Chapter Text
Brring! Brrring! Brring!
Upon hearing the sounds he has been waiting for weeks, Itadori Wasuke swiftly gets up from the floor and dashes to the ringing home phone. Even though he runs into his kotatsu table by the futon and steps on some miscellaneous items, Wasuke manages to answer the phone in time.
“Oh?” A familiar nervous voice on the other line gasps. “Itadori-san? You weren’t asleep yet? Uhhhh. Sorry if I disturbed your sleep. This is Ijichi, by the way. I was just about to leave a voicemail regarding your grandson.”
At this very moment of revelation, Wasuke’s chest tightens. “It’s fine, and what about my grandson?”
“I can confidently say that he’s alive and well enough to see you tomorrow morning. Or I guess, it would be today’s morning, haha…” The load on Wasuke’s chest immediately lightens up its weight upon that statement. Ijichi continues after his nervous laughter, “Last night, following a large gas explosion and forest fire at Mt. Kurai in Gifu prefecture, Itadori-kun was fortunately found by firefighters at the base of the mountain’s hiking trail. Thankfully, Itadori-kun did not sustain any severe injuries as observed by our team’s field doctor, and she deemed he was well enough to go home as soon as possible.”
“Thank goodness.” Wasuke sighs.
Another chuckle bubbles up. “Thank goodness, indeed. It was very fortunate that we were able to find Itadori-kun and confirm his safety. Whenever you are ready, I can provide you with the directions to the train station, and I'll take you to the clinic your grandson is in, Itadori-san.”
“Yes, please. Thank you so much, Ijichi-san.”
With the address and directions jotted down, the two say goodnight (or just a simple ‘see you later’). Wasuke stands in the hallway for a while, staring between the house phone on the pedestal table and his note of directions in his hand. Silence turns into static noise.
Is everything truly fine? That’s it? What happened to Kaori? Will she come back for Yuuji again? What did she do to him during his kidnapping? Is he truly well enough to return home? Most importantly, is Yuuji still the same after everything that has happened to him? What if just like Kaori, he’s not-
Wasuke shakes his head to stop the completion of the last thought. It's about 3:30AM. He could take a nap, but he should start getting ready for the earliest bus and bullet train trip to Tokyo. Perhaps, the preparations will keep his old mind off things.
It did not. For the entire shinkansen trip to Tokyo, the same circle of thoughts kept haunting him. After 4 and a half hours, Wasuke is finally at the train station Ijichi promised to meet him at. He steps off the train alongside other passengers, and a creeping sensation of nausea instantly hits him. The familiar pressure on his chest from many years ago returns as he is here once again to pick up Yuuji from unfortunate circumstances. With the growing dizziness attached to his head, Wasuke manages to navigate into the street bustling with people outside the station. His all five senses are overwhelmed even more from the increase in traffic, and the background noises of people become more faint as he thinks, "Ah. It's still the same city that took his son away from him ."
Clap! Wasuke claps his cheeks to remind himself to stay focused and not go through his ridiculous train of thoughts again. The same thoughts he constantly had at home, the train ride to Tokyo, and now. He looks around for the cell phone parking garage where Ijichi should be waiting. However, everything is a blur, and he can only feel his heart loudly palpitating. His breathing speeds up at the awareness of his own loud heartbeat - and lack thereof his surroundings. Was the weeks of sleeplessness catching up to him? Or is it some sort of old age related disease? Perhaps it was the coffee he made this morning? Too much caffeine? Either way, Wasuke's stumbling, falling, and there's no way he can stop himself lan-
Large hands grasp his shoulders from behind, halting his fall. The other person shakes and brushes his shoulders a little. He can't really hear the other person, but his dull orange eyes look up to meet a set of vibrant blue eyes. It takes him a good while to process that it was Gojo's face he sees and voice he hears.
"Itadori-san! Earth to Itadori-san! Oh. Good. You're finally listening. Breathe. Take long breaths…Focus on that." Gojo's loud voice turns into a more calm one. Wasuke finds the tension inside his chest releasing bit by bit as he follows the young man's instructions to take long breaths. He doesn't know how long he focuses on his breathing, but the loud world gradually returns to him. With regained strength and awareness, Wasuke breaks away from Gojo's grasp to only stumble again.
