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Satoru breathed deeply, trying not to let his cursed energy leak out and accidentally hurt someone.
Although no one would miss the old idiots if they died. Satoru thought, a wall to his left shattering as soon as he let that one through.
He wasn't upset at the elders this time though. It wasn't their fault, directly. If Satoru thought about it hard enough, he could probably find a way to pin something on them. It would be easy.
Chōsō had led them to one of Kenjaku's older laboratories. That's why Satoru was upset, kinda.
That fucking body-hopping, life-ruining, student-threatening, curse-inducing brain had Suguru's body. The body he had given to the girls who had looked to Suguru as a father for them to cremate, as was their right.
And the worse part?
Suguru's brain was missing.
How dare that piece of fucking brain matter try to desecrate his best friends remains like that!?
Satoru’s fists shook as he tried not to punch a wall. He didn’t need another wall destroyed. He needed Nanami. He needed Nanami here to make sure he didn’t destroy the dojo too much and kill too many mannequins. Satoru had a lot of money, he knew he did. Didn’t mean he liked spending it. Especially it was after one of his “destruction vents,” as Nanami put them. He needed to be calm until he got into the room. He-
"Gojo-sensei?" Came the soft voice from his right, right as he was about to storm into one of the many dojos and pick a one-sided fight with the mannequins.
Satoru took a deep breath to regain his cool and looked at Yuuji-kun. And oh, how it hurt to look at him.
Because Kenjaku HAD Suguru's body. There had been signs of Suguru's body being maintained, as if for a before and after. There had been slight, oh so very slight, residuals of Yuuji-kun's energy on Suguru's hands.
Satoru was fucking mad because Kenjaku had used his best friends’ body, the body of someone who, in his own twisted way was trying to look out for the next generation, and taken Yuuji-kun's body. Taken Yuuji-kun's autonomy. Tried to strip Yuuji-kun of his right of being a human by forcing him to first be a vessel to Kenjaku, then to Sukuna afterwards.
Satoru was mad, because Kenjaku had clearly debated whether Satoru would react worse to his dead friend's body, or the body of a teen.
And he had chosen the teen.
Satoru breathed. Not here. Not in front of Yuuji-kun. Blow up some things later, preferably when Nanamin is free to supervise. Satoru let the breath go. He smiled.
"What's up, Yuuji-kun?"
Yuuji-kun shuffled, obviously uncomfortable right now, and his head bent down a little. Showcasing his medical scars.
Did it hurt? Was Yuuji-kun awake? Did Kenjaku have the decency to give Yuuji-kun some sort of anesthesia before the procedure? Who actually transferred the brains?
"I- I um, the second years. . . We're meeting soon, and I. . ." Yuuji-kun shuffled around again, and it clicked in Satoru's head.
Ah, he's shy. That's adorable. Why is that so adorable?
"Do you not know where to go, Yuuji-kun?" Satoru graciously offered an out, watching Yuuji-kun's shoulders slump in not having to explain.
"I- yeah. Exactly. I don't know where to go." Yuuji-kun said. Satoru threw an arm over Yuuji-kun's shoulders, starting to lead him along.
Breathe Satoru. Breathe and talk to Nanamin later.
~~~~~~~~~~
The second year’s preferred to use a different training ground from the first years, after Shibuya. They all probably felt guilty at not being able to do more. Despite Toge-kun almost losing an arm to Hanami, the second year refused to slow down and took on missions.
Something that worried Satoru, he needed to talk to Yaga about, therapists were limited in the jujutsu world, but they were there. Satoru hated that they were needed already for the second years.
Yuuji-kun started to hide more and more behind Satoru as they got closer to the training grounds. Too cute.
Maki-chan was busy stretching, looking up as she saw them approaching. Yuta-kun was helping Toge-kun stretch, while Panda-san was simply lounging in the shade, probably relaxing from carrying around Maki-chan's weapons.
"Hello my beloved second years!" Satoru called, making the boys look up and Panda-san to turn over and push himself onto his belly. "I've brought the wonderful Itadori Yuuji-kun to come spar with you!"
Maki-chan stood, making her way to the ring with the agility of a panther. "Alright. Let's get this over with." The burns on her arms matched Nanami's.
