#tsukumo is *human* you know?

[angry-glasses]

i missed Tsukumo so bad those last chapters TᴖT my beloveds with identity issues who were lied to about who they were their whole lives and even after learning the truth can't tell what their true self is meant to be TᴖT

[yuesya]

“No.”

Satoru-niichan huffs, “At least finish listening to what I have to say–”

“No,” Shiki repeats herself. “Absolutely not. I refuse.”

The older sorcerer sighs. For a moment, he is silent, but then there is a light rustle as he sits down beside her.

“I know you don’t like it,” he says quietly. “For what it’s worth, this is just a ‘what-if’ if we encounter the worst-case scenario. You’ve already heard the news, same as I did. Kyoto fell in a single day when Tsukumo turned.”

… Yes, Shiki knows. In face of the disastrous outbreak of cursed spirits on a massive, world-wide scale, Tsukumo Yuki swiftly became one of the busiest sorcerers –both due to her position as a powerful Special Grade sorcerer, and because of her numerous well-developed global contacts. The woman poured her focus into finding out the reason for this unprecedented, unnatural phenomenon, so that they would be able to fix it–

But now she’s dead.

And it wasn’t because she had exhausted herself and fallen in battle.

According to the reports, Tsukumo had been tirelessly poring over older documents in Kyoto, before she suddenly doubled over, as if in pain. A black, smoky liquid had dripped down from her lips –first a trickle, and then an unending flood. Her body had twisted, then split; cracking open the way a butterfly emerged from its chrysalis.

But it was no butterfly that had metamorphosed from Tsukumo’s corpse, but instead a cursed spirit. 

… Another of those terrible cursed spirits. The ones which covered the world in inky darkness wherever they went, cursing the land and all the humans who lived upon that land.

Previously, there had already been several separate cases of lower-ranked sorcerers… turning. Somehow, inexplicably, turning into the very cursed spirits that they hunted. The information had been swiftly suppressed, for fear of causing panic, particularly since there were a lot more sorcerers nowadays than there had ever historically been–

But Tsukumo’s case was the first recorded incident of a Special Grade sorcerer turning into a monstrous curse, one that immediately leveled Kyoto to the ground upon its appearance.

There’s no way to hide this, and it also raises the question of–

Would the same also happen to other Special Grade sorcerers?

The worry is not an unfounded one. 

… It’s not like Shiki doesn’t understand where Satoru-niichan is coming from, making the request of her that he did. But all the same, it’s–

It’s terrible.

Terrible, but necessary. Especially in a broken world like this. Especially since their options are limited. But that does not make Shiki any more predisposed towards the very notion of what Satoru-niichan is asking of her. What he wants of her, what only she can promise him.

“… I don’t want to,” she whispers.

“I know,” Satoru-niichan acknowledges, which is quite cruel of him. But Shiki has always known that Satoru-niichan could be cruel. She loves him anyways. “If there was any other option, any other way of getting insurance, you know I would never ask this of you. But you’re the only one I’d trust with something like this, Shiki.”

Yes. She knows.

Shiki closes her eyes.

…

“I’ll only agree on one condition: You have to promise to do the same. 

If I ever become a mindless curse, then you need to kill me.”

[hoseokslefteyebrow]

The Anomaly || JJK

Chapter 19: A Plan

summary : In which you're isekai'd from your (own) parallel Jujutsu Kaisen universe to the canon universe.

wordcount : 2.6k

Pairing: Jujutsu Kaisen X Reader, your Sukuna X Reader, Megumi X reader

Masterlist | Next

Manga spoilers: chapters 145/146

You blink. Sukuna blinks. Everyone blinks.

Was this alien-like being Tengen?

Sukuna wasn't surprised Tengen didn't acknowledge him. It was a given considering he's got no cursed energy.

But he wasn't the only one who wasn't acknowledged. 

" Don't I get a hello, Tengen?"

Her face tells you Yuki's not entirely pleased about him.

Had something happened between them before?

" This isn't the first time we've met, Tsukumo Yuki."

" Why did you close off the tombs of the star corridor?"

She was not afraid to ask questions.

She had more guts than you expected.

" I was afraid you might be in alignment with Kenjaku. After all, I cannot see into the human heart."

Kenjaku?

" Kenjaku?"

You're not the only one who's wondering who he's talking about.

" The sorcerer who was once Noritoshi Kamo, and is now inhabiting the body of Suguru Geto."

" That name suggests compassion and salvation. Give me a break."

" Master Tengen, why do you look like that?" 

You blink at Yuuji's bold question.

The being that is Tengen smiles.

" I may be immortal, but I'm not immune to aging. After 500 years, you'd look like this too."

Yuuji's mouth forms an 'o'.

" For real?" 

Megumi seemingly has had enough.

" Excuse me but.." 

And so does Yuta.

" ...We came to ask about Kenjaku's objectives and how to open the prison realm. Will you tell us what you know?"

" I wish I could simply say yes, but there is one condition."

 " Okkotsu Yuta, Tsukumo Yuki, Death Womb Painting, and L/N Y/N, two of you must remain here to serve as my guards."

You blink. Again.

You? Why? And whose last name was that? What was your actual play in this universe? Did you have a current life here? Or a past life?

Things are so confusing now that Tengen's talking to you.

Meanwhile Sukuna's brows furrow in annoyance. Ain't no way he's allowing this alien like thing to keep you here.

He's not aware, and neither are you, but Megumi thinks the same as he glances at you, shifting the slightest bit closer to you than he already is.

You're not from here, and there's no way in hell that he's allowing you to die in his world.

" Y/N ain't staying with you alien. Keep dreaming." 

Politeness and formalities have never been Sukuna's thing. And that was evident in the way he spoke.

Megumi watches with a cool expression. He doesn't like Sukuna, but at least he can agree with him on keeping you safe.

" Y/N won't stay with you. She's not from our universe. We can't really risk her dying.- But why guards? Aren't you immortal? "

Yuta agrees.

" Are you worried about the seal?"

" No fair! You haven't even told us why or for how long we'd have to do it!"

The room has turned a bit chaotic now that Maki and Yuki are speaking too, with Maki remaining more serious.

Tengen doesn't bother to acknowledge anyone. Not even glancing at Sukuna's blatant disrespect.

" So then, shall I speak of Kenjaku? His objective is to force the evolution of all human beings throughout the land of Japan. "

Megumi blinks, mildly growing impatient.

" We heard that. But what exactly does he intend? Why didn't Kenjaku use your barrier that time, and turn everyone into a sorcerer that time via Idle Transfiguration? "

Tengen sighs.

" He lack the cursed energy to do that. Cursed energy that has been refined through uzumaki cannot return to the sorcerer. Triggering an evolution in each individual with cursed energy is incredibly inefficient. The method Kenjaku has chosen is the merger of human kind and me."

Once again, everyone's eyes widen.

Yuuji and Megumi are the first to speak.

" Isn't that impossible for anyone but a plasma vessel?"

" Is that even possible?"

" Yes. The way I was before. But now that I have evolved for the past 11 years, it wouldn't be impossible. "

You raise a brow.

" But aren't you one person? How could you merge with multiple. "

Sukuna huffs in disinterest. He came to get you, and now he's getting wrapped up in this shit.

You two should be looking on how to get home. Not meddle in this shit. He'll just katana Gojo out of there if it really bothers you that much.

Tengen's alien eyes fix onto you.

" The way I was before, yes, but now that I have evolved for over 11 years. It wouldn't be impossible for me to merge with someone other than a star plasma vessel. I am not what you see before you at this moment. My soul exists all around us. As I said, myself is now the world...."

Tengen carries on explaining, and you grow more confused with the second. You're not even going to bother to try and understand.

You glance at Megumi, who is stood closely beside you, yet he seems to be understanding the conversation without issue, following Tengen's every word.

You glance at Sukuna next, only to see he's barely paying attention to it, his brows furrowed in that familiar annoyed frown.

However, eventually, you do manage to get the most important bit together: Tengen's evolved form causes him to be more curse than human, and that makes him a target for curse manipulation.

Your eyes widen, everyone's does. (Except for Sukuna, the little shit doesn't give a damn whether Tengen dies or lives.)

This was the reason Tengen wanted guards. Kenjaku was currently inhabiting Suguru Geto after all. 

Tengen doesn't stop explaining after that. He continues on, talking about destinies. Everything had been in place. The Star Plasma Vessel, the Six Eyes user, Tengen, but then appeared someone with a heavenly restriction. 

You glance at Sukuna at the news, who somehow seems even more annoyed. 

He means Toji Zen'In of course. The only other person you know who had a heavenly restriction.

Tengen doesn't stop there, continuing on about how Toji destroyed their destinies and a boy with curse manipulation came along.

Now finally done, Megumi speaks.

" So why is the Culling Game happening?"

[ Here's your dear author speaking, apologies for breaking the fourth wall- I sincerely do not understand Tengen's yapping. 

Put simply: "To avoid any interruption in the merging of Tengen and Kenjaku."]

Finally, Sukuna has had enough.

" Okay. Great. Kenjaku wants you dead, sucks to be you. More importantly,  how do we free Satoru Gojo?"

Everyone is speechless as Sukuna steps closer from where he had been standing off to the side.

Sukuna's annoyed eyes sharpen into a glare, daring everyone to question him.

Even Yuta steps back.

For a guy with no cursed energy, he was damn intimidating.

" F-First, decide who stays." 

Tengen certainly has nerve to not directly answer Sukuna.

In return, Sukuna glares, stepping towards him. However, you're quick to step to his side, pressing a hand to his shoulder.

" Knock it off." 

Sukuna sighs as he glances at your much less intimidating glare. However, he does listen.

" I'll stay." 

Yuki and Choso are both quick to answer.

You glance at both of them, watching their reaction with surprise.

" Yuuji, you absolutely need Okkotsu or this woman's (Yuki) cooperation. Especially if Kenjaku comes here. Ending his life means salvation for my little brothers."

Yuki smiles at Choso's words.

" And I'm not done talking to Tengen. Is that all right, Okkotsu?"

" Yeah, I don't want to leave the others."

" Thank you. Now this-"

Tengen creates a small black hole, pulling out what appears to be a box.

" -Is necessary for freeing Gojo Satoru. It is the 'back' of the Prison Realm."

Megumi raises an incredulous brow.

" Back?"

Yuki raises a brow too.

" I've never heard of that."

Yuuji blinks.

" You mean like a back gate?"

Tengen nods (or does he? You're not sure.)

" Yes it is."

" Gojo Satoru is also sealed inside this rear gate. The authority to open it lies with Kenjaku. Breaking it open requires either the Inverted Spear of Heaven that nullifies cursed technique, or the Black Rope which cancels cursed technique effects."

Your brows shoot up, immediately drawing towards your best friend.

While Megumi and Yuuji both whine, you press a hand to Sukuna's arm in hope.

" You don't happen to have it with you? Do you? You always carry it around with missions." 

Sukuna blinks, brows furrowing in annoyance.

" Well get a load of this shit-"

-

[ Parallel Jujutsu Kaisen Universe, Tokyo Jujutsu Tech ]

" Is that?" 

" Yes."

Gojo Satoru tugs his blindfold off, as if needing to see it with his own eyes.

" Huh. He really dropped it. Is he dead?"

Gojo glances back at Megumi.

He leaves for one night, on a business trip, and apparently his students take that as a que to go do dumb stuff by themselves.

Megumi shakes his head, his brows furrowed in concern.

" No. I don't think so. He fell in this like... loop? It was really odd looking. Sensei, I don't think we can kill that curse. I think that wherever it put Sukuna, Y/N might be there too. Perhaps it works like the Prison Realm?" 

The corners of Gojo's mouth twitch up in a smile.

" Ah, you know what that is? "

Megumi nods, still focused.

" Well then,- "

Gojo gets up, putting his blindfold back on. As he passes by Megumi, he pats his fluffy back hair, the dame way he did many years ago.

"-Don't worry Megumi, sensei will take care of it."

Gojo steps away again  before turning back around. 

" Oh, and hide that away. We can't have people know that Sukuna is gone, and that the Inverted Spear of Heaven is still here. It's bound to bring trouble."

Megumi nods, glancing down at the weapon on the table with frustration. 

Where are his two most annoying classmates?

-

Yuki sighs, turning to Tengen.

" Is there another way?" 

" Yes. Among the players in the Culling Games, is a sorcerer from a thousand years ago who calls herself Angel. Her cursed technique can extinguish any cursed technique."

Megumi and Yuta's eyes widen.

" She can extinguish.."

" ...cursed techniques?"

" Yes. The angel's cursed technique can open the back of the Prison Realm. "

" Do you know where she is now?"

" The colony in the east side of Tokyo. The game barriers reject me, so I don't have anymore in formation."

However, that doesn't stop him from explaining even more stuff. Eventually, it comes down to this: There are 10 colonies in Japan. The games are to distract sorcerers and give Kenjaku an opening, so he can perform his plan on Tengen. The ritual for that might take around two months.

Which brings everything back to the current issue.

According to rule one ' After awakening a cursed technique, players must declare their participation in the colony of their choice within 19 days.'

" Right now, It's november 9."

Maki points out.

" The player sorcerers awakened around midnight at october 31."

Yuta reminds.

" So Tsumiki has roughly 10 days and 15 hours to declare participation.- Master Tengen, you said that refusing to participate results in death."

Megumi is evidently stressed out.

Rule two 'Any player who breaks the previous rule shall be subjected to cursed technique removal.'

" That is correct. "

Maki furrows her brows.

" Shoko was correct, sorcerers like me who don't have a cursed technique aren't at risk." 

" So, what about civilians who are already inside the barrier?"

Yuuji wonders rightfully.

Rule three 'nonplayers who enter the colony will become players at the moment of entry and shall be considered to have declared participation in the Culling Game.'

" They will at least be given one chance to exit."

Yuki supplies.

" How generous."

Sukuna's sarcastic voice drawls.

He can see how involved you are. How hard you're trying to understand the Culling Game. 

Which means you're going to get yourself involved. Which means he'll get himself involved as well.

More rules are explained, and honestly, it's so much your brain gives up.

Eventually, the worst comes to light.

Rule four, 'Players score points by ending the lives of other players.' And rule eight 'if a players score remains the same for 19 days, that player will be subjected to cursed technique removal.'

You swallow.

Yuuji looks at the ground, not liking this at all.

" So I'll have to kill people... again."

Megumi shakes his head.

" No. I have a few ideas."

Maki sighs.

" Well, that's the info we've got. Now we each have a role to play. Yuki and Choso will remain here to protect master Tengen. I will return to the Zen'In clan and collect cursed tools. Since Satoru was sealed, the Kamo and Zen'In clans cleared out the Jujutsu Tech's cursed warehouse. But since Megumi is now in charge-"

Sukuna, Yuuji and you look at him with wide eyes.

Of course, you know he's technically the rightful heir to the clanleader role, but has he actually taken on the role in this universe?

Megumi glances at all three of you.

" I'll explain later."

" -Afterward, I will find Panda and help address the game. And you, Yuta?"

" I'm going to enter a colony right away and take part in the game. Before the others participate, I want to gather information. I'll avoid nearby colonies so we don't end up accidentally killing each other. Barriers may block cellphone reception, so we might be out of contact for a while."

At once, his eyes widen as his connect to Yuuji's.

Ah, their tacky promise of Yuta killing Yuuji.

Megumi's brows furrow.

" Don't even think about it. I'll be fine." 

Megumi hold up a fist in a way to... reassure him..? Threaten him..? You're not sure.

" Yuuji. I'll use Water Manipulation on you if Sukuna takes over."

Yuuji's eyes widen as he faces you. Megumi raises a confused brow.

" What?"

" That night in Shibuya- You- you're the one who..?"

" Yes."

Yuta blinks, confused.

" What?"

" Water manipulation works on blood. " 

Choso supplies suddenly from where he's standing.

He nods at you in understanding while the rest remains puzzled. (Except for Sukuna of course- he already knows after all.)

" Don't kill him."

You shake your head.

" Yuuji'll be fine with me."

Megumi turns to Maki.

" Maki, what do we do?"

" You guys go to Kinji as planned."

Yuuji blinks.

" Kinji?"

" Hakari Kinji, a suspended third year." 

Yuta explains.

" Anyway, we're short handed, so we gotta rope in whoever we can. Y/N, Sukuna-"

" We're in."

Sukuna doesn't look happy, and you blink up at him.

He blinks back at you.

" I know you weren't planning on leaving."

You smile at him, nodding.

" What about Kinji, is he strong?" 

Yuuji is curious about this stranger.

" Well, he's moody. But when he gets worked up, he's stronger than I am."

Maki scoffs.

" That's not true."

What that said, you all leave, leaving Yuki and Choso behind.

" Choso!"

Yuuji calls him.

" Thanks. I appreciate it."

Choso smiles.

" Don't die, okay?"

Yuuji raises his hand in greeting as your group leaves.

Off to finding Hakari it is.

[ A/N: Holy shit, sorry for the very late update, this chapter was such a pain to write damn.]

The Anomaly Taglist:

@luxylucylou @kalulakunundrum @strxbxrrylover @aethersslave @jenniferrvsesi @hanatsuki-hime @betizda @sh0uk1 @nymphsdomain @suppeepsandweebs @sweetchimpeaches

[bliss-in-the-void]

Satoru, Suguru, and the Detriment of Their Origins. (How their characters completed each other.)

This is going to be an analysis on how their differences came together and contributed to their downfalls once they parted. I really like how this turned out—it’s very interesting.

Long post, read under cut:

Satoru:

Blamed the Jujutsu Higher-ups for even burdening him and Suguru, who were both sixteen, with the task of escorting Riko—who was only fourteen—to Tengen. The fate of the entire world rested on the shoulders of three kids who were only put in their position because of abilities assigned at birth, and nothing else. The three of them literally had no choice in the matter. Also, because of what happened with Haibara. Satoru deduced that the elders shouldn’t be in charge of sending kids off to their deaths to fight uphill battles.

So, he in turn decides to raise strong allies in the form of students so that they one day can overthrow the elders in hopes of establishing a more fair and just system for sorcerers. Here, he recognizes the need for sorcerers to exorcise curses to protect the populace, but does not agree with the system as it stands.

Note, Satoru before the Star Plasma Vessel incident had barely any motivation to exorcise curses other than the fact that he could do it. He did it for fun. He just liked using his powers. He was always a self-assured person.

Suguru:

Blamed non-sorcerers for generating curses in the first place, and developed a deep hatred for them that was seeded after Toji (a non-sorcerer) ‘killed’ Satoru and killed Riko, as well as after he witnessed non-sorcerers applauding the death of Riko, a fourteen year old girl. He met Yuki, Tsukumo, who introduced to him the idea of getting rid of the source of curses. He also blamed humanity for conjuring a curse that killed Haibara. His turning point was finding two young sorcerer girls, Nanako and Mimiko (~seven years old) caged up like animals by non-sorcerers. It probably reminded him of his own childhood—I can only imagine how his parents must have at least alienated him for his abilities, since they were not sorcerers. It also in part probably reminded him of Riko, and how she’d been a young girl unfairly targeted due to her abilities. It definitely triggered him.

So, his goal became to rid the world of non-sorcerers, so that curses wouldn’t exist. To do this, he had to abandon all of the principles he had subscribed to thus far and become a villain who kills people—but he did it for his cause.

Note, Suguru has always been a self-righteous person. It’s a bit different from who Satoru is. He has had time to think about his place in the world because unlike Satoru, he was born to a normal family and had to find where he belonged himself. Satoru, on the other hand, was told where his place was from the moment he was born.

So, Suguru defined himself as somewhat of a hero who valiantly, selflessly swallows nasty curses to protect the populace.

Satoru never had to define himself. He was already defined at birth. A wielder of the Six Eyes and Limitless, a once in a lifetime anomaly, a scale-tipping, monstrosity more powerful than anyone else.

These origins are both of their downfalls, and this is ultimately why the two needed each other so badly. They did complete each other as people.

As I said above, Suguru had to define himself. He had to affirm to himself that what he was doing was for the good of the people—it was how he had convinced himself society had to run. The strong protect the weak, it doesn’t matter if one had a choice or not. If you are strong, you have a duty to become a protector.

The issue with this mindset is that he has absolutely no attachment to it whatsoever. The only thing it does for him is make him feel good about himself in his early days as an active sorcerer. Even Satoru calls him out, letting Suguru know he “hates righteousness” and that he just “makes himself feel better” by “spouting bullshit”, the bullshit being his ‘heroic’ beliefs. At his core, Suguru believes himself to be a hero of sorts, which is why when things go sideways, he does a one-eighty and decided to kill all non-sorcerers rather than protect them. In his mind, he’s still affirming to himself that he’s the hero. It’s just that now, he’s protecting other sorcerers. The enemy has changed. He’s still the self-righteous, martyr-Suguru he has always defined himself as, sticking his neck out for the good of his cause.

He lost his grip because he was not emotionally attached to being a sorcerer. He was just attached to being a hero. This is why when entering Jujutsu High, Yaga puts such a huge emphasis on digging deep and finding a strong, personal reason to be a sorcerer. He recognizes that he fell short in that aspect when it came to Suguru, and doesn’t want it happening again. Resolve is very, very important so that once doesn’t lose their mind.

