三三

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SHE DEBATED WITH HERSELF

Was the swift breeze in the human world comparable to the fresh winds of Yomi?

She shook her head, pinching the bridge of her nose as she scolded herself for having such useless thoughts at a time like this. For a moment, she believed she may have succumbed to complacency. Yet, this wasn't true. Yachiru simply didn't have the emotional intelligence to deal with the unpredictable nature of the current situation.

This was her own desperate attempt at trying to distract herself from the overwhelming negativity that swarmed within the back of her skull.

As the light rain began to cascade down around her, a few words left her lips.

"Is there any point to all of this?"

It was a constant battle — a battle that forced her to concede to cynicism, or to dwell in mundane thoughts. Her appearance was tired and withered, having not slept for days since journeying back from Jigoku.

She would consistently rummage around in her garmets to ensure the Tantō was still in her possession, a paranoid habit that had held her hostage over the last few days and nights. It was only within these actions that she found the answer to her previous question.

She refused to sleep. Yachiru was fearful that Uraume could return at any moment, and catch her in a vulnerable position. The bags under her eyes had darkened, and her once bright demeanour had burnt out; lost in the depths of her troubled soul.

As she stood atop a hill, her eyes downcast. The rain camouflaged her tears, a scream threatening to emerge from the volatile throat that begged to hold it captive. She couldn't think straight, unable to organise her thoughts coherently. It was as though all of the anguish in her heart that she had held hostage was ready to explode. She was in need, a violent need that demanded cathartic release.

Her eyes lazily drifted to look ahead of the hill, she could clearly see the barriers that outlined the area for the culling game.

As she looked down at the Sendai prefecture, or what she would assume to be known as she Sendai colony now, her eyebrows knitted together. She squinted; her eyes widening upon noticing it was the young Okkotsu boy engaging in battle — two enemies bombarding him with attacks.

She jumped down, an unusual feeling boiling in her gut. She was excited to see what was going on, eager to see if there was anyone she could use as an outlet for her anger.

But this was unlike her.

There was not a single hint of trepidation in Yachiru's movements as she quickly entered through the barrier, successfully passing through to the other side. Her impulsive actions could have costed her — what if she had been unable to pass through? The first lot of Shinigami sent here had been reduced to dust upon contact with the barrier, yet these concerns had not even crossed her mind.

She suddenly turned on her heal, swiftly unsheathing her sword and pointing it at the unknown presence lingering behind her.

"Waah! Don't hurt me. I'm here to guide you!"

It was a small, flying Shikigami that she would soon learn to be a gatekeeper of sorts. It quickly explained to her its role in the game, and the rules; including the additional rules that had been added by current players.

"We can view the location of other players and their information, huh? That's useful."

She had a clear shot of Yuta's position from where she stood, quickly advancing to the rooftop, using the nearby structures as she jumped further towards the tall building.

"I'm back, Okkotsu." She sounded out from behind him.

The sudden surge of energy surrounding him took him by surprise. For a moment, he was fearful that there might be a third enemy for him to concentrate his efforts on. He took a quick glance in her direction, an initial sense of relief washing over him as he recognised his ally. However, this was quickly followed by a feeling of concern; Yachiru didn't feel the same as when he had first met her.

"I would sit and chat, Yachiru." He spoke through gritted teeth, already engaged with an enemy. "But as you can see, my hands are pretty full right now."

"Did you think I was here to spectate? I guess we never got to know eachother all that well." She frowned, unsheathing her sword. "I'll take the girl, you focus on him." She said, pointing to the unknown male that Yuta was currently preoccupied with.

He appreciated her help, but there was no time to update her on what he had learned about odd powers belonging to the female sorcerer. Yuta trusted that Yachiru would be able to gather the extent of her abilities, but he had not seen her in action.

He was curious — almost to the extent that he wanted to focus on her as opposed to his own match.

"Hey, you." Yachiru spoke, pointing her blade directly at her opponent. "I would focus your attention this way starting now."

She swore she could see a vein pop in her head, clearly unhappy with Yachiru's random entrance into the ongoing feud. Yachiru took in her appearance; long pink hair that seemed to defy the laws of physics, but what was most intriguing was the woman's attire; or lack thereof. Her private areas were shrouded in what seemed to be complete transparency; Yachiru being able to see straight through these areas.

"You'll wish you didn't choose me, Samurai girl." She grunted, standing firm on the ground a few feet away from Yachiru.

"We'll see about that... and I'm not a samurai." She paused for a moment, a small smile creeping up on her face. "I'm Kurotsuki Yachiru, a rogue Shinigami."

"Shinigami, eh? I'm Uro Takako. The incarnated captain of the Sun, Moon, and Stars Squad." Takaro was curious; how had a Shinigami managed to bypass the curtain? She heard that this had been deemed forbidden in the rules.

Her eyes ran over Yachiru's withered figure — noticing how she clearly wasn't in the best of shape. She continued to survey her physique; from head to toe and then back up. Takaro could feel a pair of boiling eyes looking straight at her, and when she met them, she could have sworn she felt a shiver roll down her spine.

The reincarnated sorceress had never experienced the almost debilitating feeling emanating from Yachiru's rage fuelled stare. A bead of sweat rolled down her face as she readied her stance, her previously cocky demeanour nowhere to be found at this moment in time. 

In Yachiru's direct line of vision, stood the very woman who passed down orders to kill her friend from all those years ago. The compressed spiritual energy involuntarily leaking from her body was a crushing force, spreading throughout the immediate area and far beyond it.

Both Yuta and his opponent paused for a moment, their eyes shooting over to Yachiru as they too struggled to move under such conditions.

'Calm down. You know better than to yield this precious resource to such a measly sorcerer.'

