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daisynik7 · 1 year

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hello it's me again not sure if it's alright to request one more (literally just ignore this if not) and its also not y2k but i'd like to request work song by hozier for nanami especially "no grave can hold my body down, i'd crawl home to her" angst with a happy ending during/post shibuya (no dying please) and reader is also a healer like shoko

thank you so much and congrats again 🫶🏼

Work Song

No grave can hold my body down, I’ll crawl home to her

Pairing: Nanami x f!reader

Word Count: ~1.6k

cw: mentions of d*ath, bl*od, burn injuries, canon-divergent, set in the canon-universe during the Shibuya Incident Arc, MAJOR spoilers up to Shibuya Arc, angst, hurt/comfort, established relationship, happy ending

Summary: You’re a healer working with Shoko inside the medical tent at Shibuya Station while Nanami, your boyfriend, is in the line of fire for the battle ahead. After an especially life-threatening attack, Nanami, on the brink, runs into an old friend, who helps guide him back home.

Author’s Note: @75songs thank you so much for sending in another request for the y2k karaoke party, always appreciate your love and support! I ADORE this song and have honestly always thought it was perfect for Nanami. I am an anime only and am not caught up with season 2 yet, so I didn’t want to read too much into what exactly happens during this arc, so some of the details may be inaccurate, just a heads up. This one got me in my feelings. I will forever hold a grudge against Gege for what they did to Nanami. Anyways, likes, reblogs, and/or comments are always appreciated! Thanks so much for reading! Divider by @/saradika.

October 31st. Maybe in another timeline, another reality, you and Nanami would be celebrating Halloween tonight, passing colorful candies and decadent chocolates to kids going door-to-door across the neighborhood. You’d force him to dress up in a silly costume, one that matches yours, despite his reluctance at first. Deep down, you know he likes this; domestic bliss, especially with you. The idea that the two of you could live a peaceful life together, away from the dangerous world of curses and Jujutsu sorcery. You discuss it constantly, dream about it, strive for it. A few more years, he says, and he’ll retire. There’s still more work to be done, people to be saved.

You’re inside the medical tent beside Shoko, helping her set up the cots, anticipating injured sorcerers to arrive soon with the battle underway. Masamichi Yaga, Jujutsu High’s principal, stands guard outside, determined to keep the medical team, especially Shoko, safe from any posing threats. There’s no way to know what’s happening until people start arriving, in need of medical attention. You’re a healer too, but not nearly as skilled as Shoko, your mentor. Still, she encourages you to join them tonight, needing all the help they can get.

“Are you feeling okay?” she asks, setting up the last bed. Observant as ever, she notices your quiet demeanor.

You nod, giving her a weak, unconvincing smile. “Yeah.”

“Nanami is going to be fine,” she assures you, sensing the root of your anxiety. “When this is all done, the two of you should take a vacation together.”

Relaxing a bit, you reply, “We already have our trip to Malaysia planned in a few months.”

She smiles kindly. “There you go. Something to look forward to.”

Her words ease some of the tension, but there’s dread settling in the pit of your stomach, and it won’t go away until you see Nanami again in one piece.

The waiting game finally ends as soon as the first wounded sorcerer shows up in the tent, initiating nonstop chaos. You assist Shoko diligently, making sure everything is prepared for her to perform her Reverse Cursed Technique for those who need it, and patching up those who don’t, with less severe injuries. You’re constantly on the lookout to see a familiar face, trying to get an update on what’s happening out there. None comes, until you see Kiyotaka Ijichi limping towards the entrance, blood spread across his shirt. You and Shoko rush towards him, carrying him over your shoulders, leading him to an empty cot, gently laying him down.

Shoko, showing panic on her face for the first time all night, inspects him carefully. “Ijichi, can you hear me?” She’s always had a soft spot for him, often telling you how endearing she finds him, always a nervous wreck in front of her. Seeing him like this is surely jarring, even for her, who’s as tough as nails.

He nods weakly, mumbling something incoherent, blood sputtering from his mouth. You remove the shattered glasses from his eyes, wiping his lips with gauze. Shoko starts to work on him, directing you to check on the other patients. Before you can follow orders, you feel his weak grip on your wrist. You turn to face him, focused on his lips as he quietly utters, “Nanami.”

Your ears perk up at the mention of your boyfriend’s name, leaning in closer to hear the rest of what he has to say, taking his time through labored breaths. “He…saved…me…”

You do your best to keep your composure, nodding at him silently, blinking away the tears welling in your eyes. Unsure how to respond, you leave them, going to the other side of the tent to check on the remaining sorcerers.

With everyone else in stable condition, you take a minute outside the tent to sob into your hands, praying that Nanami is still alive. Unaware of your surroundings, you’re startled when Yaga approaches, his large figure sitting beside you. “You alright?”

You wipe away your sniffles on your sleeve. “Just…nervous.”

He crosses his arms over his chest, sighing. “Yeah, I get it. But Nanami is one of our strongest sorcerers. I don’t think you have anything to worry about.”

Again, more words of comfort, but not enough to ease the nervous flutter in your belly. Yaga recognizes this and adds, “Nanami would fight through the fires of hell instead of letting himself die. Not because he wants to live for himself. But because he wants to live for you.”

You face him now, processing his statement. He chuckles, lifting his sunglasses to meet your gaze. “That man has never been so smitten in his life. He’d crawl out his grave just to be with you, I guarantee it.”

~~~

The last thing Nanami remembers is desperately wishing he was in Malaysia with you instead of at Shibuya Station right now. He wakes up, sitting in one of the seats on the platform. It’s eerily quiet with no one in sight. The distinct sounds of trains on the rails or the hustle and bustle of people moving along is strangely absent, and it occurs to Nanami that this may be a dream.

He's sure of it when he feels a nudge to his side, turning to face Yu Haibara sitting next to him. There’s a warm smile on his boyish face, dressed in his Jujutsu High uniform, exactly as he was many years ago when Nanami last saw him, alive and well. The same bright, earnest eyes he remembers vividly of his best friend. He swallows hard, an uneasy feeling surrounding him. Is he seeing a ghost? Or is this the afterlife?

Haibara laughs, and Nanami is snapped out of his reverie and taken immediately back to 2006, when he first met his friend during orientation. He can’t help but grin, happy to see him still so lively. “Well, aren’t you going to greet your old friend, Nanami?”

Nanami does, hugging him, astonished to feel him in his arms almost like a real person. Almost. “What are you doing here?”

“Just came to visit you, that’s all.”

Nanami lets him go, studying him carefully, looking for any signs of decay. When he spots none, he asks him, “Am I dead?”

Haibara shakes his head. “Not quite. But you’re pretty damn close.”

“I am?”

“Yeah. So you better hurry and get home quick.” Haibara points towards the railings, now illuminated at one end by a blinding flash of light. “Yuji’s waiting for you.”

“Itadori? How do you know – “

Haibara then says your name with a big smile. “Yeah, I know her too. They’re all waiting for you, Nanami. You don’t want to keep them waiting any longer, do you?”

It takes a while for Nanami to get up, and when he does, he’s off balance, legs wobbly, body unsteady. Haibara helps him, offering his shoulder, the two of them walking slowly towards the light. “I really like her, you know. Your girlfriend.”

“You do?” Nanami asks, hobbling beside him.

“Yeah. She’s really nice, really pretty, and she eats a lot, especially with you,” he chuckles. “You know how much I like that.”

“Yeah I do.”

“And I’m a good judge of character, so I think she’s perfect for you. If that means anything,” he says, proudly.

“It does. It means a lot.” They’re near the edge of the platform now and Nanami will have to hop down to reach the end of the tunnel.

“Are you going to marry her soon?” Haibara asks, pausing just before the edge.

Nanami nods, grinning. “I’m planning to propose during our vacation in Malaysia.”

“Good. Good.”

He’s tempted to stay longer, wanting a few more moments with his friend, but he knows that time is ticking. He hugs him again, squeezing him tight. “Take care, Haibara.”

“You too, Nanami. I’ll be looking out for you.”

His chest constricts, jumping off the platform, landing roughly on the railings, blinking away the tears in his eyes. It’s sweltering now, the light emitting an intense heat from within. He gives Haibara one last glance, cherishing the happy expression on his face as he waves goodbye to him before walking into the light.

Seconds later, Nanami wakes up with a gasp of breath, vision blurred, a droning pounding beating against his ear drums. It soon fades and only Yuji’s panicked voice yelling from behind him is heard. He’s being dragged by the armpits, away from the battle. Smoke radiates from his entire form, and he can barely move. In fact, he can barely feel anything at all.

They reach the medical tent, Itadori yelling for help the whole way. Yaga is the first to reach them, his usual calm demeanor wavering at the sight of Nanami, body half-burned from the explosion. They carrying him delicately inside, resting him on the only empty cot left. He wants to close his eyes; he’s so exhausted, and sleep is the only thing to bring him peace right now. That, or you.

As if his prayers were heard, you appear at his side, truly a vision, even while you sob for him, holding his mangled hand in yours, begging for him to stay with you. He can die happy now, seeing your face, knowing that you’re here, alive, heart beating, surviving. Can he do the same? Can he survive this? All he knows is that he’s trying with every fiber he has left in his being. He won’t leave you, not like this. Not without experiencing life on the outside with you.

It’s in this moment that he vows to endure. Even if he has to crawl out of his grave to do it, he’s determined to be with you again.

~~~

November 1st. Maybe in another timeline, another reality, Nanami is gone. Not in this one, though. Instead, you sit beside him, healed and in one piece thanks to Shoko, fingers laced with his, careful not to squeeze too tightly. Yuji and Ino are at his other side, talking animatedly about how amazing Nanami was the entire fight, and all he can do is lay there, smiling. Happy to be alive. Happy to be with you.

#nanami kento #kento nanami #nanami kento x reader #nanami kento x you #kento nanami x reader #kento nanami x you #nanami x reader #nanami x you #nanami fluff #nanami kento fluff #jjk x reader #jjk fluff #jjk spoilers #jujutsu kaisen spoilers #jujutsu kaisen x reader #y2k karaoke event #milestone event

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philosophiums · 1 month

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I have given into peer pressure.

Below the cut is my un-referenced, not proofread, off-the-cuff thoughts on the main JJK characters and their tendencies to have traits that contradict themselves, which not only makes them more rounded characters but also creates a really interesting situation in which characters have mirrors and foils not only with other characters, but also with themselves.

The point of this post is that the characters in JJK are complex. None of them are one-trick ponies and all of them contain multitudes and have, at least once, contradicted themselves and their beliefs.

Might be spoilery? I tried to keep it vague enough that it shouldn't be, but read at your own risk if you're anime only, I guess.

The Obvious One: Gojo

Gojo is "the strongest." It's debatable, I think, whether or not being "strong" is a personality trait, but he makes it his defining personality trait. (And I'm not here to do a Gojo character study, so for my purposes, it will be viewed as one.) Obviously, The Strongest is a title given to him by others, but he fully owns it and believes it. This is his identity; it's how he views himself, how he handles himself, and it is a preceding reputation that he gladly leans into. It's not a mask he hides behind, it's a flag he proudly displays on his ship to warn others of exactly who they're dealing with.

It makes sense, then, that Gojo's self-contradiction is that he has the biggest, most obvious weaknesses of all the characters in JJK. The first of these weaknesses is his knowledge of how strong he is. Toji exploits that weakness in the Hidden Inventory arc, and it almost costs Gojo is life. His second weakness is, very simply, Geto. Kenjaku exploits that weakness during Shibuya. Interestingly, Geto is a victim of Gojo's first weakness (Gojo is so self-assured that he seems to extend that assurance to the people around him, thinking that they are "as gods" like him just for being in his presence, and therefore he does not pay mind to Geto's spiraling), and exploits his second. He, better than anyone else, knows that he is Gojo's weakness, and he uses that knowledge to do everything he does before and during JJK 0 without repercussions.

Gojo is framed by himself and by many characters within JJK as being the "savior" of the jujutsu world, but in many ways he was, in fact, its downfall - because of his strength, and because of his weaknesses.

The Main One: Yuuji

Yuuji is the king of contradictions to me. Not all of it is within himself, and in fact a lot of it occurs because a large part of the plot is happening to him instead of the other way around, but he has one dichotomy that I do think is All Him. Yuuji defines himself as a cog - in his thoughts, he has been used and beaten down for evil already, so why not just be used for good as well. He thinks of himself as expendable and easily replaced; a foot soldier in a war being fought by titans. At some point, his goal stopped being to follow his grandfather's last request and instead turned into the simple act of persevering for as long as he can just in case anyone may have need of him. In a way, his outlook and perspective on everything became rather bleak and inhuman - quite literally, as, again, he views himself as nothing more than a cog.

And yet, for someone who has claimed his only purpose is to be used to kill Sukuna, everything Yuuji does is so achingly desperately human and is born out of his own desires to save people. Every other sorcerer has a CT or a fighting style that disconnects them from their foe - be that ranged attacks or weaponry - but Yuuji uses his fists. It's raw and almost savage in a way that is unavoidably intimate and human. He says, "Use me," (and, don't get me wrong, he is used) but even the act of offering himself negates the connotations that revolve around being used and shines such a lovely warm human light on him.

