Two halves ~ Yuji Itadori x Oc

Empty Seat

   Aiko was carried into her room by Megumi, laying her down gently in her bed with a towel wrapped around her. He brushed the hair out of her face and placed his first three fingers on her forehead as he looked at his feet sadly. She had no idea the mess she was about to wake up to. There would be no easy way to explain it. The death of someone she cared about, even if they've only known him a few measly weeks.

She woke up the next day still damp, feeling disgusting. Her body ached terribly but she dragged on to shower. She let the hot water rinse her wounds as she stared at her uniform. She didn't remember bleeding that much... it was an odd sight. She slowly got dressed as she recalled the events she remembered. Buildings, concrete, asswipe with a sick sense of humor. Yuji's heart. Cold and wet in the grass as it rained. Tainting it.

She towel dried her hair as best she could before exiting her room, looking around and walking to the common area for a snack. She saw Megumi sitting at the table with coffee, his head hung low, her sisters red and puffy eyes, her sniffles raising alarm. It hit her in the chest, as if Sukuna had plunged his hand into her own chest. Nobara gasped seeing Aiko so soon, her lip quivering as she worked up the courage to tell her. Megumi not daring to look back in shame.

"So that bastard knocked me out and cursed me, huh?" She said her voice wavering, fists clenched, gaze down.

"Aiko.." Nobara whispered.

"Yuji you..... you fool." She said through gritted teeth, her tears falling down her cheeks onto the carpet below. She couldn't hold them back, it was like a pain she'd never known before.

"I'm sorry." Megumi whispered painfully. Her gaze snapped up to his head, storming over and yanking his jaw to look up at her.

"Don't you ever apologize for that again!" She scolded, his lips parted in shock at her angry expression, but he could see the pain in her eyes. "Yuji wouldn't want you to take the blame for something he did. I don't give a shit what kind of person you think you are but Yuji valued you. So at least part of you is worth a shit. Stop wallowing in your self pity and value the opportunity he gave you to live." She said before letting his jaw go, and storming over to make coffee and cereal. "Clean it up, I'm not strong enough for both of you to lean on. We have to train, because clearly our strength needs to be stronger. Our teamwork needs improvement. Another Sukuna isn't taking one of you assholes next." She grumbled with her back to them.

    They knew they needed her harsh words. Wiping their faces and sitting a little straighter. They ate their breakfast in silence, then proceeded to change and train. Taking out their grief, anger, and despair on training dummies. Aiko felt like she was losing it. She didn't just feel her own emotions, no that would be let off too easy. With her cursed technique it was always on, feeling Megumi's and Nobara's as well. It felt like three tons of depression sat on her shoulders as she struggled under the weight, it was almost crippling. Her footsteps felt heavier in the grass, and what worried Gojo most was she was behaving like someone he knew. Someone who turned sour over grief.

   He couldn't tell them yet. She still had time to save herself. As much as he wanted to, he couldn't interfere. He had to worry about a now awake, and alive Yuji. Had to perfect his control over Sukuna before he could be brought back to join them. He allowed them to grieve the loss of someone who never died.

    Aiko was beating herself up, she should've used her domain expansion. It wasn't perfect, but it would've done more damage. She just has to be in a clear state of mind to use it. Or else her own domain would harm her.

Domain Expansion: Eye of Judgement

    It goes hand in hand with her Divine Sight. It's an Ancient Greek throne room, decorated in white and gold with an enormous eye seated on a velvet plush cushioned throne. A bright, veiny, eye, the iris is silver with tinges of gold. It sees through the soul of whoever is unlucky enough to enter, if your intentions for the world are pure or impure it will cast its judgement upon you. She's only ever opened it once, the domain the size of a football stadium, its incomplete structure crumbling, but the curse she dragged inside met an otherworldly fate. The Eye of Judgement itself zeroed in on the curse, its terrified screams echoing as it was burned from the inside out with Heavenly Fire. Soon, evaporating into gold flecks. Then it focused on Aiko, her head started pounding under its gaze until she was forced out of her own domain. It terrified her. She would never open it again, unless absolutely necessary.

    She hadn't realized it, but she struck the dummy so hard her fist punctured it. Giving her flashbacks to Yuji's chest. A hand landed on her shoulder and she jumped, whipping around to see her sister.

"It's just me." Nobara said and nodded her head to the benches for water.

   Aiko nodded following her, taking a seat and grabbing her water bottle, taking a few sips.

"I know you're suffering. I can see it all over your face. Don't shut us out, we're here to help you." She said as Megumi plopped on the other side of her.

"Talk." He said simply.

"You'll just call me a hypocrite." She said shaking her head as she stared out at the field, her face scrunched up.

"That may be true. But it shouldn't stop you from speaking your mind." Megumi said with a shrug.

"I'm.... I feel guilty. I should've opened my domain, I shouldn't have been afraid to hurt Yuji since he was going down anyway." She said annoyed, but her words make them tense. "Sorry. I didn't mean to be insensitive." She said without looking at them. Megumi turned his head to her confused, he didn't even see her look his way. "It's my cursed technique." She said.

"You can read minds?" He asked with a gulp, his face sweating slightly.

"No you idiot. She has emotional manipulation, she can feel how you're feeling. I swear, men are stupid." Nobara said with a scoff.

"You didn't have to say it like that." Megumi growled out. Aiko sighed, wrapping her arms around their necks and pulling them to her shoulders as she rested her head on her sisters.

"You both are idiots. But, you're idiots I can count on." She said with a sad smile. Megumi and Nobara grumbled but wrapped their hands around her back returning the comfort.

"The only thing granted equally to all is an unfair reality."

Truer words couldn't have resonated with Aiko. This was the life of a sorcerer, deemed ruthless and selfish, unfair in all its cruelty.

She went to see the sequel to that movie. Seated alone in an empty theater as she watched on expressionless. Even though she knew nobody else was coming to see it, she still crossed her ankles over the seat to her right. Reserving it for Yuji, even though he wouldn't be there. His favorite candy sat in his cup holder untouched.