"Whoa! Be careful there!" Gojo grabs his wrist, pulling Wasuke forward again. The white haired man smirks while he steadies Wasuke back in his feet, "You're more frail than I thought. Did the thought of seeing your grandson after a month get your weak heart racing that much?"
"Shut it…” Wasuke breaks away from Gojo’s grip, but he is able to stand on his own this time around. “...Why are you even here?"
"We were getting concerned whether you made it here okay because it’s past the expected meeting time you are supposed to be here. Also, we had no way of checking on you since you don't have a cellphone in this day and age! Aren't you glad I checked up on you anyways?” Gojo smirks, then he points at a nearby bench. “Sit over there for a moment. I'm gonna call Ijichi over with the car. Can’t have you passing out on me again."
“Tch.” Wasuke scoffs. He takes a seat at the bench facing the street and observes the tall twerp make a phone call in the distance. He sighs to himself, wondering what got over him. As far as he knows, his health is not that bad for him to collapse on the road. Did the anxiety really get to him that badly? If so, what would his health look like in the near future? Before he can continue his lingering thoughts of his own health and his worries for Yuuji’s future, a black limousine pulls up in front of him.
“Good morning, Itadori-san. Glad to see you have made the trip just fine. Please watch your step here.” Ijichi extends a hand toward him, and he swats it away.
“Don’t need your help. I can get in just fine on my own.” And so Wasuke does. Upon entering the car, Gojo is already seated inside. Wasn't he just done with the phone call earlier? How did he enter the car so fast without a sound?
“Yo, Itadori-san!” Gojo chirps, sporting his typical wear of pitch black sunglasses this time again. The white haired man nudges a box of some sweets towards him. “Care for some mochi donuts? I recommend you getting more food in your system, considering what happened earlier. Sometimes, having too low blood sugar levels can cause dizziness.”
Wasuke shakes his head, “No thanks. I’m not a sweets kinda per-”
Abruptly, a donut strikes his mouth mid sentence like a gag, and Wasuke almost chokes from suddenly inhaling the sugar frosting. The perpetrator next to him coos, "Eh~ Just eat it! You may have had early breakfast back in your home, but it's been over four hours ago. You should be thankful that I'm giving you even one of my favorite donuts. Besides, we have much to discuss in this long car ride."
Wasuke rolls his eyes as he chews on the sweet dessert, securing it with his hand. It's not bad. The texture was soft and chewy, but it's a pity that the dessert was simply too sweet for him. Wasuke swiftly finishes the donut in a few bites to avoid the onslaught of sweetness. Then, he waits for the man next to him to finish his donut and discuss Yuuji. Just when Gojo finishes a donut, he fishes out more donuts to slowly chew through with such disgusting bliss on his own face. Ijichi has already started driving long before, and Wasuke doesn’t even know how long the trip is to the campus in the mountains. Hard minutes of silence pass as he waits on the guy munching on the dozen donuts to discuss things , and he eventually gives up. Looking at the rearview mirror’s reflection, he can catch glances of Ijichi’s uncomfortableness at the awkward silence in the car.
The same thoughts of fear consume him as he turns his attention towards the passing scenery. He cannot believe that he is so close to seeing his grandson again, but these cursed thoughts plague him. The very same ones since he learned of Yuuji’s safety.
“What are you thinking about?” Gojo’s singsong voice puts a stopper to those thoughts. The man casually licks the sugar off his hands like a cat, waiting for Wasuke's answer.
“Nothing worth thinking about.” He then redirects the topic elsewhere before the other can continue. “Didn’t we have things to discuss regarding my grandson and the investigation?”
"Talking about your current thoughts are things to discuss." Gojo smiles as if he can clearly see his thoughts. "What are your thoughts on seeing your grandson after he's been kidnapped by his own mother after a month? Are you scared to see him? We can tur-"
"No!" Wasuke interrupts him. "I am not afraid of seeing my grandson. I would never abandon him. Rather…I'm afraid he's not…"
My grandson. The statement he never wanted to complete, yet he verbally trails off to the half truth. Wasuke sighs, "...the same. What if he never recovers from the unknown trauma he experienced during the incident? I've heard such traumatic events like these can interfere with development or something, then it causes anxiety in adulthood. So the mental docs say. "
"Hmmm…Is that so?" He comes very close to Wasuke's face, the vibrant blue eyes he saw before analyzing all the details on his face as they could behind the pitch black shades. Gojo backs away and claps his hands with a grin. "Well! That makes what I'll say next pretty easy. The doctor who examined Yuuji recommends periodic psychotherapy. As you guessed, Yuuji is in fact not the same as he was before! His personality now is a lot moodier than the report we have on his personality, but… that is due to the fact that he has undergone some inexplicable experience that he can’t tell. So, the doctor recommends Yuuji stay in our specialized Tokyo medical facility for consistent and quality care.”
