17 Infinite Void, Infinite Possibilities

The command, "Domain Expansion: Infinite Void," echoed in my mind. Then, the world... it wasn't just warped, it vanished.

It looked like I'd been shoved deep underwater, the darkness consuming me from all sides. But instead of water, it was like air had turned into an endless, churning sea of...something. My eyes strained to make sense of it. Stars, swirls of gas, galaxies impossibly distant - they were all there, and yet I couldn't focus on anything. Like looking at everything and nothing at all.

Over the visual roar, a single word rose, sharp and cold. "Overload." And I understood. The curse was drowning in this. It wasn't fire or force that would kill it; it was the universe shoved down its throat until it mentally choked. If hell exists, it looks like this.

Something twisted in me. Sympathy, maybe, or just that same thrill that had gripped me when I used my technique for the first time. Because, damn, this was power. It was beyond anything I could fathom, and Gojo held it in his hand like a kid with a water balloon. I saw the black hole then, yawning in the distance, pulling on this whole impossible space.

"This is the interior of Infinity," Gojo said, and it wasn't his usual teacher voice. This was...ancient, almost. He stepped forward, placing a hand on the curse's head. "Ironic. Given everything, you'll die slowly, unable to do a thing. But..." He paused, and the change in his tone made me shiver. "I want some answers first."

I watched, feeling like I was on the edge of a cliff, about to be thrown off. This was what Gojo could do, what he really was. And then... he ripped the curse's head off like he was unplugging a cord.

My stomach lurched. I'd seen death, but this...it was overwhelming.

And now, that infinity in the sky was gone. The lava and heat had vanished too. Gojo, back in his stupid blindfold, grabbed Yuji and me. Not by our hands, but our clothes, like we were misbehaving kids. 

"Now then," he said. Not to the curse, because curses don't talk when they're just heads. To the air, to the world, I couldn't tell. "Who told you to come here?"

I stood there, Itadori frozen beside me, and all I could think was how far away "normal" felt. There were curses, there was training until I puked, there was even Yuji being not-dead... but this? Gojo with the world in his hands?

And a thought, just a whisper, like a worm crawling into my brain: If this is what you have to be to fight this kind of thing...then maybe I can do it. Become that powerful, that terrifying, that…

So this is how far I had to go, huh?

From a vantage point high above the chaotic scene below sat Geto, the Curse spirit covered in tattoos, and a woman with hair as black as a raven's wing. 

A smirk played at the edge of Geto's lips. "So, should we go and save him?"

"That impulsive idiot? Let him suffer." Her voice, smooth as silk, held a trace of amusement beneath the disdain. A flicker, gone as quickly as it came, crossed her covered eyes.

"Ah, but Allani," Geto sighed, "that would be so...boring." His fingers traced a lazy pattern across the rough stone as he rose to his feet, a casual dismissal of the whole scene.

"Besides," he continued, tilting his head slightly towards Allani, "We need him for our plans and I can't have those Tokyo sorcerers recognizing me. Too troublesome to start a whole new war just yet."

Allani's gaze fixed on Jogo. A slow, almost predatory smile curled the corner of her lips, though her covered eyes remained unreadable. She turned towards the tattooed spirit, the barest hint of eagerness in the tilt of her head.

"If you wish to play the hero, be my guest."

Geto watched her stance, the subtle tensing of her shoulders. He knew her, understood the restrained eagerness simmering beneath the impassive facade. Turning towards the tattooed spirit, he offered a single, unsettling phrase:

"Good luck, Hanami."

With Kaito: 

The squashed head was kinda pathetic now. I watched Gojo nudge it with his foot, like he was bored and the fight was already over.

"So," he said, less to the head and more to himself, "not the type to follow orders, huh? Or is killing me, like, your life goal?" Gojo sighed, tapping a finger against his temple.

No answer. Shocker.

With another sigh, Gojo planted his foot on the curse's face. Not squishing it, just putting weight on it. "C'mon, just talk! I'll get rid of you if you don't, I'll get rid of you if you do..."

Beside me, Yuji blurted, "Curses can talk?"

Honestly, with everything else going on, I hadn't even thought about that. I managed a wry smile. "Guess so. Kinda weird though, right? After everything, I'm surprised by what a talking head can do." I shot him a sideways glance. I figured 'cause he'd been you-know-what for a bit, he was even further lost in the weeds than me.

Then, I felt something...off. A shift in the air, like a switch being flipped. Before I could even process it, the ground under the curse's head erupted. Not lava and fire, but... Plants erupted - a gnarled stem sent the head rolling like a grotesque bowling ball.

Before I could do anything except stare, it bloomed. Big, purple flowers, the kind my grandma might've grown if she'd liked evil-looking plants. They pulsed softly, and this...wave washed over me.

Then, I was giggling. Yuji was too, and Gojo - yeah, even the world's strongest sorcerer was fighting a goofy grin.

For a second, it felt nice. Whatever was happening, whatever was going down with the plant under our feet, it took away all the fear and tension. But even while laughing, the fighter part of my brain flickered on. Because I saw the vines slithering out from beneath the plant, saw one whip around Yuji's legs, yanking him off his feet.

