บท 41: A Memoric Dream & Challenge
Disclaimer: This is a work of fan fiction based on multiple existing anime/manga series. The characters and settings used in this story belong to their respective owners and creators, and no copyright infringement is intended. This story is purely for entertainment purposes and is not intended to infringe upon any existing intellectual property. I do not own any of the original works that inspired this fanfiction, and I fully support the original creators and their works.
-Story Start-
The rustling of leaves and the echo produced by three pairs of feet on the poorly kept stone stairs reverberated in the otherwise silent and dense forest atop a mountainous terrain. Only accompanied by the melody of birds and other wildlife adhering to their instincts.
The feet belonged to a trio of high schoolers, donning their uniform in such a strange location.
One of them, a white-haired shades-wearing boy grumbled with a twisted expression, as they strolled, "Still can't get used to the smell of those." He waved his hand to disperse the smoke from reaching his nose.
He asked bluntly, pointing his finger at the smoker of the group, "Shoko... What's the appeal in 'em anyway?"
The now-named Shoko, shamelessly puffed out more smoke, directed at the white-haired teen, who flailed his arms in great speed to disperse the smoke.
Smiling lightly, she answered nonchalantly, "For one... They help me deal with you. Gojo. And if it really bothers you that much, just use your Technique."
"I'd happily use it, but... Nice try~!" He pointed at her, "I'm a man of my word~! We made a bet to not use Cursed Energy until we find that Curse. Also... Ru-"
Before the now-named Satoru could respond, the last boy in the odd group of trio classmates interjected, interrupting Satoru's words, "In that case, I would have asked you to hand me one as well... But make sure you put it out after you're done."
Shoko replied evenly, inhaling another dose of tobacco, "Sure, no problem."
Satoru joked, "Tsk, tsk. So ineffecient~! Wouldn't a forest fire benefit you when we come back here, Geto?"
The now-named Suguru slowed his pace, as he turned to glare at Satoru, chastising, "Don't even joke about that, we came here to exorcise a Curse. Creating another is completely counterproductive and against our duty as Jujutsu Sorcerors. Benefit for me or not."
"Here we go... Another moral argument." Satoru turned to Shoko in a deadpan, pointing at Suguru with a thumb.
Shoko smartly kept her silence, knowing not to interrupt when these boys were arguing.
Suguru was unperturbed, as he pointed at the view beyond the forest, as they were at a rather decent way up the mountain, "Let me remind you where we are. Nagano Prefecture, on a mission to exorcise a Grade 2, potentially Grade 1 Cursed Spirit reported to be near the Myojin Shrine."
Gesturing at the villages below, "We are far away from headquarters, and the closest capable Jujutsu Sorcerors are in Kyoto. We can't afford to make mistakes out here, Satoru. Like starting a fire, for instanc-"
"Okay! Okay, I get it, sheesh, killjoy." Satoru pouted, wrapping his hands behind his neck.
Suguru sighed, offering a friendly smile, "I did agree that we go on an unconventional path, didn't I?"
"Whether you agreed or not didn't matter, I would have still gone this way without your agreement," Satoru smirked haughtily.
Facepalming lightly, Suguru let out an agonized sigh, mumbling out loud, "Two months too many with this brat."
Shoko couldn't help but chime in at that statement, "You both are bickering children."
Satoru turned to Suguru, and their eyes met with similar thoughts at Shoko's unwelcome comment.
"We shouldn't have kowtowed to convince Yaga-sensei to let her join us for this mission..." Satoru stated with narrowed eyes.
"Mhm. Agreed." Suguru asserted.
---------------------------
"Shoko, when you get a stomach ache or something... Do you use Reverse Cursed Technique to make it go away?" Satoru asked with a playful tone, poking Shoko's face with his finger.
Suguru replied with a raised eyebrow, "Of course no-"
"Yeah, it's really handy," Shoko mumbled matter-of-factly with a small smirk, uncaring of Satoru poking her face.