Now, let’s take a look at Satoru’s mind in contrast. He is the strongest sorcerer. The ‘honored one’. He always has been. He had bounties on his head before he could walk, and grown adults feared him even as a child. He was always seen for his abilities first and not his soul, so he identified with his powers more strongly.

This caused him to become disillusioned with himself. He believed that being strong was all someone could need, and that he was untouchable. He was relied on by everyone. “Gojo can handle it.” “Just wait for Gojo.” He was the trump card. That’s why he strolled up to Shibuya so nonchalantly—the way he was raised gave him a natural arrogance. It’s not because he’s a jerk. It’s because that’s all he knows. He was raised believing he was all powerful, so what else can he default to? He was literally wired that way.

Unfortunately, because he leaned so heavily on his powers, he forgot who he was as a person. Especially after Suguru, the only person he was able to form a vulnerable emotional bond with, compared him to his powers and left him.

Caveat I want to make about that point: Suguru was the only person who treated Satoru like a human being. Everyone else saw him as the Six Eyes. Because he made Satoru feel seen, because he tried making Satoru a better person (teaching him manners, acting as his moral compass), Satoru grew attached to him. So, when Suguru’s psyche took a turn for the worst and he left Satoru in Shinjuku, the line “are you the strongest because you’re Satoru Gojo? Or are you Satoru Gojo because you’re the strongest?” dealt a fatal blow to his heart. This was the one person he trusted deeply, reducing him to a man with powers, just like everyone else his whole life did. It caused a rift in their relationship. It caused Satoru to rethink his entire identity—how much of himself was based off of his powers? How much of himself wasn’t based off of his powers? Suguru’s presence allowed him to feel more human and less like a creature than he ever had. But those words pushed him back into that constraint.

In chapter 236, Satoru reveals to Suguru that somehow, though he had love for everyone around him, he felt a line had been drawn where he felt more like a creature than a human being.

A TikTok user (lauravpvp) pointed out something that drives this point home. Satoru wears a blindfold over his eyes 90% of the time. As his powers grow, the coverings get thicker and more restricting. He starts with glasses, then bandages, and then the black blindfold. Eyes are the window to the soul—and as he gets stronger, the less he shows them; the less he beard his soul.

We look into someone’s eyes to see how they’re feeling, to connect to them. His eyes are always covered, so he prevents that connection and prevents people from knowing how he feels. He dehumanizes himself that way.

Because of that, when he goes into his fight with Sukuna, he goes believing he’d the strongest and that he would win. It’s all he’s reduced himself to. This blind attachment to his powers, to the idea that he had to do it alone, is what lead to his downfall.

Because he learned the hard way that he wasn’t the strongest.

In his final moments, he reinforces what he had discovered after Suguru left him in Shinjuku.

Strength alone is not enough. Why?

He said that if Suguru had been there to pat him on the back, he would have truly been satisfied.

Suguru, who had to fight to find his identity his whole life—who, because he spent so much time defining himself, helped Satoru define himself in ways that were separate from his abilities. And Satoru, who identified himself with his abilities so much that it reinforced Suguru’s confidence in his own abilities.

They completed each other. Suguru’s moral compass and strict principles held Satoru’s head on right, and Satoru’s confidence and youthful heart kept Suguru motivated and away from the dark.

Without each other, Suguru descended into madness and Satoru lost sight of his human side.

[chosospradaboots]

(CONTAINS MANGA SPOILERS AS A LOT OF CHOSO AND YUKI SCENES ARENT ANIMATED YET. ) i’ve already covered many other things about choso in my previous essays. in this one i want to start off by talking about his relationship with tsukumo yuki. i’ve mentioned there relationship before but i want to get in depth with it. choso and yuki first meet in shibuya towards the end of the incident when choso switches teams. there’s a bit more but it’s been a while sense i’ve read the entire manga so ima lightly brush over the less important stuff. later on choso and yuki volenteer to become choso and tengens guards together wich i feel like is where they start getting close. in the manga yuki flashes choso smiles alot and even indirectly stated that he is her type. yuki and choso very clearly care for each other and i feel like yuki is one of the few people choso feels comfortable opening up to. i know i bring up the choos and yuki bar scene in the manga a lot but it’s just such a good example. choso is seen breaking down and telling yuki his feelings whilst she comforts him. he’s literally ugly crying to her and telling her he doesn’t feel human enough and she’s there proving him comfort. yuki even refused to let choso fight kenjaku on his own as she believes he will die if he goes on his own. inevitably yuki ends up dying pushing her teqnique to its limit in hopes of defeating kenjaku. in the panel where yuki gets the hole through her you can see a shot of chosos face in the corner, he looks obviously distraught as he just watched one of the people he cares most about get turned into a donut. yuki ends up dying with her last words being to choso. she used her last living moments to tell choso he is no longer a curse and will live on as a human as she knows choso is worried about being half curse and half human as he doesn’t feel human enough. you can only imagine how that affected choso as his life has already been full of loss. his mother, his brothers, and now yuki. yuki was also the one person he found comfort in and now she’s gone. choso was heartbroken over yukis death and he tired his hardest to honor her passing by inheriting her notes to his younger brother, yuji itadori.

[salty-dracon]

Final batch of Hundred Line anthropomorphic animal designs. See the first and second ones here, for all of the other characters.

For reference, the Tsukumo twins are ferrets, Shouma is a Brown Bear, Tsubasa is a Cocker Spaniel, Takemaru is a llama, Gaku is a Chihuahua, and Kurara is Kurara! (OK, we don't know what she looks like, so for now, she's a Corgi.)

Notes about the designs below:

The Tsukumo twins were SO HARD! It's weirdly difficult to adapt a ferret to a humanoid art style because their necks are so thick and their bodies are so long, so I had to take the most liberties with them. I am NEVER drawing pigtails on a ferret again. I'm very proud of how they turned out, though.

Shouma is a Brown Bear. Still very short. In my mind, I wanted him to still look "off model", kind of like a teddy bear. I hoped for a design that would look like Paddington, but... well. He does have bear ears, they just fit a little too perfectly into his hat.

I started off drawing dogs and other canines, so Tsubasa and Gaku were the easiest. Tsubasa in particular is meant to look like a beloved neighborhood dog that sadly passed away when I was in college (RIP, Peaches </3) and Gaku is meant to look like an off-leash Chihuahua that almost bit my ankles when I was going apartment hunting once. (I didn't know Chihuahuas could have spots until I saw that one.) Not like, because of those experiences or anything. For Tsubasa, I wanted an ordinary-looking family dog whose design complimented her long hair and baseball cap. It was also very important that she look adorable. For Gaku, I wanted a small cute dog with a loud bark and big ears. Gaku also has a slice through one of his ears, reflecting his rougher upbringing. I guess the spots also work as a class indicator. (Yes, I got a little lazy drawing his shirt.)

Takemaru as a llama... can you see my vision? It fits. It's so fitting. It fits so badly it wraps back around to fitting perfectly. A biker llama is the dopest thing ever.

Kurara is here because if I'm drawing 14 of these scrimblos, I'm drawing all 15. (Not counting the [spoilers] or Takumi's mom, plus I drew Karua before Nozomi, and clearly Nozomi would just look like the same white-furred goat girl, right?)

Nothing was colorpicked this time. I was dissatisfied with the last batch, but I like how I did the colors here better.

If I draw these anthros again, here are further notes on how I'd handle their designs.

Tails would be part of the designs, if they have them. They would fit neatly under clothes, or their clothes would be built to accommodate them.

Dogs, cats, and other animals with paws would have paws for hands and paws for feet- though depending on the animal, it might be only three fingers and one thumb. Hooved animals like horses and goats would have hands with two short, wide fingers and a thumb, and hooved feet. Of special mention is Yugamu- he does have wings, but because of them he also only has two working fingers and a thumb.

Character heights would be about the same, with body shapes somewhere between human and animal. I tend to lean towards cartoony and stylized over any sort of formalized anatomy.

BTW, I do draw humans. I'd argue I'm better at that than anthros. (See that catboy in my icon? I drew him! He's my boy!)

Thank you for reading!

[damn-stark]

Chapter 23 You’re an Angel, I’m a dog

Chapter 23 of Sugar

A/N- WAIT WAIT— “I’ll never be a son.” And “I’ll never be his favorite son.” Fits Choso and mc to a tea especially in this chapter!!!

Warning- Swearing, ANGST, FLUFF, spoilers, NFSW? Not really though it’s light, talks of miscarriage, SLOW BURN, heavy pining, long chapter

Pairing- Choso x Gojo!fem-reader, Suguru Geto x Gojo!fem-reader

Takes place during- Chapters 145 & 146, and the beginning portion of 203 & 207, of the Manga

(Let me know if you want to be tagged)

————

This is Tengen? This tall pale thing?

You always imagined they’d be more majestic looking considering how old they are and the responsibility they hold, but they look more like a pale four-eyed alien.

“Aren’t you gonna say hello to me Tengen?” Yuki remarks after she was left out of his sudden greeting.

“This isn’t the first time we’ve met Yuki Tsukumo.” They finally address her and they sound annoyed. “Why did you close off the tombs of the Star Corridor? I was afraid you might be in alignment with Kenjaku. After all, I cannot see into the human heart.”

Kenjaku? Who the hell is Kenjaku?

“Kenjaku?” You probe and slide your hands off Choso’s arms now that your fear has subsided.

“The sorcerer who was Noritoshi Kamo and is now inhabiting the body of Suguru Geto,” Tengen shares.

“That name suggests compassion and salvation. Gimme a break,” Yuki snaps.

“Master Tengen, why do you look like that?” Itadori suddenly interrupts, making your eyes widen with bewilderment.

“Itadori,” you scold.

“What?” He asks you over his shoulder as if that question isn’t obviously rude to ask someone.

“You can’t ask someone that,” you whisper sharply. “Even if they are centuries old. You can’t ask that.”

“I was just curious.”

“I may be immortal,” Tengen cuts in, making both Itadori and you look forward, but that was a mistake considering they tug on a creepy-looking smile. “But I'm not immune to aging. After 500 years, you’d look like this too.”

You scrunch your nose in disgust and mentally groan.

You’d rather die than look like that.

“Eleven years ago, after failing to merge with a Star Plasma Vessel.”

“Riko Amanai,” you cut in bitterly, making all eyes fall on you, including all four of Tengen’s—“considering she died trying to get to you, why don’t you have the decency to actually say her name.”

Tengen looks into your eyes, and no matter how intimidating they actually look, you don’t falter, you challenge them and stand by your ground.

“Riko Amanai,” they give in. “After I failed to merge with her my aging accelerated and my self-awareness as an individual diminished. The very world became myself.”

“And that’s why your “voice” doesn’t proliferate,” Yuki adds before Fushiguro raises his hand and politely interjects.

“Excuse me, but…”

“We came to ask about Kenjaku’s objectives,” Okkotsu continues for Fushiguro. “And how to open the prison realm. Will you tell us what you know?”

Your face drops the annoyed hardened expression and paints on a hopeful one as you wait for a solution to your brother's predicament.

“I wish I could simply say yes,” Tengen crushes your hopes. “But there is one condition. Yuta Okkotsu, Yuki Tsukumo, Y/N Gojo…”

Huh?

“…and the Death Painting Womb. Three of you must remain here to serve as my guards.”

You roll your eyes and press your hands on your hips as your annoyance returns.

For someone so mighty they still surely sound human.

And why do they need guards?

“Guards? Aren’t you immortal?” Okkotsu steals the words out of your mind.

“Are you worried about the seal?” Maki chimes in.

“No fair!” Yuki whines. “You haven’t even told us why or for how long we’d have to do it!”

“So then shall I speak of Kenjaku?” Tengen ignores Yuki and everyone else. “His objective is to force the evolution of all human beings throughout the land of Japan.

You nod. “Yeah, yeah, he yapped on about that,” you interject. “We want to know exactly what he intends. Why didn’t he use your barrier that time and turn everyone in Japan into sorcerers via Idle transfiguration?”

“He lacks the cursed energy to do that,” Tengen says. “Cursed energy that has been refined through Uzumaki cannot return to the sorcerer...”

Well, you knew that because of Suguru. You just thought Kenjaku would be different considering he’s old and he has the technique to jump into others’ bodies.

“…triggering an evolution in each individual with a cursed technique is incredibly inefficient. The method of evolution that Kenjaku has chosen is the merging of humankind and me.”

Is that…even possible?

“Is that even possible?” Itadori voices your same concern but in a much louder way.

“Isn’t that impossible for anyone but a Star Plasma vessel?” Fushiguro mutters his question.

“Yes,” Tengen nods. “The way I was before, but now that I have evolved for the past 11 years it would not be impossible for me to merge with someone other than a Star Plasma Vessel.”

Then they should have probably tried to protect Amanai more.

“But you’re only one person right?” Choso asks. “How could you merge with multiple people?”

“I am not what you see before you at the moment,” Tengen explains, making your eyebrows knot with confusion. “My evolved soul exists all around us. As I said, my self is now the world itself. A human who merges with me transforms into something greater than a sorcerer, as a new being that is both there and not there. I posses barrier techniques so I am able to maintain this form and self-control even after evolving. However,” they input. “If humankind evolves, and even if only one person rages out of control the world will end.”

You swallow thickly out of discomfort and shift your stance.

“Why?” Yuki inquiries.

“There would be no boundaries between individuals,” Tengen says. “So evil would spread instantaneously. The impurity of a hundred million people would flood the world. What just happened to Tokyo would happen to the entire world.”

“Why would Kenjaku do that?” You ask for the curious group.

Tengen shrugs stiffly. “I do not know. As I said, I cannot read the human heart.”

Hm.

“So why don’t you just refuse to merge?” Maki asks something that should be simple to solve. Tengen wouldn't be needing guards if it was that simple.

“That is the problem,” Tengen proves you right. “Now that I have evolved I am more cursed spirit than human being. That makes me a target for cursed spirit manipulation.”

You gasp in disbelief and your world then falls silent, and all you can think about is if Miguel was right.

“Considering Kenjaku’s ability as a sorcerer he might be able to seize me the moment we encounter each other,” Tengen continues. “That is why my main body is rejecting everything at the tombs of the star corridor.”

Was it your fault? All this? All because you couldn’t even look at his body after he died?

“And the reason you want guards, right?” Okkotsu asks, making Tengen nod in agreement.

“Yes. Kenjaku is the second-most powerful barrier user after me. I don’t know when he will undo the seal of the tombs.”

Tengen surely fails to answer a lot of questions.

“Why now?” You step forward to ask with growing concern. “Kenjaku prevented a merging with a Star Plasma Vessel and forced your evolution, and wants to consume and control you through cursed manipulation.”

“Apparently he was also involved with Sukuna,” Yuki bounces in. “So he’s been a sorcerer for at least 1,000 years, so why now?”

“I,” Tengen points at their chest. “The Star Plasma Vessel, and the Six Eyes, are all connected by fate.”

You blink and slowly your confusion is replaced by disbelief while realization slowly seeps through.

“In the past, Kenjaku has twice lost to sorcerers of the Six Eyes. The second time, he took no chances and killed the Star Plasma Vessel and Six Eyes less than one month after they were born. Nonetheless, on the day of merging, the Six Eyes and Star Plasma Vessel appeared.”

“Which is why he sealed my brother away, I assume,” you interject with your thoughts.

“Yes, after that Kenjaku switched to sealing instead of eradicating the Six Eyes and began searching for the Prison Realm,” Tengen shares nonchalantly. “Because two bearers of the Six Eyes cannot appear at the same time.”

Hm. Well, thank the stars for that.

“But then the unexpected happened 11 years ago when Toji Zen’in intervened. He was physically gifted through heavenly restriction and on top of that he was an anomaly who had escaped from cursed energy.”

You try not to but you steal a glance at the son of Toji Zen’in, whom doesn’t know thanks to your brother's lack of sharing. It explains his lack of reaction now too because of it.

It sucks! You need him to know already!

“As a human being who had escaped fate through the power of restriction, he destroyed our destinies,” Tengen goes on. “Then came along a boy with cursed manipulation.”

You drop your eyes and frown sadly at the ground.

“Suddenly all the pieces had come together except for the prison realm. Then even that fell into his hands six years ago.”

Almost like fate. Cruel fate.

“So why is the Culling Games happening?” Fushiguro asks, a bit distressed.

“It is like breaking the body prior to merging,” Tengen tells all of you. “It is not impossible to merge with someone other than a star plasma vessel but is highly unlikely and would be incomplete at present. The Culling Games uses the players’ cursed energy and the boundaries binding barriers in a ritual for conveying the human beings of the country to the other side. Through that custom, he will begin the merging with me. However, in order to perform such ritual, Kenjaku has undertaken certain binding vows.”

You know your answer to Tengen’s previous request now. It’s costly for you because you don’t want to be stuck and play a waiting game, but with Okkotsu here, now you can focus on getting Satoru out. So you drown out what they have to say about the Culling Games. If you have to somehow participate in them then you’ll ask for the rules and conditions then.

All that truly matters about them is that the games will continue until every player is dead or until they all refuse to play and die, and that killing Kenjaku won’t stop the games; so that plan is diminished.

You only bring your attention back when Tengen cuts Itadori off to get the answer out of who will stay

“I will stay,” Yuki, Choso, and you volunteer at the same time, making you happy that you don’t have to be stuck with Okkotsu, and that you’ll spend more time with Choso….and Yuki!

You shouldn’t be so enthusiastic, you have your protests after all, but your heart can’t help but jump.

“Yuji, you absolutely need Okkotsu’s or this woman’s cooperation,” Choso interjects seriously so Itadori can understand his brotherly concern. “Especially if Noritoshi Kamo—if Kenjaku comes for Tengen. Ending his life means salvation for my little brothers.”

“And rest for Suguru’s body,” you input your decision, gaining the attention of the room. “So I’ll stay here to help kill Kenjaku, and get the answer on how to get Satoru out.”

“And I’m not done talking to Tengen,” Yuki shares her reasoning for staying. “Is that all right, Okkotsu?”

Okkotsu nods and his eyes almost gleam with relief and joy. “Yeah! I don’t want to leave the others.”

You focus your eyes on Okkotsu and squint slightly before you interject in a menacing voice. “Okkotsu, you help Itadori, understand? Keep the promise you made to my brother.”

Okkotsu eyes quickly find you and his relief and excitement are quick to fall and be replaced by discomfort and nerves.

“Y-yes ma'am,” he quickly assures you, causing you to scoff and then look away to avoid looking at him more than you have to.

“Thank you,” Tengen once again speaks as they begin to reach in a black portal. “This…” they trail off and pull out a dull-looking box with a stitch on one side. “…is necessary for freeing Satoru Gojo.”

You perk up and slowly fill with hope and relief.

“It is the back of the Prison Realm.”

You blink and shift your gaze back to Tengen. “Back?” You question.

“I’ve never heard of that,” Yuki muses.

“You mean like a back gate?” Itadori is finally the first to understand something instead of being the first one to probe.

“Yes, that is right,” Tengen agrees as he keeps the back gate in their large hand. “Before Kenjaku found it, the prison realm was outside my barrier. I believe it was overseas. By sealing this rear gate, I was hiding the existence of the “front”, but it was no use. Satoru Gojo Is also sealed inside the rear gate.”

“Then if we open it can we—”

“No,” Tengen breaks Itadori’s hopes. “The authority to open the gate rests with Kenjaku as the bearer of the “front”.”

Which gives you more reason to stay!

“Breaking it open requires either the inverted spear of Heaven that nullifies cursed techniques or the black rope that disrupts and cancels cursed technique effects.”

The back rope? Miguel’s destroyed black rope?

“But Satoru Gojo sealed the inverted spear of heaven overseas 11 years ago…or destroyed it! Why’d you do that Gojo!” Itadori exclaims and Fushiguro follows to do the same.

“And last year Satoru Gojo got rid of all the black rope! Why’d that guy do that?!”

Okkotsu laughs nervously and you bring your hand up to bite the tip of your manicured nail since you can’t smoke inside.

“Miguel went to Africa in search of more black rope,” you share with the group. “But he found none…isn’t that right, Okkotsu?”

Okkotsu nods. “Yes, it was a fruitless effort.”

You groan and snap your gaze to Tengen. “But there is a way? Right?”

“Yes,” Tengen lets you sigh with relief. “Among the players participating in the Culling Games is a sorcerer from a thousand years ago who calls herself Angel. Her cursed technique can extinguish any cursed energy.”

“She can extinguish cursed techniques?” Fushiguro questions.

“Yes,” Tengen reinstates. “The Angel’s cursed technique can open the “back” of the prison realm.”

“Do you know where she is?” You ask.

“The colony in the east side of Tokyo,” Tengen surprises you by saying, it seems they tend to not know a lot of important answers. “The game barriers reject me, so I don’t have any more information,” he finishes as he puts the back gate back in their portal, leaving Satoru out of arm's reach.

Yeah, you can’t get him out without the sorcerer and her technique, but you were comforted by the fact that he was close, that you could see a part of his prison, but he’s gone again. And so your worry regrows.

Choso seems to notice your disappointment and very gently pats your shoulder.

His gesture surprises you considering you’re the only one who’s given physical touch, but you welcome his comforting touch and thank him with a small but sweet smile as Tengen starts to give more information on the Culling Games. Something you probably won’t participate in because you’ll be here, so you hardly listen.

You know that if you enter a certain colony you’ll be added as a player, players get points by killing other players, and if that player's points remain the same then they could lose their technique. That's all you really gather as your mind goes back to Suguru and your impossible choice.

