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"Ah." Yuuji blinked up at the figure towering him.
"Ah." The figure blinked back, or so Yuuji had assumed from the movement behind their blindfold.
"Shit."
Yuuji was told to retrieve a cursed object from an abandoned site in Morioka. Apparently, it wasn't all that powerful and was left alone there for years as it hadn't attracted any wayward curses. Regardless, ever since the Harmony ritual, the Jujutsu Headquarters decided to cull anything that could attract curses even if curses were non-existent at the moment.
It was a simple mission they hadn't needed him for, but lately he had been feeling bored on his day offs. His pachinko wins were less frequent, so to save face, he didn't want to head there for a while. Therefore, he volunteered to get the cursed object back.
Said cursed object was a temari ball, a small sphere made out of threads with an intricate flower design in a beautiful colour combination of blue and orange. The bell inside chimed a pleasant sound when he shook it. It exuded only a small amount of cursed energy.
But something was amiss.
His suspicion was proven right the moment Yuuji stepped out of the forest. The ball began to vibrate uncontrollably that he had to hold it with both hands. There was nothing Yuuji could do when it burnt a bright white light, making his eyes screw shut. When he reopened them, Yuuji could tell he was translocated to somewhere else.
But he didn't exactly expect he would time-travel all the way to the year 2018 because what else could explain his very deceased teacher standing before him with his hand tucked under his chin.
They stared at each other for a long moment before the white haired man took it upon himself to break the awkward silence. He crossed over his arms and looked down contemplatively. "You know, my eyes tell me you're a dear student of mine but your energy feels a little odd… like that of a cursed spirit."
Yuuji rose from the ground and adjusted his hood back to its normal position, brushing away the soil on his wide white pants. He casually examined the environment—they were in an open space surrounded by trees and secluded from the public eye.
"Then you shouldn't trust your eyes, sensei," he said, glancing up at the man. It really is Gojo-sensei.
Gojo-sensei pursed his lips. "Why not?"
"I have long come to realisation that it never hurts to trust our instinct."
"How wise of you, Yuuji." The smile below the blindfold widened to show all the pearly whites. "Now what have you gotten yourself in the future?" But before Yuuji could even start explaining himself, Gojo interjected him curtly, "Actually save that for later; I'm craving a duel now."
"Eh?"
That was all he could manage out before he sensed a force of attraction—Blue—pulling his body straight towards Gojo-sensei's fist. He would've been sucker-punched in the stomach if Yuuji hadn't side-stepped it just before the moment of contact.
"A warning would've been nice!" He yelled as he braced for an incoming Red to his right. He was able to tank it by reinforcing cursed energy on the right side of his body and healed the rest of the injuries, but it still hurt like a bitch.
"I did warn ya!"
"Yeah right."
Yuuji had never fought Gojo seriously before. His teacher always held himself back during training lessons. As a matter of a fact, Yuuji hadn't faced any strong opponents for decades, so this was new, suprisingly thrilling and maybe a little scary for him.
He couldn't tell how much he should reveal without messing up the current timeline. So he started with his classic. The black sparks exploded as he hit Gojo's upper right arm. He heard the man whistle softly. Of course, Yuuji thought. His younger self had a knack for Black Flash but his wouldn't become as refined until he was older.
Yuuji's next Black Flash produced a shock wave so powerful that it catapulted Gojo thirty meters away from him. "It's fine! Go all out, I won't even bother you with questions." Yuuji heard his teacher holler from somewhere. He wondered where the man had disappeared off to.
Yuuji was undeterred when the man showed up beside him without any tell, yanking Yuuji's arm and gave him a spin. It was a little disorientating, but they exchanged fists again, skin to skin and no infinity separating them. When Yuuji first took notice of the absence of Infinity, he peered at his teacher questioningly. The man merely shrugged his shoulders, smile stretching in the same insouciance. It was as if his teacher was taunting him to use Shrine.
