Within the Mind

Twisting over the dragon that coiled past him as a figure rushed underneath him Atlas landed on the ground with a gymnast's grace. The attack power was devastating, the grass turning to a cinder as the ethereal red dragon grazed over it. The dirt charred as some of the cobbles cracked as the dragon slammed into them unable to change direction.

"Your attack power is impressive but you can't keep up these attacks in a normal fight Tatsuo," Atlas stated as he watched the second-year get up, before he could go for another attack Atlas simply appeared behind him from folding space and kicked him into a similar split. Pushing him into another plane where he couldn't do anything.

His attitude was almost as bad as Gojo's, but the main problem was that he never admitted defeat. He would attack until he literately couldn't and then when he couldn't he would make up an excuse for how either you cheated or he wasn't really trying. His yapping was tiring.

Seeing Chikako collapse to her knees Atlas walked over to her and said. "And you need to be more careful when taking energy that has properties. If I had wanted to then I could have split you apart as soon as you started absorbing from me." Atlas spoke. "And don't try to move too much either, like a wire if you try to take too much energy you will hurt yourself." Atlas pointed out. Helping her to her feet with a soft smile.

She was pretty amazing, her cursed technique let her take energy from others and give it to others. Basically, the only reason Tatsuo was able to do such big attacks against him over and over was that Chikako was taking Atlas' endless amounts of cursed energy and fueling Tatsuo with it.

Both of them were impressive, Tatsuo just had a bad attitude. Chikako on the other hand was too meek and didn't have enough. With her personality, she wouldn't last long after seeing some of the things spirits did…

"So keep that in mind alright?" He said as he patted her on the shoulder walking back to the ethereal raging Tatsuo that looked like a dull blue ghost.

Putting his hand out a split was made and Tatsuo came out yelling something but was quickly stopped as Atlas left his voice in another plane for now so that he could actually speak. "When I give you your voice back if you yell, I will pair you against Geto AND Gojo in the next sparring session got it?" Atlas threatened to see the boy pale a bit.

Geto and Gojo had taken quite the bad habit of 'messing' with Tatsuo because his attitude made it fun.

For the past couple of days, they had been having sparring sessions to get used to each other's techniques and start getting familiar with working together.

Torio had tried to organise a group hunt of some strong spirits that had appeared but the Higher-Ups said such a big party was a waste of manpower, they ended up going in smaller groups with Torio taking Geto and Gojo and Atlas taking Tatsuo and Chikako.

Which had been interesting, to say the least. The Higher-Ups had also tried to stop Atlas from participating in the event but Yaga had done something so that he was still able to...

He felt that the Higher-Ups had been trying to get in his way ever since he refused to take the mission to find Frank. A mission that Minori was still currently on.

Sighing as all of these thoughts flooded his mind he heard Chikako ask from beside him, "Y-you okay?" Her hand played with her hair and her tone was a bit squeaky, she was far too meek.

"Yeah. Just got a lot of shit going on. It's alright though, I'll work it out sooner or later. Who was I sparing with next? I am pretty sure it was Torio, go take a break before you wear yourself out too much." Atlas instructed as he got back into his 'I'm a senior and meant to know what I am doing mode.'

It didn't take long to find Torio, who currently looking quite beaten as he faced Geto, the boy also looking worn out too. Going and sitting next to Gojo he said, "So what's happening here?"

"Geto is fighting toe to toe with Torio, his damn shikigami is annoying though," Gojo said sending a glare at the bird.

"He was juggling me around earlier with his damn wind and I was barely able to get a good hit in, but I was. I won, just took me more effort than I would have liked." Gojo said with a sigh as he leaned his chin on his hand, it was clear the boy was thinking about how to do better. He was starting to see that strength wasn't everything.

Atlas would like to thank himself for that. Since Atlas could beat Gojo in raw strength Gojo had learnt a lot from him, mostly strategy and he and Geto were forced to actually do some thinking when fighting him since brute force would never work. So, Gojo was starting to think in ways other than just, shooting a big blast of magnetic energy and crushing everything. Even though that worked most of the time, he was still thinking outside of it.