Guilt begins to bloom where there wasn’t any, while Miguel’s words echo in your mind.

“And you were supposed to cremate Geto’s body,”

If you had picked his body off the ground before you left, all this could have been avoided. All these problems and these outcomes would have not existed if you had given him a proper funeral. But you got swept up in your emotions and left him there.

He would’ve taken your body, Miguel was right about that too, but you couldn’t do the same. Now this is all your fault…your parents…were right…you are a weak link.

“Y/N, Yuki, and Choso will remain here to guard Master Tengen,” Maki snaps your attention back to the room. “I will return to the Zen’in clan and collect cursed tools. Soon after Satoru Gojo was sealed the Kamo and Zen’in clans cleaned out Jujutsu High's cursed warehouse. But Megumi is now the Zen’in clan's leader.”

“What?!” Itadori exclaims.

“I’ll explain later,” Fushiguro mutters to his friend.

“Thanks to that, it’s possible to search the Zen’in warehouse at length, but first, Master Tengen?”

You look between the two completely lost on what’s going on.

“Understood,” Tengen interjects. “Juzo Kumiya’s workshop right?”

“Are you sure you don’t want to go with Itadori?” You ask Choso as the kids discuss their plans. “Yuki and I can handle your father.”

Choso looks over at you at his side and responds. “I have to be the one to kill my father for what he’s done to my brothers. It's the only way they can be at peace. You,” he redirects. “Your people don’t need you? You’ve been gone from home for a while. And your daughter, will she be okay?”

The corner of your lips twitch to a smile as you hear his concern. “Yes, my people will be fine, I trust the people that are in charge, and Satori will be fine where she is,” you let him know. “We’ll just have to miss each other for a bit longer, but this is for the greater or good.” You sigh deeply.

“Hm, she’ll understand,” he tries to assure you.

“Yeah,” you whisper. “I hope.” You swallow thickly.

“Yeah, you guys go to Kinji as planned,” you hear Maki direct at Fushiguro, making you drift your attention back to the group of kids.

“Kinji?” Itadori asks for a person he could’ve met but didn’t because he was in his room the entire day.

“Kinji Hakari, a suspended third year,” Okkotsu lets Itadori know.

“Anyway we’re short-handed,” Maki adds. “So we got to rope in whoever we can.”

“Is that guy tough?” Itadori returns to the conversation about Hakari even after Maki tried to end it.

“Well,” you give your opinion. “He’s moody.”

Itadori slowly churns his head and looks at you with wide curious eyes. “You know him too?” He asks.

Choso and you share a teasing look, and then you nod. “Yes, he went to the house on the first. Not that you would know...”

“You were locked in your room,” Choso finishes your sentence.

Itadori narrows his gaze and looks between Choso and you as if trying to figure out what the two of you are getting at with your in-sync conversation.

“When he’s worked up, he’s stronger than I am.” Okkotsu shares, but he’s quickly turned down by Maki’s sly comment.

“That’s not true.”

You’d tell Itadori and Fushiguro to tell Hakari and Kirara that you sent them, even if you didn’t, but that advice wouldn’t be much help. So you just keep that to yourself and instead share something else that can help. “Hakari and Kirara are in an abandoned multistory parking lot in the Tochigi prefecture. He’s making money by becoming a bookmaker for gambling matches.”

“Gambling matches?” Itadori cuts in confused.

You nod with a proud smirk tugging on your lips. “Fights between sorcerers.”

Itadori’s eyebrows only furrow deeper. “What? That’s crazy. How do you know?”

“I’m his and Kirara's mentor. And when it comes to the fights I helped them finance the club.”

“Hm, so you’re like the Godmother?” He says without need for explanation which makes you excited.

“Yes!”

Itadori’s jaw drops and he leans over. “Do you fight?”

You grin and show off. “I’m their jackpot, honey.”

You don’t fight often, you’ve only fought a couple of times, but when you do fight you use your family name so there's always an anticipating crowd and a lot of money.

“The spectators are…” Fushiguro trails off for you to finish.

“Basically non-sorcerers.”

Both he and Itadori look at you shocked.

“Doesn’t that severely infringe upon the Jujutsu rules article 8, which is to keep confidentiality?”

You scoff and quip, “so what?”

Fushiguro and Maki both look at you with annoyance and they both mutter, “she’s just like her brother.”

Ew.

You scrunch your nose in disgust at their comparison, but you don’t say anything, you just give Fushiguro and Itadori one warning. “Among the participants of the gambling matches are some curse users, so be careful.”

Itadori is quick to nod and assure you. “Got it!”

You smile at him and Fushiguro and say your goodbye. “Take care of each other, hm?”

Fushiguro spares you a glance and gives you a stiff nod before he turns to leave with the other two, whilst Itadori gives you a thumbs up and follows the others out.

Albeit he then turns and calls out, “Choso!”

You look at said man with excitement for him, and he rightfully looks surprised by the call of his name from his little brother, but he’s quick to interject sweetly and with a charming grin. “Don’t die, okay?”

“Thanks. I appreciate it,” Itadori says before he throws Choso a wave, causing the nonchalant man to cover his face with his hand right away and sniffle?

Is he crying?

You give him all your attention and confirm your suspicion right away when you see his shoulders shake, and a tear slip past his large palm.

Yuki sees the same thing but she looks confused, whereas you can’t help but smile in admiration.

“Are you crying?” Yuki probes.

Choso waves her off, and you giggle and pat his shoulder to share your pride for the development with his brother.

“Oh, you could die happy now couldn't you, Cho?” You tease him as you lean your head over his shoulder.

He sniffles. “Just about.”

You chuckle and give his shoulder a squeeze.

At the feeling of your touch, he pulls his hand off his face and looks back at you with a watery gaze. “Can you believe it?”

You flash him a grin and nod. “I saw it. I’m sorry I couldn’t take a picture or a video. But there’ll be more times.”

“You think so?” He shares his doubts.

You nod. “I know it.”

His lips tug on a small smile and he nods in comprehension as he feels comforted by your reassurance.

Silence fills the room after that and welcomes an awkward tension. Not between Choso and you, or Yuki, Choso, and you, but between the three of you and Tengen.

“So,” Yuki rolls out. “Now what?”

“Where are we going to stay?” You ask as you look around at the white nothingness. “And what are we going to eat?”

Tengen sighs as if they're already over Yuki and you. “I have everything you need here,” they mutter.

“Hm. Okay.”

Well, this should be an interesting time…

——

*A FEW YEARS BACK*

“Oh, oh,” you exclaim and snap your eyes open to sit up—or try, you really strain yourself to sit up. “What about Cursed manipulation?” You muse softly.

Suguru slowly blinks his eyes open and sighs before he lolls his head to the side to look at you through the darkness of your room. “No,” he gently turns you down.

You pout and press your hand on his toned bare chest to lean closer. “Why not? That way you won’t feel so lonely with your technique. That way you can teach our child about your technique,” you argue your point.

A touched smile tugs on his lips and his eyes fill with love. “Baby,” Suguru coos. “I don’t want our child to share that burden. Having me carry that technique with me is enough. You know that.”

You drop your eyes on the beauty mark on his chest and gently trace it with your finger. “I know,” you whisper. “But I know how much you dislike your technique, and maybe a part of it is because no one understands. Having our girl have your technique will give you someone to bond with, a reason for your technique not to be such a pest.” You try to make him see the bright side you’re trying to let in.

But all Suguru sees is a more threatening darkness, and he doesn’t want his child to be cast with such an isolating and draining burden.

“What about,” Suguru rolls out as he slides his big and soft hand over your smaller one. “If she has your technique? Your technique is fun. A lot easier.”

You laugh softly and rid of all the lurking shadows Suguru saw crawling in his corner with a simple look in your eyes.

“It would be fun,” you go along with him as he pulls your hand to his lips to press a gentle kiss on your knuckles.

“Come here,” he reels you in so you can lay down on your side and rest your head on his chest so he can gently massage your head.

“If our baby girl has my technique she will be pursued by your family, you know that,” he adds a warning you’ve been trying to forget for your sake.

You swallow thickly and murmur, “Satoru wouldn’t let that happen.”

Or you hope so.

“Yeah,” Suguru doesn’t hesitate to agree, but he still continues with doubt laced in his voice. “But you know they’d find a way. My technique is the only reason they let us date when we were in high school.”

You manage a tender smile and nuzzle your head in his chest, but quickly find your position uncomfortable due to the baby growing inside you, so you flip to your back and wrap Suguru’s strong arm around your neck.

“So,” you change the subject so you don’t spiral in your anxiety that tends to poison you when you think of your parents taking your child. “Have you picked a name yet?”

Suguru leans his head on yours, letting you feel his throat vibrate on your head as he hums. “What about Satori?” He shares. “It means enlightenment.”

Just like Satoru’s name.

——

*NOW*

“And you were supposed to cremate Geto’s body,”

Those words keep ringing in your head like a bad and out-of-tune echo

You had made peace with the choice you made that day. You made his funeral with nobody to mourn and you were okay praying to his portrait in his shrine, but now your past plagues you and you can’t stop the guilt from consuming you.

All this death, this chaos is happening because of that one choice you didn’t make.

All the distress everyone’s living through is because of you?

“Y/N?”

You slowly twist your head towards the door and see an upside-down Yuki stopping under the doorframe.

“Are you done talking with Tengen or are you still glowering?” You remark teasingly.

Yuki scoffs and breaks away from her spot. Yet before she can join you on the bed, you quickly interject.

“Turn off the light. My head hurts.”

“Too much wine?” She quips with a snicker as she does as you ask before she moseys on over to jump on the bed.

“Yeah,” you groan and cover your eyes with your arm. “I was doing some work and was chugging that wine…”

“And now you have your head hanging off the bed,” Yuki finishes for you in a scolding voice. “I wonder why your head hurts.”

You slap your hand on your stomach and lose your gaze on the blue hue painted on your ceiling by the fake bright night sky Tengen made for all of you. Which is kind of neat and nice….you have to admit.

“You know,” you add as you get lost in thought. “It feels weird staying here. I mean we’re not above ground on school grounds, but we’re still here, and it’s weird.”

“Yeah,” Yuki muses. “Takes you back doesn’t it?”

“Hm—Oop I'm getting lightheaded now,” you mumble and throw your upper body up to drag yourself forward on the bed and then throw yourself down when you’re at Yuki’s side.

“I mean to have a cute guy fawning over you with their dreamy brown eyes is so weird,” she says in a mocking way you instantly recognize and try not to give into, but you can’t help it. You drag your eyes to your side and see she’s already passing you a teasing look.

“Har-har,” you feign a laugh and mistakenly prove her right, so she continues to push.

“Oh you could die happy couldn't you, Cho?” She changes her voice as she bats her eyelashes. “Now I’m going to bat my pretty white Gojo lashes at you, and speak in my very fancy voice which seeps with my lust for you.”

You bite the inside of your cheek and shoot her a pointed glare. “I don’t talk like that,” you remark and avert your gaze.

“You do,” she yells. “You talk in a very old money, old movie star kind of way, which if someone wouldn't know you, they’d think you’re snobby, but I guess he likes that because he drools over you with whatever comes out of your mouth.”

Your heart swoons and begins to dance all giddily, causing a smile to start tugging on your lips, but one you try to fight back.

“It’s not even like that,” you mutter in a very shaky way because of how bad you are at hiding the excitement that she is making you feel. “Shut up,” you blurt and flip around to give her your back. “I’m 28 now, I don’t giggle,” you grumble.

“Oh,” Yuki snorts. “You giggled.”

You don’t comment and watch the stars twinkling in the distance with a smile winning its territory on your face.

“Do you,” you quietly give in to your feelings, this once, out of excitement. “Think it’s obvious?”

“Not to him.”

You nod softly and welcome more silence as you let your heart gush over Choso and this conversation.

However, then Yuki's impression of you crosses your mind and you can’t help but burst out laughing. And as if in tune with your thoughts Yuki joins, and you both just laugh your asses off until you’re both out of breath.

When you collect yourselves you don’t continue to laugh however, your smile falls and you lock your feelings away, forbidding your heart from them.

It’s cruel, but it’s for the best. It’s for his sake. And no matter how much your heart weeps and begs for you to show it some sympathy, you won’t give in, you can’t give him more thought, or else you will fall and you’ll give into a happiness you don’t deserve to feel.

You prove that to yourself now, in the silence that fills the room once again, while your mind sinks back in your guilt.

Guilt you need to express before you’re overwhelmed. “Yuki…do you think…all that’s happening is my fault?”

Yuki shifts and her big brown eyes bore in the back of your head. “What do you mean?” She questions.

You let out a deep breath and turn around to face her with a watery gaze full of pain and guilt. “All that’s happening,” you clarify. “It’s my fault, isn’t it? Because I couldn’t burn his body when he died…” You trail off and feel your bottom lip tremble. “…he was my husband, I should've taken him with me and burned his body, but I left him there and Kenjaku got him because of it.”

Yuki looks into your eyes for a moment longer before she sighs and begins to share her thoughts. “You should’ve burned his body, that’s true…”

You gasp and feel like you’ve been stabbed in the heart.

“But,” she adds. “It wasn’t your fault. None of what’s happening is your fault. You should’ve burned his body because he was your partner, you should’ve given his body a resting place, but he was also the man you loved, y/n, losing him was hard. I understand why you couldn’t do it, but what happened because of that is not your fault. Kenjaku was probably already creeping around him, waiting for the right moment, it all would’ve happened eventually.”

Her answer doesn’t assure you, it doesn’t take away the agony you feel now.

“But—”

“No,” she cuts you off. “What ifs don’t exist. What happened, happened, but you are not to blame, do you understand?” She presses with a threatening narrowed glare. “This is not your guilt to carry. And you know damn well your brother and Suguru would never want you to beat yourself over it.”

Tears roll down your cheeks and you answer with a soft nod.

“It’s not your fault,” she insists as if she could see your reluctance to let your guilt go. “It’s not your fault, y/n.”

Her words strike against the guilt and work to stop it from spreading, but in order to get rid of it indefinitely you’ll just need time.

“Okay,” your voice quivers.

Yuki offers you a sweet smile and grabs your shoulder to give it a gentle squeeze that makes you smile faintly in return.

“Thank you,” you whisper.

Her smile turns to a smug grin. “Of course. I’m always here for you, y/n.”

You reach for her hand and give it a gentle squeeze, letting the silence settle, and for a comfort to finally set in your heart.

Not only that but at least now you can sleep too without having to be attacked by all your thoughts, thanks to her. You really owe her a lot.

——

*LATER THAT NIGHT. CHOSO P.O.V*

A knock raps on the door, pulling him from his slumber and putting him on instant alert. When he drifts his eyes to check the clock, the bright numbers read 2:06 am, so whoever it was must come with urgency.

Thus, he gets out of bed and walks over to open the door, and see that it’s you in your night attire.

“Y/N, are you okay?” He immediately asks with concern.

You assure him with a quiet response so as to not wake up Tsukumo. “Yeah, yeah, I just…” you trail off and glance at the ground. “I don’t want to be alone.”

Choso’s heart skips a beat and his mind completely falls blank at the sound of the vulnerability you were letting him see.

“I’m sorry if I woke you,” you quickly add as he stays with his mouth ajar. “I can go.”

“No,” he quickly finds it in him to snap out of his stupor. “Come in.”

A relieved smile grows on your lips and when you walk inside he sees your shoulders lose the tension they held, meaning you felt comfortable being in his presence, which makes him happy to see. He doesn’t want you to be uncomfortable when you’re around him.

“I’m sorry,” you repeat in a more sweeter and apologetic tone. “I know it’s late.”

Choso shakes his head and quickly assures you. “No, no, it’s okay. I don’t mind.”

You peer back and flash him a content smile before you turn and walk back toward the bed with a faint smirk. “Your hairs down,” you point out. “I like it. It looks nice.”

Once again his heart skips a beat in its rhythm, but this time a fluttering grows in his stomach that makes his face grow hot. Which is embarrassing to him, and it always happens when he’s with you.

“Thank you,” he mutters as he holds your gaze that lights his room in a way the fake night sky never did.

“Are you sure you're okay?” He makes sure to ask again.

You sit on the edge of his bed and nod. “Yes,” you smile. “I’m fine, Cho.”

The sound of that short nickname coming out of your lips sends shivers down his spine he never knew he could feel by the simplicity of a nickname.

“Okay then,” he says and glances at the bed and then at you. “You can take the bed, I’ll sleep on the ground.”

You laugh softly and drag yourself back to one side and pat the other. “Come lay with me, we’ve spent enough time together already for it to be weird.”

His face grows hotter and his heart instead begins to pound in his chest.

In all the times you’ve spent alone you're always sitting across from each other, on a couch, or at a small distance side by side, you’ve never shared a bed. He almost wants to say no out of respect for you, but he doesn’t want to wound your feelings. Plus you did say you wanted company, so he slowly approaches the bed and climbs back on his side.

“If you're not comfortable then don’t listen to me,” you let him know so he doesn’t feel forced. “Please.”

Choso turns his head and meets your red-orange eyes mixed with worry, so he assures you right away. “I don’t mind. I didn’t want you to feel uncomfortable.”

You share a soft laugh and he can’t help but let his lips tug to a faint smile.

“Choso,” you whisper now in such a soft and vulnerable way once again.

“Hm?”

You let out a deep sigh and first roll to your side before you continue. “Will you help me? Keep me safe…please.”

You didn’t even need to ask, he already put himself in charge of that the moment he recognized you that night in Shibuya, but hearing you ask him this now just has a way to make the feelings he already has for you, intensify. He can’t even put into words how content he feels, and what other feelings are racing through his veins.

It’s like you set him on fire.

“Always,” he assures you right away.

Your lips tug to one of those sweet smiles he likes to admire on you, and suddenly, again, just like other times before, his eyes—no his whole being feels magnetized to your lips.

“I’ll always keep you safe,” he reinforces his statement.

“You promise?” You ask for reassurance as you, yourself can’t raise your eyes off his lips.

“I do.”

Instead of smiling this time, you lean in and he gives into the force attracting him to you and parts his lips to give into his desire.

Yet, before he can know the feeling of your plush lips on his, everythings gone in a flash and his eyes snap open to see an empty room, and his hard member bulging through the blankets. Again.

It seems that he always feels a pressure within him that lit his veins with wildfire whenever he thought of your lips, your soft skin under his fingertips, your body under him or over him, your perfectly sculpted face so close to him that he could feel your breaths unfurl over his lips, and or whenever he dreamed of you…like now.

And his dreams always varied. Sometimes they were sweet like the one now, but other times he dreamed of you in ways he figured out shouldn't be had by friends and always woke up with the same throbbing pressure that ached for you because of it.

At first, he didn’t know what it was he felt, his body just set on fire, making his blood rush, and causing his member to rise and grow hard to the point it throbbed when you appeared in his mind. It wasn't until he was being nosy one time and found his answer in some pages in a book he peeked in after he saw you keep smiling at it as if it held some juicy secret.

He just wanted to know what was so interesting and why you read it so much in your free time. He won’t do it again, he knows that for sure.

Now, as to how he cooled himself down? He waited sometimes for it to pass, or he went to go get some water and fresh air, hoping not to run into you.

Like he will do now because recently waiting hasn’t helped, all he feels is the need to relieve himself to the thought of you. So he gets up and leaves his room and hopes you’re not out there.

——

*YOU*

The night is cold, especially because you’re underground.

But that’s what you get for being here as some bodyguard to an enlarged four-eyed thumb.

You just want to go back to your house and finally sleep in your own bed! You miss it all terribly.

And you miss having a warm body sleeping next to you. Sometimes you’d sleep at the furthest edge to avoid the contact, but in the back of your head, you always knew there was someone there to comfort you. Now all there is a cold and empty spot.

Maybe…no, that can’t be possible. You’re too much of a horrible monster to deserve anything good. He’s too good and his heart is too pure. You’ll just corrupt him.

But—no! No.

“Ugh,” you groan and flip around to groan some more into your pillow and keep your face buried.

Maybe this way his handsome nonchalant face and his precious eyes will leave your mind alone.

Nevertheless, the door of your room suddenly opens and when you turn to face the entrance there walks in the man you were trying to stop thinking about.

“Choso,” you call out in confusion.

He usually knocks and waits for you to open the door, or for you to invite him before walking in, this time he just barged in completely out of breath.

“Y/N,” he speaks in a deep silky voice that makes goosebumps grow on your arms.

“Choso, what’s wrong?” You ask as he keeps looking at you with his eyes darker than usual.

However, he doesn’t answer you, he just walks to you and stops when he’s at the edge of the bed, making you grow more confused, but also causing your heart to start racing out of what you can only describe as excitement over his proximity and boldness.

“I want to be with you.” Choso breaks his mysterious mask and takes no time to climb over you on the bed. “Always.”

You swallow thickly and let your eyes flicker between his eyes and his pink lips that radiate his warmth and tempt you to close the gap.

“I want you to be mine,” he murmurs against your lips, making your heart burst, sending your blood to race through your veins and catch your body on fire.

“Choso,” you whisper and keep your eyes on his lips, refusing to lose sight of them, as if you were some addict seeking their next high.

“Will you let me?” He asks as he grazes his lips on yours, making you gasp and feel a growing need in your core that begins to weep for him.