Before Wasuke can utter any word of refusal, Gojo continues with a wink, “We’ll also provide new lodgings and work for you in Tokyo because we can’t have dear Yuuji without his loving grandpa!”
Dear Yuuji? That’s a strange way to address his grandson now. Either way, living in Tokyo…the same city where Jin and Kaori disappeared. The thought of living in Tokyo as appealing as it was, it really, really makes Wasuke nauseous. He blinks a few times, takes deep breaths. With firmness, he says, “No. I refuse. The Itadori household is and will always be in Sendai.”
“But this is a good dea-”
“Don’t care.”
“Yuuji can reall-”
“It’s like PTSD or something, right? He doesn’t have to receive treatment in Tokyo. He can stay in Sendai for that.”
“But we’re the ones who-”
“What does it matter to you?” Wasuke glares at Gojo. “Yuuji is my grandson. If he has become so different from the traumatic experience you claim he has gone through, then it is all more of the reason he should be back home. Also, I absolutely hate Tokyo. You cannot have me living in the accursed city that took my son away.”
"Tokyo? Accursed city , huh…fweee~" Gojo whistles. "You certainly have a way with words, old man…You know what!"
The said old man grumbles, "What? You better give up on convincing me to move into Tokyo again with more bullshit."
"That! I have already given up with a few sentences!" He laughs, "Shoko- I meant Dr. Ieiri, the one overseeing Yuuji, can always make a weekly trip to her previous Sendai residency office to see Yuuji and former patients. I'm sure she wouldn't mind that. She's a doctor of great integrity and devotion."
"Why didn't you just say that in the first place?"
"Some stubborn old man refused a life changing chance to live in Tokyo, so a compromise had to be made." Gojo rolls his eyes. "Ah. One more thing I wanted to mention. I can confirm that Itadori Kaori is dead. Parts of her remains were found on site. However, I don't know if she had any accomplices…"
Wasuke squints, scrutinizing the man beside him, "Is that why you were so desperate to get Yuuji and I to stay in Tokyo?"
"Hmmm. Yeah! That's part of the reason!"
"Part?" What are the other reasons? Should Wasuke be concerned?
"Eh. Don’t sweat the small details! Whatever. It’s decided that Yuuji will be going back home with you today. In addition to the psychotherapy sessions, some additional arrangements will be made for you both to stay in Sendai. A new place, regular check-ins from me, and-” He points to his phone, quickly switching between its touchscreen vertical and horizontal. “The latest smartphone! It’ll make your life so much easier!"
"I don't know how to use those damn gadgets. I’ve done well to live my entire lifetime without them."
"Kek. What an old man thing to say. Oh! By the way, we're almost at the clinic. You'll see your dear grandson soon." Gojo states the last line with bemusement on his lips.
When they got to the campus, Ijichi went to park the car. Thus, Wasuke follows Gojo through the campus and starts to doubt all the choices he has made before coming here. The clinic is strangely located inside a national park, on the outskirts of Tokyo. Tokyo Metropolitan Technical College is massive, hidden by mountains and forestry around as if they're not in Tokyo anymore, and it's made up of traditional Buddhist temples and buildings. It’s strange how people who travel through this national park don’t swarm this oddly large and beautiful campus. Is Yuuji truly at this place? Because this place feels like -
“We’re not a cult.” Gojo laughs, reading his thoughts immediately. “We’re a legit private college campus, albeit religious. We’re serious in our protection of civilians, but I can’t guarantee your safety here if you stray off too far and get lost.”
“What?” Wasuke pales a bit. Perhaps, this is one of those strange cults. Was his desperation to see Yuuji making his screws loose? Why didn’t he think that the two men were suspicious from the get go?
The younger man walks over the small old man, wiggling his fingers in a creep-like manner. “After all, being a religious campus, we do have some historical artifacts that may just curse you~ So, stick close to us! We’re almost at the clinic!”