He knew that Gojo learnt a lot in his later life when he became the strongest, but still, it was better to learn earlier.

He was starting to value experience more than he originally did.

Waiting a few more minutes Atlas watched as Torio finally managed to put Geto down, having him pinned to the ground with his Shikigami. Letting out a tired sigh Atlas walked forward and said. "Yo! Time for round three!" Getting a groan from his classmate.

With Geto going off to find Ieiri to let her practice on his wounds Gojo went with him. Torio was quickly healed by Atlas before they started their own spar mostly for Torio's benefit.

---

Sitting in his room with his back against the wall Atlas sighed as he read over the scroll one more time. Basically, it was telling him to infuse his mind with cursed energy and hope that it defended against what was trying to control him. Not very useful, but without a mind technique that was the most some people could do.

Crossing his legs Atlas meditated, trying to dive into his mind as he let cursed energy lace through his thoughts, following the paths of his mind. He knew that there must be someone in there, he just had to find them. And he would.

Diving deeper and deeper into his swarm of thoughts, feelings and emotions, he desperately tried to find anything that was out of place, any slight emotion that wasn't his.

Taking a deep breath Atlas just meditated, he didn't know how many hours he sat there but he had done so for hours each day since he put Frank in the tomb. Hours and hours he sat, trying to find the foreign cursed technique or mind within him.

But he couldn't find anything.

Until he did, in that moment he felt it… or more like the lack of it.

Lack of emotion, energy so dull and empty of power that it didn't do anything. It just sat there.

Cursed energy was fueled by emotions but whatever this was it didn't have any. It was broken, empty and hollow. As if it had well and truly given up.

Gasping Atlas opened his eyes expecting to see his room on instinct as if he had touched something hot his mind pulled away from what he found.

But he was already in it.

Sitting there against the wall he looked at the darkness around him housing a single chair, a single person. Him… no they looked like him, although their clothes were worn, their hair had grown past their shoulders and was sitting in messy strands that clung to pale skin.

His nails were unclipped and broken, his wrists holding scars and open wounds from the tight manacles.

This was Hoshi, although the poor boy didn't have any mind left, no feelings. Just an empty husk, a gate for Kenjaku to get into his mind.

He never expected to actually find it so fast… of course, he had hoped he would, but he must have been guided here by something.

Immediately getting on the defensive as he thought it might be a ploy of Kenjaku he slowly called out, "Hoshi?"

Moving slightly the rattling of chain links clinked throughout the dark expanse as Hoshi looked up through long greasy hair. "Atlas?" His voice was broken and hoarse sounding like old leather.

He clearly hadn't spoken for the longest time.

Suddenly the dark expanse was filled with feelings of different emotions, flares of confusion, happiness, anger and sorrow. Before it went back to silence… a dark void once more.

"Leave, before he binds you too." Hoshi croaked, using the least words he could. Either not caring enough to or not able to put the effort in.

"I'm here-" Atlas started to say before he felt himself crash back into the bedroom. His head snapped up from where it hung limply against his chest. His eyes shot open. Gasping for air Atlas looked out the window and saw that the sun was rising, barely peaking over the horizon.

Was it morning already? It had barely been late afternoon when he started…

"Hoshi…" Atlas muttered he had seen him. Hoshi was alive but chained, and Atlas immediately understood one thing, Hoshi was the one with power in his mind not Kenjaku.

He didn't feel any of Kenjaku's cursed energy, he only felt Hoshi's. Hoshi was binding himself, and when Hoshi told him to leave he was forced out because Hoshi wanted him to be forced out. He was only able to find Hoshi because some part of the boy wanted to be found and saved… but that was only the smallest fraction.

Hoshi was unknowingly in his broken state allowing Kenjaku into himself and therefore into Atlas.

