Chapter 2 : No Rest for the Wicked

The world was shrouded in a shade of sombre grey. Torrential rain poured relentlessly from the overcast sky, drenching a lone boy as he trudged home from school. His small frame was hunched under the weight of his soaked backpack as he regretted forgetting his umbrella yet again, the puddles in his path splashing cold water onto his sneakers.

But there was something else. Something was up in the air that made him uneasy. And the closer he got to his home, the tense feeling kept growing, gnawing at his mind. The front door, slightly open and creaking in the wind, was an ominous sight against the gloomy backdrop of the day. An instinctive sense that something was undeniably wrong coursed through him. The boy hesitated for a moment, raindrops trickling down his face, his heart thumping rather frantically.

Why?

Why today?

What was wrong with today?

With trembling fingers, he pushed the door open, its rusty hinges protesting with a low groan. He stepped into the dimly lit house, the gloom inside intensifying the uneasiness that had settled within him. At first glance, nothing seemed wrong inside as far as he could tell. Even still, the unease he felt within his heart did not subside. 

Moving cautiously, he ventured further inside, the sound of his wet sneakers squishing against the wooden floor echoed in the background, drowning out the sound of the rain outside. But he could hear something else - The television was turned on. A slight sense of relief passed through his mind. His mother was probably watching that one really bad comedy show, featuring a comedian that was even worse. He never really understood why she found it interesting, and whenever he asked her about the reason, she never really gave a clear answer either.

However, when he reached the living room, he froze.

There, on the couch, sat his mother. But she was not as he knew her. Leaning on the seat,  her vacant eyes stared blankly ahead, unseeing. Her once vibrant face was now pale and emotionless, blood trickling down her nose and mouth. The boy's small voice quivered as he called out for his mother, but there was no response. The silence in the room was oppressive, and a sense of overwhelming dread washed over him, chilling him to his very core. He took a step back, trembling, the realisation of the horrific scene before him slowly sinking in.

____________________

"..."

Daichi opened his eyes, the warmth of the morning sun casting a gentle glow across his room. For a moment, the vivid memory of the dream clung to his senses, the haunting images replaying themselves in his mind. Taking a deep breath, he tried to shake off the lingering unease. He knew it was just a dream, a haunting relic of his past that sometimes resurfaced to torment him. He ran a hand through his tousled hair, sweat-dampened from the ordeal.

"Seriously, when was the last time?" He mumbled under his breath. 'I guess it won't go away till I get rid of the root cause… him… '

*KNOCK* *KNOCK*

While Daichi was wrestling with the lingering thoughts that arose as a result of his dream, he was startled by the sudden knock on the door. However it did manage to get him out of his stupor, as he quickly rose from his bed and made his way towards the door. Turning the doorknob, he pulled the door open only to find himself staring at his classmate.

"Okkotsu?" Daichi's voice held a mix of surprise and confusion as he met the gaze of his visitor, who also happened to be in his uniform, considering it was the weekend and they were free for the day. "What happened?"

"Okada-san, get ready as soon as you can." Yuta replied with a tense expression. "The two of us got assigned to an emergency mission."

____________________

The interior of the car was dimly lit, the soft hum of the engine filling the space as Daichi and Yuta sat in the backseat, accompanied by the rhythmic sound of raindrops pattering against the windows. Kiyotaka Ijichi, the assistant director of Tokyo Jujutsu High, took on the role of their driver.

"Ijichi-san, where is the location?" Daichi decided to break the silence, trying to get a better idea of what they were up against.

"A psychiatric hospital in East Shinagawa." Ijichi replied tensely, his focus fixed on the road ahead. "Most of the people have already been evacuated, but there is a chance some of them are still trapped inside. I sincerely apologise regarding the sudden notice, but we are quite short-handed at the moment."

"Wait. Then where's Maki, Panda and Toge?" Daichi pointed out.

"I met them before I came to call you." Yuta revealed. "Maki-san told me that they were assigned for another mission."

"That's right." Ijichi added. "They were sent to another location for a similar case. And it is not just them. The teachers and all the students from all four years are also away on missions. I don't know why, but there was a sudden spike in the appearance of cursed spirits today. Since there are five students among you first years, it was decided that it would be more efficient to split you into two teams."

"Do you know what will be the grade of the cursed spirit we are up against?" Daichi inquired further.

"... It's not just one cursed spirit." Ijichi answered after a short pause. "From the report we have so far, there are sightings of at least two grade 3 curses and one grade 2 curse."

"Three at least?!" Yuta exclaimed in a slightly worried tone. "A-Are you sure this is something we can handle?"

"You honestly worry too much." Daichi dismissed his concerns with a casual wave, leaning back on his seat and closing his eyes. "I get that you are still relatively new to all of this, but have a bit more confidence in yourself."

