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You did this to yourself. Suguru repeats the statement in his mind like a broken record player on a loop as he forces his legs to move one step at a time across the familiar stone path and in a less than graceful manner dumps his body at the back seat of the car waiting for him and the other occupant who currently resembles a hyper excited golden retriever more than a person going on a mission from which he might not return back alive (not that Suguru would ever allow such fate to come true).
If someone were to ask why Suguru is even subjecting himself to this, instead of utilizing the rare free day that he and his peers had gotten, he'll tell something along the line of fulfilling his role as a good senpai towards his newest kouhai followed by his usual tight lipped polite smile to further sale his reasoning but it was rather his own itching curiosity and the ludicrous need to scratch said itch that lead him to now volunteering himself to watch over the pink head first mission which also acts as a test of sort to assign a grade to him.
"Getou senpai!! Good morning" the pink head loud and energetic greeting is met back with an equally annoyed scowl from the assistant in the driver seat. Aah, it seems like he isn't the only one not ready for whatever brand of hyper excitement his new kouhai is on this early in the morning. Upon realizing his mistake, Itadori shoots back a timid sorry to the assistant before returning his gaze to him, patiently waiting for him to return his own greeting.
"Good morning to you as well, Itadori. I see that you're very excited." He chooses to say.
"It is my first mission. Of course! I'll be excited." Itadori replies back with the same enthusiasm but in a much lower voice. He is much more aware of his surroundings than he first appears to be. And also very considerate to those around him. Suguru knows not many would do the same if they were in Itadori's place. He can name one on top of his mind, a certain white haired menace who would do the exact opposite and enjoy annoying the assistant to death just for the hell of it. The poor assistant.
"Must be nice to be young. Don't worry, this senpai of yours is here to teach you the way around the world of jujutsu." He is being a little dramatic, sure but hey! at least he isn't Satoru. Who knows what he might end up teaching their innocent and naïve kouhai in the name of jujutsu.
"Master Getou! Teach me your way!!" Itadori replies back matching his humor and even bowing for the sake of dramatics. His new kouhai is starting to get more and more interesting. Looks like Suguru has found his new play thing.
By the time they reached their destination it had already started raining, setting the scene like one of those C grade horror movies he watched with Satoru. The tunnel ahead of them looks like any normal tunnel, unsuspecting but as soon as the fly head he released entered its threshold it immediately got exorcised. In other word, whatever curse is residing inside, its domain is only limited to the actual tunnel but that might imply in exchange for short range, the curse has got ample curse energy. The only way to be sure about it is to enter the domain itself.
Suguru doesn't find it necessary to set up a veil as the tunnel has not been under use ever since the new one has been built in its replacement. Not that many people came here to begin with, the local wary of this place ever since the murder that took place nearly two decades ago and the series of mysterious death that plagued this place since then. The type of people who came here were the foolish type hoping to get even a lick of paranormal activities and were unfortunate enough to come face to face with death. That is why he had the assistant set up a sign indicating the path ahead is blocked off due to construction reason.
"lets get started Itadori."
"Yeah!! Lets go all out."
"By the way Itadori, I'm only going to be watching you so you better give me a good show at the least."
"Alright. I won't disappoint you senpai. Just keep your eyes on me ya."
And a good show he delivers. Itadori makes quick work of the curse about grade three using the demon slaughter given to him by Yaga sensei but there is still one more left, the one responsible for the domain and it won't be as easy as the previous one. The main curse presents itself infront of them in the form of small girl strikingly similar to the murder victim that started this all in the first place making Itadori falter for a moment before he run towards the curse to expel it. Like he had expected, it wasn't going as easy as the one before had been considering how the curse is no longer in the place it was supposed to be as if it had vanished into thin air. The curse giggles surround them, taunting them, relaying how they couldn't catch it like a small child it seems to be. It is toying with them.
"Need my help?" Suguru asks with feigned innocence.
"No" Itadori answers. Its alright. Suguru can be patient when situation calls for it. The curse may take the form of a small child but it is around grade two or even semi grade one. But he has believe in Itadori that he will be able to finish the job.
