Chapter Text
Shiki meets Muta Kokichi in a hospital room.
The Kyoto school is far larger in size and scale than the Tokyo school, which also extends to having its own hospital. Shiki passes a handful of people in the hallways as she follows Iori-sensei, and finds herself vaguely recognizing a few of them as individuals from other sorcery families whom she has seen in passing before. She supposes that it’s unsurprising to see sorcerers in Kyoto frequenting the Kyoto school’s facilities.
The jujutsu school is not simply a place where students are educated. Although that is its main purpose, it also serves a vital function in the jujutsu world as a place for sorcerers to receive support as necessary.
… It would seem that Muta Kokichi requires more support than most, given the rather unfortunate circumstances of his Heavenly Restriction.
The first thing that Shiki notices upon entering the darkened room is not Muta Kokichi himself, but instead the impressive amount of machinery that is present, glowing with faint pinpricks of light through the shadowed gloom. Most of them are medical devices, a complex mix of modern technology mixed with seals and spell-work.
Traditionalists in the jujutsu world might be resistant to change and slow to incorporate modern technology, but evidently generous exceptions can be made for medical advancements concerning a sorcerer’s health.
“How are you feeling today, Mechamaru?” Iori-sensei asks as she walks inside. The familiarity of her movements suggests that she is a frequent visitor here.
“More or less the same as usual,” a boyish voice responds. Shiki easily recognizes it as the same voice that had spoken through the mechanical puppet earlier. “Hello, Iori-sensei. And Gojo-san, as well.”
“Hello,” Shiki greets in turn as she follows Iori-sensei’s footsteps, and approaches what seems to be a large tub of sorts in the middle of the room. It’s only as she walks closer that she is able to properly discern the physical outline of the person buried beneath the dense mass of connected tubes and wires inside.
Dark eyes flick up towards her. It’s all that she can see of Muta-san’s face.
Because from head to toe, his entire body is wrapped in bandages. Aside from his eyes and a few tufts of hair sticking out from his head, there’s nothing that can actually be seen of his body. From what Shiki understands of his condition, his skin is extremely delicate and sensitive to light –which explains the bandages and the darkened room that almost makes it seem like nighttime even though it’s still the afternoon right now. Muta-san is unable to support himself on his own legs, and there is only a small stump where his right arm is supposed to be.
It’s not a severe injury from an accident involving cursed spirits. The boy simply happened to be born this way, due to his unfortunate Heavenly Restriction.
… When Shiki thinks about it, all examples of Heavenly Restriction that she’s observed to date seem to bring some manner of misfortune upon the affected individuals. Which would be why it’s called a restriction rather than a blessing, she supposes. And unlike Zenin Maki who intends to forge her way through and become a sorcerer in spite of her perceived shortcomings, utilizing the advantage of increased physical capabilities granted to her through her restriction, Muta Kokichi desires to break free of the limitations imposed on him by his own Heavenly Restriction.
Granted, their respective situations are not exactly directly comparable to each other. Zenin Maki’s Heavenly Restriction does not leave her bedridden and on the verge of death due to poor health, which is a significant difference from Muta Kokichi’s situation.
“Since it’s not an injury or illness, but instead the result of the Heavenly Restriction that he was born with, the effects of all treatments that he has tried to date are minimal. Good for maintaining his current condition, perhaps, but there hasn’t been any significant steps made towards his recovery,” Iori-sensei summarizes, and hesitates. “… Your thoughts, Shiki? I know you’re not medically trained, but… I mean, it’s not purely a medical problem that we’re looking at here, either.”
Indeed, it isn’t. Given that Muta-san’s condition is a direct result of the Heavenly Restriction that he’s afflicted with, from a certain perspective this qualifies as a sorcery-related problem more than it does a medical one.
Shiki might not be very medically knowledgeable, but she is thoroughly well-acquainted with numerous aspects of sorcery due to her upbringing in the Gojo Clan.
However, it needs to be said that, “Heavenly Restrictions have not been studied in depth before. And as far as I’m aware, there have never been any successful cases where an individual negated the restriction upon them.”