Wasuke didn’t realize that he was caught up with how far the young man had to walk back to him. Either way, he makes sure to follow him closely, not out of fear of the supernatural, but rather, he doesn’t have much of a choice.
Like Gojo said, the clinic is close by after walking a few more minutes. The clinic was located in a traditional dormitory house, an area for students yet no student in sight. Walking past empty dormitory rooms to the clinic and down the quiet hallway, Wasuke asks a few questions here and there about this “college” with every answer making him wish he can walk faster to reach his grandson sooner. Finally, they stop at the end of the hallway, in front of a room that appears to look the same as the rest of the rooms they passed. Nothing distinguishes this room as the clinical room.
“Here we are! Are you excited to meet Yuuji after so long? Oooo, I bet you are!” Wasuke approaches to open the door without a word, ignoring whatever Gojo said. Gojo blocks his way, “Actually, I should open the door first because I think Yuuji i-”
PLOMF! Just as Gojo turns the knob and opens the door, a pillow flies into his face at full force from the side, knocking his black spectacles onto the floor. He laughs with the red pillow burnmark on his face, "is going to do that . Haha."
Wasuke looks around the man and sees a familiar pink hair of the perpetrator. The child in a blue hoodie and some black shorts proudly stands on the bed at the corner of the room, giggling at his struck victim. His honey eyes crease as his fangy mouth opens, “Haah? You’re not that much of the strongest if you couldn’t dodg-”
Wasuke’s arms swiftly wrap around Yuuji , tackling the child down to the bed. Yuuji initially struggles against the hug but resigns after a few seconds. No words. A major headache swarms Wasuke’s mind as he tries to push down the tingles that form on his face. His chest is heavy, and his eyes sting. His grandson awkwardly reciprocates his hug by patting his back, and it all comes crashing out. Screw dignity. Tears silently and steadily gush out onto the bed. Silence fills the room with nothing other than his own ugly sniffles. After a few minutes pass with the ugly sniffling, Yuuji speaks, “Oi, Ojii-san. I've entertained you long enough. How long are you going to keep crying?”
Ojii-san? Wasuke breaks away from the hug, opting to cup the child’s face in his hands. Honey eyes. Chubby cheeks. Pink hair that is only ruffled upwards a bit. It’s Yuuji without a doubt, but the only thing that has changed is just the kid’s overall demeanor…Just like what Gojo said in the car, Yuuji’s personality has changed quite a bit with this first greeting…but that doesn't mean he can disrespect him like that!
“Ow! Ow! Ow! What the heck, geezer?!” Yuuji yelps as Wasuke’s fingers pinch and stretch his squishy cheeks. The said old man pinches a little bit harder at the moment of those words.
“ Geezer?! Do you know how much this old man has been through?!” Wasuke erupts, forgetting that his nose is completely congested from crying a minute ago. Yuuji glares at him, never before has his grandson done that with such animosity oozing from those golden eyes. The most the kid did was bite his arms deep enough to need a few stitches a couple years ago because Wasuke took away his favorite, battered tiger plushie. Even then, the child didn't emit as much hostility now. Hell. The child then knew what was wrong and profusely cried over it. Yuuji, now? His grandpa can only feel uncertainty.
Yuuji strongly grips around the old man’s wrists, each second tightening with increasing malice. Speaking through his cheeks stretched, “YouBehTaLetGo…”
“Okay! Okay! Let’s stop right there!” A pair of long arms squeezes in between the grandfather and grandson. Gojo with his large frame easily separates the two. "As entertained as I am with the bickering reunion, Dr. Ieiri is finally here to explain the discharge instructions and care for Yuuji-tan ."
"Don't you dare call me such a disgusting nickname!"
"When did you get so familiar with Yuuji to give him a nickname?!" Both grandson and grandfather roar in unison, appalled at the nickname said. Gojo laughs until a clipboard whacks him from behind.
"Satoru, quit riling them up." A young lady with shoulder length brown hair emerges as she walks around her jester of a friend. Tired dark brown eyes with eye bags underneath them dart between Wasuke and Yuuji. "Ieiri Shoko. You don't have to call me doctor. Just call me Ieiri. I'll just go over the treatments I did for Itadori-kun because the kid is essentially healthy at this moment. And oh. I guess our therapy goals for him in the future at this facility, too."
