Chapter Text
The special grade cursed object is missing.
Not just any special grade cursed object. Ryomen Sukuna.
Of all things to go missing. It simply had to be the King of Curses–the most powerful curse in the history of the world, because of course Megumi’s first solo mission wasn’t going to be easy.
When he opened the box that held the supposed special grade cursed object, only for it to be missing. Somehow.
So he walks back to the hotel room he got this morning for the mission after Gojo’s irritating phone call.
His travel bag is still laying open on the bed from this afternoon when he arrived in town for the mission. A bag he had been hoping he wouldn’t need because he would be back at school by the end of the day.
There aren’t many places a special grade cursed object could be. As far as he can tell, no sorcerer had taken it since there was no residue left, unless they were a very powerful sorcerer and capable of hiding their residue. Which he doubts.
Or it was a curse user.
Megumi sighs, rubbing a hand over his face. He didn’t want to stay here for much longer, but now he’ll have to search the high school in the morning for any hints of where the cursed object went.
He just wants to sleep. Sitting down on the white bedspread, he rubs a hand across his face.
Today was already long enough as it is.
But focusing has been especially hard today, more so than usual. His mind keeps wandering, distracted by flashes of dreams instead of focusing on the mission like he should be doing.
Not to mention the dreams have been intensifying for the past week.
Which is exactly not what he needs during a high-stakes mission. Specifically, his first solo mission without Gojo hovering around him, making annoying little quips over his shoulder every fives minutes even though he knows the comments are unwelcomed.
The dreams have gotten so real-feeling, so life-like, so vivid that when he wakes up he’s disoriented, feeling like he’s been ripped away from reality. But he’s only waking up from a dream. Vivid to the point he could almost think that it was a memory instead of a dream.
So vivid that he almost told Gojo about them–then he remembered how Gojo would tease him non-stop and he would never know freedom again–so he hasn’t said anything.
Strange dreams aren’t new to him. He’s always had uncanny, weirdly specific dreams, even as a kid.
Dreams of himself as a child, but living a different life. Sometimes he would be living in a large, traditional house that was huge compared to the tiny, cramped apartment he and Tsumiki lived in at the time.
He always figured it was how he tried to imagine a more interesting life or something better as a kid. Even if the dreams felt a little too real considering he had never seen or been inside of an old styled traditional house before.
Sometimes, when he was a kid, he would dream of a friend that he didn’t know in real life. He never told Tsumiki because then she would be worried about him. In the dreams, sometimes he would be playing with multiple kids around his age but he could never fully remember their faces when he woke up.
And sometimes when he was awake, he would find himself missing these dream friends.
So, strange dreams aren’t new to him, but the past week leading up to the mission it felt like more. Something else.
But by the time he wakes up, the dreams feel faint and he can only remember bits and pieces as they fade with consciousness.
A few times he woke up with his pillow damp from tears. Tears for something he couldn’t even remember anymore.
The faint memory of sitting in a wild woods, staring up at a night sky filled with more stars than he’s ever seen in his life. Someone sitting beside him.
By the time morning comes, he can’t quite recall what the person looked like.
Before, he would have the dreams then wake up to forget about them until next time, but recently it was different. He still couldn’t clearly remember the dreams when he woke up, but the emotions lingered.
Strong, powerful emotions, so much so that he could almost think they were his own.
Sometimes he’s able to wake up and remember walking through an empty field, the earth beneath his feet is scorched like a wildfire had burnt all life for miles and miles. For some reason, whenever he dreams of that particular thing he wakes up with a pounding heart. Afraid.
Afraid of what, he could never remember.
The dreams haven’t gotten any better recently. If anything, they’ve gotten worse since last week to the point he barely slept last night. Too worried he would have the dream of sprinting through a forest, someone chasing him, the strongest feeling of fear in his veins, then holding a limp, cold body.
Then drying blood on his hands. Dirt underneath his fingernails.
He thinks that one might be a strange manifestation of his worry for Tsumiki.
