#yuuji “even if no one else accepts you I alone can live with you”

[olasketches]

love is embracing what was a curse

[yuujispinkhair]

One more thing:

Yuuji is doing for Sukuna what Wasuke did for Yuuji 😭 Accepting him the way he is and showing him kindness and love. Yuuji is practically saying to Sukuna that they are the same but had a different way of upbringing, and that is what made a difference.

Sukuna had no one who loved him or guided him. He was always hated and feared. Everyone only saw him as a monster, who didn’t deserve a chance. Yuuji was technically a monster too, but he had his grandpa who still loved him and taught him how to be a human and how to be a good person 😭😭

Yuuji is the only one who can understand Sukuna. The only one who can truly relate.

"Sukuna you’re me."

"Born bearing a curse without even knowing it. What kind of monster we would have become was a matter of chance. But I had my grandpa. Let’s try it again."

"Not to curse someone but to live with someone. Even if no one else accepts you, I alone can live on with you."

They always were two sides of the same coin and how I understand it Yuuji is saying that under other circumstances Sukuna could have become a good person too. Sukuna is Yuuji and Yuuji is Sukuna. They are the same but what made them turn out differently is the love vs absence of love that they received. A monster isn’t born, but made.

I am crying so much 😭😭💗💗

[cruyuu]

Some had stated that sukuna hadn't embraced change in the final chapter because he didn't say that to yuji's face and that the whole "finding another path" wasn't because of yuuji and i'm very confused how they reached that conclusion because it's pretty clear that was yuji's influence. What are your thoughts on it?

Hi anon! Sorry for replying a bit late. This got a bit lengthier because I tend to yap about these two so more under the cut.

Everything is quite clear if you have a good grasp of who Sukuna is in canon. It doesn't need saying that Sukuna is very hard-headed and that he doesn't care about anything other than himself. He might go along with something, but only- and a big emphasis on only- if he wants to. He's pretty selfish and had survived with that mindset without ever changing or contemplating on changing himself. For years and years. I'm pretty sure that him suddenly yapping about trying a different path in life after he lost to Yuuji (even stopping to zone out mid fight because the thought of killing Yuuji didn't entertain him but rather irritated him lmfao) is a quite clear answer to who truly affected him and managed to reach him.

For him to declare that he lost, or to quote exactly what Yuuji's own words to him in 268 meant, definitely means that his reason for change stems from no one else but Yuuji. It wasn't a whiplash type of change, like him suddenly embracing everything that is so opposite of him, but just a subtle nod of acknowledgement- which is finding a different path. It's a fitting in-character response to Yuuji's own words. And, considering it's them, we all know that he'd never ever say that to Yuuji's face because he doesn't want him to be right lol

Sukuna remains as we had known him (and grew to love him) but he admits to changing one aspect of himself and that is: his connection to the world and the way he views people around him which was what Yuuji had said to him. Not to curse someone but to live with someone.

He basically told him not to be alone and stop being so unapproachable. It's the whole "unseen and unknown by anyone" thing (which- for context- comes from his chosen character song by Gege). Yuuji brought him down from the moon and told him to try to mingle with the people and stop playing the part of an alien.

Might I also mention the fact that this *points at the last sentence of the upper paragraph* is lowkey Yuuji talking about their relationship because Sukuna had no trouble "dancing" with others and praising them yet when it came to Yuuji, he was distant, unimpressed, and didn't spare him any compliments. He always called him "brat". He called him "boring". Yuuji is always singled out and therefore the one who Sukuna appears to as "something untouchable and unreachable" because he never gets anything out of him, not even when there's just the two of them in his Domain, not even when he shoots arrows with him and fishes crayfish (Chapter 265). Sukuna resolutely keeps his mouth shut- doesn't talk about himself, doesn't talk about Yuuji.

Hell, the whole conflict between them can be literally encapsulated in the fact that they have opposing views on strength and how they perceive the world around them and that they can't accept one another because of it and because they are quite stubborn themselves. It's there when Sukuna is telling Yuuji that everyone around him will die. It's there when Yuuji asks Sukuna why can't he and the rest just live without causing suffering while Sukuna asks him why he and the rest were so weak- as in, why didn't they embrace his way of living. Those who suffer the most, after all, usually suffer because of others or for others and Yuuji is the prime, perfect, walking example of that. All of this is given a proper conclusion in the end with Yuuji proving Sukuna wrong on every account. He is strong. He is capable. It was just that Sukuna's own mindset had led him to defeat, all because he wasn't willing to see Yuuji's own worth and had never acknowledged him nor his "ideal". You know who else was doing that? Yuuji. But... Yuuji had changed. He was no longer indifferent to him, no longer ignored him, nor hated him, but took his time to try and reach him. From indifference to hate to love. Sukuna never did, even if he was unconsciously changing because his behavior and words were all over the place. Still, he vehemently rejected it because to him it's all about himself and "if I don't openly acknowledge it, it's not happening to me".

Yuuji is stubborn as hell and Sukuna is too (why he says "You are me" to him lol) and hence realized the only way to prove him wrong was to beat him. And by "beat", I mean offer him to continue to live in Yuuji's body, watch him stomp down the offer (not once but twice AND despite Yuuji noting how talking with him is worthless in 265, he still tries, oh bless him) and choose death over accepting Yuuji.

Now, anyone who isn't into these two (as a ship or generally their dynamic) might see this as "aha! see he'd rather die than live with him so how the hell did yuuji exactly change him or reach him" but then they do tend to forget how everything ended. There are a couple of panels after Yuuji looks up to the sky, clearly thinking of Sukuna because he's gazing at the fingers he lost because of him. This moment was spurred on by Yuuji's words to Megumi- that the finger he left in the shed is practically harmless now. The panels which follow is the moment where Sukuna is proving himself as Yuuji's words (harmless) and FINALLY there's no more vehement rejection (for him to say "nah I won't consider a different path") or blatant disregard for him but actual matching thought process. Sukuna and Yuuji matching? Sharing opinions? No longer vehemently being opposed to each other? In my jjk? It's more likely than you think!

I don't know why some still reject the idea of Yuuji changing Sukuna when the entire conflict of this manga had started with them and ended with them. Sukuna had walked one path his entire life until he met Yuuji and meanwhile Yuuji wouldn't really figure out his own self-worth if it weren't for Sukuna.

That was the long answer. The short answer would be "yes, he did, it's pretty much in your face if you read the manga."

And that's all from me! Sorry for yapping, anon, but it will happen again. I love these two idiots way too much.

[yuujiheart]

I want both Yuuji and sukuna to live! Either by both reincarnating together or sukuna inside yuji learning about love

Anon, after seeing the countdown mv that was released today and reading 265 after nth time. I have realized I want the same thing you are saying... Since that kenny calling them the reason of curses cycle panel I have always believed that yuji will die with him as he's the only one who can truly destroy sukuna's fingers..So i thought it's fine, I don't mind as long as they are together but I was wrong. I do mind.. (Of course it was my way of coping )

That mv about yuji remembering his grandpa's last words made me really emotional because it's like them insinuating the idea that yuji will be the one to die and officials doing that hits different... but what if sukuna returns to yuji's body chaining himself to him as punishment and both of them living and then dying together after yuji grows old..like you suggested ,considering gojo has already killed higherups so no one will go for yuji's execution... Although this also means the cycle will not end at all and honestly this is what I was expecting because kenny wasn't worried about the merger at all when he died so i thought merger has to happen but now I am not sure as manga is ending...

But now I really want sukuna and yuji to live together . Especially sukuna because I realised that its only with yuji he has experienced what it's like to have a connection, to understand others, emotions that he probably has never experienced like a normal person... Unlike others yuji is the only one who has acknowledged and treated him for who he really is. With others sukuna is very much in control of his emotions but with yuji they are all over. We can sense familiarity between them..Showing sides to each other only they know of. Except yuji no one will treat him like this..

So i hope sukuna gets the opportunity to experience this for a long time. I don't feel good thinking that after being lonely for so long he only gets to experience such emotions only for a short time. As I strongly believe he has never been admired/ loved for anything else except his strength. After all both kenny and gojo died satisfied so i think sukuna deserves too..

Although you cannot trust that cat to not give a bittersweet ending so even if they are to die together I still hope that sukuna does learn love and accepts yuji as the one who satisfies him. And at least in death they both wouldn't be alone or reincarnate together as their souls are connected.. So it's also possible.

