Yuki Tsukumo kicked the side stand of her motorcycle into place, the engine purring low beneath her as the evening light cast long golden streaks across the training grounds. The air was still, heavy with late summer heat.
She stretched out her arms and cracked her neck, the leather of her biker jacket creaking with the movement. Today, she wore it over a black fishnet top, zipped halfway open to reveal the high collar of her indigo martial artist's vest beneath.
A pair of combat-ready jeans hugged her waist, tucked neatly into brown-heeled boots that thudded lightly against the gravel as she dismounted.
Mahito stood in front of her, arms crossed, a flicker of amusement hidden in his incredulous gaze.
'How did the elders get her to be the one to test me?'
Well, he could make a guess. Nanami might have figured out his technique as well, either that or MeiMei told Gojo about his Soul Manipulation, and it was something that would greatly interest Yuki.
"So you're Tsukumo Yuki," he said at last. "I've heard things."
Yuki pulled off her helmet and shook her long blonde hair free. Two long tufts framed her face, brushing against her cheeks. Her wide brown eyes, lined by long lashes, narrowed slightly as she met his gaze.
"And you're the stray dog Gojo decided to adopt?" she replied. "That's what the elders think anyway~"
Mahito's smirk curved slightly. "Haha. Very funny~"
She stepped closer, her boots crunching the gravel, as a strange, flying shikigami appeared from behind her, looking like a jagged spine with wings.
"First question... What kind of woman is your type?~"
Mahito couldn't help but smile, glad that someone didn't care what he was for once.
Not that MeiMei was much different, but he was less of a curse or human to her, and more of a business opportunity at times.
He knew how to give an answer from the heart to such an honest, soul-searching question.
"I am a man who appreciates the finer things in life. If a woman's got good hips and long legs, then I will always be interested~"
Yuki couldn't help but smile when hearing his response. "Hoho~ Such an honest answer! I already like you more than I like all of the elders combined."
"Did you also ask for their preferences?" Mahito's, for once, was filled with genuine curiosity. After all, Tsukumo Yuki was not someone he was too familiar with.
He only knew certain ticks about her, knew that she rarely responded to calls from the elders or did any missions.
"Oh, I didn't. They're too old for their answers to be interesting to me~ There's also no point in expecting an honest answer from them." Yuki shrugged before looking behind her to see her bike parked nearby.
"We're heading out. There's a possible Special Grade running wild near the outskirts of Tochigi. Something with a lightning-based technique. Dangerous, erratic, and completely unsealed.
There are also a few missing people reported in the area; it's safe to assume the incidents are related. A perfect test case~" She winked at Mahito before turning around, swaying her hips a bit before taking her helmets.
"And you want me to help kill it and find the missing people? Is that the extent of my mission?" Mahito said, watching her with open curiosity.
"No, the Elders likely just want you to die. But can't outright kill you because of Gojo." she said, adjusting her gloves.
"I want to see you in action. Since I am neutral, I got picked for the task. Gojo trusts you. Mei Mei too, somehow. But I want to know exactly what you are. My opinion will also end up as the deciding factor for the Elders."
He gave a theatrical bow. "Then I'll put on a good show~"
Yuki smiled widely before straddling her motorbike and putting on her helmet. "Get on. We're doing this my way."
Mahito hesitated, then climbed on behind her, resting cross-legged, slightly leaning against her back. The engine growled as she revved it, gravel spitting beneath the tires.
They shot down the road in a blur of wind and fading sunlight.
The ride stretched for hours. The countryside melted past in a blur of trees and hills, old shrines long forgotten tucked between rice fields.
The air was clean here, distant from the cursed energy that clung to cities like fog. But the tension that hung between them was anything but quiet. It was a good type of tension, thankfully.
Sometimes a passing driver would glance their way, but none seemed to notice Mahito. Some stared straight through him, eyes fixed on Yuki's backside instead. Much to the Special Grade Curse's amusement.