Of course, how would Black Flashes alone satiate this beast?
Then, so be it. Yuuji would show him.
No gesture, no command; There was no need for them as as his form had matured and his skills were already way more evolved by now. Yuuji made a perfect incision, cutting off all four fingers from Gojo's left hand diagonally as one would an array of bamboo poles. In his peripheral, he saw the blindfold moving up, and his teacher's smile carrying a child-like eagerness to it. Thus, it was Gojo's turn to go all out. He activated his Infinity and pulled down his blindfold.
Yuuji momentarily found himself lost in that ocean blue of those eyes.
How many years had it been since Yuuji had sent his teacher off to his final battle?
At that moment, Yuuji didn't mind taking Gojo-sensei's Blue-infused punch to the face. As pain bloomed on the right of his head, there was a hideous cacophany of squelching flesh and crunching bones, ending into a brief ringing in his ear. His jaw was dislocated for sure, but it was nothing a little RCT wouldn't fix.
Gojo was grinning, as if he was already expecting that Yuuji would know how to counter his infinity. There was a smug feeling that came to Yuuji when that grin wavered at his next move, though. Gojo might have predicted that Yuji knew Domain Amplification, but never would've even thought of Yuuji using Piercing Blood.
Yuuji slowed down after a barrage of attacks. His next uppercut was going to be a feint. He could tell Gojo knew it was a feint, so his teacher didn't bother dodging. Wearing a smug smile of his own, Yuuji changed the trajectory of his fist to his other palm. The Piercing Blood was instant, point blank, aimed right at the centre of Gojo's face. His teacher was however brilliant, moving just in time for it land on his shoulder instead.
The younger of the two hissed, perhaps it was due to the poison sinking in. Gojo-sensei didn't say a word, but his head tilted at a 40° angle at Yuuji and his white lashes crumpled together, as if to ask, "When the fuck did you learn that?"
Gojo was relentless after that. Yuuji had unknowingly unleashed a beast he hadn't known since Shinjuku battle. His every hit had immense power behind it that if anyone less of Yuuji's calibre had been hit it, it would've been an instant death for them. Luckily Yuuji's body was built to absorb such brutality. Although Gojo's attacks packed more power the longer the fight went on, Yuuji took everything that came at him and doubled it right back at his teacher.
They only came to an abrupt end and to Yuuji's surprise, it was Gojo who called it off.
"Timeout!" he had exclaimed. "This was really fun." Once he caught his breath, he sighed dramatically. "But I have to stop myself before I have a hard time letting you go back to your world."
Yuuji's eyes fluttered. "You can tell?"
"Yeah. You are still a head shorter than me but I can see you've grown much taller than my Yuuji."
The pink-head's heart shrank a bit at the use of the possessive determiner. After all, this wasn't his teacher.
He shook it off with ease. Wiping the remaining sweat away, Yuuji put his hands back in his pants' pockets and faced his teacher. "I was handling this cursed object." He fished out the temari ball—thankfully still in one piece—and let Gojo examine it. "It started vibrating and ringing out of nowhere. Then bam. Now I'm here in the past." He pointed at himself.
Gojo laughed as he turned the ball this way and that way. "Hey, at least you came to a timeline where I know you. I would've killed you otherwise."
Yuuji smiled. "That's very reassuring."
Gojo nodded uncaringly. "Seems like the temari is hiding a little secret. A tiny barrier." His teacher bounced the temari ball in his hand, a little too precariously in Yuuji's opinion. "Visualise a black blurry spot; That's what I see over this cursed object. If this is what propelled you into the present, well past, then it must be hiding a huge amount of cursed energy behind this barrier."
This was what the HQ assessed to be of low priority? "What about the vibration?"
"Right."
Before Yuuji could interfere, Gojo shook the ball violently. The bell chimed once and nothing else happened.
"I guess you're stuck here then," Gojo chirped happily as he tossed it back to Yuuji.
