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It takes several seconds for Suguru to realize his phone is ringing. He’s frozen in place, staring at the children who look up at him from the cage they’re locked in. He feels like he might just explode. It’s bad enough how he and his friends have to suffer for the sake of non-sorcerers. Seeing these kids treated like this by those monkeys is enough for something to break inside him. He can’t let this continue. Something has to change.
The phone’s still ringing. Suguru blinks a few times, his field of vision widening again, seeing more of his surroundings than just the girls in front of him. He digs out his phone and flips it open. Satoru. Why is Satoru calling at a time like this? (It’s a stupid question. Satoru practically never calls him for a real reason. Lately, he hasn’t been calling at all. Why is he being pushed so hard, too?)
“Satoru,” Suguru breathes into the phone. He hadn’t realized he was holding his breath. Now that the trance is broken, he finds himself gasping for air, feeling almost lightheaded.
“Suguru? You sound off, is everything okay?” Satoru asks, sounding unsure. He’d indeed been intending to talk about something inane just to pass the time, but Suguru’s tone immediately set alarm bells off in his head. Suguru never sounds like that. Something must be wrong. Satoru’s already straining to remember where Suguru’s mission of the day was supposed to be and considering if he’s confident enough with his long-range teleportation to get there this instant.
“Suguru? Are you there? Can you hear me?” Satoru questions, more uncertain. The silence has stretched on long enough for him to start to really worry. He needs to know what’s going on. Something’s so, so wrong.
“I- I’m going to kill people, Satoru,” Suguru says, still staring at the girls, horrified. His voice is soft. He sounds like he doesn’t even believe the words that are coming out of his mouth, but he knows them to be true nonetheless. There’s no other way for this to end. Suguru can not, will not let this go unpunished. The children look terrified, frail and dirty. Have they even been eating?
Instead of an answer on the phone, Suguru hears a loud crash outside. Then, there are identical curses being yelled out, one from outside, one into his ear on the phone. It’s Satoru. Suguru only feels less in control the more the situation develops.
Moments later, Satoru bursts in through the door, having pinpointed Suguru’s cursed energy inside the house. Through the door that he left ajar, Suguru can see the presumed cause of the scream. The roof of one of the other houses is caved in. Satoru is covered in debris. (Satoru wasn’t quite confident enough. He teleported anyway. What’s a little destruction of property and personal injury when Suguru’s in trouble?)
“Sorry, come again?” Satoru says, bewildered. He’s still holding his phone to his ear, even though he has crashed into a building and Suguru can hear him just fine at this distance. His eyes are wide as he takes in the scene, the wary adults next to him, the terrified children in a cage behind Suguru. It’s a lot, that’s for sure. Satoru is beginning to understand why Suguru sounded so off.
“I’m going to kill these people. Satoru, they- these kids- I can’t let this happen, Satoru, and you can’t stop me,” Suguru says, shaking his head. He sounds frazzled, on the brink of breaking, which is a dangerous thing to be when you’re a Special Grade. Satoru knows it better than anyone. He remembers the Star Religious Group. He sees the same fire in Suguru’s eyes that he felt carrying Amanai’s body. They slowly set their phones down, staring at each other, not even blinking.
It feels like Satoru is defusing a bomb, in all honesty. A nuclear bomb in the shape of his best friend. He can’t let it detonate. Suguru would become a curse user. He’d never come home with Satoru again if Satoru couldn’t get him to do so now. Satoru swallows and nods, taking a few breaths. He looks around. The adults, probably the girls’ parents, look appropriately terrified. Satoru shuts the door behind him. If they run, Suguru will go after them, or worse, and Satoru will lose his window to talk to him. He can’t let that happen, not yet.
“Okay. Okay, Suguru. Give me a second here, alright? We can figure this out. We’re the strongest, right? We can figure it out. Let’s not be hasty, now, okay?” Satoru pleads. Time. He needs time. He needs to come up with the right words, he needs to figure out what’s going on with Suguru, he needs to figure out the solution because he’s also sure as hell not letting anyone get away with what’s being done to these poor kids. (Why doesn’t he know what’s going on with Suguru? When did he stop knowing? Did he ever know?)
“Fucking- Satoru, shut the hell up. You’ve got no right to be talking about ‘we’ right now. You’ve gone way past me. I’m not the strongest anymore. I’m serious, Satoru. And I don’t have a goddamn second . I should’ve done something a long time ago. Before Haibara. Before Amanai. I’m done fucking waiting, Satoru,” Suguru growls. Satoru’s been busier than ever for months now, perfecting his techniques, working on solo missions, even more closed off than he used to be ever since Fushiguro Toji. He’s made insane progress in his control of his techniques. They aren’t the strongest anymore. Satoru is.