Yuuji doesn't push people away. The other "strong" characters isolate (Gojo has infinity, Yuuta literally fucks off from the narrative, Geto fucks off from jujutsu society, etc.), but Yuuji hoards people and connections (and yes, those become weaknesses, but the thing is: they become strengths, too). Sukuna takes Megumi away from him, but that just makes Yuuji more determined to kill Sukuna and get Megumi back. Everything he does is out of love, and he has a drive to do what he has to in order to save (or avenge) the people he keeps close. That's not exactly cog-like behavior.

The Fandom Discourse: Megumi

In my opinion, of all the characters (but especially the first-years), Megumi is the logical character. Especially when it comes to his job as a sorcerer (fighting and killing curses). He is knowledgeable about the world of sorcery, the most book-smart of the first-years, and he is smart and methodical when he fights.

He is also the only character who has openly admitted that he really only cares about saving the people he wants to save, as opposed to the general rhetoric of saving everyone. He's selfish, and he's not shy about it. Even he doesn't try to rationalize it; it's just part of who he is. Logical, methodical, smart, but also deeply, truly, selfish when it comes to where and how he expends his energy and efforts.

And yet, he is also the character who is most willing to die. Now, before half the fandom jumps down my throat, I don't mean to say that he wants to die or that he is constantly trying to - I'm just saying that he is willing to. (Obviously, Yuuji is also a character who is willing to die, but Yuuji is only willing to do so if it would also kill Sukuna, and he is determined to stay alive until such a time. Megumi, on the other hand, doesn't have a similar end-goal ultimatum for death). Yes, he comes at dying from a logical point of view, and yes, he only ever brings martyrdom into the equation if he feels he has no other option, but he has no hesitation when he reaches that point. And you (he) can rationalize self-sacrifice as much as you want to, but that is a very emotionally driven response, regardless of the situation. It's a last stand not only for himself, but for his friends, his family, the world. It's the end of the line for him, and it's something he is willing to do if it means taking out his opponent and making the world safer for everyone else - not just for his "select" people.

He is willing to run away from a fight he cannot win, but he is also willing to do something that he knows for sure will kill him if winning and running are no longer options. And I know that not everyone will see these things as opposites or all that detached from each other, but, to me, intelligent and methodical fighting does not naturally go hand in hand with, essentially, grappling your opponent and jumping off a cliff with them.

The Favorite Child: Yuuta

Like Gojo, Yuuta has access to an overwhelming amount of power. There's no doubt that when it comes to raw energy, he is the strongest sorcerer in his generation. He's exceptionally skilled when it comes to fighting and is often able to get by on simply overpowering his opponents (truly, much like Gojo). He doesn't embody being strong, though - he knows that he is, but it's not something that he considers a defining trait for himself. Instead, Yuuta's whole thing is that he has a tendency to shoulder burdens that other people won't (much like Yuuji, actually) (also it's kind of funny because of all the characters in JJK, I would consider Yuuta to be a "cog" way more than Yuuji, but that's a whole other thing). Yuuta is willing to be a monster, to make hard calls and suffer the consequences, because he has internalized what everyone keeps telling him - that, after Gojo, Yuuta is now "the strongest."

Which means that Yuuta also needs an equally large weakness to balance out that power. But where Gojo had arrogance (and his boyfriend), Yuuta has innocence. There's this pure sort of worldview that Yuuta carries with him that completely counterbalances the part of him that is willing to get his hands bloody. He has this youthful sort of hopefulness and naiveté that if he does the dirty work and puts in effort, then things will work out in his favor because they must. If he is sincere, if he shoulders an unbearable mantle, then everything will be fine simply because he chooses to do so. He does things because they are right and just, and he wants to believe that the universe will acknowledge that and be fair - even though he wouldn't have to do these unnamable things if that was true.

The Less Obvious one: Nobara

Nobara doesn't have a lot of screen time compared to the others, and specifically not a lot of time spent planning for/fighting in the "big fights," but she has one thing that the other characters don't have: self awareness. Nobara is the only character who knows what her contradictions are - she even says them out loud.

She wants nothing more than to be a normal girl who is into fashion, who could be a model, who does her hair and her nails and her makeup, who goes on dates, who has a lot of money and spends it freely. That's her ideal, that's her goal. But that's also who she is right now. She dyes her hair, wears makeup, is feminine in all the ways that would mark her as a girl to strangers on the street, goes shopping and buys too much and makes Yuuji carry her bags. She likes being girly and doesn't shy away from it.

But she is also, and I mean this with all the love in my heart, a feral little gremlin who is willing to bash people's skulls in with a hammer. She's brash and rude and loud. She takes up space and is unapologetic about it. She's vicious on the battlefield. She's not afraid to get bloody, and she hates being viewed as a damsel in distress. She's strategic in her fights, and she uses the fact that opponents underestimate her to her advantage. And she knows all of this, too, and she likes it.

She's self-actualized <3 No notes from me; I love my girl.

Anyway, that's it KSJDBVJKLDFVBJKDFVB There's no real point to this. I'm not saying anything profound, I don't think. This was all just a thought that I had, a little thing that I noticed, and I was bullied (affectionate) into sharing.

#i wipe my hands of this i don't want to look at it anymore #i have so many thoughts at all times. not all of them are ground breaking. i just like characters and i think gege does good work #i don't even remember what i was originally thinking about that prompted this. probably yuuji if i'm being honest #something about his resignation to be a cog and yet his ferociousness when he fights really just. clicks something in my head #like so sorry my guy you can't just say you're a tool with a single function and then fight like a cornered animal who is desperate to live #without me wanting to pull out a magnifying glass #also gojo is. well. he's gojo. annoyingly one of the most complex characters i have ever seen JSBCVJKDVB #yuuta is always fun to look at because he was Not There and then Very Suddenly There #also if anyone fucking comes for me about my megu thoughts i'm going to start throwing knives <3 #i'm tired of seeing megumi discourse that's like 'he is one or the other' like no babes he's Both actually. accept it into your hearts #fandom spaces let characters be complex challenge #anyway. hiiiii KJDSBVJKBDVJKDBFV #jjk

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aloesarchives · 9 months

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Jujutsu Kaisen Lore Headcanons for "Toji Lives/Megumi Cock Blocks Toji" AU

Warning: Female/Afab! Reader, Author(me) being a really fucking annoying narrator, Swearing, Inaccuracy to the anime and manga, Things that don't make sense but are trying to, Switching between reader and you, Mentions of OCs but reader is not one, Reader is highkey a marysue/OP

!!Disclaimer!!: These are my PERSONAL headcanons, thoughts, and opinions on how Toji would be like if he was alive and would act after the Hidden Inventory arc. Or how the events of Jujutsu Kaisen would be different b/c of reader and Toji being alive. These headcanons also explain Reader’s role and place in this AU how her presence changes many things.

Series: Jujutsu Kaisen

Pairing: Toji x Mama!/Fem!Reader

Pronouns: She/Her

Word Count: 5.5k words

Summary: Headcanons for the “Toji lives”/”Megumi cock blocks Toji” AU, and Mom!Reader being a part of and affects each timeline.

(A/N: I will have a separate post that will further explain the Shibuya arc and post Shibuya onwards with the “Toji lives” AU very soon! I know I said I'll have some posts ready after my lastest one but I was having fun and enjoying myself with the holidays that I kinda forgot about them. I promise I'll upload those posts within January! I apologize for my inconsistency!) [!!Unedited and not proof-read as of December 31 2023 12:05am!!]

General Reader Headcanons:

Reader is roughly around 33-34 during the Plasma Star Vessel arc(Year: 2006). Reader is also around her mid 40s (45-46) in present day Jujutsu Kaisen. Toji is roughly around the same age.

Reader’s technique is exclusive towards her, but the only time someone shared a technique like hers was during the Heian Era/Time Period where one of her ancestors is said to have the exact technique like hers but with personal different methods.

Reader hates the Jujutsu elders and higher ups for the schemes they have brewed. One which ultimately caused the Japanese faction of her clan to dwindle in size when she was around 8 years old. Reader is a certified hater of the elders and higher ups of Jujutsu Society, it runs in the family.

Reader's sorcerer grade is officially recognized to be around Semi-grade 1 to Grade 1 sorcerer. But in actuality, Reader is classified as a Special Grade sorcerer b/c of the rarity, nature, power, and versatility of the technique itself.

Reader is a mentor/motherly figure to Satoru. You are the closest thing Satoru has to a parent/guardian so Satoru favors you over many adults/older people.

Reader is considered a part-time sorcerer as she holds down a full time job in the real world after graduating. This is mostly due to her not wanting to be at the beck and call of the higher ups and Jujutsu Elders doing their bidding, but occasionally does help and do favors for certain people like Yaga. She only became a part-time Jujutsu High teacher shortly before the Hidden Inventory Arc.

Reader met Toji around her early 20s when he freshly exiled himself from the Zen’in clan. She ran into him during a favor she was doing for Yaga. She was on a retrieval mission to get a curse tool for Jujutsu High’s inventory. On her way to the location, she was ambushed by a curse. Before she could exorcize it, the curse sputtered and coughed up its blood as a blade pierced its chest and it dropped dead. With no curse energy, Reader was prepared to fight only to see a strongly built man with a small scar on his lips. She meets Toji, and funny enough he had the curse weapon she was looking for. She was trying to negotiate with him to get the weapon. She didn’t have to for long as Toji just straight up gave it to her and said, “You’re a feisty one, aren’t you? I’ll give it to you because you’re cute. Until I see you again, Ms. Sorcerer~.”

Then Reader randomly runs into Toji both on assignments and in real life. It was at random but in a consistent way. Eventually, Toji starts living with Reader because he is lowkey homeless. Reader first fell for Toji but Toji fell HARD for Reader. Always accompanying her when she has to run errands. Always watching out for her and in the shadows. Hell, he started asking Shui for information on certain people to make sure you’re not getting yourself into trouble. He also starts asking Shui for better paying jobs that he could do in a day then take a few days to complete.

Toji falls hard because of Reader’s understanding and compassion towards him and his past, which she was more than understanding of his feelings towards the Zen’in clan for their god awful mistreatment and ostracized Toji from Jujutsu Society. Yet he couldn’t understand why you had tears in your eyes when you pulled him in for a hug, saying that you’ll be his family now and he can rely on you. Thus, that’s when Toji said, “I need to fucking marry this woman or I swear to God I will assassinate every sorcerer in the world.”

After a few years, Reader and Toji get married and Toji takes Reader’s two last names: (L/N) Fushiguro. Fushiguro wasn’t originally a part of Reader’s last name, but decided to take it up as an alias when Reader briefly left Jujutsu society to live among non-sorcerers. The last name came from a distant relative a few generations back that was married into the family.

After around 29, Toji and Reader had Tsumiki. Then a year later, they had Megumi at 30.

Though your place is small, it was homey and cozy for your little family. Life was good until the year where Tsumiki turns 4 and Megumi turns 3. Toji started having missions where he was coming home less and less frequently. It was starting to bother you because he was starting to miss out on Tsumiki and Megumi growing up. More so, it was devastating to you when Megumi told you he could barely remember anything of Toji, he even faintly describes Toji’s looks but it is starting to get foggy.

It was becoming hard to support your daughter and son on your own, so when Toji came home one night you told him your thoughts. Then an argument happened, not a loud one to wake up the kids, but you were putting Toji in his place. Toji was trying to justify that it was his work and they have been demanding him recently, that it was the good of your family as they were paying him more money to do them. This was when you started questioning Toji’s occupation and what he does. Toji gets irritated about you questioning his line of work and tries to repeat again that it was for the sake of your family and nothing more.

However, Reader is unaware that Toji made a deal with the Zen’in clan to sell off Megumi when he’s around 5-6. He couldn’t tell you this because he knew how you would react so he was going to keep it a secret for the time being. However, he would never tell after the argument the two of you had.

The next thing you know, Toji drops an envelope on the kitchen table and grabs his packed duffle bag as he heads towards the door. You tried to stop him but he says that he needs to leave for a while but he promises he will be back. Kisses reader on the lips and forehead before leaving their apartment.

Reader is hurt and confused until she opens the envelope to see a check that’s already signed. It has $5000 dollars in it. It would last you at most 5 weeks for you and your children. Yet, that was the only check received from Toji as he went completely off the grid. No amount of resources would amount in a helpful way to finding what happened to your husband.

That was when reader was assigned an important mission for the first time in years. Where you and another teacher, Maho(JJK OC) would act as guardians/chaperones to Gojo and Geto. Your jobs were to oversee and supervise the two students and report anything about the mission.

“Toji lives”/ “Megumi cockblocks Toji” AU:

So basically in this AU, not only does Toji live. But mostly everyone else does live, or somewhere along the lines of dead and alive. Well, minus Junpei and Mai. But that’s just me being blissfully ignorant of the canon timeline and canceling most of the events out and just changing them.

So everything in the Plasma Star Vessel arc happens but the only thing that changes is Riko and Kuroi being alive. The way that it happens is you were sent ahead to do some investigating of the Jujutsu High area to see if it’s safe. Then out of nowhere, you were asked to speak to Tengen themself. Unbeknownst to you, you were unaware that Toji, your estranged husband, had attacked Gojo which forced Geto, Riko, Kuroi, and Maho(JJK OC) to run and leave Gojo to fight him.

You were basically told by Tengen to respect the last wishes of Riko Amanai before they merged. But they popped that statement out, you responded with, “what if her last wish is to continue on living and not merge?” At first, Tengen opposed you for your question. Saying it would throw off the balance of their stabilization and balance of Jujutsu Society. However, you countered by saying it’s respecting Riko’s wish and the girl's wish to keep on living. Meaning that technically you’re honoring her wish and you believed that she deserved to live her life.