“Yes, we know that already,” Muta-san says shortly, in a brusque way that might almost be considered rude. But Shiki is willing to overlook the boy’s attitude; she supposes that it may have been poor choice of wording on her part as well here, saying such words directly in front of a boy who has suffered under a Heavenly Restriction his entire life. “Are you saying that you can’t do anything about it?”
If Shiki didn’t know any better, she would say that Muta-san sounded challenging.
“Mechamaru,” Iori-sensei says reprimandingly, pointedly tapping the side of the tub that her student is ensconced in.
The surface of the medical bath ripples faintly as the boy shifts slightly. “… Sorry. I didn’t mean to sound curt, Gojo-san.”
Though his tone had been sharp, Muta-san hadn’t been outright disrespectful. Shiki isn’t offended, although she’s aware that the typical clan sorcerer in her place would be.
“I’m here at Iori-sensei’s request.” So if Muta-san thinks that Shiki would simply turn on her heel and leave for the perceived disrespect, then he has grossly misinterpreted her.
Iori-sensei coughs lightly into her hand. “So, how does Mechamaru’s situation look to you? Do you, um. See his ‘lines?’”
Shiki gracefully accepts the change in subject. “Yes. I can see his lines. But as to his Heavenly Restriction…”
There are numerous red cracks that glow upon the boy’s body, small fissures that are far greater in number than Shiki has seen in any other sorcerer to date. Likely because of the boy’s poor health, and the fragility of his body and his constitution are naturally reflected in the lines that Shiki sees. Muta Kokichi is not dying, but there’s no denying that his body is close to death, in a sense. Yet at the same time, clearly alive, and struggling still.
In addition to the red lines, there are also pink-purple lines that Shiki can see engraved upon his body. Those, she recognizes as his cursed technique.
But none of them are what Shiki is looking for, and so she focuses her attention even further.
… Shiki has never seen the lines of Heavenly Restrictions before. She suspects that this is because her understanding of Heavenly Restrictions is superficial. Intellectually, she knows what Heavenly Restrictions are, but that’s quite different from comprehending the concept at its core.
A Heavenly Restriction is not a physical object that will eventually deteriorate and fall apart with the passage of time. Neither is it a cursed technique that is activated with a clear delineation of beginning and end throughout the duration that it’s in effect. It’s not human, either. Nothing that comprises a clear, recognizable identity contained unto its ‘self,’ something that Shiki can recognize as a living entity. And all living things eventually come to an end one day.
No. A Heavenly Restriction is simply something that an individual is born with. Something that is intrinsic to the individual themselves, a natural part of who they are. So to kill a Heavenly Restriction independently of the individual in question… is not something that Shiki knows how to make sense of.
But even so, it’s still worth making an attempt to try and discern this.
For one, Iori-sensei had asked this of her. Shiki respects the woman, and it would be remiss of her to not even make an effort at Iori-sensei’s behest. Satoru-niichan had also seen potential in Muta-san’s inventions. If her cousin decides to invest further into the boy, then finding a way to improve Muta-san’s health could only be helpful in the future.
Moreover, even though Shiki still struggles to make proper sense of Heavenly Restrictions, she isn’t completely fumbling blindly in the dark here.
Because there’s one thing that has changed since the first time that Iori-sensei brought up Muta-san’s Heavenly Restriction to her: Zenin Maki enrolled in the Tokyo school.
And, although the natures of their respective Heavenly Restrictions are quite different from each other, the fact remains that both Muta Kokichi and Zenin Maki are affected by Heavenly Restrictions. This might be the first time that Shiki is laying eyes on Muta Kokichi, but Zenin Maki is a familiar underclassman to her by this point.
So–
Shiki might not fully understand Heavenly Restrictions, still, but she has some idea of what she’s looking for here.
Because Shiki is familiar with Zenin Maki’s lines. It’s not from purposefully observing the girl –unless Shiki is deliberately changing her perspective to ignore the lines, she just ends up seeing them naturally. Shiki is familiar with the red lines from everyone in the Tokyo school these days, and Zenin Maki is not an exception.
There had not been any lines on the girl that indicated anything unique.
… Zenin Maki’s lines were not unique. Bluntly speaking, if the two of them were never acquainted with each other and simply passed each other as strangers walking down a busy street, Shiki doesn’t think that she would’ve paid any particular attention to Zenin Maki based on her lines alone.