The curse keeps on appearing and disappearing around them as if its playing hide and seek with them and it seems like even Itadori has caught the memo by now. The problem now is how to deal with it. There has to be some kind of opening that they can exploit, there always is. Just then Itadori seems to have understood something as his whole face lights up, it pipes up Suguru attention cause he himself hasn't found a way around it. Itadori then proceeds to stop giving any attention to the curse no matter how often it starts to pop out or how close it pop outs to Itadori. And he gets it, his kouhai is treating the curse like a small kid and by not giving it any attention he is taunting the curse back, agitating it and knowingly forcing it to go wild. Its a dangerous move but one that has great benefit if done correctly.
After a while, it looks like the curse has had enough and just like a small child throwing tantrum, the curse spirit energy starts to spike up, sending shocks of pure curse energy. The curse form also starts to distort into an ugly twisted being towering over both of them. It summons multiple hand in order to hold down Itadori so that it can play with him slowly to death. But it seems to have made the mistake of greatly underestimating Itadori's strength. As it makes its way towards him, Itadori does an surprise attack, cutting off its knife like sharp limbs and before it can process its new loss of limbs, Itadori has already jumped up in the air to deal the final strike.
"Don't exorcise it yet." Suguru requests him. Fortunately for him, his kouhai quickly improvises his move mid air and plunges the cursed tool on its abdomen instead of going for its head as originally planned. Suguru then uses his own curse technique to absorb the curse and swallows it. Disgusting but at the very least he now has one more curse at his arsenal. When his eyes land back on a shocked Itadori, a laugh threatens to bubble out from his mouth and at the end, the urge to laugh wins and it spills out from his mouth freely. Still Itadori looks worried for him.
"Don't worry Itadori. It is part of my curse technique. This is very normal for me." He says with a genuine smile in order to ease his kouhai worry.
Itadori remains uncharacteristically quiet throughout the whole ride back. Once they have reached the campus ground, finally Itadori decides break to his silence.
"It must have horrible taste, right? The curses."
"Why the sudden question?...But yes, it is definitely a taste not made for everyone." He is curious as to why Itadori first thought was about the taste upon witnessing his technique.
"What about you? Does it not bother you? I can't imagine myself enjoying it." He replies back shuddering at the idea of swallowing curses himself.
"I've gotten used to it." Lying comes to him as easy as breathing.
"Its just that, Nanamin had said to me before that curses are born from people negative energy – pain, regret, fear, humiliation, etc. so all the curses born from such things must not taste good as well. That is what I feel."
Maybe Suguru had been too quick to judge his new kouhai. Itadori despite seeing him use his technique for the first time saw through his mask of indifference and correctly deduced his distaste towards swallowing curses for his technique. He is really something else huh, cause not even his peers has ever questioned him about it despite knowing him longer.
"—And just cause you're used to it doesn't necessarily mean you like it or enjoy it."
"You're right about that. I don't enjoy it but sometimes you've to do something you don't like or enjoy for the greater good and that for me is swallowing curses in spite of its horrible taste."
Itadori looks satisfied with his answers. Thinking their conversation is now over, Suguru is about to bid goodbye when suddenly Itadori claps his hand together, his expression similar to one when someone finally remembers an answer to the question in exam they were stuck on for a while.
"Senpai!! I think I've found an solution to your problem. Well, its not really an solution but I'm sure it'll at least help you forget the aftertaste." He is then dragged by his very excited kouhai to the dorm kitchen.
Itadori starts to rummage through the fridge and nods to himself as he gathers all the ingredients for their lunch, well Suguru thinks he is making lunch. He has the pleasure of watching Itadori cook food for both of them. The delicious tempting smell of rich curry wafting in the air makes him salivate. Suguru can cook his own food of course and he likes to believe he is not that bad of a cook either but the smell permeating in the kitchen alone has him believe otherwise. It seems like currently no one is in the dorm otherwise he was sure the smell was enough to lure everyone out of their respective dorms.
A bowl of hot curry with rice is placed infront of him. This scene right now is so disgustingly domestic, just the two of them enjoying a hearty bowl of curry and rice alone in the kitchen with the continuous pitter patter of rain hitting the roof tiles acting as soothing background noise, it might just rot his teeth. And just like Itadori had predicted the thick, rich and creamy curry overshadows the horrid aftertaste left by the curse. Is this the best bowl of curry and rice in the whole world, no but its the damm best he has ever had till now. It makes him pause for a moment, and savour the taste before diving back for another bite, the gap between each bite getting progressively shorter and shorter, which earns him a chuckle.