"Ah, sensei. I wouldn't joke about it. It's best if I get back soon. Even my presence may be messing up your timeline." He tried jiggling the temari, but to no avail.
By this time, Gojo had put back his blindfold on as he inquired Yuuji. "How are you so sure this is your original timeline? It can be a branch reality instead," his tone was pragmatic.
Yuuji had given up on forcing the cursed object to activate. Sighing deeply, he repeated, "May be. May be a branching reality. Or may be something even more complicated. What if I had replaced my teenage self?"
"Ah, I forgot about it." Gojo straightened up from his slouch. "Let's ask him!"
The hooded man watched his teacher fiddle with his phone. He couldn't help but note, "Sensei, you're awfully normal about this, you know."
"Not every day you see someone time-travelling from the future," Gojo drawled as the call rang.
"Sensei!" A boyish voice on the other end of the line exclaimed cheerfully. The Yuuji of the future became instantly alert.
"Yuuji-kun! Where are you now?" His teacher put the call on speaker.
"In the car. We're on the way to the mission site. What's up?"
"Nothing! Just thought of my cute student."
"What is that paintbrush-head bothering you for now?" The female voice was less audible but their annoyance couldn't be any clearer.
Yuuji's heart skipped a beat.
"We were talking about going to the new cafe in Akihabara. They're saying the chocolate mousse there is spectacular and that the chef is from Sweden, so it must be good. Wish you were here too."
Yuuji looked away, mortified.
"We can go together next time. Have a fun mission!"
The call cut off with an enthusiastic goodbye from his younger self.
There was a beat of silence.
"So…?" And there it was.
"It's weird. Hearing myself." Yuuji admitted. "Did I always sound that… excited?"
"Mm mm. You do. What, are you embarassed?" His teacher's shit-eating grin was inevitable.
"No. Every teenager is like that." Yuuji said, sounding skeptical even to himself. Gojo, being the tease he was, shook his head in an exaggerated slow manner, which Yuuji took as a cue to leave before he would embarass himself further.
Doing that earned him another question from Gojo. "What are you doing?"
"I'll stick around here until the temari activates on its own." Yuuji proceeded to tread back to where he first showed up.
He heard Gojo's footsteps following him. "So what, you're gonna sit there like a duck?"
"Yes." Was that not obvious?
"Or you could go on a fun little date with me?"
Yuuji pivoted his full body to face his teacher with absolute scrutiny. "What?"
"You could've ended up anywhere else but that temari ball led you to me. Why do you think so?"
Yuuji didn't answer, for he had none. He also pondered the exact question ever since he had arrived here.
Gojo closed their distance in just three steps. He brought up his right forefinger and made a little circle like it was his wand. "I call it destiny, Yuuji-kun. Maybe it wants us to spend time together."
Yuuji felt peculiar today, perhaps it was the time-travel lag, if that was even a thing. The more he stayed with his teacher, the more his heart did somersaults he didn't sign up for.
When Yuuji didn't dare to say anything, Gojo continued in his stead, "When you first got here, you looked at me like I was a ghost. Even if you're not the Yuuji-kun I know, I can read you just fine. I have long kicked the bucket in your timeline, haven't I?"
Yuuji smiled. He couldn't help it. His teacher had always been so blunt about everything. Of course he'd be like that with his own death.
"So what do you say?"
Yuuji had agreed to their… date. His teacher didn't tell him where they were going and had only asked for his hand and Yuuji let him take it without a second thought. It felt nostalgic, putting his trust onto his teacher again after years. They were teleported to what seemed to be a moderately crowded amusement park. Yuuji noticed the familiarity of it as he took a glance around him.
"Wait," Yuuji muttered when he recognised the elephant mascot illustrated on a billboard. "We've been here before."
"Yeah, while you were dead. And I recall you really liked this," Gojo sounded proud of himself.
