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The city blurred together around them.
Utahime's boots pounded relentlessly against the pavement as she and Mei Mei tore through intersections, weaving between overturned vehicles and debris scattered across the empty streets.
Another rumble rolled somewhere ahead.
Dust drifted above the rooftops in a thick gray cloud, climbing steadily into the bright afternoon sky.
Utahime's pulse hammered in her ears. "How far?" she called between breaths.
They rounded corner after corner. The smell of smoke and fire reaching them before the destruction did.
Utahime's pace faltered for only the briefest moment as they turned one final corner.
A massive office building had collapsed into itself. Entire floors had folded together as though crushed beneath an invisible force. Steel support beams twisted outward through broken concrete and the street floor had disappeared beneath mountains of rubble and thick roots.
Utahime couldn't understand what she was seeing.
People were shouting and screaming from all angles.
Someone desperately called a name she couldn't make out, her ears were echoing with her thunderous heartbeat.
Nanami emerged from the dust, his suit torn open across one shoulder, blood soaking through the sleeve as he helped drag an injured sorcerer away from the unstable remains of the building.
Masamichi stood several yards away shouting orders, though they were nearly drowned out by the groaning of shifting concrete overhead.
Naobito was already forcing apart slabs of broken masonry with cursed energy, searching frantically beneath them.
Utahime's body moved before her mind caught up. She dropped to her knees beside a section of collapsed wall where a hand protruded from beneath chunks of broken concrete.
"It's okay." Her voice was rough, "I've got you." She wedged her staff beneath one of the slabs, straining against the weight.
Another pair of hands appeared beside hers.
Together they forced the slab just high enough for the trapped sorcerer to pull free.
The woman collapsed forward, coughing violently through the dust.
Utahime was confused at first, but recognized her quickly.
The woman who had driven them into the city less than an hour ago.
Akari gave a weak nod as she worked to steady herself.
She tried to take a step before her knees threatened to buckle beneath her.
Utahime instinctively reached out to steady her.
Akari caught her wrist. Her breathing came in shallow, uneven gasps as frightened eyes searched Utahime's face.
"K... Kusakabe..." The name barely escaped her lips.
Akari slowly lifted a trembling hand, pointing toward a specific section of the building.
Her arm fell limp before Utahime could ask another question.
Nanami had already stepped forward, supporting Akari's weight before she collapsed again.
Utahime's eyes followed toward the pile of rubble Akari had pointed to. Something deep within her stomach twisted.
Without another word, she ran.
A familiar wave of cursed energy suddenly swept across the ruined street.
Before she'd taken another step, someone caught her gently by the forearm.
She turned instinctively.
His breathing remained steady.
Only because he refused to let it become anything else.
He didn't ask what happened.
Utahime frowned, trying to pull away.
His grip wasn't forceful.
If she truly wanted to leave... she could.
"It's okay." His eyes drifted toward the ruin.
"I can handle it." She was fighting back tears, her throat strained as she struggled to get the words out.
"...Please." The word barely rose above the chaos surrounding them.
It wasn't a command or an order. It was a plea that made Utahime's heart lurch painfully inside her chest.
She searched his face, the confidence he'd normally carried was nowhere to be found.
All she saw was a man trying desperately to hold himself together.
Her shoulders slowly fell.
"...Okay." the word left her in little more than a whisper.
Gojo gave the faintest nod.
He released her arm so gently she almost didn't notice the moment his hand slipped away.
For just a second, neither of them moved.
Utahime watched him go toward the collapse building alone. Each step seemed heavier than the last, disappearing gradually into the thick haze of dust drifting through the ruined street.
She wanted to follow him.
Every instinct inside her screamed to.
Instead, she remained rooted where she stood.
Masamichi was already moving through the ruined street, his voice carrying clearly above the chaos as he accounted for every sorcerer still standing.
A nod answered him from somewhere beyond the drifting dust.
Mei Mei had already crossed the street to him, the two exchanging hurried words as they searched another unstable section of the collapse for any signs of movement.
Nearby, Nanami carefully supported Akari toward one of the waiting transport vehicles. She leaned heavily against him, still coughing through the concrete dust coating her lungs.
