One month after Nobara's confrontation with Yuji.
12:48 pm.
December 24th: Christmas Eve.
Although things had calmed down a bit after December 24th arrived, the tension was still there. Knowing that Itadori was still around was terrifying. But the boy hadn't done anything since that day arrived; he had even disappeared. For the world, that was a respite.
But for the sorcerers, it showed that Itadori was still human, deeply rooted in the new Itadori.
Itadori was kneeling, hands clasped in silent prayer. In front of him were the graves of those who died in the Shinjuku incident: Satoru Gojo, Choso, and all those who didn't survive.
But there was great tension, just because of a small inconvenience... Yuta Okkotsu was also there. Itadori thought it was a confrontation, but that idea was dismissed, since Yuta didn't have his katana, and instead had a bouquet of flowers.
Yuta never emphasized with Choso, much less with his thinking, but the fact that Choso sacrificed himself in Shinjuku made Yuta feel respect for Choso.
There was a tense silence between the two. Neither spoke. Yuta placed the flowers on Satoru's grave. Choso, wandering and placing flowers on those who died, even if he never met them, they were still sorcerers, and their deaths were hard. Yuta knelt in front of the grave of the one he had faced in a one-on-three match in Shinjuku. Yuta's hands clasped, praying for Satoru Gojo's soul.
Twenty minutes passed. Yuta and Yuji were a kilometer away from the graves. Yuta didn't wait. He drew his katana, which was well hidden in his clothes, and launched a slash. Yuta destroyed a tree. Yuji dodged. They had been at it for two more minutes, and when Yuji launched a slash, Maki appeared. But what neither of them knew was that Yuji had already expected this. Yuta and Maki thought Yuji was now vulnerable to a surprise attack, but it was a mistake. Yuji dodged Maki's attack, and then Yuta's. This made the restrained girl and the cursed boy understand that Yuji had already trained and now had the same mobility as Sukuna with his slashes, and it wasn't good.
- "Yuta, we have to wait five minutes. Can you handle that time?"
Maki looked at Yuta, waiting for his answer.
- "Yes, I can."
Yuta tightened his grip on the handle of his katana, and Maki tensed.
- "Okay, then reinforcements will arrive in those five minutes."
Maki whispered to Yuta, then the girl shot out at Yuji. The spot where Maki was standing was destroyed. Yuta quickly followed Maki, destroying the spot where he was standing with the force with which he ran.
- "No matter how many come, they will all fall like those who tried in the past."
Itadori moved as well, heading toward both sorcerers, his fists wrapped in cursed energy. Maki moved her head, avoiding the blow. Yuta blocked with the flat of his katana. Maki's hands moved quickly, swinging the sword he was holding, seeking to strike with the sharp edge of the stabbing weapon, but Yuji dodged. However, he wouldn't be able to dodge Yuta's katana. So the pink-haired man decided to block, reinforcing his body with cursed energy. Yuji managed to mitigate the damage, avoiding any unnecessary harm.
- "Damn, if we continue like this, we won't be able to exhaust him."
Yuta and Maki thought. Yuji raised his hands, joining them and pointing at Maki and Yuta with his fingertips.
- "Piercing blood."
They both thought, then with difficulty dodged the Carmeci attack that Yuji launched.
Yuta raised his hands. Yuta's right hand closed and his left hand extended. Rika's ring was on Yuta's right hand. Yuji's expression was surprised, as he hadn't expected that from Yuta.
- "Is he really going to do it?"
Yuji thought.
- "Domain expansion."
Yuta looked at Itadori seriously. The ground changed to a destroyed place with katanas on the ground.
- "Mutual and true love."
With Yuta's mention of domain expansion, the fight returned. Yuta and Maki had the advantage. But Yuji, determined not to be left behind, came back using the hollow wicker basket, surprising Maki and Yuta.
- "How did he learn that?"
They both thought, as they looked at Yuji in disbelief.
- "I can't defend myself, I can only dodge. I'm so glad my hypothesis was true. If I consume a bit of Sukuna's flesh, I'll regain certain memories of him. Luckily, among all those memories, there was a way to use this thing."
Yuji thought, as he prepared to dodge as best he could, but it was complicated; he was already taking a lot of damage from Maki and Yuta.
- "Damn, if I keep this up, I'll have to expand my domain, but my domain isn't as refined as Okkotsu's... I'll be forced to use a binding vow."
Yuji thought, dodging a slash thrown by Maki's sword.
