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Yuuta stood atop the ruins of Shinjuku, the once large squares and buildings reduced to grave yards of rebar and concrete. The air still smelt of an unholy mixture of curse energy, napalm, and emptiness. Being here would make the surgical scar around his skull still ache and throb.
Maki would be arriving soon for the routine scouting assignment. Jujutsu society having been rebuilt after the death of Ryomen Sukuna, made it a mission that this consecrated battlefield was routinely monitored and studied should any residual curse energy left over spawn any threats that could rival that of Sukuna or Mahito.
He could feel Rika’s energy worm through the wedding ring on his fingers. It would help ground him when she knew he was in his own mind. Or out of it…
Things were still not the same since that fight a year ago. The very fact that he had transcended what a normal sorcerer could do by copying Kenjaku’s technique left his mind scared. It was the very fact that his body now truly was just that: a body. It had been the one he had spent years upon years in. The body he had fought in. The body he had slept in. A body that to him felt like it was the default setting. Inhabiting Saturou Gojo was where the feeling of discomfort came in. It was a war. He had to do things that no one would willingly choose. If asked to do so once more to save those which he held dear he would do so again. But the feeling that it left him after has not left him since. Saturou’s body felt wrong and alien. Limbs too long, shoulders much too broad. Muscles that he did know or experience while in his previous one. The disconnect of mind, body and soul was like trying to move through water on a static tape delay while the world burned around you.
Returning to his own after the ordeal though didn’t fix it. It revealed to him that that feeling had always been there. But like a sleeping slave he accepted it blindly.
‘yuuta…?’
Shoulder’s smaller but still too broad. Limbs less lanky but still not just right. Feet that felt just too heavy to walk in. Yet he still continued to inhabit it. This was the default setting. This was just his body and it must of been the separation of it that caused these feelings to arise.
“Ỳ̵͜u̶͆͜ǘ̶͙u̷̜̓ü̷͓ẗ̶͕a̶̧̛.̵͉̎.̴͕͋.̵͕͊?̶̢̕”
Before his mind could spiral further though. The pulsing had strengthened. Rika’s cursed energy pulsing around his finger to pull him from his Ouroboros mind. He hadn’t even realized that he had been moving. His body on autopilot as he heard the squelching steps of a few cursed spirits. He stood now in the center of what had been a department store. The destroyed ruins of shopping murals, mannequins and registers the only indicator that it had been of such. And it was the mannequins that surrounded him. The spirit looked to be that of a puppeteer. It’s wet and squid like fingers on corps like arms connected to a floating furred mass of eyes and teeth.
“YOU wOnT leave HERE aLiVe! YoUr dEaAttthh will be ThE fIRsT oF mAAAAAAAAAAAAAnY”! It shouted as the mannequins began to snap and lumber towards him.
Yuuta drew his blade and let out a breath he didn’t realize he had been holding. Unclenching his jaw and putting the swirling emotions out of his mind. The mannequins were child's play. The curse itself was most likely that of Lower Grade 2. They were dispatched with only a simple few swings. The output of his own cursed energy was more than enough to make quick work of the curse’s puppets.
The furred mass was a different story. His assessment was off as its tendrils moved faster than what he was expecting. As it swiped at his body the nano second tape delay between his brain and body just barely managed to block a swipe from another limb that sprouted from the monster. Its wet choked out laugh echoed in the ruins. A Semi-Grade 1 judging from the impact of the tentacled fingers. They were coated with an acidic film based on the burning sensation from his half sleeved arm. He had managed to bat him away into a concrete wall with only a minor crater on impact. Nothing his reverse curse technique couldn't manage. Rika’s energy pulsing as she started to swirl out from the ring. The Queen of Curses made the fight trivial. She devoured the entity as Yuta simply sat up and watched her work. Watched as he beautiful dripping fangs tore into the furred mass as purple coagulated blood spewed from it.
Y̶͙͎̼̒̎ó̷̩̯̟̠̰̕̚ų̸̩̳̰̟͈͕̔̑̾͘̕ ̴̢̢̤͉͖̝̋̈̌̉̅̿ͅD̷̞͓̱̟̙̻̔̌͑̿͗a̷̭̬̥̬̐̾̿̇̕̕r̴̭͓̼̰͈̰͖̈̋ę̵̠͙͉̅́ ̷̣͓͙̾̔̓͝ţ̷̱̚o̴̬͓͙̓̏́̂͠u̶̗͙̣̖̇̎̓͗̿̽͋c̷͎͕̣̖͕̰͊͜h̷͚̙̤͈̖̍͐̓̂ ̵̪͓̰̖̅̒͑m̸̨̟̙̍̈́͒͑̃́͝y̶̭̓̀̔́̿y̴͍̪̼̬͕͛̄̏ẏ̸̡̭̗̖̬͇͈͂͑̍̀y̸̢̰͌̑̚͝y̸̨̳͓̖͓̗̲͐̍y̷̢̜̱̺̯͒̚ý̶̳̪͇̟̂̋͛͝y̶̨̹̌́ ̵̯̘͒̍̑͛̅ṳ̴͚̘̦̭̄̃͊́̋̅͘u̸̦͚͖͚͆̑̈́̀͗͆͝u̴̡͙̗̹̪̺͐̅̄͑̅̉͝u̶̗̿̎̽̀ȗ̸͖̀u̷͇͒ų̴̛͓̣̣̟̥͑̇̏̒u̶̧̢̯̩͊̀́̚̕ͅu̶̖̙̖̤͌͝ͅu̵̎̅̇̐͐̚̕͜ṷ̵͛͐̂u̶̝̖̘̔͌̂ú̴͈͂́̀̀̓ư̸̭̋̍̂̅͝ṯ̴͂ă̷̳͍̮͉̜͘!̶̣͙̥̞͐̅̊̕!̸̦͓͔̙̲̯̃̿̍!̴͔͔̬͂!̶̧̧̰̫͓͙̘̏!̴̯́͒̃͠!̸̙̱͉͖̓̈͊̽̊̚!̴̢̦̦̩͔͈̒͂̋!̷̟̮̱̀̈́̄!̵̺̈́̂́̍̓͝!̶̧̡̫̙̠͆͊̏̕͝ͅ
Her distorted and demonic voice was barely an echo in his ears. He watched his partner devour the spirit with apathy. He studied her as she fought, her form still feminine despite being that of a curse. She was still beautiful in her own macabre way. The symmetry of her ribbed head, the elegance of the body that turns to a black swirling ooze. He still thought her pretty as they did when they were both younger. When they were both alive.