Satoru still felt guilty for not being there to finish the fight with Volcano Head. The scars on two people he had sworn to protect now ran deep. And now all he could do was try to make up for his failures.
"Yuuji-kun!" Yuuji-kun jumped a little, before shuffling into the ring with Maki-chan. Satoru pulled the whistle out. "I want a good, clean fight you two!" He trilled, pulling his blindfold down. He saw Yuta-kun startle when he did it, but Yuta-kun would understand in a few seconds.
"Ready?" Yuuji-kun got into a stance and nodded. Maki-chan slipped into one as well. Satoru blew the whistle.
And the fight had begun.
"He's like Maki." Yuta-kun breathed, watching the match.
And it was a match. If there was one word that could be used to describe Itadori Yuuji-kun, adaptable would always be one of Satoru's top picks. Iron willpower was two words, it didn't count as just one, unfortunately.
Satoru watched as Maki-chan started to grin ferally, Yuuji-kun starting to smile as well, blocking a devastating blow from Maki-chan and returning with an axe kick.
"Did you think I would have let Yuuji-kun fight Maki-chan without warning if I didn't think he couldn't keep up?" Satoru asked smugly, rocking back on his heels and watching Maki-chan slowly gain an upper hand. It was to be expected, Yuuji-kun's body was still in recovery.
"Okaka." Toge-kun said calmly, getting his little signs ready.
It took maybe a minute and a half for Maki-chan to hook her ankle around Yuuji-kun’s and trip him out of the ring. Satoru blew the whistle and grinned proudly as Maki-chan immediately picked Yuuji-kun right back up.
“Yo! Idiot-sensei, we’re stealing this one for sparring from now on!” She said, keeping her hand on his shoulder and glaring at Satoru, as if daring him to deny Yuuji-kun a chance to find more friends and learning opportunities.
“Shake!” Toge-kun said firmly, walking over and patting Yuuji-kun on the head, even though it was a reach.
“That was the longest someone has managed to last against Maki since before Yuta came back from overseas.” Panda-san affirmed, getting up from his shade and ambling over to the humans, patting Yuuji-kun on his back, nearly knocking him over.
“You have quite the strength there, Itadori-kun.” Yuta-kun smiled softly, obviously plotting on how to protect Yuuji-kun. He’d have to fight Chōsō for that role.
Speaking of. . . .
“Yuuji.” Chōsō called, descending the steps. He carefully took in the look of everyone as Satoru started to pull his blindfold back on.
Satoru pretended not to notice how the second years’ tensed at Chōsō’s appearance, and the boys at Chōsō’s cursed energy leaking off of him.
“Chōsō! Did you need me for something?” Yuuji-kun asked, breaking away from the group and trotting over to his brother.
Chōsō reached up and pat Yuuji-kun on the head. “Just wondering where you were, Fushiguro also wondered where you went as well. Although he was far less open with his worry.”
Yuta-kun looked up and smiled at Satoru in his special way. “Care to explain his energy, Gojo-sensei?”
Satoru beamed. “Why can’t you tell? He’s Yuuji-kun’s brother!”
“Okaka!” Toge-kun said sharply, forming an x with his arms.
“Someone wanna tell me what’s going on?” Maki-chan asked, looking over to her weapons by the tree where Panda-san left them.
“He feels like a cursed spirit.” Panda-san explained softly. “Gojo’s claim doesn’t quite make sense.”
“It does once you have the whole story!” Satoru said brightly, although his mood was plummeting rapidly as he remembered his prior want to be in one of the dojos.
“And you won’t tell us it?” Maki-chan guessed dryly.
“Correct!”
“You’re horrible.”
“Shake.”
“Rude. This is why Yuuji-kun is my favorite student!”
“I dare say Yuuji-san is everyone’s favorite.” Yuta-kun said as he watched Chōsō and Yuuji-kun.
“You are right there, probably.”
~~~~~~~~~~
Yuuji couldn’t help but smile as he copied Inumaki-senpai as they stretched, he would have thought that Maki-senpai or Okkotsu-senpai would be the most flexible. But no, Inumaki-senpai had put his foot behind his head and did a little eye-smile.