Suguru's expression lost all color, and slowly a morbid realization began to form in his mind...
'With each moment I spend with these two, the more respect I lose for Jujutsu Sorcery.'
It was a jovial few seconds later, that they had finished climbing the stairs, reaching their destination...
A sight that made both Suguru and even the nonchalant Shoko narrow their eyes in suspicion.
Satoru cheered, pointing, "Oh~! Look~! A bridge~!"
And indeed it was.
A very long bridge.
But more than that it was...
"Sketchy," Shoko mumbled.
"Old," Suguru added.
"Shaky," Shoko continued.
"It's missing a few planks," Suguru observed.
"I'm not crossing that bridge." Shoko asserted.
"We're definitely not crossing that bridge," Suguru confirmed.
...
The two sensible teammates turned slowly, seeing their goofy teammate grinning like a loon.
"Our stances are clear, Satoru. One of us will carry Shoko and we'll cross with flight without risk or delay." Suguru folded his arms in protest.
Surely, Satoru would listen to reason?
---------------------------
The sun was high above the clouds, and the June heat was kinder to our mountaineers.
Suguru and Satoru stood before the bridge, as they carefully scrutinized how Shoko carefully crossed the sketchy bridge in a slow, meticulous manner.
Suguru couldn't help but comment on how calm she appeared, as she crossed, "Nothing fazes her... You think she's flustered on the inside?"
Satoru scoffed, "Why would she be nervous? This is just a bit of riskless fun~!"
Pointing at the bridge in a deadpan, Suguru retorted, "Can't get any more "risk" than that, I'm surprised it hasn't toppled from her first step on that thing. Though it definitely was a good idea for us to do it separately, else it really would topple."
Slapping Suguru on the back, Satoru reminded, "Don't be stupid! Do you think we can't catch her? Us?"
"Besides! This isn't that big of a fall, if she reinforces herself with Cursed Energy she'll shrug it off!"
"I can hear you!" Shoko voiced out tiredly.
"And you should pay more attention to others, although we've known each other for two months, you should know Shoko is bad in direct combat - To put it bluntly, she is bad at reinforcement as well." Suguru lectured.
Scratching his hair, Satoru mumbled, "She's got it all backward, huh?"
"Yeah, pretty much."
A moment of silence later Satoru shouts, "Hey Shoko! Would you die if you fell from that height?"
"Yes!"
Seeing the awkward expression on Suguru's face, Satoru commented, "She'll be fine."
---------------------------
It was after a trepid few minutes of practically crawling her way through the bridge, but Shoko had made it safely with naught a scratch on her.
So yes, she was, in fact, fine.
Much to the relief of both Satoru and Suguru.
...As no one wanted to get a taste of Yaga's fists.
Thus, without delay, it was Suguru's turn.
Who crossed it with the grace, patience, and calmness of the Buddha itself despite the creaking, shaking, and nerve-wracking sounds the bridge emitted with each step.
Now, it was Satoru's turn.
His classmates waved at him from a distance, as they stood on the other end of the bridge.
With a confident smirk, Satoru approached the bridge.
Gently, he placed his foot on the first plank, and then the other.
The bridge shook and creaked at that very minor effort, yet Satoru stood steady.
No issue seen, Satoru lifted his right foot and reached for the second plank.
No issue there as well, he lifted his left foot and finally stood at the second plank.
Only for...
A loud creak reverberated, as the plank Satoru just stood on broke when his full weight stood on it.
It was like a chain reaction.
As with one creak, the rope aging likely decades struggled to a snap, as the entire bridge broke in an impressive domino effect.
A thin line crossed Satoru's face as he plummeted to the ground.
Only for him to cease his descent by activating his Cursed Technique.
"You okay there?" Suguru's shout echoed through the mountain alongside the booming sounds of the bridge crashing onto the ground below them.
Satoru flew back to the spot where he began crossing the bridge, emitting a sulking aura as his shoulders slumped in defeat.
