Jedi_lothwolf

Sometimes however, it was almost comforting. Growling up with Gojo meant being around Shoko. While she had quit smoking a few years ago, at least she had before Halloween, when she was younger she smoked often. Even at his age he knew she wasn't meant to be smoking, though Yaga never did anything.

Since she had started to smoke again, she was surrounded by the smell. So when Megumi was trying to find her, he figured he could just follow the burning scent. As he walked he thought it was unusual for her to be so far from the school. He hadn't left the grounds but it would take much longer before he had to. There was a figure under one of the Maple trees on the very edge of the grounds.

It wasn't Shoko he found holding the cigarette, but Yuji. Unsure of what to do, Megumi stood there for a moment before saying anything. “Yuji?”

The air felt stale as the boy turned to face him. “Megumi!” He said, surprised. Megumi 's eyes traced the smoke down to Yuji’s hand, then to his eyes.

“What are you doing?” was the only thing he could think to ask.

Sighing, Yuji flicked some ashes off the end of his cigarette. There was a brief look of fear on his face before he rested his head on his knees. “I found them when I was still wandering around with Choso. I thought, maybe they'd help and they did.” After a moment of uncomfortable silence, Yuji started to stand. “I'll at least go off campus off campus. I'm sorry Megumi.”

The boy watched Yuji as he stood, unable to decide his feelings on the matter.

It wasn't healthy, coping with nicotine, but Megumi could understand why he'd think to pick them up. The pain Yuji must be going through was stronger than the part of him that knew he shouldn't. Grief and regret tore into the beautiful gleam that he normally had in his eyes. He couldn't bring himself to be angry at him like he thought he would be. Disappointment withered away. There was always something about Yuji that made it to where he could never stay upset with him for long.

Megumi walked towards Yuji and slammed him back up against the tree. He grabbed his arm, turned the boy’s hand, and brought the cigarettes to his lips. Brown eyes stared back into his gunmetal blue eyes as he inhaled deeply. Yuji looked at him with a sort of sick look mixed with confusion. Gently pushing Yuji’s hand back, Megumi exhaled. “It's okay. I'm not mad at you.”

“Why did you do that?” Yuji asked with a shaking voice.

In truth, Megumi didn't know why he did it. He guessed some part of him didn't want Yuji to be alone; or maybe he wanted to show him he wasn't angry. He shrugged as he leaned forward again and took another drag. Despite his internal turmoil, Megumi asked “can we share?”

“Megumi…” Yuji studied his face before slowly sinking back down to the base of the tree. “Okay.”

Sitting down next to him, Megumi watched him take the cigarette to his lips and inhale. He wondered if his lips were soft. The thought surprised him. It was followed by grave curiosity as he wondered if sharing a cigarette would be the closest thing he ever got to kissing him. He knew he would never tell him. Instead, he leaned on his shoulder and closed his eyes.

Choso would get nervous when the two would split up. It was like he had separation anxiety. Yuuji was puzzled by him; by how quickly he'd forgiven him and had become so fiercely protective over him. Still, he didn't mind having him around, at least not anymore. It was better than being alone, he supposed.

The two were walking down the street, Choso slightly behind Yuuji to guard him, when a child ran out onto the street. A curse followed it, biting and snapping as it got closer.

“Choso!” Yuuji pointed to the curse. The child was running the way they had been walking. “You take the curse, I'll grab the kid!” He was already running to catch up when he looked back at Choso.

“Understood.”

“Kid, wait!” Yuuji yelled after it. The kid was small but fast.

Yuuji followed it to one of the tall buildings that was still standing in Shibuya. The kid was maybe nine, with short brown hair, tied up in a ponytail. She had light-up pink shoes that lit up the stairwell as she ran.

“Wait!” Loud footsteps followed her light ones. He knew he had heavy footsteps but they seemed to ring off the walls. “I'm trying to help you!”

“No!” Her voice was shrill as she slammed open a door. They had made it to the third floor. Yuuji guessed there were more than twenty in the building. To him, that building shouldn't have still been standing. Maybe structures of that size had been destroyed by Sukana or had collapsed because of fires. Parts of Shibuya were still burning with some areas still too dangerous for firefighters to reach.

