Sander Sides: At The Beach

Cursed Guardians (A JJK Fic)

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Kenjaku had a good memory.

There was no such thing as an insignificant detail to Kenjaku. No. Knowledge was knowledge, and it was this knowledge that had allowed Kenjaku to reach the power that they did. Countless centuries had given them the opportunity to hone in their craft, acquire new knowledge, and create plans for the future chaos they would wring. After so many years, there was nothing that could surprise Kenjaku. It was a driving reason for their countless experiments. They wanted to make something utterly unique. Something to entertain them for the rest of time. However, this search for the exceptional only led them to the mediocre. It did not matter how bizarre their research became, it always ended in Kenjaku’s boredom. The Cursed Wombs had disappointed them. The Disaster Curses had disappointed them. The Culling Games had disappointed them. Itadori Yuuji had disappointed them. 

But there was one who never did. 

Ryomen Sukuna. 

Oh, how they still remember the feeling of awe they felt when they first gazed at Sukuna’s abominable form. The Heian Era had been such an amusing time for them. Just when they thought it couldn’t get better, along came the perfect combination of sorcery and humanity, seemingly dropped into their lap to play with. Kenjaku was an ancient being, far older than Sukuna. Due to this, they relished in being able to watch something like them, too corporeal to be a curse but too monstrous to be a human, decimate hoards of sorcerers as if they were flies. There was nothing similar to Sukuna except for themselves. Kenjaku was enamored by said fact. They had always experimented on other creatures, but they had not gotten around to experimenting on themselves yet. Sukuna provided Kenjaku the perfect opportunity to test out new theories on cursed energy on an entity nearly identical to them. The best part was that Sukuna had no inkling to what they were doing. For how intelligent and cunning Sukuna was, Kenjaku had something he didn’t: A good memory.

It had taken a while until Kenjaku realized why Sukuna’s face seemed familiar. His face was covered in tattoos and deformed after all. However, when Kenjaku analyzed the large being’s features up close, they saw a familiar nose, a familiar eye shape, familiar eyebrows, a familiar jawline, and a very familiar hair color. Their realization washed over them like the waves of a tsunami. It took all their self-control to not burst out in hysterics in order to not wake Sukuna, who was lazily sleeping in the bloodied grounds of a battle he easily won. Sukuna sleeping where Kenjaku could hurt him was not a sign of trust. It was a show of power. By resting his eyes, Sukuna was telling Kenjaku that he knew he could defeat them in his sleep, that he did not view them as a threat to take seriously. It had been thrilling to see his arrogance! 

Especially when they remembered a time where Sukuna had been the exact opposite of prideful. 

They had a good memory. With this memory, Kenjaku remembered the young man that had been the stain on his prosperous village’s name. He was a scrawny thing that had to sleep in the dirt and eat what scraps he could find. It had been so amusing to watch the pathetic rat scamper about in order to survive. At the time, Tengen had been their close companion. The two of them had appeared side by side the moment jujutsu sorcery had sparked into existence from the dark powers of the Great Vengeful Spirits. Tengen had always been the more cautious one and had admonished them for their poor treatment of others they deemed boring. When they told her of their new pathetic, pink pet, she disapproved greatly. They had wanted to use the boy to experiment with, but Tengen made them refrain from doing so. She was the better fighter of the two, so Kenjaku relented and settled for simply watching the rat until it perished. Tengen’s ire was the last thing Kenjaku wanted to deal with, yet it became more difficult over the years to not put the pest out of his misery. No villager gave the boy any kindness or even pity, often beating him severely if he was caught stealing. Kenjaku watched from afar as the boy became an unruly teenager that grew more ambitious in his crimes. Now, he stole for both survival and revenge. The emaciated child had filled out enough that he towered over the villagers and could retaliate with equal brutality. It was interesting to see the teen become a young man, barely in his second decade of life. Where there used to be fear, there was now a fierce determination to live. No matter how inhospitable his life became, he clung to it with everything he had. He was so weak, yet Kenjaku could not ignore the growing fire within him. The inferno would have been unleashed if it was not for the impossibly stupid mistake the man made. Kenjaku was furious that the entertainment they had received was waning due to the impossibly small infant the man cared for. All creatures needed to reproduce, Kenjaku knew that, but they failed to see why someone like him would bring a child into the world when his existence was hated by all. It had been a mistake, likely with another street urchin like him with rotten sake to further dull their judgment. When the sickly woman died in childbirth, Kenjaku was not surprised. While it did not surprise them, they were…perturbed when the young man wasted all of his limited resources on providing for the baby.  

Somehow, the baby survived its first year. Then its second. Then its third. 

It died in its fourth year. 

Kenjaku had grown the slightest bit fond of the drooling thing, but they did not shed any tears at its death. It had lived for such a short time that Kenjaku did not see it as a human. Just a tiny being of flesh that used to toddle around its father and giggle every time he picked it up. The man had named it Yuuji. Permanence, benevolence, and humanity . The meanings of its name were too significant for something so helpless. However, the death of his child made the inferno that Kenjaku had waited years to see burst from the man. His madness had led to the villagers screaming at him like they used to when he was a defenseless child. With that, Kenjaku was able to finally learn the man’s name.

Ryomen. 

What a terrible name. It was more of a title than a name, meaning ‘two faces’. Kenjaku had heard the name before with other two-headed creatures. However, they did not know why a man with one face would be given such a name. 

They wanted to find out. 

And they did . 

After the utter failure the healers did to save his son amongst the plague the village was having, Ryomen had lost his heart and warmth, Yuuji taking it with him. Needless to say, Kenjaku was elated to see his hatred turn into something tangible . If they dropped certain scrolls pertaining to cursed energy, cursed runes, and cursed techniques…well, that was no one’s business except Kenjaku’s own. 

Before they could see the power Ryomen fully developed, Kenjaku was called away by Tengen to discuss a serious topic within the lands. Curses were growing stronger as were the sorcerers that would combat them. Namely, the three major clans: the Kamo Clan, the Zenin Clan, and the Gojo Clan. The influx of cursed energy was cause for concern as there was nothing stopping curses from spreading to other parts of the world. Kenjaku wanted cursed energy to envelop the globe. There were so many possibilities with a planet filled with millions! Their insatiable curiosity would be fed with the endless subjects they would have at their disposal. However, their plan to experiment on the world was halted before it could even start by Tengen. She disagreed with Kenjaku’s attitude like she always did, but she went a step further in her attempts to stop them. Instead of lecturing them or giving them a roll of her eyes, Tengen sacrificed her form to become an eternal barrier to keep the cursed energy contained within Japan.

It was appalling to Kenjaku to see an immortal being waste their lives for such an idiotic cause. Kenjaku and Tengen were immortal, they were supposed to keep each other, all of jujutsu, balanced. Kenjaku was a being of chaos while Tengen was a being of harmony. It was her responsibility to reign in Kenjaku’s mayhem with her peace while it was their responsibility to grant excitement into the world with their disorder. Though, no one had been there to tell them what their purposes were. They both assumed them naturally. Tengen was always there to keep Kenjaku in check, and they helped loosen Tengen’s uptight tendencies. With her now being hidden away in the new Tombs of the Star Corridor, Kenjaku had no one to hold them back anymore. 

They had been so distracted that their disappointment about not being able to see Ryomen’s true power did not affect them in the slightest. If their memory was not as good as it was, they would have forgotten all about Ryomen. 

But they didn’t.

When they realized that Ryomen and Sukuna were one and the same, Kenjaku was excited. To them, Sukuna was a perfect being. Like a beautiful butterfly emerging from an unassuming cocoon, Sukuna had shed his former human self to become the strongest sorcerer in history. There was no sign that Sukuna remembered anything from his original human life, including the son he had adored so much. In fact, Sukuna hated children. Whenever Sukuna would invade villages for his own amusement, he never showed an ounce of compassion for the young lives he was ending. Kenjaku had asked Sukuna if he would ever want a child just to see if there was a sign of the four-armed curse remembering Yuuji. 

“Why the hell would I want an annoying, useless brat to care for? They’re a waste of time and effort, pathetic beings who only live due to the pity of others or their mothers. It is disgusting. ” 

Kenjaku was delighted . 

The King of Curses had lost all of his memories of the weak boy Kenjaku had observed all those years ago. Sukuna knew he had originally been a human, but that was the extent of his memory. It was interesting. So, so interesting . All the suffering and loss Ryomen endured had driven him into becoming such a monster after his death. Kenjaku knew that places with negative memories like battlegrounds or graveyards would bring curses into their world. With Ryomen, the boy had lived a life of misery that was equivalent to the pain a thousand burial sites could bring. So much negativity for such an insignificant being. All of the cursed energy accumulated during Ryomen’s tortured life was the reason Sukuna was as powerful as he was. While they had seen humans live terrible lives and become terrible curses, this was the first time that Kenjaku had seen a human become a curse of such might. To them, Kenjaku saw Sukuna as the Earth’s cautionary tale of what the worst of humanity can create. Just like Kenjaku was born into this world to give Earth the ability to change and excite, Sukuna was formed to punish and warn the humans who had taken the Earth for granted. At least, that was what Kenjaku believed. They were not entirely sure, and that mere fact thrilled them. Sukuna was special. He finally gave Kenjaku the chaos they had been craving.

When Sukuna entered a binding vow with them to become a cursed object, Kenjaku was even more ecstatic. He still had no inkling to his origins, which Kenjaku used to their advantage. Uraume had been rightfully suspicious of Kenjaku’s motives with their plan to reincarnate countless sorcerers and curse users after one thousand years. Even so, Uraume would follow Sukuna like the loyal dog they were. Unlike his loyal servant, Sukuna did not see any reason to be wary of Kenjaku as he believed that he was too powerful for Kenjaku to mess with. In a way, he was right. Kenjaku knew that it would be idiotic to try to engage Sukuna in combat, they only found fighting entertaining for observing the abilities their most recent host carried. However, Kenjaku would always have the upperhand in experience. It was their experience that led them to figuring out how to imbue an object with a soul after all. Sukuna had become increasingly bored of his life in the Heian Era and wanted to plan something new for the sorcerers to deal with. It was a selfish reason done for Sukuna’s own pleasure and amusement, which Kenjaku had always respected about Sukuna. He did whatever he desired. 

So Kenjaku fulfilled his wish. Sukuna sliced off all twenty of his fingers for Kenjaku to split his soul into. The binding vow ensured that Kenjaku could not use any of his fingers for their own gain. 

The binding vow said nothing about splitting Sukuna’s soul into twenty pieces. Just that his fingers were to be imbued with his soul, which Kenjaku did. They just left two extra portions for themselves. Twenty-two pieces of Sukuna’s soul. The last two were the smallest, mere slivers that would not be detected by any curse of sorcerer. Kenjaku loved the number. Twenty two. A pair of identical numbers. Two twos. Twins. 

Oh, how they loved the irony!

Ryomen and Sukuna would be the twins that never met, yet were always together. 

Because at the core of Sukuna’s cursed soul, hidden so deep that even Sukuna had not known of its existence, was a human soul that refused to fade away. 

With the two slivers of Sukuna’s soul that Kenjaku kept for themselves, one piece was kept within the brain that had become their true form. By doing this, Kenjaku permanently tethered themselves to Sukuna. It was both a contingency plan and an experiment. The other piece was used for a far simpler purpose. Kenjaku released the minute fragment into the world to see if anyone would be born with a piece of Sukuna’s soul.

And someone was. Itadori Jin. 

Centuries of research and tests made Kenjaku know everything about souls. They were more vital than any organ, yet most did not know of their existence. Being able to see the shape of one’s soul was impossible for non-sorcerers and a majority of sorcerers. Souls were stubborn things. Whatever shape they took on could not be changed unless the soul itself was forcibly changed. Souls were fragile things. Any damage to it could end up in the death of the being the soul belongs to. Souls were vengeful things. They would not forgive nor forget easily even if the owner of the soul did. Souls were clingy things. It was unnatural for a soul to be in separate pieces, so they would do everything they could to become whole again. 

The last fact was what led Kenjaku to meeting Jin.

No matter how miniscule the pieces of Sukuna’s soul Kenjaku and Jin held, they still wished to reunite. It led Kenjaku to stalk the man and wait for the right moment to steal the body of his wife, Kaori. Jin had been so relieved that his wife had miraculously survived the car crash that he did not see the warning signs that something was very wrong with her. Kenjaku was fond of Jin, they really were. He was a loving man who was too kind for his own good. They would always be grateful to him for giving them the perfect opportunity to start the plan they had been concocting for centuries. 