"Oi! Why'd you fly back there? We've got a Curse to deal with and you've lost the bet already so it's fair game!" Suguru shouted.
Satoru looked at the distant duo of Suguru and Shoko.
For a moment, he hesitated.
Only a moment later, he shouted as his depressed frown was exchanged for his signature smirk, a mischievous glint returning to his eyes, "You guys go on ahead without me! I haven't lost the bet yet~! I'll find my way there, so I'll get back to you two in a bit!"
'It's also a little time to savor the view and explore~ Happy accident, right~?' Satoru gleefully thought to himself.
Even with the short time he knew Geto Suguru... A Grade 1 or 2 Curse isn't a problem for him.
He can catch his own meal.
Suguru's eyes narrowed from afar, his body tensing with the urge to protest, but he shook his head and sighed, resigned to Satoru's unpredictable and relentless nature.
A small genuine yet resigned smile formed on his face, as he shouted back:
"...Don't take too long, Satoru."
Satoru snorted as he turned around, walking into the deeper and denser forest waving his hand lightly as he went, shouting back with a snark, "Don't order me around~!"
Suguru and Shoko hadn't lingered in wait, as they similarly, went on ahead on the road.
---------------------------
Deep in the forest, Satoru wandered through the lush greenery, his eyes wide with wonder at the vibrant beauty of Nagano Prefecture, a rare moment of solitude and appreciation for nature.
Although his focus was divided and his visage distracted, he had not forgotten to multitask, as he made sure he headed in the seemingly correct direction, passing by many flora and even deer.
However...
Suddenly...
The ground beneath Satoru's feet shook in a strange rhythm.
His eyes widened as he lowered his shades to seek the source of the phenomena - To no avail.
Cursed Energy flowed through his body as he reinforced himself, and activated his Limitless Cursed Technique.
Whatever it was, it was not something he could sense or see.
He shot into the air, his expression the epitome of bewildered as he saw the whole world shaking in an odd pattern.
The rhythm was akin to a knocking on a door.
Knock.
Knock.
Knock.
KNOCK.
---------------------------
Satoru's eyes shot open, the bags underneath his eyes all the more evident.
Inhaling air through his nose, he exhaled with his mouth.
'Why did I remember that...?' He questioned himself as he lay on his bed.
'No, that wasn't a memory. That was a dream. When the bridge collapsed, I flew back to them...' Satoru confirmed.
...
He shook his head as he slowly raised his upper body up, "What a shitty sleep." He scratched his head in annoyance.
His Six Eyes, leaving no detail unseen, caught onto the individual behind the knocking in his dream - Or more aptly the individual knocking on his door at this very moment.
Cracking his neck, Satoru slowly rose from his bed, his feet landing softly on the floor, heading towards the door.
Grabbing onto the handle, the door opened with a loud creak, revealing the intruding figure.
Despite the tiredness, Satoru smirked, although he hadn't veiled the irritation in his tone, "Did you miss me so much that you decided to come and visit? Nina~? You sure found me quickly~!"
The now-identified swordswoman raised an eyebrow as she folded her arms, "You're not exactly subtle from what I've heard about yesterday. Also, there's no way I'd miss you that quickly... I was hoping we could train together." She smiled lightly.
Tilting his head, Satoru questioned, "Did you even enroll?"
"Yes, Father's letter and Georg's flexibility made the process quick and smooth... And in case you haven't noticed, you've slept in. It's almost lunchtime."
"Almost lunch?" Satoru hummed, as he tried to recall the timetable for lectures.
'Looks like I've missed today's Mana Lectures... Well, no pressure. There's another one tomorrow." He shrugged.
As Satoru contemplated, Nina lifted a pair of clothing, "Mind if I change into my uniform while you think about it?"
...
"Have at it, I'm heading out." He stated nonchalantly as he passed by her, and left the room.
"HEEY! WAIT!"
