JJK | Blood Ties | Osteo x luminescence

[luminescence]

CURSED FLESH

Mina Kairi​

An abrupt buzz vibrated against the surface of her desk, the cluttered plane trembling under folded arms that supported a weary head. Awakening with a jolt, she was greeted by the lowlight of a floor lamp and the blurry sight of her latest charcoal sketch she slept upon. The dark drafts quivered to the intermittent rhythm of her phone, a misplaced device hidden from her view by disarray. Groggily she searched, using her hands to feel about the chaos while consciousness returned to her with every irritating shudder. As she reached about frantically her elbow bumped a mug, sending cold caffeine across the precious papers. An acidic curse fell from her lips as she attempted to salvage what she could, snatching up what she could before the ruinous liquid could get to it. In doing so, she unearthed her phone. Nearing its final ring she grabbed it quickly, her finger gliding over the screen to answer the call at the ungodly hour. "Hello?" She was busy furiously saving her work from the spill, gathering up what she could in her arms. Over the rustling she could barely hear the voice on the other line, only the faint sounds of breathing. Pausing she pulled the phone from her ear, realizing she hadn't actually caught who was disturbing her.

Emi.

She never called. Not on holidays, special occasions, for life events, or milestones. She assumed that it was an accidental dial, and as she prepared to hang up the phone she heard her voice on the other end of the line. It must have been her muddled mind, still addled by drowsiness, that made it so that she couldn't clearly discern the words she spoke. Her mind strained to comprehend the utterances before she realized that Emi was sniffling, fighting with emotion. Sitting back in her seat slowly, she prepared herself for grave news.

"It's . . . It's Ryusei. He's . . . Something happened and he's– he's not coming back."

The silence could have swallowed them both whole. Everything around her seemed to stop as she tried to digest what her sister was telling her.

"Mina?" There was a tear in her voice, a vulnerable crack in her tone that dissolved the quiet. In the background she could hear night sounds; the symphony of chirping crickets against a cacophony of other nocturnal creatures. She had almost forgotten what the ambient music of nature was like. In the city, where the soundtrack of her surroundings was the whirr of passing cars and the hum of electronics to the beat of Berlin's modernity, it was quite the contrast. "Mina . . . Are you there?"

"I'm here." She waited to say anything more, a gut instinct imploring her to listen. The drenched sheets of paper became unimportant, as did her exhaustion. "I'm on my way."

* * *​

It had been a long time since she'd been home. Even though Nagoya was closer to the Kyoto school, Tokyo felt just as familiar to her. It possessed the same hustle and bustle she was used to, and yet parts of it were a perfect homage to traditional architecture and the country's natural beauty. The school was no different. Mina exited the sleek black car not long ago, her driver letting her out before a daunting set of stone steps that led her to a shaded path between massive oaks. The sun provided some warmth, but the brisk Winter breeze prevailed. So close to the mountains, she anticipated cooler temperatures. Bundled in a long, black coat, she was conservatively dressed, mindful of the rather stereotypical beliefs and associations that accompanied the intricate designs on her body. In a pair of black pants and a black and white blouse, only a small portion of the vibrant art that decorated her was visible; on her hands, neck, and chest.

Her heels clicked audibly on the stone beneath her stilettos as she strolled through the arch of the entrance, toward the main building. She hardly reached the threshold before a broad silhouette appeared, descending the steps to meet her.

"Masamichi, it's been a while." She smiled, able to see her reflection in the black tinted sunglasses he wore. His expression was grave.

"We've got enough trouble here as it is, Kairi." He said, folding his arms across his chest defensively.

"I'm not here for trouble. The Kairi clan is in mourning so I have no official business here. In fact, I haven't had business here in quite some time. Unofficial business. . . Well . . . I've got plenty of that." Mina explained, raising her palms to convey her harmlessness in the moment.

"I heard about Ryusei. My condolences, but things here . . . are very fragile." He admitted.

"Thank you. And, I understand. I heard about some of the events in Shibuya." The details were vague, and she didn't understand it all. Grieving the loss of her brother had taken away some of her capacity to care about much else, even if the lives claimed by the incident had been ones familiar to her. "I'm sorry."

 

[Osteo]

Cursed Womb: Death Painting
Choso​

There was to be a meeting with the Higher Ups of the Jujutsu World after the events of Shibuya and the sealing of Satoru Gojo. Students of Jujutsu High in Kyoto and Tokyo were ordered to stay on standby and wait for further instructions. That included those who were at Shibuya, and the question lingered heavily in the air of what was to be Yuji's fate now that Gojo was unable to keep the suspension at bay. A disturbed feeling of dread lingered over the head of Yuji, who still couldn't shake off the events entirely and all those people that Sukuna had killed. All those innocents. What happened to Nanami, Nobara, and Todo all trying their best to help Yuji, and for what? He wished he could be executed and get it over with and destroy the fifteen fingers of Sukuna that he did have inside of him now.

Yuji was gloomfully looking over the cherry blossoms in the courtyard. His body language was full of disappointment and despair; he leaned over the railing and used the metal support to hold up his weight as sorrowful eyes looked onward.

"You should get some rest, little brother." A man dressed in a white robe and purple gi stood to the offside and behind the pink-haired male who was coming to terms with all that had happened. He was still sad and full of hate for all that happened and still blamed himself even after Todo's speech. He still believed he was the one who killed all those innocents, even if Sukuna was in control at the moment.

A deep sigh left the lips of Yuji, who turned his head to the side, cocking it to look back at Choso. "Are you going to keep calling me that?" He asked, curious as to why his enemy now turned ally, was intent on saying they were related by blood and brothers.