[cherryys]

why do you think yuuji isn't gonna make it? i have a lot of bets put on itafushi both dying or living (for Reasons i'm not gonna be annoying abt rn lol) so i like to hear why others believe otherwise

Oh god okay so

There are ALOT of death flags around yuuji, more than the people that actually died had lol but if i had to compose a list:

1. In Chapter 1, these are Yuuji's grandfather's dying words to him:

And i feel this statement of "when it's your time to go, make sure you're surrounded by others." Is going to play a big part in the ending, especially paired with the "save anyone you can, even if it's just one person" this translation doesn't say those exact words but the anime did so im gonna roll with it lol (if anyone knows what the og japanese version said please let me know!!!)

I think Yuuji is going to die by saving Megumi, surrounded by him (and others like Yuuta and Todo but im more focusing on Megumi because he is the start and the end of Yuuji's entire life purpose and ideals) and that would fulfill his grandfather's dying words of "save whoever you can, even if it's just one person. don't end up like me, [alone]. Die surrounded by loved ones" and i think that would truly be the best ending Yuuji would get after that, better than any hollow victory of killing sukuna but still outliving everyone else, alone. He had suffered enough in those few months, i think it would be cruel of Gege if he lets him outlive everyone else and still keep going with how much he's lost and witnessed.

This falls in line with the purpose he set for himself in Chapter 2:

He had already accepted that his life ends with Sukuna. That moment is when, for him, Itadori Yuuji ceased to exist and instead, Sukuna's Vessel. (Though the people around him try to convince him otherwise). Him doing those two things (Killing Sukuna and Saving People) as what his character's purpose in the story is, not living to see his 16th birthday (as despressing as that may be 💔)

2. In Chapter 203, Kenjaku says this:

This sort of ties into my earlier point of him and Sukuna's lifespans being interconnected thematically. Kenjaku here specifies Yuuji coexisting with Sukuna. As long as they are both alive, the cycle of curses (and suffering & pain) will never end. Even if Yuuji were to live on, he still has Sukuna's essence burned into him (whether that be because he'd been a vessel for so long or because of his lineage). He cannot get rid of the entirety of Sukuna, all his remains and all his ugliness, without getting rid of the one inside him first. That's why to completely get rid of Sukuna, he has to take himself out too.

Shoko even says this in Chapter 220:

By a narrative standpoint, he technically counts as an extra finger, still housing his Technique and his Evil Dredges, sort of speak. To completely defeat Sukuna, he has to go too.

3. A little fun fact about JJK, it was under threat of being cancelled all the way back since the Cursed Womb Arc. Because of that, Gege rushed to write that arc along with Chapter 9 as its subsequent "end" (though we know now Shonen Jump continued releasing it) and coupled with the fact that Gege said a while ago he already has the end of the story in mind, it's not a stretch to say that the end is going to parallel that Chapter somehow, with Yuuji sacrificing himself to save Megumi and them sharing a quiet moment (under the rain, or snow since its Dec 24 lol) where Megumi tells him again that he had never once regretted saving him, even after all the turmoil and pain it caused Megumi.

I think that would also be a nice send-off for Yuuji, the last face he sees is the one person he actually succeeded in saving and the one that saved him back, telling him that despite all the guilt he felt, all the pain he made himself responsible for (despite it not being his fault), he—who had a moral code so strict that he'd never save anyone that would kill someone in the future, yet saved him anyways, and stuck by his side after all that happened in Shibuya and told him to share the burden, the one person who never left him alone—never once regretted saving him, that the good Megumi knows is in Yuuji was worth it. And that despite the pain Megumi went through (and the pain Yuuji feels responsible for) he doesn't blame him nor regret that choice. And that he'd do it again even knowing everything.

I could go more into the other side of this argument of why Megumi being the one to die wouldn't make sense but i'd be rambling on for too long lmao i tend to go on restlessly 😞 im just really passionate about jjk and its themes

[gojooooo]

strength means fuck all against sukuna because he’s the strongest smartest most beautiful prince to ever walk this earth so maybe something else is needed to break this never ending cycle of special grade after special grade losing against him and yuuji is the one who possesses that something. be it the power of love or simply a shared soul in the past with no deeper meaning but there lays the potential to make sukuna reconsider his purpose. gojo can share his euphoria and make him feel less alone but he can’t exactly offer him something new. it’s kind of really fucking beautiful to me that the strongest sorcerers fail but a nobody who never gave up succeeds. (i mean it’s also because he’s yuuji. his starting point. his past. his other half. [izuku voice] it has to be you, brat…. but i digress!)

but also what fascinates me about sukuna vs yuta is that he gets to see how the queen of curses lives with him in a similar way he, the king of curses, lived with yuuji. except they coexisted in the opposite way yuta and rika do, because all they did was try to detach themselves from one another, fight for the upper hand, to take control of the body and ultimately parted in the most bitter way possible. meanwhile yuta started out the same, didn’t understand how to deal or communicate with her but ended up slowly adapting, understanding, accepting, welcoming, loving her until they lived in harmony. same cursed fate, opposite ways of navigating their relationship. so if you piece this mess of a rant all together what i’m trying to say i think is that if sukuna eventually considers company, getting to truly know others beyond thinking of them as random people, actually experiencing a life preferable to the loneliness and emptiness than come with his current existence then maybe he can reunite with yuuji and cooperate this time, seeing rika and understanding that coexisting can mean that there’s no backseat but they can evenly share this life. look i know sukuna is fun and authentic and i love how he stays true to himself through and through but i’m just wondering where do we go from here. idk idk if gege doesn’t contradict himself then sukuna will win again so sukuita couple therapy sounds less monotonous at the very least :’) give me you make me consider tenderness for the first time ever!!! give me it’s always been you!!!!

and if the other only way out is to die together then they can curse each other a little at the very end… as a treat. god just imagine yuuji saying it to sukuna and him smiling fondly, surprise taking over when he sees tears rolling down his own cheeks… the fact that anyone who isn’t friends with yuuji kind of groups them together like people automatically saw gojo being in cahoots with geto even when he wasn’t… you cannot have one without the other and. yeah. this is the post. i don’t know what possessed me at the end. enjoy. cry with me

[macawritesupdates]

Reading mol is so painful but good I was so anxious to start the chapter that I put it off a bit cuz boy does that one hit hard. I was not disappointed oh man I loved the talk Yuuji and Choso had so much he's such a good big bro. I think that loving someone and understanding that you can't accept their behavior is so hard but vital. I knew the storm was going to be bad. To be fair that wasn't a hard predict this is the fic where you punch us in the chest over and over and we all still keep coming back for more so of course it was going to be painful. Still damn it why. If it weren't for the storm maybe this wouldn't be an angst fic at all Yuuji would have sailed home safe Sukuna would have welcomed him and they would have been perfectly happy forever. God Sukuna hurt my heart this chapter waiting for his love to come home as he realized that his life is empty when he's alone. Fuck that storm man we could have had it all, reconciliation, Yuuji introducing Sukuna to his found family, probably make up sex, and maybe even Choso meeting a certain hot prince and starting another harem leading to Sukuna getting to live as a noble without bloodshed (--> delusional), but noooo everything had to go wrong. God damn it he's decided to close his heart to love forever how's he going to react when he finds out Yuuji is alive? Listen I need the puppy to use his sniffer dog nose and track Yuuji down he can do it he can reunite his humans (---> still delusional). It was very good but please forgive me I don't think I'll be rereading this chapter, I'm going to go back and reread the scene where baby Sukuna shows Yuuji his extra eyes arms and mouth expecting him to react with horror only for Yuuji to give him some candy and a hug and his friendship instead. Just that bit. Nothing else. Those two babies are fine OK and if I go back to that chapter and refuse to read on they'll stay that way, right? Yeah that conviction will last until you post another chapter. Thank you for writing and sharing I think you're very talented even if you do sometimes use your writing gifts for evil and make me want to cry.

MoL is a lot of "what-ifs" on when something happens and just how things can't be controlled ; w ; like there were so many times things could have gone differently for these two, but inevitably their own actions are driving this story to its conclusion ; w ; In this case, both of them are going to be pulled in different ways as new faces are coming into the story and things are getting twisty moving forward.... I'm so excited to share the next few chapters as the ideas for them have been living in my head for MONTHS!

