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Satoru closed his eyes as the sounds rang around him. It was all monotone now. People praised his skills as the first Six Eyes user in many years paired with limitless, he was going to be strongest.
He knew that. But what people didn’t understand was that with such powers came the loneliness of a six-year-old. The elders of his clan were scared of him, the children never came close to him. Even his own parents kept him at arm's length.
No one really understood loneliness if they never experienced it before but Satoru was a master.
Joining Jujutsu High again didn’t seem like such a big deal like it was last time.
Other than the fact that you were back 10 years from when you were supposed to join but it was fine, you would figure a way back to Megumi, Nobara and Yūji again.
As you entered your classroom, the sight of three members greeted you. Gojo Satoru, your white-haired, blue-eyed mentor along with Doctor Ieiri and the one you had heard about from them and the second year, Getō Suguru.
Did your heart stutter your chest looking at the young faces (too young, you thought to have faced so much but weren’t all of you too young to fight things of nightmare, not knowing whether you would see the light of the next day?)
You took a seat beside Gojo Satoru and it almost seemed like you were back, except he didn’t have the bright smile that he always wore.
You missed your Gojo-sensei.
As the bell rang and Principal Masamichi, or now Yaga-sensei entered, and asked everyone to introduce themselves, never did you spot a smile on Gojo’s face and your heart hurt but you picked up a quick smile as you introduced yourself to the class. If none of them were going to smile, you would make them smile.
Break time was a messed up affair. Getō-san and Ieiri-san grouped while you took off for Gojo.
Perhaps it was just your familiarity with him or that young Gojo-sensei looked so lonely that you instantly took up the Yūji role. You smiled and talked to him, reintroduced yourself and forced him to talk too.
You could see the dam cracking. The Gojo-sensei you knew was coming out.
The result was almost immediate. The next few periods were spent with you two talking almost as if you had known each other for a long time.
Being the strongest was a lonely spot, and you hoped you eased some bits of it.
The next few days came and went, Gojo opened up more and the happy sensei you had came back but now you had a new mission, get Ieiri-san and Getō-san to tag along.
They still seemed cautious of Gojo but they still talked and it was almost unrecognisable how much all of them had changed.
The next day, the dorm kitchen that was inhabited by Gojo and you started with breakfast making. Gojo may be the strongest but was totally hopeless in the kitchen. Usually, Getō-san and Ieiri-san came in a bit later than the two of you but today they were sitting with you two.
As they opened the pantry, you could only look in horror and both of them took out packets of instant noodles. You couldn’t let them eat that for breakfast so you snatched the packets out of their hands, asked Gojo to lead them to the table and cooked up eggs, bread and bacon.
You heard sounds of laughter echoing with the sizzling of bacon and a small smile appeared on your face.
As you took the plates over to them, you heard Gojo say, “Y/n is the best cook I’ve ever known. They have a variety to make from and nothing ever tastes bad."
Your heart swelled as you ruffled his very fluffy hair and said, “You two. Don’t you dare eat noodles in the morning!"
Getō and Ieiri could only nod as they saw the revered god (teenager, your mind supplied) of the jujutsu world shovel down apparently ‘the best food in the whole wide universe.’ You sat down to see their expressions as they ate the food. Their eyes widened minutely as they put the food in their mouth as fast as they could.
Though you had doomed yourself to be their eternal cook, you supposed it was fine if you could see all of them this happy.
It was easy from there. Suguru and Satoru fought often but teamed up even more, Shoko took to the reversed cursed technique like a fish in water and you kept on practising your own.
You started being joined by Suguru in your morning runs around the school who claimed that he needed the stamina to ‘beat up that idiot’. Soon after that, Satoru joined you two and Shoko ran with you as well.
You started enjoying your life here but that didn’t mean you didn’t miss your own before all of this.
There were nights when you were haunted by memories, too scared by the nightmares that would plague you or the worries that overspilled. Or the days when you felt too tired to feel anything but the bone-deep sadness that was engraved in your bones.
Some days were so bad that you could barely see Satoru, Suguru and Shoko without seeing your friends and those days hurt the most.
The sleepless nights were often accompanied by either Satoru or Suguru, sometimes both as you rewatched the Ghibli movies for the nth time with noddles in your hands and none of them ever asked but you were thankful for their company. It would hurt less when they were around.
Suguru was kinder than most. He offered you words of comfort on the days when even getting out of your bed seemed like a task and you wondered how this wonderful, kind boy became what the horror stories that Yūta, Maki, Toge and Panda told you about.
The days were filled with Shoko distracting you and the two of them showing their concerns in the most bird-like fashion you had ever seen.
It was fine. You would survive and go back to them.
First year came and went, and your second year started within the blink of an eye introducing Nanami and Haibara to you.
You giggled uncontrollably as you saw Nanami but tried to school your expression into somewhat of a polite look so that you could greet them properly, hoping none of your friends has seen that.