"We're not staying here in Tokyo." Wasuke instantly responds, eyeing Gojo.
Ieiri silently looks at Gojo, briefly confused and then returns to her bored expression. "Okay. We can always talk about the therapy plans later. So, Itadori-kun is -"
Ding! Ding! At the sound of multiple notifications, Gojo pops out his phone for a look. He chuckles after a quick read and puts his phone back in his pocket.
Ieiri continues, "As I was saying, Itadori-kun fortunately did not sustain any se-"
Ding! Ding! Ding! Gojo's phone rings multiple and numerous notifications, interrupting all of Ieiri's speech.
"Hey! Will you turn that thing off or something?!" As he yells at Gojo, veins pulsating on his forehead.
"Oops. My bad." Then, his phone starts ringing with some anisong. He immediately declined for it to ring again the very moment.
Ijichi pops into the room, sweating and physically exhausted, "Gojo-san, they're calling for you!"
They? Wasuke cocks his head, perturbed. Yuuji sighs and looks at Gojo in disgust.
"Really? That fast?" Gojo whines as his phone is bombarded with more notifications and calls. He finally turns off his phone, "Eh. Alright. I'll entertain those geezers for a bit. But before that!"
The tall man squats down to the other side of Yuuji, away from Wasuke. He whispers something into the child's ears. Wasuke can't hear anything at that close distance. In a moment, the boy's disgusted face sours after a short exchange of words, and his golden eyes glower towards the man. Gojo's creased blue eyes relish in the kid's reaction as he stands up and waves, "Well. My superiors are probably going to grill me for a while! So, until next time, I'll see you in Sendai with Shoko next week!"
Gojo excitedly walks backwards and out of the room with Ijichi to somewhere.
Ieiri turns to Wasuke, "As I was saying, Itadori-kun didn't sustain any serious injuries from the time of his kidnapping fortunately. However, his personality is now different from before. You can say it's a form of coping."
"Coping?" Wasuke looks at the sulking Yuuji beside him.
"Coping from unknown psychological trauma from the time of his confinement. So, I'd recommend not asking him anything about his disappearance as it takes time to process what he has gone through." With that said, Wasuke probably can never get answers on what Kaori has done to his grandson, but Yuuji is back with him now. It’s okay. The doctor continues, "Also, I cannot guarantee that through psychotherapy, his original personality will resurface. But with consistent therapy sessions, I hope Itadori-kun can easily adjust back into his daily life."
Yuuji snickers at the last statement, which evolves into unnerving laughter. "This whole situation is ridiculous! Why go through this whole process and just say -"
" Yuuji, stop that right now. You're being a nuisance." Wasuke angrily states. The child glares at him, wanting to say more yet surprisingly doesn't. The little pinkette turns away, avoiding his gaze and the overall conversation. Even though Yuuji has changed this much, it's good to know that he's still an obedient and good kid. "Ieiri-san, is there anything else you want to add?"
For a solid moment, the young lady looks between the quiet kid and the elder, observing and…slightly amused? Returning to her bored expression, "Nah. Nothing. You can return home today. I'll guide you to the exit and wait for Ijichi to drive you to the station to return home.”
Upon their leave of the campus, the suspicious white haired man was not spotted anywhere or in sight. His sweaty colleague, Ijichi, was instead in his place. The poor dude was caked in sweat from running back and forth through the campus. And now? He has to guide Wasuke and Yuuji back to their temporary new Sendai residence.
“You certainly have your work cut out for you.” Wasuke comments as they walk through the shinkansen station. Ijichi holds a cup of coffee he grabbed earlier when they stopped by the station cafe for lunch bentos to eat on the train.
Ijichi finishes sipping his coffee to respond back, “I’m used to it. I have stayed up for much longer, and this is part of my job.”
Yuuji takes the window seat, holding a completely jaded expression. Never once did Yuuji speak up again or look at Wasuke, who sat right next to him. With everyone who have taken their seats and the shinkansen moving, Ijichi hands out all the bento box lunches. Yuuji is handed a unique bento, a special edition is what the vendor said earlier. He stares at the round pink character bento, not opening it at all.
“Hey kid, what’s wrong? I thought you liked that character, so I got the bento for you.” Wasuke opens the bento for him. “Eat it right now, or else, it won’t be warm any longer the later you eat it.”
