I found myself running again.
Why, I had no idea. How I wasn't even aware of who was after me this time around was beyond me.
It didn't matter where I turned or how far I pushed my legs, they were always there, closing in from every direction as if the space itself had turned against me, twisting and folding until escape became nothing more than an illusion I kept chasing.
Once again pushing me to fight. Try and do everything I had to survive.
I could feel my body breaking apart with every step, my breath ragged, my limbs heavy, yet I kept moving because stopping meant death, and I had already come too far to just give up.
That was the one thing which I kept telling myself. I had come so far that giving up now felt wrong. That I should keep going, no matter the case.
But how much is just too much? When would be the point that struggling any further would be nothing but a futile effort?
I had no idea. I just kept going until the very end.
And that was when I felt something strike me from behind.
I stumbled, barely managing to stay upright before another hit came from the side, then another, each one chipping away at what little strength I had left as blood filled my mouth and my vision blurred.
"F*ck…!"
I tried to fight back, but my body refused to move. It had no power nor the reason to keep going.
Hands, claws, something I couldn't even properly see closed in around me, and for a brief moment, everything went still as if even they knew it was over. I felt something pierce through me, clean and final, and then—
I open my eyes wide and jolted up with heavy breaths and open my eyes so hard that I was blinded by the light.
Air rushed into my lungs as my eyes snapped open, my body jerking slightly against the surface beneath me as I tried to orient myself, the lingering sensation of pain fading just enough for me to realize that I was… lying down.
I starved for breath, my heart hammering hard against my chest so much that I was afraid it would leap out from there.
I just sat there, motionless and breathing hard amidst confusion and stress. My eyes struggled to adapt to the bright light, slowly giving me back my vision.
Only then did I notice the soft bed under me, and the white ceiling above.
I was on a bed, wearing clothes which most likely indicated that this was a hospital.
I slowly stretched my shaky hands to feel the bed. It was soft and warm. Then I felt my own chest, my heart still beating like it had a flight to catch or a city to generate power for.
For a second, I almost believed it.
That everything that had happened in Shibuya, the fights, the blood, Sukuna, all of it had just been some twisted nightmare that my mind had created. That I was never dead, I was still on my own Earth, just perhaps in some sort of coma.
At least that was what I thought.
But that illusion didn't last. Because I could feel it.
The exhaustion.
It wasn't surface level, wasn't something that would fade after a bit of rest, but something deeper, something carved into my bones that reminded me exactly what I had been through.
I felt like my mind was lagging behind, my body refused to obey properly, and my very soul was screaming out for peace.
Slowly, I reached inward, focusing on the one thing that would confirm it beyond any doubt.
Cursed energy.
It was all true.
Waking up in Jujutsu Kaisen's world, getting a cursed technique of my own, fighting the disaster curses, Mahoraga, even surviving the King of Curses' domain. Everything was real.
And somehow… I was still alive.
A shaky breath left me as I sank back slightly, letting my tense and tired body once again go numb, knowing that the fighting was really over for the time being.
And as if knowing that subconsciously made my body stop its functions, it refused to move any more than necessary.
It demanded rest, and there was no trade I could make to convince it otherwise.
As my body once again hit the bed and my head found the soft pillow under me, images of what happened in Shibuya emerged once again to torture my peace.
I closed my eyes, trying to relax and keep my breathing and pulse in check, but as if expecting another life-threatening attack to come my way any second, my body would jerk up in pure anxiety.
I raised my hands and saw they were still shaking. After that adrenaline-filled night which I somehow survived, when I was too busy surviving to even think about the psychological damage done to me, I was finally facing the backlash.
I tried to steady myself, tried to keep it together, but my eyes burned and my vision blurred as something warm slipped down the side of my face.
"F*ck it… stop shaking, it's all over now."
My own voice was shaky. For the first time, I found myself not under my own control. It was a strange feeling.
Exhaustion, stress, anxiety—you name it—and it wouldn't mean anything to me. I found myself breaking down from within. For no real reason.
