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Suguru paced, just wanting to scream as he held the phone to his ear.
If he held it much tighter, he honestly might meld the plastic into his face and ear. He might break it as well.
Phones nowadays were so fragile. The flip phones back in the 2000s may have been clunky and slow, but at least they didn't shatter like glass like these smartphones.
Then again. Phones back then broke too. They broke and calls were missed and people were hurt because of it.
“Satoru.” He said slowly, coming away from the thoughts of phones and shattering glass and people who missed important calls that could have saved someone. “You can't kill the higher ups.”
“Sure I can!”
One call.
It's all it would have taken.
If Suguru's phone hadn’t broken– if Suguru's phone hadn't snapped while fighting that Special Grade– if Suguru could have answered that call–
Or perhaps they never stood a chance anyway.
Mishaps piled up over time, tragedies following them both always. Little, small painful things grow into horribly terrible pains after time. And Suguru, who had been running around the country, who had been separated from his best friend, had missed the signs piling up.
Satoru smiled so quickly too.
Always had cheer in his voice.
Did Suguru really know Satoru, know his best friend, if he could hide the fact that he wasn't doing so well from him? Did Suguru really know the person who called him his one and only best friend, if he couldn't see the pain he was in? Did Suguru know the boy, now man, if he was threatening death to people so quickly?
Had Suguru known Gojo Satoru, or had he known another mask that he wore?
Had Suguru known a best friend, or had Suguru known a façade?
Suguru grit his teeth. “You can't.”
“I can! You know I can, those old farts aren't as strong as I am.”
Always with the damn boasting, like he was trying to show off to someone. To everyone. Like a peacock spreading his feathers, trying to attract a mate.
“Satoru, you'll throw the jujustu world into disarray if you do.”
“But you and Yuuji will be safe! Pretty good trade off, if I do say so myself.”
“Satoru.” Suguru snapped, his voice edging on a hiss.
“Uh oh, someone's unhappy! Hey Yuuji, talk to your sensei, maybe he'll be happier!”
“Satoru, you know a working system is better than complete disarray of an entire society!”
Coldness seemed to emanate from the phone. It nearly felt like Satoru had found a way to transfer his ability through WiFi, which, honestly, wouldn't surprise him. Satoru could be that clever.
“You mean the system that killed our little kohai?”
Suguru closed his eyes. “Very rich, coming from the person that didn't do his final rites.”
The barb slipped between his lips like a poisoned arrow before he could stop it.
Silence was what came over the phone then, the cold feeling gone.
Another missed phone call, but one that both he and Satoru had missed.
Suguru felt the ache of their kohai’s death each day. The ache of not being enough weighing down his shoulders. The ache of being afraid that he locked away tight and always threw away the key.
Satoru certainly hadn't helped matters, going rogue like he did.
They were the Strongest Duo.
The Strongest together, as Satoru had loved to crow so many times in their first and second years.
When Satoru had left the jujustu world, when he had left Suguru's side, he had taken part of that strength with him.
(He had taken part of Suguru's heart with him.)
Missed phone calls and dead kohai aside, Satoru had his student. Satoru had Itadori Yuuji-kun.
“Satoru.” I’m sorry. “Please give Yuuji-kun back. Now.” Please forgive me.
“He needs to be in Jujutsu Tech.” I wanted to be by your side.
“Not with your band of merry miscreants.” I wanted you to stay.
“He needs to socialize with children his age.” I wanted us to be friends forever.
“So give him back.” I’m sorry.
“Hmm, that's still a “no,” Suguru, even for you.” Satoru's voice was more subdued now, likely from the barb that Suguru had thrown his way about their kohai. “I don't trust those damned elders at all.”
Suguru rolled his eyes upward, resisting the urge to pinch the bridge of his nose. He could feel a migraine brewing in his head, just over his eye. Damn this man and his technique–!
“And if you're concerned about Yuuji here socializing, you don't gotta worry! I've got kids that he can play with!”
“I'd really rather not.” Was a tinier voice, and Suguru's heart leapt. Yuuji-kun was alright enough to still talk back to Satoru, which meant he was still alright enough to probably attempt to escape again.
“Satoru."
There was a warning in his tone now.