The sudden ding of his phone pulls him out of thinking about the dreams again.
Gojo Satoru: Megumi!!! Did you find it??
Megumi scowls and sends back a text while fighting the urge to roll his eyes.
Megumi: No. I’ll have to stay here a bit longer. I’m going to search at the school tomorrow. I could sense some of the cursed energy, but the school is locked at the moment.
Gojo Satoru: You want help from your very favorite teacher?!?
Megumi: No.
Megumi: I can find one special grade cursed object without you.
Gojo Satoru: I’m sure worried about my precious student!! You looked all tired and grumpy this morning! More than usual which is really saying something
Megumi: No.
Seconds later, his phone starts ringing. Megumi sighs, but still answers it.
“What?”
“Megumi!” Gojo’s voice is loud and whiny, not unusual. There’s sounds of voices in the background, somewhere crowded. Is this idiot sight-seeing again? “Do you need help? Because your beloved teacher can be there to help in no time!”
“No,” Megumi says, running a hand through his hair. “I don’t need a special grade sorcerer to retrieve a single item. That’s a waste of your time and the school’s resources. Not to mention you have your own mission you’re supposed to be finishing.”
“Megumi!” He somehow manages to drag out his name for a full five seconds. “You had dark circles under your eyes! I’m just trying to help out of concern for my student.”
Megumi looks at the door of the hotel room and contemplates telling Gojo about the dreams. He needs to rest, the last thing he needs is to be plagued by these dreams again tonight.
“I didn’t sleep well. It’s not a big deal. If it does turn dangerous, I’ll tell you. But right now, I’m fine.”
Gojo hums, disbelieving. “Can’t I just be concerned about you?”
“Maybe if this was a serious mission, but there shouldn’t even be any fighting.”
“Okay, okay,” Gojo says after a moment. “Whatever you say, even though I don’t think you’re telling me everything.”
Megumi looks down, picking at the fabric of his jujutsu uniform. He’s still getting used to wearing it. “I’m just not sleeping well. That’s all.”
“ Ah, teenagers these days. So stubborn.”
“I will hang up. Right now.”
“Okay! Get some beauty sleep. Your eyebags will thank you!”
“I could be asleep right now if you hadn’t called me.”
“Ouch,” Gojo says and Megumi just knows he’s pouting about it. “Fine, I’ll let you be all sad and emo. Night!”
“Night.”
Megumi turns off his phone, sighing. Despite the fact that Gojo acts like an idiot a majority of the time, when he wants to be, he is too observant. He would much rather not have to explain in detail to Gojo about these dreams. Ever.
Gojo would be upset that Megumi had never told him about them sooner. Even so, sometimes Megumi suspects that Gojo thinks there’s something else about it. He’s never asked though.
Gojo has been concerned enough about him after what happened to Tsumiki. He doesn’t need to give Gojo another reason to worry.
He rolls over, ignoring the buzzing of his phone because he knows it’s just Gojo spamming him because he’s bored at his own much more important mission.
Megumi lays down on the bed. Hopefully, he doesn’t dream tonight.
He sleeps.
The ground is scorched. The field that was once vividly green grass is burnt, crumbling from the barest touch. The ground itself is torn, ripped open. Like something came from underneath the soil.
The sky is a dark orange. Like a burning ember, unnatural.
There is a small arm facing what used to be a grove of towering maple trees. Any sign of the trees is gone. For some reason, the sight of the felled trees brings sadness.
A grief at the lifeless trees laying on dead ground.
The sadness is hidden behind a veil of horror. Of fear. Of anger.
With each step forward towards what used to be the grove of trees, the burnt flora turns to dust underneath the soles of his shoes.
The vision of the burnt field and orange sky fades.
The sky darkens. Trees spring up around the dome vision of the sky.
There is a sky filled with stars, endless and countless to the point the sky is more star than sky. A sea of stars, painted with the dark blue and unnameable colors of nighttime.
A clearing in the middle of a forest, a circle of trees with a small house.