“Yes,” you give in so easily and see him smile before he presses himself closer to let you feel his hard member against your throbbing core.

“You’re so…beautiful,” he muses and finally gives in to your temptation by pressing a kiss on your lips.

Albeit you can’t describe the feeling of his lips. It’s like nothing pressed against you. But instead of questioning it, you fuel your need and wrap your arms around his neck to smash his lips against yours again.

“Y/N,” he groans against your lips.

You listen to your heart and deepen the kiss, feeling his hips roll against you.

“Choso,” you moan in his mouth.

He utters your name and pulls back, but presses a hand on your cheek to not lose contact. He parts his lips again to say more but suddenly you can't hear him, and everything around him and you slowly goes to black until suddenly you’re yanked back into a void that blinds you for a second before you suddenly open your eyes and see the ceiling.

There’s no Choso and no warmth, just the ceiling, and an empty bed, meaning it was a damn dream!

A sex dream no less that just leaves your heart lonely and disappointed, and your panties wet whilst your pussy throbbed over nothing.

Great. Great!

You should’ve not even accepted the mission! Choso is everywhere now that you don’t want to think about him or his pink and inviting lips you want to taste. His pretty sunkissed brown eyes you can get lost in. The veins on his hands you want to see when he grabs onto your thighs, his defined shoulders you want to cling onto, and his beautifully sculpted abs you want to press kisses on…

Maybe…

Just maybe you can just think about him until you satisfy your need with your fingers…

No! No! What are you thinking?!

Why? Why now?

You can’t think of him like that! You can’t just let your body ache for him, you told yourself you wouldn't, so sorry to your heart, but no!

And if you stay on your bed you will fall into temptation, so you get out and march out of your room.

Alas, when you walk out you let out a sharp gasp when you run into Choso!

“Sorry,” he immediately throws out as he steps back and turns away from you. “I-I didn't mean to scare you.”

You clutch onto your heart for a different reason and quickly assure him. “No, it’s okay. It’s fine,” you murmur and make the mistake of meeting his gaze, but you can’t hold it so you yank your eyes away because of the dirty thoughts you just had of him.

“Are you okay?” He asks and that only works to reignite your desire.

“Yeah.” You nod and bring your eyes back to his gaze, and realize that he never looked away. He keeps looking with a deep intensity that you can’t look away from now and works to restart the pulse in your core.

“I just need…water,” you lie, making his jaw go slightly ajar.

“Oh,” he breathes out. “Me too.”

Great…

“Now I won’t be alone,” you play it off and lead the way to the kitchen in a loud silence in which all you can do is dart your eyes from his hands, the hall, his lips, ahead, his baggy shirt hiding his defined torso, and the approaching kitchen.

When you’re going to reach for a cup he beats you to it and reaches for two, causing you to watch how the veins form on his hands as he grasps onto the cups.

Before he can hand your cup though, to avoid letting him catch you staring, you walk over and take the water jar out of the fridge to pour some into the cups he puts on the counter for you. Once you fill his cup you pick it up and hand it to him, realizing when your eyes land on him that he’s been watching you.

“You know,” you fill the silence and turn away from him to lean back on the counter. “We might as well be drinking air, considering earlier today we walked into a white canvas, and moments after that a house appeared out of thin air.”

Choso shares a small laugh, making your smile widen.

“Well,” he says. “At least we'll go insane together.”

You chuckle with him and then say, “yeah, lucky us,” before you trail off softly and bring your cup to your lips to drink, missing the way Choso couldn’t keep his eyes off you.

When you bring your cup down you look over at him and he looks away and drinks. “Your hair’s down, it looks nice,” you tell him, making him gulp, and for his eyes to widen.

You think it's just him getting flustered so you don’t probe and instead continue and let your heart lead the way. “You know when we fought I saw you kind of lacked in hand-to-hand combat. I could help you if you want.”

Choso lowers his cup and shakes his head. “I wouldn’t want to burden you,” he doesn’t try to turn you down, he just doesn’t want to bother you.

“I don’t mind,” you quickly assure him. “I think it’ll be fun actually.”

Your eyes find each other and he unfurls a deep breath before he lets himself give in. “All right. Thank you.”

You walk to the sink and dump the water from your cup because it’s not water you needed, you needed air to keep your mind off him, but well…

“Good, we start at 8 am,” you let him know and leave the cup to turn on your heels. “Don’t be late.”

“Well,” he says lightheartedly. “There’s nowhere else to go, so. I couldn’t even if I tried.”

You laugh just like he wanted.

“Good night, Cho,” you tell him for a second time tonight.

He watches you walk away and speaks softly as if out of breath, “Goodnight y/n,”

You offer him one last smile over your shoulder before you leave the room.

Instead of returning to your bedroom though, you end up outside to finally catch some fresh air and lose your gaze on the beautiful wave of colors that rocked over the ground as if they were ocean waves, and slowly feel all your concerns and desires slip away like they would when you admire the lake by your house, or the oceans you like to travel to.

Even if you’re stuck underground, in a place that can weaken you, you don’t feel distressed, you feel…bliss in the peaceful silence.

And that is something you haven’t felt since October 31st. So you relish in it while you can before you’re faced with more disaster.

You could actually sleep out here, but in the back of your head, you do worry that something will come out of the walls, or from the surface and drag you to some depths of hell or something so you just sit back and watch the aurora borealis accompany the starry sky.

For a while longer at least because then you hear something creak behind you and you have to look out of fear it’s some kind of demon.

Luckily though it’s just your tempting desire that plagues your mind often; Choso.

“Are you spying on me?” You tease him with a playful glare.

“I,” he stammers as his cheeks grow pink. “No. I saw someone out here. I wanted to make sure it wasn’t unwanted company.”

You ease the teasing glare and offer him an assuring look. “I was just messing with you,” you let him know. “Now.” You pat the spot beside you. “Why don’t you forget we said goodnight to each other and sit with me.”

Choso steps away from the back door and shakes his head. “No, I didn’t mean to interrupt you.”

“Pft,” you brush him off with a flick of your wrist. “It’s our thing you know? Us being up late and keeping each other company. I’ve grown to really look forward to it, so come if you want I don't mind.”

You should mind. You really definitely should.

“Well,” Choso breathes out and hides his reddening cheeks by looking at the ground. “Only if it’s alright with you.”

“It is,” you reassure him.

Choso’s eyes flicker to you and he sees that you hold no ill will so he takes you up on your offer.

“You know,” you muse when he takes his seat. “That the brightest star, The North Star, is right there,” you share and point to the bright speck on the sky just above your heads. “And if you find it you’ll always find home.”

Choso’s gaze lingers on your smug little smile before he follows your finger to the biggest star in the sky.

“Or at least,” you scoff. “That’s all that stuck from what Kira told me.” You laugh softly. “They told me about all these cosmos and nothing really stuck, but that. So if you’re ever lost just find the star.”

Choso blinks and mutters, “what if I’m lost in the day?”

You snort and look at him with amusement. “Then you’re shit out of luck.”

Choso laughs and you laugh with him for a long moment before you clap and interject excitedly. “OR OR, you can always tell yourself this, Never,” you point ahead. “Eat.” You point east. “Soggy.” You point south. “Waffles.” You lastly point West and grin over the fact you remember that catchy phrase.

However, Choso doesn’t understand so he just looks at you with his thick eyebrows deeply furrowed.

“North, East, South, and West,” you clarify. “Belinda taught me.”

Choso nods in comprehension and nods slowly, but you can still see from his slightly scrunched-up nose that he’s still confused.

And you are too.

“But I guess it wouldn't make sense if you don’t know where North is…so,”

“We’re both lost?” He finishes for you as he meets your gaze with his lips picked up into a faint smile.

“Yeah,” you laugh. “We’re both lost, so it’s a good thing we have our mobile devices,” you mock him, and he catches that right away and shoots you a pointed look that only lasts for a second before he turns his head away as he can’t help but smile.

“No, but really, home is not far from here. Home is surrounded by trees to keep the community kind of hidden, it’s big for obvious reasons,” you say with a smile. “And, I actually thought of a perfect home for you and your brothers to stay at.”

Choso’s eyes snap to you admiring the colors in the sky turning from blue to red, and his jaw slightly drops. As if this is the first time he’s heard of this plan you told him hundreds of times already.

“It’s just above the lake, so close to me but not too close either,” you continue to say, letting him watch how the red hue consumes your face in such a majestic way—“it’s the house surrounded by the most trees so you get more privacy. And it’s not big enough to fit all of you, but you can build onto it. I think that’d be fun.” You look away from the sky and immediately find his softened gaze. “Don’t you think?”

Choso blinks repeatedly to break from the trance you casted on him, and shakes his head. “We’ll be fine,” he tries not to concern you, but you argue back right away.

“No, you’ll need your own space. You all will. Trust me,” you laugh dryly. “I know, because one, brothers date your best friends and break up with them, causing said friend to drop you because you remind them of your brother and they can’t handle that,” you ramble about your own past instead of actually advising him. “Two, they steal your hair products and always forget to buy you more after they finished them. They tease you until you cry and play cruel pranks in front of their friends to act cool. And lastly, they buy your child a pony without asking you first.”

Choso scoffs in a judgy way and queries the same without shame. “Your brother does that?”

You roll your head forward to watch the red hue become fiercer in color, and sigh deeply. “Yes. But you can’t blame him, we’re barely a year apart, so our dynamic shows that,” you defend your brother.

“Our parents got excited after they had their boy,” you share. “So they chose to try for another in hopes it would be another strapping boy, but I came out, cockless and became their headache.” You snicker.

There was so much Choso wanted to say to contradict you and comfort you after you just brushed off your parents disdain since he knows that feeling of saying you don’t care but deep inside it hurts. Yet he can’t form the words to say it the way he wanted, the way you would’ve comforted him, he instead tries to relate to you so you could know that there are similarities between the two of you.

“Sometimes I don’t think it matters what gender you are. I turned out to be a man along with the rest of my brothers, and Kenjaku didn’t care, he still left us like trash.”

Your heart sinks and your smile turns to a frown.

“Parents are like that if you don’t fit their perfect ideals,” he mutters.

You lay back on the grass and keep your eyes on the stars behind the red hue while your mind sadly agrees with what he said.

“Yeah,” you whisper. “They are, aren’t they? Do you…” you hesitate and let out a deep breath to let out some of that tightness in your chest that had begun to grab ahold of you. “Ever think what it would be like if you were ideal in their eyes? I think I would be less afraid, and I wouldn't have pushed myself so much.”

Choso stays quiet as he tries to come up with something he’s often thought about in his time in the void.

“I…would’ve been out 150 years ago,” he says softly but in a voice laced with spite and anger. “And I wouldn’t be as strong as I am now. I honed my technique because he left us.”

You look at aurora borealis slowly shifting to yellow above your heads and whisper, “I’m sorry.” Causing him to lay back to show his confusion better—“I must sound ungrateful and bratty compared to what you went through. That was real pain. I’m sorry.”

Choso’s eyes narrow to express his remorse before he interjects in the best way he can. “No, you don’t. Not to me.”

Tears fill your eyes and you can’t help but share a soft smile as you finally feel understood. Suguru tried to relate to you saying his parents never understood him and that they became distant, but that was just a teenage phase for him, he never really understood you. Not in the way Choso can.

It’s why it makes indulging into this dark topic a lot easier.

“Can I ask how it felt being stuck there?” You bring up timidly hoping it doesn’t upset him.

Choso lets out a deep breath through his nose and narrows his gaze on the sky, looking almost like he wanted to damn the sky because of the past that flashed through his mind.

“I’m so—”

“It’s okay,” he cuts you off before you can finish your apology, and clears his throat. “It was…dark. Like when you close your eyes and see nothing but pitch darkness. I felt my brothers, their presence, but I was still alone because we couldn’t talk, or exist, we just felt each other nearby. And the years for me didn’t pass quickly like it would for them, I felt every year pass by,” his voice quivers, and you see tears rush down his cheeks, making that ache you had already begun to feel only hurt deeper for him.

Even if you can’t know his pain, you still feel for him, especially as you see him cry.

“I’m sorry you had to go through that,” you murmur and wipe away the tears that broke out of your eyes to scoot closer to him and grab his hand, going unaware of his shiver the moment your warm hand touched his cold one.

“You’re here now though,” you try to comfort him. “You’re out, under the sky and with a beating heart, working every day to give your brothers peace.”

More tears run down his cheeks and you’re tempted to wipe them away, but that might be too intimate for you trying to avoid developing your feelings, so you just let your heart yearn and let him wipe away his own tears.

“Thank you, y/n,” he whispers in a sweet way that makes your heart start to race. “You’re sweet. You always have been to me. Thank you for that.”

“You deserve it, Cho.”

The corner of his lips twitch to a timid smile, and you hold each other's gaze for a lingering moment as all your hearts do is yell to give in to what you both so desperately want.

Alas, you both don’t listen to your yearning. You let go of his hand, and look back at the sky while you slowly grow somber as you grow the confidence to share something personal now that you’re being vulnerable with each other.

“Can I share something with you that only my best friend Kento knew?” You ask first.

Without hesitation, he answers. “Of course.”

You let out a shaky sigh and clasp your hands together over your chest to fiddle with your nails. “Last year a month before Suguru died, we found out we were expecting,” your voice grows softer and shakier as you fight your tears. “And then he died and…the baby went with him.

No matter how hard you hold back from crying, tears cloud your eyes and stream down your cheeks.

“No one knew,” you add. “It was too soon to tell anyone, so we kept it a secret we would have shared later on. It never happened of course…” you trail off.

“I’m so sorry,” Choso says right away.

You wipe away your tears and meet his worried gaze. “It’s okay, I've made my peace with it,” you say.

Choso’s hand twitches out of a need to cup your hand the way you comforted him, but you kept your hand on your chest and he didn’t want to make you uncomfortable by reaching over your chest, so all he offered you was assuring words even if his face expressed pity and agony because of the pain he saw in your eyes. “You didn’t deserve that.”

You could say otherwise, you could bring up multiple pieces of evidence, but you don’t want to argue so you answer with silence.

“But why,” Choso interjects, catching your attention. “Why did you share something personal with me? Me out of all people, I’m—”

“My friend,” you cut him off before he can talk bad about himself. “And I shared this with you because I find it easy talking with you. Because you’re someone I can confide in.”

Choso swallows thickly and leaves a longer silence than he intended because of his disbelief over your words which only heightens his burn for you.

“Is that okay?” You check in.

He blinks and nods softly. “Yes. It is. I find it easy talking with you too.”

You can’t help but smile and reach over to grab his hand. “Promise me something, Choso.”

Said man is left speechless so he nods.

You then proceed to fold his arm over his chest to press his hand on his heart.

“You have a good heart,” you tell him something you know he doubts. “Promise me you’ll never lose it. Hard times will come, but you’re strong, keep your heart. Promise me.”

Choso’s bottom lip trembles and his eyes glisten, only letting a couple of tears fall before he nods even if he's still hesitant to believe your kind words that have never changed.

“Good,” you whisper and let his hand go to rest yours back on your chest.

You did such a terrible job at keeping him out of your mind. You suck.

“We have to get up early today,” Choso reminds you after a few minutes of peaceful silence.

“Yeah,” you make no attempts to leave, and neither does he. “We’ll pay for it in the afternoon.”

“Hm.”

——

*LATER THAT MORNING*

His fists are too tightly clenched and he has his feet too dug in the ground. He’s too tensed up.

Which isn’t strange to see, when he uses his cursed technique he’s always fighting fiercely. But when he’s fighting hand to hand he needs to loosen his body up more to move swiftly when the need calls or else he’ll be an easy opponent. Like now.

Instead of advising him right away though, you charge forward. When you get close you spring forward and throw your knee at his face, but he manages to barely swerve and causes you to land with your back to him.

You quickly spin around and in that moment catch him trying to swing his leg at your head, but you manage to trap his leg on your shoulder and throw your leg forward to kick his crotch, causing him to grunt and pull his leg off to stumble back.

You don’t wait for him to get better, you lunge forward and kick him to the ground before you drop down and straddle his waist to swing your arm over his face. But stop just before you can actually hit him.

“Dead,” you exclaim with a proud smirk. “Again.”

“Tsk,” he complains.

You get off him and grab his arm right away to help him back to his feet and finally share your advice. “You need to loosen up. You're too tense.”

Choso reaches for your elbow, but doesn’t make contact, he lets his hand hover under your elbow as he listens.

“You’re an easier target that way,” you continue. “You make yourself harder to move.”

“Sorry,” he says as if he was in trouble.

“Don’t apologize, it’s training,” you assure him and let his arm go to pat his shoulder and walk back to your spot to continue. “Let’s go another time and then we can take a break so you can watch Yuki and me next.”

He sighs with disappointment at his failure, so you rebuttal.

“Cho,” you press and turn to face him across the circle. “It's okay, you'll get better, that’s why we’re training.”

Choso rolls his shoulders back and lifts his fists, whilst you bend your knees a bit and clench your fists.

“Lighter on the feet,” you remind him before you run at him and hop again to bring down the strongest part of your arm on him, your elbow.

However, Choso crosses his arms and blocks the impact, making you smirk and pull your other arm back to throw him a left hook that he blocks again.

“Good,” you compliment, and then use your knee to jab his stomach and push him away from you.

This time though he doesn’t give in to the dull pain. He counters by coming at you by swinging his arm, making you dodge, just like he wanted, and quickly follows up by overwhelming you and throwing his other fist, and actually managing to nick you on the jaw before you could dodge.

“Good,” you mutter with a menacing chuckle before you shoot him a pointed glare.

Choso mirrors your glare and gets ready for your attack. Albeit instead of meeting him with a blow, you actually wrap your arms around his waist and then swing your foot back to smack your heel on his face.

Choso groans from the pain in his nose, and you try to swing around him to hug him from behind, but he wraps his arm around your neck to keep you in a headlock.

You try to squirm away, but he squeezes tighter, making you groan and dig your nails in his skin.

Choso doesn’t react to that though, instead, he brings his knee up to your stomach twice. But, he doesn’t demonstrate a finishing move, so you swing your legs around his waist and rock up with all your weight, resulting in you on the ground and him on top of you in a very uncomfortable position only because of the way his arm is still clung around your neck.

Not like it mattered to your racing heart and your need for him though; a heat still unfurls within you. While he falters.

Yet neither of you give into your desires, you ignore them and use your strength to roll back on the ground and throw him over you.

The both of you then quickly get up to face each other again, deciding not to waste a second and charging at each other.

The moment you’re close you swing your left fist, but he claps his hand together and throws his arms up to block your attempt.

“Nice,” you say between pants and get a smirk from him.

Nonetheless, you proceed to shift to the side to smack your hand on the back of his neck and push him down before you wrap your arm around his throat and throw your knee up.

Choso however, manages to block you and smacks his hands on your hips to swing you around as he turns so you can let go.

And you do but you then show off how flexible you can be after years of training, and wrap your legs around him with your back still pressed against his chest, and flip you both to the ground.

“Nice, that was quick thinking,” he compliments you between his own heavy breaths.

You snicker and don’t let get him off easy, you throw a jab over his face and swing over him to throw another hit, but he snaps his head to the side and makes your fist slam into the ground.

“Damn,” you hiss in pain and get off him to stay on your knees. “Damn.” You complain again and shake your hand.

Choso pays you no mercy, which is good, he shouldn’t because this is training and the second complaint was fake in hopes he’d worry. So you’re proud that he swings his leg. But since you were faking it the second time, you throw your upper body back to dodge and plant your hands on the ground behind your head to swiftly hurl yourself back to your feet using just the strength in your arms.

Now instead of giving Choso time to counter, or even attempt to move, you swing your leg. Choso catches your action and puts his hands out and claps them together out of instinct to use his technique, leaving you with the great opportunity to kick his face and send him to his knees the moment of impact, just out of the pure strength behind your swing.

And just to finish this round you walk around him and point your fist at his face. “And that’s dead.”

You drop your arm and offer him your hand.

Choso meets your gaze with no ill feeling and takes your offer, letting you pull him to his feet.

“Did that hurt?” You worry about him now that the session is over. “I’m sorry, Choso.”

Said man holds his cheek and covers how red it’s getting. “It’s nothing that won’t heal. You were great, y/n.”

You give your gratitude with a sweet smile before you grab his wrist and yank it down to pull him over to the bench. “You won’t heal right away like I can due to my RCT, which means it stings. Trust me I know. So let’s just put some ice on it.”

Choso parts his lips to argue since he will heal, but he can’t turn you down so he lets you sit him down, and just watches you wrap a towel around cubes of ice before you very gently press the cool towel against his cheek.

“Those were some nice moves,” you fill the silence so you can avoid getting lost on his handsome face and his pink lips just inches away from yours. “I like how you grabbed my hips and swung me around. That was quick thinking.”

Choso sits up straight and huffs. “On that last move, before you hit me, I pointed my hands out—”

“I saw that!” You exclaim and jump out of excitement. “You were totally going for a piercing blood!”

Choso chuckles softly. “I was an idiot. I could’ve dodged.”

You laugh and nod. “Yeah especially because I kind of fumbled my footing there.”

“Really?” He asks and raises his eyebrows. “I didn’t see.”

“No.” You roll your eyes playfully. “Because you were going to shoot piercing blood.”

Choso snorts and snickers, making your heart skip a beat, and your smile to turn to a beaming grin.

