Human Foolishness

That night, my dreams were not peaceful. They were filled with screams, blood, and wails. I was no stranger to these dreams. The more vivid these dreams more, the more powerful the curse exorcised. Their cursed energy are reflected through the events that occur in the dream. Tonight, I dreamed of a plane crash.

There aren't many nights I get a good night sleep. Thus, my eye bags never disappear, but I didn't mind. This is part of my duty, and I alone bear these dreams to remember the curses that have passed.

Gojo had not yet returned. It's been close to a day since he left. There wasn't much to do in the underground room aside from occasionally doze off into sleep only to be jolted awake by the slightest sound from up above. But, I was good at waiting. Ironically, it's the one thing I benefited from the three years in containment.

The time was around noon when I heard footsteps coming from the entrance. They weren't Gojo's. Gojo's footsteps were unique because his feet never touched the ground. Thus, he made no sound as he moved. This person's stride was shorter, more aged and heavy.

I kept my head down and gazed at my lap as the footsteps came closer. The individual paused a couple feet in front of me and sniffed the air. An elderly voice rang out, "Gojo's been here, hasn't he? That despicable man. How did he get in before me?"

I remember that voice. One of the higher ups. I remembered his voice from my prison cell. He was one of Tatsuya's partners. I clenched my teeth as an instinctive anger emerged.

The chains rattled as the elderly man brushed across them with his cane. The tip of the cane found my chin, and the man pushed my head upward. I found myself looking at a bald, elderly man. He had long, thick eyebrows and a goatee.

"I am Gakuganji Yoshinobu," he introduced himself. "Do you have a name, curse?"

Eight. A total of eight piercings on his face. My thoughts wandered as I wondered if it had hurt when he got those piercings. Why did humans put metal on their face in the first place? The reason eluded me. I saw the man's lips moved, but I couldn't make out what he was saying. The notion of sleep drew me in.

The stinging pain of my cheek brought me back to reality. I blinked, surprised to taste blood in my mouth. The cane. The anger on his face. Connecting the dots, I realized Gakuganji had struck me with his cane. A man of violence, I see.

"A mere curse dares to ignore me," Gakuganji spat. "You will not disrespect me."

I found his anger amusing. Is this what the esteemed members of the jujutsu society have become? A bunch of old, stuck-up, ego-driven men who punish those who displeases them? That would explain why people like Tatsuya were allowed to live. I mocked him silently with my eyes.

My provocation earned me a strike to the stomach. Despite his age, Gakuganji's attacks hit hard. His blow knocked the air out of me, causing me to lean forward as I gasped for air.

"You won't be so arrogant very soon," Gakuganji said. He snapped his fingers, and a cage appeared in his hand. "Does this look familiar to you, curse?"

It can't be. How did they know? Did Gojo told him? Or maybe it was that other sorcerer. The one called Megumi. There was no way he would have known otherwise. But that doesn't make sense. Gojo made it clear that he had no relationship with the higher ups.

"We've had tails on you ever since you've escaped from your prison," Gakuganji said. "You've made it very difficult for my men to keep track of your whereabouts, but your appearance with the special grade curse changed that. I had them investigate the area after Gojo left with his student."

"And look at what I found?" He ran a gnarled finger along the bars of the cage. "A little white cat."

Kira bared her teeth at the man as his finger got closer. Immediately, Gakuganji's cursed energy struck Kira, burning her leg.

"A friend of yours, perhaps?" Gakuganji shook the cage in front of my eyes.

I yawned loudly in response. "A cat?"

Gakuganji smiled. "We'll see how much longer you can keep up your façade."

Little smart Kira understood what I was doing. She knew that we needed to persuade Gakuganji that we had no relationship to each other in order for her to survive.

The old man looked at us for a couple seconds and shrugged. He put down the cage onto the floor. "No matter if this cat means nothing to you. I'm not here to get information from you."

From the insides of his robe, Gakuganji pulled out five pitch-black nails. I narrowed my eyes. There was a powerful aura coming from them. Special grade items without a doubt. And ones that targeted the soul. I could sense the foul, ghastly corrupted energy bound within the metal. Where did these sorcerers find those cursed weapons? How could they have been allowed to remain on the face of this earth? They should have been all exorcised the moment they were discovered.