The moss covering the forest flooring is soft, green visible even in the night light of the moon and stars. Softer than any man-made bed, staring up at the star sea above. A soft breeze drifts through the trees, leaves swaying.
Warm brown eyes.
A warm hand holding his, fingers tracing the lines.
Megumi jerks awake in the hotel bed, staring up at the white plaster ceiling of a cheap hotel.
He sighs, slinging an arm over his face.
Those dreams again. Every night for the past week they have haunted him.
It’s the same dream, of that same place. Almost once a day. He’s tried reading online what that sort of dream can represent. If it’s stress. Because he wants to stop having that dream or nightmare. Whatever it is, he’s tired of seeing it.
Seeing random burnt trees shouldn’t make him so viciously sad .
He throws the blankets off, getting out of bed. It’s about time for him to wake up anyway, so he might as well get up. Even if he wants to sleep more, he knows he’ll just be pulled right back into the dream again.
The walk back to the local high school helps. Gets him moving and keeps him busy so he doesn’t have to think about the dreams.
The school grounds are pretty big, lots of open space.
Walking to the school, he keeps thinking about who would have been stupid enough to take a special grade artifact and why. Clearly, it would look unsettling. Especially to a non-sorcerer. He can’t believe his first solo-mission is going to involve him lecturing a non-sorcerer.
The fields outside of the school are filled with curses. The curses crawl over everything, standing on the benches and latching onto the goals. He walks past them, someone might need to get rid of them later. But the special grade cursed object was likely keeping them away before.
He follows the voices of students, loudly cheering for something or someone.
A group of students are all gathered around a field. Megumi pushes his way through the crowd, hoping that some idiot isn’t holding the special grade cursed object. That would be the worst case scenario.
There’s a flash of yellow and then silence among the students. Megumi follows the nearest student’s train of sight.
A boy is playing some sport, throwing a ball. It’s impressive, but not what he needs to be focusing on. Megumi is about to walk away from the crowd when the boy turns and Megumi sees his face.
Brown eyes.
Megumi blinks.
A voice talking softly.
A hand holding his hand–but it’s not his hand–running through a forest.
Sitting on stone stairs with someone beside him, their knees just barely touching.
Someone crying, bent over a tombstone, heavy with grief.
Laughter late into the night.
Standing in freezing water, splashing, and someone laughing.
A voice whispering in every lifetime .
He blinks again.
There’s a boy with pink hair, walking away from the field.
Megumi watches as the boy walks past him, focused on those brown eyes that he could have sworn it felt as familiar as his own. Where does he know those eyes from?
And then there’s the overwhelming feeling of cursed energy from the boy. Megumi moves to exorcize the spirit that’s clinging to him–but the boy is already running away far too fast.
Megumi turns to follow him, but the boy is already gone. Disappearing down the road before he can even make a move towards him.
Gone.
Megumi stands there for a moment. How could a stranger’s eyes be familiar?
No. He just hadn’t gotten enough sleep the past few days, it’s making him confused.
Of course the boy isn’t familiar. He was just feeling the cursed energy somehow. He’s never even met that boy before, how could he be familiar?
But whoever he is, that idiot has the special grade cursed object. Which is putting his own life in danger, as well as the people around him. Unfortunately, Megumi is going to have to track him down to get the artifact back.
The last thing they need is for Ryomen Sukuna to be out in the world without protection.
He does not think about all of the things he saw.
The boy’s name is Itadori Yuuji and Megumi is starting to think that Itadori has a talent for making stupid decisions.
“It’s dangerous,” Megumi says, standing in the middle of a dark hospital. He hates hospitals. Too many memories of bringing Tsumiki to one similar to this one. He pushes away those memories. He needs to focus on the mission.
“That special grade artifact could put your life in danger and other people’s as well.”
Itadori looks down at the box, curiously. It’s a simple gesture–one that would probably normally annoy him because they don’t have time and people could be in danger–but it makes perfect sense for Itadori. “How can it be dangerous? It’s just…what is it exactly?”