“I- I understand, okay? I get it, I’m sorry, I know. I agree. Something should’ve been done. You’re right. I’m sorry. Just- let’s talk, okay? Please,” Satoru begs. He feels so stupid. He’s been so selfish. He hasn’t stopped to look around him since Toji, too focused on making sure nobody ever catches him off guard like that again. He knew something was wrong. He knew Suguru seemed thinner, more distant, unwell. And he let Suguru brush it off like an idiot.
Suguru feels conflicted. Adrenaline’s still racing through his veins, demanding him to take action right this second. He’s so angry, at Satoru, at the system, at this village, at the world, at everything. And yet, he’s still weak to the fear in Satoru’s eyes. As much as he wants to tell Satoru to fuck off and let his curses loose on the village, he knows he’ll regret it for the rest of his life if that’s how he leaves things. He can spare a few minutes. Just a few minutes.
“What’s there to say, Satoru?” Suguru whispers, shaking his head. He doesn’t see any other way out. There’s no way he’s going to let things continue like this. He has to kill all the monkeys. That’s the only way his loved ones are ever going to be safe. That’s the only way he can make this world tolerable.
“So much, Suguru, there’s so much. I’m so sorry, for one. I should’ve pushed. I knew something was off. I should’ve asked. I’m sorry I’ve been pushing you away, I just- since Toji, I just- I have to make sure nobody’s able to do that to me ever again. I know it’s selfish, I’m sorry, I’m here now. I’ll fix it. We’ll figure out a solution, just… I just need time, Suguru,” Satoru rambles in a panic. It feels like no words are enough.
Suguru understands. He really does. Satoru died that day. It’s honestly probably impressive that he isn’t doing worse than he is. It’s a selfish thing to want him to slow down so Suguru could keep up. It’s not like any of this is even Satoru’s fault. Satoru’s a victim as much as he is, as much as Amanai and Haibara and everyone else is. Suguru can’t blame Satoru for running away to keep himself safe and sane, not really. But that doesn’t mean that Suguru hasn’t been driven into a corner, too, that he doesn’t have to do whatever needs to be done to keep his sanity.
“There’s no time. Curses are being born as we speak. Who knows how many other kids there are in shitty situations like this because nobody around them knows what cursed energy is? Satoru, I don’t blame you, I don’t, but- something has to change. Something has to be done, and it has to be done now ,” Suguru says, expression pained. Why is the world so full of contradiction and strife? Why does he have to argue with Satoru when he’s just trying to make the world better for him?
“I know, I understand, we’ll figure it out, just… don’t leave me behind, please, Suguru. If you raze a whole village, you’re going down a path I can’t follow you on. I can’t do this alone, Suguru, you’re- you’re the only one who’s ever made me feel like a person , and if you leave, I just… I can’t do it, Suguru, but if I have you, then we can do something, okay? I’m the Six Eyes wielder, the head of the Gojo clan, right? We can change the system, right?” Satoru suggests, stuttering and pleading in his desperation. In his head, that’s always been the plan. The strongest at the top of the Jujutsu world, changing the order of things, as soon as they graduate and can actually assert their power as adults. It hadn’t ever occurred to him that Suguru was going down a different road.
Suguru is clenching and unclenching his fists, conflicted, uncertain. It’s true that Satoru is the honored one. If anyone can change things from within, it’s Satoru, both by birthright and by sheer strength. Suguru understands the other side of it, too, the loneliness of being born blessed like Satoru. He’s seen how others treat him like a godling, with fear or disdain or respect. Suguru knows it’s no exaggeration to say that he’s been Satoru’s only peer for the past years.
But is it really possible? The system is thousands of years old. The higher-ups aren’t weaklings, either, from what Suguru knows. Even if Satoru has the weight of the Gojo clan behind him, there’s still the other two great clans. Change from within will inevitably be slower, too. Democracy and compromise and cultural change take years, decades, generations to affect real change.
A revolution flips the table instead of trying to slowly turn it. But Suguru understands how much bloodshed is involved in drastic change like that. He’d thought about it, more than he really should. If it was sorcerers dying for each other, dying for their causes, instead of dying for weaklings who have no idea of the sacrifices made for them each day, Suguru could live with it. At least then there would be meaning in it, if it was for each other, for loved ones, for change. But still, nobody having to die would be better. Suguru had just written the idea off as impossible. But Satoru himself is impossible. Maybe if it’s Satoru, maybe it can be done.