The plan had been so close to succeeding. Kenjaku had been so close to seeing the merger of Tengen and humanity come to fruition. It would have been fun!

Yet they had been left disappointed.

By Sukuna. 

Kenjaku’s plan had failed.

Because of Sukuna. 

No other event had ever caused Kenjaku to feel such disappointment, such shock, such fury, such disgust. 

Nothing had surprised Kenjaku so much.

After everything that Sukuna had done, he had thrown it all away in a mindless fit of rage. He destroyed everything . The entire planet was ruined as Sukuna burned it all down and carved through the lands. He was like a god throwing a tantrum because he could not control himself. It was stupid . Kenjaku had never once thought of Sukuna in such a way before. 

Then Sukuna did something even stupider. 

With the last remaining threads of their consciousness, only able to exist due to the sliver of Sukuna’s soul, Kenjaku witnessed the King of Curses kneel before a broken shell of a boy. Itadori Yuuji. They had named him such for their own amusement . As a joke only they understood. Yet here Sukuna was, embracing and apologizing to Yuuji with a gentleness of a father . 

Kenjaku saw as Sukuna gave Yuuji a painless death.

Kenjaku saw as Sukuna took Yuuji’s soul to form it into a mass of swirling pink light. 

Kenjaku saw as Sukuna’s mighty form grew smaller. 

Kenjaku saw as Sukuna’s infamous tattoos disappeared one by one.

Kenjaku saw as Sukuna’s last wishes went into giving Yuuji a happy life. 

Kenjaku saw as Ryomen appeared for the first time in over a thousand years. 

Once the last traces of Sukuna’s soul vanished, Kenjaku vanished with him. 

Throughout all their years of existence, Kenjaku had never seen someone turn back time to the extent that Sukuna did. He restarted the world. He made the Earth go back millions of years into the past. He had erased everything. 

Well, almost.

Kenjaku was still there. They still had a good memory. 

And they wanted to try something new .

Instead of going down the same path as they did in their previous life, Kenjaku decided to go down a different route. They kept themselves hidden from Sukuna this time, waiting throughout the years as life evolved from the prehistoric to familiarity. 

Seeing how nature changed and improved gave Kenjaku inspiration for future experiments. Survival was the most important goal in nature. To succeed in said goal, one must fight or become extinct. They had never taken the time to observe the normal life Earth had to offer. It had always been boring to them. However, they had nothing better to do until the Heian Era returned. With so much time, Kenjaku realized how even the plants fought for survival, developing increasingly creative ways to thrive. If something was not working, then the plant or animal died. Simple. If something was working, then the plant or animals survived and spread its improved genetics or knowledge to the next generations. 

Kenjaku kept to their studies as they were even less corporeal than Sukuna’s ghostly form, biding their time. They were not meant to exist. They were not meant to remember. They didn’t care. If they were nothing more than a tangle of conscious wisps, so be it. Nothing would make them let go of the fraction of life they still had.

Once Kenjaku learned of the beings Sukuna had created, their grip on the last shreds of sentience became unbreakable. Cursed Souls. A completely new species that Sukuna made for the sole purpose of protecting Yuuji. They were so interesting. So new. Finally, something new. Something to cure their boredom once again. 

Kenjaku did not make themselves known to the six creatures nor Sukuna once the Heian Era returned. Instead, they decided to find the boy that Sukuna had once been. 

He was even more pathetic than before. With stark tattoos on his body, the villagers saw him as a bad omen to be rid of. Kenjaku did not know that Ryomen could be treated even worse than before. Yet he was. Even if he was doing nothing, people went out of their way to harm the apparent demon in their village. 

It had been so easy to manipulate the poor soul. 

With their last shreds of existence, they found a suitable host from a powerful clan. They were uninterested in the more well known clans like the Gojos or the Zenins. Kenjaku needed a sorcerer with powers that would serve them well in their plan. A plan that had many inspirations from their original one, they still had yet to see the Merger come to fruition. However, there were also many revisions and improvements. To start, Kenjaku decided to make the first step of their plan far earlier. They needed Ryomen for this step, so they made sure their host was as beautiful as she was powerful. Itadori Ren was the host they chose, a stoic woman who held the inherited techniques the Itadori Clan held. As a smaller clan, not many knew of the Itadori’s technique. Kenjaku felt like the Earth was giving them a blessing by having the Itadori Clan have the perfect technique for their plan. 

Body Manipulation. This inherited technique allowed an Itadori to directly change the qualities their body had. It could not be used to manipulate the body of another due to it being both taboo and nearly impossible. The most common way this technique manifested was an Itadori sorcerer’s ability to change the way gravity affected their body. It either made their body lighter than a feather or heavier than stone. Itadoris were skilled at seeing their own soul, but they were a humble clan that kept to themselves. It was not knowledge any outsiders knew of. Kenjaku only learned of the true depths of their technique once they inhabited Itadori Ren’s body. The Itadori Clan was unique for another reason besides their technique, their kindness. Everyone in the clan seemed to be genuinely good people, which was unheard of in sorcerer clans. This kindness made Itadoris refuse to use their abilities for cruelty. Luckily for Kenjaku, they had no such morals to hold them back from seeking out the darkest possibilities the Itadori Clan’s technique had to offer. With their prior expertise in souls, Kenjaku learned how to use the reverse of the technique like he did with Itadori Kaori. Instead of just gravity manipulation, Itadori Ren could use her technique to affect her memories by changing certain areas of her brain. It reminded Kenjaku of how the Zenin Clan was known for their Ten Shadow’s Technique, but it was far from the only technique with members having Projection Sorcery. Ren was not the only member with the memory manipulation technique, which Kenjaku used to further their knowledge. It was typically used to make users of this technique incredibly fast learners, able to prevent the memory of whatever they learned from fading. Additionally, it aided them in being more resilient to psychic attacks.

There were so many possibilities for Kenjaku to explore with Itadori Ren’s techniques, but the second reason for choosing her was even more crucial to their plan. Ren was beautiful. With her beauty, Kenjaku used it to attract Ryomen like a bee to a fresh flower. This new world had been far more cruel to Ryomen, so the boy had been desperate for a loving touch. When they had found him, Ryomen had been so shocked that they were being kind to him. Kenjaku was quite amused, but knew better than to break character. Ryomen was in his second decade like he was when he had Yuuji the first time. However, the mother would not be a nameless woman he got drunk with. No. This time, Kenjaku would be the one to have Yuuji. They had done it with Jin, mostly for their own curiosity. Having Yuuji was far more imperative now. It had been a mistake on Kenjaku’s end to not see the potential the boy held. They would never make such an error again. 

After getting drunk like he had previously, Ryomen had become a father. While they did want to do new things, Kenjaku still wanted other aspects of time to remain the same. They needed Ryomen to grow extremely attached to Yuuji or else their plan would not work. So they faked their death by exiting their host. 

From then on, Kenjaku watched and waited.

They waited and waited and waited and waited until-

“Hello, little one. I take it you’re my last student? ”

It had been a tedious process to become a teacher in such a prestigious school, but it was worth it. In the modern era, they decided to inhabit Kaori Itadori’s body once again. This time, however, they stayed with her for much longer. They also got rid of their dear Jin and old Wasuke to ensure that no one questioned Kaori, who was now a poor widow. As Kaori, Kenjaku decided to explore the world in search of the evidence of the creatures they had longed to study. For years, they traveled across the globe to find every piece of evidence pertaining to cursed souls. Eventually, they wrote a book about it, placing it in the catacombs for someone to read. And they knew that someone would be Getou Suguru. From inhabiting his body and memories, Kenjaku knew that Getou came to the catacombs to study what was meant to be forgotten. In this new world, Getou would likely have the same habit. With their knowledge from traveling, they were able to become a respected scholar in both history and biology. Soon enough, they received several degrees that Kenjaku could care less about. The pieces of papers were only useful in getting Kenjaku into the school Yuuji would attend as a teacher. Ryomen had been so careful to keep Yuuji hidden, but this paranoia was what made him predictable. The only school that Ryomen would ever allow his son to attend would be the one that required each teacher to have multiple degrees and yearly background checks. The only school that Gojo Satoru allowed was his adopted son, Megumi, to attend. 

Their theory was proven correct once the little boy entered their classroom. Kenjaku found Yuuji adorable, he was all pink hair and smiles. He looked at them without an ounce of fear. In fact, he had stuck to their side for most of the class. Yuuji was drawn to Kenjaku for a reason. Before Yuuji had originally been born, Kenjaku had given a piece of themselves to the boy in a binding vow. The only thing needed for the binding vow to be fulfilled was Yuuji being born. As long as that occurred, then a piece of Kenjaku’s soul would be sealed within Yuuji. It would allow Kenjaku to be linked to Yuuji like a more unethical version of a normal mother’s intuition. A binding vow between two people needed full consent, but that was boring to Kenjaku. They had not studied for thousands of years about souls, cursed energy, and more to follow the rules and limitations of jujutsu. In other words, Kenjaku cheated their way around a proper binding vow. They were quite proud of themselves for that one! It had been a stroke of brilliance!

While this linking did come with its risks, Kenjaku knew that the benefits outweigh the risks tenfold! 

There was so much to do now that another step of their plan was complete. It would be four more years until Mahito would be spawned, which was the main reason as to why Kenjaku kept to the same timing as before. The curse would be imperative later on. Even though they no longer had Getou Suguru’s cursed technique, they had developed something even better after centuries of experimentation.

Science was all about testing new theories, learning from failures, and improving prior methods.

And Kenjaku had always been a scientist.

Walking down a dilapidated block filled with nothing but dried weeds and rotting houses, Kenjaku smiled to themselves. The first day of class had been a success. It felt almost painful to have to return to their home after meeting Yuuji and the cursed soul cleverly hidden within his backpack. The purple cat was quite familiar, and Kenjaku could spot that distinct stripe across the nose anywhere. Besides Sukuna, they were the only other beings in existence who knew of the people that inhabited the world they originally came from. The similarities the six cursed souls had were only evident to Kenjaku and Sukuna.

It would be hilarious to see how their old failure would react to his superior counterpart. 

They entered a house that looked just as abandoned as the others. Kenjaku walked through the dirty house, ignoring all the bugs and rodents scattering about, and stopped at a metal door with a large lock. Humming a nameless tune to themselves, Kenjaku took out a key to unlock the door. Nothing but darkness existed outside the threshold. They called into it. “Subject Thirteen?”

After about a minute of waiting, Kenjaku could hear the quick footsteps of his newest project ascending the stairs. A jellyfish-like shikigami floated above their project, illuminating the old staircase with cyan light. The shikigami belonged to their recent experiment, a small boy with dark hair and sad eyes. He trembled as he gazed at Kenjaku. It made a sadistic delight fill them to see the fear in the boy’s eyes when the children of their class were not scared of them at all. Subject Thirteen was only a few years older than the six-year-olds Kenjaku taught, but he knew better than to start crying or whining for his parents. 

Because they were dead.

Kenjaku approached the shaking boy, placing a thumb underneath the eye that was not covered by the child’s messy bangs. They wiped the tears away and cooed at them. “There’s no need for that, remember? I’ve already given you your water portion for the day, and it would be dreadful to deal with you if you dehydrated yourself.” Subject Thirteen nodded obediently at their words, unconsciously leaning into their touch. Pathetic. Humans were truly such needy creatures. Since Kenjaku was in a good mood, they decided to provide the affection his experiment desperately craved. Plucking the pale boy from the floor, Kenjaku carried them on one hip. “Come along. I have much to discuss with you and Subject One!”

Another meek nod. Subject Thirteen kept silent as they descended the staircase, the boy’s shikigami there to light the way. Finally, once they crossed the last step, the underground lab Kenjaku had created greeted them. 

As did several others.

“What took you so long?!” Jogo, a curse with the destructive power of a volcano, shouted. Immediately, Subject Thirteen flinched and tried to hide by burying his face in their shoulder. Only to be unceremoniously dropped onto the concrete floor. The volcanic curse looked ready to kill Subject Thirteen, which made the boy squeak and scamper off to another part of the lab. With the experiment gone, Jogo continued his interrogation. “What was so important that you had to drop everything and leave us here for hours?! Neither of your twisted experiments wanted to tell us anything!”

“Because I ordered Subject One and Subject Thirteen not to.” Kenjaku replied simply, sitting down on the large couch the other curses were sitting on. On either side of Jogo was a curse that resembled a tree and another that resembled a squid. Hanami and Dagon. They could not speak, so Jogo needed to do all the talking. They looked at their painted nails with a bored expression. “Is that all you wanted to say, Jogo? Or is there more whining I will have to hear?”

