A/N : Man, its feels like its been forever since I uploaded here. Honestly speaking even I wasn't expecting this small break I took to turn into such a long unannounced hiatus.
I do owe you guys an apology for being offline for such a long time, I did mention in the comments before but let me explain what happened.
First I took the break to re-read the original work since I just completed the preparation arc of this story in the Patreon and was about to start Culling Games. Needed a refresh.
But along those line I fall into a writes block on how to carry forward this fic from there on.
Well that was barely 2 or 3 days. Real reason why I dissapeared for the last 2 or so weeks was because I was hospitalized.
Won't go deep into it, don't even know were to start. But I'm fine now.
I'm sorry for such a long delay.
And I'm so grateful that so many of you are still waiting for this fic to come back. And thanks you guys enough.
Love You Guys, Thanks for Waiting.
-x-
The second day of training ended much like the first, except this time it was worse.
And Maki once again stood over Yami as he collapsed onto the ground once again, his body hitting the dirt with a dull thud as whatever strength he had left finally gave out, and even without saying it out loud, she could tell just how far she had pushed him this time.
His breathing was uneven, his limbs barely responding, and from the way he had been moving toward the end, she was certain there were at least a few fractures in there.
No… there were supposed to be a lot more than just fractures by now. While she was getting used to her own increased strength, she only recently realized that she wasn't exactly going easy on the new boy.
But he never stopped getting up. No matter how powerful his will was, that was impossible, at least not when all the bones of your body were broken.
Nah, the boy was healing himself as well. Maki had noticed it a long time ago, and perhaps that was why she didn't go easier on him.
And yet… he had improved.
Not slightly, not in the way most people would after getting beaten down for hours, but in a way that was almost irritatingly fast, because his stance had steadied, his reactions had sharpened, and more than once during their exchanges he had managed to adjust mid-motion in a way that showed he was actually learning instead of just surviving.
It baffled her how he was able to grasp things so quickly. She internally snorted, recalling another genius doing something similar almost a year ago.
But surely even Yuta wasn't this ridiculous. What kind of monstrous growth was this.
At least she knew Yuta wouldn't land a black flash in a training match.
And boy, this one liked his black flash as much as Itadori does. Even unknowingly he landed two more.
Good for him, since those were the only things which harmed her. And after landing those blessed punches, he just became more relentless.
She was sporting more wounds herself compared to yesterday.
"…Tch," she clicked her tongue quietly, resting her weapon against her shoulder. "You're still sloppy."
He didn't respond, only raising a hand weakly as if acknowledging her words without having the energy to actually speak.
She turned slightly, glancing back at him. "And this time," she added, her tone shifting into something half sarcastic and half teasing, "try to make it to your bed before passing out. I better not see you lying flat here in the morning like today."
He waved his hand lazily at that again, clearly too exhausted to argue or even properly react, and for some reason, that earned a small snort from her before she finally turned away.
Normally, she would have headed straight back to her room. Eat something, bathe, and sleep until tomorrow comes and she repeats everything. Wake, eat, train, eat, train more, and sleep.
But instead, she stopped halfway.
She moved a short distance away and stopped, leaning casually against a wall where she could still keep an eye on him without making it obvious, because as much as she wouldn't admit it, she wasn't entirely convinced he wouldn't just pass out again right there on the ground like he had the previous night.
Why she even cared enough to stay was something she didn't bother answering.
Maybe it was because he had helped her in Shibuya. Maybe it was him crying and clenching onto her that ruffled her softer side, she wasn't sure. But she waited while internally berating herself for doing something so unlike her.
Either way, she waited.
After a minute or two, Yami stirred eventually.
Slowly, painfully, he pushed himself up, his movements stiff and unsteady as he forced his body to obey, and for a brief moment, Maki expected him to just collapse again.
But he didn't.
He actually started walking.
"…Huh," she muttered under her breath. It was a good thing the boy hadn't passed out yet, but she noticed that he wasn't heading toward the dorms. If anything, he was going in the complete opposite direction.
'Did I hit his head too hard!'
Her brows furrowed slightly as curiosity took over, and without making a sound, she pushed off the wall and followed after him, her footsteps silent as always, her presence completely undetectable.
Yami, of course, didn't notice. He couldn't track her even during fights, let alone here.
He just kept walking the other way, making Maki sigh, half tempted to call out that he was going the wrong way, but curiosity made her keep quiet, she wished to see where he was going.
Each step looked like it cost him something, he dragged his body slowly forward. It didn't take long for her to realize his destination.
"Library ?"
Maki blinked once, watching as he stepped inside with confusion on her face. 'Why here ?' She wondered.
"…You've got to be kidding me," she muttered quietly.
Instead of going to rest, instead of doing the one thing his body clearly needed, he was here. For a moment, she considered just leaving.
But she didn't.
Instead, she followed him in, keeping her distance as she watched him move through the shelves, his steps unsteady but deliberate as he scanned the titles before eventually pulling out a few books.