Plus you argued that there are few Plasma Star Vessels out there, like Yuki Tsukumo, who didn’t merge with Tengen are completely fine. And Tengen didn’t suffer from not merging with her or the other vessels. So after some thought, Tengen briefly allowed Riko to live and not merge with her. However, in exchange, you would have to find a substitute host in place of Riko. While it wouldn’t be the same, Tengen said it would be easier to merge with another host that had curse energy or was a Jujutsu Sorcerer.

Meanwhile, Geto, Kuroi, and Maho escort Riko in front of Tengen’s chamber. For a bit, Geto offers Riko a choice to leave with Maho and him. To not merge and live her life out. Riko expresses this but before she could allow Geto to take her hand, Maho gets shot in the throat. The bullet was meant for Riko but Maho’s change in positioning took the hit for her instead unintentionally. Toji reveals himself from the shadows and says he’ll take Riko dead or alive. Geto tells Riko and Kuroi to run while Geto fights Toji with Maho supporting him the best that she can after learning Toji killed Satoru.

Suguru and Maho get defeated while Kuroi is knocked out by Toji and takes Riko to the Time Vessel association. You come out of the chamber to only find Geto and Maho bleeding out, you take them to the infirmary and have Shoko heal them. Suguru tells you that a man with no curse energy ambushed them, killed Satoru, and took Riko. ‘Wait, a curseless man? But. . . that can’t be’ You snapped out of it and left Suguru to find Gojo’s body to take back. You found where you assumed you would find his body but all you would find was a large blood smear on the pavement. So you went to find Riko in the association. What you didn’t know is that Gojo beat you to it. You snuck in and when they were about to kill Riko, you snatched her away and brought her back to Jujutsu High. However, you asked Riko about Gojo’s whereabouts. She said she last saw him fight a tall man with a small scar on his right lip. Your blood runs cold as you continue to drag her towards the school. She didn’t understand why you stopped talking, but the look of fear on your face told her something.

As Gojo and Toji duke it out for the second time, it was Suguru that caused Satoru to misfire his Hollow Purple at Toji and narrowly missed him. Toji knew that he lost the fight because he would’ve died if he got hit. Let alone, get defeated one-way or another. Since Suguru told Gojo that Riko’s retrieval was a success, Toji knew he wouldn’t get paid for the job and just gave up. He, surprisingly, surrendered himself to the two and was taken to an underground bunker where Toji was heavily sealed and chained up. Doesn’t even bother fighting back at all. Though the mission was a technical success, Tengen didn’t merge with the chosen vessel and there was a sorcerer killer on the premises of the school.

Since you were in charge of the mission and the only one uninjured, you were held accountable and take full responsibility for what has happened. The Higher-ups and Elders were not happy, to say the least, with the results. But specifically that you allowed the rest to get hurt and let Tengen’s vessel free, ceasing the merging. However, they weren’t on Reader’s ass for the first two. They were mostly on her ass because they discovered the identity of the sorcerer killer is Toji. And somehow figured out Reader’s marriage with him. Because of this, they were going to execute Toji and put Reader on trial.

This was also the moment reader’s suspicions were right with Toji doing all of this. She was going through the ringer of emotions when revealed the information in the same room with the very people she despised. So she kept to herself and remained calm. She proposed a deal to them that she knew they would consider. In exchange for Toji’s life and freedom, the reader gave these conditions:

Toji’s weapons would be heavily sealed and hidden away where no one can obtain them. Their whereabouts will be unknown and Reader and a select few would know about the location.

Toji cannot enter Jujutsu Society/High without Reader. For at least a year, Toji can’t be near any sorcerer or enter any Jujutsu building. Reader is essentially Toji’s handler and responsibility. Toji has to be with Reader at all times when on Jujutsu Premises.

If Toji acts out of line, he will be immediately executed. Reader will also be executed or exiled from Jujutsu Society. However, if Reader dies, Toji will be executed. If Toji somehow dies, Reader would be somewhat safe. But if Reader dies, Toji will die with her. Reader’s life is in the hands of Toji’s behavior and actions. While Reader’s entire life and existence is the reason why Toji lives and her dying means he dies too.

These conditions were simple enough but the higher ups were still doubtful. But Reader also adds that after a year, Toji could go on missions if it involved a reward. Mentioning that Toji would be a vital asset to them and keeping him on house arrest wouldn’t be ideal. Reader tells the higher ups that Toji was exiled from the Zen’in clan years ago and would only listen to her. She implies that Toji could wreak havoc on Jujutsu society if it wasn’t for her.

With reluctance, the higher ups agreed to Reader’s terms but warned she would be on a watchlist. Reader just waves it off. Yet after she leaves the room and goes outside, the weight of her emotions get the best of her and she cracks under it all. This was a lot of process and bear but she was the only one to do this.

Strangely enough, a distant relative of reader’s contacted her about moving into an old home of theirs. No prices or charges, they just needed to give the house to her since they were moving back into the clan’s main residence. Reader was like okay, thanks for the free house. Since there wasn’t much at the old apartment, they didn’t need to pack much.

Once Satoru and Suguru were healed up, Reader tasked the two of them to bring Megumi and Tsumiki to the dorms temporarily until the house was ready and Reader dealt with Toji. Satoru may or may not have slipped about Megumi’s true heritage, causing Suguru to bonk him on the head. Megumi doesn’t want to go with the two men but after telling him and his sister that Raeder sent for them, he and his sister followed them.

Reader basically was taken to where her husband was held. She only had less than an hour to talk to him so she had to speedrun their talk and leave some things out. It was strange to her to see her husband, the notorious sorcerer killer, chained up and not fighting his restraints. It looked like he hadn’t eaten in days and the color in his eyes was dulled out. But when you entered the chamber and made your presence known, he perked up because he recognized your footsteps.

As much you wanted to comfort and coddle him, you were furious and beyond disappointed with him. Toji admits his faults and was okay with dying. During which he reluctantly revealed to Reader that he sold Megumi to the Zen’in clan for his technique. With this newfound information, Reader is heartbroken and slaps Toji square in the face. Though she didn’t want to, he did deserve it. So Reader explains the conditions she made to grant Toji his freedom and life back, if he so chooses. Or he can get executed, the choice is his.

Toji doesn’t deserve a second chance but Reader offered one to him. While putting herself and life at risk for a bum who ended up abandoning his family. Reader said he can clean himself up, to step up as a husband and father. The only term she was willing to give Toji if he chooses to come back. In a way, Reader was giving signals to Toji that she still needs him and doesn’t want him to die. Toji thinks about it. He would be restricted to being at home and the outside world, while being on a leash by Reader when entering Jujutsu Society which he doesn’t mind the thought of.

Toji makes his decision by agreeing to the conditions while also promising to pull himself up. Although it made you smile, it disappeared when you remember how your children would react to seeing their absent father again and trying to adjust to his constant presence. Toji said he’ll try his best, but he wouldn’t guarantee Megumi and Tsumiki’s approval. But it didn’t matter to him because his family needs him and he would damn to waste his second chance knowing many don’t get any.

So it was settled. Toji is freed because of Reader with the somewhat of an approval from the Higher-ups, the house was ready to move with the kiddos, and everything was starting to set in motion. It was a hard adjustment for the kids in this new chapter of their life. Moving into a new, nicer, and bigger home than the previous smaller apartment was a big change. Another big change was seeing their father for the first time in almost months. Tsumiki was a little happy to see Toji back at home with them but Megumi was different. In fact, he was indifferent about Toji’s return and tried to completely ignore him. You and Toji completely understand Megumi’s feelings about his dad suddenly popping up again out of nowhere after months of not coming home. You reassured your son that Toji’s staying for good and that it’s okay for him to not accept his dad's presence right away or force himself to.

It wasn’t what it used to be but Reader didn’t mind it. Since Toji was on house arrest in the meantime, he was on house-husband duty. Since you were now working as a full-time Jujutsu teacher(2nd-3rd year teacher) and Sorcerer, you were away from home a lot during the morning and afternoons. Toji struggled in the beginning but he really managed and became good at it. He was an excellent cook, cleaner, errand runner, and even handyman. You still handled the money but Toji never asked you for more than what was needed. He started picking up Megumi and Tsumiki from school, making the other parents drool over him. He honestly likes the domestic aspect of this part of his life, something he never imagined when he was younger.

You knew it was bad but you asked Satoru a big favor. Since Megumi’s sale to the Zen’in clan was still up, you asked Satoru to postpone it or intervene in a way. Reader would have the power but her clan faction isn’t what it used to be and the Zen’in clan hates her guts for marrying Toji. Satoru agrees to help but it would mean that he would have partial guardianship over Megumi. That was fine with you but explaining this to your young son would be hard, considering he will be training and spending some of his time with one of his mother’s student.

Satoru and Suguru become older brother figures to the kids and Shoko being a big sister. They would come to your house to visit just to see the kids. It was challenging at the start since Toji was there and a constant reminder of their weakness. But you talked with them about it, saying that they don’t have to care for your husband and hate him all they want. But never hate the children. This was helpful to Suguru since Riko and Kuroi were living on Jujutsu Tech grounds as a safety precaution since there were still hits on Riko. You also noticed Suguru's depression while soul-searching. You always told him that you considered him family and let him know to come to you for help when he needs it.

Reader is the sole reason Suguru hasn’t fallen to the dark-side and became a curse user. However, he and Satoru almost became one a year later.

A year after the Hidden Inventory incident, Nanami and Haibara were sent on a mission to exorcize a grade 2 curse. You accompanied them because you knew the area better and felt the need to watch the students. However, the information was completely wrong as the curse they were facing was a grade 1 curse that manipulated the earth and surroundings. While Nanami and Haibara had minimal to mild injuries, you were badly injured and bleeding everywhere. While you were able to exorcize the curse, you were hanging on by a thread because your main priority was the safety of the two students. Though you were healed, you did have a faint scar and you were out from doing missions for about a couple of months. Highkey traumatized the two students because their teacher was about to be murdered and they couldn’t do anything about it.

What they didn’t know was that the mission was a ploy to have Reader be assassinated while carelessly adding kids to the mix. All done by the Higher-ups and encouragement of the Zen’in clan. The only reason this information was spilled out was Toji was visiting you in the infirmary and his super hearing heard a low grade Zen’in sorcerer spill it out. He, along with Satoru and Suguru, forced the sorcerer to spill anything they knew. The sorcerer revealed that Reader had been on a watchlist and knew she was dangerous to them so they tried making her death a tragic accident. Surprisingly, Toji and Satoru had this moment of truce between each other. It was interesting to Suguru because both of the two men hate each other’s guts but decided to work together if it involved you. They would’ve stormed in and decimated the Higher-ups and Zen’in clan, which Suguru didn’t mind.

It was Shoko that retrieved them, saying that you were awake and wanted to talk to them. The three begrudgingly made their way to your room. Reader essentially argues that going on a killing spree would make them curse users, they are just tools for the higher-ups and would turn on them at any given chance. She reminds them that if Toji kills in Jujutsu Society, she would die or be completely exiled and Toji would be immediately executed. Leaving her children all alone with both parents gone and possibly dead. Reader admits she wants to change Jujutsu society and take down the current higher-ups and dismantle the old system. But she doesn’t want to drag Tsumiki and Megumi into the mix, especially since Megumi possesses a technique that has been sought after for centuries.

This weighed on the four of them as Reader continued to talk. It doesn’t help that if they do succeed in killing the higher-ups, not many people would follow behind them, like the big three families. She advises that they need to wait, which she is aware that time won’t change anything. But something needs to happen in order for the change to happen and work in their favor. Suguru understands but doesn’t really agree because keeping them around for longer will just continue what’s happening. Reader points out that if they kill the current higher-ups now, possibly the worst people would take their place. A greater evil replacing a mild evil, pick your poison.

The men don’t go through with the killing but are on legit bad terms with the higher-ups. Toji couldn’t give two fucks about them and the Zen’in clan, but he loves you so he’ll abide to your rules. Similar to Toji, Satoru is the same. He does have the power to do all of this, he knows it would put many people at risk. Suguru was the only one who was conflicted about it, they could do it now so why wait for later? But Suguru is only doing this for his friend and you, not for Jujutsu Society.

Reader is aware of Suguru’s breaking point with what’s been going on. She tries to help but knows Suguru has to make that choice to reach out for help as well. He has been sent on mission after mission, breaking him down even more. One night when you were still on mission leave, there was a knock on the door. Opening it revealed Suguru holding two twin girls in his arms. After dragging him inside, giving the girls Tsumiki’s old clothes, patching him up, and making him tea, you asked what on Earth happened? Anxiety gnawing away as you assumed the worst. Then Suguru explained the situation, his latest mission in a village where he found the mistreated twins by the villagers. He didn’t kill them, to your relief, but he was mad and angry how non-sorcerer people could be more cruel than them. These are the people they were supposed to protect and save but they pull off the most heinous crimes, putting a hit on Riko then torturing these innocent girls.