Mahito sat back-to-back with her, his own long blonde hair brushing against hers, strands tangling slightly in the wind. Neither of them moved to fix it. He wasn't entirely sure if it was intentional on her part, or his.
"You always ride like this?" he asked, voice raised above the wind.
"Motorcycles are faster than the bureaucracy of the Jujutsu World," Yuki replied without turning. "And more fun."
"You seem different from the other sorcerers. Kinda like Gojo, not a stickler for rules, huh?"
"That's because I am. I don't care for traditions. I care about results." She slowed slightly as the road narrowed to a dirt trail. "And your technique, it may just be what I've been looking for!"
Mahito leaned forward, eyes scanning the horizon. "Hah, you and plenty of others! It's nice to talk freely with someone so open about wanting to use me for my body~"
Yuki chuckled. "Uh, don't say it like that. Sounds dirty..."
He grinned against the wind. "Oh, if you didn't like it, you would have just ignored me~"
The bickering carried on as the road stretched ahead, but rather than grating, it pulled them closer. Their odd chemistry just... clicked.
Eventually, they reached the edge of a rural forest village that had long since been evacuated.
Crops still grew wild in the fields, untended. The wooden houses creaked in the wind, old paper windows rattling like bones. Power lines dipped low overhead, hissing softly.
She stopped the bike.
"From here, we go on foot."
They dismounted together. As Yuki adjusted the cuffs of her jacket, Mahito tilted his head toward the air.
"It's close," he said. "The cursed energy here is a lot thicker than the rest of the nearby countryside. Almost like it's all flowing here..."
She flicked open a small tracking device, modified to sense residual cursed energy. The green light pulsed quickly, the rhythm almost like a heartbeat.
"It's nesting near the pylons," she said, eyes narrowing.
"Trying to feed off electricity?"
"Maybe. Or maybe it just likes the noise."
They moved together through the overgrown trail, their steps silent on the mossy path. Mahito kept pace easily, unbothered by the thick brush or the electric charge crackling faintly through the air. The cursed energy there was dense, a lot more so than in some parts of the city.
It had always been said that the countryside was the calmest region, as there were fewer people around to manifest fear. The curses themselves were weaker due to it. But like Mahito had felt, the fear and resentment of many flowed within the area they were treading.
As they reached the crest of a hill, the land opened up into a wide clearing. At the centre stood a small substation, twisted and broken. The metal framework had melted in some places. Black scorch marks spidered across the ground like veins.
The very colour of the air around them changed, and Mahito quickly realised that they had entered the innate domain of that Cursed Spirit.
And then they saw it.
It stood tall, taller than most humans, humanoid in shape but wrong in every way. Its body was veined with lightning, limbs far too long and lanky for it to be mistaken for a human. Lines of electric blue streaked under its unnaturally pale, cracked skin.
Its eyes were empty sockets, glowing faintly. Its mouth hung open, and with each breath, a low hum filled the air, like the tension before a storm.
Cables and wires slithered along its arms, trailing behind it like tails.
Mahito stopped walking.
"So that's what we're hunting."
Yuki narrowed her eyes. "More like watching, in my case."
"You're not going to help?"
"I'm here to evaluate. If you die, I'll step in. Maybe I'll even let you stare at my ass if you win." She paused, smirking slightly. "Only if your technique is what I'm looking for."
He gave her a sidelong glance, lips quirking. "You really know how to motivate someone."
"I wield both the carrot and the stick." She stepped aside, just enough to give him room. "Show me what your technique can really do."
The cursed spirit's head snapped toward them. Lightning cracked across the sky, sudden and violent. Its chest opened slightly, revealing a core of roiling blue light.
The humming grew louder, shaking the ground beneath them.
Mahito rolled his shoulders, a sharp grin cutting across his face.
"Then let's dance."
Yuki watched him step forward, her eyes narrowing with something sharper than calculation. Curiosity, maybe. Or something warmer, something dangerously close to interest.
She had seen many curses, many sorcerers. But something about this one was different.
And for the first time, she wondered. If Mahito survived this, what exactly could he become?