Did he not listen to a word Megumi just said to him?
“It’s Ryomen Sukuna’s finger.” He tries to reach for the box. It’s dangerous.
Itadori almost throws the box away and farther from Megumi’s reach, sticking his tongue out. “Ew! That’s so gross! Why was this on the school campus?”
Megumi fights the urge to sigh–but not because he’s annoyed. Normally, this sort of thing would annoy him. So why isn’t he annoyed? “Didn’t I already explain that? Give it to me already so you don’t get hurt.”
Itadori is a stranger. He has no reason to feel so worried that something might happen to him beyond the usual obligation of being a jujutsu sorcerer. Why does he feel so strongly about this?
Itadori looks at him and Megumi freezes when those brown eyes focus on him. “Have we met somewhere before? I feel like we have.”
Megumi frowns. “No. We haven’t.”
“Are you sure?” Itadori asks, like he’s thinking a lot about this. “Was it the arcade?”
“No,” Megumi says again. “You’re probably thinking of someone else.”
Itadori looks like he’s trying even harder to think of an answer now. “Maybe preschool or something? If it’s dangerous, shouldn’t we give it to someone to take care of it? Cause, you could get hurt too.”
Anything he was going to say leaves his mind. What does that mean?
He ignores it. “Just give it to me. I don’t want anyone to get hurt.”
Itadori sights and tosses the box at him. “Sure, have fun with the weird finger. That thing is creepy anyway–it feels wrong. But if it’s dangerous, why are you messing with it?”
Megumi quickly opens the box, the feeling of cursed energy even more intense once he slides the box open. How is it possible that such a small object that isn't complete feel so powerful?
The energy feels familiar.
Similar to the energy where the cursed object was stored.
The box is empty.
“Do seals come off that easily?” Itadori asks, as they’re running to the high school.
“No, someone without cursed energy shouldn’t be able to remove one! Normally!” Megumi keeps running and hopes that they aren’t too late. “This time, though, the object inside is too strong! The seal is old as well!”
It’s exactly why he was supposed to retrieve it. So they could reseal it again.
He really, really hopes they aren’t too late.
“It might as well be normal paper!”
Even before they’re inside the school, the intensity of the cursed energy can be felt from the road. He stops, staring up at the visible cursed energy surrounding the school, hanging in the air. This is almost the worst case scenario.
The cursed energy is strong, too strong for cursed energy that’s only coming from an old, sealed object. Perhaps Ryomen Sukuna is simply so strong that even in death a single object is considered a special grade cursed object.
He needs to find the object before a curse gets to it and eats it.
“You stay here,” Megumi says, glancing over his shoulder at Itadori. “Where’s the clubroom?”
Itadori looks at him, frowning. “Hold on, I’m coming with you. Things are looking bad, right? Don’t you need help?”
It’s dangerous and Itadori is a non-sorcerer. He wouldn’t even be able to defend himself against a single Flyhead if it tried to attack him so it would be almost guaranteed death to allow him near a high level curse. Dangerous and reckless even.
“It’s only been a couple of months, but they’re my friends!” Itadori says this time. What is he even talking about? Is he just going to ignore everything Megumi said about how dangerous this could be? “I have to do something to help.”
He isn’t sure what possesses him to snap in the way that he does, but something grabs a hold of him and he speaks before he can stop himself. “ Stay here .”
He jumps onto the gate.
Megumi is about to go over when a nagging feeling comes to him. He turns around to look at Itadori and he can’t even describe why he feels the need to say. “Why do I feel like you’re about to make a stupid decision?”
Itadori looks up at him, a little shocked. “How did you know that I was going to make a stupid choice?”
He doesn’t have any way of knowing what Itadori will do. But somehow, it just seems like something Itadori would do at this moment. He can think about this later, when he has time.
“Fine, come with me now so you don’t end up dying.” Megumi says, hopping over the gate with Itadori right behind him, falling into place seamlessly.