"Yes. As your elder brother, it is important I look after you and make sure you have someone to look up to. Someone who can walk the path for you first, so you know what to do or what to avoid." Choso had a deep connection with his brothers Eso and Kechizu and the other six, who were still being held inside the school's hidden warehouse for cursed objects. Yuji was his brother. That he could feel, in the moment when Yuji was dying, his innate ability with his blood manipulation could feel him dying just as he did with Eso and Kechizu. He didn't need Yuji to believe him because he knew that they were blood-related.

"I've already told you. Think back to your Father; did he have a scar across his forehead like Suguru Geto?" Noritoshi Kamo considered the evilest sorcerer in human history, was the Father of Choso and his brothers by blood. Having experimented on his Human Mother, who could give birth to curse spirits, he created the nine cursed wombs: death paintings through her and by his blood. He had used his Mother for an experiment, and he would kill him the next chance he got.

"I don't remember anything about my Father or Mother really..." Yuji said with a bit of shallow disappointment before looking back to the cherry blossoms in silence. A soft breeze of wind picked the petals loosely and blew them across the ground.

"Well, get some rest; I feel bad about this meeting. They wanted to execute you originally and only suspended it before. We may have to fight our way out." Choso wasn't going to allow another brother to be lost to him. He had no loyalty to Geto's plan nor to the Sorcerers. Only to his family, and if that meant having to fight off both sides to protect his brother, then he would.

With that, he intended to find out what he could while he was here on the school grounds. The hospitality shown to him right now was strained by the faculty and higher-ups because of his half-human and half-cursed nature. He aided them in the final fight of Shibuya and saved many other students from being killed by Geto and his associate when Yuki arrived in time to get them out.

With that said, he turned away from Yuji to give him some space and time. Knowing that he would be there for his brother, but also knew when to give someone space as he walked through the courtyard to the front entrance. There, he stopped a bit of a distance away as he saw two sorcerers conversing, but what they were saying he currently couldn't make out until the conversation appeared over, and Choso stood at the top of the stairs that led up further towards the school. The woman seemed familiar to him somehow but he couldn't put his finger on it.

Masamichi shook his head slightly as Mina didn't know the full extent of everything that had happened over the past month. "Satoru Gojo has been sealed, and Suguru Geto has been confirmed to be alive still. The higher-ups are saying they were accomplices, and I believe I will be put to death as I supported both of them for years." It was already a known fact how paranoid the higher-ups of the Jujutsu World could be and how they would always choose to kill someone they deemed uncontrollable, and this situation was beyond their control now. They were looking to make it seem like they still had power.

Masamichi wasn't one to run from issues, however, and even in the face of death, he chose to hold his head high and live with the decisions he made. He had no regrets in what kind of Principal or Teacher he was to the generation before him. "You may have moved overseas but now that you are back, and still a Sorcerer. They will rope you back in." Was the last nugget of advice he could give her before walking down the steps past her.

"Sorry for your loss, and for what you are about to get yourself into." Was all he said before continuing on his walk and leaving her to her devices.

 

[luminescence]

Though her expression remained neutral, save for the slight movement of her brows, she was shocked to hear that Gojo had been sealed. Considered one of the strongest sorcerers of their generation, she would have assumed that of all those involved he would have come out unscathed. To hear that he had been sealed seemed almost impossible, and she half expected that Masamichi was joking despite his serious nature. Least surprising of all was that Geto was at the center of it all. His reputation as a megalomaniac and murderer made the reveal more digestible than even she anticipated. And with that synopsis she could understand the somber atmosphere, the invisible storm clouds that hung over the campus. The higher-ups were there in the aftermath to do what they did best; twist a narrative, lay blame, and dole out undue punishment. She didn’t miss the bureaucracy at all, and knowing that little had changed in the time she’d been away made her all the more eager to be done with sorcery. Even now, while she craved vengeance for her brother’s death, she wished she would have left long ago.

Gray hues followed Masamichi as he descended the steps, moving past her. She had precious seconds to change her mind, to turn around and let her clan handle obtaining justice for her brother after their period of mourning. But, she knew that they would be bound by rules and tradition, restrictive ways that would prevent them from truly exacting revenge. Emi would make a strong leader, but even she rarely tested the bounds of their limits. The Kairi clan was small, and far from having the sway and respect of the Big Three. Mina felt she had no choice but to take matters into her own hands.

“I’ll find them.” She announced, turning to let her voice reach his broad back. “I know you know where they are, but I will find them. And, when I do, I'll destroy them. Like they should have been ages ago.” She promised as Masamichi continued walking. Mina didn’t expect that he would respond, but she let her conviction linger, follow him like a phantom. A breeze made her dark tresses sway, long strands ghosting about her face as she watched him disappear.

The Kairi family had been insistent on destroying the death paintings from the moment they were alerted of their existence. Such abominations were a danger to society in the wrong hands, and her ancestors hunted them despite the insistence that they be locked away like so many other cursed objects and spirits. True, most of them posed no threat outside of their containments, but the potential was there and enough to warrant elimination. The only real way to locate them was to stay close to Jujutsu High, even if it meant getting involved more deeply than she would have liked.

By the steps she saw another, a strangely weary expression on his face. She suspected that if he was involved in the Shibuya incident that exhaustion was to be expected from most of the sorcerers there. With this one the fatigue appeared. . . different. Like it had been there for so long that it had set in the muscles around his mouth and eyes, portraying an aloofness that was so stony that she wondered if he was real.

“I don’t suppose you know where this meeting is being held?” She asked, moving toward him after a long inspection. He didn’t look like a student. He wasn’t wearing a uniform, and she believed that impassiveness like his only came with age. “An escort would be nice.”

Though the Kairi family was small, they were not without talents that brought them great wealth. While Mina hadn’t lost touch with reality or what it meant to be a person, some of her relatives were known to be condescending, believing others to be beneath them for having less. Every now and then her tone resembled theirs, possessing a subtle sophistication and demand that was hard to do away with.