...but if need break from angst, I do got some silly fluffy fics to read and pretend MoL can't hurt us ; w ;

[the-desert-beast]

have an unedited kirari-centric continuation:

“Back so soon?” Yuuji chirped at Kirari's entrance, a gentle smile on his face. “And LOOK what I snagged!”

She held up four paper bags next to her face for the man to appraise. Kirari skipped happily to the counter where her brother sat. “I can smell the steamed bean buns and fresh cakes already.” She smiled at her brother. Iniss showed passing interest in the food from behind the bar where they were occupied cleaning glasses. “Want one Iniss?” Kirari held up a savory bun she'd already bitten into, “I got your favorite!” Her fanged smile was welcoming enough, Iniss took the opened bag of savory buns, ignoring the half-eaten one offered to them without more than a snide look at Kirari. She barked a short laugh at them. “Esyld been around today? I've got news she'll want to hear A.S.A.P.” Yuuji, busy with eating a fresh peach tart missed the question entirely. He merely tilted his head at Kirari in questioning. “I asked-” “'M right here Fox. What is it?” Ah. That stern, gruff, 'tell me the important part then shut-up' voice that Esyld so very often lauded at Kirari. “Weeeeeeellllllll-” Esyld groaned. Giggling, she continued, “Oh relax! this food's too good to toy with you today- anyway remember that mole that was trailing us?” Kirari turned fully around in her seat to face Esyld, who raised an eyebrow at her. She punched her own hand downward for effect as she continued, “I WHACKED 'em!” staring at their leader with a cheeky smile across her face “they're all gone AND, I snagged that ugly journal they were using.” Kirari turned, rummaged around the bags before grabbing said blood-stained journal, flinging it in Esyld's general direction behind her. Esyld caught the thrown journal without even a flinch. “She ain't lyin' either.” Esyld's brother spoke up. “She killed the snitch?” “Uh-” Iniss appeared awkward for a moment, Yuuji & Kirari snickered between bites- “Nah I meant- The food's damn good.” Their sister huffed. “And, yeah. she killed 'em.” Iniss cracked a smirk at Kirari “She wouldn't shut up about it last night, couldn't get a wink a' sleep in.” “Well, good. dead snitch is a good snitch.” The moody revenant marched out the door- important buisness Kirari was sure. That snitch was probably a client's concern as well. That, or esyld was about to threaten someone with the journal, or something. Whatever kingpins do. She returned to eating and chatting with her brother and best friend. The day was easy so far, and she only had a few more responsiblities keeping her from lazing about in the sunlight with her fuzzy friends. Or causing more chaos, as a treat. Perhaps Yuuji would be up for pranking Arlais or Esyld later, that would be sooo funny!

Brought out of her planning by the last bite of her own food, she excused herself and went to gather her things in her room.

The stairs creaked as they always did. Living downstairs was her preference from the very day Esyld accepted her into the family. Cozy, nearby Iniss' room- perfect for pestering them- and, as she swung open her bedroom door, the perfect view of the underworld. The underbelly of Lion's Arch wasn't anything 'pretty' but.

It was rich.

Rich with information! exactly what an informant needs! Being a Mesmer makes one-way windows or mirrors easy-peasy. The mirror Kirari had requested her first month with the wolves had bothered Esyld, 'mY cOiN' Kirari mimicked, still sorting and gathering her things. But as soon as Kirari explained Esyld had it done that exact day. It needed to be on that wall of her room, that wall was the only one in the entire brewery's basement that faced the underbelly's noisiest spot. it was perfect for keeping track of naive, moronic really, up-and-coming criminals and syndicates and whoever else was stupid enough to trade the greatest currency in “the town square.”

Most of all it helped her know who was trading anything with who. That alone was a big foot up, simple to have an eye on plenty of meetings of any sort. She finished up, her various pockets filled with poisons, short daggers, mesmer trinkets, anything that could come in handy with meetings. Last but not least, her spell charms, and the ingredients for her “Fox's Whiskers” tea. Her specialty. She giggled to herself, “special-tea.”

A creaking floorboard alerted her to the presence in the doorway she'd missed til now “'Rari.” Iniss' whiskey-rough deep voice chided, “Wheres' my furs.” “Oh right!” their mantle! she pulled it from her pillows where it'd been the prior night. Helped her sleep some nights. “Sorry 'bout that, almost forgot!” they mumbled a monotone ''s fine' as they wandered back to their own room, mantle in hand.

Now. Job time. informant thingies and all that.

The Black Wolf Brewery

"Within Lion's Arch you'll find many kinds of criminal. Some, are sly, inconspicuous. Others, are brazen and brutish."

"Some, you'll never even know were there, right in front of you."

"Of these sorts of 'hidden in plain sight criminals' you'll find out dear friends, the blackwolf brewery. A simple brewery, that has been closed and shut up for years. Or so the newest owner would have us all think. Their name is unknown to nearly all but myself. Esyld runs quite the little business out of that musty old shack she calls a 'brewery.' I've never been allowed inside. I've never been allowed near her 'family' either, but people talk if you have the mind to listen. Kirari never shuts up when she wanders the streets at night. My theory is that, for one reason or another, I am immune to that little memory wipe charm that hangs from her ear. Whenever I ask other people about her passing by just the night before, they look at me like they've never even seen a woman before. They can recall everything from the night before, except Kirari's presence. Her brother Yuuji isn't always subtle either. He's quite awkward at the shops, quite blunt some days. I can barely read the Miyake siblings. Although, Yuuji seems to have a soft spot for one of the shopkeepers he visits every other morning. A young man. I've pestered the boy about Yuuji's presence but he too, never can recall the Miyake's face. I noticed just yesterday his new earring. Curious. Are they onto me? Or is it a precaution?"

"If Esyld has caught on that I've been watching them all, she'd rend me to pieces. Best to keep it subtle in the coming weeks. That revenant was always too clever for the rest of them. Lucky little me, that I'm never considered a threat. Too pretty or frail I suppose. Esyld of all people would know a pretty face hides a thousand lies."

"Arlais is the most difficult to trail, I can never tell when those, 'ghosts' or whatever they are of her's have spotted me or not. Rangers. She never leaves the brewery either, she's always within line of sight of that place. Dedicated, I'll give her that. Gods that woman has legs- I wish she were as short as I am, maybe then I could keep up without risking her pets spotting me so easily. "

"Last of all, there's Iniss. They barely ever leave the underground. Eachtime I've spotted them leaving it's always late at night when I'm trailing one of the other nightowls."

"All of this information is useless unless someone has a death-wish! The entire company keeps their deals and smuggling perfectly underwraps, I've never even seen one holding a package for nightmare's sake! Iniss nearly caught me the other night as well, now I have to think of a way to cover my tracks."

The journal entry ends there, the pages stained with blood. No skilled informant would ever allow a mole to squeak, or be so blind. Kirari hums to herself on her way back to the brewery, Esyld should be pleased.

aka, I wanted to talk about my EU alt OCs crew, and this is the braincell that struck me. so we got Esyld, (she/it/any), revenant, kingpin. sylvari, ex-nightmare court. butch pansexual. ⬆ these two are siblings ⬇ Iniss, (they/them), masculine honorifics; mister, king, brother, boyfriend, etc. Thief, weapons collector & smuggler. sylvari, ex-nightmare court. gay. (wriothesley from genshin impact inspired.) Miyake Kirari, she/her, mesmer, informant. allegedly human. (Secretly a mists demon Kitsune) (yae miko from genshin impact inspired.) sexuality; wouldnt you like to know weather boy Miyake Yuuji, he/any, elementalist, manager of sales & inquirys. (kamisato ayato from genshin impact inspired.) queer. Arlais, she/any, debt collector, ranger. human, canthan descent. (ningguang from genshin impact inspired.) lesbian.

The blackwolf brewery; an old brewery thats been abandoned for years. esyld bought it after rising through underground ranks and raising enough money to have her own crew.

[tempenensis]

Kugisaki Nobara : in my world

Among the first years, Nobara is the one that takes after Gojo the most in relation to his ego. Both of them are selfish, in a sense that they both do things their own way because of their respective believe. This is very different from Yuuji and Megumi whose motivation is to save people. 

Nobara becoming a jujutsushi is the same as Gojo; it’s because of their family. Nobara learns to be a jujutsushi from her grandmother and her motivation to continue learning jujutsu in Tokyo is not mainly because of passion to save people like the boys in her class, but rather it’s something that she do for herself, with her own way and her own principle.  

her origin

I thought all the human in that village is crazy. I thought I’m the only one sane. 

