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Today the exorcism was expected to be as usual. At least Yuuji hoped so.
Sensei gave the three of them an easy task, because it was Saturday and they had planned a movie marathon for that day at the evening. Their target was a first-class curse that can hit both up close and at long range during combat. An analysis of the documents that Ijichi gave them in the car during their trip, shows that it was formed from a failed chemist, who was fired from the job for mishandling dangerous acids, which led to the death of the entire team worked with him on that fateful day. Of course, everything rapidly went wrong. Immediately after this terrible incident, the bodies of the victims were not found, as well as the accused himself, when the police tried to contact him. The matter was quickly hushed up and Yuuji already can guess why. The reputation of the entire chemical company was at stake, and its manager, like all other influential people, did not want to lose his hard-earned money on the successful supply and production of drugs and medicines when his business had recently began to receive more support. After, once again re-reading all the data collected by the Jujutsu Tech school, the assistant finally announced that they were in place.
“Let's get this over with quickly, I still have to meet with Maki-senpai today.” Nobara lazily tells to the boys, already taking out her hammer.
Megumi gave her an unsurprised look without answering. After assessing the area, they were in with a sharp eye, Fushiguro suggested the following:
“The factory is large and takes up a lot of space, so it is better to separate. Most likely, we should look for the curse in the destroyed laboratories or similar to those rooms, because that is where the bodies of the victims disappeared.” Looking at Itadori, he continued:
“Yuuji as being the fastest among the three of us, will go to the largest department placed on the right, Nobara to the central workshop, and I to the left.”
Checking the time, the boy also added:
“It shouldn't be a difficult task, so meeting back here in 15 minutes. If we still don't find it, or someone gets trapped, I'll send the Divine dogs to search for you.”
Yuuji, as always positive, gave a thumbs up and replied:
“Let's do it Fushiguro, Kugisaki!”
The other two couldn't help but be infected by their friend's positivity. Nobara, smiling cheerfully, answered:
“Good luck idiot! Bet I'll find the curse first!”
Fushiguro simply nodded his head, but there was an undisguised warmth in his eyes at his words. The moment didn't last long, as the boy turned serious again.
After saying goodbye to everyone, Yuuji went to the building first. The remaining two nodded to each other and followed suit without wasting any more time.
***
Yuuji surprisingly managed to reach the curse first.
By a stroke of luck near the main entrance the boy immediately felt the cursed energy from him. The Curse had the very unsightly appearance of a short old man who now bore little resemblance to the man he once was. All over his pale body were visible burns and deep wounds of various colors from the poison and acids that still remained there. It continued to drip from his damaged hands onto the floor, immediately creating holes in the concrete. Without waiting another minute, Yuuji concentrated on his cursed energy, gathered it in his fists and rushed into battle.
***
“Damn it! I was hoping to kill this worm first!” Nobara complained loudly about him in the car when Kiyotaka was already driving the three of them back to campus. She didn't stop yelling, so Yuuji was only concerned with how to calm her down. Megumi, meanwhile, still didn't say a word and was still looking at him suspiciously from under her eyelashes. After the girl had finally stopped, Yuuji glanced at Fushiguro and noticed his strange behavior, so he responded with a questioning look, waiting to hear something from his friend. Instead, he just sighed and turned away from him.
Itadori guessed the reason for such a look, because now he was trying his best not to give the impression that something was wrong with him.
The reason for all this lay in his battle with the curse. During the fight, the young sorcerer on adrenaline did not notice how it was able to let some acid into his hand before dying. The burning itch and pain came to him right after his heart stopped pounding in his ears and calmed down. Already reaching the planned meeting place with his friends, Yuuji, feeling how much the back of his hand itched, turned a surprised look at it. Small red spots appeared on his skin, slowly eating away at it.
Why can't any day be just normal?
Feeling the pain become more and more excruciating each time, Yuuji had no choice but to reluctantly make the next decision.
“Sukuna.”
Silence.
“Sukuna!”