"I did." Yuuji was astonished by it all because this amusement park was drastically renovated in his timeline that it no longer resembled its past self. He hadn't cared all that much to go there again once the familiarity was lost.
He felt a tap on his shoulder, it was Gojo-sensei. "Well, what are you waiting for?"
Since it was a weekday, the amusement park was less crowded with the Japanese and the foreigners, so Satoru was able to get two admission tickets online right away. As it was an amusement park, the first thing they got on was the nearest roller coaster ride. How ironic was that Satoru and his Yuuji went on the same ride two months ago and now he was with Yuuji's future self. One would call him a two-timing bastard.
The ride was certainly fun, not as plain as the normal roller coasters, but Satoru had no care for it. It was the enigma cladded in a white windbreaker next to him that caught his utmost attention, the second time Satoru was able to witness the cherry blossom hair in its entirety. The wind took off the pesky little hood and glided through the pink hair freely. A single lock longer than the rest, Satoru swallowed the urge to curl it under his finger.
His student's future self was unmistakably different from his own Yuuji. He had his student's cheekiness, but he was more reserved, wiser and most of all, he couldn't deny that Yuuji had become handsome in the looks department compared to his cuter teenage counterpart. Though his most concerning aspect was that despite looking young, Yuuji felt older than Satoru himself.
Yuuji was Yuuji. He was still his dear student but this Yuuji must have gone through a lot in his timeline. It was in the way he carried himself; Satoru could relate to that particular loneliness. The thought made his stomach churn a little, he couldn't tell why.
They went for one more roller coaster ride—this time Satoru had kept his eyes forward since Yuuji had complained his incessant staring problem—and a ride at the ferris wheel. They loitered around the kiosks for some quick snack. Yuuji had really loved the corn dogs, because, in his words, they don't make them this way anymore.
"Why do you cover yourself? Does it have anything to do with you being a half-curse? You don't have to answer that by the way."
Satoru had brought it up randomly when they chose to chill for a bit. He didn't want to bother Yuuji with too many questions, but Satoru was slave to his own curiosity.
Yuuji squinted at him as he let out an audible snort. "How rude of you to pretend like you gave me a choice here."
Satoru held up his hands. "But I mean it. Really."
"It's alright. Sensei is right. I suppose I'm pretty insecure about it. People don't really notice it. But animals? They literally scatter away the moment I enter their range."
Oh that explains the birds earlier, Satoru's mind supplied.
"So I thought if I can cover myself, they can feel more comfortable around me, even it was just a tiny bit. Though, not all animals-"
Yuuji's hesitation piqued his interest. "I'm waiting."
"I thought you didn't care if I didn't reveal everything."
"Well, you left me hanging there."
Yuuji sighed heavily and clicked his tongue, looking away. Satoru found it hilarious. "Technically they're not animals. They're similar to curses."
Oh.
"They were brought to Japan by…" Yuuji held a fist to his mouth and hesitated further.
However, Satoru wouldn't have any of that and leaned in closer.
".. aliens."
What?! "Aliens? Seriously? Like ET? Or Alien Alien?" In the best American accent he could muster, Satoru yelled, "Get away from her you bitch!"
Right at the moment, a woman who had been walking near their bench with a boy, presumably her child, gasped and gave them a very hard look. Satoru figured they both already look like two suspicious men, not that he cared about it.
Unlike him, Yuuji ducked his head and raised his palm as an apology. The woman turned away at the attention and practically skedaddled her child and herself away.
Yuuji whirled his head back to him. "No! Not ET. Definitely not xenomorph! The aliens are similar to humans, but with a few distinct features."
Oh… The initial excitement in his system dropped to a 0.1 percent. "How boring. No extra limbs?"
"No, but they have a third eye," Yuuji presented like it was a fascinating information. "Their ear shapes are different!"
Suddenly, Satoru didn't want to visit the future anymore. "Well, now I'm really disappointed and wish you had never told me about this."