Once he went through the door he realized the building had been a hotel. It was torn up from the people who had been staying there. Looking up he could see the sprinklers had been running. The walls looked stained.

The girl ran to the end of the hallway and pushed her way inside the last door.

When Yuuji slammed the door open, he was greeted with no one. “Hello?” He stepped inside and started to look around. “Where did you go?”

There was a low growl in the room before something lunged at him. He jumped back and threw a glass that had been on the counter at the creature. Looking down he saw the shoes the girl had been wearing but when he looked up, all he saw was a curse. It was dark and blurry.

“Fuck, really?” Yuuji whispered to himself. A curse had led him there, hoping to kill him. Taking another glass, the teen slammed it down onto the curse's head. He hopped onto the counter and waited for it to try and strike again before jumping down onto its back.

It didn't take long to exercise. When he finished it off, he took another look around the room. No one was inside any of the connecting rooms. There was no electricity or Yuuji would have checked the fridge. Still he grabbed the apple that was on the counter.

First the smoke smell hit him like. The city smelled of smoke but this was different, stronger. “I need to get out of here.”

Walking out the door, Yuuji looked down the hall. There was a faint glow coming from the end he had entered from. When he looked up he saw smoke rolling. He had been so focused on the ‘kid’ he hadn’t realized the condition of the building. As he walked he searched for another staircase. There was a loud pop from one of the rooms. Yuuji jumped at the sound. Unsure of what caused the noise, he moved forwards with caution.

Fires were louder than Yuuji had thought they'd be. Maybe that was because no piece of media had ever captured the noise right. It was almost deafening. There was a crash, accompanied by glass shattering as a cabinet in one of the rooms gave. The building moaned and groaned as it was being eaten by the flames. Yuuji gathered that they were bright yellow and orange as the glow followed him. Another pop startled him, this one sounding like a champion bottle.

Then the building shifted. Moving smoke caught his attention. It looked as if it was breathing, the smoke going in and out of the broken window he found near the elevator. He knew better than to try and use it. Still he pried the doors open. Looking up he realized a lot of the higher floors must have been consumed by the flames. A sharp shrill rang through the air, stabbing at his ears. He looked down to see if he could find the elevator. Maybe he could use the elevator shaft to get to the first floor.

There was another crash, this one not inside a room. It sounded like the ceiling gave, not too far away from him in the hallway he had been in. He turned around to see what had made the noise when he realized that the hallway was engulfed in flames. Turning back to the elevator he decided he’d just have to risk it. There wasn’t another option anymore. The room had gotten much hotter than it was before, sweat building on his skin.

Yuuji realized he wasn’t afraid. The thought of dying in the fire didn’t scare him the way it should. Before Shibuya he was afraid to die, but now, he didn’t care. Maybe he’d deserve to burn to death, killed in the same way he’s sure countless people did. Of all the people who had died, he was the one who should suffer. He thought of the burns that covered so much of Namami’s body; the way the burned flesh smelled and how it mixed with all the blood in the subway. Then the overwhelming smell of smoke cleared it from his mind.

Fire crackled from somewhere near him, the building's materials popping and roaring as it consumed more of it. Once more the building shifted, Yuuji having to keep himself steady. The loudest noise he had ever heard rang though his ears as part of the ceiling gave way, taking parts of the floor he was standing on with it. He tried to grab anything to keep him from falling but even if he had caught anything, it was all collapsing.

Rubble gathered around him. Yuuji screamed as he hit the ground. Once everything around him settled he looked around at his surroundings. There was very little space left around him. His left leg wasn’t visible to him and his arms were covered in blood. It was hard to breathe, smoke and dust collecting in his lungs. Coughing, he found his chest hurt. While there was nothing obviously wrong, he knew he broke something. Yuuji could feel everything, even if he wished he couldn’t. Ears ringing, he tried to gather his thoughts. Warm blood dripped down his face. He could feel himself overheating. Everything touching his skin suddenly made itself known, overstimulating him.