"The clans spent years recovering these Cursed Demon Nails from the ruins. Originally, they are used for sealing away the ancient curses that threatened humanity, but we've agreed to make an exception." Gakuganji imbued the nails with his cursed energy. They floated in the air, neatly spaced out in a horizontal line.

The first nail flew through the air and imbedded itself in my stomach. No blood came out, but what followed was a soul-rending pain. I hissed fiercely while Gakuganji let out a laugh.

"The Cursed Demon Nails target the soul. They have the exact same properties as a regular nail you use with a hammer, but the damage they do the soul is incredulous."

The second nail plunged into my chest. The pain I felt multiplied exponentially.

"Do you feel it? That kind of pain that surpasses anything physical torture can inflict?"

The third nail dug into my throat. My lips pulled back into a silent scream.

"When they gave me them to use on you, I thought they were crazy. A person with a weaker soul couldn't even last under the corruption of one nail. I'm surprised you've lasted so long."

"How much longer can you hold out? The fourth? Or the fifth?" The fourth buried itself into my heart. My ears rang. I could barely able to register Yoshinobu's voice.

"But don't worry, these nails won't kill you," Gakuganji said. "We just need to break you so that you will never disobey us ever again."

The last nail floated quietly in front of the man. "One for the stomach, one for the chest, one for the throat, one for the heart." Gakuganji smiled cruelly. "And the last one is through the head."

"Curses were never able to surpass sorcerers," Gakuganji declared. "So I will teach you your place!"

Gakuganji waved his hand, and the fifth nail vibrated wildly in place. With all my power, I met his gaze and stared defiantly back. A human like you wants to make me submit? Wishful thinking.

The last nail was coming. I braced myself for its impact and the pain that would follow. Gakuganji wore a smile of triumph as he controlled the nail forward.

And it was then when chaos broke loose. Kira broke through her cage and pounced at Gakuganji. She bit down on the man's arm, and Gakuganji snarled in pain. Without its master's control, the nail flew past my head and spiraled into the wall.

A yowl of pain pierced through the haze of pain and hit my ears. Kira hit the ground with a crack.

"You little creature!" Gakuganji growled, spittle flying from his mouth. He raised his hand.

"No!"

Cursed energy blasted from his hand and struck Kira squarely in the chest. The cat gave a short yelp and slumped onto the ground.

"Kira!"

Kira didn't give me a response. She just stayed there, motionless, deathly still. I couldn't sense the flow of cursed energy inside of her. There was nothing.

It took me a moment before I was able to process what had happened, and something in me shattered.

It was funny how fragile life can be. As someone who had seen too many die before my eyes, I didn't think I would have been so stirred by the dead curse in front of me. But then, Kira was more than just a curse to me. She was the only one who could tether me to this world right now.

How dare this human decide whether or not she lives or dies?

"Kira." The words spilled out of my mouth. "You can't die."

Ringing laughter shattered my thoughts. I tore my eyes off of Kira's dissipating corpse and focused on her murderer. Curse you, human.

"A curse mourning for another curse. What a novelty! But what a pity it was so weak. It couldn't even withstand a single blow."

Gakuganji Yoshinobu.

He must pay.

Pay a thousand fold for his crime.

I will make him pay.

Cursed Technique: Sinless Wrath

My unshackled rage broke free. It felt my desire to punish, and it fed on it. My aura, darker than black, spilled out of my body. The nails in my soul trembled, and one by one, they fell to the ground. The cursed energy inside of me was sent into a frenzy. My burning hatred transformed into the gaping maw of a monster straight from the darkest depths of the abyss.

I unfolded my body from the chair, roaring flames of wrath in my eyes. I took a step forward, and the chains fell onto the ground with a clang. Gakuganji retreated backwards, fear clear on his face. His originally arrogant face had been replaced with a look of sheer terror.

