Jujutsu Kaisen: False Dawn

Morning.

I woke up groggy, my limbs still heavy from the night before. I'd passed out after testing the full extent of Rika's summoning and flooding my cursed circuits to their breaking point. I could still feel it faintly, a tingling warmth under my skin. Like my body hadn't fully calmed down.

I stretched and sat up, glancing toward the soft sunlight filtering through my apartment window. For the first time in a while, I didn't feel like I was starting from zero.

No, this time, something was different.

I could tell the moment I channeled cursed energy.

It flowed easier.

Like my body had accepted it more willingly. My red cursed circuits didn't protest like before—they carried it more smoothly. Before, it was like trying to pour a thick liquid through a narrow tube. Now, it felt like the tube had widened… just a bit.

My cursed energy pool had grown.

Not by much. But if before I had a puddle, now I had… a decent puddle. Not a river. Not a lake. But something I could actually splash around in.

Was it from last night? From the strain? Maybe from linking with Rika? Or perhaps I'd finally started to evolve past my human limitations.

Didn't matter.

Progress was progress.

And I needed more.

---

I stood in my cramped kitchen, sipping warm tea, thinking.

"I can't test Rika too much," I muttered to myself. "She's like a final boss I can only summon five minutes a day."

So my options were simple:

1. Test more on Kai2, my weirdly loyal flying fish curse.

2. Mess around with Red Stitch, my actual cursed technique.

I thought about it, tapping my fingers on the table.

"Kai2 it is."

---

The next two days flew by in a haze of experiments.

Kai2 had changed.

It wasn't just obedient. It was… weird.

It floated around the room like a balloon half the time, but when I spoke? It listened. Not instantly, but it tried. It wasn't clever, but it wasn't dumb either.

It responded to basic commands, followed me around the apartment, and even hovered over my head while I trained.

I'd tried to get it to respond to emotional cues—fear, hunger, threat. Nothing too complex. But something was happening.

It was more responsive.

"Maybe," I muttered one evening, "maybe you're getting smarter?"

Kai2 blinked its dull fish eyes at me. Then it floated upside down.

"…Yeah. That tracks."

But something deeper was taking root.

I started to wonder: Could I bind Kai2 permanently? Could I make it mine—not just some floating test dummy, but a real asset? A tool? A pet? A personal curse like Toji's weird worm-body cursed spirit?

I remembered how Toji had no cursed energy but still had a cursed spirit that listened to him.

How the hell did he manage that? Did he beat the thing into obedience? Did he trick it? Did he make a vow?

… Could I?

---

It was the third night when I sat in the center of my room, Kai2 floating in front of me like a chubby, ghostly goldfish.

I breathed slowly.

Time to try.

Binding vow.

"You are mine now," I began, speaking slowly. "You will live in my shadow. You will obey all my commands. In return, I vow to keep you alive and feed you cursed energy—so long as you're useful."

A standard give-and-take.

I laced my cursed energy into every word, my red stitch already linking us.

Then I pulled.

Not with strength. Not with force.

But with will.

I forced Kai2 to feel the vow, and I forced it to agree.

My red stitch burned bright.

Kai2 shook violently. Its entire form spasmed midair, its fins flapping like they were caught in a hurricane.

Then I felt it.

The link.

Something subtle but real.

A thread connected us. Not the red stitch—it was gone now. This was different.

It was spiritual.

Kai2 floated gently for a moment… and then darted straight at me.

I flinched. "Oi—!!"

It latched onto my arm like it was trying to bite me.

But… it wasn't biting.

It was nuzzling.

"Stop that! What do you think this is?! You're not a cat! Show some respect!"

Kai2 blinked… and floated backward like it was pouting.

I stared.

"…What the hell are you?"

---

The next hour was weird.

I gave Kai2 commands.

"Float." It floated.

"Circle me." It swam in the air like a dog chasing its tail.

"Hide in the shadows."

It dove into a corner of the apartment and vanished into the dark like a cartoon ninja.

…Huh.

This was working.

Kai2 wasn't strong. It wasn't smart.

But it was mine.

And it was getting better.

I wondered—could I store it inside something? Could I use it in battle to scout or distract? Could it evolve if I fed it enough energy or experience?

Ideas flooded in.

I'd just opened a door.

One more piece of my broken puzzle had snapped into place.

---

I sat down again and pulled my notebook close.

"Questions for later," I muttered.

– How did Toji create a personal curse without cursed energy?

– Can binding vows between humans and curses evolve?

– Can Kai2 get stronger?

– Can Kai2 act as a familiar during combat?

– Can I feed it another curse to power it up?

The possibilities were endless.

And I had five more days to sharpen every weapon I had.

Red Stitch. Cursed energy control. Rika. Kai2.

It was time to put it all together.

But for now?

I scratched Kai2's head with a tired sigh.

"...Don't get used to this, you little freak."

Kai2 squeaked in bliss.

And I rolled my eyes, smiling.