Trying to push things around he sliced his hand open on a bar. Tears fell from his eyes as pain shot through his body. It was then he remembered Choso would come looking for him. The thought of leaving him alone was strangely upsetting to Yuuji. To Yuuji, whether he died or survived the collapse didn’t matter. However, to Choso he’d blame himself for letting him leave. He wouldn’t find his body. There, Yuuji decided he needed to find a way to get out of the fire. He had already hurt Choso, he didn’t want to again.

Using his right leg, he slammed it against a piece of the wall. It gave slightly as he pushed. Trying to remember which side the window had been, he tried pushing on the things on his right side. He gritted his teeth as he moved a piece of the rubble away from him. He could feel something cooler on that side of him. Despite the yelling of the fire, Yuuji thought he could hear a faint voice not too far from him.

After a moment of struggling to push things away, the teen felt outside air. The area around him felt hotter now. His skin was burning, bits of his clothing were fraying. That quiet voice was slightly louder now that there was a hole in the rubble. Yuuji stuck his hand out of it, hoping whoever’s voice that was would see.

It took a moment but Yuuji felt skin on his hand. He watched as blood seeped into the cracks of the rubble and lifted enough for the person to drag him out. Yuuji cried out as he was grabbed, his body reacting to the sudden movement. Choso pulled him far enough from the structure before letting his technique go. “Yuuji!” Concern laced his words.

“Hey,” Yuuji struggled to say. Then he looked at himself for a moment. His left leg was shattered, bone sticking out in multiple places. It was evident to him that he had broken some ribs and his left arm and hand. While he didn’t realize it, Yuuji was shaking.

Choso gently wrapped him in his arms, running his hand over his head to help calm him down. “You’re okay now. I’m here.”

Every part of him hurt. He clawed at Choso, crying into his brother’s shoulder. He felt Choso move his arms to pick him up and once he started, he bit into his shoulder to stop himself from screaming. Choso didn’t react to the injury. It wasn’t until he had been picked up that he could see the building. Part of it had caved in, the worst of it far away from where he had been. Had he stayed by the stairs, he would have been killed instantly. The fire raged in the building, flaring out of the holes in the roof.

As he hugged Choso harder he felt fear creep in. It was reliving to him that he was afraid; it meant some part of him still wanted to live, at least that's what he hoped. Yuji didn’t know what he wanted anymore. He wasn’t sure if he wanted to live or die or how much it mattered to him, but watching Choso he understood that, it didn’t matter what he wanted, he wouldn’t leave his brother alone. Burring his face into the crock of Choso’s neck, he waited for the pain to fade as he fell asleep.

As he reached the last stair he found Yuta Okkotsu waiting for him. The boy smiled brightly. “Gojo!” He said, his voice full of excitement. It was nice having someone that would always greet him that way.

“Hey, Yuta!” Gojo returned that excitement. “Whatcha doing out here?”

“I knew you'd be back soon so I came to greet you.” He looked at the bag in his hand curiously, “what do you have?”

“Take one guess.” Putting his opposite hand in the bag he started to rummage around in it.

He watched as Yuta put his hand behind his neck, almost giggling. “I don't know Gojo, could be anything,” he said in an amused tone. When Satoru looked down he realized that the bag said the name of the candy store he had bought the sweets from. “Maybe pens?”

Laughing, Gojo put his arm around Okkotsu and started to lead him back to the school grounds. Yuta looked at him, expectedly which made him laugh more. “Here, have one.”

The boy took it and unwrapped it quickly. “Mhhh thank you! Where are we going?”

“Where do you want to go? I was heading home.”

“I'll come with you.”

The two shared a quiet, comfortable silence. Not far from Gojo’s home there was a wooden bench the two would sit at from time to time. Before they reached his house, Yuta led the two of them to the bench. “So, what did you do today?”

“Well, I trained the kids for a bit. It was funny, Toge kept rage-bating Megumi. They were against Maki and Yuji, right? So, despite that, he would tell Demon Dog to return when he wasn't looking. He tripped him a few times too. Toge was so proud of himself.” Gojo chuckled, “Megumi was so done by the end of it.”

“Oh poor Fushiguro. He's so serious sometimes. Who won?”

“Maki and Yuji.” Gojo grinned, “well, Maki, Yuji, and Megumi.”

“Megumi?”

“He switched sides.”

“He switched sides?!”