---------------------------
"Isn't homeroom only mandatory once a month? It's better spent on training, I'm willing to bet you've grown rusty." Nina's question lingered in the air as she followed the uniformed Satoru in the hallway.
Ignoring the chatter and whispers of their fellow students who were clearing the way for Satoru to pass by.
Satoru replied evenly, ignoring her taunt, "It's worth checking out at least once."
Shrugging, he snickered, "Who knows? Maybe there's someone or something interesting among our fellow Special Students~?"
"...You mean Eris's lover that you beat up?" Nina suggested.
"You were curious about him, after all~" Satoru answered, reaching the door leading to the Special Student Homeroom.
With a tilted head, she mumbled, "Can you blame me? Who wouldn't like to meet a man who can tolerate that woman? With how that gorilla described him, I thought he was comparable to you-"
Satoru cut her off with a haughty smirk, "As different as the stars from the ground, even in terms of character."
"...No one has worse character than you."
"You'd be surprised~" He chuckled as he opened the towering lumber door with a loud creak.
With it, came the eyes of all the occupants of the room.
Said occupants being:
A certain, six-armed Demon King Of Immortality with an excited grin on his face.
A duo of Beast Race Princesses.
A pair of love birds, comprised of a self-proclaimed Human Genius and his intense elf lover.
A doll-obsessed Miko Prince who sat beside the Quagmire himself...
Thus, an uneasy, hesitant, and awkward gaze lingered on Satoru's figure.
With it, an oppressive and suffocating tense silence enveloped the room and its occupants.
A majority of which, besides the awkward gaze had been glaring fiercely at the Jujutsu Sorceror.
With a sigh, the awkward figure rose up with renewed resolve, intent on approaching Satoru, who had a thin line on his face.
Standing beside Satoru, Nina could only speculate on the situation at hand, but nevertheless, her hand gravitated towards the sword tied to her side.
Rudeus reached arm's length of Satoru, as sweat trickled his forehead, unable to read Satoru's expression.
Before Rudeus could utter a single syllable of his defense or whatever he was planning to convey, Satoru sighed loudly.
Shrugging and shaking his head, he stated, "Whatever you're trying to tell me... Don't. Have at it with your hyperbolic elf lover, not my problem anymore and I don't care."
With a nod of determination, Satoru thought, 'I've done all I could, from here, it's in Eris's hands.'
Rudeus's mouth hung loose as Satoru passed him by, intending to take a leisure seat at one of the many free tables.
Who was only followed by a sheepish Nina who momentarily scrutinized Rudeus, mumbling, "Huh."
Thus, Satoru sat down, with Nina, obviously, taking a seat beside him.
The both of them ignored the stares from their fellow Special Students.
Particularly the seething glare of one self-proclaimed Genius, burning a hole in Satoru's head.
Rudeus blinked his composure, mumbling out a tired thank you, internally grateful Satoru is leaving him alone, "Thank you." His legs dragged him back to his seat beside Zanoba.
A perplexed and worried expression took hold of Zanoba, "Shishou? Wasn't the tension between you and Lord Gojo settled after you had spoken to him yesterday?"
Rudeus sighed, giving a reassuring smile, "Sort of, there was a misunderstanding at night, so I wanted to clear that up with him right now but... I guess I won't have to, thankfully." His eyes floated at the nonchalant and easygoing figure of Satoru, who lazily leaned his head on the palm of his hand.
Suddenly, amid the tense atmosphere that was steadily cooling down.
"Grand Boss has made peace with Boss Nya!" Linia cheered with raised arms.
"A call for celebration! Nano!" Pursena added with a similar gesture.
Satoru raised an amused eyebrow, repeating Linia's words, "Grand Boss? It does have a nice ring to it~"
Nina replied the obvious, with a rolling of her eyes, "Relna was always the odd one..."
Chuckling, Satoru countered, "Grease Line isn't that dimwitted, at least when it comes to fighting."