 

[Osteo]

Choso had watched the interaction unfold without any indication of what was said, but he could read body language and the woman before him seemed tense. On edge and ready to burst even from where he stood, she did her best to keep herself composed before she ascended the stairs and stopped to see him staring down at her. Instantly, she could tell that something was different about him and the aura that he emanated. Standing in silence for only but a brief moment before she had spoken and addressed his presence by asking him where the meeting was to be held.

"I don't know where the meeting is. I'm only here for my brother today, and they said nothing. Just to sit tight until further instructions are given." Choso responded when asked if he knew where the meeting was to be held and that an escort would be nice. Choso didn't know the school grounds very well, save for a few limited facilities that he had already been shown before or how he could still feel where his brothers were being held in a hidden warehouse here on the grounds.

"Sorry, I can't escort you, but I'm sure someone will be waiting inside the main lobby for you." He nodded his head backward towards the large building in the center but judging by her appearance and the way she dressed. She must be a sorcerer, was familiar with the grounds anyway, and didn't actually need his help. With a passive expression, he folded his hands into the sleeves of the robe he wore and started to walk down the stairs as he drew closer. Still feeling the aura she gave off, it was familiar to him, as if he had felt her before he had been put in the warehouse years ago.

"Do I know you?" He stopped and asked her, standing in her path now. His light violet eyes scanned over her features and down her well-dressed figure, over the tattoos that gave him a sense of familiarity that he couldn't put his finger on. He had only been alive for a short period of time, just mere months since he had been given a body by Mahito, so if he was to recognize this woman, it would have been during his time as a cursed object.

It was also an odd coincidence that Choso had said he was here for his brother and not knowing of Mina's plight that she had just lost her brother during the events of Shibuya. A lower-grade sorcerer who was caught up in Shibuya's action, working as a replacement for Mina in the clan's duties because she had gone overseas to get away from it all. Her Clan had duties in the Jujutsu World, and someone had to pick up her post.

"Never mind, sorry. Things have just been rather tense." He unfolded his arms and stood off to the side to let her pass him and up the stairs. To go about her day and see what they may want from her or if her sister is already here waiting on her. After all, he didn't know why she was here at the School.

 

[luminescence]

Only there for his brother. Her heart lurched in her chest, provoking an ache that made her stormy gray eyes soften. It had been days since they laid Ryusei to rest, and the open wound of his absence still felt so fresh and tender. Even the most benign things reminded her of loss. Mina would never be able to say the words he spoke to anyone else, and she’d always feel the harsh pang of guilt that she hadn’t been there for her brother. Her family always told her how selfish it was to leave them. Not Ryu, but others who were bitter that she followed passions outside of the world of sorcery. When she arrived she expected that there would be some feelings of resentment. If there was, her own remorse overshadowed it so completely that she couldn’t tell. She believed she would feel it most of all from her sister, who had been extremely vocal about her abrupt departure all those years ago. Emi was the eldest, and likely felt the full weight of the burden of what it meant to be a Kairi. True, Ryu was there, but not in the way she had been forced to.

“I see . . .” The gentle smile that lifted the corners of her lips was a hollow one, more forlorn and empty than the reassurance she meant to convey. She had almost forgotten about the strange essence that he exuded, too tethered by regret and an odd envy to delve too deeply into the source of it. What was more harmless than someone supporting a sibling?

After all, she was familiar with the grounds. It had been quite some time, but her memories of the school were returning to her. The company she sought was an added benefit, and perhaps even a bit of a crutch– a shield of sorts. Mina was fully aware that she was walking into a tense situation, one that was as raw as the loss of her brother. Emotions would be high, defenses would be raised, and fingers would be pointed. She had every intention of being a fly on the wall, and offering assistance where it would benefit her, but going in alone seemed daunting even if she was prepared to do so.

She was ready to let him be on his way, taking a few steps ahead before he paused before her. Mina tilted her head slightly at his question, not sure how he meant it. He’d asked if he knew her, but she was certain that he didn’t. Anyone who did know her wouldn’t have asked. She wasn’t a particularly strong personality, but her appearance was not one that easily faded from recollection. Her distinct markings, much like the rest of her family, were quite notable. Not only that, but she was certain that she wouldn’t have forgotten a face like his. That perpetually indifference expression, the shape of his tired eyes, and porcelain tint of his skin, it was hard to imagine she wouldn’t know it. As someone who prided herself on paying attention to details, she could confidently give him her answer.

“No. I don’t believe we’ve had the pleasure of meeting.” Just as soon as she responded, he stepped aside, dismissing his own suspicion. “I’ve heard. You’re very lucky to be able to be here for your brother . . . Family is important.” She nodded, deciding to be on her way. Her steps almost brought her beyond him before she felt compelled to pause. “Perhaps . . . So that we don’t forget each other again,” she moved toward him, stopping when she was at arm’s length. She extended her hand to him. “I’m Mina.”

 

[Osteo]

Choso held no hatred for Sorcerers or even humans, even as a half-cursed spirit. There was only one Sorcerer he hated in his life, and that was a man that went by the name of Noritoshi Kamo, who had experimented on his Mother, himself, and his brothers. Even as a cursed object that was gathered by Sorcerers and stuffed in a warehouse -- he was conscious of it all and never held disdain for those who put him in a warehouse to forget about him and his brothers out of fear of what they could be. After all, they were the only beings like this, the first hybrids. All he had was his brothers, and two of them were gone now, with the other six still hidden on school grounds but Choso could feel their presence. They shared their blood bond and then the bond with his newest brother he had just found in the events of Shibuya.