“I…I did see a difference when I changed my stance and lifted some weight off my feet,” Choso let you know.

“Really?” You probe curiously. “You liked it? I know some people prefer the additional weight. It makes their swings harder.”

“Well, if I add the weight when I hit instead, I find it smoother,” he says and you nod.

“Yeah, I do that too, that way I can move fast without being too tense, but making my impacts harder when I use that weight with my swings instead,” you share.

“Hm.” He hums.

You laugh softly down at the bench. “I was trying to trick you after I smacked my fist in the ground,” you let him know.

Choso’s eyebrows quirk up and he shoots you a puzzled look.

“I faked that second damn to try and distract,” you explain.

“I knew that,” he now claims, making you chuckle and roll your eyes.

“You didn't know shit!” You argue and playfully push him away.

A teasing smile tugs on his lips and he just continues to say a bunch of shit out of the high of the moment you’re both stuck in. “I knew not to check on you.”

You shake your head as you laugh, and he furrows his eyebrows and brings up a question. “Does that usually work?”

You shrug. “Sometimes, depends on who I’m fighting. But it’s not to check on me, more so my opponent let their guard down because they think I got weaker.”

“Hm. Well, it’s smart then,” he tells you softly.

You mutter, “thanks,” sweetly, and then your phone suddenly starts to ring, so pull away and grab your phone from your sweater draped over the bench.

When you check who it is you smile when you see that it’s Belinda.

“I’ll go,” Choso tries to be respectful and give you space, but you grab his wrist to assure him it’s okay before you answer the phone.

“Hello?” You greet in a sing-song voice as all you see is a wood ceiling. “Who am I talking to?”

A few seconds of silence pass before you hear your daughter's sweet voice. “Mommy!”

You grin. “Chipmunk,” you greet. “What are you doing? Why am I looking at a ceiling?”

“Oh, right,” she mumbles before she picks up the phone and finally shows her face to the camera. “Hi,” she greets again with a wave this time.

“Hi,” you don’t fail to return. “What are you doing?”

Satori flashes you a grin and points the camera at some long strings of dough. “I’m making pasta noodles,” she reveals. “Belinda's mom said that it’s important I know because I’m a girl.”

Of course, that lady would say that. Tsk.

“Oh,” you feign a laugh. “That’s…cool. You having fun?”

“What are you doing?” She cuts you off and stares hard at her screen to try and figure out the answer to her question.

“I’m training,” you let her know, making her pull back and smile again. “Actually,” you add with a growing grin. “I’m here with my friend, Choso.”

You proceed to shift so you can show him off to your daughter.

“Choso this is Satori,” you introduce him to the most important person in your life. “Satori this is Choso.”

Choso glances at you nervously as if trying to make sure it’s okay before he looks at the camera and offers your daughter a small smile. “Hello,” he greets nervously.

Satori's dark eyes narrow as she studies his face for a moment before her face eases and she smiles sweetly. “Hello,” she manages to greet without shying away since she’s behind a screen. “Uh, my mommy talks about you a lot.”

Your eyes widen and you quickly turn away. “Satori,” you quietly scold her.

“What?” She asks without understanding why you’re acting the way you are. “You and daddy always said to tell the truth. I did.”

You sigh deeply knowing you can’t say anything about it now so you just bite your tongue and wait to correct her tomorrow.

“Anyway,” you change the subject. “Satori how was your trip to—”

“Oh, Mom I have to go, I'll call you before bedtime, bye.” And just like that she ends the call and leaves you hanging.

“Well,” you clear your throat and don’t touch on what she blurted to him. “You met my daughter,” you say and shift to face Choso and press the ice back on his cheek that isn't as red as it was moments ago, but it still is swollen.

“She looks like him doesn't she?” You ask.

Choso swallows thickly and drifts his gaze away to nod before he looks back at you with a timid but soft look. “She has your smile though,” he says.

You’re caught off guard and feel your breath hitch softly before you show your flustered smile to the bench. “Thank you,” you whisper.

“Hm.”

You let out a small breath and then look back at him. “Does it hurt less?” You ask with concern.

Choso nods. “Yes, thank you. You’re sweet even though I will heal, I told you.”

“Pft,” you blow out. “Then heal right now.” You urge him to prove you wrong.

Choso narrows his gaze. “Well, it’s not how it works.” He argues.

You scoff and smirk. “Well until then I’ll worry if I want to.”

Choso’s chest rises and you know what he’s going to respond with so you beat him to it.

“Hm.”

Choso shoots you a pointed look, making you snicker as you hold his gaze.

And since he wasn’t really upset, he can’t hold back from sharing a soft smile while he gets lost in your eyes, building the tension that had already made itself a home between the two of you and urged you to just break it with an act of a kiss, or a confession.

But neither of you do, you just torture yourselves and sit in silence where only the two of you existed before suddenly Yuki’s excited shout breaks you away. “Who's ready?!”

——

*THE NEXT DAY*

“Sorry I’m late,” you make your presence known as you slide the door open to the parlor room where you’re supposed to brainstorm a battle plan.

“We haven’t started…” Yuki trails off to scoff, making you pick your eyes off the ground to watch her stuffing her face with crackers. “You’re wearing a kimono?” She says teasingly.

You flick your wrist. “Don’t make a big deal,” you brush her off and sit beside her and across from Choso.

“I hardly see you wearing them,” Yuki ignores you as she props her elbow on the table and rests her chin on her hand to lean towards you. “What’s the occasion?” She asks with a smirk.

You shoot her a pointed gaze knowing this was only about one man. “I wear kimonos often, they’re comfortable, especially when I’m on my period, like now.” you don’t give in to her taunting. “Do you wear them?” You raise a brow.

“Sometimes,” she shrugs you off.

“Well,” Choso interjects, stealing your attention away from your mentor and notice that a soft blush painted his cheeks. “I think you look very nice, Y/N.”

You can’t help but smile as you smooth out the red robe that didn’t hang tightly around your body, it fit comfortably since you were just staying indoors today.

“Thank you, Choso,” you redirect softly.

Said man swallows thickly and offers you a soft nod as you continue to hold his gaze until you feel Yuki nudge your knee.

You pinch her back under the table, making her snicker before she pinches back a bit too hard.

“Ow,” you whine and smack her hand. “Some master you are.”

Yuki chuckles and takes a sip from her tea, whilst Choso just ignores your and Yuki’s doings, and instead directs his question to you. “Would you like some tea, y/n?”

You perk up and nod. “Yeah, thanks.”

Choso grabs your empty cup and gets up to walk to the kettle, causing Yuki to mock him speechlessly.

“Mature,” you mouth and just ignore her as you fold your arms over the table to rest your head on your arms. “You know I was supposed to go to a gala today,” you murmur sadly. “I was going to wear a beautiful and expensive gown, and get all dolled up.”

“Oh, really?” Yuki probes. “Were you going with anyone?”

You smile. “Nanami to introduce him to a model slash sorcerer friend, and Shoko to get her out of work for a while. And Satoru had invited himself along, so he was going to go too.”

“Ah the media would've eaten you and your brother up,” Yuki points out. “I can read the headlines now, the ever so mysterious model, y/n, finally showing off a bit of her life tonight at blah, blah gala.”

You snicker. “Yeah, and he would’ve gotten carried away.” You can’t help but share with a bit of actual sadness that you couldn't actually see this day through like it was planned. It would've been so much fun.

“Here,” Choso interjects as he falls beside you to hand you your tea.

“Oh, thank you, Cho.” You thank him while you reach for your cup, and accidently brush your fingers over his as you take it from his grasp.

Choso offers you a nod before he retakes his seat at the same time the door opens and Tengen finally walks in.

“About time,” Yuki remarks as she sits up and folds her arms over her chest.

“Sorry, there’s much to do,” they excuse themselves while they take their seat. “Since I am late, why don’t we save casual mingling for later.”

You scoff and bring the hot cup to your lips. “We weren’t going to mingle with you,” you say bluntly and take a careful drink, realizing at that moment that the hot tea that seeped into your taste buds is prepared exactly as you like it. It’s exactly how you prepare it…

Did Choso know this from just watching you prepare your tea during those nine days?

“Gojo,” Tengen speaks in such a booming and yet elegant voice. “I know what Cursed manipulation consists of, but some of your peers aren’t aware, why don’t you share what you know since you lived with Suguru Geto.”

You swallow your drink and put the cup down. “Well,” you sigh. “There’s no limit to how many cursed spirits he can hold, but last year in the fight people call The Night Parade, he unleashed a majority of his curses. Meaning,” you add hopefully. “Kenjaku shouldn’t have many, I mean Suguru spent his lifetime collecting them, so it’s doubtful Kenjaku could’ve restored Suguru’s stock in a year.”

“What about the religious facilities?” Yuki asks. “He got curses from the non-sorcerers that worshiped him.”

You drop your gaze to your cup and shake your head. “No, I closed them all down, there was no need for them after he died.”

“Then why does Kenjaku still dress like a monk?” Choso spats.

You look at him across from you and bounce off him. “That’s what I'd like to know. I mean sure before he revealed himself it was to keep up appearances, but now? Who knows.”

“Kenjaku is tactical,” Tengen interjects and ignores the conversation between Choso and you. “He’ll find a way to work with the curses he gathered and what he had left.”

“Then let me go first,” Choso cuts in, making your eyebrows furrow in confusion, while your stomach knots together out of worry.

“You’ll die if you do,” you blurt without thinking.

Choso doesn’t notice the concern laced in your voice or the perplexity behind your eyes. “Then would you and Tsukumo fight against Noritoshi Kamo, three against one with me?”

You and Yuki share a look, but rather than expressing nonchalance like her, you share your growing concern.

“I’d be in the way right?” Choso continues to share. “So I’ll go first, draw out his cursed spirits, and get him to reveal information. If I can get him to open his domain…”

Then he’ll die. Does he not want to see that? Does his life mean so little to him?

“Then Kenjaku will have difficulty using cursed techniques,” Yuki adds in for him. “That’s when Y/N and I strike.”

“Exactly,” Choso agrees.

“I’ll say it again then,” Yuki repeats. “You’ll die.”

Choso doesn't look bothered or upset by the warning, he’s fucking nonchalant and it starts to upset you. You can’t even try to fight it for the restriction you put against yourself. The concern you felt twisting your insides, developed into anger that seeped through your veins and slowly spread out.

“I don’t care as long as we kill him,” Choso argues nonchalantly, making that anger pulse and pump faster throughout your body—“For me, my brothers, and the sake of my mother's curse, which makes up half of me and my brothers. For Yuji’s future as well.”

That anger now makes your heart pound and your jaw clench.

How dare he bring up his brother's future if he doesn’t even plan to be in it? Does he not want to stay with him, spend time with him, and fight for his survival? Why does he want to throw his life away like it meant nothing? Like it doesn’t matter?

You should be asking yourself why it upset you so much. With him gone at least your desire will fizzle out and you’ll stop thinking about him and a future you lost sight of when Suguru died. But your anger reached your mind, and clouded your reasoning, judgment, and critical thinking altogether.

All there is is pulsing anger mixing with your concern, so you can’t keep your mouth shut anymore, you interject to express emotions. “So what? You’re just going to leave Itadori here? Alone? Without you? After you just found each other.”

Choso blinks and slowly sits up, whilst his face shows his perplexity over your emotions.

“Y/N,” Yuki tries to stop you.

“No,” you spat and pierce a glare into Choso. “Why should I sit here and listen to him planning to kill himself? There’s other ways. I can help you, you don’t have to throw your life away.”

“Y/N—”

“I’ve lost so many people I care about,” you cut Yuki off with your voice shaking with anger and…fear. That’s what you felt too. That’s what you recognize coursing through you too.

“All in a span of a year,” you continue, leaving poor Choso just more confused and baffled—“why should I let someone else I care about die?”

“Because,” Yuki argues, but you keep looking deeply into Choso’s eyes. “It comes with our lifestyle. You know that more than anyone. Sure, you had a privileged upbringing, but you also grew up in this world, it comes with sacrifices. If you don’t like that then you can leave, I told you that already. Do you want to leave?”

You hold Choso’s gaze for a moment longer, and he parts his lips and looks at you with just soft disbelief now. It seems he wants to add something, but you drop your eyes and don’t let him interject. “No, Master,” you mutter.

“Good,” Yuki sighs. “Now you two listen to our plan.”

You tighten your grip around your cup and pierce your glare in the light brown tea as Yuki shares a plan she came up with Tengen. You have no protests, you’re okay with what she planned for you to do, so you never interject, nor does Choso. He just chimes in after she’s done explaining.

“Hmm, dismantling the domain huh?”

“You come after that,” Yuki clarifies.

“No, I should go first,” Choso insists, making you roll your eyes but stay quiet now.

“Domains are powerful but burnt-out cursed techniques afterward,” Choso continues. “So there’s a risk that your cursed techniques will be hard to use after a while. I know you and Tengen want to exploit that, but he won’t open his domain if he expects me to leap in. Even if beats me once it’ll convince him that the fight is only against you, Tsukumo, and y/n.”

“Alright fine,” Yuki finally gives in. “Y/N?”

“Yeah,” you mumble and take a sip of tea.

“And Y/N can’t use her fire-snake technique,” Choso protests. “Noritoshi has the advantage of knowing her every move thanks to who he’s inhabiting, he’ll see it coming and kill her.”

You almost choke on your tea, but you manage to navigate down the right pipe before you finally break your silence. “He’ll try to kill me either way because of it, I won’t be safe regardless.”

“Then let me help you,” he volunteers without hesitation. “I’ll fight what he tries to throw at you.”

The words you were going to share right away get stuck in your throat as you breathe in sharply. And that anger you held for him is forgotten for a moment as you’re now shocked.

“No,” Yuki argues for you, snapping you out of your stupor. “We stick to our plan. Y/N can handle herself. You can help when it’s your time to come out if you want to so badly.”

“Right.” You clear your throat and let your anger rush back. “I have my supreme art technique that I never showed Suguru. Trapping Noritoshi in my domain won’t work, he’ll probably overpower me, so I’ll use my supreme art technique to tire him out for Yuki.”

Choso narrows his eyes and probes with concern laced in his voice. “And you’ll have enough energy to fight after?”

You nod as you swirl the tea in your cup. “Yes, I will,” you assure him. “I’ll be okay.”

Choso looks unsure about your reassurance out of concern, but he also trusts you and believes in you, so he doesn’t argue.

“Great!” Yuki exclaims. “So we all know what we’re going to do? No protests?”

Yes, one, Choso’s willingness to sacrifice his life. It still pisses you off and makes you want to cry and fight him, but you’ve been told off already. And he doesn’t seem to want to listen, so you bite your tongue and let the plan be. Even if your heart…begins to ache.

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A/N- If you think about Choso and mc have not spent a day apart since Shibuya

Tagged- @deniseabad1928 @secondary-character-25 @starlightanyaaa @notsaelty @d4rno @moonnime @kodzukein @yozora7154 @heijihattorisgf @elegantweirdorchest

[mania-sama]

“always an angel, never a god” and why it only works with gojo, not geto

ft. gojo & geto

Not Strong Enough - boygenius, Julien Baker, Phoebe Bridgers, Lucy Dacus

The song lyric "always an angel, never a god" from the song Not Strong Enough has been making its rounds on SatoSugu TikTok and I'm here to talk about it (mainly why I think the general interpretation of the line referencing Geto's POV is wrong, and that it only works well with Gojo's POV).

Here is an example of the popular interpretation (Geto's POV):

On an entirely surface level analysis, without any deep-diving or true understanding, this makes sense. Gojo became the strongest and left Geto behind. Geto was strifed with this, knowing it would be impossible to catch up. Therefor, he is the "angel" that can never become a "god"; Geto can never be Gojo. He can't even match him.

This interpretation implies that Geto was jealous of Gojo. Jealous of the power that allowed him to be better than everyone, exercise more curses, and do more right in the world. Jealous that Gojo left him behind. Jealous that Geto can never catch up or be on the same level as Gojo. Jealous of the fact that Gojo got to live a life Geto can't even dream of achieving.

I disagree with this analysis of Geto entirely. To put it simply: it's wrong. The only jealousy Geto felt comes from one of the much more glaring issues I'm about to talk about. Geto's problems never came from Gojo. It all has to do with curses, depression, and jujutsu society, not the fact that he and Gojo have differing power levels.

Geto is special-grade sorcerer. Need I remind you that, before the Culling Games revived hundreds of sorcerers, there were only four special-grade sorcerers in jujutsu society. Yuki Tsukumo, Okkotsu Yuuta, Gojo Satoru, and Geto Suguru. Sure, you can make the argument that Gojo far surpasses everyone else on this list, but that's not the point. The problem here, in relation to Geto's internal conflict, is that both he and Gojo are too strong. Shoko's cursed technique makes it so she doesn't go on solo missions. After Gojo ascended in Hidden Inventory, jujutsu society deemed that Gojo no longer needed to, nor should, work with a partner. With Shoko out for the count, that meant Geto was also stuck fighting alone. He felt like he was drifting away from his friends, and instead of reaching out, he was worsening it by pushing them further and further away and refusing to let them in on his struggles.

Cursed Spirit Manipulation. As I've stated, Geto's strong, and this is mainly due to his cursed technique. He has said on numerous occasions that swallowing curses is horrible. "The taste of a cursed spirit that no one else knows... like swallowing whole a cloth that was used to wipe up vomit...". Even this quote alone exemplifies how ostracizing this experience was for Geto, and he'd already ingested hundreds, if not thousands, of cursed spirits at this point. No one else can understand him. No one else can understand how much of a toll this takes on his psyche. It's clear why he was pushing people away. He never felt that they could share his burden.

His gradual development of depression. Geto sunk away from his friends as they were put on more solo missions. I can't reinstate this enough: his mental condition worsened every day, and he turned to no one but himself. He felt as though he was climbing a grueling, tall mountain with the pointed summit obscured by clouds. This isn't an analysis based solely on dialogue, either; physically, he was drawn with slouches, eyebags, a quiet demeanor, taking long pauses to do something as simply as lift his gaze, as though that takes his body too much energy to complete. He was severely depressed and utterly alone.

The inherit flaw of jujutsu society. Alone, depressed, and fighting the never-ending battle, Geto confronted the elephant in society that everyone ignores: it will never stop. Humans have negative emotions. These normal people, the majority of humanity, cannot fight the curses they create with their negativity. It's inevitable. Only people that can see curses and have cursed energy can deal with this problem. There is only one way to fix this, so Geto would never have to swallow another curse again, so he can be friends with the people he loves -- turn everyone into a sorcerer, and kill them if they don't comply.

This is Geto's character. Gojo is in it very little, because you know why? Gojo was never the problem. Gojo was just another knight being used to capture pawns by the higher-ups of jujutsu society, but never to checkmate the king. Geto's infamous line "Are you the strongest because you're Gojo Satoru, or are you Gojo Satoru because you're the strongest?" has nothing to do with jealousy. In fact, Geto felt quite the opposite. He saw the Gojo for what he was (what I just mentioned), and felt his hatred for society rear it's head. He was seeing his best friend be used, and he wanted nothing more than to end both of their sufferings. I do believe that people comparing "always an angel, never a god" to Geto & his strife with Gojo is a consequence of people misunderstanding the aforementioned "Are you... the strongest?" line. He never wanted to be as powerful as Gojo. He wanted them to be happy. And they could never have been that in jujutsu society.

Now. Here's where this essay gets BETTER. Because I am going to tell you why I think this fits Gojo much better than it would ever fit Geto. And you're probably thinking: "But Gojo is a god. He ascended and became the Honored One." Yeah, he did that, and he said that, but Gojo also said he would win. And he didn't. So. His words are worth nothing to me. Let's take a deep dive into Gojo's POV:

Before I get in further, this interpretation is not of Gojo believing that Geto is the god, the being higher than Gojo, because, while there is merit to the interpretation, that's not what I'm going for. This analysis is about Gojo and a reflection upon himself and jujutsu society, not necessarily comparing himself to Geto.

To me, this is a much better interpretation of this lyric. We all know Gojo is better than everyone else. The narrator of Jujutsu Kaisen will explain someone's ability, say they are the best in an aspect, then say "except for Gojo Satoru, of course." Gojo is simply better. I know this, and that is exactly the point I'm going to make using this song lyric.

Gojo is the Honored One. He's better, he's faster, he's smarter, he's stronger. In theory, there is no limit to his power. As Geto said during the KFC break-up, Gojo could achieve the goal that he claims is impossible for others - he could kill all of humanity, or force them to become sorcerers. Everybody knows he is stronger. Everybody knows that he can do whatever he wants, and if he wanted, he can force other people to do what he wants, too. But in reality, he can't.

Corruptness of jujutsu society and the exploitation of love. The problem with Gojo is that he has two enemies: 1. The higher-ups. No matter what, no matter how hard he fights, jujutsu society has placed a shackle over him. If he wants to save those he loves, he has to operate within those bonds of society. But yet, the higher-ups hate him. They hate that he doesn't respect those weaker than him. They hate his power. They see him as a threat that must be contained. So they contain him. They put the ones he loves into precarious situations that force his hand. In his effort to work against the higher-ups, he is forced to work within their bounds, too. There is no winning. Gojo once said, "Love is the most twisted curse of them all." He knows this because he has experienced it. The ten years he and Geto were separated was because of the chains of jujutsu society. What is a god, if he is strapped to the mortal plane? What is a god, if he has no control over his position on the chess table?