Smoke rose from the volcano molded into Jogo’s head. His singular eye glared at them with malice. “What is that supposed to mean?”

“Whatever your ugly head thinks it means!”

“Why you-” Jogo growled in rage. One of his hands glowed with an orange light, intending to blast Kenjaku with a deadly ball of lava. “I’ve had enough of your disrespect, sorcerer! I’ll burn that smug grin off your face!” A wide smile spread across his features, revealing the black teeth he had. The ball of magma and flames made the entire lab start to heat up, but Kenjak felt no fear. 

Just as Jogo was about to throw his attack, his hand was cut off by a beam of blood. 

Subject One had intervened like Kenjaku knew he would. He was truly the perfected version of what Choso failed to be. He was ruthless, powerful, reliable, and most importantly…

Dark purple eyes gazed at them. “Are you alright, Master?”

He was under their complete control. 

“I’m fine! Amazing even! The next step of our plan has been completed, and there is much to do. Subject One?”

“Yes, Master?”

“Go get Subject Thirteen, will you? He’s imperative to the next phase of my plan!”

Kenjaku could not wait to start this phase as it would be far more entertaining than the previous steps. 

Infiltration. 

How fun!

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.

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-

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The room was both freezing cold and blistering hot. Countless candles acted as the only source of light, their fire causing an uncomfortable heat. In contrast, the atmosphere did not match this warmth whatsoever. Despite the barriers hiding the faces of the elders behind them, their harsh gaze could still be felt easily.

“Yaga. Do you know why you have been summoned here?” A feminine voice spoke from one of the several wooden panels. The disdain in her words was so clear that Yaga could see the scowl the crone had. 

Suppressing a sigh, Yaga responded as respectfully as he could. “I have not been informed of any recent issues, ma’am.”

“Of course, you wouldn’t see any issues with your students.” The same voice snapped. 

“You’ve always been far too soft on them, Yaga.” Another aged voice rumbled. 

My students? For a moment, Yaga was confused as his most recent students were too inexperienced to go on missions. Then the realization hit him, and Yaga could not suppress his frustrated sigh this time. Why is it always those four…

The barrier placed in the center of the room held the only person who Yaga knew the identity behind. Over the years, Gakuganji had become a thorn in Yaga’s side. As the principal of the only other school Jujutsu Society had, Yaga had believed that he would be able to have a rapport with the elderly man. However, Gakuganji was far too close minded and cowardly for Yaga to ever think of befriending. He avoided the other principal as much as he could. One reason was because Yaga simply did not enjoy the man’s company. However, there was another purpose for ignoring Gakuganji like the plague. A much more pressing reason.

Satoru. 

After the fateful Sendai mission, all of Yaga’s oldest students changed for the better and for the worst. The easiest example of this was in Satoru. While the once petulant teenager had grown into a competent sorcerer, Satoru had also become far more unstable . The day that Satoru had woken up after the mission was a day that Yaga could never forget. While Nanami and Suguru were still comatose, Satoru had been thrashing and screaming in his slumber. Yaga was the only person who knew the extent of Satoru’s mental deterioration. He had forced Shoko to rest as the girl’s eye bags were dark enough to be bruises. During his nightwatches, Yaga had seen Satoru grow more and more distressed until he had to be restrained by his wrists and ankles. The boy would wake up at random intervals before falling unconscious several seconds later. When Satoru had properly regained consciousness, Nanami had woken up as well. Instead of hearing the annoying quips Satoru was known for, the white-haired teen had silently stared at his surroundings until his cloudy eyes landed on Suguru, who had yet to wake up. 

He had never seen the boy so infuriated before. Satoru roared in rage as he lunged for his closest friend, snapping the leather restraints like paper. The heavy miasma that came with Satoru’s cursed energy made it difficult to breathe. A still recovering Nanami had tried to reason with the older teen, but was only met with Satoru attacking him like a feral animal. At that point, Yaga had tackled Satoru before the teen could kill either Nanami or Suguru, causing Satoru to scream nonsense in his teacher’s ears. 

“NO! NO! LET ME GO! I HAVE TO KILL HIM! THEY’RE GONNA TAKE HIM! THEY’RE GONNA TAKE SUGURU! LET ME KILL HIM! HE HAS TO DIE!”

With his own wounds sustained from the mission, Yaga struggled to hold onto the lanky teenager. Fortunately, Shoko had arrived just in time to inject Satoru with enough tranquilizer to put an elephant to sleep. Once Satoru went limp, Yaga and Shoko had been at a loss of what to do with him, considering how powerful the teenager was. The answer came to them by Gakuganji, who had been staying at the infirmary to watch over his own students' recovery, storming in. The elder ordered Yaga to give him the unconscious boy, but Yaga had refused immediately. Instead, Yaga followed Gakuganji into Tengen’s Corridors while holding a far too-light Satoru. If it was not for Tengen themselves opening a barrier to contain Satoru, Yaga would have refused to ever force Satoru in such a situation. When Yaga had left temporarily to redo the torn stitches in his stomach, he returned to an awake Satoru banging his head against the invisible barrier. The teen was doing everything in his power to escape while simultaneously screeching about how he would slaughter Gakuganji for something that the elder apparently did. 

Satoru had never been fond of authority, but his hatred for Gakuganji was something else entirely. When Satoru had tried to summon Red, the reversal of his technique, Gakuganji and the elders he had notified enchained Satoru as if he was a criminal to be punished. Despite how aggravating the boy could get, Yaga harbored no ill feelings towards Satoru. To see one of his students be so terrified and hurt , all because of the higher-ups' paranoia, made something within Yaga snap. What little respect Yaga did have for the elders disappeared the moment he saw them laughing about finally putting ‘the brat in his place’ and scheming about making Satoru’s imprisonment permanent. How the higher-ups could see a sobbing boy being tortured with hallucinations and only think about keeping Satoru bound like a weapon only meant to be used when needed…It was disgusting. No matter how his wounds throbbed or how exhausted he was, Yaga refused to leave Satoru alone. Shoko would share his sentiments and keep a protective watch on her friend. 

The damage Sendai had done to his students manifested in different ways. For Nanami, it was his withdrawal from Jujutsu Tech, only loyal to Yaga himself and his upperclassmen. Despite Yaga’s pleas for Nanami to return as a full-time sorcerer, Nanami refused with an unexpected amount of resentment and anger from the normally stoic blonde. For Shoko, she worked nonstop as one of the only reverse-cursed technique users, studying for her medical license in less than legal ways. While the sorceress had dedicated herself to quit smoking, she still took poor care of herself, putting all her energy into the sorcerers she had to heal. For Suguru, the long-haired teen had stopped being as distant, but he also became obsessed with studying cursed souls, the beings that haunted them all. The compassionate boy who was a role model for his underclassmen now had tattoos and piercings and spoke with barely-hidden disgust about non sorcerers. The elders were quite displeased at Suguru’s new appearance and attitude, their supposedly perfect sorcerer no longer perfect. The long-haired boy had been the happiest that Yaga had ever seen, so he had no opposition towards Suguru’s more rebellious-alternative self. However, Yaga had gotten quite frustrated with Suguru when he tried to pierce one of his cursed corpses for the millionth time. 

As always, Satoru was the outlier. 

He became stronger, but he also became unstable. If it was not for Suguru calming Satoru down, all the higher-ups would have been killed in a heartbeat. Early into Satoru’s recovery, the teenager would constantly snap at his superiors, even Yaga on occasions. At some point, Suguru had to be by Satoru’s side at all times until the risk of the elder’s being murdered ebbed. Over time, Satoru regained most of his self-control, but was still prone to outbursts if he was overwhelmed or overstimulated. He had abandoned his blacked-out sunglasses to thick, black wrappings that acted as a blindfold. Having his eyes covered to such an extent helped Satoru’s fractured mind immensely. While he would never be as composed as his younger self, Satoru had enough self-awareness that he would leave before he endangered anyone. 

Except for Gakuganji. 

About six years had passed since the Sendai Mission, and Satoru’s aggression towards Gakuganji had not faded in the slightest. Satoru hated the elder with a passion that Yaga had only seen in Satoru’s love of zunda and cream kikufuku. Which was saying something considering how Satoru would go on hour long spiels of how perfect the stuffed mochi was. Hell, Satoru had written an entire thesis about his favorite dessert just because he loved it that much!

So for Gojo to commit to hating Gakuganji as much as he committed to loving kikufuku…

Needless to say, Gakuganji was easily the most hated person in Japan. 

“The Gojo Clan has expressed their concern about the evolution of Gojo Satoru’s technique. They state that Gojo Satoru is using Limitless and the Six Eyes in ways unbecoming of a member of the Gojo Clan. As the only holder of such techniques, the Gojo Clan are perturbed by Gojo Satoru’s defilement of their clan’s most sacred power.” Gakuganji rumbled behind his barrier. His own resentment towards the younger sorcerer was palpable in his words. There were several sounds of agreement that came from the other elders. “You have the most contact with him, so we expect you to tell us as to why he is acting in such a manner.”

Yaga wanted to bang his head against the wall. This . This is what the higher-ups had summoned him for. They were worried that Satoru was being untraditional with his technique, an ability that had not been seen for over five centuries?! Of course, the ways in which Satoru used his Limitless and Six Eyes would be different from the sorcerers from an entirely different era! With his teeth clenched, Yaga responded. “Satoru’s strength and control over his technique has improved exponentially. I fail to see how this is a problem. Forgive me for asking, but is it not a good thing for Satoru to find new ways to use his Infinity? Jujutsu techniques went through advancements and innovations just like the world around us.” 

“That lunatic has no control whatsoever!” 

“He is a risk to us all!”

“He is likely the reason behind Getou Suguru’s downfall!”

“And Kento Nanami. He drove that boy away, costing us another sorcerer!”

The voices clashed against each other, saying worse and worse things about their most vital member. Indignation was the only thing Yaga could feel. How dare they. How dare they speak about his students in such a way?! Do they not know what they went through-

Gakuganji’s callous words broke through the chaos. “We have reason to suspect that your former students are conspiring with the King of Death.”

His heart stopped.

It wasn’t true. It couldn’t be true.

“What are your sources?” Yaga asked numbly. 

“Mei Mei.” Another elder answered, sounding almost smug. “Her services are far easier to acquire now. All we have to do is threaten her crows or her younger brother to make her comply. This is your only warning that we are keeping a close eye on those four sorcerers.”

Just when his disgust at the higher-ups could not become any higher, it skyrocketed with the admission. During the Sendai mission, the cursed soul resembling a feline had shot beams of blood at Yaga, which then went through his torso and onto Mei Mei. Utahime was also slashed, but it was a minor cut across her nose. The older girl was much less fortunate. Her eyes had been injured by the feline’s piercing blood attack. It seemed that the cursed soul could control the toxicity of its blood as Mei Mei suffered from poison while Yaga and Utahime did not. There was no antidote and Shoko could only do so much as a novice healer. Mei Mei would become permanently blinded from the attack, having to use her crows for daily use instead of strictly sorcery. Additionally, her baby brother would be born a few years after the attack. He became the young woman’s guide, always describing the scenery around them. His love for his sister was immense. If she still had her sight, Mei Mei would have taken advantage of that blind adoration. Instead, her little brother aiding her just because he could and not due to any ulterior motives caused Mei Mei to be fond of her sibling. He was useful to her, but he also was the only person that Mei Mei was attached to. In the past, Mei Mei had no ties or loyalties to anyone besides herself and whoever was paying her the most. She still worked as a mercenary, but the higher-ups were now freed from her high rates. 

It was not surprising that the elders would use this opportunity to take advantage of Mei Mei’s permanent injury. For years, Mei Mei had been a loose cannon of sorts, someone that the elders had no control over. Even Satoru was obligated to go wherever he was assigned. Now, they had earned Mei Mei’s loyalty through force and fear. Self preservation was as sacred to her as money, so she did not take lightly to threats on her life or Ui Ui’s. 

Part of Yaga wanted to be furious at Mei Mei, but he knew better than to question the higher-ups. With one word, they could make someone disappear or be labeled as a traitor. If they felt threatened, then they would do everything in their power to be rid of said threat. 

Cowards . Yaga hissed to himself. “Sukuna has not been spotted in years. He disappeared along with the cursed souls. We’re fortunate that we’ve been left in peace for so long.”