He was pulled from his silent thoughts as she approached him after he had stepped away, and she raised her hand up to shake his. Reaching out with his own hand-pulled free from the sleeves of his robes, he took her hand into his and shook it. "Choso." He gave back calmly, with no last name or affiliation with his 'Father' Noritoshi Kamo. "Family is all I have; my brothers are sleeping peacefully. This world isn't ready to accept them. Not yet, but I have one brother who needs me here for him." Letting go of her hand, he slipped it back into the sleeve of his robes and started to walk by the woman.

He was going to look for the warehouse that held them and just to visit them. As much as Choso had wanted to free them and have them inhabit a body to bring them all back, this world wouldn't accept their kind just yet just like they didn't accept Eso and Kechizu.

As Choso was walking off, a member of the Jujutsu Council walked down the stairs. An older man, past his prime, uses a walking cane to assist him in his movement. A long white beard and wrinkly skin as he was dressed in traditional garb.

"It is good to see you again, Mina Kairi. Come, we have much to discuss, and your arrival couldn't have been better. Your brother's passing is unfortunate, but his passing ties in directly with what has been happening since you've been gone." Senior Chairman Watoshi turned around after giving his little comment to Mina and already began his ascent back up the stairs once more toward the main building. Clear in his words that they intended on roping her back into the world of Jujutsu Sorcery now that her brother who took her place was gone and Japan, the largest home to cursed spirits was in danger. Tengen's barrier that protected this world with its veil over Japan was threatened, and the plan of Geto could be the very undoing of the world if he succeeded.

She had no choice in the eyes of the Seniors to shirk her duties any longer and run away from her calling. If she would try to leave once more, she would be executed -- as they have shown that they use such designations quite liberally on those they deem to be a threat or compromise to their world.

 

[luminescence]

The strange essence he exuded was more palpable as he took her hand, introducing himself. Her gaze turned curious, a fusion of intrigue and confusion. Mina was less dismissive now as she stared up at him, trying to make something of the indifferent expression he wore and the energy that emitted from him. She almost missed the sentiments of devotion he spoke of where his brother’s were concerned. Were it not for his odd choice of words she might have continued to sift through the perplexing nature of his energy. Instead, she tried to understand his meaning. She tilted her head slightly as his hand gently slid from her own, her features further deepening into confusion. She thought he meant sleeping in the aftermath of the incident– that perhaps they were disfigured or worse. The horrific attack had not only claimed the lives of many, but forever changed the ones who lived on. Not just the ones who navigated the dangerous cityscape among the curses that ran rampant, but the ones who sacrificed their bodies to save the innocent. Even though it was a risk that came with the duties of a jujutsu sorcerer, it was still devastating. Her heart ached for those who suffer any loss.

“Good to meet you, Choso.” Mina looked over her shoulder as the man passed her by, onto more important things, she assumed. She watched as he descended the stairs behind her, a lingering sensation in the pit of her stomach as he faded from her view. Ready to proceed to the main building, she took a few steps forward before she heard her name at her back. The familiar weary voice made her pause. She wondered if she would even make it inside before they decided to pull her back in, so eager to wrangle her talents for their own exploitation. Mina forced a smile onto her lips though it wasn’t enough to reach her steel eyes.

“Chairman, your condolences are much appreciated. I’m sure you’ll all fill me in.” The old man took a moment to catch up to her, and she was most patient as he shuffled to her side. Her steps were leisurely as she moved next to him, making their way inside the building. The campus was always peaceful, but the heavy atmosphere was more tangible inside the halls they traversed. It felt severe and already she began to question her decision to involve herself in avenging Ryusei. She knew it wouldn’t stop there. When she finally found the abomination that took his life, her fight wouldn’t end. The higher ups would keep her there, use her to their own devices. As she stepped into the room, which was mostly filled with men nearly as old as the chairman that entered with her. With the seats at the elongated table taken, with the sorcerers standing on the sidelines to watch as they doled out decree after decree, she leaned against the wall.

A student– Itadori Yuji– had been sentenced to death, Gojo Satoru was labeled a traitor, and anyone who pursued his release from the seal would be considered a traitor themselves. With Geto alive and well, it was easy to say they were in cahoots, their prior closeness twisted against them. Several other measures were discussed, a matter of where their efforts should be focused and resources they could utilize. Many sorcerers were named, and her clan was not spared their attention. Mina folded her arms across her chest, a smirk playing at the corner of her lips as they revealed that she would be executed if she tried to escape their clutches once more.

“Make all the consequences you want. The only way to keep me here is if you turn over the death paintings to the Kairi family, and disclose the location of the one that killed my brother.” She said, watching as the men exchanged looks with one another. The quiet communication was unbearably frustrating, but ended quickly when Chairman Watoshi spoke.

“We . . . We will discuss the possibility of turning over the death paintings to the Kairi family for disposal. We will have this conversation some time soon, with Emi and your mother present. As for the one involved, he likely resides with Itadori Yuji. He calls himself Choso.” For the chairmen it was a win-win. The hybrid had been involved in the incident, originally on the side of false Geto and the cursed spirit, Mahito. Without Choso in the way, Itadori Yuji would be an easier target for the one they sent after him.

Mina stiffened, easing off the wall quickly. Rage filled her gray orbs as she bristled with anger, furious that they allowed the abomination among them. It was no wonder he was so quick to leave. If it weren’t for the presence of the council she would have torn Jujutsu High asunder looking for him. She stormed out of the room, the door nearly flying off the hinges as she burst through them. He must have known they couldn’t stay on campus after the discussion, that it would be unsafe for them given their involvement. Even if she burned the place to the ground, she was certain that she wouldn’t find him close by.

She’d have to track him herself . . .

 

[Osteo]

It was planned by the higher-ups to get rid of Itadori Yuji and the small inconvenience of Choso now being on his side. However they thought they had plans in motion to rectify that issue while Okkotsu Yuta would take out the vessel of Sukuna. Of course, they were short-sighted in their ways of seeking an iron grip on the Jujutsu World once more that had slipped so many years ago when Satoru Gojo had appeared. Too strong for them to ever act and oppose, even if they made it clear they would get rid of Gojo if they ever had the opportunity. Such an opportunity had finally presented itself, and now they moved quickly to wrest all power back into their greedy little hands while the meeting was underway.