Those that don't wish to be saved. Gojo's second enemy: the human psyche. To put it simply, if they don't want to be saved, then Gojo cannot save them. This is what happened with Geto. Geto became depressed, and he pushed Gojo away, and there was nothing Gojo could have done. It isn't any more complicated than that. A god could save the ones he loved. Gojo is no god. He is an angel. His hands are tied behind his back, and all he can do is watch as the one he loved was stripped away from him.

Gojo is always the angel, never the god. He is a responsive unit to the ones above him, and an observer of those that have turned away from him. In truth, despite the popular belief of other characters, he cannot force anyone to do anything. Physical power can only go so far. There is a limit to limitless. An angel can have limitless power, but it can't use all of it unless comanded.

Conclusion: This is going to be hard for you to hear, but I really need to say it. Not every popular audio or emotional quote can fit your fav. I know. I know it hurts. It's the toughest pill to swallow. I, too, force my favs into songs that don't fit them. But we need to leave SatoSugu alone with this one unless it's done right. There are other parts of this song that REALLY fit Geto well: "Every clock's a different time. It would only take the energy fix it." ; "I don't know why I am the way I am." ; "I tried, I can't stop staring at the ceiling fan and spinning out about things that haven't happened." Then there's this line that fits the ship really well: "Skip the exit to our old street and go home. Go home alone." Here is an example because this is actually such a banger lyric:

The accompanying trend: "Know it's for the better // All I wanted was you" fits them. So much better. I also think that "always an angel, never a god" fits a lot of other JJK duos, just not SatoSugu. It works with Mai and Maki especially well.

Conclusion Part 2: WE CAN DO BETTER THAN THIS PEOPLE. SatoSugu is heart-wrenching. Keep making it heart-wrenching.

A link to the Tiktok that inspired this whole shipwreck: https://www.tiktok.com/t/ZT8nG9gox/

[shewasverynice]

Fandoms: 呪術廻戦 | Jujutsu Kaisen 

⚠️ SPOILER HEAVY ⚠️

Major Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death 

Full tags/warnings on Chapter links post

Major Characters: Original Character, Gojo Satoru, Geto Suguru, Ieiri Shoko, Yaga Masamichi, Nanami Kento, Haibara Yu, Tsukumo Yuki, Choso

‎‧₊˚✧ Chapter 46 ✧˚₊‧

“The first time I woke up in the ceremony room,” Sarah began, her voice barely above a whisper, “I was cold. And naked. Just... completely exposed. I didn’t know where I was, or how I’d gotten there. All I knew was that I was surrounded by a bunch of people I didn’t know. They were all staring at me.”

She paused, her gaze distant, as if she were reliving the moment. “Yuki was there. She was the only one who didn’t look at me like I was some kind of experiment. She took off her sweater and handed it to me, and that was when I decided to trust her.”

Sarah’s voice wavered slightly, but she pushed on. “Yaga was yelling, of course. That’s most of what he did back then. He was always so angry. He was yelling at the others, telling them to back off, to give me space. But no one was listening. They were too busy arguing, trying to figure out what had gone wrong.”

She took a deep breath, her hands trembling slightly. “Yuki hushed the crowd and knelt down in front of me. She asked me if I remembered what happened. I tried to speak, but... my voice didn’t come out. I just sat there, staring at her, feeling this overwhelming sense of fear. I didn’t know what to say. I didn’t even know what had happened.”

Sarah’s eyes flicked up to meet Suguru’s, and for a moment, there was a flicker of vulnerability in her gaze. “Yuki told me it was alright, that I’d been through a lot. She asked me again if I could tell her where I’d been for the last four days. But I couldn’t. I didn’t know. All I could do was shake my head.”

She looked away again, her voice dropping even lower. “Yuki scowled. She told everyone that either there was no afterlife, or I wasn’t fully dying. Someone in the crowd—I don’t even remember who—suggested they try it again. Yaga snapped at him, called him heartless. He shoved past Yuki and stood in front of me, blocking me from everyone’s view. He yelled at them, told them I was just a child and that they needed to give me time to process.”

Sarah’s hands clenched into fists, her nails digging into her palms. “But Yuki... she wasn’t having it. She told Yaga that right then was the perfect time to ask me questions, since I was already in shock. Yaga told her not to be so monstrous. And then... then they started arguing. About me. Like I wasn’t even there.”

She fell silent, her chest rising and falling with shallow breaths. The room felt colder now, the weight of her words hanging heavily in the air. Suguru didn’t say anything, his expression unreadable, but his eyes were dark, his jaw tight.

After a long moment, Sarah spoke again, her voice barely audible. “That was the first time I realized what I was to them. An experiment. A mystery to be solved. Not a person. Not really.”

She looked up at Suguru, her eyes filled with a quiet, simmering anger. “And that’s when I knew I couldn’t trust any of them. Not really. Because at the end of the day, they all saw me as something... other. Something less than human.”

Suguru finally broke his silence, his voice low and steady. “And what about now? Do you still feel that way?”

Sarah didn’t answer right away. She looked down at her hands, her expression unreadable. “I don’t know,” she said finally. “Sometimes. But it’s different now. I’m different now.”

Suguru nodded slowly, his gaze never leaving her face. “And what about all of us? Do you trust us?”

Sarah hesitated, her eyes flicking up to meet his. “I don’t know,” she said again, her voice soft. “I want to. But... it’s hard. After everything.”

Suguru didn’t respond, his expression thoughtful. Eventually he said, "Well, you know you can trust me, don't you?"

"Of course," Sarah said readily with a warm smile, "I know you've got my back."

Suguru waved to her as she got up off the floor in his room and left, giving him a little wave in return. She looked bright lately, and as terrible as it sounded, she looked more alive. She was distinctly different, but yet somehow still the same girl he'd come to know.

He grit his teeth, his fist balling up on his pant leg.

"Geto-senpai!" Haibara's voice called from down the hall, "Hey! You still in there with Sarah?"

"No," Suguru answered, pushing up off the floor to stand. He walked to the door, meeting Haibara there with a smile. "She just left. Sorry."

"Oh, no worries," Haibara laughed, "She can't have gone far, am I right?"

"No, I suppose not," Suguru chuckled.

Suguru stood by the window, his arms crossed as he watched Haibara sprint across the courtyard, his face lit up with a boyish grin. Sarah was a few paces ahead, her hair catching the sunlight as she turned to look back at him, her own smile soft and teasing. They looked like something out of a cheesy romance movie—young, carefree, and completely oblivious to the world around them. Haibara caught up to her, laughing as he said something that made Sarah roll her eyes, but her smile didn’t fade. They walked off together, their shoulders brushing, their laughter carrying on the wind. Suguru scowled, his jaw tightening as he turned away from the window. He grabbed his coat from the hook on the wall, shoving his hands into the pockets to check for his cigarettes and lighter. They were there, as always, and he pulled them out, turning them over in his hands as if they might offer some kind of comfort. They didn’t, of course, but the familiar weight of them in his palm was enough to steady him, if only for a moment.

Carrying his shoes, Suguru opened the window and climbed out, landing softly on the porch below. He slipped his shoes on quickly, his movements sharp and deliberate, before jumping down onto the frozen grass and making his way toward the woods.

The air was biting, the faint scent of pine and earth filling his lungs as he walked, his footsteps crunching softly against the snow. He didn’t know where he was going, didn’t really care. He just needed to get away—away from the temple, away from the laughter, away from the suffocating weight of his own thoughts.

The woods were quiet, the only sound the rustle of leaves and the occasional chirp of birds. It was peaceful, in a way, but the peace did little to calm the storm raging inside him. Suguru stopped when he reached a small clearing, the sunlight filtering through the trees in golden shafts. He leaned against a tree, pulling a cigarette from the pack and lighting it with a flick of his lighter. The first drag was deep, the smoke filling his lungs before he exhaled slowly, watching the plumes curl and dissipate into the air.

He had a lot to do. A lot to accomplish. It would have been better to have Satoru's support, but he just couldn't play along anymore. Things needed to change now, before they got any worse.

⠂⠄⠄⠂⠁⠁⠂⠄⠄⠂⠁⠁⠂⠄⠄⠂ ⠂⠄⠄⠂☆

The temple grounds were unusually quiet, the usual hum of activity replaced by an almost eerie stillness. Satoru moved through his chores with a mechanical efficiency, his usual boisterous energy conspicuously absent. He swept the fluffy snow in the courtyard with slow, deliberate strokes, his expression distant, his mind clearly elsewhere.

Boe and Nanami, who were nearby shoveling the deeper snow, exchanged a glance but didn’t say anything. They didn’t mind the quiet—if anything, it was a welcome change from Satoru’s usual antics.

Rin, however, found it unsettling. She stood by the edge of the courtyard, her arms crossed as she watched Satoru with a furrowed brow.

“This is weird,” she muttered, more to herself than anyone else.

Nanami glanced up from the patch of ice he was chipping away at, his expression as stoic as ever. “Why would you want to wake him back up?"

Rin shot him a look, her nose wrinkling in annoyance.

Boe, who had been quietly shifting snow nearby, perked up at this, her curiosity piqued. “What do you think happened?” she asked, her voice low but eager. “Did he and Geto have another fight?”

Nanami sighed, leaning on his shovel and brushing off his gloves. “It’s more than a fight,” he said. “Geto has been sleeping in mine and Haibara’s room at night.”

Boe gasped, her hands flying to her mouth. “No way. They broke up? But they’ve been together forever!”

Rin’s eyes widened, and she quickly covered Boe’s mouth with her hand, glancing nervously toward Satoru to make sure he hadn’t heard. “Shh! Keep your voice down!” she hissed, though her own expression was equally shocked. “Are you serious, Nanami? They actually broke up?”

Nanami shrugged, his expression as calm and unbothered as ever. “Looks like it. Geto hasn’t said much, and Gojo’s been moping around like a kicked puppy. It’s not hard to assume what happened here.”

Boe pulled Rin’s hand away from her mouth, her eyes wide with disbelief. “But... but they’re Satoru and Suguru. They’re, like, the ultimate couple. How could they just break up like that?”

Nanami rolled his eyes, picking up his shovel and returning to his work.

Rin frowned, her gaze drifting back to Satoru, who was now leaning on his rake, staring off into the distance. “Still... it’s sad. I can’t imagine them not being... you know, them.”

Boe nodded in agreement, her expression somber. “Yeah. It’s like... the temple feels different without them being all lovey-dovey and annoying. I didn’t realize how much I’d miss it.”

Nanami snorted, shaking his head. “You’ll get over it.”

Rin shot him another look, her hands on her hips. “You’re so cold, Nanami. Don’t you care at all?”

Nanami paused, his expression softening just slightly. “Of course I care. But there’s nothing we can do about it. It’s their business, not ours.”

Boe sighed, leaning against the garden fence. “Still... it’s weird seeing Gojo like this. He’s usually so... Gojo. Now he’s just... quiet. It’s creepy.”

Rin nodded, her gaze still fixed on Satoru. “Yeah. I keep expecting him to snap out of it, to start cracking jokes or pulling pranks or something. But he just... doesn’t.”

The three of them fell silent. For a while, the only sound was the soft rustle of leaves in the breeze and the occasional scrape of Nanami’s shovel against the ice.

Finally, Boe broke the silence, her voice tentative. “Do you think we should... I don’t know, talk to him? Try to cheer him up or something?”

Nanami shook his head immediately. “No. The last thing he needs is us poking our noses into his business. He’ll figure it out on his own.”

Rin frowned, clearly unconvinced. “But what if he doesn’t? What if he just stays like this forever?”

Nanami sighed, “He won’t."

Boe and Rin exchanged a doubtful look but didn’t argue. They knew Nanami was probably right, but that didn’t make it any easier to watch Satoru mope around like a shadow of his usual self.

Just then, Sarah and Haibara walked arm in arm across the temple grounds, their breath visible in the cold. They looked carefree, their smiles bright against the backdrop of snow-covered trees. Satoru, who had been halfheartedly shoveling snow near the courtyard, glanced up at the sound of their voices. His expression darkened as he watched them, his grip tightening on the shovel. He kicked at a pile of snow, muttering something under his breath that no one could quite catch.

Rin, who had been observing the scene from a distance, decided she couldn’t stay silent any longer. She hurried over to Sarah and Haibara, her boots crunching in the snow. “Hey, Haibara,” she said, her tone casual but her eyes serious. “Can I borrow Sarah for a second?”

Haibara blinked, glancing between Rin and Sarah. “Uh, sure. I’ll wait over here,” he said, releasing Sarah’s arm and stepping aside with a friendly smile.

Sarah followed Rin a few paces away, her expression curious but guarded. “What’s up?” she asked, her voice light but her eyes sharp.

Rin lowered her voice, glancing over her shoulder to make sure Haibara was out of earshot. “It’s Gojo,” she said, her tone urgent. “He’s... not doing well. He’s been moping around for days, and it’s just... not like him. I thought maybe you could talk to him. You’re one of the few people he’s close to, besides Geto.”

Sarah’s face shifted, her initial curiosity giving way to something colder, more distant. For a moment, Rin thought she saw a flicker of upset in Sarah’s eyes, but it was quickly replaced by a blank, almost uncaring expression. Sarah wasn’t very good at hiding her feelings, and it was obvious that she wasn’t as indifferent as she was trying to appear. Still, she forced a small, polite smile.

“That’s really sad,” Sarah said, her voice flat. “I hope he can work it out.”

Rin frowned, taken aback by Sarah’s tone. “But... he needs you, Sarah. Maybe you can help him figure things out.”

Sarah’s smile faltered, and she looked away, her gaze fixed on the snow-covered ground. “It’s not my business,” she said quietly, her voice barely above a whisper. “He’ll figure it out on his own.”

Before Rin could respond, Sarah turned and hurried back to Haibara, her steps quick and deliberate. Haibara greeted her with a warm smile, and the two of them resumed their walk, their laughter carrying on the cold air. Satoru watched them go, his expression a mix of bitterness and frustration. He kicked at another pile of snow, muttering something under his breath before turning back to his shoveling.

Rin stood there for a moment, staring after Sarah with a look of surprise. She hadn’t expected Sarah to be so... cold. It wasn’t like her—or at least, it wasn’t like the Sarah she thought she knew. She walked back to where Boe was standing, her arms crossed as she watched the scene unfold.

“Did you see that?” Rin asked, her voice low. “Sarah didn’t used to be like that. She’s so... detached.”

Boe laughed, a short, humorless sound. “She was probably like this the whole time,” she said, shrugging. “She was just trying to do the mature thing and be civil. Now that she’s... I don’t know, whole again, she doesn’t feel like she has to pretend anymore.”

Rin frowned, considering Boe’s words. “Yeah, I guess that makes sense. She’s always been kind of guarded, but now it’s like she doesn’t care at all.”

Boe nodded, her expression thoughtful. “Maybe this is just who she is now.”

Rin sighed, her gaze drifting back to Satoru, who was now leaning on his shovel, staring off into the distance. “I just feel bad for him. He’s lost Suguru, and now Sarah’s acting like she doesn’t care. It’s like he’s losing everyone.”

Boe shrugged again, though her expression softened slightly. “Gojo’s tough. He’s been through worse.”

Rin didn’t respond, her mind still on Sarah and the way she had so easily dismissed Satoru’s pain. It wasn’t like her—or at least, it wasn’t like the Sarah she thought she knew. But maybe Boe was right. Maybe this was just who Sarah was now.

Rin made her way through the temple halls, her footsteps echoing softly against the wooden floors. Nanami had warned her not to get involved. “It’s better to stay out of it,” he’d said, his voice low and firm. But Rin had brushed him off, her determination outweighing his caution. “I just want to do something,” she’d replied, her tone resolute. Now, as she approached Shoko’s room, she couldn’t help but feel a flicker of unease.

She knocked lightly on the door before sliding it open, peeking inside. Shoko was lying on her bed, her head resting on a pillow as she stared up at the ceiling, her expression unreadable. She didn’t look surprised to see Rin, just tilted her head slightly to acknowledge her presence.

“Hey,” Rin said, stepping inside and closing the door behind her. “Do you have a minute?”

Shoko shrugged, her gaze still fixed on the ceiling. “Sure. What’s up?”

Rin hesitated for a moment, then blurted out, “Did you know that Gojo and Geto broke up?”

Shoko’s expression didn’t change, but she let out a soft, almost amused sigh. “No, but I’m not surprised.”

Rin blinked, taken aback by Shoko’s casual tone. “You’re not? I mean, they’ve been together for so long.”

Shoko finally turned her head to look at Rin, her dark eyes sharp and perceptive. “They’re not really good romantically anyway,” she said, her voice matter-of-fact. “I didn’t want to say anything before because I figured they’d just double down if anyone questioned it.”

Rin frowned, crossing her arms. “Gojo would’ve absolutely doubled down on it. He’s so stubborn.”

Shoko shook her head, a faint smile tugging at her lips. “Actually, I think Geto would’ve been the one to double down. Gojo’s stubborn, sure, but Geto... he’s different. He gets himself worked up, gets these crazy ideas in his head, and then he just... runs with them. It’s like he can’t let go once he’s decided something.”

Rin’s frown deepened, a flicker of concern crossing her face. “What do you mean? Like... what kind of crazy ideas?”

Shoko sat up slightly, propping herself on her elbows as she studied Rin. “Geto’s not as calm and collected as he likes to pretend. He’s always been intense, always thinking way too much about everything. And when he gets upset, he doesn’t just let it go. He stews on it, lets it fester. It’s like he’s always looking for some grand solution, even when there isn’t one.”

Rin’s eyes widened, her unease growing. “Do you think... he’s up to something? Like, something bad?”

Shoko didn’t answer right away. She leaned back against her pillow again, her gaze drifting back to the ceiling. “Undoubtedly,” she said finally, her voice quiet but firm. “Geto’s not the type to just sit around and mope. If he’s upset, he’s going to do something about it. And given how things have been lately... yeah, I think he’s up to something.”

Rin’s chest tightened, a cold knot of dread settling in her stomach. “But... what could he do? I mean, he’s still one of us, right?”

Shoko’s expression darkened, her usual calm demeanor replaced by something sharper, more serious. “I don’t know. But if I were you, I’d keep an eye on him. Geto’s not the type to just let things go. And if he’s decided that something needs to change I don’t think anyone’s going to be able to stop him besides Gojo.”

Rin stared at Shoko, her mind racing. She hadn’t expected this—hadn’t expected Shoko to be so blunt, so certain. But now that she thought about it, it made sense. Geto had always been intense, always seemed to carry this weight that no one else could see. And if he was really as upset as Shoko seemed to think he was... well, Rin didn’t want to think about what that might mean.

“What should we do?” Rin asked, her voice barely above a whisper.

Shoko shrugged, her expression unreadable. “Nothing, for now. Just... keep an eye on him. And if you see something, say something. But don’t go poking around where you don’t belong. Geto’s not someone you want to mess with when he’s like this.”

Rin nodded slowly, though her unease didn’t fade. She turned to leave, her mind still racing, but paused at the door. “Shoko... do you think he’s dangerous?”

Shoko didn’t answer right away. She just stared at the ceiling, her expression thoughtful. “I think,” she said finally, her voice quiet but firm, “that Geto’s always been dangerous. It’s just a question of who he’s dangerous to.”

Rin swallowed hard, her chest tight with a mix of fear and uncertainty. She didn’t know what to say, so she just nodded and slipped out of the room, closing the door softly behind her.

As she walked back down the hall, her mind was a whirlwind of thoughts. She didn’t know what to do, didn’t know how to help. But one thing was clear: things at the temple were about to change. And not necessarily for the better.

⠂⠄⠄⠂⠁⠁⠂⠄⠄⠂⠁⠁⠂⠄⠄⠂ ⠂⠄⠄⠂☆

The winter air was sharp and biting as Sarah stepped out of the temple grounds, her breath visible in little puffs as she wrapped her scarf tighter around her neck. She rubbed her hands together, trying to ward off the chill, before adjusting the strap of the bag slung over her shoulder. It was full of snacks—mostly for herself, but she’d packed a few treats for the glowing pup trotting happily beside her. The little creature’s fur shimmered faintly in the pale sunlight, his fluffy tail wagging as he looked up at her with bright, eager eyes.

“You’re such a good boy, Saturn,” Sarah cooed, smiling down at him. The pup yipped excitedly, his tongue lolling out of his mouth as he bounded ahead a few steps before circling back to her side. She chuckled, her grin widening as they continued down the snow-covered path.

The forest was quiet, the only sound the crunch of snow underfoot and the occasional rustle of branches overhead. Sarah glanced up at the icicles hanging from the trees, their sharp points glinting in the sunlight. She shuddered, a grin tugging at her lips as she thought about all the horror stories she’d heard about icicles falling and impaling people. “Do you think that stuff’s true, Saturn?” she asked the pup, who tilted his head at her as if considering the question. She laughed softly, shaking her head. “Yeah, me neither. But let’s not test it, huh?”

She quickened her pace, calling for Saturn to follow her. The pup stumbled over a patch of brush but quickly righted himself, trotting after her with his usual enthusiasm. Sarah was about to tease him for being clumsy when she heard a chuckle from the woods. She froze, her eyes narrowing as she scanned the trees ahead.

“Really?” she called out, her voice laced with irritation. “I thought you weren't coming with me today?”