But they had and you could see that in their smirks. Bastards (affectionately).
You wondered at the back of your head how Yūji would react when he saw his idol in such a phase. He would surely greet Nanami more enthusiastically than ever before and wasn’t Haibara doing all that already.
Well, all introverts needed and extroverted friend as you saw the scene in front of you. Satoru and Haibara forcefully putting party hats on Suguru and Nanami respectively while Shoko unenthusiastically blew the party popper.
You loved it here.
Another development that came with second year was Suguru and Satoru. Though they tried to be as inconspicuous as possible, you could see how they chased after each other, eyes locked with each other, Satoru's ‘We are the strongest’ and how they looked at each other.
You were happy and most of all, Satoru smiled a lot more freely and there was a light in his eyes that was lost during his time.
So you kept quiet between the two of them as soon you gravitated towards Shoko, leaving them to their own devices, promising yourself that you would keep this joy, no matter what the cost was.
As your year progressed, you got sent to more missions but perhaps the most interesting was the one where you were assigned to eliminate curses at a graveyard. No matter how much of a façade Satoru and Suguru put up in front of everyone, you knew that they were afraid of ghosts and all.
Clearly evident from your late-night movie sessions. You loved them, truly, but you loved messing with them even more. You took an undying joy in messing with all of them so as soon as you entered the graveyard, you took a page out of Toge-senpai’s book and started.
“Ikura?"
Satoru and Suguru turned towards you in horror and said, “What the fuck?"
“Tuna mayo"
Satoru eyes widened and he shook you by your shoulders and asked, “What happened to you? Tell me. We are the strongest,” pointing towards Suguru and himself, “We’ll deal with it."
“Shake, shake,” you said, continuing to find pleasure in their pain as Suguru and Satoru panicked and tried calling Shoko but sadly, it was out of their network coverage.
Your fun lasted till the curse appeared but not before they reached their hysterical levels.
Due to your versatile technique, you often tagged along with both your friends and Nanami and Haibara so it was no wonder when you got assigned to protect Riko Amanai, the star plasma vessel.
She was a sweet girl. Truly and even better when she dissed Satoru and Suguru.
But the thing was, you knew where this would end.
As you boarded the flight for Okinawa to force Satoru to sleep, reassuring him that you and Suguru would look after them.
Satoru needed to sleep to fight what came after their trip. The sorcerer killer was behind your tails and you knew what you had to do to stop him.
You weren’t the strongest. Not like Satoru and Suguru. You were just you and you could not fight Toji Fushiguro one-on-one.
You kept the two of them well-rested, forcing them to sleep and going through the trouble of keeping themselves awake, all so that Riko-san won’t die.
As soon as you landed back in Tokyo, Toji stopped you so you sent off Suguru, Riko and Kuroi-san and told them to use the rainbow dragon.
You held his hands tightly and pleaded with him to deal with the taste (Yūji told you it tasted like vomit, Suguru told you it tasted like a vomit cleaning rag) for you. As they begged you to come along with them, you stood your ground and said, “Satoru may be the strongest, but even the hero needs a supporting cast."
You fought for your life, using all the techniques and training you had from both your lives but exhaustion ran its course faster as you gave the upper hand to Toji and the last thing you heard before you choked out blood and your vision blackened was a shout of your name.
Maybe you could rest now.
The next time you properly woke up, your heart swelled at the sight around.
Shoko cleaned her medical instruments as she hummed, Satoru and Suguru seemingly had opted to fall asleep holding each other but most all,
Riko Amanai was alive.
You looked at your hands and when you noticed that there was. No IV drips attached You tried getting down from the bed but stumbled which alerted the surrounding members.
Shoko slapped you on your head. Suguru and Satoru held onto you as tightly as you could and even after Suguru let go, Satoru held on. You felt wetness in your shirt but you kept quiet.
They would be fine. You would be okay.
“Are the two of you just adopting children now?"
Your eyes widened as you took the sight in front of you.
Nanako and Mimiko, two girls that Suguru brought back from a mission were absolute sweethearts.
As you turned over towards Satoru’s side, a pain shot through your heart. Megumi Fushiguro looked up to you, holding tight onto the hands of a girl who you could only assume as Tsumiki. Your voice choked seeing him and you wondered, what about you? Was younger you still there, somewhere present?
“Hah, I guess," Suguru rubs the back of his neck in embarrassment, Satoru looking away while trying to sneak off. “You're not going anywhere." You grab his shirt and pull him close to you.
“They didn't have any family and were being treated terribly. C'mon," Suguru pleads his case, the two girls hiding timidly behind him.
You look over at the two. (They couldn't be more than 10) You think to yourself. You sigh. “Fine, don't blame me when Yaga has questions," you shrug. “Never thought I would be a teen parent, but here I am."