You didn’t deny Suguru was right, why protect non-sorcerers when they have the ability to be as cruel as the curse spirits they fight? But it was not about being the better person and letting them get away with it, no. It was about would it be worth it in the end for Suguru to kill off random humans who they’ll never see again? The village was remote as it is. So for torturing the girls, Jujutsu tech and other Jujutsu sorcerers weren’t allowed to do assignments for the village. Leaving the villagers vulnerable to curse attacks and incidents. While it still was a bad decision to leave them to fend for themselves, you couldn’t let Suguru go on a killing spree.

So Reader helps Suguru take care of the twins along with Satoru and Shoko. The twins had a hard time adjusting but got used to living with Suguru as their guardian/dad. The Twins grow up with Tsumiki and Megumi as they would have play dates and hangout with each other whenever they were at Reader’s home or Reader brings Megumi and Tsumiki to Jujutsu Tech.

With that, Suguru and Gojo become teachers at Jujutsu High. Shoko became a doctor, Yaga became the principal of the school, Haibara is a full-time sorcerer while Nanami left the Jujutsu World after he graduated but eventually returned a couple years later. You still teach at the school but more of a substitute teacher and only going on retrieval and investigating missions.

During this time, you tried your best with your children to mend their relationship with Toji. While Megumi took a little longer than Tsumiki, they recognized that their father was staying and not leaving anytime soon. The household was a lot healthier because of that, putting Tsumiki and Megumi in a better mental state. With Megumi having developed his curse technique, Satoru trains him and spends time with him after school to help him better understand his technique. Though you do help your son, it seems like Satoru had teachings that stick with him more. Megumi recognizes Satoru’s presence, though annoyed for the most part, and sees him as an older brother figure but he’ll never admit it. Toji is more involved with his kids' lives as they get older, making up for their earlier years. They have good figures in their lives, making their lives better. While Megumi still has that surface-level brooding antisocial personality, it’s credited to him being an introvert and picking up bits of Toji’s personality.

Though Toji and Megumi’s relationship got better over the years, they have their little banter moments here and there. It was more for annoyance and teasing between the two. You allow it to happen only if it’s meant to be a joke and not a cruel insult disguised as a joke. Sometimes Tsumiki intervenes but you tell her that’s how Megumi and Toji show their love for each other. Especially when Megumi gets older and doesn’t show his vulnerability as much compared to when he was younger. Megumi grew to appreciate his dad more and Toji values from what his two children have taught him.

With the events of JJK 0, since Geto is alive and a non-curse user, let’s just say that the villain who attacked Jujutsu High was Kenjaku but in a different body of a powerful person. So Reader meets Yuta and the other first years and is shocked to see a Zen’in with no technique. She makes personal note of this while also helping Satoru and Suguru teach them. Reader was also there for the attack that took place on Christmas Eve, which pissed her off because she was supposed to be at home with her family but some powerful bozo wanted to conquer and see the whole world in shambles. Nanami and Haibara were serving on the battlefield. Gojo was literally giving hands to Miguel while Suguru was helping in exorcizing and stockpiling curses.

Kenjaku gets heavily injured and flees the scene, proclaiming that this wouldn’t be the last time they would see him. So after convincing forcing Miguel to come to your side, Reader and Satoru sent Yuta with him to Africa in hopes of finding more of the curse rope Miguel’s clan makes.

Meanwhile sometime later, Megumi was of age to go to Jujutsu Tech. He had a lot of resistance from you to not go there, let alone be a sorcerer. But Gojo talked with you and convinced you that Megumi would become a better sorcerer if he went. Yet it meant dorming at the school and Reader was reluctant about it. But when Megumi showed interest and talked to you about it, you agreed to it but it meant that Satoru would be responsible for his well-being during school hours. Toji also was on Megumi’s side, saying the boy needs to spread his wings and kick ass. Plus Tsumiki will be home too. He’s becoming a young man and you hate to admit it but your husband has a point.

Also in this AU, Tsumiki doesn’t get cursed and goes into a coma. Long story short, you had a gut feeling that something bad was gonna happen. But it wasn't like the air shifted or felt different. Nah, you had this impending doom and you felt so sick that Toji was concerned for you. When Tsumiki left for the bridge, Toji secretly followed after her and saved her just in time. However, one of her friends ended up getting cursed instead. Tsumiki feels guilty but Toji explained about your concern for her safety which is why he went.

Everything still happens as per usual. Megumi meets Yuji, Yuji eats Sukuna’s fingers, Yuuji becomes Sukuna’s vessel, Megumi, Nobara, and Yuuji become a team, etc.

Megumi never really mentions Reader/You, his dad, or sister to Yuji and Nobara because they never asked him. But also, he still is a well-reserved person and doesn’t let information like that slip, especially what he knows about Reader’s status in the Jujutsu Society.

Yuji and Nobara don’t meet Reader/you until after the Kyoto exchange event because Reader/You were in Hokkaido for a bit. But let’s say Reader/You were not pleased with the treatment of Yuji and the Jujutsu Tech students from Kyoto. Todo gets a pass but he’s the only one, Miwa does but she’s a different story.

Reader brings up Maki to Toji and Toji seems interested to see another person that’s very similar to him. Reader brings Toji to school and this is one of the times he is actually well-behaved and watches from afar as he sees the second-years train. He observes Maki quietly as you await his response. Toji just stands up, saying there’s another foil to the Zen’in clan’s plans before leaving the school grounds with you.

Toji does go on missions for Jujutsu Tech but he’s not considered a sorcerer. He’s very similar to Mei Mei in terms of only doing a job if it bleeds money. Due to his Celestial Restriction, he is sent on more dangerous missions. But he doesn’t mind because the paycheck he gets is a fat one that could provide for a year for your household.

Now with the Shibuya Arc, it will be completely different with Toji being alive and an ally. Though tragedy and destruction will occur in Shibuya and afterwards, Toji’s being alive does change the tides against Kenjaku and his evil plan. This is also where Reader starts doing her own thing and pulls some strings that’ll help the main cast. Even if it’s not on legal terms.

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anjasitdown · 2 months

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I knew something was UP when the only film that helped Yuuji control his flow of cursed energy was the Lord of the Rings. Our boy Yuuji is TRULY a hobbit at heart. Chapter 265 spoilers ahead, but I'll put it under the cut.

It was back in season 1 when Gojo had Yuuji watch a variety of movies to teach him control of cursed energy regardless of the emotions evoked by the films. Gojo refuted Yuuji's idea that anger and other strong negative emotions are the only source of a strong cursed energy.

With that in mind, I don't think it's random that LotR is the one shown to us that helped Yuuji gain mastery over his cursed energy flow. Sure, Yuuji might've controlled it before watching other movies, but it feels as if it's on purpose that it's LotR, especially that scene at the river where Frodo tried to take the burden of destroying the ring on his own, fully aware of the dangerous journey ahead. But Sam didn't let him and willingly followed him, even if it would cost him his life.

Maybe, just maybe, Yuuji learned to control his cursed energy because he saw himself in Frodo. Yuuji looked so engrossed in the film as if he was feeling it—as if he was Frodo who, just like him, bears great evil within him. Not only that, but Yuuji saw in Frodo's eyes the same crushing weight of responsibility and isolation such an evilness entails. It was as if he's looking in the mirror. But Frodo wasn't alone. He had Sam and the others in the Fellowship who are also willing to lighten the burden he carries. And I think that's what got to Yuuji.

And I don't know if it's just me reading too much into things but Yuuji is at his best when he feels anchored by his friends' support or when they're relying on him, like that time when Yuuji held down the cursed spirit at the detention center to buy Megumi time to save Nobara and escape; when Yuuji and Todo almost defeated Hanami, and my favorite, when Nobara nailed down Mahito's double during Shibuya arc:

As corny as this sounds, Yuuji managed to pull himself from Nanamin's death and attack Mahito because he felt Nobara's presence, which encouraged him to continue fighting. Even if the sorcerers were scattered that time and most were left to fend for themselves, Yuuji didn't feel alone. This was the one thing Geto needed the most when he was spiraling down.

Yuuji reminds me so much of Frodo: Yuuji the vessel of the evilest sorcerer in history and Frodo the Ring bearer. But before that, they were nobodies living a simple life, which they treasure and work hard to keep. They're not ambitious and are satisfied being surrounded by their loved ones. They're the ones we least expect to defeat the evilest entities since they're surrounded by the strongest warriors/sorcerers, who could not defeat the said evilest entities. Yuuji, like Frodo, does not belong to the kind of world he got thrown into, and this is made pretty obvious in the recent chapter.

Throughout the many months Yuji had been with various sorcerers and curse users, his principles and worldview got blurry. He started to assimilate their ideas, which didn't feel like him to be honest. From ideas of having a specific role in life and fulfilling it, wanting to give people a good death, and having a cog mentality to being the same as Mahito and becoming a monster to defeat another monster. That's not him. That's never him. And Yuuji realized that too, and I love seeing him change his perspective into that which feels more like him.

Yuuji never liked fighting others. He may have been blessed with physical prowess that might've been on par with Nanamin, but he never wanted to use it. Heck, Yuuji joined an occult club instead of becoming an athlete. What's important to him are the memories you make with yourself and with your loved ones—choosing to do things, even mundane ones, that bring you and others joy because that's what life is all about.

To Yuuji, there's nothing wrong if you lead a simple life doing things as mundane as walking your dog, sleeping, taking a shit, writing this meta, and existing. Living day to day is already hard as it is. Yuuji wants Sukuna (and us) to know that your worth to live and be loved and respected doesn't depend on the grand dreams you have, how far you've come in life, how powerful and strong you've become, how useful you are. Your worth to live is inherent to you, and no one's going to change that, not Sukuna or anybody else. And Yuuji's not gonna stand idly by and watch the likes of him trample on people's lives. They don't get to choose who's worthy to live and kill those who don't.

I read somewhere that Gege thinks Yuuji having no ambition, unlike Naruto wanting to be a Hokage or Luffy aiming to become a Pirate King, is the story's weak point. But I disagree. That's what makes Yuuji so unique and refreshing to watch as he develops. He may not be as ambitious as other shonen heroes, but he does have a strong moral compass, even as young as 15. It may not be obvious, but Yuuji is introspective, observant, and most of all he has this childlike love for life that the other characters have lost due to the nature of their jobs.

Back to the LotR reference—as much as similar Yuuji is to Frodo—when Sukuna switched to Megumi, Yuuji started to feel more like Sam and Megumi Frodo. No matter what happens, even if it would cost him his life, Yuuji's never gonna leave Megumi alone in despair. Megumi has become weak in mind and spirit that he's possibly on the verge of giving everything up. Still, Yuuji's not going to give up on him. He will destroy Sukuna and carry Megumi back home.

In the end, if Yuuji survives, all I could ever think of is his eyes full of insurmountable despair and mourning over the lives of the people he loved and lost. There's no going back after this. I can only hope that after the end of this story, Yuuji could still find a way to rest—be with a person or in a place—if there is anyone or anything left at all.

#but it's sure as heck never gonna be with mei mei get away from my son #idk if this makes sense or if this has been said before #but i've been thinking about this ever since i saw yuuji watching lotr #like it HAS to be a clue bc why show it? why make us see yuuji watching lotr out of all the movies gojo picked?#i've been wanting to write this since then but i thought maybe i'm just overthinking? but then jjk 265 drops and i'm like that TRACKS #now that i think about it the support yuuji receives is the one thing that suguru lacked the most which further pushed him to spiral down #but it wasn't satoru's intention to leave him behind i guess they just drifted apart bc of Life #at the end of all this i feel like yuuji's gonna do what satoru failed to do with suguru. yuuji's going to bring megumi back.#jujutsu kaisen #jjk 265 #jjk spoiler #yuji itadori #megumi fushiguro #nobara kugisaki #gojo satoru #geto suguru #nanami kento #sukuna #jjk analysis #jjk meta #anja yaps

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lilacxquartz · 4 months

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Don't Make Me Feel Alive I Chapter 3

Kenjaku (Pseudo-Geto) × Fem!Reader

[This fic contains Shibuya Arc spoilers and is updated every Saturday.]

ABOUT: Diagnosed at an early age with an illness that slowly deteriorated your body; you went from being a promising sorcerer to a retired husk of your once former self until he found you, offering you an opportunity to live instead—not that you had a choice to refuse.

CHAPTER SUMMARY: You are taken out on a little field trip that could have ended better, despite not knowing exactly what you did wrong.

TAGS/THEMES: (in the future chapters): »yandere, chronically ill reader, forced dynamic, non-con, dub-con, violence, caretaking, unrequited feelings, sorcerer reader, dead-dove, mixed pov, potential interpretations of dubious sorcery«

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Side Note: reminder, this is currently pre-shibuya arc, so some characters will still be present in his alliance. also more dubious sorcery up ahead.

3. Outing

Come the next morning, he was already long awake before you woke up. His gaze fixated on the pendant that rested around your neck, finding its low pulsating hum to be quite soothing as it echoed through the otherwise quiet room.

“I adjusted it for you overnight,” he began, patiently waiting for you to fully awake before continuing, “this time it should use less energy for the things you actively do like walking, but the energy cost will remain the same should you choose to use your technique.”

You furrowed your brows in response, seeming a little confused, “So, I can’t use my technique in the end anyway because it uses up too much energy… or?”

“That’s not what I said,” he corrected you with a slight laugh, “we can train it, the better you get at harnessing your technique, the less energy it will drain.”

“But would that really work…?” you asked.

“Think of it like working out a muscle,” he explained, trying to compare it to something you could understand, “it’ll get easier to manage over time.”