Izanami wouldn't admit it, but this massive perforation of Yachiru's spiritual energy had actually affected her too. Throughout all the decades she had been with Yachiru, she had never felt anything like this.

This felt infernal, almost evil; it reminded her of her ancient past.

The spirit was growing concerned for the woman that she considered her child. And although she could feel Yachiru's energy levels subside after the words she had previously spoken, her anxieties did not.

Yachiru moved quickly, but Takako was an enemy who was well adjusted to fast paced battles. As Yachiru slashed through her torso, she jumped back a few steps to observe the damage.

Her eyebrows furrowed, unable to comprehend the sight before her. Her attack had amounted to zero physical damage. The wound her sword should have made was instead translucent; having connected this with her previous evaluation of Takako's appearance, she could safely assume this was a part of her cursed technique.

"She can manipulate space, Yachiru!" Yuta yelled over, hoping to subside any confusion on her side.

"Eh? Manipulate space?" Yachiru questioned, watching as Takako bended her surroundings.

"Pretty neat, don't you think?" She chimed over, reaching up towards the sky and seemingly pulling it down to cloak her figure.

Yachiru could no longer see her opponent, but her confidence did not dwindle. She strengthened her stance, closing her eyes to concentrate.

Takako managed to land a decent hit on her, straight in Yachiru's stomach as she keeled over, coughing a little in the process. An elbow to her ribs caught her off guard, but Yachiru's legs refused to give in as she stood her ground.

Her opponents moves were unpredictable. Yachiru could sense her cursed energy, but it was scattered in all different directions; as if it was almost swallowing the immediate area around her.

After a few more of Takako's hits had landed, Yachiru had become familiar with the sequence. An invisible hand outstretched, aiming straight for the Shinigami's neck.

It could have been the end, had Yachiru not grabbed Takako's hand mid way through it's plunge and flipped her over, slamming her into the concrete roof and smashing through it's surface.

The pair fell to the floor beneath the rooftop, Yachiru watched as Takako pulled herself up amongst the rubble, covered in dust.

"Guess your sneaky little ability won't work now, since you're covered in shit." Yachiru smiled, swinging up her sword and casting another heap of dust straight onto Takako's figure.

"I didn't expect you to pack such a punch." Takako responded, arising from the dirt. "But is that all you've got alongside that sword of yours?"

Before she could respond, Takako smashed her fist on the wall, creating a shockwave that sent Yachiru flying into the wall behind her. A small grunt left her mouth upon impact, blood spluttering out of her mouth as she crawled out of the small crater.

Takako appeared before her, pulling her up by her hair and looking Yachiru dead in the eyes. "Looks like this might be the end of the line for you, Shinigami."

Yachiru's eyes closed. As the rain outside subsided, the sun began to shine through the clouds, hitting Yachiru's bruised face as it shined directly through the hole she had made in the ceiling.

"YUTA" She yelled, the dryness in her throat irritating her screams. "RUN."

As she felt Yuta's presence dwindle, she smirked. Yachiru gripped Takako's wrist with such force that the latter was compelled to let go of her hair. Using her other hand, she once again slashed upwards at Takako, forcing her to withdraw a few steps backwards.

"You made a mistake in thinking I only carry a sword and physical strength."

The room became increasingly hot, Yachiru's blade turning black as she began to activate one of her newly founded techniques. "If you manipulate space, then I'll just fill it with something that can harm you."

Takako's eyes widened, her eyes darting around the room in anticipation for an attack.

But it was too sudden.

Yachiru's outstretched sword was pointing upwards towards the sun, its beams reflecting off the black metal. In one swift move she smashed her sword into the ground, filling not only the room, but the entire building with the fire of the angry sun above the pair.

As the building began to crumble, she appeared before Takako — her sword grazing her neck to the point that it drew blood. "Give me your points."

"Kurotsuki Yachiru! You have gained seventy points, woohoo!"

Yachiru made her way to find Yuta, sensing him close by. He too had successfully defeated his opponent and claimed his points.

"Yuta, I'll be going to find Itadori and Megumi now." Yachiru spoke as she approached him.

"You should try and get some rest somewhere, you don't look so good." He said, slightly worried to see her in such a bad way.

"I can't. There's something I have to protect." She stuffed her hand into her layers, pulling out the wrapped Tantō.

"Is that a cursed object?" Yuta enquired, surveying the shape of the white material covering the blade.

"No. This is Taberu-Ha, I travelled to Jigoku to retrieve it. It's said to release the seal of anything it slashes." She explained quietly, stuffing it back into her clothing as she sighed.

"So that's where you've been. I understand. Still, once you find some allies, you should rest."

She appreciated his concern. It wasn't that she didn't trust the people on their side; she just couldn't risk losing the tool. If this Angel sorcerer didn't turn out to be what they expected, then there was no hope other than the Tantō.

"I'll be off. Tokyo is quite far from here, so I should make haste."

"Travel safely, Yachiru."

And with that, she quickly disappeared into the dawning night.

A/N; PLEASE READ

Guys, I need your opinion! I have a prediction of how JJK will end ultimately, but I was wondering if you guys want me to go off canon at this point and just continue writing the story without the manga finishing. Of course, most of it won't line up with events in the Manga but I'd love for you guys TO VOTE ON IN RESPONSE TO THIS NOTE

I'd really appreciate if you guys could do this!! Just reply to this note and let me know what you want me to do, and I'll take whichever route you guys want! I should be able to upload more frequently if I can freehand it. With this being said, if you follow me on here I can keep you updated on chapter releases etc!

Also, I had to kind of guess on some of Takako's abilities during this chapter; sorry if they're not wholly accurate. Her overall ability is a little complex so there was definitely some assumptions in here.