Mina was roped back into the unforgiving and cruel world of Jujutsu Sorcery.

Through her own grief, they could twist her arm and point her in the direction they would benefit from, and so they laid her brother's death at the feet of Choso. A man who was innocent of the accusation but was not present to defend himself over this claim. The chairman nearly had to hide his vulture smile as Mina's disposition had changed from defiance to one of anger and intent.

Yuji had already left campus to clear his head and get some exercise in through running. Choso had briefly stayed behind, wanting to say one final goodbye to his brothers in case things were to go south. Standing in a courtyard, he could feel their presence nearby through an invisible barrier in a warehouse hidden from the sight of even Sorcerers. Other powerful cursed objects lingered inside as well, but Choso was not here to free them or break them out. The soft bristle of wind whisked over the land, ruffling the branches as cherry petals fluttered to the ground of the courtyard. Paving the cement walkway in a deepened pink.

"I will be back for you all." He was speaking to himself mostly but speaking for his brothers who were still inside. Still sealed away in an object.

"There is much to be done, and this world isn't ready for you. Eso and Kechizu paid the price for their appearances and misgivings; I won't let that happen to you. As your elder brother, I will walk the path first to make sure we can live happily in the future." Choso had been 'alive' for over a hundred and fifty years, living inside of his cursed object. What Noritoshi Kamo had done to him, to his brothers, and to his Mother. They were the only thing he knew and cherished in life. He wouldn't let them down, and he would kill the man now called Geto. He had somehow changed bodies. Choso would figure out how he has been alive all this time and kill him.

"I won't be alone. We have a new brother from that accursed man, and luckily, he has not been corrupted or knows the sins of his Father. As his elder brother, I will guide him down the path as well so he doesn't make the same mistakes I have." He said his final parting words to his brothers before turning around to come face to face with Mina standing in the distance. Having only just seen her some time ago, and now she seemed different. Angry.

From her body language, he could tell that she was looking to fight, and so his instincts kicked in. The black mark across his nose and cheek began to let out droplets of blood that moved into the air and formed into a slightly larger ball, three of them floating behind his back.

 

[luminescence]

The chairmen put up a half-hearted protest as she stormed out of the room, pleased with themselves though the threat of the special grade sorcerer tearing through the campus made them eager to take their leave. The men rose not long after she rounded the corner, disappearing from their sight. Her cursed energy bristling wildly, her presence was felt and it hastened their steps as they headed in the opposite direction to their chauffeur who awaited them. Mina didn’t care who got in her way, not the old Watoshi who wobbled hurriedly away with his cane in hand, or the other sorcerers in the room who protested vehemently that she refrain. Her anger made her deaf to their words, and she would hear no reason in what they were saying. All that mattered was avenging the death of her brother, an act she believed would make everything right in the world even if greater dangers were laying in wait. And, really she wasn’t sure why anyone would lend a word to the defense of a curse– especially one that had been on the side of the being parading around as Geto Suguru. He had attacked the very sorcerers who fought for the lives of the innocent, and so she wouldn’t listen to their pleas even if they seemed to know something she didn’t.

Mina whirled around, fury in her stormy eyes as she pulled off her glove. A fluorescent glow emitted from her flesh, the pattern of the art on the back of her palm blaring brightly. She was at the entrance of the main building, ready to breach the threshold when she lifted her arm. She ran three fingers over the top of her hand, activating the curse embedded in her skin. Thick and unruly vines sprang up from the foundation, tangling and twisting as they soar upward to pierce the ceiling. The organic ropes coiled around everything, creating walls around the structure to keep the sorcerers at bay.

With them temporarily occupied, she was free to pursue him. She had sensed him once before, that strange energy he possessed. As she traversed the pathways of the campus she tried to lock onto it like a bloodhound. The unusualness of his presence made more sense to her now. Choso was a hybrid, a curse and a human– something she had never encountered before. It was little wonder why her family had insisted that they destroy the death painting wombs so long ago. The idea that a curse could live among humans was the exact outcome they wished to prevent. So, when she found him, she wasted little time with words– and allowed him to speak his last to brothers he would never see again. Just like she would never see her own again.

“This seems fitting. An elder brother for an elder brother.” She said, shrugging off her coat. Mina pressed two fingers to her shoulder and a flash of deep orange light flickered before emitting a burst of black smoke– or what appeared to be smoke. The substance was ink, and it began to take form beside her. It rapidly took shape, revealing a hulking curse, snarling with dripping fangs. A beast wrapped in chains stalked forward, massive paws tipped with razor sharp claws. Its chains leapt from its body, darting toward the death painting to ensnare him. While Mina wanted to make his death a painful one, she was more inclined to make it a quick one. It wasn’t in her nature to be cruel but the desire was there, wrapped around her heart like a parasite that wanted blood as payment for her loss.

 

[Osteo]

Choso felt hostility brimming from Mina before him without the need of words. Her cursed energy beginning to take form as she had touched her shoulder where one of her many tattoos where. Energy twisting and unraveling before a curse appeared before Choso, like Geto's Curse Manipulation, but this one was quite different, it seemed. These looked to be tattoos on her body, an untold number of them she could possess, but if it was limited to her flesh, then her arsenal was limited by space. Something she was inferior to Geto, someone that Choso had become familiar with during their brief stint together and then the fight they had at the end of Shibuya.