He then stared at you for a long moment as he ensured you kept up with his explanation before having a different thought enter his mind.

Thinking of something new, he broke the silence again, changing up his neutral demeanour to something much more energetic, “I want to test your ability to keep up with me.”

“But,” you halted, feeling still so cautious, “what if it’s like last time?”

“Ah, but I don’t think it’ll be,” he replied, his tone filled with optimism, “besides, what good is it if I trial things on you without you testing them?”

“…Fair,” you sighed, choosing to trust him for now as you sat up from the bed, “So… keeping up with you?”

“I have a meeting of sorts today to oversee some plans in the future, I’d like for you to attend this with me and see how the battery is spent during social settings, if at all,” he explained calmly, his tone sounding suddenly a little clinical despite his relaxed demeanour.

You found him difficult to read as his tone often overrode the look he had in his eyes as well as the smile that he constantly wore. Something about this whole thing felt unsafe, but you had no choice but to go along, so you might as well go along with what was thrown at you.

Meanwhile, his intentions weren’t as terrible as he simply just had an idea to see if the battery drain was strictly physical or if mental stress negatively impacted it as well.

You slowly nodded in understanding, “Also… what do I call you exactly?”

“Anything you’d like,” he replied bluntly. He had so many identities at this point that he didn’t care. Regardless of what name you could conjure up for him, he’s likely lived under that identity for at least a little while.

“Okay, but really, what do you prefer?” you persisted, not quite accepting his answer.

A pause followed as his smile returned, finding the insistence amusing.

“You can call me Kenjaku.”

“And that’s your real name?” you asked.

He nodded in confirmation, “But you can call me anything, however, for the meeting,” he paused for just another moment, “Maybe it’s best for you to call me Geto, instead.”

“Wait, so your allies know you as something different…?” you asked, reading maybe too much into the suggestion.

“I will go as far to admit that this isn’t my true body, so feel free to interpret that as you will,” he continued to say, “I’d prefer if this particular alliance stays in the dark about it”

“Is there a reason why you’re lying to your allies?” you asked as though to recycle your question, unsure why he was avoiding giving you a proper answer. Maybe you shouldn’t have been asking somebody you didn’t really feel too safe around so many questions, but also you wanted to understand who exactly you were working with.

Kenjaku himself didn’t actually mind your relentless curiosity, as he always found people the most interesting when they want to learn more about what’s around them, rather than just accepting things at face value. The only time he felt that people, including sorcerers, were boring, was when they were a little too content with their position in life.

“The alliance is a group of special grade cursed spirits,” he spoke up again after a hot second, studying your reaction as he next considered his tone, “but being what they are, I can’t trust them.”

“Because they’re not human?” you asked once again, trying to keep up.

“That’s not the only reason, but it’s one of them,” Kenjaku confirmed, his expression remaining unreadable.

“So you don’t trust them but you trust me?” you asked, not following along again.

“Who said I trust you?” he smiled.

“D-do you?”

“If I’m being honest, I don’t truly trust anyone,” he replied in a sudden serious tone before it faded away immediately, a wide grin following after, “but that’s enough about me, you’re going to follow me along aren’t you?”

“You’re not giving me much of a choice,” you sulked. You could walk, but you didn’t feel great doing it.

“Correct, but you are free to fight back, you know,” Kenjaku teased, knowing you wouldn’t tempt it.

“Wouldn’t you just stop me?” you warily asked.

“Also correct, so why don’t you behave for now and follow me anyway, unless you’re prepared to find out what happens if you refuse to do so?” he sang almost, still wearing his smile.

Albeit reluctantly, you chose to go along with his request, pressured by what he was doing for you. His vague threat lingered in the back of your mind, reminding you that he wouldn’t let you refuse, wondering exactly what that had truly meant. While his threat remained empty, you couldn’t deny that there was danger behind his words and you weren’t in a shape to find out.

As you walked alongside him too, you couldn’t help but admit that there was a difference in your stride; the adjustments that he made proving seemingly beneficial.

The meet with his alliance proved however brief as he quickly determined that certain aspects of his plans shouldn’t be shared with you, wanting to keep you in the dark about the darker parts just to keep your willing participation—understanding that if you knew the true extent of it all, that you wouldn’t be so keen to help him.

Which would be a problem. For most things, he preferred a willing cooperation, which was what he was aiming to achieve by tricking his other allies too.

This was simply how Kenjaku worked though; he would be selective with his plans and how he chose to tell it and to whom. He told you that he would restore you in return for your cooperation and he told Mahito’s alliance that he’s on their side in exchange to bend them to his will.

Therefore, he decided that your role wasn’t to directly talk just yet. It was to be in the midst of a social setting, humans or cursed spirits be damned—either were draining enough, so he simply just kept you present as a shadowing ally knowing that the alliance wouldn’t care much to ask.

For now given your condition, your use was limited anyway. Even if you did return to your peak condition, he would likely just utilise you in combat regardless since that was his initial plan to exploit your technique.

As such while the discussion happened off to the side, your matters were turned elsewhere—towards a person that didn’t quite seem human but not like the cursed spirits up ahead either; seeking comfort within his company, feeling bored out of your mind.

Initially, Kenjaku paid very little attention towards your interactions with one of his creations, believing that your communication with him would be limited at best. However as you continued to speak with the death painting, he felt something stir deep within him that he didn’t quite like—let alone understand.

You continued your exchange with Choso either way, oblivious to his observations. You somehow got into the conversation about emotions with him.

“I’m sorry, I’m just curious,” the death painting mumbled, hoping to not scare you away—he liked humans and wanted to learn about them, but his opportunities were limited.

“You’re fine,” you tried to reassure, “I’m just a little lost on how to answer that question,” you added with a polite, albeit strained smile.

“Sorry,” he repeated again, his face looking at you with a sat yet fascinated gaze.

“I suppose that it feels a little chaotic, maybe?” you mused, considering his question with more thought. “I think humans tend to be emotionally driven, so maybe to be human is to be unpredictable.”

You paused, trying to determine if your words were even coherent.

“Does that make sense?”

Choso nodded as he processed your answer despite feeling still just a little confused by it—he also had emotions but he didn’t feel motivated by them but maybe he was also missing something.

“A little,” he replied.

He wanted to continue the conversation but the meeting seemed to have been concluded which meant that you were reunited soon with Kenjaku, who chose to move onto the objective of continuing the practice of your technique.

With surprising patience, he encouraged you to release small bursts of your technique as you learned to regain control of it, finding that there was progress to be seen already, causing him some relief as you continued to demonstrate what you were currently capable of, meaning come autumn, you probably could prove useful. With each controlled movement, you proved that the energy handled by the pendant was becoming more and more efficient, which is exactly what he wanted.

“I know you can do better than that” he teased you, wanting for you to increase your output.

You nodded as you then attempted to do just that, finding that you still didn’t have a proper handle of your technique as you were simply too out of practice. As a result, you ended up accidentally sending over a surge of energy far greater than anything you should have been capable of—at least currently.

Kenjaku’s eyes widened slightly in response while maintaining his relaxed posture as he watched you completely drain the pendant of energy once again but in a much greater amount, thinking that luckily you were stood over grass, since the fall wouldn’t be so bad this time.

And then, to his slight annoyance, Choso was the one who caught you mid-fall, leaving him confused as to why the death painting, usually so aloof and distant, suddenly seemed to intervene.

However, he didn’t let his annoyance show at all.

Not once.

He instead continued back with you completely alone, leaving the cursed spirit alliance to their own hideouts, wherever those currently were and even though they didn’t suspect a single thing, he still felt off about something to do with you.

Then there was you, who on the other hand, couldn’t quite shake the feeling that he acted strangely colder towards you as he guided you back, finding that despite his continued silence, there was something different about his overall demeanour.

Feeling confused and weary from what had happened overall, you reluctantly went off to sleep even though there was an unrelenting nagging confusion lurking in the back of your mind, failing to understand exactly why he treated you so well just yesterday ago and why you were now otherwise reduced to barely dirt.

Initially, you wondered if it was because the technique had failed you again.

However, you also found that after you had accomplished a full night’s sleep, that he seemed completely back to normal again.

In fact, he seemed to be over the top thrilled about something.

So what was that really?

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le-panda-chocovore · 4 months

Text

I think the reason for all that discourse in the JJK fandom is that we had some expectations about what this story would be about, and we were wrong. I'd say it was our fault for having them, because Gege had his own story in mind and it isn't our role to tell him what to write/draw. But I'd also say that we were misled into having those expectations and then being deceived, because shock value is fun.

(I'm not in the AOT fandom so maybe I'm 100% wrong, in which case don't pay attention to me. I'm just rambling I'm not trying to make a point)

See there's not such a thing in Attack On Titans. I mean I know people are arguing whether a decision was good or bad or a character development was positive or negative, but no one is rioting the way JJK readers are even when someone dies, kills, or does worse (they do start a genocide lol). Because in AOT you know since the beginning what this story is about : surviving, war, and liberty. With time you learn that it's also about racism, destiny and injustice. But the story starts with death and blood and it never calms down, characters keep dying or getting hurt and no one's safe all along the story. So you just know it'd end the same way, you know what to expect, that power of friendship won't save anyone here.

But Jujutsu Kaisen is different, because it has all the codes of a basic Shonen. Everyone was comparing it to Naruto during the 1st season so you would believe it'd follow the same path. Of course there's fights and fails and suffering and death, because it's necessary for the growth of the protagonist. He'd learn he's not strong enough and he'd try harder and mature more and be better. Jujutsu Kaisen makes you think it's your One Piece-type manga where 1 person dies every 4 arcs and the main team survives everything, even when it looks impossible.

And then Shibuya happens and you're shocked because it's way to early to kill so many valuable characters in a row. Usually that kind of massacre happens during Big War arcs like in MHA. At first you think it's an interesting writing choice because it changes from other mangas, and you wonder how the main character will evolve from that. But then the training arc never happens, because shit keeps falling on them and there's a pile of deads and you start to wonder when it'd stop. Spoilers : it doesn't.

So at some point you realize it. This isn't a classical shonen. This isn't an happy-ending after a hard fight kind of story. There's no power of friendship to save them, there's no important moral path to keep following no matter what (like "I won't do to you what you did to me because it'd mean that I'm the same" no it doesn't work here), and there's not even a chance to run away from that cursed role no one wants to bear. There's no one protecting the kids anymore. The MC isn't strong enough and the mentors are dead and close friends are off-fight and the one person able to end this has to make the horrendous choice to give up his humanity.

In AOT, you were shocked, but it felt logical in the sense of where the story was leading you from the beginning. In JJK, you feel betrayed and manipulated because everything made you think about those other mangas where people ended up fine, but it was just a cover.

Honestly you COULD have guessed it'd end that way. Many people did. You just ignored it.

You thought Junpei's death was an exception, the Major Point for Yuuji's development, the Shock Value Kill to put some depth nuance in the story. But in reality it was a warning, a taste of the future. There WERE signs after all, and Gege never pretended to write another Naruto. You were so used to the classical shonen that you read the signs and fell for the trick.

JJK has never been a nice story from the beginning, Sukuna was at the center of every event since the beginning. You can dislike what is happening but you cannot say it's bad, as in a scenaristic choice. Gege is a writing genius and unfortunately he's also pure evil.

You shouldn't have trusted a one-eyed cat after all.

#jjk #jjk spoilers #jjk manga spoilers #analysis #rambling #jujutsu kaisen manga #gege akutami #jjk analysis #By You I meant Me obviously. I'm the one who got tricked. I'm the one crying on the sideway.#i don't want AOT discourse on this post I don't really care I'm simply spilling my thoughts on JJK

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mononijikayu · 3 months

Text

the moon during the day — ryomen sukuna.

"You found a way." you whispered, your voice barely audible against the backdrop of chaos. “This was your doing, wasn’t it?”

He regarded you with a gaze that held centuries of unspoken words. "I promised, didn't I?" His voice, resonant and familiar, cut through the clamor around you. “One way or another. We are bound to each other.”

GENRE: Heian Era to Shibuya Arc, 2018;

WARNING/s: Alternate Universe ─ Canon Divergence, Romance, Emotional Hurt, Found Family, Hurt/Comfort, Heavy Angst, Heavy Pining, Domesticity, Friends to Lovers, Character Death, Grief, Miscarriage, Mention of Depression, Mention of Mourning, Depiction of Physical Touch, Depiction of Mental Anguish, Depiction of Violence, Depiction of Harm, Depiction of Blood and Wounds, Depiction of Miscarriage, Depiction of Death, Depiction of Harm, Pseudo-Incest, Adoptive Cousins, Portrayal of Misogynist And Degrading Acts and Language, Smut, Detailed Depiction of Sex, Depiction of Sexual Foreplay, Sexual Penetration, Consensual Sex;

masterlist

ashes of love

song: the moon during the day by ahn ye eun

ko-fi

note: i was supposed to write this a while ago, but i was busy writing my web novel on tapas!!! if you have the time, please come by and enjoy it!!! malefica arcana updates bi-weekly~ anyway, i want to thank you for all your love and support for ashes of love. i enjoyed writing it and i feel like i can scrap up extra stories in the future, but for now - i hope you enjoy the ride. i'll see you in the next update for us and them!!! <3

8:40 PM

THIS WAS SUPPOSED TO BE A DAY OFF. But it cannot be helped. If there was a summon where they were needed by other sorcerers, then they must be there. It was a duty they must not shy away from. Mikoto Akihiko stood at the forefront of the Mikoto team, flanked by Mikoto Nobuhiko and Mikoto Aina. The sleeves of his kimono were already brushing against the wind. And yet, it was not as strong. It was odd. But he supposed that the curtains their foes had set up were too powerful. Expert, even. More expert than what the Mikoto would have done.