I survived the worst of it, and yet I felt like I was going to die the next second because I couldn't control my breathing, because my heart wouldn't stop being a jet engine.
I didn't even realize I was crying until it was already happening.
So I did just that. I cried and sobbed silently until I could see my body doing as I commanded.
I don't know how long it was. It felt like hours, but slowly and steadily it did stop, and I came back into control. And when I was under control, I felt like I had once again expended all the energy I had in me.
I let my gaze drift to the side, trying to distract myself, trying to focus on anything else, and that was when I noticed the other beds. They were all occupied, each one holding someone in a similar state, unmoving, silent, caught somewhere between recovery and something worse.
Some of them I recognized.
Megumi—he lay a few beds away, completely still, while Nanami was further down, his condition just as uncertain.
I just hoped that the fact they were still here meant that they were alive.
Just as I was getting used to the silence and reflecting on my current reality, I heard footsteps.
Calm. Unhurried.
I turned my head slightly as someone entered the room, and a moment later, Shoko Ieiri came into view, her usual composed expression shifting just a fraction when her eyes landed on me.
Even though this was the first time seeing her in person, I could tell it was her just by her usual description.
Lab coat, dark circles under her eyes, a mole beside the eye, and an indifferent look on her face.
"…Well," she said after a brief pause, clearly a bit surprised. "You're awake already."
"I'm not sure, still feels like everything is a dream," I answered. It wasn't me making things up—it really felt like a dream. From coming to this world to the entire Shibuya incident and me being alive even after everything that happened.
It was like a dream.
Shoko stepped closer to the bed, her eyes scanning me with quiet focus as her hands moved with practiced ease, checking my pulse and the faint flow of cursed energy within my body.
"I can assure you, this is real," she said calmly, her tone almost routine despite the situation. "Your body is still holding together—by a thread, but still breathing."
I let out a weak chuckle at that, my voice rough as I forced the words out. "Where… am I?"
She didn't look surprised by the question. "Tokyo Jujutsu High," she replied simply. "Medical wing."
"How long?"
"Hmm…" The mature woman hummed to herself before stating, "Three days."
"Three!" My eyes widened.
"What… happened?" I asked again, my throat tightening slightly. "Shibuya… after… after I passed out."
Shoko paused for a brief moment, as if deciding how much to say, before continuing. "Surprisingly, not much happened after that. At least, that is what I know," she said bluntly.
"Anything more, and you might want to talk to the principal here. I can't say anything further."
I swallowed, my gaze shifting slightly toward the other beds. "And them…?"
"They're alive," she answered, following my line of sight toward Megumi and Nanami.
"That's good." I nodded. At least my presence changed something.
"On that note, mind telling me how you were wearing a uniform from Jujutsu Tech when we found you unconscious?"
She asked, and I stiffened at that. '…almost forgot about that.'
"Coincidentally, when we found Fushiguro, he was missing his uniform as well. You don't happen to know anything about that, do you?"
I wondered what to say until she just shrugged the entire conversation off, like she wasn't really interested in knowing.
"Anyways, rest here and don't move around much for a while. Your body needs rest."
"I couldn't agree more on that," I grunted, feeling like I needed a glucose dose just to stay awake at this point.
"Oh, by the way, Principal Yaga might give you a visit sooner or later, so make sure you get enough rest while there is time," she stated and then moved to check on the others.
The woman was a bit strange, however, I could feel that my body was completely healed thanks to her, so I was grateful.
And with that, I finally let my eyes close, the exhaustion finally winning over me as I drifted into another restorative sleep.
xXx
A/N : I must say, even I found this chapter a tad bit boring. Writing fights is so much more fun than this but meh... you guys asking for some peaceful slower chapters so here it is.
Would appreciate stones if you can spare any. Thank you.
If you want to read up to 10+ Chapters in advance, check my Patreon on
Patreon.com/Kamidemond