“Peace does not exist as long as curses continue to exist. We will enter a war the moment Sukuna reveals himself. He is just biding his time. We cannot afford anymore sorcerers defecting nor betraying us.” 

Yaga felt like his mind was going to explode. Defection. Betrayal. Conspiring with the King of Death.

Just what the hell had his students gotten into?!

-

“ You’re weak. All four of you. If my son is to be protected, then I will make sure that his human guardians are as strong as his monstrous guardians. I am not going to allow any more sorcerers, so you better be prepared to become a one-man army. ”

Ryomen words were far more literal than any of them anticipated. 

“YOU ARE NOT GOING TO BE CODDLED IN A WAR! EITHER YOU RUN THROUGH THIS COURSE OR I FEED YOUR CORPSES TO THE KOI FISH! NANAMI, YOU’RE UP FIRST!”

Nanami had never received formal training like Satoru or Suguru. Even Shoko had been an apprentice to a reverse curse technique user before he died after a fatal encounter with a special grade curse. They had someone to introduce them to Jujutsu, whether they wanted to know about it or not. At a young age, his upperclassman knew of their cursed techniques. For Nanami, he was not aware of his technique until he was thirteen. It had been a life or death situation with a group of armed robbers threatening to kill him and his family if they called the authorities. At the time, his parents complied with the request, holding his baby sister in their arms while hugging his terrified brothers and sisters. It was a smart decision to make, but Nanami did not view it as one. Not at all. In fact, he can still remember the intense rage he had felt at his parents lack of retaliation. While Nanami had never been an aggressive person, he had always valued the lives of his younger siblings far more than his own. As the eldest sibling, it was his job to look after them when their parents were at work. He had seen how vulnerable children are, how they needed to be protected by the adults. Nanami, in a reckless act befitting of an angry preteen, shouted at the robbers. They wanted to steal the valuables that would help send his siblings to school, and that was unacceptable. His protective fury made him sprint to the kitchen and grab the largest knife he could find. The roaring of his frantic heart deafened him to his parents' pleas to stop. He hadn’t cared. Nanami charged towards the thieves, something within him igniting like an inferno. In a panic, one of the robbers tried to shoot at his family. Before the thief could pull the trigger, Nanami slashed his kitchen knife in the air as if it was as natural as breathing. Despite the blade not making contact, the man still screamed in agony as his arm was sliced off. The other criminals tried to retaliate, but Nanami was already reading another blow. Blue light engulfed him as he dealt the final strikes. 

He had killed the entire group. 

When Nanami had realized what he had done, he dropped the knife and tried to go towards his family. His siblings cowered away in fear while his father barked at him to step back. It was the first time that Nanami had heard his father raise his voice. After living a life of mundanity and routine, his parents did not know how to handle something new, something different . Neither did Nanami as he had lived the same life of rules and normality. He grew up in a middle class family, lived in a middle class town, took care of his siblings, went to school, participated in sports, did his homework, received high marks on tests, listened to his parents, behaved in a polite manner, and always respected the rules. There was nothing remarkable about Nanami. He was not extraordinary or special like Satoru. He had no larger purpose or goals like Suguru. He could not heal others or be irreplaceable like Shoko. Nanami was prepared to live exactly like his father. Get a job, make money, have a family, and then retire to a foreign country. However, the choice of a normal life was ripped away from him the night he killed several armed robbers without even touching them. After that night, a rift had formed between Nanami and his family that could never be fixed. He became the black sheep of his family, the one that could slice someone into pieces and see ‘demons’. The only person that did not treat him like a ticking time bomb was a boy he had met after running away the same night as the robbery. Nanami could not bear the looks of fear from his family, so he ran from his house until his legs could not move anymore. His frantic sprint had led him to an abandoned park in a completely different side of town. He had always been gifted physically, but Nanami had never thought he could run so far. On numb legs, Nanami sat on a rusty swing, hearing the old chains squeak in protest of his weight. Just as he was about to stand, a voice appeared from behind. It belonged to a boy with brown hair and wide eyes. Haibara. 

It was thanks to Haibara that Nanami learned of Jujutsu High. He had to wait a few years until he could apply, so Haibara recommended that he talk to the teachers to learn more about sorcerers. Nanami declined. An actual sorcerer would need a teacher. He was just a kid with a weird slicing ability. Even so, he still kept Haibara’s words of training in mind. Several times a week, they would meet at the park and go to the nearest open field to spar. Nanami often trained alone as he figured out his ratio technique. He practiced until he knew the ins and outs of his technique and cursed energy as a whole. His tool at the time had been the kitchen knife he used on the robbers until Haibara surprised him with a new weapon on his fourteenth birthday. Apparently, Haibara’s father worked for Jujutsu High as a blacksmith, so he crafted a short blunt sword for Nanami. The man had even created a custom-made case and harness to hold the blade and wrapped it in white fabric with black spots for extra protection. It took several weeks until Nanami became accustomed to the new weight of the sword and how to make the most efficient strikes with it. He had never shown his family his abilities, and he had accepted the fact that they would never see him the same way again. In recent years, their relationship had become slightly less strained. Either way, Nanami didn’t care. He would still protect and provide for his family, but he wouldn’t keep himself awake at night from the hurt his family had caused him. It wasn’t worth the energy. 

As a sorcerer, Nanami kept this ideal of efficiency over anything else. It allowed him to make life or death decisions without freezing and gave him a level-headedness not seen in his other peers. He had tried to use this mindset when he left Jujutsu High and sorcery all together, working as a salaryman like his father had. The schedules, deadlines, calls, and more mind numbing tasks were easy for him to become accustomed to, but there was something nagging his mind every day he was living ‘normally’. 

He had left his upperclassman to fight against six creatures of hell. Entities that had bested Satoru and Suguru, the strongest sorcerers that Jujutsu society had to offer. Beings that haunted him like they haunted his upperclassmen. 

After seven months of working a corporate job, Nanami quit to return to his job as a sorcerer. However, there was a key difference in his loyalties than when he had first defected. He refused to work under the corrupted higher-ups. The only people Nanami took orders from were Yaga and his three upperclassmen. If they needed him, he’d be there.

The fateful Sendai mission had made him, Gojo, Getou, and Shoko become closer. In the past, they were a group that were on friendly terms, but each had their preferred person to hang out with. Haibara had been the heart of the group, bringing joy and laughter to them all. When he passed, no one could fill that void. They grew distant until the elders ordered him to accompany Gojo on a mission despite it involving a special grade curse. He had barely started his second year and was completely outmatched when they arrived at the abandoned warehouse. Neither he or Gojo were faring well against the six aggressive entities trying to kill him. With a stroke of luck, Nanami’s phone had not broken after being slammed into the wall by Overtime. He dialed Getou’s number with shaking fingers before he was ensnared by spotted wrappings. 

Nanami barely recalled the events of what conspired after being taken. The only memories he had were of being placed surprisingly gently onto a patch of grass. Distant sounds of screeching and shouting were not enough to snap Nanami out of the catatonic state he had adopted. No curse had ever made Nanami freeze. He was known for not hesitating, yet he found himself not able to move a muscle. 

That’s when he had felt it. 

A puff of breath,  as cold as the winds of a blizzard, was felt behind his neck.

The first time that he had gotten a proper look at Infinite was a moment that had caused him countless nightmares. Like a ghost of death, the feathered dragon had loomed over him with a hoard of eyes watching him and several ear piercing shrieks of laughter. Nanami had been completely certain that he would be killed, but he remained unharmed. It had happened so quickly, Infinite appearing to tap his beak against Nanami’s forehead before disappearing in a cloud of smoke, that Nanami had thought he had dreamed it. 

He wished it had just been a dream or hallucination. 

It wasn’t. 

The words Infinite had whispered to him would resurface whenever Nanami least expected it. 

“Be selfish. You deserve it.”

“Be angry. You have every right to be.”

“Be reckless. You’ll be limiting your potential if you aren’t. ”

Selfish. Angry. Reckless. Those were words that would describe the complete opposite of Nanami. He had always kept his composure and was strategic in battles, but…

“STOP THINKING! ACT! YOU’LL DIE IF YOU DON’T.”

All six of the cursed souls were charging at him at varying speeds. Each had widely different physical builds and abilities. Nanami did not have the time to make a proper plan when he was seconds away from being killed in Ryomen’s intense training. This was the test that would make Ryomen give Nanami, Shoko, Gojo, and Getou his full respect and trust. If any of them failed at whatever task they were given, then Sukuna promised that he would train them personally. Ryomen’s training was already difficult enough. Sukuna’s battle training would likely be impossible since the curse enjoyed messing with them as much as he could. Today was important. Nanami and the others would be tested to their limits. It would show if their four years of constant training was either for naught or worth the blood, sweat, and tears. 

Nanami breathed in deeply, allowing all of his thoughts to fade into the back of his mind.

He could only feel the weight of his blade in his hand. He could only smell the dew covered grass beneath his feet. He could only hear the cracking of leaves as the cursed souls ran over them. He could only taste the leftover coffee he had drank and the pancakes Yuuji had made for him. He could only see Overtime lunging at him with a razor sharp wrapping aimed at his neck. 

Be selfish.

Be angry. 

Be reckless. 

It went against everything Nanami believed in, but for Yuuji he would do it. 

He’d do anything to protect Yuuji.

Cursed Guardians (A JJK Fic)

AO3 Link

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It is vital that you retrieve this, Ryomen.

I know. 

We cannot let any of those humans get in our way.

Of course not. I’ll kill them if they try to stop me.

Kill them? Heh. The sorcerers won’t like that.

Do you think I care? I can handle their ire. This is far too important.

I agree, but try not to burn the place to the ground. 

It’s tempting. All of these people are just worms desperate to consume whatever shit is available. I’d be doing them a favor.

Hm. And here I thought you were growing fond of humans.

Never. The four sorcerers we acquainted are the only decent ones. The rest can rot.

There are civilians in this place, Ryomen. We would draw attention to ourselves if there are casualties. It'll be a pain to deal with. 

Like I said earlier, I don’t care. If they try to challenge me, then they die. Simple.

I see.

And what of it?

Nothing. It’s just that…Well-

Spit it out. 

It just seems that I have severely underestimated your dedication to capitalism.

“Shut up, Sukuna.” Ryomen hissed to himself. He was currently in the supermarket looking for a very special item. It had been sold out for months, but Ryomen refused to go home empty handed today. He would fight tooth and nail for what he desired. 

The Limited Edition SPECIALZ DELIGHT: A Ginger and Brown Sugar Ice Cream Swirl With Crunchy Caramel Bits from Cyclop Cat Creamery. 

The mere thought of the frozen treat made Ryomen’s mouth water. He shopped almost exclusively online, using a false address so the delivery person would not discover the location of the shrine. For the last several years, Ryomen had everything delivered to a small house a few hours away from their true home. The house had been abandoned long ago, but Ryomen had chosen it due to it being remote, but reachable for regular humans. Due to the multiple barriers and seals Infinite and Sukuna had placed, no one could enter the shrine without permission. If they tried, they would be killed instantly by the powerful wards placed throughout. By using the house, deliveries could be made without the messenger being spontaneously combusted or sliced into a million pieces. Additionally, the house used to belong to a farmer. At first glance, the fact may seem irrelevant, but it wasn’t for Ryomen. He was nothing if not prepared. The house was small, but it was built upon the vast land of a ranch. The farmhouse gave Ryomen the opportunity to use the place as a way to stock up on emergency supplies. 

Though, the supplies did not only include food or water. The farm the house was built upon was used to grow crops in case of a sudden apocalypse or if Ryomen had to hide his family away for the next decade. On top of that, Ryomen used the ranch to house cattle, chickens, sheep, and horses. This way, Ryomen would not have to purchase goods like dairy, eggs, or meat, things that expire quickly. That meant fewer trips to the store. And fewer trips to the store meant less humans Ryomen had to interact with. And less humans that interacted with him meant less chance of his family being found and killed . 

It was the perfect plan!

Ryomen had grown up on the streets in a village that saw him as nothing but a bad omen. The sensation of his stomach writhing in agony from starvation was more familiar than the warm feeling of a full belly. He was not taking any chances when it came to his son’s life. Yuuji would always have food on his plate and warm clothes on his back. 