Nobara comes from a village in nowhere. The village still places a lot in their old custom and hold tightly onto their traditional value. So much that they refuse strongly to the point of hostility of anything new that stood out from their custom, for example Saori.

Saori comes from the city. While Fumi is an outsider too, she and her family seems to largely follow their custom and not blatantly stand out from the rest of the village, different from Saori. They accept what the village gives them and assimilates with them quietly. Saori however, does not only have large house different from the other, but also different food, in addition to how she speak. She speaks with different accent from the villager, which then taken by the still impressionable Nobara. 

Nobara hates the villagers “It’s because it’s a small village. It’s harder to be stranger than to make friends.” After a few years, when an old lady who lives nearby cooks red rice and gives it to me, I feel I understand what Nobara said about that makes her uncomfortable. 

Both girls who become friend with Nobara are considered outsiders in the village. And more than Fumi, Saori is the one who makes a deep impression to young Nobara. This maybe because Saori values privacy more, like city folks, unlike the villagers where Nobara lives. And that respect shapes Nobara a lot.

Of course this relate highly to her being a jujutsushi. Nobara was taught by her grandmother the art of jujutsu. The two of them shares the same technique, strawdoll curse technique, but it does not seem to a clan thing like Inumaki’s cursed speech.

In the first place, being a jujutsushi is a job that requires quite a lot secrecy, essentially working in the shadow is the norm. They takes a lot of effort in hiding what they are doing to suppress the fear of people, too, since in the first place, negative emotion is the main ingredients of curse. Nobara’s grandmother is also one, so she must’ve largely influenced how Nobara thinks. Being a jujutsushi alone in a small, nosy village can’t be easy. So both Nobara and her grandmother probably do not associate much with the rest of the village. And maybe because of their lack of awareness, it makes Nobara to think the rest of village to be “crazy”.

her individualism

Nobara is naive. She is naive, but very strong in her individualism. In a bit of extreme comparation, she’s kind of a frog in the well who has just getting out of its well to the wider world. And up until now, her individualism still has not fail her, that’s why she is still “Kugisaki Nobara”.

In one of elite jujutsushi bloodline, the Zen’in family, perfection is a must. “Possessing inherited curse technique of Zen’in family”. Other than that, they are failure in starting life as jutsushi. Even among them, women are not allowed to stand in the starting line.

Where the hell is the obligation to reply in “perfection” and “unreasonable”? Is your life is just a job?

Her reply to Momo who explain how jujutsu society works as she look down to Nobara in their exchange during the Goodwill arc is amazing. But while her response is strong and unyielding, it also put emphasize on how little she has idea on the custom of jujutsushi’s larger society. And it is something that is not guaranteed won’t bite her back later. 

But while that individualism reflects her naivety, it is also something that makes Nobara a amazing character. As she said above when she was a young girl living in the village that she hates, “being stranger here is more difficult than making friends”, Nobara characteristic is that she doesn’t like if too many people intruding in her life, especially if they don’t know her well. She will let some get closer, but more than that “special few” for her, she doesn’t allow anyone else. This is something that she said to be “the seat of her life”.

The seats of my life... something like that. I don’t want people who don’t sit there to disturbed my heart. Is that cold? Well, there’s also people like you who bring their own chair and sit there.

Nobara cares deeply for the people seated there, either who she gives “the privilege” to sit there like Maki, or like Itadori, intruding uninvited her life for the better. Her kindness is reserved to these special few that she deems important in her life.  

This individualism is also why she looks up to Maki a lot, because Maki also embodies the same individualism that empower her to walk in her path. 

her “death”

I thought everyone in that village is crazy. That is not the case, but...  Crazy people is loud, they care for everything but themselves. They trample on other people’s life in their shoes.

so it was not like that.

Right on the verge of death, Nobara reflects on her view of “craziness”. At the last moment, she contradicts on what she calls ‘crazy’; maybe it’s not villagers after all, maybe it’s her with all her jujutsushi friends. This is her growing and a development in her character, slowly losing her naivety.

This is what Principal Yaga underlines to Yuuji during his interview. A jujutsushi must be highly motivated and crazy. You can even see that some of the stronger jujutsushi has been remarked as crazy, like Gojo and Nanami. This is why her losing her stubborn view that she’s “alright in the head” is important for her to grow stronger both as a person, and more importantly as a jujutsushi.

If she is still alive, that is.

[olasketches]

“Sukuna… let’s try one more time. Not to curse someone, but to live with someone. Even if no one else accepts you, I alone can live on with you.” don’t tell me how to breath I need a shot and a cigarette I’m throwing up everywhere I’ve passed out multiple times

[yuujispinkhair]

"Let’s try one more time. Not to curse someone but to live with someone. Even if no one else accepts you, I alone can live on with you."

THANK YOU GEGE 😭😭💗💗 I am crying so much. This is the best thing that could happen in that situation and my Sukuita heart is an emotional mess 💗💗😭😭

The way Yuuji holds Sukuna’s remains with such tenderness 😭😭 the way he doesn’t want to let go because he knows that they were always meant to be one 😭😭 Saying that he accepts Sukuna with everything that comes along with it 😭😭

There is so much love in this and I am so happy 😭😭

Sukuita got a wonderful ending 😭💗

"Let’s try one more time. Not to curse someone but to live with someone. Even if no one else accepts you, I alone can live on with you."

I will cry about this for days!!

[cruyuu]

New translation says EVEN IF NO ONE ACCEPTS IT (me with you, sukuna) instead of EVEN IF NO ONE ACCEPTS YOU does that mean yuji would fight the others for sukuna???

Hi anon!

Both translations are quite good ngl.

Even if no one accepts it means that even if no one truly accepts their (Sukuna and Yuuji's) situation– the fact is that Yuuji (and only he) can live with him. There's no one else who is capable of (or who would willingly) treat Sukuna kindly, even accept him, after everything he had done. Coming from someone who was taught to do good, who was brimming with hate at Sukuna because he represented everything opposite to what he was taught, it still wasn't enough for Yuuji to kill him or treat him like a monster that he is. He still tells him that they can try again.

That's why he talked about the meaning of life with him of all people and why he dragged him to see and do normal activities. He wanted to do so with Sukuna and he still wants them to just be together. He clearly doesn't want Sukuna to hate him.

Even if no one accepts you tells that Yuuji would accept him unlike anyone else. Even if no one accepts it is centered around their bond, meanwhile, and their situation— the fact that Yuuji alone can live with him and even if no one on this planet accepts it, well it would still remain a fact. He can and he would!

I don't think it necessarily implies he'd fight others who do not accept their situation (but it's quite nice to think of it ngl), but it does imply he probably won't give a single fuck what they think about him and Sukuna (and how he can accept him after everything).

[sixeyesgojo]

New Year's surprise

Summary: You spend New Year's Eve with your favorite people. Something catches you by surprise...?

Pairing/Characters: Team Gojo + You

Word count: 2,3k

Content warning: -

A/N: crossposted on AO3 // published on New Year’s Eve + written for Megumi’s birthday // I tried to make it funny back then but now that I am reading it again... crrrrriiiiiiiiiiinge. I also used honorifics here to show the banter and relationship between the characters.

ou have been looking forward to this stress-relieving day for a month now. It was a well-deserved break for all this work you've been doing lately.

Last week particularly wore you out from using your cursed technique, the ability to manifest and manipulate light, repeatedly as the curses kept getting nastier and more annoying. Being one of the handful of Jujutsu Sorcerers was a pain sometimes. Just like Nanami, you hated working overtime but it was bound to happen as the branch you were working in was not exactly what the youth of today wanted to do - let alone even know of - understaffed as ever.

Not that you minded being on missions but sometimes you feared that your co-teacher, the most praised and famed Gojo Satoru, wouldn't properly teach the kids in your absence. You weren't even a teacher to begin with but some time after graduation, your teacher Yaga Masamichi - now principal of Jujutsu High in Tokyo - had asked you the favor of supporting that idiot Satoru... just in case. It's not like you could decline anyway, nobody else was up for the job, so you accepted. As time passed, you truly grew to love this job, especially this year's first-years had you enamored with them.