“What do you need brat?” spat the King of Curses, finally getting down to the point of making a voice. A small tingle spread across his cheek as his mouth appeared on.
“Ghm...” Itadori was a little silent. Exhaling, he continued: “Can you heal my arm please?”
Silence.
Suddenly, mocking laughter rang out throughout the corridor, which grew louder every second. Still laughing at the boy, Sukuna replied:
“Are you so worthless that you can't heal your own hand? You are even more useless than I thought you were. Hahahahaha!”
Embarrassed, Yuuji just stood there with his head down and didn't say a word.
Finally calming down a bit, the King of Curses continued:
“No, I'm not going to stoop to helping a miserable creature like you, so deal with it yourself.” After which he fell silent. A repeated tingle on his face made him understand that Sukuna had disappeared.
It was necessary to at least try. But okay. I can still visit Shoko-sensei.
***
Unfortunately, doctor Ieiri wasn’t there. After asking Ijichi where is she, Itadori heard the following in response:
“Sorry Yuuji-kun, Shoko-san has gone to Kyoto School for about a week and won't be back until then. Utahime-sensei asked her to heal several of her students who were seriously injured during the mission, so she should be on her way by now.”
Oh. This changes everything.
“Thanks for the info, Ijichi-san.” Yuuji replied. “Then I'll wait for her to come back.”
Well. Until then, he will have to suffer a little.
***
Their movie night was okay.
Yuuji tried not to show that he was in pain, and his friends didn't seem to notice. The attacks of itching were not the same, they came and went like waves of the sea, and when the pain became too strong, the boy clenched his hand into a fist so that red crescents formed on his palm from his nails. It was a small short-term relief and he tried to concentrate on it.
It’s Monday today, and that means class lessons with Gojo-sensei. In general, nothing has changed. Nobara is as annoying as ever, Megumi stays the only rational person in their team, only the sensei has started looking at him a little too closely. Not that Yuuji had seen this kind of behavior before, or if he had, he hadn't paid attention, but it was too obvious to him now. Especially Gojo-sensei's constant questions about his well-being. It was getting more and more difficult for the boy to hide his itching on his palm with each passing day, and since yesterday even then the red spots had become too visible, so Itadori had to wrap them with bandages, which he got freely available in Ieiri-san's office the day before. If his friends did notice, they weren't bothered enough to ask where it was from, because they know how careless Yuuji can be sometimes and get injured with a kitchen knife while preparing dinner. Instead, the only thing he heard from Kugisaki was something like:
Ugh, you, idiot, did you hurt yourself again? Just be careful next time when preparing your masterpieces for me!
I will Kugisaki!
Suddenly, the door to their classroom suddenly opened, hitting the wall. Gojo-sensei, as always too dramatic, entered the room, holding in his hands again packages from his favorite pastry shop.
“Yo! How are my dear students? I have good news for you!”
All three turned sharply in his direction. They were well used to their sensei's antics by now, so no one was surprised when the door, which was barely holding on and was on its last breath, finally broke from Gojo's too strong push. Hearing the distinct crack of the tree, Megumi rolled her eyes and gave him an unsurprised look. Meanwhile, Nobara didn’t care enought, because she was more interested in cakes in a bag from the most expensive confectionery boutique in Tokyo, and Yuuji...
Well, it seems that someone lost patience and he is responsible for it.
Sensei says something cheerfully, it seems that since they worked hard over the weekend, they can rest today, but Yuuji didn't pay much attention because the stressful feeling of being watched like a cat hunting a mouse drowned out everything around him. As if through a layer of water, he hears a joyful Kugisaki jumping up from the table, who quickly picks up a bag of sweets, and Fushiguro smiles relaxedly and heads for the exit. Yuuji is more than ever grateful for a new wave of itchiness on his arm that snaps him out of his trance and he can finally properly hear his sensei asking him to hold on for a moment.
Sensei asks him to stay. Shit.
“Yes, of course Gojo-sensei.” answered Yuuji a little hesitantly, approaching the man. When there is no one left in the class except for the two of them, the boy adds more confidently: “What do you need?”