"Sensei! I got this!" I heard him yell for a split second, then, "I LIED, HELP!"

I was already in motion, my hand slashing in a diagonal arc. "Kiru." Threads of my power shot forward, concentrated not just at my fingertips, but along the entire edge of my hand.

The vines weren't a challenge. They parted like butter under a hot knife, each severed end dropping limply to the ground. The surge of my power didn't stop there. It kept going, until with a satisfying CRACK, it slammed into a tree fifteen meters away, leaving a deep gash wider than my hand on the trunk. 

Yuji landed hard with a grunt, then scrambled upright. Gojo was beside me, a quick nod of approval the only praise needed. But it was his frown that echoed my own unease. I couldn't sense them anymore. Curses didn't just disappear, not even the strong ones.

"Thanks!" Yuji chirped, breathless but grinning. "Sorry if they ran because of me..." He trailed off, sensing our unease.

Gojo's gaze snapped towards something beyond us. "So, special grades working together, huh? This is interesting."

"Interesting and terrifying," I muttered, the words barely audible as I glanced at my hand. Was this thanks to my improved cursed energy control? Or something else, something I didn't understand yet?

My thoughts were interrupted by Gojo's usual carefree voice bouncing back to us, masking whatever calculation flickered behind his eyes.

"I want you guys to get strong enough to beat that." That - whatever had been controlling those vines, whatever might be lurking out there just beyond our sight.

I gave him a cocky smirk. "With this training? I'll probably be able to crush 'em by the time the exchange event rolls around."

Gojo chuckled, pleased, and then turned those unnerving blindfolded eyes onto Yuji. "Speaking of… Yuji, time to level up! You'll be watching movies and sparring with me over and over for a whole month."

Yuji's eyes bulged. "A whole month? Will I even survive?"

I couldn't help but laugh, patting him on the back. "Dude, you survived not having a heart. This'll be a breeze!"

But Gojo's tone sobered, a reminder that what was a "breeze" for me, might not be so easy for Yuji. "After that, it's big, solo missions for the both of you, leading up to the exchange."

His gaze fixed on me. "I need Yuji to stay under the radar until then, Kaito. Can you keep his secret?"

"Of course," I said without hesitation. "You can count on me."

But just when the air was starting to feel normal-ish again, Yuji - bless his clueless heart - piped up. He had his hand in the air and everything, like he was back in elementary school.

"Sensei! I have a question!"

Gojo nodded, somehow managing to look both patient and amused simultaneously.

"What's this exchange you guys keep talking about?" Yuji asked.

The question hung in the air and I shot Gojo the most unimpressed look I could muster. "You didn't tell him?"

Gojo paused, once, twice. Then he let out a long-suffering sigh that seemed to perfectly sum up the past few weeks of his life. "Right," he muttered, scrubbing a hand over his face. "The Kyoto Goodwill Event..."

===========

Geto slipped into the inconspicuous apartment. One step, and the drab hallway dissolved, replaced by soft sand and the endless blue of an ocean. "Peaceful domain," Geto mused.

A figure swathed covered in stitches awaited him. "Geto, what of Jogo? Allani was tight-lipped."

Geto smirked. "Hey Mahito, Jogo was about to die. Hanami went in after him, should be fine."

A disapproving sigh rustled through Mahito. "Reckless, the both of you... stirring up trouble."

"Hardly." Geto feigned innocence. "I warned him."

"Speak of the devil," came a woman's voice as Hanami entered with Jogo - or more accurately, Jogo's head.

Relief washed over Mahito. "Jogo, Hanami! Thank goodness you're safe."

Jogo, head balanced on Hanami's shoulder, sneered at Allani. "Whatcha lookin' at?" His voice rasped, edged with frustration.

"A testament to your impulsiveness, as usual," Allani replied.

Jogo's head twisted, fury evident in the one visible eye. "You dare mock my efforts?"

Allani shrugged. "Given the circumstances, it seems rather fitting."

Jogo's head twisted, his single eye blazing. "You dare mock my efforts?" His voice, a choked rasp, pulsed with rage.

Allani's sculpted lips curled into a smirk. "Yet, here you are," she purred, "barely clinging to existence." Her gaze briefly flickered towards Geto, a silent message passing between them, unnoticed by the fuming curse.

Mahito cut in before things could truly escalate. "Jogo, what have you learned from this?"

Jogo fell silent. His head trembled, then slowly relaxed. The fury faded, replaced by a grudging sort of acceptance. "Gojo..." he rasped, the name bitter on his tongue, "... too strong. Need to listen to Geto's plan."

Geto seized the opportunity. That familiar smile played on his lips. "Indeed. Satoru Gojo demands strategy, not brute force. We'll establish our advantage before striking."

His gaze settled on Mahito. "I propose a sealing. October 31st, Shibuya." A beat of silence, then, "I'll contact you with the details. Acceptable, Mahito?"

"No objections here," Mahito chuckled. "We'll play it their way - sly as curses and cunning as humans."