For someone like Suguru who never saw the appeal in domesticity, it makes him wonder is this what home feels like?, one where you are welcomed with a smile, and equally warm greeting, with dinner already on the table, where everyone's sharing about their day and it is always filled with chatter and laughter so different from the one he grew in, the quiet dinner, the insincere how was your day from his mother gritted out in a way as if it physically pained her to do so, the hushed whispers behind closed doors. It makes him think that as long as he gets to enjoy this moment again and again then just maybe he can get used to this, and isn't that a dangerous thing to realize.
"Senpai, slow down. There is more. I'm glad that you enjoyed my curry. It makes me happy ya know. Its been a while I've cooked for someone else other than ji chan. Even that became less frequent after he was admitted to the hospital." Itadori says with a soft smile on his lips, his mind lost in memories for him alone to cherish. He recalls the first time he met him, hadn't Itadori mentioned his grandfather wish for him to help others before passing away. Does Itadori even have family members other than his grandfather?
"My deepest condolence for your grandfather by the way."
"Its alright senpai. He died rather peacefully from old age. Plus if I continued to mop over his death, I'm sure he would have come back from death just to nag me about club and stuffs and scold me for wasting time thinking about dead man."
"He seems to care for you a lot."
"That he did but he'll never be caught admitting it out loud though. That old man is way too prideful for that. He practically raised me all by himself and I know I wasn't the most easiest child to tend to, too much energetic and all."
They fall back into silence but the quietness doesn't haunt him like it once used to. He thinks in the privacy of his mind, what might have happened if Itadori hadn't join them, would he have been swallowed by the system or would he have made the smart choice to lay low for few years until he turned 18. He might be considered selfish for thinking so but he's glad that Itadori was there where he was at the right time. Cause to him this feels right, like this is how it is supposed to be and anything else beside this feels completely absurd to him.
When Itadori finally tires himself out and falls asleep on the couch, if he whispers a soft "I'm glad that you're here" to Itadori while carrying him to his dorm room then it is for Suguru alone to know and no one else.
It was Shoko birthday and even with the star plasma incident still fresh in their mind, or rather maybe it was because of it, everyone was going all out for her birthday in an desperate attempt to bring back somewhat of a normal semblance. Even Nanami was willingly subjecting himself to social gathering that they all knew he wasn't fond of.
Nanami and Haibara were on decorating duty with Yuji on food and drinks duty while he and Satoru were to distract Shoko long enough for everything to be ready, which was quite the challenge considering Shoko's sixth sense of seeing through most lies. Once they received an okay message from Yuji, they lead their hopefully still clueless friend to her room for the surprise. The door creeks open, pure silence and darkness greeting all three of them and then–
"SURPRISE!!! HAPPY BIRTHDAY SHOKO SENPAI!"
The energetic duo of the trio jumps out from their hiding space yelling surprise, meanwhile their stoic counterpart pops out the confetti, a fond smile threatening to make its way on his face for the two buffoons who he considers as his own. And they say, their blond kouhai is too rigid, too tense, doesn't do emotion well. Suguru thinks they're the foolish one for thinking that cause they obviously have never seen the way his brows tilts down, worry etched clear as day on his face whenever they're sent on different mission and one of them is taking longer than expected.
"Wow. I didn't expect this at all. Thanks guy." Shoko answers in her flat monotone voice with balant sarcasm dripping from it. In other words, they failed their mission in keeping this a surprise for her. Fantastic, really, the only thing missing now was the 'F' in big bold red. Well, he believes they should at least get some points for their honest attempts. And no matter what Satoru likes to believe, they are no miracle maker. And keeping this a surprise was nothing short from a miracle itself.
When Yuji finally brings out the cake that he baked himself specifically for Shoko, Suguru senses for whenever Satoru is about to do something incredibly stupid goes off, blaring warning buzzing in his mind. But it's too late, Shoko had only cut a single piece of cake when suddenly a very wild, sugar deprived Gojo Satoru snatches away the cake and disappears with it to who knows where.
"Gojo senpai return back with the cake right now or else I'm going to punch you so hard next time I see you. I swear. Ugh!!! That insufferable senpai. Fine take it but just for this reason, I'm not going to be baking one for you on your birthday." Itadori swears warning to Satoru in the air just on the off chance he might be near enough to hear him.