Chortling, Gojo nodded. “Toge found that pretty funny. He was so proud of himself.”

The two laughed for a moment before Yuta asked about the rest of his day.

“Well, went to the store after work. Visited Tsumaki before going.”

“How is she?” Yuta always showed genuine concern for her when he asked.

“The same. I’m still looking when I get the time. Did you find anything?”

Shaking his head, Yuta sighed, “No sorry.”

“It’s fine. You’re sweet for looking into it.” He handed him another piece of candy.

“Ooo, thank you!” Unwrapping the candy Yuta popped it into his mouth. “This one's really good.”

“It’s strawberry flavored right?”

“Mhm!”

“Thought so.” Gojo cocked his head a little. “What did you do today?”

“Nothing really. I don’t have much to do these days.” Special grades stayed busy so the idea of Yuta not having anything to do was strange but he supposed they get some off days sometimes.

The two talked for hours, or minutes. Mostly Gojo told Yuta about the students, his missions, and the staff. Slowly, the wind started to blow gently. It felt nice on Satoru’s skin since the weather had been warmer. A comfortable silence came over the two of them. For a moment, stillness felt right to Satoru.

“Gojo.”

“Yeah, Yuta?”

The boy took his hands in his. He slowly pulled them towards his chest which puzzled Gojo. Blue eyes followed his movements, tracing their hands. Quickly his hands become cold. “You have to let me go,” Yuta whispered softly.

When Gojo looked up he didn't see his boy as brightly as he had looked only seconds ago. Instead he was ghostly pale, his face tear stained and eyes cold. Blood dropped down his arms, trickling onto Satoru's. His blood wasn't warm like it should be. “Yuta?” Blood gathered under Satoru’s palm. “No,” he said, barely audible. “Wait.”

Looking at him, Yuta gave him a soft, sad smile. It looked wrong on him. Gojo tried to move his hands but Yuta kept his firm. Instead of moving away, his hands sank into his chest as he went right through him.

Satoru woke, screaming. He sat up quietly. His room was dark with only the beginning of the sunrise shining through his slightly open curtains. Breathing heavy, he settled more into his upright position. Tears gathered in his eyes as he stared at his hands. It felt like the blood, his blood, was still heavy on his hands.

It was March when Yuta took his life. Everyone thought he had gotten better and while Gojo was the only one who knew the extent of Yuta’s illness, his classmates had worried about him since he had started.

The memory of finding his kid’s lifeless in his bed flashed through his head. Satoru tried to shake it away. He had been curled so tightly in a ball, twisted knife in his chest. Never before had Satoru seen him look so small. Tear streaks had dried on his face; a note folded at the edge of the bed. It was addressed to him, attempting to reassure him that he had done everything right. Yuta had decided a long time ago he wasn’t allowed to be alive.

Satoru knew he would never let him go. Still staring at his hands, the man dug his nails into his palms until they bleed. There was already so much blood on his hands, what was some more? He brought his legs to his chest and rested his head on his knees. Quiet sobs escaped his lips as he tried to calm his breathing. Yuta had felt like his own, the same way Megumi and Tsumaki did. The pain of that loss made his chest physically hurt.

He thought of calling Shoko or Yaga but he knew they wouldn't be able to help him in the end. Satoru laid back down, still crying and still struggling to breathe. It was impossible for him to let Yuta go. Satoru Gojo knew he would never recover from the loss of Yuta Okotsu. He would be added to the list of people he would beg to see again and until he died, he wouldn’t stop waiting for him to return.

It had been a good day in the way of training. Other than Panda having to go see his father to fix a small hole left by Demon Dog, everything went smoothly.

Gojo reached Toge’s garden. While not officially his, Toge tended to it the most. He could talk to the plants If he wanted to. Gardening was his student’s favorite hobby. His care for it showed in the beautiful flowers that were planted there mixed with the vegetables, herbs, and berries.

Walking over to a Strawberry plant, Satoru picked a red one off and ate it. Toge’s strawberries were the sweetest ones Gojo had ever found. It wasn't often anyone else got any.

“I want a rematch.”

Gojo froze before grabbing another berry. “That voice,” he whispered. Shaking his head he took a deep breath. “What's up, Meg?” It wouldn't be the first time he heard his father's voice when Megumi spoke. It didn't help that they looked so similar.

