𝕋𝕙𝕖 𝕔𝕦𝕣𝕤𝕖𝕕 𝕝𝕖𝕘𝕒𝕔𝕪 (𝔾𝕠𝕛𝕠 𝕊𝕒𝕥𝕠𝕣𝕦 x 𝕆𝕔)

Chapter 5 :The Abandoned Hospital

Mei was bouncing around, her headphones snugly in place, letting herself get lost in the upbeat rhythm of Mercy by Duffy, playing just for her. Under the harsh light of the abandoned hospital, everything suddenly felt surreal, almost funny. She danced around the empty break room, arms in the air, humming along, completely unfazed by the eerie vibe of the place. Gojo was off somewhere in this massive, decaying building, handling the curse. "Pff, he can handle it himself," she thought with a laugh.

Just as she spun around, Mei froze. Right in front of her stood a young boy, eyes wide, staring at her. He couldn't be more than twelve, pale and looking like he'd spent months in the hospital. Her surprise quickly turned into a sly grin.

"What, never seen someone dance before?" she teased, amused by the boy's reaction.

The boy, Sosuke, stayed silent for a moment, his gaze serious, almost judgmental, looking her up and down. "Are you nuts or something? Dancing here? This place is rotten and dangerous..."

Mei burst out laughing, completely ignoring his criticism. "Nuts? Yeah, maybe! You're not wrong, kid. But you might wanna open your eyes a bit, because..." She looked around the room with an exaggerated gesture. "This isn't exactly the best place for a little guy all by himself."

Sosuke let out an annoyed sigh, his gaze dark and weary, despite his young age. "It's not like I had a choice. I'm stuck here."

For the first time, Mei's enthusiasm wavered. She turned down the volume in her headphones a bit, noticing the strange, haunted look in his eyes. "Stuck..." she murmured, her expression softening, something in his tone hitting close to home.

The boy continued, almost to himself, "I was hospitalized here. Before everything went crazy. People left me..." His voice faltered, before he resumed, cold and distant, "And you, are you one of those exorcists?"

Mei chuckled, thumping her chest in a mock-heroic way. "Me? Yeah, sort of. I'm the great apprentice of Gojo Satoru, no less! You're lucky to see me in action, kid." She smirked at him, but from the blank look on Sosuke's face, she realized he didn't understand the importance of what she was saying.

Silence stretched between them. Watching the serious, weary expression on the kid's face, she felt an odd mix of respect and sadness. Finally, she extended her hand, even though her tone remained teasing. "Come on, kid. Hang in there. We're gonna get this nasty thing outta here, you and me."

Sosuke looked at her, puzzled, before a faint, genuine smile appeared on his face for the first time.

Mei shot Sosuke a mischievous look, her eyes gleaming with sarcasm. She started talking about Gojo, her tone half-mocking, as if to ease the tension.

"You know, that Gojo... He's unbearable. Arrogant, full of himself, always acting like he's better than everyone else. Like, he tells me he's 'the strongest' as if that's supposed to impress anyone... I swear, he could write a dictionary of idiotic things by himself!"

Sosuke raised an eyebrow, curious but amused by her frankness. "Seriously? He's your mentor?"

Mei rolled her eyes, a sarcastic smile on her lips. "Unfortunately, yeah. The legendary exorcist, so they say! But really, he spends half his time bragging and acting like a kid. Sure, he's strong, but he's insufferable. Sometimes I wonder if I'm the one training him!"

They laughed together, finding a surprising connection in their banter that briefly made them forget where they were. But suddenly, a heavy silence fell. Mei frowned, feeling an icy atmosphere fill the room.

Before she even realized what was happening, a sinister figure appeared before them. It was the curse—a twisted, nightmarish creature made of flesh and shadows. Its face was a mass of mangled, scarred skin, with red eyes shining with a malevolent gleam. Long, black claws dangled from its skeletal hands, and its wheezing breath sounded like a death rattle.