So it happened that your dear friend and ex-classmate suggested a Christmas party, which also served as Megumi's surprise birthday party, at your house. Coincidentally, this friend happened to have white hair and regularly wore a blindfold to work. Coincidentally, he was deemed the strongest. Coincidentally, his name was Gojo Satoru. “Do I not get a say in this, Satoru?” you had asked, your back facing him. His blunt answer was a simple “nope.”, which earned him a whack to his right shoulder. “I've already told the first-years about the time, date and location,” the man grinned sheepishly. And he knew you wouldn't be able to decline if it was about your beloved three students. You had no choice.

“Well, Satoru, since it's come to this,” you leaned in close to whisper in his ear, “why don't we use this opportunity to throw a surprise birthday party for you-know-who?”

The white-haired sorcerer grinned, “Sounds like you've been planning this all along, if you ask me.”

You shrugged your shoulders nonchalantly. “Nobara; but give me one or two days - I'm still quite busy,” you said. He gave you a thumbs up before replying, “Then I'll handle Yuuji. Give me a second.”

He clapped once. Then, the man was gone from your sight. Like a poof.

Being able to communicate without words was one of your favorite things about Satoru's and your friendship.

And so, a little over a month passed ever since you and Satoru made that agreement. It was easy for Satoru to convince Yuuji but you had known from the beginning that it took a little more coaxing for Nobara. In the end, you also successfully managed to lure her in. Even though you had to postpone it, it ended up being a New Year’s Eve party instead.

Damn these higher-ups, giving you a 4-day mission a day before Christmas Eve. You have looked forward to this party too, it saddened you greatly to have it postponed. Fortunately, your students and Satoru decided to wish you a merry Christmas via video call. It was truly a delight on such dark days. Besides juggling your two jobs, you've also been preparing for the party diligently. After all, you didn't want it to be a flop.

It wasn't exactly easy to convince the higher-ups to let you and Satoru take a day off from missions and frankly, you didn't convince them at all; you both just ditched them, probably pushing them onto Nanami or whoever was on hand (sorry?). As for lessons, Satoru managed to persuade principal Yaga that you and him were planning an “important extracurricular class”. You weren't sure if Yaga had actually bought the excuse or just let it slide. It did not matter anyway, who would dare to stand in the mighty Gojo Satoru's way? Moreover, you rivaled this man in both stubbornness and authority. Nobody stood a chance when the two of you planned to see a plan through.

You've been cooking (and baking) since morning while Satoru was dancing around your house to decorate it. After all, he was no help in the kitchen and his long limbs made it easy to reach high places, so he was forced to placed in charge of decorating by you.

“Satoru, when are the kids coming again? What time?” you called out from the kitchen. A head popped up by the door, “8PM, so two hours from now,” it chirped. “Megumi will come half an hour later, as planned,” he added. “Good. That's plenty of time.”

It was not plenty of time. You should have known. Something was bound to go wrong. Especially with the way this idiot was skipping through your home with his lanky, long limbs. Of course, he'd knock over some things, including a big filled vase in the living room. There was screaming (from you) and roaring laughter from the culprit; chaos ensued as you chased the tall man around your house with a broom. “GOJO SATORU, WE DO NOT HAVE TIME FOR THIS,” you yelled. “What happened to ‘plenty of time’?” he laughed, simultaneously running for his life.

“You dumbass, I would have been done with cooking a while ago if you didn't knock my shit over so I had to help clean this mess!” you shrieked and stopped running. Satoru looked back - he knew the look on your face: you were done chasing him around. Gulp. You took a step back with your right leg. “I ain't a pokemon trainer but I'll make sure to at least catch you, Gojo-sensei,” you said, just loud enough for him to hear, as a string of concentrated light appeared in your hands. The man on the run knew you weren't able to hurt him thanks to his Infinity but he knew damn well, you could at least restrict him.

Like a lasso, you threw rope in his direction. A clap. More claps. He was teleporting away from you. Yeah, things like this frequently happened with the two of you. “Multiply,” you murmured and your rope did as you commanded. It took the form of a spiderweb... or a fishnet.

“Stop running, so it will be easier for me to catch you, Toru-chan~”, you called.

“Ain't no way,” he said as he ran and turned his head to stick out his tongue. You clicked your tongue. Inhaling deeply, you positioned your leg even farther back. This kind of felt like the Olympic Games or something.

Using the force, you threw out the glowing net. In reality, you knew it was just a second but the moment seemed to stretch in your eyes. “Would it be a good catch today?” You almost heard the fishermen say at the riverbank.

The moment your net connected. The sound of a plop on the ground. Yes, it was indeed a good-looking catch, you mused. Not that your net actually touched him, thanks to his ability, but at least it caged him like a cocoon for the time being, only leaving out the head.

“You look so smug,” Satoru commented, pulling a face. The cocoon vibrated against him, compressing made difficult due to Infinity. “Of course, I just caught a big shiny Magikarp,” you retorted. “Wait, are you calling me useless-”

Ding dong. The sound of the doorbell had your eyes almost popping out of their sockets. A sigh left your lips and you stuck the light to a wall as you trudged your way to the entrance door to let in Yuuji and Nobara. At least you could expect some real and less chaotic help now.

The first thing that greeted them after putting down their presents in the living room was the sight of their white-haired teacher dangling from the ceiling by a mysterious, seemingly sticky and shiny rope thing. “Sorry to ask, sensei, but… did we interrupt something here? Or would it be better not to ask?” Nobara asked, Yuuji was agape. “Yeah, we were-” Satoru started but you quickly shushed him.

You shook your head, “No, but Gojo-sensei couldn’t refrain from pranks, so here we are.”

“Oooookay,” Yuuji said, still flabbergasted.

“So guys, we aren’t quite done yet. Me and Gojo-sensei require a little help… especially in the kitchen,” you said as-a-matter-of-factly.

“Sure, I’ll help in the kitchen then,” Nobara volunteered. The pink-haired boy raised his hand, a sign that he also wanted to help: “I can set the table.”

“Perfect! Nobara and Yuuji, come with me. We have 30 minutes until Megumi will be here. As for you, Satoru, you better clean the mess you made,” you commanded as you shot the cocooned man, who was smiling innocently, a sharp glare. With that, you and your two baby ducklings left the living room.

You showed Yuuji the cupboard where he would find everything he needed, from cups to plates, bowls and whatnot. Nobara helped clean the dishes while you finished up what you were doing before. A few finishing touches were left. Christmas music started playing in your house as you heard someone pace in your living room. Satoru was probably hanging up the remaining Christmas lights in your spacious living room. After all, it was clear as a day that the man would be able to free himself after a few minutes.

You and Nobara made it just in time: 28 minutes. Your pink-haired student, Yuuji, did a surprisingly excellent job, setting the table as beautifully as you had imagined. The dishes were laid out on the table, just waiting to be eaten.

The eagerly awaited guest arrived no sooner than expected, unlike a certain someone, even bearing presents as it seemed. “Christmas is over, why did you decide to play Christmas music?” Megumi remarked, not sounding like he was over the moon.

“Woah, Megumi, you look as grumpy as always!” his male teacher noticed.

“Lighten up a little, will ya?” Nobara added, while the adorable Yuuji gawked at the bag of gifts Megumi had brought with him. “Oh, stop it, you two. Megumi is just not that good at outwardly expressing his emotions,” you defended… and the student didn’t know whether that was an insult or not.

“You brought presents? So cool!” Yuuji was delighted, still looking at the bag and not even paying attention to whatever was happening, until Nobara tugged on his arm to lead him to the dinner table.

Dinner was a little chaotic; everyone was excited, some things were spilled, a lot of words were exchanged, a little banter happened, gales of laughter echoed through your four walls. It was joy. Chaotic joy.

Finally, it was time for the presents. After everyone received their presents, a malicious grin appeared on Satoru’s face from what was to come. Yuuji’s face also had a tinge of mischief to its expression. Yours and Nobara’s face were straight up devilish, the eyes in particular. All of you were looking at him.

An uneasy feeling rose in the dark-haired boy’s stomach. “Run as fast as you can,” it told him and his foot twitched a little, which was not missed by Satoru at all.

“Oh no, you’re not going anywhere!” Nobara exclaimed, then ordered Yuuji to restrict Megumi (which he did) as you put one of Satoru’s blindfolds on your poor, baffled student. Satoru forcefully stuffed Megumi’s mouth with one - then two - mochis to prevent him from making any noisy ruckus. All he heard was feet shuffling through the room. After what felt like an eternity of nervosity to him, the blindfold was finally lifted and Yuuji loosened his grip on his friend.