"But they're really cool. They worship these curses-like beings. They're the only creatures that are cool with me being a half-curse."
Satoru heard him yap more about the aliens, their curse-like gods and whatnot. The enthusiasm was charming despite the aliens part appearing too lackluster.
When they finished most of the available rides, Satoru asked something that was in his mind throughout the day.
"Are you the strongest in your timeline, Yuuji?"
Yuuji stopped in his tracks, looking delighted as he wagged his head dismissively. "Not stronger than you."
Satoru ruminated if that was the case. They hadn't truly went all out earlier. "Don't sell yourself short! But you're probably right."
He heard Yuuji chuckle beside him. Before Satoru could pry more information out of him, his phone beeped its usual notification sound. He had only turned on notification alert for messages that mattered, so he had to see what it was about.
"Oh, look it's you!" Satoru exclaimed when he found the source of his notification.
It was a message from his Yuuji, a picture of a strawberry parfait with a caption that said 'The parfait was way too sweet. You'd appreciate this more than I do!'
"Did I always bother you with these messages," the future Yuuji, who had been peeking over his shoulder, asked.
"Of course not." Even if it was the case, Satoru would happily welcome annoying messages from his beloved student over the ones from grating windows who only badgered him about new missions.
The hooded man hummed in deep thought. "Ah, I remember this. The parfait was sweeter that I had thought. I couldn't finish it on my own so I had to ask for Fushiguro's help."
"No way he ate all that."
"Yeah he didn't. I ended up gobbling it down all on my own."
Satoru couldn't control the guffaw his imagination evoked out of him. "Then?"
"I wanted to bring you to this cafe again since it was up to your taste but I never did. Huh…" Yuuji droned, "I probably forgot."
And the idea couldn't have found a better way to present itself.
"You cannot be serious. What if I accidentally come across him and it creates a time paradox?"
Yuuji and Satoru were currently hiding in a clothing store adjacent to the cafe, watching its entrance as discreetly as they could (while ignoring the many watchful workers, one second away from calling the police on them).
The words came easily to Satoru, "Why are you so scared for? I'm here."
Yuuji was silent for the most part except for occasionally heaving out one of his exasperated sighs, which was becoming common to Satoru's ears. It was like having a mini and less meaner version of Nanami.
Not too long after their dispute, they caught three teenagers coming out of the cafe. Two were chatting about something—with the amount of zealous only known to youngsters—and one was intent on looking at his phone, not participating in the conversation but clearly listening. They chattered their way to a sleek black car.
"That was me, Kugisaki and Fushiguro…" Yuuji commented distractedly as he watched the car go with a wistful expression on his face. Satoru felt like he was watching something he wasn't privy to.
Future Yuuji had more to complain once they entered the cafe and sat down on one of its ornate tables. "There are only couples and teenagers around us."
"This is a cafe," Satoru stated the obvious without looking at Yuuji, for he was more interested in the items on the menu—it was a dessert haven for a dessert connoisseur such as him.
After a beat, he heard Yuuji sputter, "it feels too intimate."
Gojo finally brought his attention to the man sitting in front of him, seemingly a little agitated. Having changed his blindfold to his sunglasses, it was easier to find Yuuji's emotions dance around him. "I did say this is a date."
"It's a hangout."
"Whatever you say, Itadori-san."
Yuuji's lips formed an adorable pout (he still does that!). In return, Satoru flashed his best charming smile to which the other mumbled something inaudible and shook his head—another habit Yuuji kept doing like an old man.
And just as both Yuujis had said, the strawberry parfait was clearly a top notch dessert most fitting to his palate. His student knew his tastes the best.
"How would you rate the date, hm?" Satoru had asked Yuuji on their way out of the cafe.
"9/10. I could've avoided the scare at the cafe," Yuuji remarked. Ah, he was still mad about it.
"But you enjoyed seeing your friends, didn't you?"
