Chapter Text
Kokusen.
Kokusen.
Kokusen…
To the average person, the term Kokusen, roughly translating to black line, means nothing more than a simple mathematical plane of existence that is of a specific color to them, or just a black line for the less educated.
Only a special group, known as the Jujutsu Society, which lives amongst the normality of civilized life, knows the difference.
For them, Kokusen means Black Flash. The Black Flash is a distortion of space caused by cursed energy warping during a physical hit, such as a kick or punch. During this attack, this cursed energy is applied for a single microsecond, and if you compare that to the regular reaction time of a human, which is about 250,000 microseconds, it seems nearly impossible to even think of the concept, let alone demonstrate and optimize it.
However, if the conditions are right, the attack will be infused with this cursed energy in this very restricted timeframe, and the cursed energy acts as a multiplier, turning a simple punch into something way more soul-shattering, literally.
If you haven’t figured it out yet, the Black Flash is like a critical attack, only happening in very slim intervals and almost being impossible to perform, even being the best of modern-day sorcerers.
That is, unless you’re Itadori Yuuji.
Kokusen.
Kokusen.
Kokusen…
Of course, sorcerers in the past have managed to land multiple Black Flashes back to back, but it rarely happens that even a blue moon would be considered more common than a back-to-back Black Flash. However, there have been some sorcerers who've managed to hit one, if not many. These include, but are not limited to:
Kugisaki Nobara
Satoru Gojo
Kento Nanami
Yuuta Okkotsu
Todo Aoi
And even some notable curses, such as Mahito, the curse that could bend and mold the souls of many.
And Ryomen Sukuna, the King of Curses and the one who defeated and eliminated Gojo Satoru and Hajime Kashimo, the two sorcerers who owned the title “The Strongest” in their respective eras.
However, Sukuna would find out during his final showdown with the sorcerers of the modern era that he had underestimated someone.
That someone was his own vessel specifically constructed to properly house Sukuna and be used in fully reviving the ultimate curse, which was all being the works of Kenjaku, a parasitic cursed being who jumps from vessel to vessel by swapping and transferring his brain into the victim.
The last known victim of this swapping was Suguru Geto, a sorcerer who had gone rogue and fell to the power of Satoru Gojo and Yuuta Okkotsu.
But that was beside the point.
Before the Culling games and the eventual showdown between the Heian Era’s Strongest and the Tokyo/Kyoto students of Jujutsu Tech and the available sorcerers on standby, Nanami Kento held the record for four consecutive Black Flashes before his unfortunate end to Mahito during the Shibuya Incident.
For that time, no one had managed to break it for years. Not even Satoru Gojo managed to, and he was the record holder for the most Black Flashes overall.
But on December 25th, 2018, once sorcerer in particular broke that record by five while combating the King of Curses.
That sorcerer was the Man Chosen by the Sparks of Black.
The Strongest Sorcerer of Tomorrow.
Itadori Yuuji.
Kokusen.
Kokusen…
…KOKUSEN!
With that final Black Flash and assistance from Kugisaki, who everyone thought had passed during the Shibuya Incident, multiple things happened.
Megumi Fushiguro, who was taken over by Sukuna through a direct transfer from a possessed Yuuji during the culling games, was freed after all of the cursed fingers were puked out by force.
Sukuna’s essence turned into a blob, a pile of flesh with a single eye to see the world he had sought hard to rule over like he did a millennium ago.
The domain that Yuuji had produced on short notice crumbled away, letting the destroyed background of Shinjuku show what had to be sacrificed to kill the King.
And Yuuji?
Yuuji stood over the dethroned king, his stature a mocking of Sukuna’s power and uncanny resemblance.
However, Yuuji still believed he could fix that pathetic mass that had begun to fade on the ground. He picked it up and said something similar to Mahito all those months ago.
“You are me.”
Despite everything that has happened and highlighted many contrasts between the two, Yuuji still believed that the King of Curses was no better than a human.
Sukuna caught on, however, and it was then that Sukuna really knew the answer.
He wasn’t above humanity. He wasn’t even on par with them.
He was lower and more pathetic than them, a true curse.
And with that, Sukuna faded from true existence, the ash of his remains going with him as if the world was saying, ‘You don’t deserve to be remembered.’