"If the Beast Race were stupid in everything, they'd have gone extinct," Nina answers absentmindedly.
A fatal mistake.
Satoru gasped in faux shock,"Gah~! This girl's a racist! She's calling all those a part of the Beast Race stupid! Get her~!" He shamelessly pointed at Nina who sat within slicing distance of him.
Linia's and Pursena's eyes narrowed dangerously.
Linia hissed, "This 1st year rookie is making fun of us, Nya?!"
Pursena growled, "Calling all of us stupid? Is attacking her an order, Grand Boss?!"
Nina sweatdropped as her hand floated to the handle of her sword, "Gojo, call them off..." She threatened lightly.
He shrugged at her, "I don't even know them..."
But no one knows better than the both of them that nothing can threaten Gojo Satoru.
Satoru turned to the snarling Linia and Pursena, the situation taking an amusing turn as he hummed, "Order? Hmm, no. I am an advocate of free will~! Go with your heart! Does this blue-haired sword-wielding racist lady seem deserving of a beating? You tell me!"
"BAHAHAHAHA! A fight to restore one's honor and punish the offender! I approve!" Badigadi's laughter and voice boomed, as he only fanned the flames.
Rudeus's eyes narrowed, as he tried to calm things down, "Okay... Let's calm down here-"
But it was too late.
"GET HER NYA!" Linia leaped towards Nina, uncaring of the time or place.
"ON IT NANO!" Similarly, Pursena lunged at Nina.
Cliff snarled, not withholding his clear malice for Satoru, "He's despicable..."
Elinalise held him close, soothing his anger, yet her tone turned dangerously low, and lecturing, "Cliff, do not pick a fight with him. He's unpredictable and not as kind as Rudeus."
Her years of experience, the rumors surrounding Gojo Satoru, and the treatment Rudeus got from him were enough to convince her of how to approach the 6th of the Great Powers - The Anomaly who managed to shake the Academy itself on his first day here.
Especially concerning Cliff's virtuous personality, they'd mix like oil and water.
It is best, that they never interact.
Cliff sighed as he clenched his fists, "I know... But that girl, she's his friend, right? She's getting into a fight with Linia and Pursena purely because he finds it amusing. She'll get hurt, badly."
Elinalise narrowed her eyes as she hummed at the sight of Nina's stance, lecturing gently, "You're worrying about the wrong side, Cliff."
A loud explosion reverberates from Nina's seat, as the table and chair are sent flying, the others guarding themselves from the projectiles.
Within a second, Nina appears below Linia and Pursena, their eyes widening at the swordswoman's speed.
With a drawing of her blade and the unleashing of a Longsword Of Light, Linia, and Pursena are struck in the air, sending them flying to the wall.
""GAH!"" A bloodied guffaw escaped their mouth, as they flew.
Crashing into the wall with a loud thud, as their bodies fall right to the adjacent ground.
Within an instant, Linia and Pursena were subdued, thoroughly unconscious.
Once more, a tense silence enveloped the Special Student Homeroom.
Only cut through by the booming voice of Badigadi, who stroked his chin in intrigue, "Impressive! Sword God Style, yet no malice or bloodthirst... Are you a Sword King or Saint? Whichever the case you are at the upper echelon of Sword Saint level. What is your name, Young Lady?"
Before the tensed swordswoman could respond, her head turned to glare at the nonchalant Satoru.
He stated, "Fantastic first impressions~! Nina~!"
"AND WHOSE FAULT DO YOU THINK THAT IS?!" She lost her cool for a moment.
---------------------------
Suffice it to say, after Rudeus and Cliff healed the knocked-out girls, the homeroom teacher arrived with quite the odd expression, at the sight of a mess in the Special Student's Homeroom.
Regardless, the lesson proceeded with general updates on the state of the world and checking up on the students, as well as introducing the new ones - Satoru and Nina.
With nothing new or even remotely interesting being taught, Satoru resolved himself NOT to come for homeroom unless it was for something fun.