That's right. Fear me. Fear the one who you said should bow down to you. I will make you understand what true terror is.I laughed uncontrollably. The monster within me greedily lapped up every morsel of the man's fear. His fear was delicious, and I wanted more.

My voice was barely distinguishable from a low guttural growl as I stepped in front of him.

"One for the stomach."

I drove my fist into his stomach.

"One for the chest."

I drew blood with my second blow.

"One for the throat."

I silenced his voice with my third blow.

"One for the heart."

I broke his ribs with my fourth blow.

The crumpled, bloody heap of the man called Gakuganji Yoshinobu scrambled backwards on the ground. Gone was the arrogant look on his face. Gone was the conceited way he held himself. Gone was the vanity in his eyes.

Now. For the final blow. I glanced at the spot where Kira had been. Yes. He deserves to die. This is his punishment for what he's done.

"And the last one through the head."

I curled my fingers into a fist and walked forward. The black aura around my fist pulsed in quiet elation. I was going to teach him his place.

"Little curse."

That voice. His voice. My eyes went past Gakuganji's figure and found him at the entrance. Gojo Satoru. His voice pushed against the darkness.

"You seem to be having a lot of fun."

My fist lowered a fraction of an inch.

"Mind if I join in?"

My hand fell loosely to my side.

"Did this old geezer piss you off?"

My aura receded backwards.

"He tends to be very annoying. I understand if you feel like killing him. I get that feeling all the time."

Wrath retreated back inside.

Gojo stopped in front of the boy. The boy's soft, delicate features that made him seem like he couldn't hurt a fly were tight with primal rage. His eyes that were once droopy with fatigue blazed in anger. Gojo hadn't seen such strong emotions from him before. It intrigued him to know what other secrets the boy was hiding.

But first things first was to prevent the boy from getting himself in more trouble than necessary. "But don't kill him, alright? It would be too much of a pity not to let him suffer longer."

I blinked. Ahh, I let loose on accident again. I focused on the broken man in front of me. It was my mistake to let the sorcerer see my power.

"Mm." I withdrew my cursed energy. Cursed technique seal.

Gojo walked past me and stooped down, picking up a nail between his fingers. "Cursed Demon Nails?" With a wave of his hand, Gojo collected the five nails on the ground. "No wonder why they were trying so hard to keep me there. All to buy time for you to use these things, isn't it?"

Gojo stopped a few centimeters away from Gakuganji and held up one of the nails in front of him. "Didn't I specifically say no one is allowed to touch the curse when I'm gone?"

Gakuganji glared back but said nothing.

"Little curse," Gojo called. I made a small noise. "I changed my mind. Do you still want to kill him?"

I caught the terror in Gakuganji's eyes. A part of me wanted to say yes, but I pushed down that desire. It was like what Gojo said. It would too light of a sentence to let him die so soon.

"No," I answered.

"Well then, you heard the kid," Gojo said. His voice dropped an octave lower as he growled, "Now scram."

Immediately, Gakuganji turned tail and fled, Gojo's laughter chasing after his ragtag figure. I watched the man leave, and all of a sudden, the anger left me. In its place came sheer exhaustion. I've used up the last of my reserves. I don't know how much time I have left. One day? One hour? A silent yawn escaped me. Troublesome.

Gojo caught me as I crumpled to the ground. "Hey little curse, you alright?"

Without waiting for a reply, Gojo carried me out of the underground room. I blinked as the sunlight hit me in the face. Its warmth brought another yawn out of me, but it helped chase away a bit of the dense mist creeping forward from the back of my mind.

"So little curse, you're going to be living with me now," Gojo said. "Doesn't that sound exciting?"

I glanced at Gojo and pointed to the ground. He understood what I wanted and put me down. I wasn't that weak that I needed Gojo to carry me.

"Where?" I asked.

Gojo smiled. "Tokyo Jujutsu High of course. I'm a teacher there."

That's right. He is a teacher. I tend to forget that he is a teacher.

"Hey, what do you want to eat, little cur-" Gojo paused as he looked down at my hand tugging at his sleeve. "What is it?"

Keeping my eyes on my feet, I whispered very quietly, "Rey. My name is Rey."

Gojo's smile widened.