With that, the final battle reached its conclusion. The modern era came out victorious, but not without many losses and unfortunate deaths.
Especially Satoru Gojo's.
There was no organized funeral for Satoru Gojo.
In fact, there were no organized funerals for any sorcerer who had fallen in combat. The reason for it was to protect the bodies from beings apprehended by rogue sorcerers or organizations to weaponize the body or its abilities that the corpse had that it once held while the user's heart was still beating.
The body of Satoru was cremated and put in an urn by the works of Shoko Ieiri, and the urn was offered to Yuuta, since the distant connections with the Gojo clan and Yuuta’s ancestors allowed Satoru to formally pass on the heir and ownership to Yuuta, but Yuuta turned it down, saying that if anything, it should go to Itadori.
“Satoru had more of an impact on Itadori, and Itadori admittedly followed in his footsteps as well. If he turns it down, then I’ll take it, but knowing him, I think Itadori will accept.”
The only other memorial to remember Satoru was a gravestone, with his clan’s name etched into the marble and incense sticks lit to guide Satoru to the afterlife. Flowers of various assortments were laid at the grave in honor of the Honored One. Some shed tears, some gave their farewells, and some bowed in respect for the sorcerer.
Eventually, the other jujutsu sorcerers began to depart on their own terms, the rather smaller crowd diminishing slowly and surely as the sun set beyond the horizon.
Only one had yet to leave by the time the sun dipped below and dusk came upon the gravestone.
Itadori sat in front of Satoru’s gravestone, lost in thought and feeling overwhelmed with sadness. For many, Satoru was just a teacher, coworker, or comrade to them. More specifically, for Megumi, it was his caregiver after Toji had passed, despite not knowing what actually happened until Megumi got the letter regarding the truth.
But for Itadori, Satoru felt like actual family. He was always there for Itadori, taking him under his wing and not treating him like he was a doomsday clock ready to go off when Itadori would consume all 20 of Sukuna’s fingers.
Hell, Satoru even treated him out with Megumi and Kugisaki like they were his kids (in which, technically, Megumi was).
In retrospect, Itadori saw him as a father figure and a brother. A person who valued the innocence of childhood despite the hard truth around approaching corners. An actual human, unlike the other Special Grade and Grade 1 sorcerers who had been appointed to teach younger and lower grades. All they did was boss around and give mission information, hammering in the fact that the students were the protectors of humanity and that certain luxuries couldn’t be provided. Satoru proved otherwise, that you could be as human as the rest.
The tears had been running down Itadori’s face ever since he sat down in front of his sensei’s grave, but now, they fell down his face like an emotional waterfall. Small sobs came from within his throat, his body hitching with every choke.
He just couldn’t accept what happened.
How could the Strongest fail against the evil for which he was sworn into this world to balance?
How could the person who had good intentions suffer the worst fate and go through so much trauma and manipulation?
Why couldn’t Satoru be given a second chance?
Those thoughts faded into the oncoming night as Itadori wiped his eyes and face with the hem of his sleeve. As he did, he felt a hand clasp his shoulder in a comforting manner, as if whoever was behind him was trying to soothe his emotions. Itadori didn’t look behind him. He just wanted to grieve by himself, but he awaited whatever they were about to say.
Silence.
Itadori’s sadness started to mix with a building confusion as he started to turn his head to see who was there.
“H-Hello?”
His eyes widened.
To Itadori’s shock, no one stood behind him. Not even a curse energy signature was present. The hand he felt on his shoulder also disappeared as he turned, feeling as if faded with the breeze. For a mere moment, Itadori sat in speculation as to why that happened to begin with.
Then he started bawling, his tears falling harder than ever.
“G-Gojo sensei! Please! Come back…come back…”
There wasn’t a doubt in Itadori’s mind that the hand he felt upon his shoulder was Satoru’s. Satoru was the type to comfort his students as such if they were feeling down, even doing it to Itadori to keep him afloat. Satoru even did so before his eventual showdown with Sukuna.
“I’m expecting great things from you. Got that, Yuuji?”
Itadori only cried harder.
3 years later
“So I guess this is it then, huh?”