“Yeah yeah, Mama Bear. Sheesh, you'd think that after teaching so much, you'd mellow out a bit Suguru!”
“Satoru." Tone going sharper still.
Shuffling heard over the phone.
“Sensei?”
Suguru's air whooshed out of his lungs, relief spreading through every part of his body. Yuuji-kun's voice sounded small, but he didn't sound hurt.
Suguru didn't think Satoru would hurt the boy intentionally, but there was always a margin of error. Satoru had always been Suguru's blind spot. And once upon a time, he had been Satoru's.
“Yuuji-kun.” He said, his voice warming up slightly. “Are you okay? Are you hurt?”
“No. I nearly made it to the boundary line though.” Yuuji-kun reported, and pride burned in Suguru's chest.
Satoru's new estate was large, incredibly so. For Yuuji-kun to nearly make it to the boundary and almost escape was a wonder. His newest student was a marvel, and that was before Ryomen Sukuna had gotten his claws hooked in the boy. Suguru remembered that shot put, that form. It was a basic throwing form, not a shot put form. Suguru's student was incredible.
“Good.” Suguru breathed. “That's good. Have you eaten yet?”
“No. He stuck me in a room with a guy called Fushiguro while you guys were talking earlier. No time to eat.”
Suguru nearly dropped the phone.
“Megumi! Fushiguro is dead, and technically Megumi is a Gojo!” Satoru's now tinier voice yelped over the speaker from a distance.
Suguru's grip on the phone was tight. He was afraid it would shatter in his hand again, and he didn't have a backup on him. “Yuuji-kun. Be a dear and hand the phone to Gojo.”
An affirmative and the shuffling was back.
“Yes?” Satoru's voice sounded very meek right now. Usually he would have to have been scolded and thumped on the head by Yaga-sensei for him to sound so contrite. But Suguru supposed that talking to someone who technically died by Fushiguro Toji’s hands and heard that name again would make even Satoru feel like he had to make something right.
“Explain, Gojo.” Suguru could hear the wince from Satoru as Suguru used his last name. “I want everything. No tricks. No white lies. Tell the truth.”
~~~~~~~~~~
The truth.
Of course Suguru wanted the truth.
Satoru paced, grabbing at his hair.
At least Yuuji was being obedient and staying put on the rock that Satoru had plopped him down on when Suguru had requested to talk to him.
Plus, Suguru using his family name didn't sound right. It didn't sound right after they had fought in their first year, it hadn't sounded right when they reconciled, it never sounded right ever.
Suguru was always supposed to call him Satoru.
Satoru inhaled, and sat beside Yuuji, legs extending out in front of him.
“What do you want to know?” He asked his one and only best friend. “Where do you want me to start?”
“Maybe with the fact that you have a Fushiguro in your house?” Suguru hissed in his ear, low and mad and honestly Satoru was wondering if the man was on his way to the Gojo estate.
If he was smart, he wouldn't be, Satoru would never let him leave. But Suguru was always ruled by emotions. Hmm, now that's a thought. Get the man so riled up that he came of his own volition.
“Hey now, I have two.” Satoru grinned, hearing the upset over the phone and wondering if he should have said that. “Fushiguro Megumi and Tsumiki have nothing to do with Fushiguro Toji. Tsumiki isn't even related to him, I think. Like, ninety-eight, ninety-nine percent sure Tsumiki isn't related to that bastard.”
Angry humming over the phone, and crunching stones. Ah, Suguru was pacing. Not headed to the estate then.
Pity.
“And the other?” Suguru asked, his anger simmering down slightly in his voice. Not completely gone, it was still very present and very much directed at Satoru, but it was lowering.
“Megumi has the Ten Shadows technique.” Satoru sighed.
The crunching of stones paused over the phone's speaker.
“One of the bastard's last words to me was telling me about Megumi being sold off to the Zen'in clan, and I should do with it what I will. Met the kid when I was um, well.”
“A curse user?” Suguru's voice drawled over his phone, and Satoru grinned slightly. Ah, how he missed his best friend.