Yuuji opens it, tosses the sticker toy away without a care. Utilizing the cute yellow chopsticks that came with the box, he silently eats the food. Initially, the child eats the karaage piece with a bored expression, but soon that expressions and mannerisms change to that of gusto as he picks off each food item to eat. Picking up the bento, his grandchild inhales the entire omelet rice like the character of the bento itself. Yuuji stares emptily at the empty bento box, licking a few saucy grains of rice from the corner of his mouth. Then, he looks at Wasuke’s and Ijichi’s bentos, which are much larger portions. His chopsticks swiftly inch towards the piece of pork cutlet that is in Ijichi’s box, over Wasuke. Ijichi squeaks at the sudden movement from the kid. Noticing that this grandkid has successfully stolen someone else’s meal and eating it in one go, Wasuke karate chops the boy’s head making the latter drop his chopsticks.
“Urkmph!” Yuuji almost chokes on the cutlet piece, making Wasuke’s heart sting just a little. However, mannerisms need to be kept.
“Don’t go after people’s food like that! If you want something, ask for it first. Now, go apologize to Ijichi-san.” Wasuke scolds Yuuji.
Yuuji’s lips press into a thin line, a few seconds pass. Those sharp honey eyes analyzing the tired adult, and they soften into puppy eyes, “Ijichi-san, I’m sorry for stealing your pork cutlet. Can I have some more? Please? Please?”
The adult pales even more for some reason at the last word said and anxiously chuckles, “It’s okay! You can actually have the r-rest of my bento! You’re a growing boy, afterall. Haha!”
Yuuji proudly takes the partially eaten bento from the adult. The older man looks at the adult who just had his lunch taken away from him, wondering if everything was okay while the little thief scarfs the whole bento. Wasuke chides the adult, “You didn’t have to give Yuuji the whole bento when he apologized. Yuuji, give him -”
The little twerp swallows down the remainder, and he finishes the whole adult’s lunch in that miniscule timeframe. Licking the rice grains at the corner of his mouth once again, he sneers, “No. I asked him like you said, and Ijichi-san gave me more. It’s his choice. Unless you’re telling me to vomit it back out for Ijichi-san to eat…I’ll do it, y’know?”
Yuuji curls his lips even bigger, and Wasuke sighs. Looks like Yuuji hit his rebellious stage so soon right now at almost 6 years old. What sort of trauma did he go through to become like this ?
“Ijichi-san, you can have half of my bento. It’s too much for an old man like me to finish this much food.” Wasuke offers, and then, he stares down at Yuuji, “Don’t even think about asking Ijichi-san for that bento. You already had your fill. If you want more food, we can get more when we get back home.”
“Tch.” Yuuji’s smirk is wiped from his face, and the child turns around to look bored at the window again. For the duration of the bullet train ride after lunch, it was completely quiet. Shortly after, the little rascal of pink hair falls asleep. The only ever peaceful expression on the kid ever since the whole incident and reunion.
Dusk starts to settle in Sendai when they approach the Itadori household apartment. Bare necessities of clothing, toiletries, and valuables are swiftly packed. Yuuji’s bag mirrors Wasuke’s. No toys or any comfort items were to be seen in his bag.
“Hey kid, you’re not going to take that tiger plushie with you? Ijichi said that we won’t be stopping by here for a while until Gojo gives the okay that our situation is safe.” He probes the child.
Yuuji scoffs in disbelief, “Hey, old man, do I really look and act like a kid? I have no need for such useless sentimental items, and you kn-”
“I don’t know what happened to you, but you are still a child to me, Yuuji.” Wasuke crazily ruffles the child’s soft pink hair and thumps the child’s head afterwards. “Also, stop calling me Ojii-san or even worse, old man ! We are family! So, quit acting like we aren’t family and call me grandpa like you did before!”
Scowling and clutching his hurt head, Yuuji says nothing and walks away with his bag. The nerve of this brat compared to before the incident. Wasuke exits the apartment with his belongings, bids his goodbyes to the familiar on duty security guard along with Yuuji, and meets Ijichi outside the building. Onwards to their new destination.