Suguru smiles and urges to kids to walk with him and you. “ ‘Toru, when I said I’m becoming a teen parent, it is also to the two of your children."
(Megumi was your best friend, your mind supplied. He wasn’t your child. You weren’t supposed to be here.)
You stop and turn around to Suguru. He watches you bend down to be on the level of the children, a soft smile is presented on your face.
“When was the last time you've eaten?" You softly ask them. You visibly pause at the answer, wondering who could disregard four little children so much.
A sigh leaves your lips as you stand up. Rolling your sleeves up, you smile at them, your eyes crescents, “Seems like I'll have to cook tonight."
“Ooooooh could you make—!" Satoru attempts to speak, his mouth watering at the sound of you cooking, knowing how good your food can be. However, he's interrupted by your finger pressing against his lips. “Its not for you, Satoru Gojo. You'll get my cooking later, but not right now," you explain.
Satoru loudly groans and sports a pout as he walks with you.
“Tsumiki, would you mind sharing a pair of shorts or pyjamas with Nanako and Mimiko for the night? I'll shop tomorrow for some clothes, again,” you said. Tsumiki nods happily. "Kay!" she gets down from her seat and the other kids follow her.
You turn towards Megumi who is left behind, you get down to his level, hold his little hands and say, “I think I might have some clothes that shrunk. You can have those."
His innocent little eyes shone, a small smile lighting his face and your heart hurt.
(You missed your Megumi. You missed your Nobara. You missed your Yūji.)
(You loved them and they would never know.)
The next mission you go, it was with Nanami and Yū.
It was a close call no wonder, with Yū almost losing his life but you were faster than the curse, quickly demolishing it before it could take a full life away from him.
Nanami gratefully looked at you as the three of you trudged home after the mission, not before you packed some sweets for Satoru and Suguru.
You saved them. You kept your promise.
Nobody predicted the day you died. It started sunny and you babysitting Nanako, Mimiko, Tsumiki and Megumi who had a holiday from school.
You made food for everyone as you do every morning and then reported to class where you were assigned to a mission with Shoko.
Missions with Shoko were fun and often rare. Due to her Reversed Curse Technique, she was kept in school while others went away but there were times when she was required on the field.
It was a normal mission until the Special Grades appeared. You had never seen such monstrous curses before and you took one look at its hostages and Shoko and you knew what to do.
You fought as fiercely as you could, defeating them and protecting the people around them but you failed to save yourself as you suffered a lethal injury.
You stumbled over to Shoko, wanting to spend your last few minutes alive with aa person you knew and loved. As she saw you, tears streamed down her face and you wiped it off as much as you could.
The both of you knew it was too late to save you and you were destined to die.
(No, you had been destined to die a long time back, when you time travelled. You had been living on borrowed time)
She held your hands and you said, “Could you rummage through my pockets and find two pictures for me."
She nodded, not trusting herself to speak without bursting into tears. As she found the pictures and handed them to you, you smiled at the last sight of your this life and your previous one and said, “Hey Shoko, you’re my one and only so let’s meet in the next lifetime, promise?"
You closed your eyes for the final time, even before you could hear her answer.
It rained heavily that day. It seemed as the skies itself mourned the lost of such a precious person.
(You smiled even as you laid dying as you saw your loved ones, albeit in a picture for the last time.)
(You loved them, but they would never know)
Your funeral was held in a grand manner. After all, you have loved so freely, affecting and changing everyone’s life as you passed.
Satoru and Suguru held their kids as they mourned the loss of a parent agin, but this time they actually cared.
Satoru schooled his expression but everyone could see the hatred that he aimed at the elders for assigning you that mission. But all he could feel was empty because you were the first one to accept him as Satoru Gojo, a kid.
Shoko cried and cried, tears not stopping as Utahime tried to comfort her as much as she could but no one could really understand the pain a doctor felt for someone to pass away by their own hands.
Suguru felt anger but he could only think of how you would scold him for that. It was never your fault. You loved as you lived. You laughed as you enjoyed. You were a simple person.
(Love is perhaps the most twisted curse of them all.)
Suguru finds you again in a young child who comes to get into Jujutsu Tech.
The child looked just like you from head to toe and it didn’t take even a moment’s hesitation to admit you in.
He calls Satoru and Shoko to see you and they too are surprised. He sees the tears welling up on Shoko’s face as she says, “They told me that they hoped to meet us in another lifetime."
You hated child soldiers with a passion, righteous down to the deepest bone and Suguru’s mind screamed at him, telling him it was you.
(Only you gave your love this freely.)
Satoru held his hands and said, “We’ve been given a chance to do better, to save them ‘cause we couldn’t previously. We’ll do it better this time."
Yes, they would as they watched you talk to Megumi and the second years was as easy as it goes.
(You were back. They missed you and you missed them but you were back and they would promise to tell you that they loved you for you told them far too many times)
(You loved them and they loved you back)