Yes. Even knowing that Zenin Maki possessed a Heavenly Restriction, Shiki had never observed anything different in particular from her.
Not until today, when the Tokyo students arrived in Kyoto together. Not until the moment when they stood in a small clearing together, testing the Simple Domain devices that Muta-san had created, and Zenin Mai stormed up to her twin sister.
For a moment, Shiki thinks that she had seen something flicker between them. A needle-thin snap-crackle that flashed in the air, as if it were a trick of the light and nothing more.
But Shiki’s eyes do not play tricks on her, and she knows that she had glimpsed something.
It’s rather odd. Of the twins, it’s a known fact that Zenin Maki is the one born with a Heavenly Restriction. Zenin Mai also possesses little cursed energy, but it’s still considerably more than her sister. Enough for Zenin Mai to be capable of seeing cursed spirits without assistance, and for her to power her cursed technique.
So if Shiki’s instincts are correct and the faint flicker of whatever it was connecting the sisters –literally– indeed happened to be related to the Heavenly Restriction that Zenin Maki was under, then this made for a rather curious situation. Why would a Heavenly Restriction enforced upon Zenin Maki also end up tethering Zenin Mai?
A mystery, and not one that Shiki expects that she’ll be receiving any answers to anytime soon. If she wants answers, then she will need to observe the two sisters in close proximity with each other, and that seems like it will be… difficult to achieve amiably.
Regardless, she had still seen something between the twins earlier, and instinct tells her that the strange line that she’d glimpsed was relevant to Zenin Maki’s restriction. Shiki has not yet had the time nor opportunity to analyze this, but perhaps it’s a new project worth pursuing.
Perhaps it’ll help her to see the lines of Muta-san’s Heavenly Restriction, if Shiki can make a breakthrough on this.
“I am unable to determine any particular lines indicative of Muta-san’s Heavenly Restriction,” Shiki finally says at length. Despite her efforts, her cursed eyes have not revealed anything new to her upon Muta-san’s body. Likely because nothing has changed in her comprehension of Heavenly Restrictions, and that’s… not something that Shiki can immediately improve upon. “Perhaps studying Zenin Maki and Zenin Mai would help, but I am not confident enough to make any promises right now.”
“I see.” Iori-sensei lowers her eyes briefly. “… Wait, you want to find Zenin Mai for this? She’s not the one with a Heavenly Restriction, though?”
Shiki does not blame her teacher for being confused. “It might be because they’re twins. I suspect that Zenin Maki’s Heavenly Restriction is… connected to her sister, in a way. The details elude me, but I thought I noticed something odd earlier in the clearing.”
“What do you mean by ‘odd?’” Iori-sensei tilts her head. Then, her eyes widen. “… Y-you really saw a Heavenly Restriction?”
Shiki thinks so, but she would need to observe it far more closely before drawing any conclusions. If she does figure out how to see the lines of Heavenly Restrictions from this, though, then it would make things a lot simpler on Muta-san’s end here.
… But, there’s no guarantee of when or how Shiki would figure things out, and Muta-san doesn’t seem like he needs any more uncertainties.
“I’ll let you know if I figure things out on that end,” is what Shiki ends up saying instead. “Aside from that, it seems that Muta-san’s body is extremely fragile. Is his body incompatible with Shoko-san’s reverse cursed technique?”
Shoko-san is the only person capable of using reverse cursed technique to heal others, but it’s not an ability without limits. There’s an extent to what Shoko-san is capable of healing, and there’s also the question of compatibility. Her reverse cursed technique isn’t effective to the same degree for every person.
“Not particularly, unfortunately. Hence the whole–” Iori-sensei waves her hand at all of the medical instruments in the room, “–setup that you see here, too.”
Shiki nods in understanding, then turns towards the silent boy in the center, “Muta-san. Do you know how to use reverse cursed technique?”
“Am I–?” The boy cuts himself off mid-sentence. From the side, Iori-sensei lets out a strange-sounding cough in tandem with her student. “No. No, of course I don’t.”
Shiki had suspected that. But it was still prudent to ask Muta-san first, in order to ensure that there are no misunderstandings.