"I don't know what you are referring to." She spoke of an elder brother for an elder brother; in this instance, he recognized that she was referring to him, but he had to deal with her curse first. Blood was beginning to pump through his veins, droplets floating out from the black mark on his face before converging to front of him as he clapped his hands together, open palms, fingers closed and pointing straight for the beast she had summoned. Only the Kamo clan had Blood Manipulation. It was a highly protected and secretive technique that not even the current Noritoshi Kamo would reveal secrets to his friends and classmates.

"Blood Manipulation: Convergence." He let out a slow breath while keeping his eyes focused before releasing his technique, Piercing Blood. A powerful technique that shot from his fingertips with the speed of sound as it shot forth now condensed by his blood and spiritual energy. Enough power that the ground even cracked slightly underneath him and he had to take a stance not to be blown over by how condensed and powerful he could make the technique is it pierced right into her curse before reaction and with a slash of his hand downward, it sliced the beast in two before it began to fade away as it as exorcised from his cursed technique.

Once the curse was defeated he stopped his technique and looked at Mina once more. Three blood spheres still floating around his head as a fourth appeared and hovered in front of him. Presumably to be ready to fire off another one of those techniques.

"What is this about an elder brother?" He asked her, but in the back of his mind, he already suspected that the Jujustu Higher-Ups had put her up to this with some scheme. They wanted Choso gone now that he was a wrinkle in their plan to kill Yuji, a plan he wouldn't let them go through with.

 

[luminescence]

The crimson droplets that gathered around the hybrid did not go unnoticed. Mina had never witnessed a blood technique, and while she was surprised that he could wield such a powerful skill as a death painting she was too outraged to consider anything more than her own vengeance. Anger fueled her actions, and she channeled that desire to exact retribution into summoning the cursed spirit that once decorated her shoulder. The chained beast growled ferociously, deep snarls ripping sharply from dripping jowls and razor teeth. The length of metal links careened toward him, zipping through the air rapidly, but they were stopped before they could reach him. As a beam of blood soared, and ripples of power made the earth quiver, the large dog was gravely wounded. It happened so quickly that she almost didn’t believe that it happened until she turned to the dog curse, watching while it crumbled to its knees and onto its side. Black wisps curled up toward the sky as it began to disappear, fading until there was nothing left.

“What is this about?” She asked, offended that he couldn’t fathom why she was after him. In her opinion, more sorcerers should have been pursuing him. Instead they allowed him to roam freely on the grounds, unsupervised and unshackled. If it were up to her family, he would have been executed on sight. “Surely you can guess.” Mina said, wondering if it was difficult for him to recall because he’d slaughtered so many. Still, the Kairi family technique was not a well-protected secret. It was hard to be inconspicuous when their flesh was embellished with intricate ink designs and patterns. Her brother was no exception. His skin was more decorated than her own with tattoos that covered every inch of his body, his face included.

“My brother died by your hands in the Shibuya incident.” She told him, turning her arm over to expose yet another curse. Dragging a finger over it, she called the curse to life. Just as the chained dog had manifested as a blot of ink at first, the ghoulish curse she summoned did the same before it began to take shape. “It’s only right that I avenge his death by claiming your life.” Mina let the creature go, an incorporeal form gliding toward him with long, sharp bony fingers aimed for his throat. While she intended to let her previous curse do the dirty work before, she knew that Choso would only continue to obliterate them unless distracted.

Mina darted toward him, coming at him with a heavy fist as the spirit phased through him.

 

[Osteo]

He concentrated on the woman before him as she activated her cursed technique once more to summon another spirit by her side, but this time, she decided also to rush in and try to fight him head-on. The line across his nose and cheeks shifted and changed as he activated his cursed technique, 'Flowing Red Scales,' allowing his blood to pump even faster. Taking in more oxygen and enhanced his physical capabilities beyond that of a mere human with enhanced cursed energy. He was even capable of boosting himself enough that he was able to fight Itadori Yuji in hand-to-hand combat under dire circumstances. Itadori had supernatural strength, durability, and speed for someone who could barely use their cursed energy.

Mina wasn't in the mood to talk clearly with Choso, who had no intention of fighting her. He made a promise to his brother Yuji that he would keep himself tamed and that he held no ill will toward sorcerers for his half-cursed, half-human life. The only man he loathed and wished to kill was his Father for everything he had done to his brothers and Mother.

"I only fought three people that day in Shibuya, and your brother wasn't one." Taking the initiative, he moved towards Mina, who was coming in close before him, building cursed energy in her fist as if she thought he was only a long-range fighter because of his first attack. Moving with a planned step to impede her path, his hand grabbed her wrist and directed her force and momentum to go past him and roll against the ground, letting her own strength and momentum carry her away from him as her spirit was coming for his throat as he ducked underneath its sharp claws, feeling the purple gi around his neck tatter and rip as the claw had come close.

Three floating orbs of blood surrounded the spirit that had drawn in before exploding into tiny blood 'bullets' with dangerous sharpness and velocity as the spirit was surrounded by needles from all directions.

Choso had jumped backward after the small explosion of his concentrated blood attack, getting distance from Mina once more as blood swelled from around the black mark on his face into a fresh orb before him before he clapped his hands over the orb and began to concentrate and condense the power of his technique, aimed right at her.

"Satorou Gojo, Itadori Yuji and the man your people call Suguru Geto are the only three I fought that day in Shibuya. I had no interest in anyone else..." He didn't even have an interest in fighting Gojo that day. Just agreeing with Mahito's group and Geto, he was able to fight Yuji because of heir alliance. Still, through those events, he learned the truth about Yuji and Geto, that Geto was really Noritoshi Kamo as Choso knew him.

"Your bosses want to kill my brother Yuji and have lied to you about my doings in Shibuya for you to try and take me out of the picture. But I will not let him die, as the elder brother it is my duty to walk the difficult path for him and my younger siblings. So they can have a better life and learn from my mistakes." He hadn't fired off his technique, but it was ready on a moment's notice, and in his mind, he figured that Mina was smart enough to realize just how dangerous of a position she was in if he did fire the technique. How fast it could move and would pierce her before she could even get off the ground.