Beginners art of Barrier Making.
Advance theories on Domain Expansion and Simple Domain.
Laws of Binding Vows.
Maki's eyes lingered on the titles for a second before shifting back to him.
"…reading ? Who does that !" she, for the first time, looked completely baffled at the boy.
He wished to read in this condition ?
He made his way to a table beneath a single lamp and sat down heavily, opening one of the books almost immediately as if he was afraid that stopping for even a moment would make him lose momentum.
And then he started reading.
Even when his head dipped slightly every few seconds, his eyes struggling to stay open, his body clearly on the verge of shutting down, he kept going, forcing himself to focus, to take in whatever he could.
Maki watched in silence at the absurdity of it. Why does he need to read those useless theories.
Does he think that will help him get stronger ?
Maki almost let out a snort, revealing her presence.
If reading could have made someone stronger, then many would have achieved first grade status in the history of Jujutsu.
She remained there, even after knowing what the boy sought most likely wouldn't be in those books, but she still remained there, because she felt something while looking at him… strange.
Familiar, in a way she didn't quite like to admit. Like looking into a mirror, someone as hungry for power, improvement, and recognition as she was.
The way he pushed himself, the way he refused to stop even when he clearly should have, the way he treated every second like it mattered.
It really reminded her of herself. At least of the time she first joined Jujutsu Tech and the version of her before that in the Zenin Clan.
"…You're an idiot," she muttered under her breath, though there was no real bite behind the words.
For a brief moment, there was something like respect in her eyes. If nothing else, she respected the man's grind.
And then—
His head dropped.
Just like that, the respect evaporated.
Maki stared at him. "…Seriously?" she said flatly. She had just felt some sort of emotional connection to his drive, and now he does this…
She let out a long sigh, rubbing the back of her neck as she debated her options, because leaving him there would be the easiest choice, and honestly, the most reasonable one.
But instead, she stepped forward.
"Unbelievable," she muttered as she reached him, looking down at the completely unconscious boy.
For a second, she actually considered just waking him up.
She didn't.
To her own surprise, she leaned down and carefully lifted him, adjusting her hold until she had him in a princess carry. She was doing this too often recently, sigh…
His weight settled against her as she straightened. With her physical power, he might as well not exist, that's how light he felt.
For a second she recalled it was this boy who stood up against Sukuna and that volcano head back in Shibuya.
It was almost surreal.
"…Why am I even doing this?" she muttered to herself.
She didn't have an answer.
Still, she carried him out of the library and toward the dorms, her steps steady and unhurried as she made her way to his assigned room, pushing the door open, which fortunately was unlocked, and stepping inside before placing him down on the bed.
He didn't stir. Not even slightly.
'What a headache this boy is…'
She turned to leave after making sure he was comfortable but then paused.
She turned as her eyes shifted back to him just in time to see it.
His body moved slightly, not in the way of someone adjusting in their sleep, but in a way that looked… strained, his breathing growing uneven as his brows furrowed, a faint sheen of sweat forming on his skin.
"Fatigue finally catching up to him ?" She murmured to herself, but she knew that wasn't quite it.
"…Tch," she clicked her tongue softly.
Nightmare.
That was the only likely outcome.
She had seen it before.
More than once actually. Newcomers, new to Jujutsu Tech, who were lucky enough to survive a mission, were dragged down with trauma.
The tension in his body, the way his breathing hitched, the subtle tremors in his hands.
'Shibuya huh… he did say it was his first time coming in contact with curse spirits. Poor bastard had to face the worst of it…' Maki sighed.
Generally even a special grade sorcerer would start with a simple third grade or second grade curse spirits at their beginning, not get hurried into a special grade.
And this one fought multiple of them. No wonder the boy was a bundle of nerves at even the slightest twitch. She recalled how he reacted when she caught him off guard from behind yesterday.
Her gaze lingered on his face for a moment longer, and that was when she noticed it properly.
The dark circles under his eyes.
The exhaustion that hadn't really gone away even after rest.
"…You really pushed yourself, huh," she muttered quietly.
She wasn't sure what made her do it.
Maybe it was instinct.
Maybe it was habit from long ago with her sister.
But instead of leaving, she sat down beside him, her expression softer than usual as she reached out, her hand resting lightly against his head before she began to gently run her fingers through his hair.
It was something she hadn't done in years. Not since she and Mai were kids.
The motion was slow, steady, almost absentminded, but it seemed to have an effect, because after a few moments, his breathing began to even out slightly, the tension in his body easing just a bit.
She just stayed there for a while, her hand moving gently as she watched him sleep, a complicated expression settling on her face.
"…You know I'm beating you harder tomorrow because of how much trouble you're causing me, right…," she muttered one last time, a small chuckle coming to her throat seeing she was talking to the sleeping boy.
xXx
A/N : Yes, there is a lot of trauma inside him, and his coping mechanism is training. Push his body so hard that he can sleep, if not out of natural bodily functions then sheer need for rest and exhaustion.
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