Perfect Preparation, Part 2 (
Summary
Defeated and bleeding out, both Maki and Mai have been severely injured and left to die by their father. Fortunately, Mai is left conscious and she always figured this would happen one day. Mai understands that in jujutsu, she and Maki are one, and she must make a drastic decision to ensure her beloved twin sister lives on.
Plot Details
Ogi leaves his injured daughters to be eaten by cursed spirits.
Ogi drags his twin daughters' bleeding bodies down a corridor toward an unmarked room with a large opening. Having sliced both of them himself, Ogi thoughtlessly leaves a trail of their blood behind him as he explains his victory.
Maki lost to her father because she stepped in close and treated her opponent like a swordsman and not a sorcerer. Ogi believes he's not to be judged by those who are no good and considers Maki to be completely worthless. He repeats that he did not become head of the clan because of the quality of his children. Naobito's Projection Sorcery technique doesn't have much of a history outside of passing it down to Naoya, so this was not a determining factor in the despite. The only difference between them was how strong their children turned out to be.
Mai makes certain that Maki lives on.
Ogi tells his daughters that children must not hold back their parents and throws them down a flight of stairs into a large room. He explains this area is for training and discipline. Countless grade 2 and lower cursed spirits are kept there that will eat the twins as soon as Ogi leaves. He mocks Maki and claims her Heavenly Restriction is nothing special compared to other sorcerers who train and reinforce their muscles with cursed energy every day. The father turns his back on his daughters and says farewell to the stains on his life one final time.
Before the curses move in, Mai is able to sit up and puts Maki's head on her lap before feeling for a heartbeat. She feels miraculously Maki's heart beating and notes how tough her twin is. Mai suspected this would happen someday and is ready to do what's necessary. She opens Maki's mouth and says this sucks before breathing into it, resuscitating her sister.
Maki gets a breath of new life and awakens in a dream space somewhere on a beach as if she's been rescued from drowning. She's laying next to Mai, who explains that she's going to use her Construction technique to make something and then die from the strain due to her injuries. Mai gets up from the sand and walks into the water while saying goodbye and wishing her twin good luck.
"You are me... and I am you."
This greatly confuses Maki, who gets up and tries to follow Mai, begging her sister to come back. Mai explains that she knew for a while that twins are a bad omen for sorcerers. To gain, one must give, and in that way, suffering has made them both stronger. However, that rule doesn't apply to twins because jujutsu treats them as one individual. Even if Maki wants to get stronger, she can't because Mai doesn't and Mai possesses the cursed technique. As long as Mai is around, Maki cannot fully develop.
Maki says that she understands so that Mai will stop walking away. She doesn't want to lose her sister and runs into the water after Mai, asking her again to come back. Mai extends her hand to leave only one thing and tells Maki to throw the rest away. Mai will take away all the cursed energy between them with her as she dies. In return, she asks Maki to promise her one thing: "destroy everything". Maki takes a small reed from her sister's hand and reflects on them as small children, momentarily taking them back to being happy little girls again.
Still in her arms, Maki realizes Mai tragically sacrificed herself.
In the next moment, Maki returns to reality and notices she's holding a sword handle instead of a reed. She's in the arms of her sister, who has tragically toppled over with no more life left in her body. Overwhelmed with guilt and sorrow, Maki cries and tells Mai to wake up as cursed spirits approach them from every side. While Ogi is walking away, he notices something is amiss and turns around out of concern. All of the cursed spirits are suddenly exorcised, confusing Ogi as their presences disappear. He readies his katana and sees Maki in the shadows of the doorway gently putting Mai's body down.
Ogi's body remembers a certain fear his mind has tried long and hard to forget. Maki emerges from the shadows and reminds him of none other than the only other warrior to possess no cursed energy, Toji Zenin. Struck with a jolt of fear, Ogi's eyes open wide and he begins to sweat. He immediately activates his innate technique, Blazing Courage, coating his katana's broken blade in scorching flames that blaze a circle around him.
Maki fulfilling her promise to destroy everything for Mai, starting with their father.
With his scorching blade pointed at Maki, Ogi threatens to burn his worthless child to the bone in a fight to the death, but Maki effortlessly bisects his head while walking past him using a slash so fast he never even saw it coming. Maki stops after her father's defeated body falls to the ground dead. She looks at the last gift Mai gave her and remembers the birds flying over the beach. Ready to keep her promise, Maki grips the cursed tool in her hand and tells Mai it's time to get started.
Character in Order of Appearances
- Maki Zenin
- Mai Zenin
- Ogi Zenin
- Naobito Zenin (Flashback)
- Naoya Zenin (Flashback)
- Toji Fushiguro (Flashback)
Battles & Events
- Maki Zenin vs. Ogi Zenin (Concluded)
Locations
Jujutsu
Author's Comment
| Author's Comment | |
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Gege Akutami |
I was studying history when I realized that all these people are dead. Talk about spoilers! | |