As they run through the school hallways, Megumi summons the divine dogs. The shadows pool around his feets, forming and turning into his familiar shikigami.
Now, if he can get the dogs to scout ahead, it will give him a better idea of what he is dealing with–
“Whoa!” Yuuji says, his eyes huge. “How did you do that?”
Kuro, the black divine dog, growls and runs to attack the curse up ahead. But strangely, Shiro doesn’t go with him as he usually does. Instead, Shiro turns to look at Itadori.
Megumi stares as his shikigami curiously tilts his head at Itadori several times. What is happening?
Shiro trots up to Itadori and plops down in front of him, tail wagging like a normal dog. Megumi stares wordlessly. He has never seen the divine dogs act like this. Itadori smiles and starts petting Shiro, talking nonsense the whole time.
“Who’s a good doggie?” Itadori says, ruffling his fur with a bright, excited smile. “You’re so cute!”
Megumi tears his eyes away. “We don’t have time for this. Your classmates are in danger–”
Kuro comes bounding over to them, joining Shiro in begging for attention. Itadori looks overjoyed. “Wow, they’re so cute! I bet you two like belly rubs–”
Megumi frowns. “They don’t. Not from strangers–”
And on cue, Shiro and Kuro both roll onto their sides, letting Itadori rub their stomachs. It’s bizarre. Divine dogs have never acted like this with anyone–no matter how hard Gojo tried to bribe them with high-end treats and attention. They only ever let Megumi…
Kuro rolls onto his back as Itadori keeps rubbing his stomach. “So cute!”
Megumi almost slaps himself. Why is he so distracted? “We need to go!”
Divine dogs both look up at him and whine . Megumi can’t stop himself from staring, his mouth hanging open. Did the dogs actually whine at him?
There isn’t time to contemplate it with the incoming sound of a curse. With that, Shiro and Kuro bolt off, chasing after the curse. Megumi runs after them–Itadori right behind him.
They need to find it before someone gets hurt or more hurt than they likely already are.
They? When did they become both of them?
Ahead, is the sound of curses–the strange, unnerving sound that only curses can manage to make. The curse is large, almost reaching the ceiling. In its many writhing arms and hands that are sprung from the mass of flesh are two students being engulfed by the curse.
Itadori launches himself at the curse before Megumi even has a chance to yell at him to stop.
Images of someone being chased–attacked flashes in front of his eyes instead of what is happening in front of him. Sudden terror. Fear of someone being hurt.
Then Itadori is landing away from the curse, holding both of his classmates. Megumi shouts for the divine dogs–both of them running at the curse and attacking.
What just happened?
Megumi marches over to Itadori, taking deep breaths to calm himself. “Why did you do that? You could have died.”
Itadori is setting down his classmates. “I had to do something!”
“You could have died–” Then Itadori holds up the cursed object, Ryomen Sukuna’s finger. Megumi falls silent. The cursed energy coming from the single finger was stronger than all of the curses in the building combined.
“That’s dangerous,” Megumi snaps. “Just hand it over.”
“Yeah, yeah–”
Another curse begins to descend from the ceiling above Itadori. He moves without thinking. A sudden urge to protect.
I trust you.
A voice says. He doesn’t know the voice, but he does.
“Run!”
Megumi moves–sending Shiro and Kuro to grab Itadori’s classmates and he himself jumps to shove Itadori out of the way. The curse crashes down on him.
“Fushiguro!”
He can barely focus through all the pain. When he next opens his eyes, he’s outside of the school, laying on the concrete. Head throbbing, he goes to make a hand symbol to summon Nue–an intense headache.
His forehead is too hot and wet. He must be bleeding now.
Vision swimming, all he sees is pink swaying in front of him. Then, longer pink hair and different clothes–almost like…
“Are you okay?” Itadori shouts.
He bends his head down, trying to focus and pay attention to what’s actually in front of him. “I thought I told you to run.”
“Forget it!” Itadori says, glancing back at Megumi. “I couldn’t forgive myself if I left now. Besides, I’ve actually got quite the curse myself.”