“Meg?” The voice asked, amused. “Who is Meg?”

Quickly, Satoru turned around to face the voice. His body went colder than he had left the man a few feet away ahead of him. He eyed him up and down, searching for any indication of a cured technique. Curses couldn't get inside Tengen's barrier so the only logical condition was a sorcerer. “What are you?” He asked, his voice shaking more than he wanted it to be.

The man laughed, “does the sight of me really scare you that much? And they call you the strongest, pathetic.”

Doubling down, Gojo asked again, “what are you?”

Toji Fushiguro started to walk towards him. “I'm sure you know who I am. I killed you, after all.”

“And I killed you.” Gojo said before Toji could continue. “Speaking of that, what the hell are you?”

Toji chuckled, amused. “I'm human, but you wouldn't know much about that, would you?” He started to walk closer to Gojo with slow and deliberate steps.

Standing his ground, Gojo watched him move closer. “You're not human. I killed Toji Fushiguro; sent him straight to hell. What. Are. You?”

The man shrugged, “Sayonced.”

“Sayonced? Really?”

“I'm not lying, they brought me back.” Fushiguro’s walking pattern shifted to one that circled Gojo like prey, forcing Satoru to turn with him to watch him.

A pit formed in Gojo’s chest, “who brought you back?”

“Your owners.” Toji said as if it was the most normal thing to say; as if it was a fact. He stopped walking in a circle. Instead he opted to quickly move in to be only a few feet away from him. Moonlight barely eliminated his action.

Steading himself, Gojo moved his fingers to the symbol for blue. His infitady was raised and has been since he had started to talk; even when he thought he was speaking to Megumi. “My what?”

“The upper brass wants you gone,” he said, smirking, “so they brought back the only person who's been able to kill you. I’ve got to say, as much as I hate to say it, they had a good idea for once. Never thought that would happen.”

Putting a hand to his head, Gojo whispered to himself, “this can’t be fucking real. There is no way I'm not hulsanting.” He moved his hand back down and looked Toji in his gunmetal blue eyes. “You can’t kill me, I’m untouchable to you. Plus it's not like I couldn't take care of any of the injuries anyway.” Satoru made his voice as cocky as he could.

Calmly, Toji walked up to him, standing closer to a foot and half away from him. “Do you really think they would have sent me without something to euthanize you?”

“I’m not a damn dog.”

“Could have fooled me. You sure do bark like one.”

“What did they send to “euthanize” me? I destroyed everything capable of reaching me.”

A sly smirk spread across Toji’s face. “Everything you knew of.” I'm a flash the monster was only inches away from Satoru. He pulled a large knife from his shoe and flicked it open. Metal sliced though his infinity, entering his side effortlessly.

Pain shot through his body. Normally, pain never bothered Gojo, but this pain was burning, the blade warm. He tried to move back but Toji slammed his other arm on his back and pulled him closer, forcing the blade deeper into him. It felt like a hug from hell. Where the handle met the blade had started to sink into the wound.

Trying to get away, Satoru bit into the man’s shoulder, tearing away some flesh. Angrily, Toji pulled the blade out and slammed it further up. Gojo felt it pierce his lung and suddenly he couldn't breathe. He yelped, which made Toji laugh. “You really are like a damn dog.”

“Get away. Get away from me,” was the only thing going through Gojo’s head. Toji held him close, twisting the knife. Satoru scanned him, looking for any weakness he could exploit. His neck was easily extensible. With no better option he sunk his teeth into his neck, aiming for the carotid. Their blood mixed together as he moved to tear more of his skin away.

Reacting, Toji moved the hand on Satoru’s back and tangled his fingers in his white hair, forcing him to stay still. He pulled the butterfly knife up, carving into his body all the way to his shoulder.

Satoru bit down harder, muffaling his screams. Slamming his hands into the man he jerked his head back to free himself. He felt Toji tighten his grip on his hair, yanking him back and making him unstable. His knees buckled as he grabbed Toji's hand. The knife left his shoulder.

