VEIL (Gojo Satoru X OC X Geto Suguru)

Chapter 8

Reiki had collapsed onto the bed. Satoru rushed towards her, lifting her head in his arms. Supporting his weight on the side of his body, he began to shake Reiki gently, trying to rouse her from unconsciousness.

"Reiki? Reiki wake up."

He had been standing guard outside her door since the assessments. Shoko had come and gone, attempting to bring her food, but to no avail. He decided not to leave. He believed he needed to be there in case the curses started acting out, serving as the first line of defense. Beyond these justifications, he could not understand why his body wanted to stay there, near her, despite the discomfort. All he knew, was that he couldn't convince himself to leave no matter how hard he tried.

He was aware of a strange connection between them. His Limitless ability didn't function in her presence, as if she were disrupting his electromagnetic field. This sensation prompted him to minimize his time around her. In her presence, he felt uncertain about who he was. He wasn't the strongest anymore. He wasn't untouchable. He was just a boy, and nothing more. He had concealed this fact from everyone, including Geto. He was embarrassed to admit any sign of imperfection within himself. But over this last week, since he had sat outside Reiki's door, that feeling had only amplified. He had never been so physically close to her for so long, even though she was unaware of his presence. After a few days of guarding the door, he unexpectedly heard Reiki's voice. Initially confused, he found it odd that she seemed to be talking to herself, out loud in the room. Leaning his ear against the door to listen more closely, he was met with complete silence from the inside. It left him puzzled—why was he hearing her voice when she wasn't uttering a word? Doubting if he was experiencing hallucinations, he reassured himself that regular interactions with others over the past week made it improbable that he was succumbing to delusions. He concentrated intensely on the voice as if plunging into an abyss within his mind—an infinite chasm. Reiki's voice seemed to extend from the other end. Was he hearing her thoughts? The possibility of such a connection left him bewildered. How could this even be possible?

Presently, Reiki lay unconscious in his arms. Satoru felt confused about the genuine panic in his heart. He scanned her room frantically, searching for any sign of food or water. In his urgency, he turned the place upside down but only found empty water bottles that seemed to have been drained days ago. The thought of leaving the room to fetch water crossed his mind, yet he hesitated, unwilling to leave her alone in her state. In a swift move, he darted to the bathroom, returning with water from the tap. Gently, he splashed it on Reiki's face, hoping to rouse her. Reiki winced slightly, trying to wipe the water off of her face. Satoru was leaning over Reiki's body, in an attempt to study any minute movement that might hint at her regaining consciousness.

Reiki opened her eyes, emerging from what seemed like a terrible nightmare. In a reflexive motion, her hand clenched into a fist and landed a punch directly on Gojo's sternum. The sudden attack caught Satoru off guard; his body wasn't ready to defend itself. The force of the punch propelled him off the bed, breaking his proximity to Reiki. Swiftly, Reiki leaped from her sleeping position, standing up with a mixture of surprise and determination.

Satoru clutched his chest in pain, bewildered by the unexpected strength of her punch. He couldn't comprehend how she retained such vigor after a week of not eating. It dawned on him that, in her current state, she perceived him as a threat, unaware that he was merely attempting to rouse her from unconsciousness.

"Reiki, I wasn't trying to"

"Shut up Satoru..." Reiki's voice had deepened. The red in her eyes had started to glow as if a live fire burned within them. What Satoru had perceived from outside the room, which he assumed to be Reiki's thoughts, hinted at her being a curse. It was impossible for a half-curse to exist. But it was even more impossible for a curse to go undetected under his six eyes. Even without relying on his six eyes, it was apparent that she wasn't entirely human at that moment. The revelation didn't elicit fear or frustration in Satoru, but confusion.

Reiki stood before him, her hair disheveled, a crimson wave of energy emanating from behind her. It unfolded in a mesmerizing display, akin to a poisonous flower in bloom—beautiful yet dangerous. It made sense now, why so many curses would surround her. The pressure of suppressing half of her being must've resulted in the production of huge amounts of negative emotions, which in turn were getting transformed into curses. The curses were still a mystery due to their invisible nature. Whatever Reiki was, half-curse or human, good or evil, there was one thing Gojo was certain about- Reiki was not ordinary. She was part of something bigger, perhaps even unbeknownst to her.

" Are you begging for death, Curse?" Gojo taunted with a smug grin, feeling confident in his deductions.

His words struck Reiki's mind like lightning, snapping her back to reality. Had she inadvertently exposed herself in front of Satoru?

"If you want to die so bad, you could've just come to me. Why bother the principal?"

Satoru's words echoed in the air, causing the crimson blaze behind Reiki to dim. She shut her eyes and inhaled deeply, muttering a curse under her breath for losing her composure.

"What are you waiting for?" Her gaze met Satoru's, certain that her fate was sealed the moment she lost control. "Are you the type of hunter who relishes tormenting their prey before the final blow?"

"If the prey desires it," Satoru whispered.