“I recommend learning,” she tells him. “In your case–”
“You say that so easily, Gojo-san,” Muta-san says softly. “What makes you think I haven’t tried?”
‘Try harder,’ rises to the tip of her tongue, but Shiki forces herself to swallow the words down. Muta Kokichi is one of Iori-sensei’s precious students.
“I realize that it’s a difficult undertaking.” The vast majority of sorcerers were all unable to use reverse cursed technique, after all; it was considered a rare skill for a good reason. “But in your case, I’d call it a necessity. You can only rely on these machines to prolong your life for so long.”
Iori-sensei sucks in a sharp breath, “Shiki–!”
“It’s the truth, Iori-sensei.” Shiki knows what she saw in the boy’s lines, and at this rate Muta-san really doesn’t have long left to live. His Heavenly Restriction is, quite literally, killing him. She doubts that the boy himself is unaware of this. “I don’t think there’s anything wrong with pursuing a method to circumvent Heavenly Restrictions. But Muta-san should be the one who’s most aware of the condition of his body, and I believe it would be for the best that he is capable of some degree of self-recovery himself.”
In the best case scenario, depending on how effective the boy was with reverse cursed technique, he might even be able to remove the death sentence hanging over his head entirely, even if he was never able to do anything about the Heavenly Restriction that he was afflicted with.
“I don’t know how effective reverse cursed technique would be considering that there is a Heavenly Restriction in question here,” Shiki says clearly. “Reverse cursed technique restores the human body using positive energy. But if Muta-san’s body registers the effects brought upon it by his Heavenly Restriction as his ‘correct’ state of being, then there might be… problems. But even then, you should be able to keep yourself alive.”
“And as long as I’m still alive, then I can work on finding a solution to my problems,” Muta-san mutters to himself, and lets out a short laugh. It’s not a particularly happy sound, but Shiki wouldn’t call it resigned, either. Instead, it’s more like… Shiki gets the impression of someone stubbornly digging in their heels and clenching their jaw.
Then, in the next moment, “I don’t know if I can do this. Practically no one knows how to use reverse cursed technique. I tried before, when the doctors told me about it, but I couldn’t figure it out. And Ieiri-sensei, when I asked her for help…”
“Don’t feel too bad about not understanding Shoko-san’s instructions. Not even Satoru-niichan could understand her explanation about using positive energy, when he first asked her for assistance.” Truly, perhaps it was a blessing in disguise that Ieiri Shoko had chosen to become a doctor instead of a teacher. Shoko-san is a wonderful person, but Shiki thinks that the woman is more wonderful when she’s not placed in the position of an instructor.
Muta-san blinks, “Wait, seriously?”
“I have no reason to lie about this,” Shiki shrugs.
“She’s not lying,” Iori-sensei chimes in with a light little huff. “Shoko is… definitely not the best at explaining things. She’s way worse than Gojo Satoru, when it comes to this.”
“Huh.” Another slow blink from Muta-san. “That’s… not what I was expecting.”
“Yes. I don’t necessarily think it’s a sign that you’re unable to grasp the concept of using positive energy if you failed to do so using Shoko-san’s instructions.” Shiki had also struggled to learn how to generate positive energy and use reverse cursed technique for the longest time.
“… Did you learn how to use reverse cursed technique from Gojo Satoru?” Muta-san asks.
As a matter of fact, Shiki actually hadn’t found Satoru-niichan’s explanations to be very helpful, either. But…
“I suppose I did, technically.” Even though his explanations hadn’t been particularly helpful, it had still provided a basic understanding for Shiki to work off of and eventually come to her own realizations about. “If you want his explanation, then you would call it a matter of ‘multiplication.’”
“Huh?”
For a brief moment, Shiki feels vindicated by the boy’s confusion. She, too, had been confused by the way that Satoru-niichan went about explaining how he created positive energy.
“According to Satoru-niichan, the act of generating positive energy is a simple matter of multiplication,” Shiki explains to the boy. “Jujutsu sorcerers use cursed energy all the time, and cursed energy is the result of negative emotions. Which means that it’s a ‘negative’ energy. By multiplying ‘negative’ energy against ‘negative’ energy, the end result of that is naturally positive energy.”