"... I will try."

"You will 'try', huh?" He chuckled. "Trust me. A special grade sorcerer putting the smallest amount of effort should be more than enough to complete this mission."

Yuta nodded, appreciating Daichi's reassurance. "I'll keep that in mind."

____________________

"We're here." Ijichi muttered, as the car slowly came to a halt. Opening the back door, the two students exited the car and looked around, surveying their location. The moment they took the first step outside, they could feel the eeriness hanging in the air. The institute stood tall against the dark background, a stark contrast to its manicured garden and well-tended courtyard. The heavy rain from before had now dwindled into a minor drizzle, leaving the atmosphere dense and damp. 

"Six floors… Looks like this might take more time than I thought." Daichi remarked, rubbing the back of his head, as they made their way towards the entrance of the hospital. Just then, he felt a vibration in his pocket. Retrieving his phone, he glanced at the message for a few seconds, his expression briefly changing. Afterward, he casually returned the phone to his pocket.

"Is something wrong, Okada-san?" Yuta asked him, having noticed the change in his demeanour.

"It's nothing." Daichi waved off his concerns with a casual smile. "And I've been meaning to tell you this, but you don't need to be so formal. Just call me by my first name like the others do."

"Well, if you say so…" Yuta responded, trying to match the more relaxed tone.

"Are the two of you ready?" Ijichi called them both out, to which they simply gave him a nod. "Remember, your aim is to exorcise any curse you come across and to rescue any remaining survivors who couldn't escape earlier.. I'll lower the curtain, so please be careful."

"Let's go." Daichi said, turning to Yuta as he pulled the glass door of the hospital open. They entered the dimly lit building, keeping a close eye on their surroundings. 

Daichi immediately opened his palm, as the familiar book materialised on it. Yuta looked on in awe, as Daichi flipped the pages, till he found the particular skill he was looking for. He then pointed his palm towards the ground, as four clones materialised near him. The clones simply looked at each other for a second, before rushing towards the nearby stairs.

"I am having them search for survivors, starting from the top floor." Daichi explained to Yuta, pointing his index finger upward. "Whenever accidents such as these happen, those at the ground floor are likely to escape first, while the ones higher up face more risk of being trapped. In that regard, it is similar to the case of calamities like earthquakes." 

"I see. That makes sense." Yuta nodded his head in understanding. "So, we will be starting from the ground floor and work our way up while your clones will start from the top and come down?"

"Correct. But there's a catch." Daichi said with a thin smile. "I want you to take the lead today while exorcising curses."

"Eh?" Yuta blinked in surprise.

"Gojo-sensei's instructions. Not mine." Daichi revealed, showing Yuta the text message he had received earlier. "Don't worry. It's not as if I'm going to leave you alone with the curses or anything. If it gets too much for you to handle, I'll jump in."

"I-I'll do my best." Yuta replied, feeling a mix of apprehension and determination. It has only been a month since he joined Tokyo Jujutsu High and whenever he went on missions, he always took on a support role due to his low combat experience and the risk of Rika rampaging out of control. He knew he had to step up and face curses on his own eventually, but it was still a daunting prospect.

"Good. Then let's get moving."

The corridor ahead was dimly lit by flickering fluorescent lights, casting an eerie glow on the once-sterile but now decrepit surroundings. The faint scent of antiseptic lingered in the air, but it was overshadowed by the ominous presence of cursed spirits, detectable through the residual cursed energy. As Daichi and Yuta ventured deeper into the building, they passed by empty reception desks and abandoned waiting areas. In some sections, broken lights plunged areas into complete darkness.

"Heads up." Daichi warned Yuta, who unsheathed his katana and got into a battle stance. Almost immediately, one of the doors ahead was violently torn off its hinges, crashing to the ground with a deafening thud and a grotesque figure emerged from the shattered doorway. It possessed a humanoid shape, but any semblance of humanity ended there. Sickly yellow skin clung tightly to its elongated limbs, and two long tentacles sprouted from its head, their tips shaped like orbs. What should have been its mouth stretched vertically from its head to its stomach, revealing a row of razor-sharp teeth lining its grotesque opening.

'Judging from the cursed energy, it's likely one of the grade 3 curses that was mentioned.'  Daichi speculated. His gaze then fell on his classmate, who was slowly approaching the curse with his katana. The curse took a few steps forward, but came to a sudden stop, carefully eyeing Yuta. Then, emitting a high pitched scream, it lunged forward towards the boy, swinging its arm vertically.

While Yuta was startled for a second, he quickly regained composure. He sidestepped the attack from the curse, as its arm crashed on the ground with a thud, cracking the tiles on the floor. Seizing the opportunity, Yuta reacted with impressive speed. In a single fluid motion, he swung his katana, its blade singing through the air. The blade made contact with the curse's neck, and with a clean cut, severed the creature's head from its body. Its head landed on the floor a few feet away from them, the same time as its torso collapsed to the floor, beginning to disintegrate into nothingness.