"Yeah. That.” Satoru huffed, flinging an arm around Yuuji, who was trying to scoot away from him. Cute kid, this one. Not really subtle, but that was part of the charm. Satoru wondered if Nanamin would have liked him–
“As wonderful as that is, you do realize that what you did was technically bloodline stealing?” Suguru's sharp, prodding voice hit him in the ear.
“Is not!”
“How, pray tell, is it not bloodline stealing? I'm quite sure this is the very definition of bloodline stealing.”
“Well, the Zen'in had disowned Fushiguro Toji for one. No bloodline when you disown it.” Satoru said in a duh tone. “And two! Can't bloodline steal when there's no paperwork of said kid~!”
Silence over the phone, it crackled with static.
“Satoru. . .” Satoru beamed. Back to the given name, finally!
“Did you DESTROY paperwork of a child? Needed, legal paperwork!?”
“Eeeehh.” Satoru lolled his head back, his grin bright as the sun's rays. “Is it necessary paperwork if it can be destroyed so easily?”
Silence again.
Deep breaths were heard, and Satoru pouted. That meant that Suguru was trying to control himself. So no storming into the new Gojo estate and no keeping of Suguru. Yet.
“Satoru. We're far off topic.” Suguru finally settled on, and Satoru pouted. This again? Really, Satoru had thought he made it clear he wasn't going to give Yuuji back. “You can't kill the higher ups.”
Oh.
Yeah.
That topic.
“Suguru, c'mon. I know you wanna kill them too.” Satoru wheedled.
“My urge to kill them will remain as such until they do something so terribly stupid that I have to leave Jujutsu Tech and take all my students.” Suguru said, his voice tired, and it made Satoru frown. Had his best friend been getting enough sleep?
Who was he kidding?
Even with Satoru popping around the country and killing curses, the pests up top would work Suguru to the bone.
“And what would that terribly stupid thing constitute as, Suguru?” Satoru asked, his arm around Yuuji tightening. “Sending second years on missions above their pay grade? Making third years take on far too many missions until they drop from sheer exhaustion? Or maybe you would rather that thing be first years dying because you can't teach them because you're so exhausted–”
“Gojo Satoru.”
Satoru's mouth clicked shut.
“You're on thin fucking ice.”
Satoru inhaled.
He closed his eyes, he could see her clearly.
Geto Shinju.
Geto Suguru's little sister.
She wasn't as strong as her brother. Not as powerful. Not the powerhouse he was. Not the same technique, hers was one of enchainment of curses, rather than eating them like Suguru did.
But she wasn't weak.
But she also hadn't been trained.
Yaga-sensei had been so exhausted.
They all had been.
The curses that year so abundant.
The reports so slow to get to people.
The higher ups just sending sorcerers out.
Shinju-chan had been one of Satoru's last straws. He had been the one to find her.
A mimicry curse, one that could take on the appearance of those that had fallen to it.
God, Satoru had had such a hard time, putting a hole through Shinju-chan’s skull.
It had to be done. It wasn't her, after all.
But it still hurt.
It hurt them both.
“I won't have Yuuji turn out like her.” Satoru said softly.
“You think I would let that happen?”
No. No Suguru wouldn't.
But Satoru knew the elders. Knew how they would despise a vessel for Ryomen Sukuna.
Satoru opened his eyes. “Look. We can talk about this a different time. It's nearly time for dinner. My kids need to eat.”
Silence.
So much silence.
It stretched far, and Satoru could hear Suguru trying to regulate his breathing.
Satoru felt the gap between them widening. The distance between them growing more by the second, emotionally and painfully.
“This isn't going to end well, you know.” Suguru warned.
Satoru smiled. “You're cute when you worry. Ja ne!”
Beep beep beep
~~~~~~~~~~
Suguru placed his hands in his hair and just tugged on the strands. The sting of his scalp brought him back down to earth, and he had felt worse things.
Broken bones.
Stabbing wounds.
Slashes.
Being killed.
Satoru leaving him–
But truly.
This would not end well.
This would never have ended well. What was Suguru thinking, bringing Satoru in as an outside perspective? Was he just wanting to see him again? Was it just a want to see the man who had hurt him so deeply and thoroughly? To look that man, the Strongest Jujutsu Sorcerer, in the eye, and prove to him that Suguru could be something without him?