- "I make a binding vow with myself... In exchange for my domain losing its barrier, my enemy will have an exit, and I won't be able to use it for two days."
Yuji whispered, something Yuta didn't hear, but Maki, with her celestial restriction, could hear, her senses being enhanced.
- "It's like Sukuna's domain."
Maki thought in surprise upon hearing what Yuji did, but the next thing sent a chill down Maki's spine.
- "Besides, the domain's distance will increase to 200 meters, in exchange for using more cursed energy."
Maki looked at Yuji in disbelief, as it would be like Sukuna's domain. Yuji raised his hands, joining them in their domain hand position, surprising Yuta.
- "Domain expansion."
The place didn't change, confusing Yuta, but putting Maki on alert, as that meant the binding vows Yuji made had worked. Yuta's domain barrier was destroyed, dissipating Yuta's domain. Shortly after, an icy blizzard appeared, giving Maki and Yuta a shiver. But it wasn't because of the cold; it was because they felt danger everywhere. Yuji's voice broke the silence, softened only by the icy wind.
- "Hunting territory."
The place was tense, as Maki and Yuta watched as the place was completely covered in snow that appeared out of nowhere.
- "Yuji has no problem using more cursed energy. After all, he has a lot in his tank. Right now, Yuji's cursed energy is at half its capacity. For the sorcerers, this was a total defeat."
An unknown person explained, while watching Yuji chase Maki and Yuta, who narrowly escaped the domain.
- "A domain without a barrier is dangerous. It's not for nothing that Sukuna and Kenjaku's domains were dangerous, as they had a longer range."
Another unknown person calmly explained the factors, but saw a slash dangerously close to Maki, so the unknown person slightly manipulated the terrain, tripping Maki and preventing Yuji from killing her.
Yuji looked at what had happened seriously. He knew that if he left, his dominance would fall. But since his technique and Yuta's were worn out, Yuji decided to leave. He quickly followed Maki and Yuta. Yuji realized what Yuji was doing, and Yuta's dominance broke down. Maki, knowing that Yuta's technique was worn out, decided to stay.
"I'm staying. You go, Yuta. It'll be better."
Yuta's eyes widened upon hearing Maki's words, but determined not to leave his girl alone, he grabbed his katana and turned around, preparing to fight again.
"What are you doing? Idiot, go, you'll die."
Maki looked at Yuta in surprise, who was serious.
"I'm not leaving you, Maki. I'm staying."
Maki looked at Yuta, seeing the determination in the boy's eyes.
"You're an idiot."
Maki growled at Yuta.
"But I'm your idiot."
Yuta replied, embarrassing Maki.
"Focus, moron."
Embarrassed, Maki saw Yuji, who was already close.
Minutes after Yuta and Maki's mission failed.
"Yuta?"
Yuta's eyes opened, clearly confused, but a familiar girl's voice called out to him.
"Yuta?"
Once again, that child's voice caught his attention. Without a doubt, it was that person.
"Yuta, where are you?"
"Rika..."
As the girl's voice called out to him again, Yuta whispered the person's name.
"Yuta, I'm scared."
"Don't be scared, tell me where you are!"
Yuta began to look around, and in the process, realized it was a forest.
"Yuta, please come here."
Yuta, hearing the request, began to run, but found nothing, only trees. Rika Orimoto's voice grew closer to him, within reach. Unfortunately for Yuta, he woke up from a dream, a nightmare that had been tormenting him for two weeks.
"You're awake."
Yuta's gaze shifted to the person who spoke; it was Maki, who was sitting in a chair next to him.
"W-what happened?"
Yuta whispered, while looking in confusion at Maki, whom he saw to the right. When Yuta saw the place where Maki was looking, his breath froze. An entire city was destroyed, especially Saitama. The cursed boy understood. They failed to stop Yuji, and those nightmares became more intense and recurring, tormenting him in his dreams with his former partner.
"In the middle of the fight, Yuji almost killed us. He proposed something to us: that we join him, that we wouldn't lack anything, and..."
Maki's voice trailed off, her head bowed.
"So what, Maki?"
A whisper came out of Yuta's mouth, trying to lighten the mood.
"And that way, we can both be together."
Maki whispered. Yuta blushed slightly. He looked more closely at Maki's face, and the girl blushed too.
"I understand. I... I don't remember anything."
Yuta confessed, staring at the ground with tiredness and frustration.
xxxxx