Unitedly, the four of you, who had planned this surprise for him, wore party hats and chanted, “HAPPY BELATED BIRTHDAY TO YOU, FUSHIGURO/MEGUMI.”, holding more presents for him into his face. “Ooh, he is embarrassed!! Look at him, look at him~” Satoru teased and Megumi looked away, a blush spreading on his face. “Am not,” he attempted to retort before being ushered to open the gifts by Yuuji. One by one, they were unwrapped, revealing a nonfiction book from Yuuji, a comfortable hoodie from Nobara, a pair of brand new headphones from you and–…

“Gojo-sensei, I do not mean to impose but…”, you breathed out. “...is that a maid costume?”, Megumi finished what you wanted to ask. “Hell yes, I thought our Megumi would look so nice in it!” Satoru had that shit-eating grin on his face.

Silence.

“Sensei, can you hold him so I can give this perv a good beating?” Nobara asked as she turned to you. “Sure,” you replied with an innocent-looking smile. You heard someone cracking their knuckles. “I’ll help you,” Megumi said. So the sound came from Megumi. “Wait, wait, guys!” your same-aged friend fretted, head whipping in Yuuji’s direction, silently asking for some help. The latter rubbed his head, debating whether he wanted to be a part of this mess or not. He ultimately ended up trying to help his teacher but couldn’t tear away the glowing restraint you put upon your co-teacher.

However, before anyone could land a hit or be saved, a menacing roar could be heard. It was followed by multiple phones ringing and someone banging on your door. “Please, Y/N-san, it’s very urgent! A grade 1 curse is in the city… with a few of its friends!” It was Ijichi. For a moment, everything stood still and you looked at everyone. Satoru spoke up loud enough for Ijichi to hear, “We’ll head out.” He nullified your light technique.

You looked at the man and nodded, heading out with him.

“Wait, sensei, we are coming too,” Megumi said, his face determined as he, Nobara and Yuuji followed the two of you outside. “Fine by me, but don’t die on me,” you said.

[petri808]

O5+Itafushi sick/injured/comfort for Anon 😊 totally canon divergent since we still don’t know a lot about their backgrounds and the series is still on going 🙃 Hurt/Comfort, angst w/happy ending. *Does container manga spoiler aspects if you’re not up to date on it.

It couldn’t be helped... logically, Megumi knew this, but what his brain understood didn’t mean his heart could accept. Yuuji was fated from the beginning to die and he knew— Knew that all the man wanted was to die without regret, and saving their world... well how much more honor could one achieve by fulfilling his grandfather’s dying wish? He should be happy for his friend, content in the knowledge that Yuuji gave them a chance to rebuild a better world without the fear of Ryomen Sukuna ever destroying it. Should be... but he wasn’t.

How many times had Megumi convinced himself they weren’t heroe’s, they were just sorcerers. Spiritual police in a sense, there to protect without a desire for acknowledgement. And that their deaths were both inevitable and not immune to regret. All they could do was their best not to garner too much of it and become the very curses they swore to fight. It was why most jujutsu sorcerers learned from an early age not to care about humanity, or at least lie to themselves that it was a possibility. Such bullshit, really.

So, as he stood there staring down at what remained of his best friend’s body, Megumi couldn’t help the regret bubbling up in his very soul. This was literally and figuratively his fault. Yuuji’s, or rather Sukuna’s exorcism was a combined effort in which he’d participated in. That’s not something you can simply set aside. Yes! Megumi was glad that Sukuna was gone, but so was Yuuji! He didn’t care if his friend had been born into, or chosen to, or somehow been trapped in this fate. It wasn’t fair at all. None of this was fair to any of them, just as his own birth had been an unfortunate creation for revenge.

“Fuck!” Megumi gritted out a barely audible utterance as his nails dug into the clenched fists at his sides, and tears trickled down his face. This wasn’t fair at all!

He shouldn’t even be there. If Gojou sensei knew he’d snuck into the morgue he’d be in trouble. But he didn’t care! They didn’t even let him say goodbye to his friend before carting him off to Dr. Shoko. It was for his own good— pfft, fucking uncaring bastards! Yuuji was the first real person he’d ever connected with who gave him back a sense of the humanity he’d lost along the way. The man made him feel, and now. “Fuck...” Megumi knew he was screwed. His heart had crossed the line. Images of a smiling Yuuji play like a movie behind his closed eyes, bringing a pained smile curling on Megumi’s lips. He’d avoided admitting it to himself, but it was true. He’d fallen for Yuuji Itadori.

It had been an unspoken promise Megumi made to Yuuji, one he’d made deep within his heart the moment it had chosen to cross the line. He’d find a way to sever Sukuna from Yuuji and save his love from the ultimate sacrifice. This promise had never been proclaimed from his own lips, but there was no running from the covenant he’d created in his soul. As Sukuna once explained, certain pacts in their works simply could not be broken.

His knees weakened, crumpling Megumi to the floor in a position of summary execution. All of the emotional walls he’d learned to control, gave way in a flood, sending shadowed curse energy to blanket the room. He didn’t even try to stem the flow of power surging out from his pain. It was entirely selfish to lash out with his regret and anger, but Megumi couldn’t stop... didn’t want to let go. “It’s not fair!” He raged into the still darkness. “I should have saved you! If I was stronger, I could have saved you! But I’m too weak... even now, I can’t...” he hung his head head and closed his eyes, “I can’t even let you die properly because you deserve to live Yuuji...” Because I still need you... Damn the consequences, he’ll take whatever comes his way! “Yuuji!!!”

.....Megumi wasn’t exactly sure what happened, how he ended up passed out on his side, or even how long he was laying there. But something gentle brushed against his face, sweeping his hair aside, and caressing it to stir him awake. His body was groggy from the power drain, eyes barely able to focus in the amber emergency lighting. Whatever it was said nothing, just continued soothing him and coaxing with light prodding to wake up. It felt so nice... Wait! Fuck! Was he caught?! Was it Gojou, Dr. Shoko, someone else?!

His eyes flash open wide as he scrambled to sit up, ready to explain himself, but— “Sukuna?!” Megumi screamed in shock.

“What?!” The naked man stumbled back, looking around in a panic. “Where?! He’s supposed to be dead!”

Megumi adjusted his eyes better, because the form in front of him looked like Yuuji, but with all of the same markings as Sukuna, including the second set of open eyes. Although the voice was different... not exactly Yuuji’s, not Sukuna’s, maybe a mix of both. “Who are you?” He asked, noting that the curse energy flowing from this thing was akin to Sukuna in power and this could be a trick from the God of Curses. Is this what his regret had wrought?!

“It’s me,” the figure stepped forward in confusion, a hand over his chest. “Yuuji. Megumi how could you not know it’s me?”

“Because you look like and feel like Sukuna.”

Yuuji looked down at his body and could see the markings too. But that’s when he also noticed something else in the room. His dead body lying on the operating table. His eyes widen as they whip back to Megumi. “Am I?!” His shaky voice cracked.

It was becoming clear. Megumi nodded. “My regret brought you back as a...”

“Curse...” Yuuji breathed out. He was stunned, and yet somehow not surprised. “Wow... but I don’t look like a normal curse.” He could think and feel, “I’m like Mt. Fuji head?”

“I don’t understand it either. I’m so sorry Yuuji— I just couldn’t let you go.” The tears formed again in Megumi’s eyes. “I’d sworn to myself I’d save you, but I failed miserably and for that... n-now you’re a curse.”

“I should be mad at you.” Yuuji knelt down in front of his friend, smiling. “But I’m not. I know all too well how hard it is to let go of people we care about.”

Megumi shook his head. “You don’t understand. I’m being selfish and that’s wrong! I just... I-I just... I love you too much to let you go.”

“You... love me? Like a friend, friend love or...”

Megumi turned away and if it wasn’t so dark his blushing cheeks would be glaringly obvious. “No, the other kind.”

“Brotherly love?”

For a second there, Megumi had to question his own sanity again for failing in love with an idiot. He ran his hand down his face in a huff. “The I wanna kiss you kind! I know you said you like women with big butts and all, but yeah,” he mumbled, “that’s how I feel about you idiot.” His face was truly on fire by this point, only made more difficult by the fact the man he loved was hanging out for all to see.

“Oh!” Yuuji chuckled and sandwiched Megumi’s face between the palms of his hands. “I’m just messing with you. I knew that for a while now.”