Itadori said to Megumi and Kugisaki, who had just graduated along with them and now have the world to face on their own or together, depending on the paths they chose.
Megumi responded first as Kugisaki was in the middle of a thought.
“Yeah, we’re adults now. This was expected, Itadori.”
Itadori scuffed and shook his head.
“No duh. I’m 19, Fushiguro. What I meant by that was that, well…we’re our own selves, now. We don’t exactly have the society breathing down our necks anymore.”
“Wrong. They still have documentation, and you could be called in at any moment.”
“Oh come on, Fushiguro!”
Megumi let out a little snort while Kugisaki finally perked up from Itadori yelling out loud. Then they all laughed, no matter if they knew the context or not.
Three years ago, these three students had lost their dear sensei and many other friends along the way. As time went on, they realized that they still had each other. They’ve been unbreakable since.
Well, until now.
“So what are you guys planning to do now once we’re out of here?”
Kugisaki was the first to say this time.
“Eh, probably head back home. Tokyo is very beautiful, but I realized as beautiful as it is, it’s also a massive headache and feels very, very clustered together…ugh.”
“Idk, it seems lively to me. What about you, Fushiguro?”
Megumi scratches the back of his head in thought.
“If I’m going to be completely truthful, I’m not sure yet. I still have some things to wrap around my head.”
Kugisaki sighs.
“Of course, Mr. Mysterious. Can’t you ever be direct?”
Megumi glares at Kugisaki but shoves it off otherwise. Kugisaki redirects her attention to Itadori.
“How about you, Itadori? You got any swanky plans?”
Itadori paused. Just as Megumi was, Itadori hadn’t really put the thought into what he was going to do afterwards. He could go back to Sendai City, his hometown.
But who would be waiting there for him?
“…Honestly, Kugisaki, I don’t.”
“Huh? Seriously. You, the most fun guy to be around and the life of the party, doesn’t have plans after high school, let alone Jujutsu Tech?”
“…well, I might head back home to Sendai. I still have Satoru’s urn in my possession.”
“Oh…right.”
The three of them then got quiet. You could hear a pin drop in between the tension, but it was something they had to live with.
The true life of the party left a long time ago, and he wasn’t coming back.
“…Well, are you guys ready to say our goodbyes?”
Both Megumi and Kugisaki turned to Itadori, who was attempting to shift the sad moment by focusing on the task ahead, which was to bid farewell to their friends and comrades, some of whom they would never see again, possibly.
Megumi stayed silent. As for Kugisaki, she shrugged.
“If I’m going to be honest, not really. My train is also coming soon, and I gotta leave in 5 minutes pretty much, so this is my farewell.”
“Oh…well, stay safe on the ride back.”
“…Thanks, Yuuji. I’ll be seeing you, Batman.”
Megumi rolled his eyes at the comment as Kugisaki began to head towards her dorm to finalize packing and catch the ride to the train station, leaving Itadori and Megumi by themselves in the hall. The two look at each other. Not in affection. Not in malice.
But in respect for one another.
“Hey, Yuuji…I never really got to thank you for what happened in Shinjuku.”
Itadori cracked a small smile, an attempt to lighten the mood.
“You don’t need to, Fushiguro. You were hurting on the inside, and you just needed a cause to breathe a new life into you. Besides, I wasn’t expecting much from you anyway, being mysterious and all.”
“Don’t do that, Yuuji.”
“Aw, can’t handle slight teasing? Now I know why Kugisaki called you Batman.”
“And this conversation is done.”
Megumi turns his back to Itadori as he begins to walk down the hallway. Itadori’s smirk fades into a rest, and he sighs. Then, a thought pops into his head.
“Fushiguro, wait.”
Megumi pauses mid walk, tilting his head towards Itadori despite his back facing his friend.
“What?”
“…just…good luck in life. It was a pleasure to know you for all these years, Megumi.”
Another moment of silence stretched between the two before Megumi began to walk down the hallway again, not responding to Itadori.
Itadori felt hurt. How could he just walk off without saying anything in response? Did he just not care?
Then, Megumi spoke aloud.
“You too, Itadori. Say hi to Ozawa for me.”
Megumi then disappeared down the hall, turning the corner and leaving Itadori by himself.
“…I will, Megumi…”