Mirror Eyes & Bright Blue Skies | Jujutsu Kaisen

Ⅳ. Yakitori Talk

It was strange, to say the least. One moment they were surrounded by trees, grass, and rocks, the sky framed by a circlet of bare branches, and the next they stood before a gateway which looked on into a courtyard.

Ikuko blinked several times, her arm relaxing around Gojo's neck, as she tried to process what had just happened. She swept her gaze over their surroundings to find several traditional-style Japanese buildings lining the courtyard, at the end of which sat a larger building. Past that she could make out some sort of massive structure as well as trees and the tops of other buildings poking out from amidst those trees.

This had to be some sort of private facility, she determined. It was massive, yet it also felt very secluded, what with the quiet of the wilderness, filled with chirping bugs and rustling leaves, and the air which smelled of the mountains, earthy yet fresh with winter.

"Amazing!" she exclaimed, "How did we get here?"

In her excitement, she tightened her arm around Gojo's neck, hoping to pull herself high enough to be able to crane her neck over his shoulder to see what was behind them. A puff of breath on her cheek, from an amused chuckle that sounded right next to her ear, and a stab of pain in her side halted her almost immediately. She felt heat rush into her cheeks, embarrassed at her sudden outburst, and she lowered herself back down.

Ikuko cleared her throat, averting her gaze with a sheepish smile, "Sorry, questions later."

"Don't worry about it! Curiosity never killed the cat anyway," he said, cheerily.

"I'm pretty sure that's not how that goes..."

But he either didn't hear her or chose not to hear her, and Ikuko was betting on the latter, as he started walking forward with a hum, "I've got a few questions of my own, actually. For instance, what have you got in your pocket?"

"In my pocket?" It took her a few moments to remember the object she'd taken from the funeral home. Suddenly very aware of its evil aura, she glanced down.

"Hmm, let me guess..." he said, his lips pursed in mock concentration before he smiled down at her, "...it's something very dangerous that almost got you killed."

Almost got me killed? So I was right about the snake creature being after it.

Ikuko carefully reached into her jacket pocket. She brought out the object, holding it up for them both to see, and inspected it for the first time. It was rather small and elongated, like a sausage, and wrapped in some sort of crumbling paper material, talisman paper perhaps, scribbled over with writing.

"You mean this?" she asked.

Whatever Gojo said in reply, she couldn't say as pain once again tore through her head, causing her to cry out and drop the object. She clutched her head. The pain... it was so much worse this time. Her thoughts turned to mush in the smoldering heat of it, and it felt as if her brain was trying to burst out through her temples.

"... okay? ....old on..."

"Who is...? What did you... sensei?"

"...n't do anything!"

Ikuko could tell that there was some sort of conversation happening, but most of it was muffled and disjointed to her ears. She could also tell that Gojo had started walking faster, mostly due to the fact that an increased pace meant she was being jostled more, and more jostling meant more pain.

After one particularly nasty stab of pain startled a whimper out of her, there came a soft whisper near her ear. What it said, she had no idea, but a moment later she felt something press against her forehead. Then there was only darkness.