As he closed his eyes he swore that for a brief passing moment, Rika’s cursed form reverted to that of her human body as it fought the beast like it was a school yard bully. In an even briefer one he thought how he wished he was as pretty as her.
“I think you’d look so pretty in this Yu-Chan!~”
They were in a store together on a Saturday. Their parents were doing some back to school shopping and had let them both wander off as they took care of the other errands needing to be run. They both found themselves in the young girls clothing department and Rika was pointing at a beautiful white dress with an accent of black polkadots.
“R-Rika but thats for girls…” he stammered out as his eyes were locked onto the simple dress.
“You said you wanted to be pretty so I think you’d look pretty in this!” she puffed her cheeks in defiance. Yuuta simply protested though, his face flushing with embarrassment and frantically looking around to make sure no one had heard his friend. “N-Not so loud! W-What if they hear!”
‘Yuuta..?”
He was back against the wall of the ruined store, Rika’s curse form looming above him as a hand gently thumbed against his hair. The bile and venom from her voice having left with the victory of the battle. The scattered and bloody remains of the curse disintegrating away.
“Sorry Rika…wasn’t on my best today.” He tried to laugh it off as them memory left him. Giving the shikigami a reassuring smile and nod as he stood up. The tape delay still ever present in his body as Rika still loomed.
“Yuuuta…?”
He could tell that she knew what was bothering him. Though her speech was limited as a curse. He could still feel the emotional meaning within her cursed energy. And if he could see the emotions of her, it was likewise the same in reverse. His partner’s size shrank lower to his own as it wrapped its arms around him.
“YyyUuta.”
She was remembering the same moment. The department store they were in must be causing it. Before he knew it, Rika released its grip on him as it sped off into the ruins of the department store. Her claws and body grow to snake through the debris to Yuta’s confusion. Like a dog on a leash pulling its master, he was dragged through the store's corpse.
“R-Rika! What are you doing!!” He shouted as he tried to keep his feet balanced. The debris kicking up dust everywhere. As he was led deeper and deeper into the store he roughly came to a stop as he slammed into Rika. The curse now looming over some debris that it excavated. The sound of her curse energizes a low vibrating rumble like a cat as it smiles in its own faceless manner.
“Yuuuuuta…!” It pointed down before it. He came around it to see what had been so important that it dragged him through all these ruins. “Rika what could possibly make yo-” The voice was quickly cut from his throat. There in the crumbled ruins was an off white and dirtied white dress in near pristine condition. Somehow not weathered, somehow not torn to shreds. It was a simple shirt style dress. With deep black polka dots cascading along the hem and up the length. The collar was a simple black with a pocket line to match.
Just like that day from long ago.
“A…dress? W-whats so special about a-”
Y̵u̵t̸a̴.̷.̴.̷! It growled.
“...you…want me to…”
It nodded in simple response, clasping its clawed hands together and she was nodding her head.
And just like that day when they were children, he looked around in embarrassment as if anyone would be here. He couldn’t hide from his partner…she knew him too well. As he took a deep breath and began to undo the sword sheath on his back.
After folding his white uniform shirt and pants and placing them to the side, he held the material to his up to get a proper look at it. To admire it. To enjoy the feeling of the material within his finger tips. Before with another breath he began to slide the silk like material on. And for once the uncomfortable feeling of fabric on skin that had always dogged him was no more. Like a voice in his mind that was constantly speaking but never clearly had silenced. A shiver running and a tingle running briefly through his spine as she he let the dress hang from his body. Buttening the last few top ones to make sure it was nice and secure.
It took them by surprise when he felt Rika’s cursed energy start to resonate around them both. Slowly she placed its talon-like claws on Yuta’s shoulders as he could see the bones start to snap and morph to that of a human's. But there was no malice. There was no hatred as he felt the signs of reverse curse technique being used on his body like Rika had done when she had maintained this body during the war.
What they never tell you with RCT is that the recipient must still feel. He had to feel when a bone was being mended. He had to feel when a cut of skin was being grown anew. And as a sorcerer one had to grit and bear with the pain. But this was a different feeling. It wasn’t painful. It was like being made of clay. He felt Rika begin to work the body as an artisan would. Before he knew it…the feeling was gone.
And Yuuta simply stood as Rika’s maw opened to form a reflective mirror surface. There before him…their before them was something changed. He saw a beautiful woman. Shoulders tapered, arms slender still but no longer too lanky. Hips that flared out just enough. Legs slender and less muscled. But the face was what caused them to freeze. There was a change to the eyes. No longer were they half lidded, tired, and empty eyes. Instead they were refreshed, they were rounder. They were softer. And slowly they started to fill with tears. The woman in the mirror was crying. Not out of sadness, but as if she was seeing the outside world for the first time.
She finally understood what Rika had meant.
She did look pretty in this dress.