Shinkiba District – Some Dead Mall
Mission Rank: 2
Assigned: Akashi Ryuunosuke, Yuji Itadori, Megumi Fushiguro, Nobara Kugisaki
Supervisor: Gojo (MIA, because of course)
That mall? Straight-up zombie territory. Glass busted everywhere, escalators rusted over, graffiti bleeding down the walls like some demon decided to doodle. Air's thick—like you're breathing in concrete dust and ghosts.
Anyway, the four of them just stand at the busted entrance like they're waiting for a bus.
Yuji's fidgeting with his gloves. "So... Gojo ditched again?"
Megumi goes full monotone, "He said we're ready."
"Translation: He's off stuffing his face somewhere," Nobara mutters, rolling her eyes.
Akashi hangs back, staring into that black hole of an entrance. Something's oozing out from inside—cursed energy, nasty stuff. Not strong, but desperate. Smells like hunger.
He knows it. Oh, he knows it.
"This is a feeding ground," he says, voice flat. "Something's living in there."
Yuji looks at him, curious. "You seen this before?"
Akashi's voice? Quiet. "Once. I was nine. I walked out. My mom didn't."
Nobara glances at him—doesn't say a word, but her hands curl into fists.
Megumi's all business. "Formation. Yuji, you're front. Akashi, mid. Nobara and I cover the sides."
Yuji flashes a goofy thumbs-up. "Team Dragon Fist!"
Akashi and Megumi, deadpan, together: "No."
Inside – First Floor
The mall's basically a corpse. Neon signs flicker, empty shops echo with nothing. There's a mannequin lying facedown in a puddle of mold. Everything smells like old rain and rot.
Then—screaming.
Everyone moves, tearing down an escalator that's half-eaten by curse goo.
There she is: A girl, probably fifteen, crammed into a corner of a busted arcade cabinet. She's got that thousand-yard stare, mumbling, "Don't listen to it… don't listen to it…"
Yuji kneels next to her, gentle. "We got you. It's okay."
Akashi's not moving. His cursed energy spikes—warning.
"Don't," he says, voice sharp.
Yuji blinks. "What?"
"That's not a girl," Akashi mutters.
And then—crack. Her neck just snaps sideways, and her mouth goes Joker-wide. Her body glitches, limbs popping out all insect-like, and eyes blossom across her cheeks. It grins.
"You hear me now, little dragon?" it hisses. "We remember your voice…"
Akashi knows that voice. Not the same curse that took his mom, but close enough to make his skin crawl. Same stink. Same ugly laughter.
He steps up. Sigils light up around his throat.
Dragon Tongue: Phase II – Maw of the Hollow Flame
"燃え尽きろ (Moetsukiro)Burn to nothing...."
He spits cursed fire—blue, black, silent. It tears through the thing like hell's own napalm.
The curse screams, splits apart, and now there's three little nightmares skittering away into the shadows.
Megumi snaps out his Divine Dogs—sends 'em hunting.
Nobara's already on the second, hammer and nails out.
Yuji and Akashi chase the third.
While they're running, Yuji huffs, "That was wild, back there."
Akashi doesn't even blink. "I held back."
Yuji's like, "Huh?"
Akashi, voice low again:
"沈め (Shizume)Sink...."
The floor goes liquid, then snaps to stone—curse goes face-first into it. Yuji's fist comes down like a meteor. Skull cracks, body twitches. Done.
Akashi exhales—steam, literal steam, curling from his mouth.
Yuji glances over. "You good?"
No answer. Akashi's just staring at the corpse, empty. That wasn't victory. No satisfaction. Just more of that old itch—revenge, never scratched.
Outside – Later
They regroup by the doors, dawn leaking across the city.
Megumi's frowning. "Three curses, same breed. Someone planted this mess."
Nobara's lip curls. "A trap. Bait, basically."
Akashi's silent.
Gojo finally strolls up, coffee in hand, sunglasses and all. "Heyyy, look at that, you lived! Neat."
Nobara hurls a rock at him.
Yuji grins, "Akashi went nuts. You should've seen it."
Gojo eyes Akashi. "Getting the hang of it yet?"
Akashi's far away. "Not yet."
Gojo shrugs. "You will." Then his voice drops, suddenly serious.
"One day, that voice of yours won't just kill curses…" He leans in.
"It'll change everything."
Final Scene – Dorm Room
Akashi sits in the dark, looking his mom's old rosary beads—burned, busted, still here—twisted around his knuckles. He closes his eyes. Still tastes blood in every breath.
He whispers, voice barely there:
"I'll find it, Mom. The thing that took you. I'll make it scream in a language it's never heard."
Lightning cracks, somewhere far.
And deep in the void—
Sukuna stirs.
"That voice... interesting."