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It has been a year since Suguru left Jujutsu high, Satoru has counted every day since. Yet somehow, the world around him hadn’t changed much. He was still sent on missions the same as always, still went to class. But, every time he would return from a mission, back at Jujutsu high, there was always a sense of emptiness that followed him.
His world had become so quiet since Suguru left.
Sure in the time since Satoru took in the Fushiguro kids but that couldn’t replace Suguru in Satoru’s life. Nothing could.
It was only a day after Suguru left that Satoru called Suguru’s cell number. Part of him expected to get a message saying that the number was no longer in service. But, the call went through. It only rang a couple times until it was sent to voicemail.
On one hand, Satoru was happy, Suguru’s number still worked, and Suguru saw that he called. On the other hand, Suguru saw that Satoru had called and ignored him.
For the next 365 days Satoru continued to call Suguru’s phone, every time it went to voicemail, but he never left a message.
It was an odd day, Satoru didn’t have a mission, the kids were at school, so he was left to occupy his own time. He ended up hanging out with Shoko, half listening as she explained something about her wanting to take a medical exam after she graduated Jujutsu high. He was trying to be present in the conversation but his mind kept wandering.
Satoru and Shoko had drifted apart since Suguru left. He didn’t have anything against his last remaining classmate but they already weren’t super close. When it was the three of them they had a chaotic but fun energy that balanced the group out. But, Satoru was the strongest now, he realized he and Shoko didn’t have much in common. Talking about missions with her wasn’t the same. He always saw combat against some of the strongest curse spirits where Shoko never did. They both mutually knew they could never understand each other.
“Gojo, are you even listening?”
Shoko’s voice pulled Satoru out of his thoughts. “I am, I just spaced out,” he tried to explain.
“Whatever,” Shoko sighed, “look, I have other stuff to do, so I'm heading out.”
“Oh, yeah see you later,” Satoru replied, unsure of what to say. He figured he had upset Shoko though that wasn’t his intention.
Shoko paused for a moment turning to face Satoru, “I know it’s been a year since he left but you have to let him go Gojo, he’s not coming back.”
No one even said his name anymore.
“Don’t worry,” Satoru replied, forcing a smile, “I got other things to worry about besides Suguru.”
Judging by the look on Shoko's face she didn’t believe what he was saying, but she also didn’t press for any more information. Satoru wasn’t even sure what could be said if she did. There wasn’t a single person at Jujutsu high or otherwise that wished Surugu was still around more than Satoru.
“Don’t forget you have my number if you need anything,” Shoko said, before turning and walking off leaving Satoru all alone.
It was still mid afternoon. He still had a couple hours before the kids were out of school. He really had no idea what else to do.
Satoru never thought there would be a time where he wished he was on a mission.
Satoru pulled out his phone and scrolled through his contacts until he reached Suguru’s. He wanted to call, he normally would but right now he just found himself staring and hesitating.
It had been so long since Satoru heard Suguru’s voice. He missed hearing that voice so much.
With an inward sigh, Satoru shoved his phone into his pocket. He figured he should get something to make for dinner, and surprise the kids with something nice. It wasn’t that Satoru was even good at cooking, Tsumiki was way better than him as she was only around 8.
Satoru felt lucky to have the Fushiguro kids in his life. He wasn’t sure what to do at first when Toji told him about his kid. But he figured if the kid was being sold to the Zen’in clan he had to have some amazing potential. If he played his cards right the kid could help him change the Jujutsu world.
Megumi Fushiguro. Satoru found himself growing unexpectedly fond of the kid. Satoru knew that Megumi didn’t feel the same, he was pretty sure Megumi wanted nothing to do with him most of the time. But sometimes there were moments when the two got along well.
Satoru ended up picking up stuff that was easy to make and that he knew both kids liked for dinner. and once that was done he made his way to the kids' school.
Normally they would walk home on their own, mostly because Megumi hated being seen with Satoru. But that never stopped nor bothered him.
Satoru stood outside the gates of Tsumiki and Megumi’s school waiting for their day to be done.
The bell rang and the students started to file out of the school, Satoru stood back scanning the crowd of kids looking for Megumi and Tsumiki. And Once he saw the kids he called to them with a wave.
Tsumiki seemed pleased and, as expected, Megumi was the opposite scowling the second he saw Satoru.
“Mr. Gojo,” Tsumiki greeted, “what are you doing here.”
Megumi didn’t say anything as he stood further back from Satoru avoiding even looking at him. Satoru just brushed it off, Megumi was a literal child after all and Satoru would like to think he was above having beef with a literal child. Still he did wish Megumi would warm up to him some.
Satoru held up the bag of groceries with a smile, “it's my day off, figured we could have a family dinner tonight.”