Muta-san is silent for a long moment. “… I don’t think I’ve ever heard positive energy explained this way before. It’s very… abstract.”
“I never quite understood Satoru-niichan’s explanation, either,” Shiki agrees.
“Then how would you explain it, Gojo-san?”
“Positive energy,” she states clearly and succinctly, “Is the result of inverting cursed energy.”
Another long silence.
“Shiki,” Iori-sensei says slowly, “Do you… do you realize that your explanation is rather abstract, too?”
It is?
… Shiki doesn’t really know how to make this any clearer than it already is, though. That’s literally what she does when she’s using reverse cursed technique herself!
Oh. Maybe this is what Satoru-niichan felt like, when Shiki told him that his ‘multiplication’ example made no sense?
“… Cursed energy, by its very nature, is born from negativity,” Shiki tries again. “If you want to use it as positive energy, then cursed energy needs to be converted into it from its base state. The exact process and mental image for it might be different between sorcerers, but it ultimately depends on your understanding of your own cursed energy, and how you manipulate it.”
“I… see.” Muta-san’s tone indicates that he doesn’t really see, but there’s something in his voice that sounds more thoughtful than frustrated now, as he bows his head in reflection. “If it’s actually a conversion of energies… maybe if I can determine a formula to calculate it… I’d need to collect data for something like that, though. I’ll need…”
“If you require examples of seeing reverse cursed technique in action, I would recommend asking Kinji,” Shiki adds.
“Kinji. That’s Hakari-san, right?” Muta-san’s bandaged form turns towards her. “He’s the one with a Domain Expansion, isn’t he?”
“His Domain Expansion allows his body to operate reverse cursed technique automatically on himself,” Shiki tells him. It’s not a secret. “He probably won’t be of any help explaining the particulars to you, but if you wish to ‘collect data,’ seeing his reverse cursed technique should be helpful.”
“Really?”
“Kinji’s reverse cursed technique is better than mine.” When it’s actually active from his Domain Expansion, anyways. Shiki still needs to deliberately activate and target what she wants to heal; with Kinji, the entire process is thoughtless and comes to him as naturally as breathing.
Muta-san draws a small breath of surprise, “I wouldn’t have expected that.”
Was he implying that he thought Shiki outstripped her classmates in all aspects? That was simply untrue. It was true that Shiki was the most powerful among them in terms of overall strength, but, “We all have our strengths and weaknesses.”
“I understand,” the boy nods. “… Thank you for all the help that you provided, Gojo-san.”
Shiki also nods lightly.
Hopefully, Muta-san would be able to make progress on his own. It would help his current situation, and also ease Iori-sensei’s worries over his condition. Reverse cursed technique is not a surefire solution to the unfortunate Heavenly Restriction that the boy is suffering from, but it should help alleviate things on his end until a proper resolution is realized.
In the meantime, Shiki would see if Zenin Maki and her sister could yield any more information on the topic of Heavenly Restrictions.
.
.
Alright, never mind. Shiki’s side project of figuring out Heavenly Restrictions is going to have to wait, it seems.
“Yo!” The tall blonde woman standing next to Shiki’s classmates grins broadly and waves at her. “It’s been quite awhile, hasn’t it?”
Tsukumo Yuki, the oldest Special Grade sorcerer. Shiki recognizes the woman instantly. Knows that there is likely a very good reason why the globe-trotting sorcerer has suddenly appeared in Kyoto here right now. Chances are, it’s related to Satoru-niichan’s recent decisions in relation to Geto Suguru.
But the first thing that comes out of Shiki’s mouth isn’t a greeting towards the Special Grade sorcerer. Instead, her attention is caught by the familiar blond man standing by Tsukumo’s side.
“Ken-jichan?”
The childish name slips from her lips without much thought. Shiki is surprised. It’s been quite some time since she’s last seen her uncle, and to suddenly find him in Kyoto like this, standing next to Tsukumo Yuki of all people, is… startling.
“Shiki,” her uncle responds with a nod. “It’s… it’s good to see you again.”
“… It’s good to see you as well, Ken-jichan.” Why are you accompanying Tsukumo Yuki?