What?
What does that mean?
What curse?
Itadori launches himself at the curse again. An idiot. A fool for throwing himself into dangerous situations where he could easily die, a normal human against a curse.
“A curse can only be exorcized by another curse!” Megumi says, forcing himself to slowly stand up. His head spins again.
It’s not good. This situation had quickly gone from poor to bad to worse to almost worst case scenario in a matter of minutes. Megumi is injured and can barely focus on what’s in front of him, two injured civilians, and one non-sorcerer.
“You could’ve told me that sooner,” Itadori says, bickering almost.
“I told you to run away,” Megumi says, refuting. Itadori shouldn’t still be here and he would be safe if he had listened to Megumi.
It’s familiar-like banter. Why is it familiar?
Itadori glances sideways at him then focuses on the curse again. “Why is the curse trying to get the finger?”
Right. The finger.
“It plans on eating it to gain stronger cursed energy.” Megumi mutters the words, keeping a close eye on the curse that hasn’t moved for a long moment. Not that Megumi will allow that to happen. The last thing needed is for them to all die from this curse before he can ask for backup.
“So there is a way to save everyone,” Itadori whispers the words and somehow, instantly, Megumi just knows that means he is planning something wildly stupid. “I just need some cursed energy, right?”
Itadori is holding Ryomen Sukuna’s finger, his mouth opening.
“You idiot!” Megumi starts to reach towards him. “Don’t–”
Itadori eats the finger.
A weight of fear settles over him. Eating a special grade cursed object is lethal, deadly. Humans can’t survive it. It means death. A painful death from cursed energy destroying the human.
But there’s a chance…
A one in a million chance.
The curse rushes at Itadori, Megumi can feel himself move to protect him. Itadori doesn’t even try to move out of the way of the curse.
One moment the curse is rushing at Itadori, the next it isn’t. The curse is destroyed. Shredded by one arm movement from Itadori.
There’s fear in the pit of his stomach as he struggles to stand up. Itadori stays still for too long. Is Itadori dead? Just like that?
He holds his breath.
Itadori starts laughing. But it’s not Itadori. The voice is entirely different.
No.
It’s an almost impossible chance. But the lines appearing on Itadori’s skin say differently. Megumi takes in sharp deep breaths. It shouldn’t be possible. But Itadori is a one in a million chance.
No.
No.
This is the worst possible outcome.
Ryomen Sukuna has been reincarnated with Itadori Yuuji as his vessel.
“Ah!” A new voice, different from Itadori’s younger one speaks. A jolt goes down Megumi’s spine. “Light is best appreciated in the flesh!”
Megumi isn’t breathing.
That voice. It isn’t Itadori.
“A cursed spirit's flesh is no fun!” The movements are entirely different from Itadori’s. Wrong somehow. “Where are the people? The women?”
Ryomen Sukuna looks out over the building at the city, the city that is blissfully existing without knowing the threat looking its way. A terrible grin grows across Itadori’s face. “What a wonderful age it has become!”
“Women and children spawning like maggots! Marvelous! It’ll be a massacre!”
No.
Ryomen Sukuna cannot be allowed to roam free. Megumi is the only sorcerer who knows what is happening, he needs to move, to do something.
“What do you think you’re doing with my body?”
Megumi looks up. That voice. That one was Itadori’s voice.
“Give it back!”
What is happening?
“How are you able to move?”
“It is my body, you know?”
He should exorcize the curse. It’s the rule, the law of jujutsu sorcerers, the regulations say clearly what to do in this situation. Execute the person hosting the curse. He knows what he’s supposed to do.
The words won’t form.
He needs to follow the regulations, to end the curse that used to be Itadori Yuuji. He finds himself unable to form the words. Every part of him screaming in protest.
I trust you.
I trust you.
Why does he keep hearing those words?
Why can’t he hurt Itadori?
“Hey, you and I are pretty beat up.” It’s Itadori’s voice this time, stepping towards him. The markings covering his body are gone. His eyes are a warm brown, looking at him with a lot of concern. “We need to get to a hospital.”