Blood poured from his shoulder and mouth. Activating his revered curse technique, Gojo gasped as he felt his lung recover. It was slower than normal which made him nervous. He coughed violently, throwing up the blood that had gathered.

“Isn't this a pretty sight?” He forced his head up. Looking at him, he saw the cruelly amused look on his attacker’s face. Satoru tried to stand. “Stay down.” Shoving him back to his knees, Toji smiled. “Good boy.”

Gojo shot back, “I’m not a dog,”

In response the man stepped closer, making him stare up, forcing eye contact. He was uncomfortably close to Satoru. “Fine, you're just a weapon who forgot its place. You don't fire when you're told. You don't shoot when pointed at a target. A broken weapon is thrown away.”

It wouldn't be the first time someone has called Satoru a weapon. When he was younger he would hear people call him one. They'd say he was worthless aside from his techniques. He used to believe them, that was until he started at Jujutsu Tech. With the help of his classmates and his teacher, by his second year the idea was nothing but a distant memory.

Fear paralyzed Satoru. He knew he needed to escape, yet he couldn't break his gaze. Shaking he spoke, “I'm not a weapon! I'm a person, I'm human!” Tears gathered in his eyes. His words came off more desperate than anything else.

Toji flicked the knife again, showing it to the sorcerer. It was a large, curved butterfly knife. Mat black handles accentuated the silver of the blade; his blood coating the weapon. “Are you telling me, or yourself?” Before he could answer the man he had pulled his head back and forced the knife down towards his mouth.

The blade cut into the corners of his mouth. Teeth against metal created an unpleasant currant to run though Satoru’s spine. Little streams of blood joined the blood already on his face and ran down his chin and neck. Gojo rushed his hands to Toji’s arm and tried to force him off. Despite the tugging on his hair, he pulled his body back as well.

Instead of freeing himself, Satoru accidentally pulled Toji to the ground. He let his hair go but had him pinned under him before he could move. The blade sliced though his right cheek, the curve having caught the lower corner of his mouth. “That's not what you meant to do, is it? If it was, it sure was stupid of you. Are you that scared of me?”

Satoru didn't answer. His whole body was trembling. Not giving him a chance to heal himself, Toji slammed the knife into the bottom of his chest cavity; slowly he pulled the blade up. The sorcerer’s screams echoed through the garden. He tried to activate his blue only to find an empty hand. Tears mixed with blood.

Grasping at the attacker's neck, he put all his energy into trying to choke him. Red scratch lines appeared on Toji’s skin. Satoru kicked and scratched, yet the man didn't move.

A click rang in Satoru’s ears. Silver entered his vision as Toji flicked open a much smaller switchblade. He set his sights on Gojo’s right eye. The butterfly knife reached his lungs, once again suffocating him. Blood pooled in his mouth as he attempted to cough. Switching his focus from Toji’s neck, Satoru caught his arm before the blade could reach his eye. Under him he squirmed, trying to do anything to move him.

A chilling, low laugh came from Toji. “Give in.” He brought his face closer to his victim’s. “No one wants you. You're broken. There is no place for a broken weapon. Six Eyes, you're all used up now. Die, like you're meant to!” Venom laced every word he said. Satoru felt like an insect stuck in a spider's web, or maybe a snow leopard stuck in a snare trap.

The knife was now inches away from his eye. Turning his head, crimson spilled from his mouth. It stained everything it touched. Everything started to become fuzzy. Tired, he turned back to see Toji. It was clear to him, the hatred that Toji exhibited was genuine. Every word he had said, heeant without a shadow of a doubt.

In the distance there was a voice Gojo couldn't quite recognize. It sounded like his name was being called, though he wasn't sure who was there.

Suddenly, Toji was gone. Satoru felt his body start to heal itself. It still felt impossible to breathe or move. His body was exhausted, forcing him to stay laying down as he started to vomit blood, his lungs trying to expel the liquid.

“Gojo!” Footsteps ran over to him. The first thing he saw was gunmetal blue eyes staring back at him. Ice water rushed through him as he flinched away. Then he realized they were much kinder than the ones that had been glaring at him. Gentle hands moved him to his side to make sure he didn't asphyxiate. “Hang on.”

Through his coughs Satoru tried to speak. “Me- Meg?”

Part two soon!