One by one, voices answered.
The tension eased, if only slightly, because Gojo was here now.
Utahime could see it in all of them.
Shoulders that had been impossibly tense only moments earlier relaxed just enough to breathe.
The frantic rhythm of the rescue seemed to steady beneath his presence.
He would find whoever was trapped.
He would lift whatever no one else could.
Why had he looked at her like that?
The image refused to leave her mind.
There had been something in them she'd never seen before.
A quiet ache settled heavily inside her chest.
Because if Satoru Gojo looked defeated... what did that say about the rest of them?
Chunks of concrete began disappearing, support beams too heavy for ordinary sorcerers lifted effortlessly into the air before being thrown aside.
Collapsed walls stabilized.
Gojo moved so quickly they all lost sight of him almost immediately.
Yet despite all that power... the building remained broken.
For the first time... It wasn't enough.
"Gojo!" Masamichi quickly scanned the deployment roster clutched tightly in his hand before shouting back.
"We've accounted for everyone!" His voice caught briefly in his throat, "...Except Kusakabe and Yoshinobu!"
Silence settled over the street.
Residual cursed energy suddenly washed over the collapse like invisible waves.
The force of his teleportation scattered dust across the ruined street. A heartbeat later, the sound of shifting concrete echoed from deep within the collapsed building.
"He's alive!" Gojo emerged, one arm wrapped securely around Kusakabe as the injured sorcerer struggled to remain conscious.
Blood soaked through the left side of his uniform, his breathing was shallow and uneven.
"Get the transport ready! Now!" Mei Mei shouted instinctively.
Nanami and Naobito were already moving.
Together they all eased Kusakabe onto a stretcher before rushing him toward one of the waiting vehicles.
Gojo disappeared back into the drifting haze without a second thought.
The ruined street fell strangely quiet in his absence, each passing second stretching heavier than the last.
Utahime watched the transport doors slam shut before it sped toward Jujutsu High.
She clung to that thought.
Shoko was about to have her hands full.
A sudden shift rolled through the rubble as another section of collapsed concrete lifted slowly into the air.
Gojo stood alone within the broken remains of the building, one hand raised toward a massive slab suspended effortlessly above him.
Dust drifted lazily around his silhouette. He wasn't moving anymore.
Utahime's heartbeat slowed.
Very carefully, Gojo lowered himself onto one knee.
He reached into the narrow space beneath the broken concrete, brushing smaller fragments aside one piece at a time.
No urgency or frantic movements.
The street seemed to forget how to breathe. Everyone had fallen silent.
Gojo's hand disappeared beneath the rubble one final time. When it emerged, It was gently supporting someone's shoulder. Another arm slid beneath their back.
With impossible care... he lifted Yoshinobu free.
His robes were coated in pale gray dust, torn nearly beyond recognition. Blood was dripping from beneath the broken concrete that had trapped him.
His arms hung motionless.
His head rested quietly against Gojo's shoulder.
The stillness said everything.
Gojo never looked away from him.
He simply stood there for a long moment... holding him as though disturbing the silence might somehow make it real.
Utahime felt the air leave her lungs.
"...No." Barely louder than a breath.
Masamichi slowly removed his glasses.
Gojo finally began walking toward them.
Each step felt impossibly slow.
When he reached the waiting transport, he lowered Yoshinobu with the same gentleness he'd shown while lifting him from the rubble.
He adjusted the torn collar of his uniform almost absentmindedly.
One final act of dignity.
His hand lingered there for a second before quietly falling as the doors shut.
The transport began to pull away, driving much slower than the others.
"...That's everyone." Masamichi slowly looked over the battered group, his exhaustion evident in every line of his face.
There was nothing left to say.
By the time Utahime stepped through the infirmary doors, the room had become almost unrecognizable.
Beds were occupied. Bandages, bloodied uniforms, and half-empty medical kits covered nearly every available surface.
The sharp scent of antiseptic barely masked the smell of dust and dried blood that clung to the room.
Shoko moved tirelessly, sleeves rolled high above her elbows, issuing calm instructions without ever slowing her pace.
Utahime didn't wait to be asked. She simply stepped beside her friend and started helping.
