breath.

She twirls her staff around again. "Let's get back to training. We don't have all day."

I grimace and push myself off the ground, feeling my muscles complaining. Reluctantly, I pick myself off the ground and grab my katana. I take a deep breath and get back into a fighting stance.

"Alright, alright. I'm ready." I say, though I'm not sure if I'm trying to convince her or myself. "What do you want me to do first?"

She gestures towards a wooden training dummy a few yards away. "Start with the dummy." She instructs, "And try channeling your cursed energy into your katana. You need to learn to imbue your katana with your cursed energy or else you'll be completely useless in your attacks."