“Wow, you guys are so awkward,” Tsukumo says, with all the subtlety of a sledgehammer. “Nanami, weren’t you just crying to me about how you never got to see your cute little niece in ages–”
“That’s quite enough, Tsukumo-san,” Ken-jichan sighs, long-suffering and resigned.
Tsukumo winks at Shiki, “Okay, maybe there weren’t any tears involved, but he definitely missed you a lot.”
… Since when was Ken-jichan so familiar with Tsukumo Yuki? And why was Tsukumo acting so familiarly with Shiki, for that matter?
“You know this weird lady, Shiki?” Kinji asks.
Tsukumo squawks, although it’s clear that she’s more amused than offended. “Weird lady?!”
“Yeah, weird lady. You just showed up out of nowhere and, what, started critiquing Mechamaru’s cursed tools?” Kinji squints at the older sorcerer. “You’re not a Kyoto teacher, are you?”
“This ‘weird lady’ is Tsukumo Yuki,” Ken-jichan introduces dryly. “You may also know her as our perpetually absent Special Grade sorcerer.”
“Hey, hey, what’s up with that introduction? ‘Perpetually absent,’ seriously?” Tsukumo complains, rolling her eyes. “I prefer, ‘the humble beauty, Tsukumo Yuki–’”
“What part about her is humble?” Kinji mutters, then freezes. “… Hold up, Special Grade? You mean, like. Like Gojo-sensei, Special Grade?”
“… Tsukumo-san is the oldest Special Grade sorcerer.” Hadn’t Shiki already gone over this with her classmates before? Surely she has?
“Seriously, what’s up with these introductions from you and your uncle? You guys are doing this on purpose, aren’t you? ‘Perpetually absent’ and ‘oldest’ are not what a lady wants to be known for,” Tsukumo huffs. Her words are at odds with the smile stretching across her lips, though, showing that she’s taking this all in good humor. It seems that the Special Grade sorcerer is in a fairly good mood. “By the way, congratulations on your own promotion, Gojo! I would’ve sent a congratulatory postcard or something, but I didn’t feel like squaring up with your overprotective cousin over it.”
“Overprotective?”
“He threatened to kill me if he ever caught me seeking you out again, after our last meeting in China,” Tsukumo confides in a faux-whisper, before laughing. “Joke’s on him in the end though, ha! He recently contacted me for a, hmm. A collaborative project, as you probably already know. So here I am again!”
Shiki understands that Satoru-niichan has… reservations, about Tsukumo Yuki. But regarding his plans with Geto Suguru, it really would be efficient to have the woman’s assistance. Tsukumo does not strike Shiki as someone who’s actively malicious, and neither is she an extremist the way that Geto-san was, so Shiki is cautiously optimistic that this would turn out to be a beneficial decision.
And if it didn’t, then. That meant Shiki and Satoru-niichan would need to respond appropriately to it.
“Too much?” Tsukumo scratches her chin, flashing a sheepish smile. “Sorry, sorry. I’m genuinely looking forward to what this collaboration will bring. It’s not every day when a major sorcery clan decides that they’ll back your goals, and I intend to make good use of this opportunity.”
“Then I hope for a fruitful partnership as well,” Shiki responds, and bows politely.
“Great. We can talk more about this in a bit, seeing as I’ve accidentally interrupted your time with your classmates.” Shiki very much doubts that this was ‘accidental’ on Tsukumo’s part. “As an apology, wanna all head out and grab snacks together? It’s my treat!”
“You mean that you’re going to be billing your expenses to the Gojo Clan again,” Ken-jichan says, unimpressed.
“Same difference,” the woman grins. “I’m going to be treating jujutsu students this time. You can’t call that a frivolous expense, right?”
Ken-jichan sighs tiredly. Shiki blinks up at her uncle, then reaches out a hand to give him a commiserating pat on the back.
For a moment, the familiar gesture almost feels like an unfamiliar motion. It really has been a long time since she’s last seen Ken-jichan in person like this, hasn’t it?
From the way that Ken-jichan stiffens instinctively beneath her touch, it must also be the same for him. But even despite this, he still turns towards her with a quiet smile, something in his eyes softening in this moment–
And despite her confusion over this unexpected turn of events, Shiki finds that there is some nameless emotion that settles inside her chest, a solid pulse that’s warm and steady.