The man was also no stranger to war. He knew what it was like to have no form of transportation, no form of escaping, during a time of bloodshed and chaos. He had many memories of falling asleep next to the bodies of the fallen as a young boy, pretending to be among the dead so the enemy soldiers would not target him next. When he made the deal with Sukuna, he had finally learned what it was like to be on the other side, to be the one causing the terror and death. From what he had observed as a boy and as a man, being able to retreat was what determined if you lived or died. So. Horses . Ryomen was familiar with horses, often sleeping with the hooved beasts in their stables during the winter because he had no other place to go. The horses Ryomen had now were descended from the original horses Ryomen had ridden into the many battles he waged. They were strong, loyal, and, most importantly, fast. His mind could rest easy knowing that his son would be able to escape if anything were to happen to Ryomen or Japan itself. 

And this paranoia did not worsen from the fact that his son was going to be starting public school soon. Nope. Ryomen was completely fine with that. 

Liar.

I know. 

He was not a trusting person, and he could not afford to be one no matter how many allies he obtained. After the fateful meeting with the sorcerers, Ryomen had taken it upon himself to venture out in search of the peach seeds that held his son’s soul while training the young sorcerers while also raising his precious son while also also having to look after six powerful beasts and one grumpy curse. Needless to say, Ryomen was exhausted, but he did not trust Sukuna to handle things for him. Not anymore. There had been a strain on their relationship after Sukuna had revealed his many secrets at the meeting. For the sake of Yuuji, the boy who loved his father and uncle so much that he could not bear to be without either of them, they had worked things out. They had fought for centuries, so what was one more fight? That was the mindset Ryomen held in order to keep his temper under control. Yuuji should not have to see his loved ones fight. For the following weeks after the meeting, Ryomen and Sukuna tried their best to act civilly or ignore each other as much as they could. 

As time passed on, they had begun a ritual of sitting by the pond, neither speaking to the other. They would not talk, scream, or even whisper. They simply basked in the peaceful silence. One night, however, Sukuna looked at the man and broke the quiet they had become accustomed to. Instead of the expected insult or sneer, Sukuna had apologized to Ryomen for what he had done. His normally brash voice was soft and remorseful. 

‘I know how special Yuuji is to you, Ryomen. I should not have kept the information of his soul’s whereabouts from you, nor the existence of Kenjaku. I’m…I’m sorry. I should not have assumed it was alright to omit so many things about your son. I thought it would be easier to wait and focus on caring for Yuuji, but I was wrong.’

It had shocked Ryomen to his core when he had heard the curse’s apology. There were several facts about the world. The sky was blue. Ice was cold. Fire was hot. Infinite was annoying. And, the most important fact of all, Sukuna did not apologize . Ryomen had never heard the curse admit he was in the wrong before that night. He had wanted to hate Sukuna, but Ryomen could not bring himself to. Even when he knew that Sukuna was still hiding things from him, Ryomen did not hate him. His trust in him had diminished, that would never return, but he had accepted the apology. Sukuna and Ryomen shared the same body and soul. They could not leave the other even if they tried. Even if neither wanted to admit it, Sukuna and Ryomen were brothers. 

The next few years had been much easier than the first with the additional aid of the sorcerers. Even though Ryomen was doing far too much, he was happy to see his son thriving. He would be turning five in a few days, and Ryomen could not ignore that fact any longer. As much as he wanted to stay in the shrine, Ryomen knew he had to go out and purchase the gifts that Yuuji deserved. The boy had even written the shortest wishlist imaginable after Sukuna and Ryomen practically begged him to ask for something. However, most of the requested presents were for other people, but Ryomen knew it would break Yuuji’s heart if he did not respect his son’s wishes. There were only three things that Yuuji wanted for himself, and Ryomen would rather be burned alive again than not get Yuuji exactly what he wished for. 

Knowing that the trip to the city would take a while, Ryomen had reluctantly asked the sorcerers to come to the shrine earlier than expected. For the past three years, the sorcerers had developed a training regime that involved them coming to the shrine once a week or once a month if they had too many missions. Not all four could come at the same time due to their differing schedules. Their visitation was timed carefully as to not rouse suspicions from the sorcerer’s elders. Nanami, the supposedly strict and avid rule follower, was the most skilled at sneaking out and deceiving the higher-ups. He came up with an interchanging schedule that his group could use to make the sorcerers’ weekly outings seem innocent. Due to the unexpected timing for today, only one sorcerer could attend. It was surprisingly Gojo, the sorcerer who was the busiest of all, who could take care of Yuuji. However, Ryomen had a feeling that Gojo would have skipped out on any mission just to see Yuuji anyway. The white-haired man adored Yuuji, becoming another uncle that Yuuji loved. The two got along like two peas in a pod. 

There was one drawback. Gojo was able to visit, but he had to bring one of his children to the shrine. His adopted son, Fushiguro Megumi, had gotten suspended after a nasty fight in school (a fight he had won) and needed to stay with Gojo. Ryomen was about to refuse until Sukuna urged him to agree. It was strange that Sukuna was so passionate about allowing the older child to visit, but Ryomen had relented and agreed. In the end, the choice was the correct one as Yuuji had squealed and smiled brighter than the sun when he learned that he would be getting to meet a new person. 

There was still much to do for his son’s birthday preparations, so Ryomen shook himself out of his thoughts and wheeled his cart towards the frozen dessert section. Ryomen had a bit of a sweet tooth, though not nearly as severe as Gojo’s, and was delighted to see no one in the aisle. It was early after all. Too early for most people to buy ice cream. 

The Cyclop Cat Creamery was, in Ryomen’s opinion, the best ice cream manufacturer in the country. Many pints of their ice cream had helped Ryomen get through his worst nights. Nights that involved him watching shitty telenovelas or dramatic family comedies on the couch, bundled in a blanket, and crying with a spoon in his mouth. All to distract him from the constant worry and stress he felt. Sometimes, Boogie would join him on the dramas he watched, as long as it featured pop-idol Takada-chan. The man and dog tearing up at each rejection at a sakura tree, each confession at a sakura tree, each break-up in the rain or sakura tree, each desperate sprint through an airport, each admittance of moving away, and even each family member who randomly gets sick. Takada-chan’s movies always had at least one of those events. Though, it was more likely for her films to have all six. 

…So, yes. Ryomen consumed quite a lot of ice cream. 

At least, Yuuji adored the flavors they had as well. Even Sukuna, who ate meat almost exclusively, was fond of the frozen treats. 

Hurry up!

Be quiet! I’m the one who’s paying!

Sukuna grumbled within his mind. Due to the nature of their shared soul, Sukuna could not stay in the shrine when Ryomen left it. He had to stay with Ryomen whenever he went outside their home. It was another reason why Ryomen hated going out in public. The curse would never shut up within his mind, always finding something to complain about. Ryomen received many odd looks when he would respond to the entity in his head, and it took all his self-control to not snap at the humans. He was a single father with too much on his hands. He did not have the energy to deal with the fools who stared at him as if he was insane. Ryomen probably had several screws loose, but he did not enjoy other people thinking that!

The coolness of the freezer aisle helped soothe Ryomen’s nerves. He first picked out Yuuji’s favorite flavors: BLACK FLASH , a dark chocolate ice cream with strawberry and raspberry swirls and LEFT, RIGHT, GOODNIGHT, an ice cream with three separate flavors that included milk chocolate, vanilla bean, and honeycomb. The titles were…odd. But the ice cream was good enough for Ryomen to not care for once.

Buy more.

I plan on buying several pints already. 

Good. Make sure you have enough to feed an army.

…

…

I expect you to tell me why.

…

Sukuna.

Fine. The brat and I will be having a competition to see who can consume the most frozen confectionaries. 

You mean an ice cream eating contest?

…Yes. It was on his birthday wish list…

Ryomen had to bite his lip to stifle a laugh. To anyone else, including Ryomen himself, Sukuna was the biggest asshole imaginable. Granted, Ryomen was as well, but his usual exhaustion hid his poor temperament. Sukuna was the type of person to push an elderly woman into oncoming traffic just because she asked for help crossing the road. An extreme example, yes, but it was great at showing Sukuna’s violent tendencies and astounding levels of pettiness. However, he was a completely different person with Yuuji. He would deny it constantly, but the curse was incredibly soft when it came to the boy. Ryomen shook his head with a small smile as he grabbed a few more pints. Once Sukuna deemed the amount of ice cream sufficient, Ryomen finally went for the flavor he had been waiting for for months.

At last! 

Just as his hand reached for the frozen dessert, another came and snatched the last pint of SPECIALZ DELIGHT before he could blink. It had happened so quickly that Ryomen’s mind needed a few seconds to process what had happened. 

OH, THAT FUCKING BITCH! LET ME OUT, RYOMEN! LET ME BEAT HER ASS! I SWEAR TO GOD, I’LL CUT OFF THAT HAND RIGHT NOW! THE FUCKING AUDACITY! STUPID BITCH! GOOD FOR NOTHING PIECE OF SHIT CU-

With practiced ease, Ryomen ignored the unholy screeching within his head. He tried his best to have a pleasant smile on his face as he turned to the thief person. It was a middle-aged woman with streaky blond hair that was cut into a bob. Her makeup was slightly cakey from the excessive powder she likely used. She had several fake gemstones on her rings and bracelets. 

The woman looked at Ryomen with a disgusted scowl. “What.”

Sukuna’s creative swears and insults grew louder, causing Ryomen to suppress a grimace. He pointed at the pint the woman was holding. “I was about to grab that, miss. I know it’s the last one, but I’ve been waiting for the restock for months. You see, my son is having a-”

“I grabbed it first. Go find another pint for your son.” She pointed a gaudy pink nail at Ryomen. “I suggest looking at the clearance aisle, you people can’t afford this stuff anyway.”

Stay calm. Stay calm. STAY CALM . Ryomen breathed in deeply, his smile resembling a snarl more than anything else. “It’s for my son’s birthday. Surely, you can let go of the ‘finders keepers’ mentality since you are clearly not a child.”

“I don’t care about your damn spoiled brat of a son! This is mine! Go to some other store!”

“No.” Ryomen gave up on trying to be polite the second the crone insulted his son. The woman looked like she had just sucked on a lemon with how pinched her face got. 

“How dare you! Do you know who my husband is! I can have you arrested for this-”

“Do it.” Ryomen said coldly. The woman immediately froze. “I dare you.”

For a few moments, it seemed like the horrid lady was going to give up. However, she got over her brief lapse and scowled harder at Ryomen. “You people have no respect whatsoever! I’m going to call-”

“My people?” Ryomen asked with his fists clenched, already feeling them heat up. 

“Yes, you people! You damn activists that dye their hair and act like they're superior to everyone else!” The woman looked more like a tomato with how flushed her face became from anger. She stomped her foot like a child throwing a tantrum. “Leave us good people alone! I’m not giving you anything! Your stupid son can-”

It was as if the very air around them had gone still. The buzzing of the fluorescent lights could not be heard anymore nor the constant buzz of the refrigeration units. Finally, the woman realized the mistake she had just made. Her eyes grew wide with genuine terror as the man in front of her bore his piercing crimson eyes into her. For a second, it seemed like the tattoos beneath his eyes opened. She blinked hard, and the eyes disappeared along with the blood red gaze. Despite being in the freezer aisle, the atmosphere around them grew unbearably hot. This was the first time that anyone had ever scared her this much. Her hands began to shake as the towering figure came closer. 

Ryomen snatched the woman by the neck before she could utter a cry of help. He let his palms grow hot enough to burn. “The only reason that you’re still alive is because I have errands to do, so I can’t waste my time tossing your eviscerated corpse to the rats . Though, the rats don’t deserve such rotten meat. Perhaps the maggots would take you. They eat all worthless, putrid garbage after all.”

There was now blood streaming down the horrified woman’s neck as sharp claws pierced into her. She had dropped the pint, the reason for the argument, the second he grabbed her. Her hands pawed uselessly at the iron grip the pink-haired man seemed to have. 

“Your behavior is disgusting. If anyone behaves like they are above everyone else, it is you. You’re a rotten woman who no one will miss. I would say you have time to change your ways, but that would be a lie, wench. Now, get out of my sight.” Ryomen unceremoniously dropped the woman who collapsed onto the floor. Her neck was bleeding profusely and part of Ryomen wanted to let the old crone bleed out. However, his common sense kicked in. Leaving a dead body in a public supermarket would come back to bite him. Instead of slitting her through or turning her to ash, Ryomen begrudgingly healed her using his reverse cursed technique. His was not as refined as Sukuna’s, but it would do. After healing her, leaving no scrap of evidence behind, Ryomen picked up the tossed pint. He heard the hysterical sobs from the traumatized woman, but he did not acknowledge her whatsoever. 

Well done, Ryomen. Though, your outburst better not have melted our frozen confections!

“Shut up, Sukuna.”

