WellSpring of Curses - Jujutsu Kaisen

Into the Games: A Memory of the Past

When Haku managed to meet up with everyone, it wasn't... everyone. Yuta had already headed into one of the Culling Game colonies, and Choso and Yuki were staying to guard Tengen. Haku sat with Megumi and Yuji, preparing to head into the Tokyo No. 1 Colony of the Culling Games. Haku had to get a crash course in the plan and in what The Culling Game entailed.

"So Yuta already headed to the Sendai colony, and Panda is heading with one of the third year student Kinji Hakari to Tokyo Colony 2. Leave us to go to Tokyo Colony 1. And not only do we need to find this 'Angel' to save Satoru, we've gotta add a rule to be able to save Tsumiki as well? Jeez, the headaches just keep piling up." Haku pinched the bridge of her nose. All of this was really adding up. "Better than being stuck with the Zenin clan." She mumbled.

Megumi sighed, having to agree with Haku on how complicated the situation had become. "It has. But you really don't need to come. If you for some reason can't slip through the barrier around the colony, having you in the Culling Game as a participant could be dangerous. In 19 days, you could have your cursed technique taken from you. And some of these sorcerers are from 1000 years ago, they're much more ruthless than those of today."

Yuji nodded in agreement. "Yeah. And it would be really bad if you died. Sensei would kill us! And then there's the whole Wellspring thing."

Haku shook her head, her gaze firm. "No way am I letting you two go without me. I want to save Satoru too. And you forget, I'm from 1000 years ago too. I may not be that cold-hearted, but the sorcerers incarnated from my time by Kenjaku, they're what I'm used to."

Megumi rubbed the back of his head, ruffling his hair. "Oh yeah. Kinda forgot about that."

Yuji piped up, throwing an arm in the air. "Oh yeah! You said you started getting your memory back. You remember meeting Sukuna yet?"

Haku shook her head. "No. I have remembered a few things, about my brother, my father, and..." Her eyes dropped, guilt and regret filling her eyes. "And my mother."

Yuji scratched his cheek, looking both disappointed Haku hadn't remembered, and regretting asking since it obviously made her remember something sad. "If you uh... wanna talk about it. Might be good to get off your chest before we go in there. If not, though, no sweat." Yuji smiled, giving her a thumbs up.

Megumi glanced at her, waiting for her to decide. Haku fidgeted uncomfortably a moment, then sighed. "Maybe I should." She kept her gaze locked in her lap. Yuji may understand where she was coming from on this one.

Haku was 8 years old, sitting with her mother in the drawing room of the Namikaze clan estate. Her father, brother, and several of the other clan members were away for a meeting with the Jujutsu higher ups of the era, expected to return any time now. Haku was busy learning embroidery from her mother. Her tiny hands held up a lopsided cherry blossom designed on a handkerchief. "I'm gonna give this to Onii-san when he gets back! Are you giving yours to father?"

Her mother smiled softly, continuing her own design, a delicate branch from a cherry blossom tree, much more refined than Haku's sloppy bud. "I'm sure Minato will love it. And yes, your father could use a new one."

Haku giggled, gleefully kicking her feet. But that joy was wrenched away the moment the alarm bell rang. Somehow, the barrier around the clan estate had been breeched, and darkness consumed the mansion as cursed spirits swarmed in as if summoned. Screams filled the mansion as people scrambled to fight or flee. With many of the more powerful sorcerers currently away, the clan was vulnerable. And Haku was a prime target.

It took no time for the curses to sniff out the power of the Wellspring, and the hallway shook with the force of the oncoming swarm. Haku, wide-eyed and terrified, huddled in her mother's lap. Soft pink petals danced around the room, her mother's cursed technique, which Haku inherited.

Curses burst into the room, heading straight for Haku. Her mother attempted to fend them off, petals slashing at the curses. Other clan members continued their fights, unable to run to the aid of their Lady and Haku. Haku's child heart pounded, tears streaming down her fear painted face. A curse made it past the petals, latching onto her mother's arm, ripping flesh.

Haku screamed, cursed energy erupting from her tiny body, engulfing everything. Then it all went black.

When Haku woke, she lay in her futon, her elder brother Minato sitting beside her. His eyes were red and puffy, grief written on his usually stoic face. "Onii-san... I made you this." She handed her brother the handkerchief. "Mother made one for father. Where's mother?" Suddenly, the memory of the curses, the chaos, hit her all at once, and she shot up. "The curses! Mother! Onii-san! Where's mother? Onii-san....?" Haku noticed tears pricking her brother's eyes, and he clutched the handkerchief tightly in his hand.

Haku's eyes widened, and she jumped up, her tiny legs rushing for the door. Minato reached out, grabbing her. "Haku, wait!" but it was too late. Haku opened the door to find part of the estate completely gone. Her father stood outside the door, and he looked down at her with a coldness she'd never seen in his eyes. "The Wellspring, inside you, is a damned curse. Look what you did. One outburst of your power obliterated half the estate, and killed everyone in the vicinity, including your mother!"

Haku was shaking, tears silently falling like rain. She'd killed her own mother. The woman who raised her, loved her, was trying to protect her, and her power had killed her. Minato grabbed her, tucking her into his chest. "Father, careful with your words. Haku is only a child of 8. She didn't ask for this power."

From that day on, Haku's father never looked at her the same way again. He never hated her, never outright mistreated her, but deep inside he blamed her for her mother's death, and every time he looked at Haku, she could see it in his eyes. He grew cold and distant, even from Minato. And that was how it was until the day Haku was sealed at 18.

Yuji and Megumi both looked at her in shock, while Haku fought back tears. Yuji was the first to make a move in the tense silence, wrapping his arms around Haku. "Jeez Haku. You were just a little kid. And you were being attacked by curses."

Megumi patted Haku on the head, looking away in his usual manner. "Itadori's right. I mean, when I saw my first curse, I pissed my pants so..." His words died off, both embarrassed and unsure how to make that story bring comfort.

Yuji nodded his head. "Hey, me too! And that was just a few months ago for me!"

Haku chuckled, wiping away her tears. "Thanks you two. I feel a lot better." Yuji let her go, and Haku took a few more moments to collect herself. She then stood up, taking a deep breath before looking at her friends with determination. "Enough tears. Let's get in there, and find this Angel person, add that rule, and save our friends!"

"Hell yeah!" Yuji shouted in agreement, and Megumi cocked a sly grin. They headed up to the barrier of the colony, Kurogane appearing before Megumi and Yuji to announce their entrance into the culling games. Haku placed a hand on the barrier, focusing her energy, trying to slip through without activating the clause that would force her to join the Culling Game as an official player.

Cursed energy whipped around Haku as she pushed through the barrier. It was powerful, fluctuating constantly and making it extremely difficult to pass through. But Haku pushed on. She had to. Gojo needed her. Megumi and his sister Tsumiki needed her. Finally, she popped out on the other side.

Haku excitedly turned around. "Guys! I made it.... Through...." She trailed off. She had expected Yuji and Megumi to be right behind her, but they weren't. The barrier had spat them all out in different locations. Well shit.