Chapter Text
***
[April 30th, 8:01 p.m.]
[Sugisawa Third High School, Exterior]
***
Gulp!
“No.” Megumi Fushiguro muttered as he watched the Finger go down the other teen’s throat.
Yuji Itadori was going to die. Sukuna’s finger was essentially a deadly poison. And if that didn't kill him the cursed spirit currently swinging him around would. Unless… no, there was only a one in a million chance of that happening. The worst possible scenario…
BOOM!
… the cursed object incarnated.
The spirit was gone, exorcised in one strike. Yuji… no, Sukuna landed on his feet. He took a long, slow breath as his thick, segmented and muscular bikaku shortened with an audible hiss. His four eyes, the left pair normal; the right black-scleraed with crimson irises, scanned his surroundings. He was on a walkway, under a starry sky, standing across a strangely garbed youth with black, spiky hair.
“It worked.”
Riiiip!
“Ha! Ha! Ha! Ha!” Sukuna burst into a maniacal cackle as he tore off Yuji’s yellow hoodie.
“Finally, I have a body again.” He leapt onto the walkway's railing, his arms and kagune outstretched. “And what a wonderful era to reawaken in.” His leer widened. “The humans, they're crawling everywhere like maggots. How marvellous! It'll be a mass- huh?”
His hand was on his jaw. Why was he grabbing his own jaw?
Sukuna unconsciously jumped off the railing, landing on the walkway with a soft thud.
“Give it back."
“How are you moving?”
“I mean, it is my body.”
‘He's… suppressing… me? How?’
Megumi slid into a stance, his shadow swirling beneath his feet. He had to act fast. As per the Principles, Yuji Itadori was no longer human. He had to be exorcised.
‘Wait, why is Fushiguro looking at me like that? Does he think…
“Fushiguro, wait! I'm in control.” Yuji raised his hands, “See?.”
‘Is he?’ Megumi thought
Sukuna could be imitating Yuji’s voice, trying to lull Megumi into a false sense of safety. But, Itadori sounded so sincere. But what if Sukuna did that on purpose? Megumi’s shadow swirled, seemingly echoing his indecision.
‘Damn it, what do I do now?’
“Hey, what’s the situation?” The shadows dissipated as Megumi turned, coming face to face with…
“Mr. Gojo?! What are you doing here?”
Gojo raised his hand “I wasn't really planning on showing up, but the higher ups were having a hissy fit over a special grade cursed object going missing. And since you hadn't checked in yet, I decided to stop by while I was out sightseeing,”
Gojo leaned forward, “Man, you're roughed up!” He whipped out his phone and started taking pictures with a goofy grin on his face. “I'm gonna show this to all the second years!”
Megumi turned away with a tsk!, covering his bruised face with his arm.
“So, where is it?”
Megumi pointed at Yuji.
“Sorry, I ate it”
“For real?"
“For real.” Yuji and Megumi chorused.
Gojo walked up to Yuji. He hummed with a hand on his chin as he closely examined the lad. He chuckled.
“Damn, it really did combine with you.” He stepped back. “Anything wrong with your body?”
“Not really.”
“Can you swap with Sukuna?”
“I think so.”
“Okay.” Gojo started stretching. “Give him control for about 10 seconds.”
“But…”
“Don't worry, I can handle him. I'm way stronger than he is. Megumi…” Gojo tossed his bag at his student. “Hold that for me.”
“What is this?”
“Kikufuku from Kikusuisan. It's Sendai's speciality and it's super good. I recommend the zunda and cream flavour.”
“You were out buying souvenirs while people were in danger!" Megumi barked.
“They aren't souvenirs. I'm gonna eat those on the bullet train home. By the way, Kikufuku aren't like any other sweets…”
Whoosh!
“Look out!”
Sukuna's bikaku shot forward, homing in on Satoru's exposed back like a missile. The tail got closer and closer before it just… stopped. Sukuna gaped.
“... the whipped cream inside puts them on a whole other level.” Gojo continued, completely unbothered.
Sukuna rushed Gojo, throwing a flurry of punches and kicks. Satoru avoided every single one.
“Since my student's watching,” Satoru whispered into Sukuna’s left ear, after effortlessly slipping around another punch, “I'm gonna show off a little.”
Whoosh! Whoosh!
With a grunt, Sukuna retaliated with a backhand and a thrust of his bikaku. He missed. Again. With a tsk!, Sukuna pressed on, weaving his kagune's rapid thrusts into his barrage.
Whoosh, BOOM! Whoosh, Whoosh! BOOM!..
Not a single one landed. That on its own was bad enough but that damn sorcerer, based on his cheeky smirk and clear nonchalance, clearly wasn't taking him seriously.
“You'll regret treating me like a joke you… argh!”
Gojo rematerialised behind Sukuna, grabbed him by the arm, and spun him face first into his elbow.
Pow!
The blow connected, launching Sukuna skyward.