-

If someone were to ask Satoru about wanting children as a teen, he would have laughed in the questioner’s face and mock the person for such a stupid question. ‘Hell no.’ He’d say. ‘Why would anyone want to take care of snot-nosed brats for the rest of their life?’ He’d jeer.

Well, his younger self could fuck off.

“Megumiiiiii-chaaaaan~” 

“I’m punching you next.” Megumi grouched from the backseat of the car. The eleven-year-old had gotten into a fight with several boys at recess. Based on his minimal injuries, Megumi had won the fight. The boys that had tried to gang-up on his boy were much worse for wear, bearing black eyes and broken noses and scratches that likely came from a protective demon dog. However, Megumi was cradling his right arm and would wince whenever the car went over a bump. There were little to no bruises or scuff marks on Megumi, but Satoru knew better than to ignore the risk of something internal occurring. 

After receiving a call from Megumi’s school, he had to ask Ijichi to drive him since it would be jarring if he warped there. The younger man agreed without fuss, sweating profusely as he readied the car. Despite his jittery nature, Ijichi’s skill behind the wheel was unmatched. It was the only time that Ijichi would appear calm and confident. Once they arrived, Satoru had to pretend that he cared for the feelings of the delinquents Megumi had injured and act like he was disappointed in Megumi. It could not be further from the truth, but Satoru needed to be a mature adult in front of the school’s principal. They had given no punishment to the group of boys that had initiated the fight, but had suspended Megumi for two weeks. The parents of the brats that had attacked Megumi tried to lecture Satoru on his parenting skills. He simply smiled at the morons, thanking them for the advice and assuring them that this wouldn’t happen again. If the school had not been the most secure place Satoru could find, he would have ripped those parents and the principal a new one. 

When Megumi and Satoru entered the car, the elder immediately burst into giggles. In his mind, Megumi was being punished for something minor. When Satoru was his age, he had done far worse things to others. Though, the fact that Satoru had been homeschooled meant that all his tutors were paid to deal with his preteen-self’s horrid attitude. He could get away with anything, but Megumi was not being taught by a private tutor. He went to a public school, and the school had rules. Perhaps suspension was warranted for the brutal beating Megumi had given the boys…Maybe. He needed the full story. Satoru had been trying to ask Megumi about what happened for the past ten minutes, but the boy refused to answer. 

As the scenery of office buildings and shopping districts changed to something far more rural, Megumi perked up considerably. His dark expression faded into one of curiosity. There were hundreds of questions brewing in the boy’s navy eyes. 

“Got something on your mind, Megs?” Satoru glanced at the boy.

Megumi huffed stubbornly, a trait he and the twins share. He tried to make his black hair cover his eyes, but it only made the boy look like he was pouting. Eventually, Megumi spoke. “Aren’t you gonna ground me?”

“I don’t think that was the question you wanted to ask.” Satoru teased.

“Just answer, Gojo.” Megumi demanded, though it lacked the normal fire the boy was known for. Despite how hard Megumi tried to appear apathetic or stoic, Gojo could read him like a book. The boy was nervous, likely believing that he was in deep trouble with his adoptive parent. He had a tension in his body that suggested that Megumi was expected to be struck or yelled at. It pained Satoru to see the boy struggle with the trauma his good-for-nothing father gave him. While Megumi never spoke of the first years of his life with Toji, Satoru could tell that it was anything but pretty. It left him with serious issues involving attachment, abandonment, and being more closed off than a clam. It made Satoru want to kill Toji for the second time. And a third. And a fourth-

He shook his head to rid himself of the murderous thoughts. Megumi was still awaiting a response, looking more uneasy than before. With a soft sigh, Satoru turned away, knowing that the boy hated prolonged eye contact. “I’m not mad at you, Megs. I would have done much worse in your shoes, but you showed restraint. You’re a smart kid, so I know that I don’t need to tell you not to do it again. Not because the bastards don’t deserve it, they did if you ask me. You know what you did wrong, and I know you like this school enough that you don’t want to be expelled. The principal is a jerk, sure, but I’ve seen how well the staff and teachers treat you.” 

“...You’re really not mad?” Megumi whispered, eyes wide. For once, he acted like the child he was supposed to be, which had become rarer and rarer over the years.  

“I’m not, Gumi. Promise.” The white-haired man only used the nickname when Megumi was in deep distress. It showed Megumi that Gojo was being sincere. As the road grew bumpier, made from dirt and not asphalt, Megumi’s curiosity returned. 

The preteen’s brow furrowed in the way that it always did when Megumi was thinking hard about something. “Where are we going?” 

“Remember the friends that Suguru and I visit every month?” 

“Yeah? What about them?”

“We’re going to visit them. They’re pretty reclusive, so that’s why you haven’t met them yet. They’re good people though. It’s thanks to them that Suguru doesn’t burn water when trying to boil it, heh. Anyways, an emergency popped up, and they had to leave immediately. Here’s the thing,” Satoru paused for dramatic effect, raising his index finger. The spiky-haired boy was listening with rapt attention and did not enjoy Satoru’s sudden stop. After several seconds of Megumi’s impatient glare, Satoru continued with a grin. “They have a son, and there was no one else available to take care of him. He’s four, but he’s as sweet as Tsumiki. Well behaved too. I know he is going to love having a new friend. The kid has no friends his age, so be nice to him. He also has… guard dogs that are really protective so do not summon your shikigami unless strictly necessary, ‘kay?” 

Silence followed as Megumi processed the information, analyzing every detail Satoru had provided. As the boy got lost in his thoughts, the road got even bumpier. Ijichi had driven this path several times, so he was able to smooth the ride enough for Megumi’s arm to not jostle. Satoru leaned back in the seat, taking out his phone and opening his favorite group chat. 

THE STRONGEST BITCHES🤞😎

infinity3435: @everyone

infinity3435: omw to see yujiiiii with megs o(≧∇≦o)

infinity3435: jealous @curse_gobbler ? 

curse_gobbler: not particularly.

infinity3435: ur such a liar

curse_gobbler: stfu

infinity3435: make me (͠≖ ͜ʖ͠≖)

lesbianmalpractice: can y’all not be gay for once

infinity3435: nope  ｡◕‿◕｡

curse_gobbler: no.

curse_gobbler: are u homophobic shoko?

lesbianmalpractice: only when it comes to you two.

infinity3435: wow ಥ_ಥ

lesbianmalpractice: the more fucking emoticons you use the more homophobic i’m gonna get

infinity3435: (づ｡◕‿‿◕｡)づ

Nanami.Kento: I thought that we established that this group chat was for emergencies only.

infinity3435: it is

infinity3435: telling you guys that i get to hang out with yuuji today while you guys are stuck doing boring shit is an emergency

infinity3435: very important info

lesbianmalpractice: ur such a dick

infinity3435: u love me tho (◕‿◕✿)  

lesbianmalpractice: not at all

infinity3435: (◕╭╮◕✿)

curse_gobbler: lmao

infinity3435: SUGURU UR SUPPOSED TO BE ON MY SIDE 

curse_gobbler: says who?

infinity3435: says your loving partner of 84 yrs

curse_gobbler: satoru neither of us are even close to being that old. you need to stop watching titanic so much

Nanami.Kento: Well, Gojo-san does have the white hair most elderly are plagued with. It is possible that he has fooled us all with his age. Perhaps that is why he acts so childish, it’s to throw us off. 

infinity3435: NANAMI HOW COULD U? ┗( T﹏T )┛

lesbianmalpractice: HAH

lesbianmalpractice: NANAMI JUST CALLED U A FUCKING GEEZER 

infinity3435: u guys are so mean (இ﹏இ`｡)

lesbianmalpractice: ╭∩╮(╹◡╹)

infinity3435: SHOKO 

lesbianmalpractice: ─=≡Σᕕ( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)ᕗ

curse_gobbler: (•_•) ( •_•)>⌐■-■ (⌐■_■)

infinity3435: ALRIGHT QUIT IT 

Nanami.Kento: ୧༼ ºل͜º ༽ºل͜º ༽୨༼ ºل͜º ༽╭∩╮

infinity3435: WTF NANAMI

lesbianmalpractice: YES NANAMI

Nanami.Kento: Apologies if I used it incorrectly. I am not accustomed to this type of text.

curse_gobbler: u used it perfectly. couldn’t done it better myself

lesbianmalpractice: ^

lesbianmalpractice: @infinity3435 that’s what u get for shoving the fact that you get to see yuuji in our faces

curse_gobbler: ^

curse_gobbler: i’ve had to exorcize almost thirty curses and now im omw to excorcize more 

lesbianmalpractice: and i’ve been at the morgue all day 

infinity3435: sucks 4 u

Nanami.Kento: At least, the three of us do not have to spend extra time with Infinite. Even if Yuuji-kun and Megumi-kun are present, Infinite never misses an opportunity to train you. And, frankly, beating the shit out of you. 

infinity3435: HEY

Nanami.Kento: Now, please stop spamming this messaging forum. I have work to do. 

Nanami.Kento: Please tell Yuuji-kun that I said hello. 

lesbianmalpractice: goddamn i forgot how brutal nanami could be

cursed_gobbler: mhm

cursed_gobbler: well, i’ll follow nanami’s lead and log off. my train is almost at its stop anyway

lesbianmalpractice: yeah i gotta perform another autopsy soon

lesbianmalpractice: send pics of the little guys satoru

infinity3435: i will 

infinity3435: someway or another i’m gonna have megs and yuuji have a photoshoot 

curse_gobbler: good luck with that

curse_gobbler: you better send them 

infinity3435: you got it shnookums ( ˘ ³˘)♥

curse_gobbler: delete that this instant

infinity3435: no~

“I’m totally gonna start calling him that from now on.” Satoru giggled to himself. He put his phone in his pocket after turning it off. Now, the man could see that they had reached the expansive land of the ranch Ryomen… acquired . Using the rearview mirror, Satoru got to observe Megumi's smile as the boy pressed his face against the window like an excited child. The spiky-haired boy was none the wiser to Satoru’s stare, so he had dropped the indifferent front he tried so hard to keep. It warmed Satoru’s heart whenever Megumi acted like the eleven-year-old boy he was. 

Nothing made Megumi come out of his shell as effectively as animals. He watched the herds of cattle and sheep graze calmly on grass like it was the most intriguing thing in the world. The boy would also look at the many chickens across the lot with rapt attention, he had even unbuckled his seatbelt at this point to be as close to the window as possible. Both Ijichi and Satoru looked at Megumi with a fondness that anyone who knew the grumpy child would feel. After a few more minutes of driving, the house at the center of the ranch was visible. Several horses could be seen relaxing or grazing on the untrimmed yard. When the car made its way to the unmarked driveway, the horses made no move to run. The small herd had horses of various breeds and sizes with the largest towering over the car Ijichi was driving. In fact, it was the largest horse Satoru had ever seen. It was a deep, black color with white hair pooling around its hooves. Based on how it dwarfed the other horses, it was well over three meters tall. Based on the familiar crimson markings around its snout and eyes, Ryomen had likely given the horse considerable amounts of cursed energy to make it so large. Despite its imposing size, it did not appear to care about the presence of the newcomers whatsoever while the rest of the herd was watching them curiously. Satoru could not help but be reminded of Sukuna from the giant horse’s laziness. 

Whenever Satoru and the others were summoned for training, Infinite would appear before them and warp them to the shrine. He had no idea when or even how the damn bird knew where he, Suguru, Shoko, and Nanami lived. Infinite just did and would give whichever sorcerer he visited a heart attack. Wanting to delay Megumi’s meeting with Infinite as much as possible had led Satoru to request to go to the ranch Ryomen had spoken about. The pink-haired man had been ready to refuse before Sukuna convinced him otherwise, agreeing with Satoru that Megumi should not know what teleporting with Infinite felt like if he didn’t need to. Satoru was fine with warping himself and Megumi to the shrine. The ranch and shrine were over an hour apart, but Satoru could care less. He would deal with the migraine that came after warping a considerable distance easily. Ryomen had allowed Sukuna and Infinite to disable the many wards around the temple’s radius. It would be a temporary hold for Satoru to teleport to the shrine without issue, but the older man warned that the wards would reactivate soon and too not dawdle. 