Satoru stepped out from behind a tree, his hands tucked into the pockets of his jacket and a lazy grin on his face. “What? Can’t a guy change his mind?”

Sarah rolled her eyes, crossing her arms over her chest. “You’re not subtle, Gojo." Then she glanced down at Saturn, who looked a bit sheepish. "I thought you were guarding me, Saturn? Didn't even warn me, huh?"

Satoru’s grin widened as he glanced down at the glowing pup, who was now sitting at Sarah’s feet, his tail wagging furiously. “Naming such a tiny dog after a war god? That’s just asking for trouble.”

Sarah huffed, her cheeks flushing slightly. “That’s why it’s funny. Because he's a little guy.”

Satoru shrugged, his tone teasing. “Yeah, and that’s why it’s fun to tease you too.”

Sarah glared at him. “Why are you even following me? Don’t you have, like, moping to do or something?”

Satoru’s grin faltered for a moment, but he quickly recovered, his tone light. “Isn’t this what we always do? You go off to do your weird tree demon thing, and I tag along to make sure you don’t get yourself killed.”

Sarah stared at him, her expression softening slightly. “Gojo, seriously. I heard about you and Geto. You don’t have to follow me out here if you’re not feeling okay.”

Satoru’s smile faded completely, his hands tightening in his pockets. “I’m fine,” he said, his voice firm but lacking its usual confidence. “And I’m not going to let you be around that tree thing without me. It’s not safe.”

Sarah sighed, her frustration returning. “The Spirit is completely safe. You don’t need to babysit me.”

Satoru’s jaw tightened, his blue eyes narrowing. “I’m not babysitting you. I’m looking out for you.”

“Well, I don’t need you to,” Sarah shot back, her voice rising slightly. “I can take care of myself. So why don’t you just butt out?”

Satoru took a step closer, his expression serious. “Because I won’t. Not when it comes to you.”

The two of them stood there for a moment, the tension between them palpable. Saturn let out a soft whine, looking between them with wide, worried eyes. Sarah finally broke the silence, her voice quieter now. “Gojo I know you’re trying to help. But you can’t just insert yourself into everything. I’m not your responsibility.”

Satoru didn’t respond right away. He just stared at her, his expression unreadable. “I know that,” he said stiffly, his voice quieter now. “But that doesn’t mean I’m going to stop caring. Whether you like it or not, you’re important to me. And I’m not going to let anything happen to you.”

Sarah’s chest tightened. She looked away, her gaze falling to Saturn, who was now pawing at her boot. “Fine,” she said finally, her voice quiet.

Satoru nodded, his usual grin appearing right back on that face.

The two of them walked in silence for a while, the only sounds the crunch of snow beneath their boots and the occasional excited yip from Saturn as he bounded ahead, his glowing form weaving through the trees. Sarah kept her gaze forward, her arms crossed tightly over her chest, but she couldn’t help flicking her eyes over to Satoru every now and then. He was walking with his usual casual swagger, his hands laced behind his head and his dark sunglasses hiding his eyes. She couldn’t tell if he was looking at her or not, but the way his lips twitched into a faint smirk made her think he probably was.

She blushed, groaning internally. Stupid, stupid, stupid, she thought, berating herself for letting him catch her looking. Of course he’d noticed. He noticed everything.

Satoru chuckled softly, the sound low and teasing. “You’re not subtle, you know,” he said, his voice carrying just enough of a playful edge to make Sarah’s cheeks burn even hotter. It was a callback to her earlier sass, and she hated how effortlessly he could turn her own words against her.

“Are you just here to be annoying?” she snapped, her tone sharper than she intended. She didn’t look at him, but she could feel his gaze on her, even through the sunglasses.

Satoru tilted his head, his smirk widening. “Are you actually annoyed?” he asked, his voice light but probing.

Sarah’s blush deepened, and she huffed, picking up her pace in an attempt to put some distance between them. But Satoru, with his long-legged strides, caught up to her easily, his hands still casually behind his head. She grumbled under her breath, glaring at the path ahead.

“There’s no point in acting mad,” Satoru said, his tone annoyingly cheerful. “I know you can’t keep up this act forever.”

Sarah rolled her eyes, finally turning to look at him. “I’m not acting mad,” she said, her voice firm. “I’m trying to distance myself. There’s a difference.”

Satoru laughed, the sound bright and carefree, as if her frustration was the most amusing thing in the world. “Oh, please. I’m so used to people acting that way around me that your little tactic definitely won’t work. Try harder next time.”

Sarah glared at him, her hands clenching into fists at her sides. “You’re insufferable, you know that?”

Satoru’s grin only widened, and for a moment, she caught a glimpse of his sparkling blue eyes from just beneath his sunglasses. “Yeah, I’ve been told. But I know you don't mean that.”

Sarah groaned, turning her attention back to the path. Saturn trotted ahead, his tail wagging furiously as he sniffed at the snow, completely oblivious to the tension between his two humans. Sarah kept her gaze fixed on the path ahead, determined not to give Satoru the satisfaction of knowing how much he was getting to her. But every now and then, she could feel his eyes on her, and it took all her willpower not to look back.

The snow grew deeper as they ventured further into the woods, the pristine white blanket muffling their footsteps and making the world feel quieter, softer. Sarah trudged ahead, her boots sinking into the snow with every step. She was determined not to let Satoru see her struggle, but the deeper the snow got, the harder it became to keep up her facade. Her breath came out in little puffs of steam, her cheeks flushed from both the cold and the exertion.

Satoru, on the other hand, seemed completely unfazed. He walked a few paces behind her, his long legs easily navigating the snow, his hands still casually tucked into his jacket pockets. Every now and then, he’d glance over at Sarah, his lips twitching into a smirk as he watched her struggle. He didn’t say anything, but the occasional soft chuckle escaping him was enough to make Sarah’s irritation flare.

“Stop laughing,” she grumbled, shooting him a glare over her shoulder. Her foot sank deeper into the snow, and she let out a frustrated groan as she tried to pull it free. “This isn’t funny.”

Satoru raised an eyebrow, his smirk widening. “Oh, it’s a little funny.”

Sarah huffed, turning her attention back to the path. She spotted a particularly high pile of snow ahead and decided to climb over it, hoping it would be easier than wading through the deeper drifts. She planted her hands on the snow and hoisted herself up, but as soon as she put her weight on her front foot, it sank straight through, sending her tumbling face-first into the snow.

“Ah!” she cried out, her voice muffled as the cold snow pressed against her face. She flailed for a moment, trying to push herself up, but only succeeded in sinking deeper.

Satoru, who had been watching the whole thing, couldn’t hold back his laughter anymore. He doubled over, his shoulders shaking as he laughed, the sound echoing through the quiet forest.

Sarah finally managed to push herself up, her face red—partly from the cold, partly from embarrassment. She glared at him, snow clinging to her hair and scarf. “Shut up! It’s not that funny!”

Satoru wiped a tear from his eye, still chuckling as he walked over to help her. “Here, let me—” He reached out to grab her hand, but as soon as he stepped onto the same pile of snow, his foot sank straight through, just like hers had. He froze, his eyes widening behind his sunglasses as he lost his balance and toppled forward, landing face-first in the snow beside her.

For a moment, there was complete silence. Sarah stared at him, her mouth hanging open in shock, while Satoru lay there, half-buried in the snow, his sunglasses askew. Then, slowly, he turned his head to look at her, his expression a mix of disbelief and amusement.

Sarah couldn’t help it. She burst out laughing. “Oh my god,” she gasped between laughs.

Satoru blinked at her, then started laughing too, his shoulders shaking as he pushed himself up onto his elbows. “This stuff is treacherous.”

The two of them sat there in the snow, laughing until their sides hurt. Saturn trotted over, his tail wagging as he barked excitedly, clearly confused but happy to see his humans having fun.

"You're dumb," Sarah sighed.

"Probably," Satoru shrugged.

Prev Main Next

Taglist: @inthedarkshadows000

[declanisms]

all the details are so. the table where they’re sat is the table of life and death in a way and chosos other brothers have already departed and now it’s chosos turn but yujis gripping the table bc he doesn’t want to let him go. and it’s the way choso can’t look yuji in the eye bc he feels guilty for leaving him but then yuji tells him that he was there for him in his darkest times and that being there for him was enough and he finally looks him in the eye. and it’s how choso realizes that his other brothers loved him too bc he was there for them for 150 years. and it’s how yuji never says don’t go bc he know that could be a curse but every word and action screams that he doesn’t want to let choso go. and it’s the way you can tell choso was thinking about a future and now he can’t realize it and that’s why he says he has to apologize to tsukumo. it’s the way his last words aren’t at the table but in the battlefield so we know it’s real. and it’s the way his death was a choice a choice to protect his brother and not something that was wrought unto him. and it’s the way he leaves with words of unconditional love with not a single curse held within. choso loved and died a human

[mana-jjk]

i keep looking through the college au and coming up with more questions.

does geto teach a philosophy Gen-ed that everyone has to take?

are nanako and mimiko there? what are they up to?

I have to know more about ijichi's suffering

how close does toge get to dropping out? how often? will he ever actually do it?

do gojo and geto do that thing where they both casually mention their husband but nobody puts together that it's the other professor? (are they together in this au or is there more angst?)

i’m loving the questions !! <3 thank you for taking such an interest ! 🥺

getou’s philosophy:

• so getou has a PhD in philosophy and does research on the side of his position as a professor.

• he’s one of the few philosophy professors, so he teaches up to 4 - 5 classes a semester. this can include higher levels, major-specific, sub-categories, etc. but he always specifically requests a introduction to philosophy class, a requirement in most majors.

• it’s either that, or they take a speech class with Yuki Tsukumo and her teaching assistant, Aoi Todo. Who, yes, as an icebreaker, make you proclaim your type in men/women/other.

• yuuji took that class lol and now they’re trying to recruit him as a TA, no one could believe he would be the first to be recruited for that

• anyway, back to philosophy, getou has way too much fun being as evil and instigating as possible. you have to speak to get a grade in his class, and he will purposely misinterpret what you say.

• student: i just think in the case of the trolley problem, i wouldn’t hesitate to save more people.

• getou: oh? so you assign value to numbers? are human lives stastics to you? if they throw their money out will you also change your mind? i bet you don’t even care if there was a child on the other side huh? murderer

• you leave his class traumatized lol

nanako and mimiko:

• they are here and are still adopted by getou! they didn’t have the best home life, and moved around foster care for a lot of their lives until they accidentally bumped into getou while they were running away.

• he helped them call their social work and were moved into a better situation, though they begged him to stay in contact.

• a complicated and usual amount of time later, enough for adoption process in japan, he has officially adopted them.

• in present day, nanako and mimiko insisted on transferring colleges to the one getou got a job at so they could stay together.

• mimiko is currently a fashion design major and nanako is her biggest inspiration. she exclusively makes clothes for her or inspired by her and because of that she’s struggling a bit in college, despite being the top of her class.

• nanako is a digital marketing and social media major and part-time model who loves showing off mimiko’s designs. she also likes to bicker with nobara by saying her sister is on a whole different level than her. mimiko doesn’t care but likes the support her sister gives her lol

• mimiko will eventually change her major to graphic design, to someday design toys for children. she likes making clothes because it makes nanako smile, but she loves making toys that she and nanako used to cherish while hiding in the closet from their bad foster parents.

• like i said, nanako likes fighting with nobara, but actually has a lot of fun around her. she also loves panda and thinks he’s so fun and would be a great model. they always get chaotic around each other and turn into instigators.

• mimiko ended up finding an unexpected friendship in toge, he was quiet and she couldn’t understand sign but he always carried a little notebook that he would write notes in for her. they would watch nobara and nanako bicker, and toge would make her laugh by making doodles of them in the pages, and then clap when she drew a better quality version in turn. the way he ruffles her hair reminds her a bit of an older brother. (this is my agenda and i’m dying with it)!!

save ijichi:

• poor ijichi is an education major trying to get his master’s degree. being a teaching assistant was one of the requirements for him to graduate, and being gojo’s teaching assistant is the only position available.

• gojo did not want a teaching assistant, he likes to talk like a squirrel, go on tangents, and essentially not follow a schedule or explain to anyone. having a teaching assistant contradicts that so.

• lol

• gojo enjoys going on a tangent, losing everyone and then pointing at ijichi to answer a trick question.

• he also enjoys playing pranks on him, think of jim from the office. but his pranks are so nonsensical and childish that it gives everyone whiplash. once gojo accused him of passing notes and made him read a note out loud that gojo wrote, it only had a picture of a cat wearing sunglasses on it.

• the students feel so bad for him, when yuuta took the class, he always stayed after just to bow as deep as he could to apologize for his cousin’s behavior.

• every day ijichi tells himself he’s going to get a backbone, then gojo starts laughing and a cold chill runs up his spine

• gojo also leaves all the grading to ijichi but routinely complains about how lenient he is as a grader

• this man is fighting for his life

• in truth, gojo plans to give him a glowing recommendation that’ll guarantee him a high-paying, prestigious job, but he can’t let ijichi think he’s too nice, right?

toge drops out:

• so i think that toge would end up dropping out at the end of his second year in college. he’s just started his major courses, so the majority of his credits are transferable should he choose to come back.

• but it’s after yuuta comes back, and toge expects his mental state to get better. in some ways it does, he’s happy when he’s with them, but when it’s time to go to class he’s right back where he started.

• it’s probably kusakabe, one of his professors, that puts the idea of dropping out in his head. just a passing reference to how the professor dropped out several times before finding what he wanted to do.

• and the idea stayed like an infection, it was all toge could think about when he was finishing up his semester. even worse when their past upperclassmen, who did drop out to open their own bar, came for a visit.

• hakari was so open to questions about it, and kiara looked so happy talking about their business. and all he could remember was how bored and unhappy they were, and how they were thriving.

• and then gojo suggests it.

• “i never really cared about your grades,” he said, “you looked lonely, but you aren’t anymore. but somehow, you’re just as unhappy as the day i found you. all i want for you is to be happy, and i don’t think you’re finding it here.”

• the man was always so uncanny in how he could read anyone’s mind. this time in particular, he offered a solution that toge had never thought about.

• “have you ever thought of culinary school?”

• ‘my parents would never - they’re already threatening to disown me -’

• “let them, i always figured you’d take his last name anyway,” toge chose to ignore that, “but you aren’t alone anymore. so why don’t you try being happy?”

• when toge told yuuta, similar to only a year ago when they were in opposite positions, yuuta asked him softly, “what do you want to do?”

• the answer came easier than he thought

• by the start of the next semester, gojo had helped him enroll in a culinary school nearby.

gojo and getou:

• so these men are the most annoying people to exist at this university, and the board regrets hiring both of them everyday.

• both of them are alumni of the college, and this matters because they had been dating when they were students, but broke up very dramatically just before gojo graduated early.

• they went their separate ways for almost a decade and only really started talking again when getou got hired at the university.

• they only started talking again when shoko forced them to meet her, she wanted her friends back.

• she regretted it only a few months later when they started dating again lol

• so they’re still dating, but everyone thinks that getou is dating manami suda because they were often together.

• but no one mistakes gojo trying to flirt with getou so he has a reputation as a homewrecker. even worse is that getou flirts back so everyone thinks they’re terrible people

• and they think it’s so funny so they only enable people into thinking so, yuuta couldn’t look gojo in the face for a month

• only nanako and mimiko know what’s actually happening and they’re both disgusted and not ready to have gojo as their step-father. megumi knows too but he’s suffering so much that everyone just leaves him alone

• yuuji is so distraught that his gojo-sensei is a horrible person, he and nobara do a confrontation and find out that they were dating the entire time.

• everyone suffers after that because now they find amusement in PDA

• but yes after everything, they do a different storyline every new class like theater kids do

[yuesya]

The sudden earthquake is… not entirely unexpected, in retrospect, although it’s certainly overkill. Suguru knows that Satoru has a flair for the dramatic, and Shiki is always eager to join her brother’s chaotic schemes. Without a voice of reason around to run herd on them, those tendencies of theirs are probably even worse in this world.

… In this world where Geto Suguru is dead, killed as a curse user intent on committing mass slaughter. He still has trouble imagining what his alternate self was thinking, honestly. Sorcerers are only a minuscule portion of the entire population; what did he think would actually happen if he’d somehow managed to succeed in basically wiping out humanity?

Utterly inconceivable.

“That was Gojo-sensei, right?” Itadori’s voice sounds from behind one of the makeshift barricades. The Itadori in this world is a little more jaded and solemn than the cheerful first year student that Suguru remembers, which is… saddening. But then, considering the boy’s experiences –Yoshino dying, Satoru and Shiki being sealed, Nanami dying, Kugisaki in a coma, Sukuna using his body to kill and kill and kill in Shibuya… and, more recently, Sukuna switching to Fushiguro as his new host…

It’s a miracle that the boy hasn’t broken beneath the pressures and horrors of everything that’s happened since he became a sorcerer. He’s a strong, resilient boy, although Suguru dearly wishes that he hadn’t been tested in this way.

“Seems about right for Gojo,” Tsukumo responds. The tall woman stands up, brushing off dust from her hands. There’s a large scar down her midsection, courtesy of the fight against ‘Kenjaku,’ but between three Special Grades, they’d been able to win decisively, even though the slippery man had managed to escape at the end. “Can’t imagine it being anyone else.”

Boy had it been weird, fighting ‘himself.’ The memory of the fight is enough to make Suguru cringe. He knows that it’s not actually ‘him,’ but seeing his body being saying those sorts of things and making those expressions…

If Suguru’s Satoru or Shiki had been here to see it, they’d never let him live it down, gods.

“Thank you for unsealing Gojo-sensei,” Okkotsu nods towards the angel-winged girl drifting down from the sky. Kurusu smiles, making an ‘okay’ sign with her fingers. “… Where is he, though? And that earthquake just now, too… is he–”

Suguru’s head snaps up; Tsukumo looks up, too, half a beat behind him.

“He’s here.”

Satoru’s teleportation is a thing to behold. One instant, there’s nothing in the air above them, then in the blink of an eye, he’s standing there. Prison Realm clearly hasn’t been kind to him and Shiki. Satoru is definitely looking a little ragged, and his clothes are significantly tattered. But despite that, he looks down upon them with glowing eyes, calm and confident–

A single blink. His composure wavers, and breaks.

Then, he’s standing right in front of Suguru. The suddenness of the motion causes the dimension-hopper to startle, taking half a step backwards–

“… Suguru?” Satoru –and there’s no doubt that this is all Satoru, even if he’s not Suguru’s Satoru– frowns. His Six Eyes gleam, sharp and analyzing. “No. You are, but you’re still not…”

“Bit of a long story,” Tsukumo cuts in. “In short, this is Geto Suguru from another world parallel to ours, where he decided to go the path of teaching like you did instead of bloody revolution.”

“Can you please not put it that way?” Suguru rubs a hand against his forehead, distinctly pained.

“What? I think that summary explains things pretty well. Right, Gojo?”

Satoru hums, straightening up with a thoughtful sound. “Huh… from another world, you say?”

“Sensei!”

“Sensei!”

The students finally catch up to them, swarming around Gojo-sensei like excited puppies. It warms something inside Suguru’s chest to see them like this –the students of this world are (understandably) wary of him, given his alternate self’s actions, but it’s clear that they care for and trust their Gojo-sensei.

He’s not surprised, when Satoru pulls him aside for a private chat, eventually. If the relationship that he and his sister had had with their Suguru was anything like what he had with them back in his world…

No, Suguru definitely isn’t surprised.

It’s also a good chance for him to ask his own questions, because this confusion has been gnawing at him for a long time. “How did Kenjaku get the drop on you, with Shiki watching your back?”

The familiar-unfamiliar man tilts his head. His lips move, forming a single question that makes Suguru’s blood run cold.

“Who’s Shiki?”

[discordiansamba]

slides this snippet your way. hm wonder what this could be for.

"…have you heard any rumors?" The elder smiled up at her. "Still looking to escape?" Izumo huffed in response. Always. Every once in awhile, natural portals between Elfame and Assiah would open. If she managed to escape with Tsukumo through one of them, she could return to the human world. She didn't know where or even when it would lead her, but at least there would be other humans. "No," the elder shook her head, "-nothing that would interest you. But…" "…but?" Izumo frowned. "They say the prince invited in a guest," the elder said, "-just this day." "A guest?" Izumo asked. "A human?" She'd heard of the fae prince- the son of Oberon, lord of all fae. She'd also heard that he was a member of the Unseelie Court, so anyone he invited in had to be bad news. "That's just it," the elder frowned, "-we don't know. They're quite strange. They feel like they might be a fae, but why would a fae need to be invited into Elfame? We can come and go as we please. Why, some say they might even be a demon!" A demon? Izumo frowned. That was rare. You didn't hear about demons in Elfame much. "Well, I'm sure its nothing to worry about," the elder said, "-but just in case, you should run home quickly, Izumo. I wouldn't want a nice human girl like yourself to get eaten." Or worse, Izumo thought. "Thanks for the warning," Izumo said, "-you all be careful yourself." Standing up, Izumo turned on her heel. She was a little worried about Tsukumo. She hurried down the path at a brisk pace, making sure not to run. Donning her fur shawl again as peach blossoms turned back into red maple leaves, Izumo made good time on her return trip. Tamamo's shrine was undisturbed upon her return, and she let out a faint breath of relief. Sliding open the door, she paused as she entered. Sitting in the entryway was the gaudiest looking parasol she'd ever seen in her life. …a guest? That was rare. Entering, she set down her basket in the entryway. Taking off her shoes, she headed inside. She could hear the sound of voices, and it didn't take her long to find them. Tamamo was sitting inside the common room, and with her was- …who? They looked humanoid, but they clearly weren't human- the pointed ears and sharp teeth gave it away. She couldn't see any wings, but they might have been hidden underneath his gaudy outfit. Their eyes were a vivid green, but something about them made a chill run down her spine. "Oh," they smiled, "-there's the person I came to see!"

