#i'm pretty set on kaiya not being all that strong on her own though -- decent in a fight but definitely no match for stronger opponents

[tvrningout-a]

A LIGHT AMIDST DESPAIR | JJK AU | ft. sato kaiya

trigger warning for mentions/implications of abuse and child death; nothing is ever described in detail; i try to keep everything as vague as possible, but please be careful! be warned that there is some canon-typical violence as well. if you'd prefer to get right into verse specifics, you can skip the prologue <3

prologue:

another universe yet a similar story, again kaiya finds herself struggling to support her mother after an accident steals her father from them. again she finds herself in a loveless marriage, and again she finds herself at the end of her rope one night, but rather than a meeting a demon, the young woman encounters someone else entirely.

it's pouring rain when she spots what appears to be a child crouched beneath a tree in her backyard, and of course kaiya rushes over to check on him, ushering him into the safety of the engawa. he looks terribly pale to the point of looking blue; she would have left to fetch the boy blankets and hot tea, but he clutches at her hand so desperately, cries for her to stay. without another thought, kaiya gathers him in her arms and holds him.

then her husband steps outside, sees her hugging nothing but air, and accuses her of finally losing it. kaiya pushes back, insists that the boy is there -- how can her husband not see him? and as matters escalate, kaiya realizes they are engulfed in rain again, the cold digging into her skin like a million little daggers that hurt worse than the stinging of her cheek. she turns to look at the boy. isamu.

where once a frail boy sat, now stands a mass of blue muscle and bared teeth in his place. kaiya's blood runs cold. it's happening again.

Y҉O҉U҉ ҉W҉I҉L҉L҉ ҉N҉O҉T҉ ҉T҉O҉U҉C҉H҉ ҉M҉O҉T҉H҉E҉R҉.҉

isamu seems to move in the blink of an eye, a massive fist decimating the man in one blow. blood splatters against her face. someone screams -- she screams, she thinks. and as isamu turns his glowing eyes to her, kaiya screams again, stumbling and falling backwards and crawling to get away, far as she can. she curls herself into a ball, weeping and knowing that despite all the suffering, despite all of her effort to keep going and make something good, she is going to die here.

" mother? what's wrong? the bad man is gone, mother-- " he sounds like the little boy again, small and fragile, but still kaiya flinches as his cold hand touches her shoulder. his voice grows thick with upset. " are you mad at me? did i do something wrong? why won't you look at me? "

" you killed him! " she wails. isamu cries with her.

" he hurt mother! he always hurts mother, but i wouldn't let him this time! " isamu sobs and curls tiny fists into the sleeve of her yukata, tugging at her arm until kaiya finally looks up. she stares at the boy's tear-streaked face as his words sink in. i wouldn't let him this time. "i'm sorry, please--- please, don't leave me again! i only wanted to help mother! "

he's different from the thing that killed her father, kaiya realizes, having only wanted to keep her safe from someone who hurt her. despite his oni-like form earlier, isamu seems human as he cries, begs her to not be mad, begs her to not leave him ( it tears into her heart, creating an ache that almost feels familiar ). kaiya knows it's probably stupid of her -- she hasn't made very many wise decisions lately -- but she reaches out a shaky hand to cradle isamu's cheek, wiping away his tears. slowly, he calms and meets her gaze with blue eyes that oddly match her own.

she can't manage a smile, can't control the tremble in her voice. she's terrified that she's making a mistake, that maybe this thing isn't a child at all, but hope steadies kaiya's hand as she grips one of isamu's tiny fists.

" i won't leave you. i promise. "

verse specifics:

soon after kaiya's chance meeting with isamu and her husband's death, sorcerers come to her small town and apprehend them. kaiya goes willingly to ensure isamu doesn't try to kill anyone and because she ultimately feels responsible for her husband and her father's deaths.

it is obviously debated that she should be killed because of the risk isamu poses, but she is thankfully allowed to live so long as the boy remains obedient and loyal to her -- or in other words, so long as he doesn't kill anyone.

it's discovered that kaiya has an innate technique that draws in curses by bleeding a great amount of cursed energy; she may also cut off her energy entirely, becoming impossible to sense. this is how isamu found her, and it is why a curse attacked her father yet left her alone.

kaiya herself would be considered a lower grade sorcerer if not for isamu. because of him, she is considered somewhere between 1st-special grade. i haven't decided uvu

isamu believes kaiya is his mother who died hundreds of years ago. she, too, was in a bad relationship which she tried to escape, but running away led to both her and isamu's deaths. until he found kaiya, he wandered the countryside as a vengeful cursed spirit, bringing rain with him and attacking anyone who dared to raise a hand against a woman.

kaiya is, in fact, a reincarnation of isamu's mother, and this is discovered after some time at jujutsu high.

isamu most often appears as a child with a ghostly pallor, but he is capable of taking on a much larger form that resembles a blue oni. along with heightened strength and speed, the rain he conjures is imbued with his cursed energy, harming anyone who is caught in the storm.

pre-shibuya, kaiya and isamu live within the walls of jujutsu high; it has been five years since they met, making kaiya 26 in this verse. post-shibuya, kaiya enters the culling games in hopes of helping innocent non-sorcerers caught in the crossfire ( unless otherwise plotted ).

possibly more to be added/edited!!