The bustling streets of Shibuya, now eerily quiet, were shrouded in an unsettling atmosphere. Dark clouds loomed overhead, casting long shadows across the empty storefronts and neon signs that flickered sporadically. Mikoto Akihiko couldn't shake the ominous feeling gnawing at his gut. He glanced around, his eyes scanning the deserted area for any signs of movement.

"Why Shibuya?" Akihiko muttered under his breath, his grip tightening on one of his sword hilts. "What do these curses want here?”

Mikoto Nobuhiko, standing beside him with a stern expression, broke the silence. "Is Genmei–neesama already in the area?"

Akihiko nodded. "She came with Gojo Satoru. I received a message. They’re trying to neutralize threats as much as possible.”

Mikoto Aina, her usually calm demeanor tinged with unease, tried to reassure the team. "We should be fine then. As long as Gojo Satoru is around, everything will be dealt with. Our Genmei will be fine. How could she not be? No one will be capable of fighting against both of them.”

Akihiko turned to Aina, his brow furrowing with concern. "Let's hope so, Aina–sama. But we need to stay vigilant. Just because Gojo—sama and Genmei—sama are here doesn't mean we can let our guard down."

Nobuhiko's phone buzzed, a sharp interruption to the tense silence that had settled between them. His eyes flicked to the screen, the glow casting a serious shadow across his features. The message held weight, its contents pulling his brows together in concern. He read it again, absorbing the implications with a growing sense of urgency.

The room around them seemed to hold its breath, the air thick with unspoken tension. His companion watched him intently, waiting for him to share the news, sensing the gravity of the message from the subtle shift in Nobuhiko's demeanor. The silence stretched, broken only by the faint hum of the city outside and the muted glow of the phone screen reflecting in his eyes.

Finally, Nobuhiko looked up, his expression a mix of determination and apprehension. "We need to go there." he said, his voice steady despite the underlying urgency. "Now."

Aina’s face scrunches. “What’s wrong?”

"The assistants have messaged me, Aina–sama." Nobuhiko announced, his voice steady despite the rising tension. "There are sightings of curses all around the routes leading to Shibuya, especially near the Meiji–Jingumae station."

Aina's brow furrowed deeper, worrying etching lines into her features. Her eyes darted between Akihiko and the dimly lit surroundings, where long shadows stretched ominously across the pavement. The urgency in Nobuhiko's message weighed heavily on her mind.

"Which ones should we prioritize?" she pressed, her voice laced with concern. "We can't be everywhere at once. And with other sorcerers..."

Akihiko paused, his gaze sweeping over their small team gathered under the flickering streetlights. Each member mirrored his own apprehension, their faces a blend of determination and uncertainty in the face of imminent danger. They must do well here — there cannot be any room for mistakes.

"We need to make a decision, and quickly too." Akihiko said, his mind racing. "If the curses are converging on Meiji–Jingumae station, it could mean they're trying to cut off reinforcements or trap civilians. But Shibuya is their main target; we can't afford to leave it undefended."

Nobuhiko nodded, his eyes narrowing in thought. "What if we split up? We can regroup once we have a better understanding of the curses' movements."

Aina hesitated, glancing between Akihiko and Nobuhiko. "Are you sure that's a good idea? Nobuhiko–kun, splitting up might make us more vulnerable."

"It's a risk, but we don't have many options, Aina–sama." Akihiko replied, his tone firm. "We need to cover as much ground as possible. There’s few of us sorcerers available already. We must maximize what we can. Nobuhiko, make sure you keep in constant contact. If anything feels off, we regroup immediately."

He bowed his head. “Of course, nii-sama.”

Akihiko's sharp gaze swept over the faces of his team, each expression a blend of apprehension and steely resolve. Their eyes, wide with the weight of the impending challenge, mirrored the tension that had settled over them like a heavy, suffocating fog. The dim street lights cast long, flickering shadows, adding to the eerie atmosphere that seemed to press down on them all.

The gravity of the situation was undeniable, a constant reminder of the stakes they faced. It was as if the air itself was charged with the energy of impending danger, making every heartbeat louder, every breath heavier. Despite the unease that gripped them, Akihiko knew he had to be the anchor, the unwavering force that would keep them grounded. He was a descendant of Ryomen Hiromi. He must be strong, as she once was.

"We have to make sure everyone is going to be fine," he said firmly. "No matter what, our priority is to protect and assist."

Nobuhiko stepped forward, his voice filled with concern. "Then I and Aina–sama will go together to the Fukutoshin line, Akihiko–niisama. It's better if we stick together. I may be able to protect Aina–sama, if she heals.”

Akihiko nodded his head, his expression resolute. He turns his head to Aina. "I agree. There might be more along the way that need medical help, Aina–sama. Your expertise would be invaluable."

“I suppose so.” She nodded her head. “There are very few healers. We cannot burden Shoko–dono as much with healing.”

Nobuhiko's face tightened with worry. "Will you be okay, nii–sama?”

A reassuring smile crossed Akihiko's lips as he moved his haori slightly, revealing the four-piece katana strapped to his side. "I'll be fine, Nobu. The ancestors will lead me well."

Nobuhiko hesitated, then sighed, knowing Akihiko was right. "Alright. But we have to rendezvous at Shibuya station, nii–sama. Promise me that."

Akihiko's eyes gleamed with determination. "I promise. I'll bet on that."

With a final nod, the team split up, Nobuhiko and Aina–sama heading towards Meiji–Jingumae station, while Akihiko turned towards the Fukutoshin line. He took a deep breath, steeling himself for the challenges ahead. He had to believe in Nobuhiko. He’s capable enough. He wasn’t made a first grade sorcerer for nothing.

He had to be confident that their paths would cross again in the heart of Shibuya. Still, he could not help but feel his gut say otherwise. He hadn’t had this feeling in a very long time. The sense of unease lingered, but he pushed forward, determined to face whatever awaited him in the darkened streets of the Shibuya itself.

‘It will all be fine.’ He thinks to himself as he runs as fast as he can. ‘I must trust that it will be fine. Gojo–sama and Genmei–sama are both here. They’re special grades. Everyone is doing their part too…’

He wanted to believe it, to hold on to the hope that whatever they have planned will overcome whatever comes their way. They had the favors of the gods at this moment. Gojo Satoru was the strongest among all the sorcerers that have ever come, past or present. And Genmei–sama, she’s powerful enough to deal with things. She is Hiromi’s successor. None could go against Hiromi in her lifetime. Who could ever try and surpass her too?

But the gnawing fear in his gut refused to be silenced. Something’s not right about all of this. He doesn’t know what. But it’s making him feel some kind of way. As he takes a deep breath, he keeps muttering prayers as he rushes through the empty streets. He could only pray that he was wrong — that everything will go smoothly. That they could save lives. That he would be enough.

As he sees his first target, he draws one katana.

His eyes hardened as his blade met the curse’s flesh.

He knew that this was going to be only the beginning.

9:20 PM

HE TAKES A DEEP BREATH. Mikoto Akihiko had been in the thick of it for what felt like an eternity. The weight of the station's gloomy ambiance seemed to amplify the urgency in his every movement. Gripping his katanas tightly, he drew them with a fluid grace that belied the tension in the air. Their blades, polished to a deadly sheen, caught the dim light in a chilling glint.

With a sharp exhale, Akihiko unleashed his cursed technique, Wind Swipe. The air around him seemed to thrum with unseen energy as he moved with lightning speed, slicing through the transfigured humans with relentless precision. His blades danced through the chaos, leaving arcs of crimson in their wake.

Blood sprayed against the walls in macabre patterns, painting a grim tableau of violence and desperation. The metallic scent mingled with the acrid stench of fear and decay, filling the station with a haunting atmosphere.

Akihiko's movements were a blur of calculated strikes and swift dodges, his senses attuned to every shift in the battlefield. The urgency of the situation pressed upon him, driving him to push beyond physical limits as his blades struggled to keep pace with the fury of his attacks.

Each swing of his katanas was a testament to his skill and determination, each cut a measured response to the relentless onslaught. Amidst the chaos, he remained a stoic figure, his focus unwavering despite the carnage unfolding around him.

He fought his way through one of the stations of the Fukutoshin line, every swing of his katana an act of desperation and resolve. As he cut down one enemy after another, he also focused on evacuating any civilians he encountered, urging them to safety with hurried, breathless commands.

But he knew there were more trapped by the curses. As he ascended the stairs, the screams grew louder, echoing through the tunnels, a chilling reminder of the terror unfolding above. His heart pounded in his chest, sweat dripping down his face, mingling with the grime and blood that clung to his skin.

Emerging into the chaos above, his suspicions were confirmed. Curses attacked non-sorcerers mercilessly, their grotesque forms reveling in the carnage. Akihiko gritted his teeth, the exhaustion weighing heavily on his limbs. He was tired, every muscle in his body screaming for respite, but he couldn't stop. Not now.

"I am the blood of Ryomen Hiromi." he whispered to himself, drawing strength from the legacy he bore. "I will not fail her. I will not fail here!”

With renewed determination burning in his eyes, Akihiko surged forward, his katanas becoming extensions of his will. The blades sliced through the air with a deadly grace, their movements swift and precise. Each strike carried the weight of his resolve, a silent oath to honor his ancestors and protect those who depended on him.

The station's dim light flickered overhead, casting long shadows that danced with his every movement. Sweat trickled down his brow, mingling with the adrenaline coursing through his veins. The echoes of battle reverberated off the walls, the clang of metal against flesh punctuating the air.

With each opponent he faced, Akihiko's movements were a ballet of death and defiance. His katanas flashed in intricate patterns, cutting down transfigured humans with calculated efficiency. His mind was a whirlwind of strategy and instinct, anticipating their every move with practiced precision.

Amidst the chaos and the screams, he remained a steadfast figure, unwavering in his commitment to the fight. Each foe he dispatched fueled his determination further, driving him onward through the relentless tide of curses and adversaries.

Akihiko's movements melded into a frenzied dance of survival, a blur of steel and sweat that echoed the urgency of the moment. Each strike of his katanas carried the weight of his determination, each swing a desperate bid to carve a path through the writhing curses that surrounded him. The air crackled with tension as his Wind Swipe technique cleaved through their twisted forms with deadly precision, leaving behind a gruesome trail of dismembered limbs and dark, oozing blood.

Amidst the chaos, his senses honed in on a group of civilians cornered by a particularly monstrous curse. Its grotesque maw gaped wide, hungering for their flesh. Without hesitation, Akihiko's fierce cry pierced the air as he surged forward. His katanas gleamed in the dim light as he closed the distance in a heartbeat.

With a swift, fluid motion, he struck with all the force he could muster. The first katana sliced through the curse's thick hide, sending a spray of dark ichor into the air. In the same fluid motion, the second blade arced through the creature's neck with lethal precision. The curse's head toppled from its shoulders in a clean sweep, landing with a sickening thud.

The creature's massive body convulsed and twitched, its death throes rattling the ground beneath them. Akihiko didn't pause to watch; instead, he turned his attention to the civilians, ensuring they were unharmed and ushering them to safety amidst the carnage.

Adrenaline surged through him, sharpening his senses and driving him onward. The battle raged on around him, but in that fleeting moment, as he stood amidst fallen curses and the faint cries of survivors, Akihiko knew that every life he saved was a victory against the encroaching darkness. But he cannot stop now, just because he saved others. He rushed across the bloodied rubble.

"Go! Run to safety!" he shouted at the terrified civilians, who wasted no time in fleeing the scene. “Don’t waste time, run! I will shield you!”

Akihiko's chest heaved with each ragged gasp, the weight of exhaustion pressing down on him like a physical force. The relentless onslaught of curses threatened to overwhelm him, their twisted forms closing in from all sides. His katanas felt heavier with every swing, his muscles burning with the strain of relentless combat.

The station's dim lights flickered overhead once again, casting eerie shadows that danced with the chaos unfolding around him. The paperwork for this damage was going to be a headache. But he cannot think too much about it now. ‘Fight,’ he thinks. ‘Bills can wait!’

Blood and ichor splattered across his clothes, mingling with the sweat that soaked his brow. His heartbeat thundered in his ears, drowning out the cacophony of shrieks and clashes. In the corner of his eye, he could see people fleeing. One curse tried to encroach towards the running civilians, but he jumped in front of it, attacking it with a thrust.

Despite the mounting fatigue and the blurring edges of his vision, Akihiko refused to yield. He couldn't afford to, not with the lives of so many innocent civilians hanging in the balance. Each strike he made was fueled by sheer willpower, each parry a testament to his unwavering resolve. He has to continue on. He can pass out later. He can do all these defeatist things later.

A sudden burst of energy surged through him, a mix of adrenaline and sheer willpower. He thought of his ancestors, of Hiromi, whose blood ran through his veins. Their legacy was his to uphold, their strength his to draw upon. With a renewed roar, he cut through another wave of curses, his katanas moving with blinding speed.