The sun had long begun its descent before the room finally grew quiet enough for everyone to breathe.
Akari sat propped against several pillows near the far wall, a fresh bandage wrapped neatly around her forehead.
"Can you tell me what happened?"
Akari stared toward the floor.
For a long moment she said nothing as she collected her thoughts.
Then quietly, "...I stayed with the transport."
Utahime paused, lifting her eyes from the bloodied bandages she'd been folding.
"There weren't any curses. I remember thinking it was strange..."
Her fingers tightened around the blanket covering her lap.
"The street was quiet," She closed her eyes. "then I heard... cracking." Her voice had begun to shake. "It was coming from inside the building."
"Like..." She struggled for the words, "...like something underneath was pushing everything apart."
Utahime exchanged a glance with Shoko.
Akari continued. "The building started falling before anyone even realized what was happening."
A painful silence settled over the infirmary.
"I ran inside, I thought maybe I could help get people out." She lowered her head. "...that's when the curses came."
Her brow furrowed. "But they ignored the building completely."
"They just... ran," She hesitated. "toward the forest."
Utahime felt her stomach tighten.
So many new questions and unknowns surfaced. Utahime felt her stomach tighten as she began pacing.
How/why had an entire office building collapsed?
Why hadn't the curses attacked?
Why lure everyone there only to leave?
Her thoughts spiraled faster than she could organize them.
Akari trapped beneath the concrete.
Kusakabe's trembling hand reaching for her sleeve.
Gojo disappearing alone into the rubble.
She squeezed her eyes shut, but the images refused to leave.
She continued pacing slowly across the infirmary, arms folded tightly across herself as though holding herself together.
There had to be a reason.
Every piece felt connected, she just couldn't see how.
Shoko's voice gently interrupted the storm inside her head.
"When was the last time you sat down?"
For the first time all day... she noticed how heavy her body felt. The dried blood stiffening the sleeves of her uniform, the ache in her shoulders, soreness in her hands.
Shoko walked over, placing a fresh towel into her hands.
Utahime stared down at the towel for a long moment before finally nodding.
The warm water stung as it ran over her hands. Gray dust and dried blood disappeared into the sink in thin crimson streams. She scrubbed harder, but the blood beneath her fingernails remained.
Utahime let out a quiet sigh.
Eventually she stopped because she no longer had the energy to keep trying.
She splashed cool water across her face before staring quietly into the mirror.
She reached up absentmindedly, brushing loose strands of hair behind her ear.
"...Where are you?" The question escaped before she realized she'd spoken aloud.
No one had mentioned seeing him since they'd returned.
A strange certainty settled quietly inside her.
Without giving it a second thought, Utahime stepped out into the cool evening air.
Campus had fallen unusually quiet.
She walked toward the familiar staircase she'd climbed every evening for the past week.
Each wooden step creaked beneath her feet.
By the time she reached the rooftop door her heartbeat had slowed.
She rested one hand against the worn handle before pushing the door open.
A gust of chilling night air greeted her immediately.
Gojo stood exactly where she'd expected him to be. Resting both hands against the stone railing as he looked out over the dark silhouette of mountains stretching across the horizon.
Dust and dried blood still clung stubbornly to his fabric.
He didn't turn around as she crossed the rooftop, her footsteps slow against the weathered concrete until she came to stand beside him.
The same distance she'd always left between them.
The silence settled naturally.
Far below them, lanterns glowed softly along the pathways of Jujutsu High.
Utahime rested her forearms against the railing. Her eyes followed the distant ridgelines.
Only then did she dare look sideways.
His shoulders, usually so relaxed, seemed impossibly heavy. His jaw remained set, gaze never leaving the horizon.
She'd seen him exhausted, covered in blood, and smiling through impossible situations.
But she had never seen him carrying grief. It settled around him so quietly that anyone else might have missed it, but not her, she could feel it before she'd even opened the rooftop door.
Utahime remained quiet, her pulse quickening with each quick breath she took.
"I was sure," A bitter laugh escaped him. "so sure." He rubbed tiredly at the bridge of his nose before letting his hand fall once more.