‘Is he unbelievably fast?’ His eyes narrowed as he watched the sorcerer pull back his arm. ‘No, that's not it.’
Gojo swung and struck… the air?
Pow! Whoosh!
Whatever that blindfolded sorcerer did sent him flying over the walkway.
CRASH!
He spread his bikaku out, using them to avoid smashing into the wall.
“My bikaku aren't enough.” Sukuna's other kagune burst out of his shoulders, the RC cells shaping themselves into bat-like wings.
Boom!
His bikaku pushed him off the wall, hurling him towards Gojo.
“You Jujutsu Sorcerers are so aggravating,” His ukaku crystallised, “in every single era!”
Whoosh! BOOM! Whoosh! BOOM!…
Dozens upon dozens of spike-like projectiles shot out of the ukaku, cutting through the air before raining down on Satoru and his immediate surroundings.
“Nevertheless, you're all nothing more than… huh?”
The cloud cleared. His projectiles and the debris floated in front of the completely unharmed sorcerer and his student.
“And, that should do it.”
Ba-dump!
Sukuna tensed, feeling that damn brat's consciousness surfacing again.
‘Why can't I take over this body?’ Sukuna's head slumped forward ‘Who…is…this… brat?’
Yuji straightened as Sukuna’s kagune dematerialised.
“Wow, you really can control him.”
“I just wish I could shut him up.” Yuji repeatedly hit his head with his palm “He's so annoying.”
Gojo walked up to the teen “It's a miracle that's all he's doing.”
He gently tapped Yuji on the forehead. Seconds later, the teen fell into Gojo's arms, completely unconscious.
“What did you do to him?”
“Just knocked him out.” Gojo slung Yuji over his shoulders like a burlap sack. “If he wakes up as himself, then we are extremely lucky.” He faced his student. “By the way, what do you think we should do with him?”
Megumi rubbed his chin with a hum.
“Even if we can use him to contain Sukuna, Jujutsu regulations still demand that he has to be executed. But,” Megumi sighed, “I don't want him to die.”
“Personal?”
“I suppose. Can you save him?”
Gojo gave him a thumbs up and a toothy grin. “You can count on me.”
With nothing more to do, it was time to head h…
“I see people on the roof!”
Gojo looked up.
“I just realised that you never dropped a Curtain.”
“I was in a hurry. Plus, no one other than Itadori and his two friends were here and it was pretty late so I was sure no one would notice.” Megumi looked over the edge, at the news reporters gathered down below. Thankfully, none of their cameras were on so he was safe. “Guess I was wrong.”
“As punishment, you’ll have to talk to them.”
Megumi’s left eye twitched.
“I thought you loved being on camera. And now that I think about it, you made way more noise than I…”
“Good luck”
His teacher gave Megumi a thumbs up before vanishing.
‘I need to figure out a way to punch him.’
Megumi fished a badge and a ring out of his pockets. He infused the ring with a little cursed energy CE, activating its ability.
Cloak
Megumi now looked exactly like the man pictured on the badge. An agent of the Commission of Counter Ghoul/CCG.
Whoosh! Thud!
He hopped off the roof, landing right in the middle of the reporters. Megumi ignored their incredulous stares and gasps before beginning his “account” of what happened
***
[The next morning]
[Interior, Kanou General hospital, Tokyo]
***
Ken Kaneki, in his hospital bed, watched the TV mounted on the wall, out of boredom rather than genuine interest. The screen cut from a press conference – Kaneki felt a little bad for putting Dr. Kanou in that situation: those journalists were merciless – to another bulletin.
The ticker at the bottom read: HIGH SCHOOL IN SENDAI TEMPORARILY CLOSED FOLLOWING GHOUL ENCOUNTER WITH CCG. NO CIVILIAN CASUALTIES REPORTED. TWO STUDENTS HOSPITALISED.
The screen showed the aftermath of the encounter. The walkway connecting the two school buildings was riddled with debris and craters. There were two massive holes in the building's walls, the larger one near one of the walkway's ends. It then showed a visibly irritated middle aged CCG agent talking to some reporters.
Last night's memories surfaced. Rize Kamishiro's face, their dates, the alley, her eyes, her teeth digging into his shoulder, the weight of steel girders. He pushed them back, breathing hard.
“In. Out. In. Out”
Ken hoped that the two students were as lucky as he was.
Well, slightly luckier than he was. Dr Kanou had essentially given him a second chance at life.
‘I just wish it didn’t come with some caveats.’
His eyes drifted to the untouched meal on his tray. The nurses had assured him it tasted fine. They even ate the food right in front of him to prove they weren’t lying. But every time he tried eating it, it just tasted awful like he was trying to eat sand, glue or anything inedible. And it made him vomit. Doctor Kanou and the nurses assured him that whatever was happening would pass. That his body was likely still adjusting from the surgery.
‘I really hope they’re right.’