 

[luminescence]

As her curse phased through him in an attempt to provide a distraction, the hybrid was ever-perceptive. He found her fist in the haze of black vapor, redirecting her momentum behind him. Mina let the force behind her knuckles take her down, and as she rolled fluidly to her feet–undaunted– she was ready to redirect. The ghostly curse whirled around her, mimicking her agitation as it guarded her defensively. Her steel hues locked onto Choso as the specter advanced, pausing as the ruby orbs formed pointed barbs. It could have easily passed through them, unscathed by the sharp spears that trapped it momentarily. The only thing holding it back was its summoner, the sorcerer that managed to glean a shred of reason. Mina wanted to ignore his protests to her accusations, her anger told her to dismiss them. Why would she listen to a half-human, half-curse abomination when her own sister recounted the event? And while she didn’t trust the old men of the council, their word supported someone she trusted.

She glared across the distance between them, contemplating her next move. His fingertips were aimed straight toward her, the mark on his face elongated as his cursed energy bristled. Her own was erratic as logic whispered to her good sense, warring against the flames of her temper that demanded that she attack yet again. His technique was deadly. A single pierce completely obliterated her last curse– not that it was any real threat to him or any enemy worth their salt. It was the effortlessness that concerned her, the obvious ability and power that he wielded and utilized with a suspicious amount of restraint. If he wanted he could have come at her with everything he had, tested the limits of her armor-like exterior in his own defense. But, he didn’t.

Instead he was adamant that he had only fought three people the night of the incident, insisting that he never laid eyes on any other target.

“Is that so?” She muttered, seemingly unconvinced. “You fought your own brother so that he could have a better life? Learn from your mistakes?” The higher ups weren’t certain what swayed Choso to side with Itadori Yuji. He arrived as an enemy and left as an ally. A brother, he said. It was not the first time he’d referred to the young sorcerer as family, and while she believed that he was delusional in some way he seemed to have some sense of loyalty and duty, a dedication to bonds that was not often observed in even the most intelligent of curses. “I should make you his lesson to learn . . .” She said, raising a hand to call back the curse she released. The black phantom erupted into ink suddenly, viscous black fluid floating back to her forearm where it had once been.

“His name was Ryusei. He had flesh like mine, covered in tattoos– objects.” Her brother possessed an arsenal of cursed objects on his body, making his skin home to thousands of powerful and deadly items. “You never saw him that night? Even when so many say that it was you who claimed his life?”

 

[Osteo]

"The situation had changed. I didn't know Itadori Yuji was my brother until we had fought a twisted fate by the man your sorcerers call Geto." He had come close to killing Yuji, but on his deathbed, he had the same feeling and connection to Yuji as he did his other family when they died. He knew deep down in his blood that they were related in a sick, twisted way, but still, he was Choso's younger brother, and he would make up for the mistakes he made by leading his brothers. He wouldn't allow his last brother, who currently walked this Earth, to be put to death, not when he could stop it.

"I never saw this man you speak of and who you trust to give you this information. If I had killed you, brother, wouldn't I simply have killed you and all these other sorcerers at this school if I had a vendetta against your kind?" He held no hate towards sorcerers, he had no motivation to go to war with them even if Mahito and Geto had given him this body that he had put his cursed energy and soul into. He owed them nothing and had only joined forces when his brothers had died, and he wanted to make his brother's killers pay for what they had done. That had changed, of course, when he learned about Yuji's true nature.

"I only wish for the death of Noritoshi Kamo and to keep my brothers safe. I've already lost two because of him; I won't lose anymore. So if you intend to try and stop me and go after Yuji then I will kill you." Choso was laid back and aloof most times, but he had become more serious, focused, and honed on the woman before him. His hands continued to stay clasped together with the intent to fire off his technique at a moment's notice if she decided to take aggressive action. If she wished to test her strength and durability against his piercing blood, then she was welcome to try, but he has pierced through tougher spirits and opponents.

"If you wish to talk, then lower your stance and I will tell you how I came to learn of Yuji's blood bond with myself." He could see it in her eyes, her hatred for the womb paintings and Choso. They were half-curse half-humans created by Noritoshi Kamo, who was trying to perfect humanity, but he deemed the experiments a failure. They were kept as cursed objects for over a hundred and fifty years, never harming anyone yet she held hatred towards him. Was it because of his half-cursed nature, or because she believed the lies she was told.

 

[luminescence]

Her rage had her seeing red thus far. Even reason couldn’t penetrate the veil of anger that clouded her judgment. Mina had already been convinced that the death painting had ended her brother’s life. It was a claim that was supported by many, and to allow him to sway her otherwise was foolish. The idea that he would deny killing her brother was . . . odd. The kind of evil expected of a curse should have allowed him to cop to the deed. There was little reason for Choso to lie. He refused to attack her and despite his obvious strength he exercised restraint when it would have been easy for him to harm her. That alone was enough for an inkling of doubt to infiltrate her mind.

He was right. As difficult as it was for her to admit, it didn’t make sense for someone like Choso to have attacked her brother. Unless he was in the way of his plans to destroy Itadori, or Noritoshi Kamo, he had little reason to go after him. Ryusei’s mission was to protect the non-sorcerers that were stuck in Shibuya that night, to defend them. He was good at following orders, unlike herself. He wouldn’t have engaged needlessly in battle if he didn’t have to. Not only that, but she could understand why the higher ups would perpetuate the narrative that the hybrid was involved. Like he mentioned, they wanted anyone who was aiding Itadori Yuji out of the way, and if Choso was determined to protect him– despite all he had done– her success meant an easier target.