"Its alright Itadori. I didn't enjoy sweets in the first place so even if Satoru eats all of it on his own, I don't mind at all." And Satoru dares to wonder why he is the least popular amongst his kouhais. Really, the audacity of this man is ridiculous.
"But senpai I made that cake specifically with your taste on my mind. I had soaked the cake in sweet liquor since I knew about your likeness to it. That's why I was so angry at the beginning but now I'm leaning more on worried side." At the mention of booze, Shoko raises her brow in his direction. What's with the undeserved suspicions towards him. Okay, maybe he had some hands in Yuji easy access to booze but how can he say no to him when he used his best weapon against him–his puppy eyes. Furthermore, isn't she a hypocrite to judge him for it when she's the one who sneaks in alcohol inside the dorms on regular basis and let Suguru remind you that they're all still very minor and below the minimum age they've yet to surpass set by government for alcohol consumption. Sometimes he thinks he is the only sane one in his group that actually follows rules and regulations for the most part unlike those two idiots. He wants to graduate from high school without any major hiccups if possible, thank you very much.
That night they learn a very crucial knowledge and that is Satoru and alcohol should be never be mixed together and that Satoru is terribly light weight for someone his size. Normal sober Satoru is already bratty enough but a drunk Satoru makes them realize that there was a certain level of restraint albeit a small one that he exercised as the drunk white haired menace is currently shouting detailed murder plan for every single higher ups with a Cheshire smile and that is after they've finally somehow managed to drag their deranged friend from releasing hollow purple on the Kyoto principle who was currently here on school business.
Later, when Yaga sensei discovers the mess they've created and hears the news about a very deranged Satoru nearly committing a murder (He doesn't know that Satoru tried to murder principal Gakuganji, yet), he lets out a exasperated sign, looking as if he just got aged by 10 years in the short span of 20 seconds and is probably questioning all of his life decision that lead him to here and wondering if its too late to call it quits, throw in the towel and walk away from it for the better.
"Who thought it was a bright idea to add booze to the cake?"
They are all lined up on their knees infront of a very pissed off Yaga sensei. No one answers for a while, all of them internally debating who they should throw under the bus for it, then Yuji the pure, brave soul decides to take one for the team.
"Yaga sensei, that would be me."
Yaga looks more like an disappointed parents then anything else after receiving the answer to his question. He sighs for the umpteenth time this morning before declaring the punishment.
"You're going to be cleaning the whole campus ground, classrooms and toilets included for the entire month on top of sending a personal hand written apology letter to the victim of Satoru drunk antics. And Satoru did you really expect that I would let you off the hook that easily? You too are to send an apology letter just like Yuji. Don't even think about evading it, I'll know and note this, if you fail to do so, I promise you higher ups will be the least of your stress inducer."
With that being said, Yaga sensei exits the room and all of them release a collective sign of relief.
"Yuji~" "—You're such a life saver! What would I've done without you~" Satoru rubs his cheek against Yuji like a cat, a shameless one at that.
"Getou senpai, you didn't have to join me ya know." Yuji tells him stating the obvious, while he keeps his attention focused on wiping the classroom floor. Its the last room left to be cleaned for today.
"But I'm also partially at fault for the incident. After all it was me who gave bought you the liquor in the first place." Its not necessarily a lie but its not the complete truth either. He's just not ready to voice out what he has already admitted to himself in the privacy of his mind, that he enjoys spending time with Yuji no matter what the trivial task maybe that bound them to do so, that being with Yuji calms the storm raging in his soul, that he brings him hope, that things will get better, that there's good amongst the filth and so much more.
"Nee, Getou senpai, I don't mind that I'm stuck with this punishment. That day was the first time after a long time, we all had gathered together and had any fun. I kinda missed this." "Plus, I got to hear you laugh again, you don't do that much nowadays so it made me really happy." And Suguru knows that Yuji means it, the implication of those words isn't lost on him. His heart soars with overflowing yearning for the one person who brings spring to his soul struck in freezing winter. Can't Yuji see what he does to Suguru? How much he affects him? Can't he see how the wild beast inside him reduces to mere domestic pet in his presence? Suguru wants Yuji to see, to acknowledge this rising stake between them before it topples over ruining whatever they've built till now, before its too late.
