pomegranate ink | y. okkotsu

xxi

a/n: the exchange event is actually in this chapter HAHA sorry for the delay

You all took off into the forest at full sprint, with Maki and Itadori naturally pulling ahead of the rest of you. Clapping his hands together, Megumi summoned Divine Dog Black, who manifested with a unearthly howl. It effortlessly charged forward, nose raised in the air, testing it for the scent of the Grade 2 curse which had been released into the forest. This was the advantage of having more teammates than just Yuta — you weren't responsible for nearly as much. Doubtless you would take advantage of your cursed signature detection, but the brunt of the tracking would be borne by the shikigami, who looked happy to do it, tail wagging as it bounded along.

At about the same time that you sensed a presence approaching, the Divine Dog barked out a warning. A grade three curse shaped vaguely like a spider dropped down in front of you, baring its fangs in an attempt to look threatening, though none of you were impressed. The Divine Dog looked proud of itself for detecting the curse, but unfortunately, it was not the curse's signature that you felt drawing nearer.

"Watch out!" you shouted, grabbing onto Itadori's red hood and yanking him backwards just in time. A huge fist rammed into the air where he had previously been standing, instead making contact with the grade three curse and sending it flying into a tree, where it promptly exploded from the force of the exorcism.

"Y/N L/N!" Todo thundered, pointing at you. "You owe me a fight!"

"Remember the plan!" Maki shouted.

"Sorry, Todo," you called over your shoulder as you veered around him. "You'll have to deal with him first!"

You split up into your predetermined groups, with Toge, Panda, and Nobara going in one direction as Maki and Megumi went the other. You and Tullia continued forwards, though you did turn your head, craning your neck to catch one last glimpse of Maki.

She locked eyes with you, and you tried your best to communicate to her with just that single glance what you wanted to say. Please. I will tell you everything when I can. Please don't be hurt. Please know that you are my best friend. Something like that. If anyone could understand you from just one look, it had to be her, so you prayed that that was enough.

You couldn't be sure, though. She rounded the corner before you were able to tell. Gradually, Toge, Nobara, and even Panda's heavy footsteps faded as well, leaving you and Tullia truly alone. Reaching out with your cursed signature detection, you felt nothing, so you motioned for her to slow down.

"There's no point in wasting energy," you said. "There aren't any curses or students in the immediate vicinity, so let's slow down until we can pick where we want to go next."

"Got it. How do we pick? Want me to close my eyes, spin, and point?" Tullia said.

"No," you said. "I'll be the one closing my eyes, and stealing some of your cursed energy while I'm at it. I'm sorry."

"Oh, it's no big deal. I'll keep my eyes peeled in the meantime, just in case, though you know I won't be much help while you're borrowing my energy," she said.

"It won't be too much. I don't need to use Composition; rather, I'm using your power to broaden the range of my cursed signature detection," you said. Her mouth made a small 'o' of acknowledgement.

"Makes sense. Good luck!" she said.

You screwed your eyes shut, firstly reaching out for the other presence that was constantly intertwined with yours. It was the core of Tullia's cursed technique, dancing alongside your own — in tandem for now, until you dipped your hand into it, siphoning it off bit by bit and letting it pour into your own self. It took a moment, but then there was a sudden surge of strength in your veins as the newfound source of power rushed through them.