“This is our stop.” Satoru said, unbuckling his seatbelt before stretching his lanky limbs. In the backseat, Megumi was still gaping at the horses in front of them. He gave Ijichi several hundred dollar bills as thanks, causing the younger to sputter and sweat. As an assistant director, Satoru knew that Ijichi was being overworked as much as the most talented sorcerers. There was so little staff that Ijichi had to do the work of at least ten people every day. He was treated with far less respect than sorcerers and expected to do much more work. Because of his younger age, the elders worked Ijichi harder than anyone else, like he was a dog. Yes, Ijichi did not put his life on the line to fight curses, but the higher-ups were giving their best shot at working assistants like Ijichi to death. It pissed off Satoru immensely. If it was not for Suguru, who was ninety-nine percent of his impulse control, he would have happily murdered those in charge of the assistant directors. Ijichi tried to give the money back, but Satoru remained firm. Eventually, he glared at the man. “Take the cash or else .”

It was an empty, vague threat, but it did its job. Ijichi yelped and bowed his head in thanks and accepted the money, blushing furiously. “Thank you, Gojo-san.”

“Don’t mention it. I know the geezers barely pay you a liveable wage. You need it.” Satoru allowed his cheerful front to drop for a moment. The assistant’s eyes were as wide as saucers from the sorcerer’s kind words. Not wanting to dwell on any thoughts involving the elders, Satoru gave his infamous shit-eating grin. “You better buy me something with that~”

Ijichi nodded frantically. As Satoru helped Megumi with his things, the tired assistant gave a small, grateful smile towards the older sorcerer before pulling out of the driveway and leaving. 

“Your friends are cursed users aren’t they?” Megumi said the second Ijichi’s car was out of sight. 

His abrupt words caused Satoru to choke on his own spit. “How did you- I mean- NO. They aren’t. Uh. They’re sorcerers. Good guys. Super duper nice. They’re harmless…” Satoru began to ramble as Megumi gazed at him with an unimpressed look. Dammit. The kid is too smart for his own good. He had planned to tell Megumi the truth in the safety of the shrine, but his cover was already blown. Ijichi had not been told the reasons as to why he had to drive to a random farm, so Satoru could not say anything in the car. It wasn’t that he distrusted Ijichi, he knew the man was loyal to Yaga and his friends far more than the higher-ups. Even so, the less people that knew about Sukuna and the cursed souls meant less chances of being caught. Ryomen would only allow so much information to be spread. Even Yaga was left in the dark as to where his previous students went. Deciding to bite the bullet, Gojo turned towards his son. He held out his hand, which Megumi begrudgingly took, and led him into the house. Two horses walked up to the pair, likely the youngest of the herd. It was a young filly and colt. The filly had a ginger coat, and she was clearly the more dominant of the two. On the other hand, the colt with strawberry blond fur tried to shove his snout into Megumi’s unoccupied hand. As if knowing the hand was injured, the young horse was incredibly gentle, sniffing at the boy’s fingers. The more prideful female did not get as close, but she was interested in whatever Megumi had in his backpack. 

Megumi had a small grin on his face as he went to pet the colt’s snout, much to the horse’s delight. “I don’t think a sorcerer would ever live this far out in the country. They’re needed in the city far too much. If a curse user wanted to stay hidden, they’d live in a place like this.” The boy’s deduction was correct. For a moment, Satoru basked in the pride of how intelligent his boy was. It made it impossible to hide things from Megumi, but Satoru could not help but be proud. 

“You hit the nail on the head, Megs.” Satoru watched carefully for any signs in Megumi’s posture that would indicate if the boy was fearful of meeting cursed users. When he found nothing, he huffed in amusement and ruffled Megumi’s hair. “You’re such a smart cookie!”

“Quit it!” Megumi snatched the hand in Satoru’s hold to swat at the much taller male. The ginger filly whinnied loudly at the two, almost like she was laughing. “See? Even the horses can see how annoying you are!”

“Oh, the pain! To be betrayed by my own flesh and blood! After all the hours I spent bringing you into the world!” He placed a hand on his forehead in fake agony. 

“We aren’t related! And you are not my mom!” Megumi growled with a fierce glare. However, it only made the boy look more like a hissing kitten in Satoru’s eyes.

“So mean!” 

They spent a few more moments with the horses until Satoru finally lead Megumi towards the inside of the house. The door hinges creaked loudly from lack of care. There was a scent of dust all around, but the house was relatively clean. The living room they were standing in was mostly barren, save for a ratty couch and worn chairs. Storage containers could be seen in every corner, organized in a system only Ryomen knew. Gojo knew better than to mess with any of the containers. 

Megumi had gone quiet again, observing the house. 

Eventually, he spoke up. “Your friends don’t live here, do they?”

“They don’t, but no one can disclose the location of their home. I made a binding vow along with the others to not reveal where their place is.” Gojo gestured towards the old home. “This is a middle ground of sorts. It’s safe if others know its location, that’s why Ijichi knew where to go.”

“But if we’re here, then how are we going to get to your friend’s house?” Megumi asked with a frown. The gears in his head were turning as he attempted to figure out the answer. Gojo could practically see the steam coming out of his nose. 

Satoru placed a hand on Megumi’s shoulder, kneeling to be at eye level with the boy. “I know you don’t like it, but we’ll be warping there. The place has countless wards and seals installed so no one can enter. It’s temporarily disabled, so we can travel there without issue. Warping is the only way.” At the idea of teleporting, Megumi shuddered. It was so disorientating, many had asked Satoru how he never experienced the effects of his teleportation. However, Satoru did feel the nauseating sensations that came with warping, he had just gotten used to it after years of practice. Besides teleporting, Satoru knew there was something more important to discuss with Megumi. “It won’t be too bad, Megs, I promise. But there is another thing-”

“Is it about the guard dogs you made up?”

“Damn, you're on a roll, kid.” Satoru muttered, mildly impressed. He pretended to not notice how Megumi’s little chest puffed up. With his knees beginning to hurt, Satoru decided to sit down, Megumi following suit. He pulled out his phone and opened a private album of photos that no one was allowed to see. There was even a passcode to the photo album. Satoru held out his arm in invitation, and Megumi climbed into his lap. Any embarrassment he would have felt was ignored for the boy’s need to learn more. Satoru pulled up a photo that he knew Megumi would enjoy. “You’re right, they aren’t guard dogs. Though, they still perform the same purpose of protecting my friend’s son. They’re called cursed souls. I’m sure you’ve heard of them, considering how much you like to sneak into Suguru’s study.”

“It’s his fault he didn’t invest in good locks.” Megumi defended. The preteen shifted his attention to the photo and immediately had to bite his lip to not burst out laughing. It was a picture of Nanami, but it depicted the man in a way Megumi had never seen before. To start, Nanami was not wearing his signature glasses and suit. He had on a loose, blue tank top and black joggers that were covered in sweat and mud. The normally stoic sorcerer had his eyes wide, looking behind him. He looked like he was shouting at someone with how his head turned and mouth opened. His well kempt hair was an utter mess. He was clearly being chased by something. It reminded Megumi of the many silly chase scenes he had seen in the cartoons he watched periodically with Mimiko. 

The ones responsible for chasing the blonde were three of the strangest creatures Megumi had ever seen. 

It was true that he had snuck into Getou’s study multiple times, but there was not as much information as Megumi hoped. It was mostly boring paperwork that Megumi did not care about. The treasures he did find were more interesting than any nature documentary. Getou had several drawings and notes describing beings called cursed souls. He had wanted to take the papers and read them in his room, but he knew that Getou was as observant as Gojo. He knew there were more details, they just were not in the study. Any items like textbooks or documents were likely hidden within Getou’s inventory curse. Megumi hated the ugly worm. Whenever he got his phone or remote to his television taken away, Getou would put it into the worm for safekeeping. Megumi knew he could not ask Getou about cursed souls without tattling on himself. From what little he managed to read on cursed souls, Megumi knew that they behaved differently from cursed spirits, they were powerful, they were unpredictable, and Getou hated the one that looked like a bird. 

He recognized the three cursed souls chasing Nanami from Getou’s sketches. Getou normally enjoyed drawing the many curses he encountered or consumed, so Megumi was not surprised that he would make sketches of these strange entities. One of them was a purple cat that had long, black spikes shooting from its back. It was the closest to catching Nanami, but the cat had a playful expression on its fluffy face. It had no intention of actually attacking Nanami. Behind the cat, there was a behemoth of a dog following with its tongue lolling out of its mouth. Concealing the canine’s face was a skull that could not belong to any animal on earth. To start, The top of the skull was jagged and uneven, as if there used to be horns that had been broken off, and seemingly fused into the dog’s face. It was wide enough to cover the canine’s wide features. Additionally, there were two tusks that curled upwards from the upper jaw. When Megumi saw the bottom jaw, he lost all hope of trying to identify the skull. It was bisected with jagged teeth throughout. It allowed the real mouth of the canine to move freely. Besides the haunting skull and strang fur pattern, it looked like an ordinary dog. A massive one, but still a dog. From the slobber on Nanami’s face, it seemed that the canine had given the blonde many kisses. Megumi’s demon dogs did not produce slobber, so their licks were exponentially less messy. The boy could not help but snicker at the image of Nanami being tackled by an overexcited puppy the size of a bear. 

The third creature had no animalistic features whatsoever, a stark contrast to the first two. Megumi turned to Gojo, a question on his lips. Before he could speak, Gojo answered for him. 

“The last one looks like Nanami, huh?” 

“Yeah. Did it copy Nanami or something?”

“Sort of.” Gojo pointed a finger at the last cursed soul. It had several spotted wrappings reaching towards Nanami. The left side of it looked like it was on fire while the rest of its body resembled a mummy. Its lower half reminded Megumi of a serpent. All the wrappings were identical to the ones Nanami used on his blunt sword. The cursed soul even had an altered version of Nanami’s glasses. When he looked closer, Megumi realized that the creature was wearing a second pair of glasses on top of its head. Likely Nanami’s. Gojo’s voice broke the boy out of his musings. “I’ll tell you everything when we get there, okay? If we wait any longer, the wards are going to reactivate.”

Megumi nodded, hundreds of questions swimming in his mind. He felt Gojo pick him up and instinctually wrapped his arms around the elder’s neck. The boy prepared himself for the unpleasantness that came with warping. Gojo gave the boy a squeeze, a nonverbal warning that he was about to teleport. He closed his eyes.

He felt the world around them shift and change. It felt like going on an elevator that was going too fast yet too slow at the same time. The elevator moved up and down, right and left, everywhere and nowhere. 

Then they were somewhere. 

“We’re here! You can open your eyes, kid.” Gojo said reassuringly. When the dizziness and nausea faded, Megumi was placed onto the ground. 

This wasn’t a house. 

It was a temple. 

Megumi was about to demand where the hell Gojo had taken him, but was stopped by a pink blur tackling him to the ground. As the boy’s mind processed what had happened, he went to yell at the jerk who slammed into him. However, any anger Megumi had vanished as he locked eyes with his assailant, who was giving him the biggest smile Megumi had ever seen. 

The younger pink boy wrapped like a koala around Megumi pulled away for a moment. “Hi! I’m Yuuji! I’m so happy to meet you!!!”

Somehow, Megumi just knew his suspension would not be as bad as he thought. 

-

If he was being honest with himself, Sukuna did not expect Megumi and Yuuji to be nearly as close as they used to be in this world. 

He had never been more wrong. 

Having Yuuji and Megumi meet was one of the best decisions Sukuna had ever made. Even Ryomen had begrudgingly admitted how grateful he was for Yuuji’s new friend. With a friend that was actually a child and not an adult or ancient curses, Yuuji blossomed. The amount of nightmares that Yuuji had had diminished greatly due to Megumi’s calming presence. 

Sukuna had not anticipated the bond between the two to be as strong as it was. Instead of being the same age, Megumi was roughly six years older than Yuuji now. It made sense back then for the two teenagers to befriend each other. Two teens had similar issues to relate to and were capable of having a balanced dynamic. Through Yuuji, Sukuna had seen how much the boys cared for each other. It had been something that Sukuna could take advantage of, and he did . He expected Megumi and Yuuji to be acquaintances at best in this time. Megumi was someone who was aloof and preferred to be alone. He did not seem like the type to be fond of children. He wasn’t.

But he was fond of Yuuji. 