In a brief moment of respite, Akihiko looked around, assessing the situation. The station was a battlefield, littered with the remains of curses and the fallen. The cries of the injured and dying filled the air, a haunting reminder of the cost of this battle. His heart ached with the weight of his responsibility, but he knew he couldn't falter.

He made his way deeper into the station, the screams growing louder. He knew there were more people trapped, more lives hanging in the balance. His body screamed for rest, but he forced himself onward, his katanas ready for the next onslaught. He gritted his teeth as he continued on.

As he rounded a corner, he saw a young girl, no older than ten, cowering behind a column, tears streaming down her face. A curse loomed over her, its claws inches from her trembling form. Without a second thought, Akihiko sprang into action, his blades slicing through the air with deadly precision. The curse let out a final, gurgling scream as it disintegrated into a pool of dark ichor.

The girl looked up at him with wide, tear-filled eyes. "Thank you," she whispered, her voice trembling.

Akihiko knelt down, his exhaustion momentarily forgotten. "It's going to be okay," he said gently, offering her a reassuring smile. "You're safe now."

As he escorted her to safety, his thoughts drifted back to Hiromi. Her legacy was a heavy burden, but it was one he bore with pride. He would not fail her. He would fight on, no matter the cost, until every last curse was vanquished and the people of Shibuya were safe. With a final look at the chaos around him, Akihiko steeled himself for the battles yet to come. He was the blood of Hiromi, and he would not rest until his mission was complete.

He’s going to hold on, he’s not bowing down.

One way or another, he’ll get to Shibuya Station.

He will exercise all these curses once and for all.

10:50 PM

HE COULDN’T SEE IN ONE EYE. Taking a deep, ragged breath, Akihiko fought to steady himself amidst the chaos. His one functioning eye burned with determination, though it struggled to focus through the haze of blood, sweat, and the lingering echoes of battle cries. The station's dim lights flickered erratically overhead, casting fleeting glimpses of the gruesome scene unfolding around him.

Akihiko's katanas lay shattered and splintered at his feet. It was obvious that it was a ferocious battle. Blood seeped from countless wounds that marred his once-unyielding frame, the fabric of his clothing torn and stained. The relentless assault had taken its toll; he could feel the throbbing ache of broken ribs and possibly other fractured bones, each movement sending waves of agony through his battered body.

Despite the overwhelming pain and weariness that threatened to drag him down, Akihiko refused to yield. He clenched his jaw against the torment, drawing upon the last reserves of his cursed energy. Every fiber of his being screamed in protest with each step, each swing of his arms. Yet, driven by a fierce resolve, he pressed forward.

Before him, the first-grade curses surged with unnerving precision, their movements mirroring his own with a chilling synchronicity. They seemed to anticipate his every strike, their claws and fangs a deadly symphony of aggression and intent.

Akihiko knew he was at the brink of exhaustion, his senses dulled by pain and fatigue. But in the heat of battle, with the lives of innocent civilians hanging in the balance, there was no room for retreat. Every ounce of strength he could muster went into his defenses and counterattacks, each movement a struggle against the encroaching darkness.

As the battle wore on, the station echoed with the clash of steel and the agonized cries of curses. Akihiko fought on, his body pushed beyond its limits, clinging to the desperate hope that his endurance and skill would be enough to turn the tide.

His attacks grew more furious, each strike fueled by frustration and desperation. He had to reach Shibuya Station. He had to. Nobuhiko and Aina–sama were waiting for him. He can’t give in to all this now. He had to finish this fight and go to where he needs to be. Pushing himself to his limits, Akihiko’s movements became a blur, his remaining blade flashing through the air with lethal intent.

But it wasn't enough. The curses continued their relentless assault, their grotesque forms mocking him with their seemingly boundless resilience. Akihiko's frustration simmered beneath the surface, boiling over into a primal roar of defiance that echoed through the station.

With a surge of desperate determination, he threw himself back into the fray. Every ounce of his dwindling strength fueled his attacks, his katanas slashing through the air with a frenzied intensity. The curses countered with eerie precision, their claws and teeth gnashing against his blades with a relentless ferocity.

His once-proud katana began to betray him under the strain. The metal groaned and protested, small cracks forming along its length with each forceful clash. Splinters of steel sprayed into the air, a testament to the overwhelming force of the onslaught he faced.

Akihiko gritted his teeth against the pain that shot through his arms and shoulders with every blow. His movements became a blur of desperation and resolve, each strike a gamble against the odds. Sweat mingled with blood on his brow, his vision narrowing to a tunnel of focus as he fought to maintain his footing against the relentless tide.

The station's walls seemed to close in around him, the air heavy with the stench of blood and sweat. Every breath burned in his lungs, every heartbeat a painful reminder of his mortality. Yet, fueled by a stubborn refusal to surrender, he pushed himself beyond the limits of endurance.

In the midst of the chaos, Akihiko's mind raced with strategies and calculations, searching for any advantage to gain an upper hand. But the curses, relentless and unyielding, matched him blow for blow, their mocking resilience a grim reminder of the uphill battle he faced.

Still, amid the cracks in his blade and the searing pain that threatened to overwhelm him, Akihiko fought on. His roar of defiance echoed through the station once more. In a final, desperate effort, he thrust his katana forward with all his might. His eyes widened in shock as a blinding white light erupted from the blade, engulfing the curses in its brilliance. The explosion of energy was immense, a searing burst that annihilated the first-grade curses in an instant.

The force of the blast sent shockwaves through Akihiko's body, hurling him backwards like a ragdoll. He collided with the unforgiving ground, the impact stealing the breath from his lungs. Pain radiated through every limb as darkness threatened to envelop him. The world spun in disorienting swirls, his vision clouding and flickering as unconsciousness tugged at the edges of his awareness.

Through blurred eyes, Akihiko caught a fleeting glimpse of the station bathed in an eerie, ethereal glow of white light. It bathed everything in its spectral embrace, casting stark shadows that danced across the walls.

As the radiance began to wane, a figure emerged from the epicenter of the light. The brilliance coalesced into a humanoid form, its features shrouded in the remnants of the fading glow. Purple eyes gleamed with an otherworldly brilliance, scanning the chaotic scene with an expression of profound bewilderment.

The figure stood tall amidst the wreckage, its presence commanding yet enigmatic. Akihiko struggled against the encroaching darkness, trying to make sense of the surreal sight before him. Was this a savior, a harbinger of hope amidst the devastation, or something more ominous, drawn by the chaos that had unfolded? He did not know. But his eyes were slowly closing. He was too exhausted. Too exhausted to continue.

Despite the throbbing pain and the haze of confusion that clouded his thoughts, Akihiko's instincts prickled with a mixture of apprehension and curiosity. His breath came in shallow gasps, each heartbeat a drumming echo in his ears. He couldn't move, couldn't speak—only watch as the figure observed the aftermath of the cataclysmic event with an inscrutable gaze.

“Where am I?” the figure muttered, their voice tinged with confusion as though they had just awoken from a long slumber.

The once tumultuous station fell into an unsettling silence, the reverberations of the fierce battle fading gradually into nothingness. Amidst the debris and scattered remnants of conflict, the figure stood as a singular enigma, its existence seemingly born from the ethereal glow that had engulfed the surroundings moments before.

Purple eyes, luminous and inscrutable, surveyed the aftermath with an air of detached curiosity. The figure's form radiated a quiet power, a presence that seemed to transcend the mortal realm, yet its intentions remained veiled in mystery.

Meanwhile, Akihiko lay sprawled on the cold, unforgiving ground, his body battered and unconscious. His breaths were shallow and ragged, oblivious to the strange turn of events that had unfolded in his absence. Around him, the station bore the scars of the recent conflict—broken walls, shattered debris, and a pervasive sense of unease that lingered in the air.

As moments stretched into minutes, the figure remained motionless, a sentinel amidst the aftermath, silently observing the delicate balance that had been disturbed. The station, once a bustling hub of activity, now lay in disarray, its future uncertain in the wake of the inexplicable events that had transpired.

Ryomen Hiromi did not know what to do.

How could she be here, alive and well?

“What has been going on here, little ones?”

11:02 PM

IT WAS A STRANGE THING, LIFE. But as strange as it was, you don't think the mystery of life could ever answer the reason why you were still alive. You don’t remember how you got here. Your eyes widened as your kimono mingled with the blood that swept through the rubble-strewn tiles. The metallic scent of blood and the acrid stench of burning flesh assaulted your senses, a smell you knew all too well. You’ve lived long enough to remember, to know. You didn’t understand why you were here at all. Fear clawed at your heart. All you remembered was the darkness.

Your memories were hazy, fragmented like shattered glass, but one thing was clear: you should be dead. You should have been dead a long time ago. The confusion and terror churned within you, threatening to consume you. But amidst the chaos, a relentless need to understand burned bright. You needed to know. You needed to know what was happening.

Staggering to your feet, you glanced around, your mind struggling to piece together the fragments of your existence. The station was a warzone, littered with bodies and the remnants of a fierce battle. You spotted a group of sorcerers in the distance, their expressions a mix of determination and desperation as they fought off the relentless onslaught of curses.

You took a hesitant step forward, your feet slipping on the blood-slicked tiles. Your heart pounded in your chest, each beat a reminder of your confusion and fear. As you moved, you noticed a figure lying amidst the rubble, their form battered and bloodied.

Compelled by a force you couldn't explain, you approached the fallen figure. It was a young man, his body broken and his breathing shallow. Something about him seemed familiar, tugging at the frayed edges of your memory. You knelt beside him, your hands trembling as you reached out.

"Who... who are you?" you whispered, your voice barely audible over the distant sounds of battle.

The young man stirred, his eyelids fluttering open slowly until his gaze met yours. There was a familiarity in the way he sat, a subtle resemblance to Masaomi that tugged at your heartstrings. Memories of Masaomi's youthful expressions flashed through your mind—the way he would scrunch his face in a playful manner while seeking shade under the trees.

In that fleeting moment of awakening, a spark of recognition flickered between you, an inexplicable connection that defied rational explanation. It was as if time had momentarily folded upon itself, linking your past with this present encounter.

Your eyes fell upon the pin adorning his haori—a double heron, a symbol etched deeply in your family's history. A jolt of realization coursed through you, and your eyes widened in astonishment. Could it be possible? Could this young man sitting before you be... your descendant?

The notion seemed improbable yet undeniably stirring. Generations separated you, yet the echoes of lineage and shared bloodline whispered softly in the recesses of your mind. The heron symbol, a mark of ancestral legacy, seemed to bridge the gap between past and present, weaving a narrative of kinship and continuity that transcended time itself.

As you gazed upon him, the young man's features softened with a hint of curiosity, perhaps sensing the unspoken question that hung in the air between you. The station, once a site of turmoil and conflict, now bore witness to a quieter revelation—an unexpected connection that carried profound implications for both of you.

"Akihiko," he managed to rasp, his voice weak but resolute. "Mikoto Akihiko."

The name resonated deeply within you, stirring memories long buried beneath the weight of time. Mikoto Akihiko... Each syllable carried with it a profound sense of familiarity, a resonance that transcended mere coincidence. As you gazed at him, a realization dawned like a gentle awakening—a connection that stretched across generations.

He is your descendant.

And a fine one, at that.

He has survived all this.

The revelation settled upon you with a quiet intensity, weaving threads of ancestry and legacy into the fabric of your being. Mikoto Akihiko, sitting before you, embodied more than just familial resemblance; he embodied the continuation of a lineage steeped in history and tradition. He embodied strength. The heron pin on his haori, a symbol etched with significance, spoke volumes of the ties that bound you together, echoing through the corridors of time.

“You’ve worked hard, little one.” You whispered lowly as your hands traced his hair. “You are a worthy descendant.”

You glanced around, your gaze settling on the distant group of sorcerers gathered amidst the remnants of the battle. Questions churned in your mind, a relentless pursuit for understanding amidst the chaos that had unfolded. Why were you here? What had transpired to bring you to this pivotal moment?

But amidst the clamor of uncertainty, one thought remained steadfast: you needed to ensure Akihiko's safety first and foremost. He lay nearby, unconscious yet surrounded by an aura of ancestral significance that now bound you together.

With a determined breath, you moved swiftly towards him, your steps purposeful despite the lingering unease that gnawed at your thoughts. The station's shadows danced around you, a reminder of the recent turmoil that had engulfed the place.

With Akihiko's name lingering in your mind, you took a deep breath, steadying yourself against the overwhelming tide of fear and confusion. Determination sparked within you, fueling your resolve to uncover the truth. You carefully lifted Akihiko, supporting his weight as best you could, and began making your way toward the group of sorcerers in the distance.

Each step was a struggle, the weight of the wounded man and the treacherous terrain slowing your progress. Blood and debris littered the ground, a grim testament to the ferocity of the battle that had unfolded here. The sorcerers fought on, their cursed energy clashing against the monstrous forms of the curses that still plagued the station.

As you drew closer, one of the sorcerers noticed your approach. A young woman with fierce eyes and a determined expression broke away from the group, rushing to meet you. Her gaze flickered to Akihiko, her concern evident.

"Who are you?" she demanded, her voice sharp with urgency. "What happened to him?"

"I'm..." You hesitated, the uncertainty of your own identity gnawing at you. You don’t even know if they understand you. "I don't know why I'm here. But…. I found him like this. His name is Mikoto Akihiko."