[hoseokslefteyebrow]

The Anomaly || JJK

Chapter 16: Shibuya Incident: Gate Closed

summary : In which you're isekai'd from your (own) parallel Jujutsu Kaisen universe to the canon universe.

wordcount : 1.8k

Pairing: Jujutsu Kaisen X Reader, mostly platonic, you're really just part of the story

Masterlist | Next

You've heard enough to know that Tsukumo Yuki dislikes the Jujutsu world. Meaning that it's already big news that she's shown up in the first place, but it also means she most probably had a plan. You don't blame her. Jujutsu society is messed up.

" The next stage of humanity lies in breaking away from cursed energy." 

" No. It lies in optimizing cursed energy." 

Yuki and whoever is hiding away in Geto's body appear to not agree on the matter.

She turns, shrugging at Yuuji, who raises a hand.

" Uh. I don't understand either of those." 

" I thought you gave up on that plan 12 years ago after Zen'In Toji died." 

" That's what I told Geto, yes." 

You blink, your eyes turning to your best friend in question. She believed people with promising talent like him and Toji were the solution for a curse free world? Interesting.

For now, you'll have to stay focused in finding the technique that will defrost the stranger's technique. 

Once again, you're lucky. Just like before with octopus man, you can for some reason use the stranger's technique to your advantage.

Admittedly, you've messed around with snow before, but you've never used it to defrost anything, to undo or create ice. But then again, there's a first time for everything, right? 

Both Geto and Yuki explain their ideals. Yuki doesn't see the use of optimizing cursed energy, considering Japan would be a monopoly in that. Other countries wouldn't just stand by and watch. It would create a war. Whoever is hiding in Geto doesn't seem to care. He just wants cursed energy to take over in it's best form. Doesn't matter if it's through people or cursed objects. According to him, his ideal is a spec in the darkness. According to him, he should've let 'chaos consume around him beyond his control'. He had been limited, but now he had extracted the technique to do so.

At once, Yuki turns to Yuuji.

" There was a curse named Mahito, right?! The one whose technique could manipulate souls!" 

" That guy just absorbed him." 

Yuuji sounds awfully nonchalant while Yuki is obviously distressed. Her eyes widen at his words.

" Seriously?!" 

Geto leans down, pressing his palm to the ground. At once, a symbol shows on the ground, also appearing in the sky. It looks eerie.

" Tengen's barrier? No, this is..." 

" You have my thanks Yuuji. Curses cease to improve once they've been absorbed by curse manipulation. Your fight with Mahito is what really matured him." 

" What did you do?" 

Yuki is rightfully not in the mood for Geto's round of approval.

" I remotely activated Idle Transfiguration on two types on non-sorcerers that I had marked ahead of time."

As Geto continues to explain, you finally get the gist of unfreezing the icy technique, summoning the cursed energy in the form of water all around you. As well as that, their cursed energy weakens. Probably because of the wound they healed when Choso's Piercing Blood cut through their palm like that.

The stranger's eyes widen as you manage to free yourself, freeing Sukuna soon after and the rest as well.

" What's the matter Uraume?" 

Geto looks over at Uraume, who is looking utterly scandalized as they watch you.

" L/N Y/N. " 

You raise a brow. L/N? Now who is that?

" Sorry, I'm not game for talking right now." 

With that, you sweep Uraume off their feet with a strong gust of water, using their own cursed energy against them. Sukuna laughs, the sound loud, causing several of your allies to turn to you in question.

" Hah! Finally." 

You raise a brow at your best friend, he sends you a side eye back.

" What? You took long. I knew you could do it." 

However, the fun ends after that. Due to Uraume's weakened form, their cursed energy disappears into thin air. 

Unbothered, Geto continues speaking, explaining how he's been working on this for over thousands of years. He calls today 'the world of the future'. You don't need to wonder on it for long.

Within a moment, he has reached through Geto's curses, and summoned a lot of them at once.

You gather the rain which had fallen around you, crating the water circle in a steady flow around you.

Sukuna takes a step back, shifting closer to you.

His body language a clear message. 'Stay close to me.' 

Admittedly, you weren't planning to leave.

Everyone is surrounded by curses at once. You glance around you in concern, noticing just in time to see Geto holding out the prison realm mockingly to Yuuji, adding that he's expecting great things from the boy.

Unbeknownst to you just yet, a notice from Jujutsu Headquarters is released.

1. Geto Suguru is confirmed to be alive, and has been sentenced to death once again.

2. The suspension of Itadori Yuuji 's death sentence is revoked and the execution is to be carried out immediately.

3. Yaga Masamichi shall receive the death penalty for inciting Gojo Satoru and Geto Suguru and causing the Shibuya incident.

4. Gojo Satoru has been deemed an accomplice in the Shibuya incident and is thus permanently exiled from the Jujutsu world. Furthermore, removing his seal will be considered a criminal act.

5. Special Grade sorcerer Okkotsu Yuta is appointed Itadori Yuuji's executioner.

[ This is where the series ends. Continuing from this point means manga spoilers!]                              Manga spoilers for this chapter: chapter(s) 138

Some time passed. Not much. Maybe five minutes. The cursed spirits were a distraction.

" I'm sorry for not acting sooner. I wasn't sure on what to do...."

Geto escaped. His cursed spirits are all over Tokyo. Satoru Gojo is gone. Nanami and Nobara are dead. 

If anything, you all lost. And horribly so.

On top of that, you have no idea where Megumi is currently.

You shouldn't have left him in that street in Shibuya. You hope Toge found him.

You suppose it's not Yuki's fault. If anything, you blame the higher ups.

" ...The situation had reached a point where I thought I should just keep an eye on things. At least temporarily... Have you realized I'm not necessarily on your side? I'm just a humble beauty who wants to eradicate cursed spirits from the world. By way of apology, my comrades and I will take responsibility for delivering those kids who were there. It's about time I confront Tengen. 

What will you do?"

You don't know. Originally, you just wanted to go home. On top of that, you haven't felt as homesick as you do right now. 

However, you can't. You know so. You have to help. They've taken you in after all, cared for you like you had always been one of their students. You owe it to Gojo sensei at least. You have to help get him his freedom. Going home comes later.

Sukuna glances at you. He knows you better than most people. He understands what's going through your head, how you work. He still has to catch up to what's been going on here. On who Ryomen Sukuna is. On Yuuji's story. On your own. However, he can't find it in himself to care. He figures he'll figure it out. You could be one of the curse users in this universe, and he'd still follow you. All the people he cares about are in your universe anyway.

Silently, his hand reaches out to hold your own. You glance up, but his expression is the same as always. No emotion shown on his face. You know he's reassuring you though. He'll stick by you, no matter what.

You give him a small smile, before looking at Yuuji.

" Yuuji, we'll follow you. " 

Sukuna lets go of your hands, crossing his arms over one another as he looks at the boy he recognizes as his twin brother.

" No."

You blink in surprise. Sukuna raises a brow.

" The fuck you mean no?"

Yuuji shakes his head, eyes flitting over the visible injuries on you.

" I've already nearly killed Y/N. I don't want that to happen again. You two should continue to figure out how to go home. If you help, your chances of dying only increases."

" Yuuji, no, that literally wasn't you. Ryomen Sukuna tried to kill me. Not you.-"

" Don't be so angsty. It's stupid, and pathetic. We're not weak. And we're here anyway so we might as well help. Besides, I trust our classmates to manage bringing us home."

Yuuji sighs.

He should've expected this. You never seemed to listen anyway, and why would your best friend be any different?

" Y/N-"

" No. None of that."

You're glaring at him.

Yuuji sighs.

 Of course, you and Sukuna end up joining him.

-

Parallel Jujutsu Kaisen Universe

Gojo Satoru's eyes widen beneath his blindfold, taking the weapon his student is holding.

" He lost it?"

" Don't think so. Rather the portal seemed to reject it. It was weird, considering it was clicked onto the Chain when he fell in. "

Fushiguro Megumi is a bit bloodied up, but still standing and ready to go yet again. Gojo is proud of his students. They've all grown quickly, jumping opportunities and often being able to take on things much bigger than them. It was rare for them to ask for help, especially for Megumi and Sukuna.His beloved angsty teenager students who would much rather get sucked into a portal towards some other place than ask their beloved sensei for help.

Gojo can't help but smile, causing Megumi to grimace.

" What're you smiling about?"

" Can't believe my dear students have finally decided to come ask for my help." 

Megumi sighs.

" Don't ever tell Sukuna I did...."

Megumi trails off, eyes on the table between them.

" I just want my friends back. Even if they're annoying."

Gojo smiles.

" Wouldn't dream of it. Go visit Shoko, leave it to your sensei."

Megumi shakes his head, wiping the blood of his forehead.

" I'm fine. Let's get Nobara and Yuuji." 

He prefers your touch to Shoko's anyway. Not that he'll ever tell you though.

[ A/N: We're in the manga : D. Never expected people to like this tbh. Glad you do tho. 

ALSO I have finally decided. It's a (your) Sukuna X you, Megumi X you (maybe I'll make a bonus epilogue with (your) megumi X you. No promises on that though.)

Lastly, the sweet romance stuff is mostly reserved for the epilogues bc we're mostly following the canon story line.]

The Anomaly Taglist

@luxylucylou @kalulakunundrum @strxbxrrylover @aethersslave @jenniferrvsesi @hanatsuki-hime @betizda @sh0uk1 @nymphsdomain @suppeepsandweebs @sweetchimpeaches

[rpking99]

V-Tubers

A more lore focused and inspired take than the streamer versions. Stocking closer to their canon lore with minimal influence from the performers

HoloLive

HoloMyth (EN Gen 1)

Myth is the first group of English HoloLive girls. All mythical beings to some degree.

Calliope 'Calli' Mori

Calli, or Mori, is a shinigami. A reaper. The Grim Reaper is her mentor, who she calls Death-Sensei, and she does.... Normal reaper stuff. She's also big into rap music and has modified her scythe so it can be used as a guitar

Kiara Takanashi

Kiara is a phoenix, and the head of KFP. Kiara Fried Phoenix. Immortal, able to be revived from death as the famous fire bird can, she works hard and ensured her workers do the same. An amazing dancer, cheerful and supportive. She will hug you or punch you without hesitation, if you are friend of foe of course.

Amelia 'Ame' Watson

A normal human detective. With a watch that lets her travel through time. Think a mix of Sherlock Holmes and Doctor Who. Who is also more than happy to talk about how she Ground Pounded your mama last night.

Gura Gawr

Gura is from Atlantis. Having stolen the trident from the king she eventually found her way to land, with mostly amnesia of the events. Just knowing the kingdom had long since fallen. She is on so very old, the shark girl is a gremlin of terror

Ina'nis 'Ina' Ninomae

Ina is the priestess of the Ancient Ones. Eldritch beings that grant her powers. Ina pays her followers, the Takodachi, with cookies. One of the sweetest, kindest beings alive. A wonderful master of an artisr. Cheerful and gentle, a shimmering light that sits atop the darkness.

HoloPromise (EN Gen 2)

Promise focuses on a council of beings who govern the universe. With one of their original members gone, the council swore a promise to assist each other as they brought in another

Irys

Irys is a nephilim, a singer and known as Hope. A being who brings hope to any and all, letting her sing carry out it's beauty... Although she is half of light and half of darkness. And that darkness comes out in some... Mischievous ways

Kronii Ouro

The Warden of Time, Kronii comes across as a serious and professional being who watches over all of time. But seeing all of time, protecting ever moment, means seeing yourself at infinitum as well. Is it any wonder she loves herself so?

Fauna Ceres

Fauna is mother nature, as the Warden of Nature. Animals, flora, all of earth is hers to guard, to flourish and protect. She is soft spoken and adorable in her manner of speaking. A mother type personality to the core

BaelZ 'Bae' Hakos

Bae is the leader of the Council, and she is the Warden of Chaos! Of insanity and randomness and bratty weirdness! .... She is also a rat. .... But a cute rat. A magnificent dancer, Bae is a ball of energy that will focus on keeping everyone smiling and full of motivation even when she's crawling around basically without any strength left. A being who almost never looses her smile or her passion.

Mumei Nanashi

Mumei is the Warden of Civilization. She has forgotten her real name many, many, many times. As civilization rises, and as it falls. She is in charge of humanity, technology and their progress and society as a hole. And as you can expect with such a job, even thr most joyful of civilizations has a dark side to it...

Sana Tsukumo

Sana is the oldest of the Council, the first made by the gods. 13,800,000,000 years old to be exact. A gentle, kind, being. She needs the limiter atop her head to stay at a decent/normal size that wouldn’t destroy the planet… that happened once. Luckily Fauna could fix it. A fantastic artist, she is fascinated by the world around her. 

HoloAdvent (EN Gen 3)

Advent are all prisoners who escaped their other worldly prison.

Nerissa 'Rissa' Ravencroft

Nerissa is a demon of sound. Of song. The bird girl's love empowering her voice that makes her songs potent, powerful. Enchanting. Mind and soul. And so she was sealed away. Girl crazy, she is very casual and cheerful. Playful, sensual and seductive.

Shiori Novella

Shiori can best be described as cheerful and dorky. She's kind-hearted, though she often teases those she is close with. She is known as the Archiver, the unofficial leader of Advent. A seeker of knowledge, turning books and memories she loves into bookmarks to later enjoy, she came across forbidden knowledge. Forbidden knowledge that lead to her being locked away... And the break out that freed Advent

Fuwawa Abyssgard

She is not a chihuahua, she is Fuwawa! The older sister of the Abyssguard sisters, she is known as the fluffy one. The sisters being demon guard dogs, often refuted to as just puppies for their excited and curious nature. The two sealed away and imprisoned, seemingly just for being dogs and overly excited. Fuwawa is definatly the carmer one, with a sweet and gentle tone, but she does get super eager and cheerful when talking and chatting.

Mococo Abyssgard

She is not Fuwawa, she is Mococo! The younger of the sisters, the fuzzy one, she is much more energetic and aggressive than her older sister. Ready to clash with another,highly suspicious and agressive. The type of dog who will be at your ankles 24/7 either out of aggression or because she wants to play. She and her sister often bark with their cry if "Bau Bau" at random, sometimes just to end conversations cleanly

Bijou 'Biboo' Kouseki

Bijou is rock. Rock of human emotions solidified in a true brilliance that makes others love her, but also leading to greed, dark hearted people becoming aggressive and angry as they desire to posses her. Leading to her being locked away for her down safety. Biboo is bubbly, friendly, and often easily excited. A meme lord, a terror, a jokester. But also wholesome as she refuses to swear, even using the word's 'bleep' and 'dang it's instead.

HoloJustice (EN Gen 4)

A task force set up to take down Advent and being them back to their Cell. Their mission, to monitor them and drag them back when the time is right

Elizabeth Rose BloodFlame

Elizabeth, or Liz for short, is the leader of Justice. The Scarlet Queen, Lady Bloodflame is in charge of monitoring and capturing Narissa Ravencroft... And she is very dutiful of that job.... This marvelous singer, this powerful warrior, song and battle are all the same to her. Letting it beautiful songs as she says her foes. Vey traditional high class monarch attitude, but also super sweet and cheerful. Able to switch between "Kneel before your monarch, knave!" and "Later Luv, have a bloody good time!" at the drop of a hat. While serious and mission minded, she is also easily flustered and rather peaceful. Also, she is from the Kingdom of Great Exardia.

Raora Panthera

Raora Panthera, the big cat. The artist with the Gods Eye. A skilled artist with a cheerful mind and an addiction to crane games. Loves ladies, and is very energetic and focused. She loves a cute blue cat mascot called Chatini.

Cecilia 'CeeCee' Immergreen

Cecilia is an ancient automaton, created to be a maid.But she wished to be more. So much more. Shut down, she was eventually found by Liz and made to be part of justice. She has a habit of… interests. With a life she jumps from one hobby to another, diving right in… and forgetting about it. She can not drive. Her violin can turn into a lance. She is a little unhinged

Gigi Murin

Gigi classifies her race/species, officially, as Gremlin. She is a force of nature who can also be distracted by a barking dog, getting into a barking contest with it. Known as the Chaser, she is the rush down member of the group meant to catch the crooks once the others have tracked them down and prepped the situation. Because of her massive metal gauntlets she insists on being called ‘The Fister!’

V-Shojo

A group of carefree and fun seeking oddballs who are highly into the more sensual and random shit

Projekt Melody

Projekt Melody is a futuristic AI program that was initially made to scan and cleanse files until she was infected with a porn-based virus, causing her to be obsessed with any variety of sexual topics and actions. She is very upfront about her obsession with sexual topics and makes herself known as someone well-versed in the subject of sexual attraction, placing a great emphasis on her obsession with hentai, to the extent that she gives herself the alias of "Professor Hentai". But she's also super casual and goofy as well

Iron Mouse

A demon queen who goes by several names… but has also been rumored to be Satan herself. She is a friendly, fun loving demon who ran from her duties and escaped the confines of Hell/the underworld in order to make new friends, learn new things and live life to the fullest. She has an obsession with the internet, music, lewd stuff, nerd shit, and all things cute. She wears special magical bells on her body to contain and control her power in order to better blend into the human world. If her bells ever get removed, pure chaos would ensue. It has been said that once the bells are off, her true demon queen form will be revealed. All she wants to do is to have fun and see what the human world is all about and… make as many souls friends as she can. Bubbly and carefree with sass to match anyone

Froot (Apricot)

A bittersweet Lich (NOT a Succubus! Totally Not!) who spends her days in her underworld castle drawing art. She took a turn to streaming once she realized she could harvest human souls by disguising them as Twitch Subscriptions. She is a hopeless necromantic and hopes to one day own her own Virtual Fashion brand. Froot has a very soft-spoken high pitched voice and a very calming demeanor. Also, British.

Silvervale

Long ago, in a realm not unlike Earth, a sakura spirit slumbered within the lone flower of an ancient tree. She slept until a wolf pack nestled in the tree's shade. Their love and companionship nurtured the tree in a symbiotic relationship that lasted for eons. When the wolves disappeared the flower wilted from the weight of her sadness and, longing for her lost companions, she used the last of her magics to fuse with the Spirit of the Wolf who then called upon The Wind to carry her to another world. She is known for her wholesome and caring personality as well as her sexuality and lewd jokes. A very cheerful and playful personality who is a free spirit in every sense of the word, although she is a hit of a perfectionist (I know she isn't part of V-Shojo any more. But easier to put her here)

Zentraya

A half human/half red dragon, rockstar (kinda). She is very headstrong and tends to yell at everyone around her, but loves meeting new people! She tends to play pranks and loves memes. She wants to rule humanity one day, but she's too much of an air head to do it. She also has a cyborg form she can take at times. Which is her true form? No one knows. Very laid back but passionate when the need arrises.

Total Muses: 25

[evilbalwan]

Ladies and Gentlemen, I think I might finally understand how Kazuma Tsukumo is working in Zexal world!

I believe all of us can agree that Yuma's dad is quite a convenient deus ex machima; in our world, he's just a tool to make the plot easier for screenwriters sometimes, BUT

THIS WAS NOT ENOUGH FOR ME

So I started thinking and thinking and came to the realization; Kazuma seems ominous. What other being in Zexal seems ominous too?

... DOOR OF DESTINY

Who is the first person to get Emperor's Key to then give it to Yuma???

KAZUMA

Let's dig deeper. Humans, as their nature dictates, perceive time in a linear way - from the past, through the present, to the future. We don't know the future, but we know it holds multiple possibilities. It doesn't seem to be a case in Zexal, despite what Yuma says about choosing fate, Door of Destiny and Kazuma seem always to be aware of what or when will happen. "Cause precedes effect. Effect leads to cause. The future is fixed exactly the same way as the past", Door of Destiny only needed to take necessary steps. It needed a tool. A partner, maybe. A slave.

That tool is Kazuma; either through being exposed to the Astral world or some other way, he too started thinking in such a way. He could take necessary steps, visiting Barians ruins, leaving coins there, he no longer understands the world through the human way, but rather, Door of Destiny's way.

Yuma destroying Door of Destiny during his last duel with Astral was an act of kindness, in a way. Only through that Yuma could save himself from predetermination.

My fanfic about that if you want =D

If you interested in more:

This could explain Don Thousand's nihilism: for most of the Zexal, he's stuck in Chaos form (the one that interacts with Vector the most), thus he doesn't have the full knowledge. But, once he becomes Zexal again (I'm conviced Don is original Zexal, I mean his duel vs Mizael here), he remembers Door of Destiny and that he is destined to fail.

Kazuma, especially outside of flashbacks, seems pretty indifferent when it comes to his own family, if he knows everything about their lives, how their existence will look like, does he really have to 'care'?

Mirai is stuck in a pretty much horror scenario, her husband is no longer who he was, he looks at her and sees her birth - yet, she stays.