“I’m… I don’t know, Satoru,” Suguru admits quietly. He shakes his head, conflicted. His head is hurting. The kids are still behind him in the cage. He was so sure of his plan just a few minutes ago. What Satoru is saying sounds too good to be true, really. Suguru doesn’t know if he can trust in a plan like this, if he can afford to waste time trying to change things slowly.
“That’s okay, that’s fine! Just… think about it, okay? Look, I get it, I do. I would’ve killed every single person in that room back then if you hadn’t told me not to. All I’m asking is for you to take a moment. We can talk specifics, strategy. I’m not above a bit of bloodshed, but this is too much, Suguru. We can’t kill innocent people who don’t know better. That’s not the world I want to live in,” Satoru speaks more confidently, gaining traction. Now that he’s at least gotten through to Suguru enough for him to pause, he feels a lot better about his chances.
Suguru thinks for a moment that feels like an eternity for everyone in the room. In reality, it lasts for two minutes at most. Maybe Satoru is right. Maybe he can trust Satoru. Maybe Satoru really is as afraid of being left behind as Suguru is. There’s so much he wants to ask, to talk about, to tell Satoru, now that they’re finally talking. He can’t leave things like this, at the very least. Suguru comes to a conclusion. He nods.
“Okay. Okay, Satoru. I’m… willing to hear you out. I’ll give it some time. We… we have a lot to talk about. But I have one condition,” Suguru asks, hesitant. He knows he’s pushing it. Satoru would be right to put him in binds and turn him in for just what he’s admitted to planning on doing. But this is Satoru, and if there’s one person in this world he can give a chance to, it’s him.
“Anything,” Satoru gives back immediately. The thought of turning Suguru in hasn’t even crossed his mind. The only thing that matters is getting Suguru to come back home with him so they can talk things out and figure out how to fix things, how to make it so that they can be next to each other for the rest of their lives.
“Those two have to go,” Suguru says, nodding towards the cowering adults in the corner. They’re the parents who showed Suguru to the girls, demanding that he exorcize them, screeching about how they’re devils, how twins are always bad luck. They were so proud to show how they kept the children in a cage, “for everyone’s safety”. They thought Suguru would agree that it was a good thing, thank them for containing the “problem”. His stomach turns just thinking about it.
“Done,” Satoru responds and nods. The next second, the adults are already gone in a flash of blue before they can even scream. Satoru has seen enough, and he trusts Suguru more than anyone, more than himself. If Suguru wants them dead, they must be the cause of the sorry state of the kids. Satoru knows he should probably struggle with it more than he does, but in all honesty, if killing two abusive assholes is what it takes to bring Suguru home with him, he’ll do it over and over again if he has to.
Suguru blinks in shock for a moment. He thought Satoru would fight him on it, to tell him to leave them to the authorities or at the very least demand an explanation. He didn’t think Satoru respected him like that anymore. He thought he’d been left behind, no longer worthy of standing next to Satoru as an equal, certainly not in any position to make decisions like this for him. It makes his eyes well up with tears. Sure, it’s probably sort of very fucked up, but Satoru killing those people for him is the strongest evidence he could’ve ever gotten that Satoru hasn’t left him behind.
“Thank you,” Suguru whispers, a relieved breath leaving him. He hadn’t even realized how tense the presence of those bastards had made him until they were gone. He hears sound behind him, and only then does he remember that the poor twins behind him just witnessed their parents killed in front of their eyes. He turns around in a panic, not wanting to scare the kids any more, and squats in front of the cage.
Instead, the little faces are relieved. The girls are hugging each other and crying quietly. It’s barely audible, a sad sign of how they’ve been expected to behave. One of them mouths a thank you to Suguru, even though she can’t quite get the words out through her tears. Suguru understands anyways and nods, smiling softly, hoping that he looks reassuring and safe rather than scary and imposing.
“So, uh… let’s call Shoko?” Satoru asks gently, testing the waters. He sounds almost hopeful. It’s really starting to seem like Suguru is coming home. And like they’re probably bringing in two future students with them who will definitely need a medical exam. Satoru’s already been looking into adopting the Fushiguro kid and his sister. What’s a couple more kids, really?
Suguru turns to face him and nods. He feels exhausted now. He takes in Satoru’s nervous, disheveled appearance. He doesn’t know what would’ve happened if Satoru hadn’t called him. (Actually, he does know. He’d just prefer to not think about it.) He steps in close and wraps him in a hug, hanging half his weight off of the lanky teenager. It’s always been the other way around, but right now, Suguru needs Satoru to carry his weight, too, and Satoru is more than okay with that.