"Eh?" Yuta blinked twice, his gaze shifting between the disintegrating body of the cursed spirit and his katana. His surprise at the seemingly effortless victory over the curse was evident. "That was-"

"Too easy?" Daichi cut in, addressing his thoughts directly. "Listen Okkotsu, no matter the situation, people aren't simply granted a rank of 'Special grade' for no reason. Among all the jujutsu sorcerers in this country, there are currently only four special grade sorcerers, including you."

"The only thing holding you back was your total lack of knowledge when it comes to combat." He continued. "But for the past month, you have been training with Maki in swordsmanship. And what you see before you…" Daichi pointed at the spot where the curse was exorcised. "... is the results of your training and proof of what you are capable of."

Yuta admittedly felt a sense of confidence starting to well up inside him on hearing his words. He already had a solid aim in his current life after the incident where Rika manifested during his first mission - He vowed to find a way to release Rika from her curse. And now, on hearing his friend's words, he knew that he had taken his first step in achieving his goal.

"Don't get too relaxed now…" Daichi patted his back and moved ahead. "We still have two other curses to exorcise, at the very least." He paused in front of the room the cursed spirit had earlier come out of for a few seconds, deep in thought, before making up his mind and entering. Yuta followed behind quickly, but the sight that awaited them in the room was nothing short of revolting.

Blood was splattered all over the walls of the room, painting it in a haunting shade of red. The ceiling had a single flickering fluorescent light that struggled to illuminate the entire space. The furniture in the room was in disarray. A chair lay on its side, its legs twisted and broken. A table had been overturned, with three of its legs shattered. But all of this was secondary. What immediately caught their attention as they entered the room was something else entirely.

A headless corpse laid on the bed, dressed in a white gown typically worn by patients, with bloodstain on its clothes and concentrated near its neck. Both of its wrists were shackled to the wall, with similar shackles present on both its legs, albeit they were broken. The two bottom legs of the bed were also shattered, leaving it slanted at an uncomfortable angle.

"Looks like we were too la- Daichi?" Yuta observed his companion, who had moved towards the lifeless body in the room. However, his attention seemed to be fixed on something other than the grim sight before them. Instead, he had his eyes set on the chains near the bed's lower leg, which had likely been used to restrain the patient during their stay. He reached for one of the broken chains, picking it up and staring at it with a focused expression.

"Daichi, is something wrong?" Yuta asked him, placing a hand on his shoulders - An action which snapped him back to attention.

"... It's nothing." Daichi muttered, tossing the piece of chain back on the ground. "Let's move to the next floor." Without waiting for a reply, he moved past Yuta, exiting the room and making his way towards a nearby set of stairs. Yuta looked at the back of his friend, a bit concerned by his behaviour. Sparing one final glance towards the room, he ran to catch up to him.

____________________

In a bustling restaurant nestled a few blocks away from the eerie silence of the hospital, two contrasting figures were seated across from each other at a cosy table. The aroma of a hearty meal wafted through the air, mingling with the hum of conversations and clinking cutlery. The first man, tall and slim, drew attention due to his more traditional attire, dressed like a buddhist monk. His long, obsidian hair cascaded down his back, partially tied up behind his head, with a single bang slightly covering his left eye. 

On the other hand, his companion seated across his table presented a stark contrast. With a large, muscular frame, he exuded an aura of physical might and intimidation. He had long light hair swept behind his head and a mild beard and moustache. His most notable features were his big eyes with light irises and narrow pupils. The clothing he wore was much simpler than his companion's attire. A plain blue tank top clung to his broad shoulders and chest, while his grey jeans added a touch of casualness to his overall look.

With a satisfied gulp, the muscular man finished the last of his soup. He turned to his companion and asked, "So, do you like it?"

"I'll admit. It's really good." The monk, nearly done with his bowl of cold soba noodles, replied with a smile. "I'm even tempted to let the monkeys who run this place alive, when we go ahead with our plan."

"And I thought I'd let you know…" He continued on. "But it looks like the boy whom I talked about is the one who arrived at the hospital."

"Oh, you mean to say he's alone?" His companion's interest piqued, as he leaned forward on the table.

"As if Satoru would let a kid with such potential go alone for a mission…" The monk scoffed. "But as luck would have it… why don't you take a guess on who is with him?"

"Take a guess on whom he is with?" The man scratched his chin in thought. "Wait, you mean to say..." He burst into hearty laughter, leaning back in his seat.

"Wow. Fate really is a bitch, huh?"

"So…" Gulping down the last of his noodles, the monk continued on. 

"Why don't we go ahead and get a front row seat for their performance today?"

____________________