Maki-senpai had huffed and puffed about “show-offs,” but had followed along with the stretches.
“So Itadori-kun.” Okkotsu-senpai started, his head on the floor, both legs stretched out on either side, his arms stretched in between those too. “How did you get introduced to the jujutsu world?”
Chōsō tensed in Yuuji’s peripheral, but Yuuji sent him a sad smile before focusing on Okkotsu-senpai.
“My jii-chan died. And then a man in monk robes and with surgical scars,” Yuuji pointed to his own, “approached me.”
The second years’ tensed. Okkotsu-senpai slowly straightened up. “Monk robes? Long dark hair? Narrow purple eyes?”
Yuuji nodded, pulling out of his own stretch. “He. . . . the body wasn’t his. The brain. . . it’s been body-hopping from sorcerer to sorcerer for decades, maybe even centuries. And he took my body.”
Yuuji heard the second years’ varying reactions, Maki-senpai’s low swearing, Okkotsu-senpai’s sharp inhale, Panda-senpai’s growling, Inumaki-senpai’s soft “Ikura.”
All of that was nice, but a bit drowned out, since Chōsō’s arms were around him in a strong, if awkward, hug.
Yuuji smiled and leaned into his brother, before looking up at his senpai. “Gojo-sensei saw me, my consciousness, lingering around my body during Shibuya. So Gojo-sensei distracted the body-hopper, I fought, and Chōsō knocked out my body.”
Yuuji felt Chōsō nod. “It is how we are brothers. Noritoshi Kamo’s sins were what created me and my brothers, and that body-hopper, Kenjaku,” once again, Chōsō showed all his hatred for Kenjaku, for his ‘father,’ “also took part in Yuuji’s creation. So we are brothers.”
Okkotsu-senpai nodded, Inumaki-senpai following, while Maki-senpai and Panda-senpai shrugged. “Makes sense, in the twisted, jujutsu world way.” Maki-senpai said plainly.
“Oooiii!” Came Kugisaki-san’s voice from the stairs. “We want our cook back! He promised meatballs tonight!”
“You can COOK!?” Maki-senpai bolted upright out of her stretch. “That’s it, we’re stealing you.”
“Over our dead bodies!” Junpei-san called, jokingly making the hand motions for his shikigami summoning. Fushiguro-kun’s motions didn’t seem so joking though.
“I can cook for everyone?” Yuuji offered, and immediately got scooped up and onto Panda-senpai’s shoulders.
“To the kitchen!”
~~~~~~~~~~
Red.
Blue.
Red.
Blue.
Pur- Blue then Red.
Red.
Blue.
Bl-
Nanami’s hand came down on Satoru’s wrist. “That’s enough.”
It wasn’t a soft tone. It wasn’t soft words. It wasn’t soft hands that stayed his power.
Satoru’s hands and power went limp, the power spiraling back into him.
He still has so much though. So much. So much anger. Anger at the elders. Anger at the curses. Anger at himself.
“We can go somewhere where no one lives, and you can let loose.” Nanami soothes. Satoru swallows.
He didn’t deserve this.
A finger (burn scars, bone deep, all his fault, he wasn’t there) came up and flicked Satoru on the forehead. “Stop that. This isn’t enough. You need more energy out, so we’ll leave so you can get it out.”
He didn’t deserve Nanami.
But he didn’t want to let go.
Satoru let a smile out and put his blindfold back on. “All right.”
Both he and Nanamin ignored the voice crack.
“Itadori-kun made dinner.”
“Why didn’t you tell me sooner? Let’s go, Nanamin!” Satoru dragged Nanamin to the kitchen, not bothering to clean himself up.
He didn’t deserve them.
But he was a god in the jujutsu world, wasn’t he?
“Helloooo beloved students!” Satoru cheered. “I hope there’s some left!”
He was a god to this world, yeah?
“Don’t worry, Gojo-sensei, Nanami-san! I saved some back for you two!” Yuuji-kun, like the angel he was, said, producing their bowls with a grin. Satoru took his with a returning grin.
Gods are allowed to be selfish.
So he should be allowed to be selfish and protect his people.