Upon his explanation, Tsumiki's eyes lit up and Megumi continued to scowl, not at all hiding how he felt about the evening's plans. Satoru responded by ruffling the youngest child's hair.
“We’re not family,” Megumi said, with a huff pushing Satoru’s hand away.
“I know,” Satoru replied with a smile, “but we can pretend we are.”
“We’re not,” Megumi repeated, before walking past Satoru.
Satoru and Tsumiki stared at each other for a moment, Satoru responded to what Megumi said with a simple shrug before both he and Tsumiki started to follow behind Megumi.
The whole way home Megumi walked ahead of Satoru and Tsumiki, but never too far off for him to be in any danger. Tsumiki telling Satoru about her day, followed by her asking him about his.
Once they had reached the Fushiguro’s residence Megumi threw his backpack to the floor and kicked off his shoes and then stormed off to his room slamming his door closed. That was Megumi’s usual reaction when Satoru came over, and something Satoru had gotten used to.
He knew Megumi had his reasons to act the way he did. He also knew he didn’t have the tools to help Megumi deal with all that.
Satoru glanced down at Tsumiki who was looking towards her brother’s bedroom door. He placed a hand on her head causing her to look back up at him.
“How about we make dinner while Megumi cools off,” Satoru said smiling.
Tsumiki nodded and then removed her own shoes and went to the kitchen.
The rest of the evening had gone on without incident, dinner being quiet and it soon being time for the kids to go to bed. Soon, leaving Satoru alone in the living room of the apartment. He cleaned the dishes from dinner and put them away, and tidied up a few other things around the house.
Eventually Satoru had nothing left to do, and it was still too early for him to go to bed. So, he just sat on the floor in the living room, his back pressed against the couch.
Satoru had once more found himself with his phone in hand staring at Surugu’s number. And, as he often did, he pressed call and brought the phone to his ear. He listened as it rang, waiting for the click, waiting for it to switch to voicemail. But, he was met with a different sound, the call was answered but there was no response.
“Suguru?”
“Satoru,” Surguru’s voice came from the other end of the line. Though his name was said coldly there was the still ever present softness to it that always came when Suguru said his name.
“I didn’t expect you to pick up,” Satoru was unsure of what else to say.
“What do you want?” Suguru’s voice was still so cold.
“I missed hearing your voice,” Satoru replied, “it’s been a year.”
“I know.”
“What have you been up to,” Satoru asked, almost as if the events that preceded the mentioned year had been nothing.
“The same thing I was doing when I left, you should know that.”
Satoru wasn’t sure what he expected to hear. He knew Suguru was the type to stick with his morals, even when his actions seemed counterintuitive to everyone except Suguru himself.
Satoru heard Suguru sigh before he spoke again, “and what about you, Satoru?”
He couldn’t explain the emotion that welled in him, a heaviness settled in his chest. A moment that should have been happy but it stung.
“Remember Toji?”
“Regrettably.”
“I ended up taking in his kid. He has a lot of potential, you know? Toji sold him to the Zen’in clan. He inherited the ten shadows technique, he’ll be an amazing sorcerer one day.” Satoru spoke as if he was talking to an old friend he hadn’t seen in years. An old friend who he never had a falling out with, the one thing he and Suguru had.
“He sounds like quite the kid,” Suguru responded, his voice just as familiar as Satoru’s.
“Yeah,” Satoru leaned back, “if the kid works hard he’ll be as strong as me one day.”
“Maybe.”
There was a pause in the conversation before Satoru spoke again.
"I miss you.”
“I’m not coming back to Jujutsu high,” Surugu’s voice returned to being cold and sharp.
Satoru didn’t respond.
“Satoru,” Suguru paused, “never call this number again.”
At that the call ended.
Satoru sat his phone still to his ear, the end of call sound ringing through his whole body. He felt numb. He didn’t know how to react or if he even could. For a year he had called that number so desperately wanting to hear his friend's voice again, and he did, and he never will again.
He felt as if he was going to cry but his body wouldn’t let him.
Eventually the phone went quiet.
Satoru pulled it away, staring at the number. He did know how long that last call had gone on for.
With Suguru’s name and number still on the scene, Satoru made a decision. He deleted the contact. The number of his best friend, one he had called so many times before, one he had spent hours on the line with before the one fateful day. It was gone.
Satoru wasn’t sure if it was some type of acceptance that Suguru really wasn’t coming back. He wasn’t sure if it was something he could accept.
But, a year had passed, and Satoru knew his friend was a different person, and he was a different person. He was set to graduate from Jujutsu high soon, he had to train Megumi to make sure the kid would become a strong sorcerer, and above all else he was the strongest.
In the morning he would tell Shoko about the call, he figured she would say something along the lines of about time. He knew she would be correct.
He would only leave out the fact that deleting Suguru’s number left him with a hollow emptiness that he felt would never go away.
It was like losing Suguru all over again.