Sometimes when memories of the past he left behind becomes too much to bear, when nostalgia crashes over him again and again in series of waves threatening to drown him, there is an temptation in the back of his mind to let the waves carry him away to foreign shore, or push him to the depth of no return. During such times, he itches for something, someone. Still, he does his best to resist it, knowing there is no place for him there anymore and that he will end up undoing everyone's effort not just his if he ever gives into it.
He misses him the most on time like this, when the twins are burning up in fever and he can't help them with their pain. All he can do is wait in agony for the medicine to start working. He thinks about how much of an incompetent father he is to the twins even if they swear he's the best, of course they'll think such, he's their saviour, their hero so it's only natural they'll think that. He thinks just how much better Yuji would be in parenting compared to him. He can imagine Yuji cooking congee and feeding it to the girls, Yuji staying up all night changing wet towel to lower the temperature, can see him making funny faces to make them laugh, can see him singing lullabies to lull them to sleep. But he isn't here, he will never be here.
He thinks about his girls, he pictures them trying and failing in hiding their hurt, their disgust when he tells about a boy monkey with sakura like hair, warm smile, hands worn-out and calloused yet still gentle when he needs it to be, fiercely loyal, stubbornly kind and selfless, who wears his heart on his sleeves. And he knows, what disgust them won't be what he shared but the fondness and earnest yearning in his tone when talking about him.
With crepes from Takeshita Street finally secured, and his girls satisfied, a small detour is made when both girls tells him that they want to check out nearby markets. He won't say no to his girls even if that means there will be inevitable brushing of shoulders against those filthy monkeys. His girls happiness always comes first. From the corner of his eye, he can see Nanako and Mimiko whispering among themselves. They're not being subtle at all. Whatever they seem to be discussing about, it looks like both have opposite opinion on the matter.
"Getou sama. Why didn't you take care of those two monkeys back there?"
"Getou sama, you don't have to answer Nanako."
"Mimiko admit it, you're also curious."
"Nanako, Getou sama doesn't have to state his reasoning for everything he does."
"But—"
"Girls" Both stop their arguing immediately.
"Its alright Mimiko. Thanks for defending my honour. As for why,.....both don't pose much of a threat to our future plans." And that's a lie, underestimating Yuji won't do any good to them.
"Who's the potato, by the way? Did you know him from before?" Nanako asks flatly.
"Nanako" hissed Mimiko but Suguru can see she's also curious about his answer.
"Itadori Yuji. Grade one sorcerer, though he is far above its level. The highers up doesn't want to acknowledge that a monkey is better at exorcising curses than them. He used to be my kouhai."
"He doesn't seem so." Nanako quips back. But Suguru doesn't correct her with his reply this time around. A good few minutes pass by when realization strucks him.
"By the way, is this little detour an excuse for ambushing me with questions?"
Both avert their eyes away from him guiltily in reply.
"Listen to me carefully Nanako, Mimiko. I'm sorry that you girls felt the need for an excuse just to ask me some questions. You girls are part of my family as well, aren't you and there should be no hesitance among family to ask questions. So next time when you guys feel like asking questions just be forward, understood." He says with a smile.
"Its just that you look sad whenever you're talking about the past." Mimiko says in a small voice. She has always been the perceptive one, so it doesn't come as a surprise to him that she caught onto that already.
"Still, promise me that you'll start to be forward with me with questions from now on. Please."
"Hai!!Getou sama" Its alright Suguru thinks to himself, there's more than enough time for this.
Looks like karma has finally caught upto him after years of teasing it. Its a whole decade late, but here nonetheless. And now that its finally here on his door to collect its due, Suguru for all he pretends to act like he's always prepared, he's far from it. Suguru isn't a religious man but if somehow heaven and hell do exists, he's sure there's already a space carved out for him in hell fit for someone who has bloods of many on their hands.
While he waits for the one who will deliver his karma to him, a particular memory sticks out to him from the rest. What's so unique about this one, he doesn't know nor is he patient enough to find out.
The two of them were once again alone together, their feet tangled together under the kotatsu and shoulders flushed together chasing warmth during the harsh winter storm. Yuji is suspiciously too red on his face to blame it on the cold, his hand moving automatically up to check his temperature but he's stopped midway–
"Getou senpai, I'm fine."
"Now are you?"