Gojo Satoru was the Strongest.
Geto Suguru was. . .
Geto Suguru was. . . . . . .
Geto Suguru was. . . . . . . .
Geto Suguru was. . . . . . . . . . !
“You look like shit.”
Suguru pulled his hands out of his hair, giving Shoko a pitiful look. She sat beside him, falling into the seat with a sigh and a groan. Bones cracking and creaking, denoting their age.
How long it had been, since they had been children.
How long it had been, since they could laugh freely together.
It was almost like when Satoru left, he took the sun with him.
Now Shoko and Suguru rarely saw each other, no matter how they tried to reach out and stay connected. Shoko was in high demand as someone who could use the coveted Reverse Cursed Technique with ease, healing people with a wave of her hand. Suguru was a Special Grade sorcerer, taking out deadly and dangerous curses that threatened society.
One healed, the other consumed.
Both with the weight of the world on their shoulders.
“Satoru has Yuuji-kun.” Suguru said without preamble. He leaned back, his head tipping against the cold tile of the wall.
“Shit.” Shoko groaned. “We can't get him back?”
“I wish we could. I spent a good few hours arguing with Satoru on the phone about not killing the elders and bringing Yuuji-kun back.” Suguru let the migraine show on his face. He didn't need a façade with Shoko. Shoko had seen everything, every part of him.
Shoko had seen him after he had tried to reason with Satoru.
Shoko had stayed by his side, gripping his shoulder as Satoru threw his weight around and got the label Curse User scrubbed from his record.
Shoko had seen the good parts of Suguru, had helped him with his lesson plans, stood by his side when he advocated for Yuuji-kun's life.
Shoko had seen the worst parts of him, the nights when Suguru got blackout drunk and weeped and sobbed and wailed.
There was no point in hiding anything from Shoko, because she had seen everything already.
“Would it be a terrible thing if he did?” Shoko said, her dry amusement making his lips tick upwards.
“As tempting as it is,” Suguru groaned, his body was sore. He couldn't believe it had only been a few hours since Yuuji-kun had been by his side and they had only been discussing the bare basics of Satoru's powers. “We can't let him. While there's a pre-existing system in place and the people are shitty, if we just let him kill the elders–”
“There will be a power vacuum and the clans will swoop in and there'll be a bloodbath. Yeah yeah, I hear from you all the time.” Shoko sighed, thumbing at her nicotine patch.
“I don't mind the smell, you know that.” Suguru muttered. “Cigarettes actually smell pleasant, against curses.”
Shoko gave a little smile, reaching in her pocket and pulling out the container, tapping a cigarette out and patting her pockets for her lighter.
Suguru held up the one he always carried.
“Thanks.” She muttered, taking it and lighting her cigarette, before handing the lighter back. “You're really nervous.”
Suguru thumbed the lighter. “Yuuji-kun didn't sound the best. And Satoru is an acquired taste, as you know."
Shoko hummed as the scent of smoke filled the hallway they were in. “Poor kid. Gets introduced to the jujustu world in arguably the worst way, and then gets kidnapped to join Satoru's merry band of children he's collecting.”
Suguru laughed. “Just call them miscreants, that's what I do.”
Shoko snickered at that. “Of course you do. You just love reminding him that he technically broke the law.”
“He should remember it.” Suguru grumbled. “He killed over a hundred people and refused to explain why, even to us.”
Shoko clicked her tongue. “No excuses, he was our friend.”
Suguru closed his eyes. “I can't imagine the shit storm that's about to hit when the higher ups learn that Satoru made off with Yuuji-kun. No, scratch that, I can. And I'm going to take it all up the ass.”
“Wow, terrible time to tell me how you like it.” Shoko deadpanned and Suguru shoved her, the woman howling with laughter.
“I thought I heard you two!” Their kohai from years past had found them.
Shorter hair than Suguru remembered him having in the past, but it suited him and his face. At least he kept the undercut.
“What's that I heard about the elders as I followed your voices?”
“Suguru's thinking about rioting.” Shoko said.
“Oi.” Suguru muttered. He had been thinking it, but she didn't have to say it.
“Great!”
Haibara Yu grinned at them.
“Let's start a riot!”