Gojo-sensei's head tilted to the side towards the arm where his bandages were wound. Fuck.
Without taking his eyes off the sorcerer continued:
“My dear Yuuji-kun, would you mind telling me how long you've had those bandages on your hand? I don't think I've seen them there before.”
Of course you didn't see them sensei because I always hiding them when I see you.
There was steel in his voice. Maybe Satoru has already gotten that Yuuji has been running away from him for the past few days without an honest answer and now this has become the last straw.
Oh, he must be in total shit.
The boy laughs awkwardly, putting his injured hand behind the back of his head and answers with a strained smile:
“It's nothing Sensei, I injured myself yesterday while cooking for Kugisaki, so I had to wrap my arm with bandages from Ieiri-san's office. You have nothing to worry about.”
Gojo's shoulders relaxed, a smile appeared on his face again.
It seems to have worked.
Yuuji, seeing that this time he avoided the threat, is already turning towards the exit, continuing:
“If that's all, I'll go Gojo-sense-”
“Gojo-sensei?”
Not painful, but tight enough that the boy couldn't break free, Satoru holds his forearm, looking closely at the white strips of fabric that have already managed to loosen a bit. Yuuji, more and more nervous that they will fall right in front of Gojo-sensei, tries to free his arm from the steel grip, but fails miserably.
“I don't think so, Yuuji-kun.”
With his other hand not occupied, he lowers his black blindfold, sky blue eyes staring at him, watching for a reaction. But the next words freeze the boy in place.
“I don't want to force you Yuuji, but I can't take it anymore. I gave you enough time and hoped that you would finally tell me that the last few days have been bothering you, but you didn't. Tell me the truth, I see something is wrong. Please Yuuji.”
Sensei, looking at him and begging like that, simply gives him no choice. The latter took the boy's last strength to fight back, so he accepted everything that would follow. With his head down in shame, staring at the floor in front of him, Itadori says:
“This is stupid Sensei. I didn't want to bother you with my problems, because you have been very busy these past few days.” It's quieter, Yuuji continued: “Do you remember the mission on Saturday? The curse I banished had managed to injure me before, so I took care of it myself since Shoko-san had gone to Kyoto.”
Silence.
Afraid to see Gojo-sensei's reaction, the boy narrowed his eyes and waited for an answer.
“Tell me Yuuji-kun, am I such a bad teacher that my own students don't want to go to me in times of need? Am I that untrustworthy?”
This made Itadori completely forget all the shame he felt inside. Quickly looking up at his sensei, his brown eyes widened even more at the undisguised pain in his teacher's eyes.
Oh no, I've done worse.
“No no no, it's not like that!” The boy panicked and just let the words spill out of his mouth: “You are the best teacher in the world, Gojo-sensei! I really admire you, it's true! You can handle any problem with ease, but you are also very much needed at all times and everywhere, and I didn't want to burden you with such trifles any more. If this made you feel bad, please forgive me!”
The boy saw Gojo's eyes widen in surprise, letting him know that the man heard everything more clearly than ever. The seconds stretched into minutes as Yuuji waited for an answer that never came, making him even more nervous. Finally, Satoru's gaze warmed and a soft smile graced his face.
“You will never give me trouble Yuuji. Never. I am your teacher, so it is my direct duty to help my students. Always remember that no matter how small it may be in your opinion, you can always turn to me.”
I want you to be safe. Please think of me. I am always happy to help you. Don't avoid me Yuuji.
I love you.
But these words in his head never came out of his mouth.
“Well, then we should call Shoko after all. Until she arrives, let's go to the cafe, where I promised to take you, they really cook great dishes there!” Sensei said in a cheerful tone, stroking his cute student's head. Putting his arm around his shoulders, he led him to the exit.
“Yes, Gojo-sensei.”
For the first time in days, Yuuji was finally able to relax. Accepting the long-awaited warm embrace with joy, the boy snuggled closer to his sensei.
I will follow you wherever you go Satoru-san.