"Yes"
"Really? Cause to me you look this close to passing as an tomato." He brings his index and thumb close together emphasising his words.
Instead of answering him directly like he was used to, Yuji surprises him by facing away from him in an effort to hide his blushing face which now he is positively sure of and mutters something he doesn't quite catch.
"Yuji, I didn't catch what you just said. Repeat for me, will you?"
A solid second pass before Yuji turns back to him with his still blushing face and says loudly this time
"I want to give you something."
"Ehh?!"
"Wait here, okay"
And Yuji's gone before he can process what he just heard. The cold becoming more pronounced the longer Yuji takes to return. When he finally returns, he is holding a neatly wrapped box in his hand.
"Here. Its your birthday present. Thought I better give it to you now in case I'm not here with you on your birthday."
He hasn't recovered yet from the discovery of Yuji wanting to give him something to wrap his head around that something being his birthday gift. A simple flick to his forehead does the job.
"Getou senpai, you spaced out for a while there."
"Oh. Thanks for the gift Yuji."
"You don't have to. Just open it already."
"Impatient are we?" He faux snides.
"Obviously" Yuji fires back.
He peels away the wrapping carefully, the task made difficult by numb fingers refusing to function properly due to cold. When he finally manages to finish unwrapping, his heart beats fast inside his chest in excitement for what the gift might be. The lid comes off revealing a soft looking midnight blue muffler inside it.
"Do you like it?"
"Yuji. Did you make this yourself?"
The question wills back the blush on his face full force and that answers in itself.
"I just wanted to give you something that would act as a reminder that no matter the situation I'm always there for you and since your birthday falls in winter, I thought why not?"
"Plus, you still haven't given me your answer. Is it not your style? Should I give you something else? I should've asked you your preference before–" his rambling cut short by Suguru hand on his mouth.
"I love it Yuji. It's the best gift ever given to me." He says as he removes his hand from Yuji's mouth.
"Isn't it presumptuous of you senpai to declare such when you haven't seen what the others have prepared yet? Though I'm glad you like my gift."
"Not at all. I know its the best and no one can change my mind."
"Hai hai. Just don't let other hear you say that and you'll be fine." Yuji teasingly warns him.
"You wound me by saying that Yuji. Have a little more faith in me, will you?" And he teases right back at him in feigned hurt.
"Ya know, senpai can tell me anything right? We're friends, aren't we? I may still not be on your level but you can rely on me as well, maybe not as the one of the strongest sorcerer but as Getou Suguru my friend."
There is so much earnest honesty in those lines. It makes him want to scream out loud that Yuji even offering him this is enough. How much more can Yuji give himself away to Suguru, he wants to find out, find the limit if there's even one.
So at the end does it surprise anyone when the final breathe leaves him, the image on his mind is that of the same monkey person who cried for him when he got hurt, who was always there for him even if he didn't always reach out back, who's honestly too good for him, Yuji.
"Are you sure that's him? He doesn't look like much." The one eyed curse with mini volcano for top of this head voices its doubt.
"That's him for sure. Don't believe me?" The other in monk attire and a peculiar stitch mark on the forehead quips back.
"Tch. You better not be wrong Getou." The curse grumbles angrily.
"Just wait a little more. On 31st October, Halloween our plans will finally bear its fruit. The golden age of jujutsu will return along with the king of curses Ryomen Sukuna. I assure you that." The one with stitch marks answers smoothly.
"You only said that killing the brat is off the table right, that means I can rough him up a bit, can't I Getou? I wanna check if he's a worthy vessel or not for Sukuna."
"I wouldn't recommend it though unless you want to get exorcised."
"As if that brat could."
"He can and he will. And I can't lose you yet Jogo." The faux concern only a back handed insult.
"—plus you're still recovering from your last defeat with Satoru after not heeding my advice. Do you want history to repeat itself, is that it?" The statement akin to rubbing salt on injury.
"How dare you!!!" A large burst of lava shoots out from the top of the curse head as it seethes in pure anger.
"Its about time we go anyway. Now, shall we." Which only further fuels its anger at the balant dismissal.
"I can't wait to meet you again Itadori Yuji. Aah, just picturing your expression upon seeing me excites me." 'Getou' or so he calls himself says barely above whisper before moving away from the cliff overlooking the graveyard of one Haibara Yu where Yuji is currently praying to.