"There was cursed energy everywhere." His grip tightened on the railing as he continued, "Ancient enough that I knew it had to be connected."
"I followed it for hours." His voice grew quieter. "I thought I was getting closer," His shoulders rose with a slow breath. "then it disappeared."
"There was never anything there."
"Are you saying it was an illusion?"
"It knew exactly how long it needed to keep me there. And because of it, people got hurt and..."
The words seemed difficult enough. The next ones nearly refused to come.
"...And Yoshinobu..." His jaw tightened. "I wasn't there."
The wind drifted quietly between them.
"Gojo-" Utahime turned toward him.
"I should've gone to the city." He said it immediately.
"I knew something felt wrong and I should've trusted that."
"I should've." His voice wasn't angry.
"I kept thinking..." He laughed bitterly, shaking his head. "If I found the source, none of the smaller battles would matter."
He looked toward the mountains again. "Instead I chased nothing and wasted precious time."
Just for a moment before,
"No." She stepped away from the railing, turning fully toward him.
"If you're allowed to blame yourself," She took another slow step."then so am I."
"I left." The words escaped before she could stop them.
"I left this school. I left all of you." She laughed softly because admitting it hurt.
"I convinced myself that walking away was easier than staying." She lowered her eyes. "And I never looked back."
"So if we're deciding today's tragedy belongs to one person," She finally looked at him again. "I could spend the rest of my life wondering what would've happened if I'd never left."
Gojo opened his mouth, but she didn't let him speak.
"But none of that changes today." The wind caught loose strands of her hair. "It doesn't bring Yoshinobu back and it doesn't stop whatever did this."
"So no." She shook her head firmly. "I'm not letting you carry something that belongs to all of us."
For what felt like the first time.
"We can spend every night asking ourselves what we should've done." She looked toward the mountains. "Or we make sure this never happens again."
For the first time all evening...
Something changed in Gojo's expression. His eyes followed hers toward the distant ridgeline.
"I'm going back to the forest." his voice had become frighteningly calm.
He pushed off the railing and started walking toward the door. "I'm going to find it." The certainty in his voice sent a chill through her.
She darted out directly in front of him.
"No, wait, you're angry."
"You're grieving." The words landed harder than either of them expected.
"You think this is revenge, it isn't." She searched his face desperately. "You haven't rested, you haven't eaten, you carried Yoshinobu out of that building and you need to stop pretending it hasn't affected you."
"You aren't thinking clearly." Her voice cracked, tears were threatening to spill over her tired eyes as she swallowed roughly.
"I don't care how strong you are." Her breathing had become uneven. "You can't be everywhere."
Utahime looked away, pressing trembling fingers against her forehead as she fought to steady herself.
"I can't..." she laughed weakly, though it sounded far closer to a sob.
"I can't watch you do this." The tears she'd fought all day finally slipped free.
She quickly wiped them away, but more followed.
"I'm so tired." Her voice had become barely more than a whisper.
Her shoulders trembled as she closed her eyes tightly. "...I watched you walk into that building by yourself because you didn't want me to see Yoshinobu."
Her composure finally shattered.
"And now you're standing here telling me you're going to go after the source alone again?"
Tears streamed freely down her face now.
Utahime's eyes widened as she realized what she'd almost admitted.
She wasn't ready to say the words.
She quickly looked away as the rooftop fell completely silent.
Slowly, very slowly, Gojo stepped closer just enough that she no longer felt so alone.
"...I'm sorry." His voice was softer than she'd ever heard it. A tear escaped despite the calmness in his expression, he didn't wipe it away.
"I'm trying so hard." His eyes drifted toward the mountains one last time. "I just..." His voice caught. "...I don't know how to save everyone."
Utahime closed the small distance between them without thinking, she wrapped her arms tightly around him.
For a second, he simply stood there.
Not because he'd forgotten what it felt like to be held, but because he'd never imagined she would be the one holding him.
Then, almost instinctively, his arms came around her, pulling her gently against his chest.
Neither of them noticed how much time passed.
For the first time in a very long while, neither of them had to be the strong one.
They were just two exhausted souls finally admitting they couldn't carry the weight alone.