Running his hand through his head he sighed, he didn't know what to do now. He thought that Hoshi would be someone bad, someone maybe working with Kenjaku, or he had hoped at least. That would have been easier, then he could have just tried to force him out.

But now he couldn't do that. And even if he wanted to he couldn't. Hoshi had adapted to only having a mind, and constantly being toyed with by Kenjaku's cursed technique seemed to somehow have allowed him to understand his own mind.

There was no way that Atlas could force him out without the boy realizing that he could leave. He was truly and utterly convinced that Kenjaku had power over him so Kenjaku did. He was brainwashed and broken…

That wasn't something that Atlas was prepared to deal with.

Sighing he closed his eyes and tried to find the space again but he couldn't no matter how hard he tried. He felt the hints of nothingness but he couldn't follow them…

Doing his best to do what he could right now he took the concept of Hoshi in his mind and put it in another dimension. Fueling his brain with positive energy to keep it there without burning himself out in a similar way he kept his dimensional defences up.

He already knew that it wouldn't work perfectly as whatever connection he and Hoshi had was more than 3 dimensional, he hoped that it would at least hinder Kenjaku, he was sure there were more connections too but he could only find and put a few in another plane.

Sighing Atlas cracked his neck, this was going to be tough. But at least he had made some progress…

Whatever he could do to hinder Kenjaku was a good thing, even if it was only something small like this. Hoping that soon enough he would have enough understanding to help Frank he got up.

Starting his morning routine so that he could get on with his day… he had two missions that needed to be done. He might take Geto and Gojo with him. Of course, the Higher-Ups would tell him not to but he didn't give a single damn about what they wanted. He would just not tell anyone and Gojo and Geto wouldn't complain about it so what could the old men do huh?

Getting to his day Atlas soon found Geto and Gojo and offered them the option of skipping classes and coming with him. Of course, Gojo accepted without a thought and a somewhat reluctant Geto soon followed.

---

Now he was seeing illusions… fantastic… with his arms hanging limply from his shoulders, his chin against his chest. His hair was like a curtain over his eyes stopping him from seeing anything but his lap just as he wanted. He didn't want to see that speck of light when it vanished. He knew it would happen, that he would soon be drowned in darkness.

Hopefully, he would disappear. Maybe he would get another chance, go to another world. Maybe he could be another person.

That didn't happen though did it…

People didn't get second chances really. He had messed up, this was the end. Alone and bound by someone he could never hope to defeat that was simply using him to ruin the life of someone who didn't deserve it. Atlas didn't deserve to have this burden placed on him.

He was somewhat proud that Atlas, wherever he came from, got his body and turned it into something so strong. He had the strength to fight Kenjaku, maybe he would win, maybe he would die. That wouldn't be Hoshi's problem, would it? He would be dead soon anyway.

His body and soul were lost. Although willingly given, his mind was broken.

--- A few weeks later ---

"Alright everyone make sure that you have your stuff packed. Don't forget anything or you will be without it for the week." Torio said, making double-checking his list. He was a surprisingly vigilant person.

"Why? Atlas can teleport, if anyone forgets anything. BOOM! Cut space, walkthrough, grab forgotten items. Come back. Done." Tatsuo pointed out with wild gestures.

"You shouldn't rely on his teleportation, he isn't a mode of transport, treat him like a person Tatsuo," Chikako said, with a frown.

Everyone was in their uniforms and heading down to the bullet train station.

Ignoring the conversation that started about whether or not he would teleport people back and forth Atlas sighed as he said loud enough for the group to hear. "Meet you all there." Before stepping through space to Kyoto, he wanted to explore the sights before he had to attend the event.

Seeing him disappear Torio sighed, he had hoped to do some team-building games on the train… well they could still do it.

"See…" Said Gojo as he looked at Tatsuo, about a statement he made that Atlas wouldn't even teleport the group to Kyoto for the back-and-forth trip much less help them teleport back and forth to grab items.

Sighing Yaga ignored his students… he wasn't ready to be the principal yet… It was already giving him grey hairs.