How is that possible? Ryomen Sukuna should have overwhelmed Itadori or it could be the curse trying to fool Megumi. But it’s not. He’s sure of it.
Itadori is somehow in control of his body, suppressing Ryomen Sukuna.
“What’s the situation?”
Megumi’s head whips around. Gojo is casually standing on top of the building as if he hadn’t just appeared out of nowhere.
“I wasn’t going to come at first, cause you told me not to,” Gojo says, looking down at him through the blindfold. “But the higher ups wanted me involved. Blah blah, you know how it goes.”
Megumi immediately feels guilty. He should have been attempting to exorcize the curse–Itadori–yet he doesn’t even feel truly guilty.
Gojo keeps looking at him. “So did you find it?”
Megumi looks down.
“Oh, um,” Itadori speaks up, “Sorry, I ate it.”
Silence on the rooftop besides the distant sounds of the city.
“For real?”
At the same time, Itadori and Megumi say, “For real.”
Gojo talks to Itadori which Megumi should be listening to, but he can barely focus. Why does he feel such an intense need to make sure Itadori doesn’t die, against even the jujutsu regulations? He knows what could happen if the higher ups found out he wasn’t going to follow the regulations.
Yet, he still can’t bring himself to care.
“Megumi, hold this for me.” Gojo tosses his paper bag at him. A bag he well-knows is full of sweets and souvenirs from his trip.
Gojo looks at Itadori. “Can you switch?”
Gojo cracks his knuckles, going on about the type of mochi he bought. Typical. The dark markings begin to appear on Yuuji’s skin again, his fingernails growing to resemble claws.
And Ryomen Sukuna moves unbelievably fast, heading straight at Megumi and Gojo.
Megumi stares back at inhumanly red eyes, both frozen.
The red eyes are wrong.
He doesn’t know why he thinks that. Then Gojo is speaking, “I’ve got a student watching, I hope you don’t mind if I show off a bit.”
And Ryomen Sukuna moves to attack Gojo. Obviously, Gojo easily evades the attacks.
“It doesn’t matter what era it is,” Ryomen Sukuna says, annoyed. There’s a strange amount of emotion in his voice. “You jujutsu sorcerers are always a pain! Always causing problems!”
There’s an intensity to his voice, like he truly hates jujutsu sorcerers. Can curses have that coherent of thoughts? Enough to have likes and dislikes? To seem more human than curse?
There’s a flash–Ryomen Sukuna had destroyed a large portion of the school building. Megumi ducks, holding up a hand to block the flying debris. He isn’t worried about Gojo, Gojo has Infinity. So he’s fine.
“But that does not matter to me.” Ryomen Sukuna says, smugly, as if he had managed to kill Gojo. “The Six Eyes user always is–”
Gojo appears in the dust, the debris floating around him and preventing it from reaching Megumi. “Should be about time,” Gojo says, quieter this time.
And the dark markings start to fade from Itadori’s skin and it’s like Itadori snaps out of a trance. He blinks several times, his brown eyes visible even in the nighttime light. “Oh, was everything okay?”
Gojo laughs and the debris all falls to the ground. “What a surprise! You really can control it.”
Itadori makes a face, like he’s distracted by something. “Yeah, but he’s kind of annoying. And complains about a lot of stuff.”
“It’s a miracle that’s the only side effect,” Gojo says and reaches forward, tapping Itadori’s forehead. He slumps forward, falling into Gojo’s arms.
Gojo looks at Megumi from behind the blindfold, somehow the weight of Six Eyes is a physical thing even hidden. “Okay, question for you. What do I do with him?”
“Why are you asking me?” Megumi struggles to stand up, his back aches and he feels like sleeping forever. There’s blood still coming from somewhere on his head. He’ll need to go to Ieiri to be healed.
Gojo tilts his head in that obnoxious way he does when he knows something but isn’t going to tell anyone because he’s terrible. “Just a feeling that you might want to be involved.”