His head smushed on the table, his shaded gaze caught sight of two individuals approaching him and Nina.
With a slight bow, Rudeus greeted Nina politely, who nodded in acknowledgment as well.
Looking impassively at Satoru, Rudeus asked, "Are you coming with me to Nanahoshi? We're supposed to meet at this time."
Pointing a finger at him Satoru replied, "You scurry along yourself, Creepy Old Man. I'll be right behind you, gotta grab a snack first."
...
Taking a deep breath, Rudeus added, "This'll be my last visit for a while, I've readied my things and I'll be leaving today for the Holy Land Of Swords."
Digging for treasure in his right ear, Satoru tilted his head, "Okay? Enjoy your trip?"
Nina's eyes widened for a moment, "You're heading to meet with Eris?"
Rudeus nodded silently.
Nina looked at him, "In that case, may I give you a letter to deliver to my father?"
Smiling lightly, Rudeus nodded in agreement, "I'll deliver it safely."
"Thank you, you're much more polite than that gorilla." Nina scoffed, "Hard to believe you're her lover..." She mumbled in slight disbelief.
Rudeus's polite smile slowly twisted into a thin line, as he nodded, "See you later, Gojo-san and Nina." He turned around, intending to leave.
Rudeus's eyes locked onto the excited visage of Badigadi as he mumbled, "Err... Good luck, Your Highness."
Satoru lifted his head slightly at the figure of Badigadi, narrowing his eyes at the excited Demon Lord's visage, "Got something to say?"
'That is the thickest Battle Aura I've ever seen, is it related to his physiology as a Demon Race?' Satoru noted as he slowly lowered his shades.
"Gojo Satoru! I challenge you to a duel!" Badigadi's voice boomed throughout the room, causing Rudeus and the others to freeze in their activities as they held their breaths.
...
"I've done my best to curb my years of ingrained instincts regarding obliterating anything that even remotely appeared inhuman... Especially in this Academy where so many Demons roam around... But, if you're asking for it~" Satoru smirked in bloodthirsty glee, his Six Eyes blazing ethereally.
Badigadi met Satoru's gaze with his own, unperturbed by the rumored Six Eyes - Nay, his curiosity and battle-lust only seemed to have grown.
To Be Continued!
-Author Note Start-
Hello my lovely readers!
So some of you may or may not know.
But consider this a repeat announcement of sorts.
But I've decided to open a Patreon.
It'll allow me to be more consistent and to write more for this fic, at least XD.
Also, it is a matter of pride to not be a sell-out (Depending on how loose that term is for ya XD) - Which means no exclusive content, only advanced chapters at most, and some goofy stuff in addition.
The schedule for this fic is Once A Week for now.
Donating to the patreon is simply an extra way to show your support to me.
Even if you don't donate, but still read my fics, then that's also verrrry niceeeeeeeeeeeee.
Regardless, the Patreon does offer something.
1-2 (1 For now) Advanced Chapters for the Gojo Fic.
That means the next chapter is already on there, if you're a member of the BurgerNoTomatoes Tier or above lol.
A pretty pathetic offer when comparing some patreons who offer 5-10+ advanced chapters (I really don't know how they do it).
But, these advanced chapters are simply my way to not feel THAT bad that you decided to donate actual money to support me.
Patreon is also a method for me to get more committed to writing, as at the pace this fic is going, i won't be done for years lmao.
So with this, Once a Week updating schedule.
We should be good XD.
To those who read regardless of donating to patreon or not - Thank you and I appreciate all of you! <3
To those who donate.
Thank you for going the extra mile and supporting me! I appreciate it! And you don't have to!
(Only donate if you REALLY got nothing better to do with your money - 99% of the time that shouldn't be the case.)
Here's the link:
patre0n.com/BurgerNoTomatoes
On that note, hope the chapter's been to your enjoyment and up to snuff in quality and cya in a week!
Love ya'll!
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