The safehouse that Gojo has set up for Yuuji and Wasuke is without a doubt high end and pricey with its sleek modern design and two story build. Location wise, it was close to downtown Sendai and the subway station. Unlike before, Wasuke always had to take the bus to anywhere. Separate dining area, about five spacious rooms, a couple bathrooms, and a large kitchen to the boot. Modern kitchen appliances including built-in oven, microwave, dishwasher, and electric stove are expensive waste to Wasuke. Does the technical college pay Gojo well to set them up here or is Gojo just a spoiled brat ultimately made of money?
Ijichi offers to cook while the duo unpacks, takes a bath, and settles in the house. Yuuji insists on bathing on his own and having his own room, furthest away from Wasuke. That's fine. He is almost six years old. And after about four years or so of sharing a room together, Wasuke rationalizes that Yuuji is either excited to have his own room or dislikes him that much.
After their baths, the duo go downstairs to catch Ijichi to be done with cooking as he finishes setting up the dining area. Large plates of gyoza, garlic green beans and chives, fried pork cutlets, and mapo tofu filled the table. Yuuji's honey eyes sparkle at the amount of food, and he bounces off to grab whatever he desires before Ijichi and Wasuke are seated.
"Yuuji, wait! Don't eat just yet, you rascal!" And so, Yuuji stopped before he could eat anything, only ever grabbing the food onto his plate. Wasuke walks over to the child and lightly karate chops his head this time around. "Remember table manners? Make sure to wait for everyone to be seated, and say 'itadakimasu'."
Yuuji frowns, but he does as his grandpa requested. Dinner is quiet for the most part after their said prayer for the meal. Yuuji continuously eats, switching back and forth between the dishes. After everyone is done with their respective meals, Wasuke makes sure that Yuuji thanks Ijichi for cooking to which Yuuji does without complaint. Not a moment later, he does complain about something.
"Why do I have to wash dishes? That sort of job is beneath me! And isn't saying my gratitude enough?" protests Yuuji as he hands the empty plates to Ijichi at the sink.
"Yuuji, just do it."
"I am doing it!"
"Then, do it without complaining." Wasuke instantly retorts back. For the duration of cleaning up, Yuuji remains quiet. Kindly enough, Ijichi shows the kid how to operate the dishwasher, telling him that the only thing that needs to be done is just rinse the dishes and set them inside the washer. Yuuji doesn't take too kindly at the idea of having to still get his hands dirty, though. After everything was done, everyone bid goodnight to each other (except Yuuji until Wasuke tells him to), and Ijichi takes off to one of the guest rooms.
"Hey Yuuji." Wasuke calls out to the child at the end of the hallway before he goes into his own room.
"What do you want, Jii-chan ?" Strong emphasis on the last word of grandpa, and it's kind of cute to hear him say that again after so long. Sounds like Wasuke threatening him or something, but cute nonetheless.
Wasuke coughs a little to clear his throat, "Don't hesitate to come into my room if you need anything or feel uncomfortable. Goodnight."
"Tch." The kid clicks his tongue, murmuring something under his breath and slams the door. In due time, Wasuke hopes that Yuuji, his grandchild, will open back up to him.
Creaks.
Wasuke does not know what time it is, but he can sense a presence in the room as he stirs awake. For a split second, he sees unfamiliar four red eyes glowing in the darkness and some strange pattern tattoos on the being near his bed. Is this what they call sleep paralysis? He trembles in mind, but not physically. Then, he is finally able to recognize the honey-like eyes looking down at him with an unreadable expression of blankness and deep thought.
“Yuuji? Yuuji? You need something?”
"Oh. Nothing. Just checking o-" Yuuji stops for a bit and breaks into a smile, "I mean, I miss you!"
That was an unusual change of heart, but Wasuke chuckles, “Then get your butt over here and stop being a creep.”
For a split second, Yuuji's cheerful expression crumbles into confusion and minor pain, “Actually, I want to- nevermind.”
Before Wasuke can question what Yuuji wanted, the kid plops right onto the bed. He was not snuggling close to the old man as they did before at their home a month ago. However, he was still here in bed, fast asleep. That's all that really matters to be honest. Yuuji is finally here with him.
As the old man dozes off to the dream land, Wasuke wonders why was he so worried about reuniting with Yuuji in the first place? Change is inevitable, and Yuuji has changed through whatever he went through Kaori. However, it doesn't - never did change the fact that Yuuji is still his grandson. No matter how different Yuuji is now, Yuuji is still Yuuji. He may act bratty, but that can change in due time. And perhaps, someday, he will revert back to the kind sunshine he was before.