His student had a tired but genuine smile. "Yeah. I did. Thanks, sensei."
It was then Satoru noticed a small flare of cursed energy coming from Yuuji just as the other did. The temari ball's little bell chimed on its own.
Satoru teleported them back to the place Yuuji had first popped up, just for a safety messure. He didn't want to risk Yuuji ending up stranded somewhere else during the journey back to his future.
Yuuji glanced up at him from the temari. "So this is it."
Satoru asked as nonchalantly as he could because even he was feeling a little worried, "Any last words?"
Yuuji stayed silent for a moment, gazing at Satoru, who had released his default smirk by this point. The small smile tugging Yuuji's lips became wobbly as tears began to pool, glazing the molten amber of his eyes.
Satoru had been prepared for it all along because he knew his student well even if he was older. Yuuji dived straight into his chest, bumping with little care as he embraced Satoru with his all being. The man could never recall there was ever a time he had gotten a desperate hug. This might be the first for all he knew.
"I missed you a lot, Sensei," his student choked out finally, spilling his feelings out and Satoru felt everything; he felt every word vibrate against his chest as he patted down Yuuji's head.
They stayed there for how long, Satoru couldn't tell until he heard another chime of the bell like a warning call.
Yuuji pulled away from him as abruptly as he had embraced him. "I should really go."
"Yuuji…" Satoru heard himself whisper. He almost reached out to stop him and coax him into staying, but that wasn't possible. Satoru had to let him go.
He saw the rapid increase in cursed energy within temari ball, as if it was gearing up for something.
Perhaps Yuuji too had sensed the urgency because out of nowhere, he asked, "Can I be selfish?"
Satoru blinked.
Yes. You should. "Of course."
Unlike the sentimental hug earlier, the teacher had no way to predict what came next. The temari ball began to vibrate and emit a white light and at the same time, Yuuji closed the distance in just two milliseconds to leave a small peck on the left corner of Satoru's lips, resembling the scar on Yuuji's own.
"It's not fair to your Yuuji but," he said, sounding sheepish like the teenager Satoru had always known and adored. "I always wanted to do this but never had the chance. Thank you for everything, Sensei."
Satoru was dumbfounded and perhaps, a little pissed too and he had all the rights to be. A future self of his student, a melancholic beauty was presenting his heart on a platter to the wrong version of Satoru. He wanted to grab that stupid hood and demand explanation at once.
"How cruel of you," he laughed instead.
"Sorry, sensei. Take care."
His student's pensive smile was the last thing he saw before the bright flash covered his field of vision, followed by the burnt smell of exhausted cursed energy.
Yuuji stared at the cursed object nestled on his palm like a harmless children toy, still not exuding the cursed energy it should have had for a mini time-travel machine. What a troublesome thing, he thought. He should request the HQ for it to be locked away somewhere safe and unreachable.
When he got back to his timeline, Yuuji had tried to find any evidence on him, anything that could prove he had been in the past just a few seconds ago. Nevertheless, everything on his person remained the same as it did when he stepped into the forest in the morning.
It was still morning.
Maybe it had never happened. Maybe he had been standing here this whole time and everything had been an illusion conjured up by the temari ball.
Still, Yuuji facepalmed himself—hard—when his mind unhelpfully reminded him of kissing his teacher. Even if it was an illusion, it was reckless and embarassing of him to force himself on his teacher like that. He was surprised he wasn't slapped in the face.
Yet...
The old soldier felt no regret or even anguish because whether it was real or not, it was a pleasant experience he would cherish forever. Yuuji lightly patted the temari ball to show his gratitude.
Yuuji had been sitting in a ramen restaurant, idly chatting with an auxillary manager about the upcoming barrier installation ritual when he suddenly felt something soft grace the corner of his lips.
It was a boy, around 7 to 8 years old with stark white hair, blue eyes and a familiar grin on his face.
"Found you!"