“Wait how?!” But dang if seeing Yuuji’s smile again didn’t just melt him. “I kept it hidden.”

“You did, but Sukuna sensed it in you when your domains overlapped, and he showed me.”

Yuuji leaned forward and brought their lips together in an awkward kiss. It was brief, but for Megumi, it solidified how he felt. That yes, he really did love this man and finally! He got to kiss him!

“There was a time I thought Sukuna had a crush on you actually,” Yuuji chuckled. “But then of course, it turned out he just wanted to use you.”

“So... you’re okay with me liking you?” As he spoke, Megumi pulled his coat off and handed it to Yuuji to cover up.

“Why wouldn’t I be?” Yuuji smiled and put on the coat. “But what do we do now? Technically I’m not alive, I’m a walking, talking curse.”

“Fuck,” Megumi sighed, his shoulders slumping, “I didn’t exactly think this through, just lost control.”

Yuuji placed a hand on his shoulder, “hey, we’ll figure it out. We always do.”

Megumi couldn’t hold back any longer. He pulled Yuuji into a tight bear hug as renewed tears pooled in his eyes. “I don’t care what you are, I’m just happy to have you back.”

Yuuji returned the hug. “Me too.”

Suddenly, clapping echoed through the darkened room seconds before the light switch was flipped on, causing Megumi to flinch. Shit! They were caught so quickly!

“I had a feeling this would happen.”

It was Gojou’s voice. Aww crap!

Megumi moved Yuuji and placed himself between the two men. “Leave him alone!”

“Oh, don’t worry your pretty little head Megumi Chan, I’m not gonna exorcise him. I followed you here, so if I’d wanted to stop you, I would have done so sooner.”

“You’re messing with me.” Megumi narrowed his eyes in suspicion. “It’s our job to dispatch curses. Why would you make an exception.”

“Yes, under the old ways, but as you know, those ways were destroyed by us. As long as a curse is not a problem, I don’t care if they exist.” Gojou cocked his head in an evil grin. “Yuuji is now for you, as what Rika is for Okkotsu. I didn’t exorcise Rika, did I?”

“No...”

“Exactly!” He clapped his hands together. “Having powerful special grades on our side is a benefit in my eyes,” Gojou moved his mask to reveal his own, “and these eyes know everything,” he winks before affixing the mask. “Besides, who am I to get in the way of love,” he shrugged.

Megumi rolled his eyes at that last jab, but Yuuji let out a sigh of relief. “Gojou sensei, do you know why I’m like this?” He motioned to his body. “Shouldn’t I be more like Rika? But I can think for myself and talk, and I feel... well, normal.”

“That’s a good question!” Gojou cackled and pointed at Yuuji. “I have no idea!”

“Ugh!” Megumi slaps his forehead. This man never changed.

“But,” Gojou grew serious in an instant, “I can guess there are three factors involved.” He held up one finger, “Number one! You, Yuuji are no ordinary human but created by a curse at birth.” Raising a second finger, “Number two! You and Sukuna were bonded at the instance of death, so you’ve fused with him.” Adding a third finger, “and lastly, number three! When one special grade sorcerer curses another former special grade sorcerer, that amount of curse energy wasn’t going to create a lower lever spirit. So, voila! You were made Yuuji!”

“But is it like I still have control of Sukuna or something?”

“I don’t know, you tell me. Do you still sense him?”

Yuuji paused in thought before shaking his head no.

“It’s likely Sukuna’s soul was fully exorcised, and since Megumi was only thinking of you, it was only you that was brought back. This is just the form your cursed energy has taken. We’ll need to test what powers you’ve retained, but from what I’m sensing, they are on par with Sukuna’s residual energy.”

It’s Megumi who speaks up next. “So, is Yuuji allowed back at school?”

“I’ll allow it, provided your classmates don’t mind. Remember, while you can see him, he’s no longer alive, so normal humans won’t see him anymore. He is just a cursed spirit.”

Megumi and Yuuji looked at each other, then back to their teacher with Yuuji taking hold of Megumi’s hand. “I think they’d get mad if we didn’t return,” Yuuji smiled.

Gojou tipped two fingers as he turned to leave, “then I shall see you in class tomorrow. Try to keep the noise down in your room.” He teased with a cackle.

Megumi flushed red. “He’s so irritating.”

“Yeah, but you gotta admit Gojou sensei’s one of the cool ones.”

“Yeah,” Megumi sighed, but smiled. “Guess we should head back to school too.”

Yuuji squeezed his new boyfriend’s hand and nodded. “I can’t wait to see everyone’s faces when I walk in!”

“Just, no practical jokes like phasing through walls to scare them. We don’t need someone actually trying to exorcise you.”

“Oh, right! I’ll behave.” Without warning, Yuuji then swept Megumi into a bridal carry. “Let’s test my powers! I bet I’m faster than Gojou sensei now!”

“Wait! What are you doing?!”

Yuuji grinned down at Megumi with ruby red eyes glowing. “Trust me.” Cause I’ll kill anyone who dares to hurt you now...

[empty-dream]

Yuuji is actually my most favorite JJK character and also one of my fav shonen protagonists. (Long babbling. Huge manga spoiler)

I think one of the charming points in JJK is that there is nothing actually new regarding plot points or characterizations, but they are slightly tweaked and played in an interesting way here and there. I could name a lot, but for starters, let’s begin with Yuuji himself.

Yuuji is basically your everyday shonen protagonist: Not straight-up pretty, kind-hearted, super friendly, has a specific girl type, rather dumb but genius at the physical stuff, usually rowdy, kinda underdog, and whose history is deliberately never talked about until faaaar later. But something about him and the nature of the series makes him rather different compared to other series’ main characters. First off, his goal. The stereotypical goals of popular shonen protagonists are usually to be the best at what they do, to eradicate whatever evil they face, or both. Sometimes the ambition may have underlying motifs such as wanting to be acknowledged or not being lonely, sometimes it does not. Yuuji, however, does not have that kind of wish.

His grandpa tells him to help people so he won't die alone before passing away. Borrowed ideal or not, for Yuuji that's already a solid goal. The goal itself is soon questioned as early as chapter 3 by Principal Yaga, and from there on the quest of helping people gets even more complicated. And since Yuuji's got noose on his neck, the goal becomes his stool to stay sane and move forward.

He admits that he is prone to be lonely. It's not some grand ambition. Yes, he’s the only one who can do it - become both Sukuna’s host and Jujutsu sorcerer - , and yes, if he doesn’t do it people will die. But at the core he moves because of the plain fear, of being alone and of guilt when he's all that's left. And this is established even before he swallows Sukuna's finger and gets pulled in jujutsu world, when he is still just a normal person. Those feelings, in fact, are why he ends up doing it and kickstarting the entire story.

So in a way you can speculate that while he obviously does think helping people is right and good, it's not that he finds helping people in itself as his #1 goal. Rather, it is a means to achieve his true goal: Not being alone in his death. His end goal is the way of which he will die, or in short, his death. I don't think the majority of people that age, or any age in fact, would answer that as their goal. The contrast of his sunny-dumb disposition and his rather sad wish really catches my eyes.

And the entire thing also becomes really interesting when Yuuji, who values people over everything, has to face Mahito, who disregards people as things. Then at the end of their fight in Shibuya, it is where Yuuji turning truly chilling. (It’s my favorite scene and panels btw, that’s stone cold. After Junpei, Nanami, Nobara and the countless humans that Mahito has cruelly transfigured and toyed with, there is no more reason or doubt needed. Yuuji accepts that what he’s doing is probably meaningless now. But whatever, killing Mahito is already as given as eating when hungry. Second factor is the relationship between the host and the demonic thing inside. In many typical shonen stories, the relationship tends to be bearable or even amicable in the end. Yuuji and Sukuna's, however, is played horrifically realistic. As mentioned, Yuuji is your generic naive guy. And Sukuna, the demon inside him, is an ancient, all-powerful, manipulative, ruthless demonic king. It’s made clear that Sukuna does not give a shit about Yuuji and will seize any and every opportunity to gain control and bring forth catastrophes. I knew that compared to more standard monster-inside-you in shonen manga, their case is bad. But holy shit it is THAT bad. Every time Sukuna fights, he enjoys causing destructions. Especially in Shibuya arc, where the fights are played painfully realistic with all the normal bystanders getting killed here and there and the whole district razed. I was like "God what will happen if Yuuji wakes up and sees this? He's not gonna be able to live with himself after this."