It took her a while to understand you. But you supposed it was because you lived in a different world with a different manner of speech. Still, she needs only look at the man in front of her, in your arms to understand what you meant. Recognition flashed in the woman's eyes, and she quickly signaled for the others. Two more sorcerers joined her, their expressions grim as they assessed Akihiko's condition.

"We need to get him to safety," one of them said, his voice firm. "There’s a safe zone not far from here. We can regroup there."

Together, you and the sorcerers moved as swiftly as possible, navigating the chaos of the station. The safe zone was a makeshift shelter, shielded by powerful barriers that kept the curses at bay. Inside, wounded sorcerers and civilians were being tended to, their faces etched with a mix of relief and exhaustion.

The sorcerers gently laid Akihiko down, and the young woman who had first approached you knelt beside him, her hands glowing with healing energy. You watched, a sense of helplessness washing over you. Despite your confusion and fear, you couldn't shake the feeling that you were meant to be here, that your presence held some significance.

One of the other sorcerers, a tall man with piercing eyes, turned his attention to you. "Who are you, really? And why are you here?"

You met his gaze, struggling to find the words. "I... I don't remember. I woke up in the station, and everything was chaos. I should be dead, but I'm not. I don’t understand any of this."

“I….I see.” He whispers to you as you purse your lips. “Thank you…for bringing him here.”

“No problem.”

Just then, a curse began to scream angrily as it lunged toward them. Without warning, a piercing beam of white light shot through the air with incredible speed. You turned in time to see the curse vanish into nothingness.

The tense moment peaked with the curse's furious cries ringing out, only to be abruptly silenced by the blinding light that engulfed it. In that fleeting instance, you witnessed the curse dissolve into faint wisps, leaving everyone momentarily stunned by the inexplicable event that had just unfolded before their eyes.

“How did you—”

“I don’t know.” You responded in a soft mumble. “I whispered it in my mind….and it worked.”

“You’re a sorcerer?”

“I….” You stopped yourself for a moment. “A long time ago.”

You did not wait for them to say anything else as you turned your back. You walked away as much as you could. Your head was starting to hurt as you disappeared into the alleys. You tried to walk through the undamaged pathways, but every turn revealed more bodies, their stillness stark against the chaos that surrounded them. The air was heavy with the metallic tang of blood, mingling with the acrid scent of burning flesh. How did this happen? How had such devastation come to pass?

The eerie silence of the alleyways amplified the grim reality around you. Shadows danced eerily across walls painted with tragedy. You pressed on, each step a struggle against the rising tide of despair and disbelief. This new world that you tried to help build. All the blood, sweat and the tears. How could they end up repeating the mistakes of the past? How could they seek more wrongs, more destruction?

Memories flashed unbidden from where you stood — moments of laughter, faces now forever frozen in time. The scenes of destruction etched themselves into your mind: shattered buildings, twisted metal, and the haunting stillness of the fallen. They were all people. Just as you had once been. And they were robbed of their world. They were robbed of their peace. You purse your lips softly, your heart breaking over and over at this tragedy.

Questions gnawed at your thoughts like relentless echoes. How did it come to this? This city, once vibrant with life, now lay ravaged and desolate. Every corner turned revealed more devastation. One that you had never hoped to see, one that you had hoped no one ever will experience again. And yet, it does.

You do not know yet, the full extent of this madness. But you knew that it could not be good. You could feel it all across from where you stood. Over and over, ripples of powerful cursed energy. Not just one, but multiple. There must be quite a few battles happening one at a time. One which you thought had died with your generation.

In death, you had hoped for peace, believing your sacrifice would bring an end to suffering. But now, as you witnessed the aftermath unfold before you, that hope crumbled like fragile glass. The reality was stark and bitter: peace had been nothing more than a fleeting illusion. The cycle of violence, far from being halted, continued unabated, its tendrils spreading like a stain across the world.

The scenes of devastation bore witness to the futility of it all. Buildings reduced to rubble, streets littered with remnants of lives abruptly cut short — each shattered window and twisted piece of metal echoed the relentless brutality that persisted despite your sacrifice.

You had believed in the possibility of redemption, of a future free from the horrors that had plagued the children of the future Yet, as you walked through the haunting silence of the ruined alleys, it became painfully clear that the cycle of violence was an insidious force, unyielding and pervasive. It stained not just the physical landscape but also the very fabric of existence, casting a long shadow over any fleeting moments of hope.

Nothing had changed.

And that broke your heart.

How could this be what humanity is?

You navigated through the remnants of what was once familiar, the weight of despair settled upon your shoulders. The dream of peace, for which you had given everything, now seemed like a distant, unattainable whisper in the wind. As you emerged from the carnage, disoriented and confused, you felt a presence before you. There, standing amidst the wreckage, was someone you hadn't expected to see again. You could feel the air be knocked out of your chest as you stumbled backwards.

Your purple eyes widened at the sight of the world burning all around them. The way he stood before you, the cruel twist of fate, felt like a descent into hell. He appeared as he did when you were both young. This, you realized with a sinking heart, was your personal hell — a thousand years, countless lives apart. His wish had come true. He had vowed to follow you to any hell, so long as he could be with you.

Ryomen Sukuna stood before you, his presence overwhelming even in a body never meant to be his own. Despite the vessel's unfamiliarity, you recognized him immediately. It was in the way he held himself, the intensity in his eyes, and the aura of power that surrounded him. There was no mistaking it; he had found a way to return, defying the bounds of time and fate.

As you stared into those eyes, memories flooded back — moments of shared laughter, fierce battles fought side by side, and promises made under different skies. The weight of a millennia of distance, all this time pondering separation pressed upon your soul, mingling with the realization that despite everything, the bond between you had endured.

Your heart pounded with a mixture of disbelief and longing. The world around you continued to burn, but in that moment, everything else faded into insignificance. Ryomen Sukuna stood before you.

“You’re here.” He says as you feel frozen in place.

"You found a way." you whispered, your voice barely audible against the backdrop of chaos. “This was your doing, wasn’t it?”

A surge of conflicting emotions swept through you — relief, fear, and an undeniable sense of completeness. Despite the havoc wrought upon the world, his presence brought a strange comfort, a reminder of a bond forged in the crucible of adversity. A bond that you had long rejected, as he did. And yet all the same, a thousand years later, hundreds upon hundreds of human lives lived and ended — and you were still here. Together.

As you stood face to face, the echoes of past lives reverberated between you like whispers in the wind. The weight of centuries hung heavy in the air, mingling with the uncertainty of what lay ahead. The world around you continues to burn, consumed by turmoil and unrest.

Yet, in this poignant moment of reunion, you couldn't escape the unsettling truth: he was a force of destruction, a catalyst for chaos. His presence alone seemed to amplify the flames that engulfed the world. You knew deep down that he would leave a trail of devastation in his wake, more than he already had in his relentless pursuit of power and dominance.

His touch was gentle yet charged with a dangerous allure as his fingers traced the loose strands of your hair, brushing against the edges of your ear. His eyes, intense and unwavering, lowered to meet yours, studying your expression with a mixture of familiarity and calculation.

In that fleeting exchange, you sensed the complexity of his emotions — a blend of longing and determination, tempered by a ruthlessness that mirrored the flames consuming everything around you. As you stared into his eyes, you grappled with the undeniable pull he exerted over you, knowing that despite the chaos he wrought, there was a part of you that couldn't resist him, even as the world burned.

"You're a force of destruction," you whispered, your voice tinged with sorrow and accusation. "Everything you touch turns to chaos."

He didn't flinch from your words, his touch lingering on your cheek. "I've never claimed to be anything else," he admitted softly. "But you've always known this about me."

"I thought... I hoped..." Your voice faltered, emotions swirling within you.

He tilted his head, a faint smile touching his lips. "That I could change?" he finished for you, his tone gentle yet unyielding. "Some things, love, are beyond change."

"But the cost..." you trailed off, unable to voice the fear that gripped your heart.

He sighed, his gaze searching yours with a mixture of affection and regret. "I never wanted this for us, you know this." he confessed, his voice thick with emotion. "But I can't walk away. Not now. It is too late.”

Tears welled in your eyes as you struggled with conflicting desires — to embrace him, to run from him, to beg him to turn back from the path he'd chosen. "I love you." you admitted, the words a desperate plea. You lowered your gaze. “I….I loved you.”

His fingers tightened gently against your skin, a silent promise in his touch. If he was hurt by the last words you said, he did not show it. No matter how you hurt him, or hate him — even back then. You knew that Ryomen Sukuna could care less. So long as he could be near you, so long as he could look at you, as he does now; nothing else truly mattered. The world can burn, so long as he can be with you.

"And I love you." he replied, his voice a solemn vow. "But this is who I am."

You could feel your breath stolen from you as he leaned forward, his lips pressing against your cheek with a tenderness that cut deeper than any blade. The sensation shook you to your core, a visceral tremor that reverberated through the very essence of your being.

You didn't want this. It was like witnessing the moon in daylight—forbidden, impossible, a betrayal of everything you knew. Yet, despite your inner turmoil, he dared to make it real. He forced the possibility into existence with each tender touch, each lingering moment that defied logic and reason.

Anger and resentment welled up within you, a primal urge to push him away, to sever the ties that bound you together. You wanted to hate him for complicating your life, for shaking the foundations of your beliefs. The weight of betrayal hung heavy in the air, threatening to suffocate the fragile threads of your resolve.

But amidst the turmoil of conflicting emotions, a stubborn truth remained—you couldn't abandon him, not completely. Even as you struggled to reject all that he represented, all that he stirred within you, a part of you remained tethered to him, unable to sever the bond that fate had woven between your souls. You were always bound by fate. One way or another, the red string you hold was always going to be with him. And you hated it. You hated it. And yet—

"I have something to deal with," he murmured, his touch feather-light against the edge of your jaw, gently lifting it so your eyes met his. His gaze held a mixture of determination and tenderness, a silent promise echoing in his words. "I will come back for you, night flower. I always will."

His words hung in the air, laden with a weight that seemed to anchor you both in the moment. The faintest hint of a smile touched his lips, a fleeting reassurance amidst the uncertainty that surrounded you.

You wanted to speak, to protest, to demand answers or assurances. Yet, his touch, his gaze, held you captive in a silent understanding that transcended words. The nickname, "night flower," whispered a story of intimacy and longing, of moments shared beneath the cover of darkness. One which should never be. Never again.

As he turned away, his silhouette framed against the dim light filtering through the shattered windows of the station, you felt a pang of reluctance. His departure left an ache in your chest, a yearning for his return that defied reason. Tears welled up on your face.

“How much more blood will he put in my hands?”

You looked as the world turned to ruin over and over.

He burned the entirety of it all and you, you watched it all.

And you knew, all too well, that he will never let you go.

facts about the chapter

this was about 7000-8000 words. i debated whether if it should be longer, but i realized if i made it any longer, it would break the time frame of shibuya

i was a bit stumped when i made this part of the story in the draft process, because i know what was gonna happen in the end, but i didn't know how i'll get there. i realized this was the best way to do it. hiromi meeting her descendants has always been on my mind.

mikoto akihiko is a minor member of the ryomen-mikoto clan. he's from the mikoto side of the family. he's a devoted servant and minor relative to genmei and satoru!!! he's served the main family since he was a boy and has pride for it.

akihiko's curse technique, wind swipe, is a speed power. he can use how fast he is to stun and defeat enemies in an instant. he can see things in slow-mo and in fast pace. he always knows what's happening time wise.

hiromi will later say that akihiko does in fact look like masaomi. in shinjuku showdown, akihiko gets slashed by sukuna because he reminded him of masaomi. sukuna's hatred is in fact generational!

his swords are called '照明' lighting or illuminations. it moves so fast that it looks like flashes of light, so it stuns opponents when they come and fight him.

the swords were taken when kenjaku left sukuna's embalmed corpse in his hide out. tengen kept the corpse for themselves, but the swords were gifted to hiromi's grandson. and it was passed on to whoever best uses it. akihiko managed to get that privilege when he was fifteen.

kenjaku put hiromi's soul into the sword after hiromi fought him back when memories started returning. he restrained her, easily as she didn't have a body. this happened at the same time when sukuna sought him for his expertise. kenjaku wanted to keep hiromi around as a companion, and a future leverage against sukuna.

hiromi experienced a thousand years as a weapon. it was one of the four swords that never broke and was called the '根性' or the strong willed because it never needed to break.

hiromi did not feel a thing despite being stuck in the blade. she was hidden within a pocket dimension which kenjaku created. he intended to keep her for a long time.

sukuna only knew about hiromi being kept by kenjaku during the culling games. he had hopes all that thousand years that she will be reincarnated and be with him again.

though hiromi and genmei lookalike, she isn't her reincarnation. souls are the one that reincarnate. hiromi's soul never got to rest, so it truly can never reincarnate until she fully dies and her soul is at peace.

hiromi's ability to use her mind with commands for her use of her power is something she hasn't been used to just yet. but genmei started to do it when she developed it. the problem is that it takes a lot of energy to use.

hiromi will be in the culling games, and wants to kill sukuna to end all the suffering. she believes that killing sukuna means the suffering of many will end. only then can she rest in peace.

sukuna and hiromi will interact a bit in the culling games and pre-shinjuku showdown. sukuna like he did all those years ago, cannot help himself when it comes to her. he's really obssessed with her.

hiromi throughout this refuses to gain use of a body for a vessel. she thinks that as she is not permanence on this situation, she does not need a body. her power is enough to maintain a state of solid body for now.

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