Why would he think that? Did he know that Megumi wasn’t even seriously considering exorcising Itadori?
Megumi looks down at the rubble covering the rooftop, easily destroyed by Ryomen Sukuna with the cursed energy from one of his fingers. What Megumi really needs to do is think and act like a proper jujutsu sorcerer, even if he doesn’t agree.
“Even if he has potential as a vessel, he should be executed under jujutsu regulations.”
That’s what he should do.
“But I don’t want him to die.” Megumi looks up.
There’s a faint, knowing look on Gojo’s face. “Is that a personal opinion?”
Of course it is. A proper, good jujutsu sorcerer would have pushed aside their personal opinions and feelings to do what is regulated for the safety of all people.
“Yes, a personal opinion.” Megumi says, “Please do something about it.”
As expected, Gojo starts laughing. “A precious student’s request? Leave it to me!”
The divine dogs run through a small clearing in the woods. Jumping in leaves and over sticks. He’s watching them–at least he thinks it’s him since they're divine dogs and he doesn’t know who else it would be–from stone steps.
He’s sitting on stone steps, elbows resting on his knees as the dogs play in the leaves. It looks like it’s autumn. Bright red and deep orange leaves are piling up on the forest floor. Some leaves pushed to the side to follow the path out of the clearing.
Where is he?
He knows this place, but he doesn’t.
He loves this place, but he doesn’t know it.
He feels happy and he feels sad.
“I made some food.”
He turns.
Itadori stands beside him–but not him. His hair is different, though still the same pink color. His hair is longer, some of it pulled out of his face and the rest reaching part way down his neck.
His clothing is different, not in modern clothing like a hoodie anymore. Older, ancient clothes that he does not even know the words for. He has seen them in history books, from a long time ago.
Itadori is carrying two brown clay bowls, steam rising up from them.
Itadori holds out the bowl and he reaches to take it. Itadori sits down beside him on the steps. “I’m glad you were able to be here today.”
There’s a warmth at the words he can’t quite identify. Safe. Content.
“I prefer to be here. Especially now.” He says, looking at the food. Why does the sight of the food make him sad, but happy? Is it nostalgia? Is that what this feeling is?
“I like it better when you’re here too.” Itadori says, smiling as he watches the divine dogs.
Kuro and Shiro are running and jumping, happy out here. Shiro rolls in a pile of red leaves.
The wood floor of the building behind him creaks, footsteps approaching.
“This feels like a joke. The great and powerful ten shadows shikigami being summoned so they play in the leaves like common puppies.” Another voice says now, almost jokingly.
The voice almost feels familiar, like he knows it. Like he should know it. Where does he know that voice?
He doesn’t turn to see who’s speaking. But he speaks to them. “Why not? Even if they are shikigami, they enjoy it.”
Shiro jumps into a pile of leaves, the deep red leaves sticking to his white fur that is actually made from shadows.
Whoever is behind him laughs a little bit. “You are too soft to be a jujutsu sorcerer.”
Why doesn’t he feel insulted by that statement? Shouldn’t he be? It didn’t feel like an insult.
“Why didn’t you make food for me?” The voice says.
Itadori turns, grinning. “I didn’t want to.” It’s teasing, familiar.
Who is he speaking to?
Itadori turns to him, smiling. It’s a soft smile, patient. “Megumi–”
His first name? They don’t call each other by their first names.
“You should stay here for the night.”
“Yuuji.” He says the name without meaning to. He didn’t plan to say that. “You know I cannot. Even if I want to.”
He does. Wherever he is in this forest, he likes it better than wherever he needs to go back to.
Itadori frowns. “I don’t understand why you can’t stay here. It’s easier and you like being here better.”
He doesn’t know either.
“You can stay as long as you want.” He isn’t sure which of them says that.
He watches the divine dogs run through the forest and around the small house. All he knows is that he wants to stay here forever. To stay on these little stone steps in this lush forest forever.
He feels happy and content and he doesn’t know why.