Which is exactly what happens. And get this, Sukuna specifically wants Yuuji to see the ruins, knowing full well his host would fall into despair. Earlier, Yuuji said he’d feel guilty for people whom Sukuna killed if he hadn’t been there to save them instead. Look at what happens. I cried when Yuuji just curled up all alone and wished for himself and himself only to die. This, when all he wants is to not die alone.

Third is the ‘memories that do not exist.’ Very sexy of Akutami to display Todo having made-up memories of him and Yuuji being brothers as a gag, then make it happen again with Choso but this time revealing it as a real issue: That those are literally made-up memories, implanted by something related to Yuuji, if not it being his own power. Yuuji, a not very brainy but very physically-inclined fighter, a cheerful guy who wishes to die surrounded by beloved ones, has something to do with inserting himself on people's memories. This is like if Naruto has the power of Bleach's Tsukishima. There is something very intriguing, and imo a bit disturbing, about that mixture. Fourth, by the way, why does Sukuna look like Yuuji, extra appendages notwithstanding? Is it simply because that's his host's face, or does his own face actually look like that by default? If it's the latter, doesn't that mean there is something deeper about their relation? Why is Yuuji of all people able to host Sukuna? And remember when Yuuji's grandpa wants to talk about Yuuji's parents before he dies? Who and where are his parents, anyway? How did they give birth to a guy who is so physically gifted he can actually run like a car without magic? And in the first place why does Yuuji's grandpa die alone? Who really are the Itadoris? Akutami-sensei opEN UP I HAVE QUESTIONS. Tl;Dr So yeah, it's not that Yuuji's so inherently different from other shonen protagonists, or he stands out like a sore thumb. It's just that the few existing differences do make him somewhat off compared to everyone else. And the more I think about it, the more I have questions about Yuuji, because as of this writing (Shibuya arc aftermath, Okkotsu appointed as Yuuji’s executioner), not much is known about him. But in contrast to the looming mysteries and the gloomy wish, the guy himself is naturally a cheerful, goofy and a very good person. The juxtaposition is just ... *chef kiss while crying*

[braindeadforiwa]

Pizza and Wine

synposis :  in which Teru finds out that he isn't even on your radar. Maybe he should be content with what he's already got. Maybe he can live with just being friends. based on a prompt from this post.

pairing : terushima yuuji x reader

WC : 1371

The pouring rain was a constant rush of sound behind Terushima.  The old yellow sweatshirt he wore was soaked through, and his black joggers were in the same sorry state. By far the worst thing though was the wet socks.  The squelch he felt with every step he'd taken made him want to crawl out of his skin.

The things I do for a friend in need, Terushima thought to himself.  Ultimately he didn't really give a damn about the wet clothes.  He was more concerned about you and your emotional state.

You'd been more or less ignoring his texts since yesterday.  And he'd only bothered calling twice, but you immediately rejected those calls.  Normally he would have let you be.  After all, maybe you were just busy.

But call it a gut feeling, intuition about a close friend, or the fact the tone of your texts had changed -- Teru felt that he should go check on you regardless of your disinterest in speaking to him. 

And that's why he now stood on your doorstep, box of pizza in one hand, bottle of wine in the other.  Terushima kicked on your door again.

"I didn't get drenched walking to your apartment for you to say no to pizza," Terushima called through the closed door.  "I have wine too."

Teru waited a beat longer before saying, "C'mon, I know you're sad so let me in, _____."

Just when Terushima was about to resign himself to eating pizza alone on the concrete floor, your door opened.

Well he was certainly right to have been worried.  Even with the poor outdoor lighting Terushima could tell your eyes were red and puffy.

"Bro...you look like shit." Tact was certainly not Teru's strong suit.  "Nothing a little food and wine can't help though."

You moved out of the way, and Teru strolled into your apartment.  The place may as well have been Teru's second home.  He was over to often that you'd given him a drawer for his spare clothes and toiletries.  You'd reasoned it would be better then having to find him a ride home if both of you were drunk, not to mention most days he came over he'd be there until at least 3am.

The two of you met in college during your first semester, and for the past five years you hadn't left each others' sides.  Most people often weren't convinced that you and Teru were only friends though.  Which, understandable to a certain extent.  Both you and Teru realized that people weren't convinced two people could be so close and not be dating.  The intimacy you guys shared rivaled a handful of the relationships you'd witnessed in college. 

That's not to say the idea of dating you had never crossed Teru's mind.  Over the years, Teru had found himself wondering what it'd be like to date you.  He imagined it wouldn't be a whole lot different than what you had now.  Really the only difference he could think of was that he'd be able to kiss you.  And kissing you certainly wasn't any sort of con in his book.

"Go get changed." Your voice carried the exhaustion he could lining your shoulders.  "I'll get the food and stuff ready."

"Thanks," Teru said, ruffling your hair.

After drying off and changing, Terushima met you in the kitchen, a towel around his neck.  You'd gotten glasses for the wine and had already started munching on a slice of pizza.

"So what happened?" Teru asked.  He hopped onto the counter and you turned to face him.  God, how much had you been crying?  Face masks were definitely in your shared future.

"Always right for the throat with you."

"Well it's gonna suck talking about it no matter what, right?" When you didn't say anything Teru conceded.  "But I guess I can let you get a glass or two of wine in your system first."

And for the next couple hours Teru did what he did best: he distracted you.  He talked about his friends and a couple wild nights, he updated you on his family, and told you about some new clients he'd gotten this week. He got you talking about a new show you were both excited for and the newest chapter for a manga you both read. He'd even managed to get you to laugh a couple times.

At some point while reminiscing about college, you ended up doing face masks, and now you found yourself sat in front of the television.  You were planted between Teru's legs on the floor as he combed through your hair and played with it.

As the conversation lulled and the movie continued on screen, Teru spoke up, his voice a little more gentle than usual.  "So you wanna tell me what happened now?"

A beat, and then, "Maya broke up with me."

The pause of Teru's hand in your hair was the only form of shock he showed.  Not because he expected it, but because he knew you didn't like people getting too riled up on your behalf.  It drew too much attention to what you were feeling.  "She say why?" he asked.

"Found someone up where she is," you said.  The life had started fading out of you again.  "Guess she got tired of the long distance thing."

Teru clenched his jaw.  For the five years he'd known you, you'd dated Maya for four of them.  Hell, things had always been going so well between you two that Teru assumed you and Maya would just get married.  Even you had mentioned the possibility of marriage to Teru before. 

"When'd things start going bad?" Teru asked.

"Couple months after she moved," you said.  "Video calls just weren't cutting it anymore.  I mean, why settle for that when you find someone you could be happy with that's also in the same city? At least that's what she said on the phone."

You let out a sigh, your body sagging.  "I don't blame her though," you whispered.  "I understand where she was coming from.  Honestly....I hadn't been dong too well with the long distance thing either.  But I'm still sad, you know? And frustrated.  Like, so much time and effort is just gone now.  Plus she at least has someone new.  Meanwhile I'm just alone." You let your head fall to Teru's knee.

Though he could tell how taxing the conversation was on you, Teru was thankful to see that it seemed to be helping you.  Getting your thoughts out of your head helped you work through things.  It's something he'd noticed over the last few years.  It helped you to slowly work your way back to yourself.  And even though he knew you had a ways to go with properly healing, you were at least taking a step.

"Well, I may not be new but you still got me so you aren't actually alone." Teru grinned.

"I meant romantically, dumbass.  Romantically I'm alone."

The grin faded from Teru's face.  "I can be romantic."

"Teru, I love you, but you kinda suck at relationships," you said, turning to look at him.  "You get spooked any time you think someone might be into you and then either distance yourself or completely ghost them."

Teru was quiet.  You weren't wrong; he did get scared at the idea of being in a relationship.  It wasn't a characteristic he often consciously thought about, but yeah...you were right.  The idea of being emotionally intimate with people freaked him out when he knew that romantic feelings were involved.  But...you already knew so much about him.  You two had bared pieces of your souls to one another on multiple occasions.  You knew more about him then anyone else probably did and you accepted every part of him.  If it were you...well he didn't think he'd be as scared.  If it were you he'd be willing to give it a shot.

But it seems for you that wasn't even an option.

His voice was full of faked nonchalance as he said, "Well, If you ever change your mind you know where to find me."

"Sure," you chuckled as you turned back to face the TV.  "I'll keep it in mind."