Her stormy eyes lessened in intensity, and bit by bit she convinced herself to lower her guard. Mina lowered her fists and straightened. Though the hostility was still there the intention to attack was gone– not entirely, but beneath the surface of her composure where she could call upon it if she felt the need to.

“Fine . . . Let’s talk.” She said, raising a hand. The floral markings on the back of her hand glowed, and the tightly wound tendrils that encased the main building slithered away. The emerald vines returned to the earth, and the illumination of her tattoo faded. Those who were trapped inside were freed. Mina approached Choso, not entirely sure that she was making the right choice to trust him. Even if that trust was short-lived. “How is it that you came to know that Itadori Yuji was your brother? And, what does it have to do with what happened in Shibuya?” Mina didn't know what to expect out of him, whether it would be the truth or some blatant lie. Either way, she hoped it was something that would help her get to the bottom of what happened-- if her brother was even there at all.

 

[Osteo]

It appeared as if she was willing to listen to him now after this short outburst against him, the manipulation already beginning to set in through the higher-ups of the Jujutsu World. Choso now understood why he was asked to protect his brother from these people. It was a game of politics to them. Even with such a dangerous threat out there, they were focused on ensuring that Gojo stayed gone so their power scheme wouldn't be threatened, and those who supported Gojo or were under his mentorship were either to be killed or watched carefully. They were using her as a means to an end to get rid of him or make an attempt by placing her dead brother at the feet of the hybrid and blaming him. if she were to fail in her mission, then they could just pass it off as a sibling being bewildered and being given false information by someone, and if she succeeded, then that meant an even easier target on Yuji's back.

His hands stayed clasped together; however, they now angled more towards the ground as the black marking along his cheek lessened its sharpened angle and withdrew from his eyes as it went back to being a solid black line.

"Because of my cursed technique, blood manipulation, I share a bond with my brothers that I can feel," Choso summarized how he knew that Yuji was to be his brother.

"Noritoshi Kamo, one of the first users of this cursed technique and considered one of the most hated sorcerers in history..." Kamo was not a name that many in the Sorcerer world thought of fondly, and it was why the Kamo clan was to still repent for his evil doings and experimentations. "My Mother was able to give birth to a half-human half-curse, and she was hated for it; she fled to seek protection from the sorcerers, and that is how she met Noritoshi Kamo, who experimented on her, mixing his blood with me and my brothers. Turning us into those cursed objects all this time, trapped inside." Choso had never actually been alive a hundred and fifty years ago; he had never lived a life and then turned into an object. He had been one since birth and was given this body once recovered by Mahito and Geto.

"Because of those experimentations, I'm able to feel my brothers, especially when they are close to death. Itadori Yuji and his friend had killed two of my brothers who were given forms by Mahito. Their bodies weren't perfect, and they looked more curse than humans." He gave her the answers she sought from his point of view.

"I found Itadori in Shibuya and was close to killing him; as he was dying, that familiar feeling ran through me that he was my brother." He unclasped his hands as the blood dissipated and went back to the black marking on his cheek and nose as the sleeves of his robes fell down some and he folded them in amongst themselves across his chest once more now, taking a more neutral stance and approach.

"The one you call Geto is dead. I don't know how, but the one that inhabits that body is Noritoshi Kamo, and he is somehow involved with Itadori..." He didn't know how other than perhaps finding a woman to sire a child for him or perhaps intermixing his blood with a pregnant woman just as he had done with his Mother all those years ago.

"That is how I know but I don't have the answers yet that tell me the full picture."

 

[luminescence]

Mina tried to remove the stubborn barriers that demanded she disregard all explanation. Her need for retribution made her unwilling to listen. She didn’t want to allow the hybrid the chance to manipulate her, appeal to her sense of reason to disarm the entirety of her rage. It was all that had fueled her in the days after her brother’s death, all that had consumed her mind. The world would be made right again if she had only listened to her desire for vengeance, but the possibility that she could be wrong– that she could be acting rashly– made her willing to allow him a chance to change her mind. Truly, it shouldn’t have mattered. Her family had been after the death painting wombs for so long that no explanation should have warranted his release, but Choso was far different than she expected.

He spoke to her calmly, taking his time to talk through the Shibuya incident from his point of view. He made no attempts to gloss over the parts that weren’t so pretty; the nature of his birth and his ties to Noritoshi Kamo, nearly beating young Yuji Itadori within an inch of his life, and his previous alignment with the false Geto. It was a great deal to digest, and nowhere in his account of the event and all that lead up to it was any reference to Ryusei. He was entirely absent from his story, and while she wanted to be outraged that he could be so insignificant she was faced with the fact that he simply wasn’t there.

All that had transpired in Shibuya centered around Gojo and the one calling himself Geto. He had been pulling all the strings, and using others as chess pieces in his game. Choso included. Mina lowered her gaze, folding her arms across her chest as she deeply considered what to do next. The hybrid was her only lead and now she was at square one.

“Okay . . .” She said, returning her eyes to him. “So, you really do have no idea what I’m talking about.” An apology was on the tip of her tongue, but she wasn’t quite ready to release the pressure. “So, what’s next? You and Itadori ride off into the sunset now that you’ve found one another? Your involvement in Shibuya simply goes ignored now that you’ve found yourself on the right side of the playing field?” They all had bigger fish to fry, and while it seemed wrong that he would go completely unpunished, it was not her place to bring him to justice– or take his life if he had no hand in her brother’s death.

“Do either of you have anywhere to go?” She asked, approaching him now with an easier posture. “If you come with me, and explain yourself to my clan, I am willing to speak on your behalf to clear your name. They will come for you, otherwise. There are only two more days of mourning. Once it is over, there’s nothing stopping them from pursuing you or Itadori.” Mina offered, willing to give them safe harbor while she worked out her own next steps. Keeping them close by only worked in her favor, especially if new information came to light.