Instead of ignoring the younger boy, Megumi had more or less decided that Yuuji was his little brother from now on. He was patient with Yuuji, helping him with preparing for kindergarten. Without any sign of the grouchiness Megumi was known for, he would explain the subject of Yuuji’s lesson in a way the boy could understand. It had been quite difficult for Ryomen when he was teaching Yuuji about reading, writing, and colors. Yuuji became distracted easily, often retreating into his own mind or daydreaming. Ryomen had never had the opportunity to teach Yuuji in things like literacy during their life in the Heian Era. The man had to prioritize on not having Yuuji starve or freeze to death every day. He enjoyed teaching Yuuji in the beginning, but soon realized he was out of his league. Ryomen himself had never been allowed to study in his previous life, learning how to survive instead of how to read. It was Sukuna who had taught Ryomen the basics. However, Sukuna’s teaching style was much less gentle. His tactics involved threatening Ryomen about ‘chopping off your dumbass head if you don’t memorize these damn kanji’. Among other threats of bodily harm or cannibalism. Megumi was the complete opposite. He tutored Yuuji without a hint of difficulty, no threats of eating his student alive whatsoever! Sukuna was slightly envious.

As a result of Megumi’s lessons, Yuuji felt more confident than ever about entering kindergarten. 

“Sukuna, are you sure-”

“Yes, Ryomen.”

“But-”

“No.”

“What if I-”

“ NO .”

“You’re a dick”

“Uh-huh.”

For Ryomen’s sake, they had agreed on having Yuuji start kindergarten at age six. The extra year had helped Yuuji be at the level he needed to be for school. If it wasn’t for Megumi’s tutelage, Yuuji would be incredibly behind academically. The many hours Megumi spent with Yuuji made the younger one stick to the preteen like glue. Whenever Megumi visited, Yuuji would follow him around their home like a duckling. Megumi did not seem to mind Yuuji’s clinginess, happily including Yuuji in whatever he was doing. He would talk about what he did at school and his older sisters the most. When he would speak about going to restaurants or shopping trips with his family, the longing in Yuuji’s eyes could be seen as clear as day. The boy had never gotten to know the pleasures childhood had to offer. However, Yuuji did not become angry like Ryomen or Sukuna anticipated. The child had every right to be upset, scream, or through a fit. Even so, Yuuji did not. Yuuji simply became…sad. He would ask a few questions about the outside world to Ryomen or Sukuna and would go quiet after they answered. Yuuji would nod his head before sitting on the backyard porch, Supernova usually settling in his lap. 

Sukuna could not stand the ‘kicked-puppy’ look in Yuuji’s eyes any longer. After many arguments that involved flames and blood, Sukuna had forced Ryomen to agree to letting Yuuji visit Megumi’s house for a few hours. Gojo and Getou had enthusiastically agreed, promising that nothing would happen to the boy. The guardians were not pleased at all. Only Supernova could accompany Yuuji due to his ability to shrink. It was impossible to hide away something as large as Infinite. The guardians’ forms were not discreet whatsoever. At least, Supernova could hide away in Yuuji’s backpack or hoodie. 

They had needed the boy to leave the temple for a reason. Yuuji’s first day of school was tomorrow, so Sukuna thought that a celebration was in order. It had been Gojo that had suggested a surprise party. The limitless user had bought gaudy decorations and entire boxes of Cyclop Cat Creamery desserts for the party. After seeing the competition Yuuji had had with Sukuna, Gojo demanded another contest. Yuuji had been too exhausted after his eventful birthday to have the ice cream eating competition he wished for. His fifth birthday ended with Sukuna and Yuuji eating their bowls sleepily. At the thought of a proper contest, Yuuji had perked up. Gojo and Yuuji talked endlessly about the competition and what they would do. Their energy was overwhelming to say the least. 

“Shit. I melted one again.” Ryomen grumbled. 

“Then let me handle the rest. You need to calm the hell down.” Sukuna responded without looking up from the table he was setting up. 

Even though Yuuji would be gone for less than a day, it was still the first time that Yuuji would be leaving the shrine. The boy could not contain his excitement when he was told the news. It was an important milestone for Yuuji. He would be leaving the safety of the shrine. Despite knowing that nothing will happen to Yuuji with the two strongest sorcerers by his side, Ryomen had never felt more terrified in his life. Sukuna had wanted to yell at Ryomen to shut up, but the trembling in Ryomen’s body stopped him. 

Their shared soul told Sukuna everything Ryomen was not willing to say. 

It wasn’t that Ryomen was a controlling parent and freaking out about his child being out of his grasp. Not at all. Ryomen encouraged Yuuji to make his own decisions and be his own person. He did not want to hold his son back. However, leaving the shrine was different. Ryomen now knew that Kenjaku and the disaster curses were out there. Sure, Kenjaku’s plan would not occur in another few years, but nothing was stopping the curses from harming Yuuji. Kenjaku did not need a plan to hurt his son. The fact that Kenjaku could disguise themselves as anyone in the country without detection made things worse. 

Sukuna saw the haunted look in Ryomen’s eyes. He was grasping a pint of ice cream so tightly that the carton had popped. The pain of flames and grief within their soul gave insight into where Ryomen’s mind was. It was the day the Ryomen had been burned alive with his deceased son in his grasp. The son that a healer had tried to take away and toss into a mass grave. The day that Ryomen left his humanity in the ashes of the village that he had once grown up in. 

The curse himself had seen the event firsthand. Sukuna had seen the soul-crushing agony Ryomen had felt when he realized that his son was not coming back. That type of pain could not be forgotten. Sukuna could still remember the scent of burning flesh and the sound of guttural howls from a man shattered by the cruelty of the world. Ryomen had never been the same, no one would remain unchanged after such an event. However, Sukuna had seen Ryomen’s normal concern for Yuuji begin to revert to the terror the man had felt centuries ago. 

That man would burn the entire world if his son was harmed and not be satisfied even after everything was destroyed. 

That man could not return. 

“Ryomen, go back inside. Watch your shitty television shows with Boogie and cry out the shit in your head.” Sukuna did not phrase it as a suggestion, but as an order. 

The man jolted at the curse’s sharp words. “What about the-”

“I’ll handle it. Go.” Sukuna spoke tiredly. He pinched the bridge of his nose before rubbing his face with a groan. “Yuuji will be back in an hour. I doubt he wants his father on the verge of a meltdown at a celebration meant for him.”

No rebuttal came from Ryomen. He was hesitant to leave until Boogie gently tugged on Ryomen’s hand with his teeth. The dog whined pleadingly for the man to listen. Ryomen resisted for a few seconds before giving in. He glanced at Sukuna, the bags under his eyes more pronounced than they had been in years. “Thanks, Sukuna.”

“Don’t mention it. Ever .” 

“Wasn’t planning to.” The pink-haired man ruffled Boogie’s fluffy mane. Immediately, the dog’s large tail began wagging so quickly that it became a blur. Supernova and Boogie had always been the closest to Ryomen. The purple feline helped Ryomen immensely during Yuuji’s infancy and continued to give his father useful insight on Yuuji’s wellbeing. Whenever Ryomen was overwhelmed after a stressful day or was being haunted by the horrors of his past, Supernova would leave Yuuji’s side, as long as it was safe, to keep the man company. Normally, the breakdowns, anxiety attacks, and other episodes that Ryomen suffered from occurred in the dead of night. Sukuna had no idea how to help, but Supernova somehow did. He would place himself on Ryomen’s chest and begin to purr and knead his paws, allowing Ryomen to pet his silky fur as much as he wanted. Sukuna would always be nearby as silent support, but it was Supernova that did most of the work. Boogie was the one that made Ryomen let loose. The mastiff was the most energetic of the guardians and was one of the few things that can tire an energetic Yuuji out. Especially a Yuuji with a sugar rush . His jovial energy was contagious to Ryomen. When Boogie wasn’t making Ryomen chase him or wrestle, the dog was Ryomen’s movie partner in the shitty dramas he watched. Sukuna had caught the two sleeping on the couch after a binge countless times, a puffy eyed Ryomen using a snoring Boogie as a blanket and pillow. 

It seemed that the guardians helped more than just Yuuji. 

Sukuna knew he would never be the subject of their concern, and he had accepted that. The cursed souls would not attack Sukuna like they did when they had first met, Yuuji would burst into tears if he saw the way Sukuna and the guardians hurt each other. Over the years, the guardians were mostly indifferent towards Sukuna and kept their distance. Infinite would still find new ways to make Sukuna’s days worse, but the bird did not give Sukuna hallucinations anymore. He would take Infinite’s pettiness over his psychic torment any day. 

At least, they were useful today. Without Yuuji, the guardians were lost on what to do. They were restless. Even though they had the perfect opportunity to attack Sukuna, they decided to aid him with the party. It was only for Yuuji’s sake. Infinite made it his personal mission to remind Sukuna of their dislike. The draconic bird would peck Sukuna with his sharp beak and then pretend that he had done nothing. Currently, Infinite had his beak shoved into the pint of ice cream Ryomen had dropped. His lengthy body was tangled in part streamers, but the entity did not care enough to remove them. Overtime slapped Infinite, causing him to squawk in offense, before taking the pint. The mummy used his wrappings to clean up the mess Infinite had made of himself. With Overtime occupied with Infinite, the two remaining guardians had to take on his workload. Resonance had placed herself in charge of decorations and would raise a razor-sharp nail threateningly at anyone who tried to interfere. The roses she conjured were quite beautiful, so Sukuna didn’t mind. 

“Don’t even think about it.” Sukuna growled. 

Chimera had been assisting with the chairs and supplies needed for the competition. However, the inky entity had apparently finished due to the fact that the being was now trying to sick his wretched frogs on Sukuna. Chimera clicked harshly in response, green eyelights narrowing. When his eyelights went to shift into another shikigami, Sukuna growled again. While Infinite was obvious with his hatred, Chimera’s ire with Sukuna was much more subtle. He would summon his frog shikigami the second Sukuna’s back was turned and release the frog the second someone was watching. Chimera’s gama frogs were a pain to deal with. They were not as dangerous as Nue or his demon dogs, but they were annoying. If Chimera was lucky, he would have a frog shoot its tongue directly into Sukuna’s ear. He had been successful a handful of times, and Sukuna remembered each one very well. 

A distorted warble came from Chimera as he stared down Sukuna. Eventually, Chimera’s hatred was put aside, knowing that Yuuji would be upset if his uncle was hurt. Despite not having any facial features besides his eyelights, Chimera appeared to be scowling fiercely. He shrunk into his smaller form, a sea-urchin blob of malcontent, and went underneath a table. 

This was going to be the longest hour in Sukuna’s life. 

.

.

.

-

.

.

.

The crisp air provided by the spring breeze in combination with the warm sun made it the perfect time to eat something cold. Many people were likely partaking in eating their favorite frozen desserts on such a nice day. 

One such family was indulging in the need for an ice-cold treat. However, what should have been a relaxing time spent with others had turned into an all out war. 

“QUIT CHEATING, SUGURU!” A man with white hair and dark sunglasses barked. It was Gojo Satoru, the person known for his sweet tooth, and he was being beaten by his partner. 

Suguru Getou, a sorcerer with a technique that forced him to eat the most vile objects in existence, chuckled. He had just finished his third bowl while Satoru was still on his first. In a sickly sweet voice, Suguru crooned to his boyfriend. “I’m not cheating, darling. You’re just being a sore loser. Even Yuuji is miles ahead of you.”

The boy mentioned perked up from his name being called. His cheeks were full of ice cream, making the child resemble a hamster. Five bowls were stacked next to him and he was already halfway through his sixth. His honey eyes sparkled with glee as he nodded to Suguru, mouth still full. When the boy swallowed, the other adults at the table watched for signs of discomfort, but Yuuji did not even flinch. 

“WHAT?! YUUJI-KUN! ARE YOU JUST IMMUNE TO BRAIN FREEZE?!!” Gojo exclaimed with wide eyes. 

Instead of seeing who could eat the most ice cream at once, the competition centered around who will get the infamous ‘brain freeze’ that comes with consuming something cold. If the competition had been based on the former, then Gojo would win without question. However, the sorcerer had to take miniscule bites to prevent his head from aching. Gojo Satoru was notorious for many things. Being the strongest sorcerer in the modern era, being the first person in five hundred years to inherit the Six Eyes and Limitless, being the fastest person on the planet, being a skilled mathematician and physicist, among many other things. One of said things was the fact that Gojo Satoru had NO tolerance for frozen sweets. His mind was always running one hundred miles per hour, so his brain was vulnerable to experiencing a brain freeze. It was ridiculously easy to make Gojo have a brain freeze. Due to this, Gojo was trying to eat as slowly as possible to prevent it…But-

“AGH FUCK!”

“Language!”

It didn’t work. 

“Gojo! You’re out!” An older boy with black, spiky hair and a megaphone announced from his seat on a lounge chair. Beside him were the first contestants that had lost, Nanami and Shoko. Though, neither person wanted to participate in the contest, so they forfeited after one round. Now, the pair were relaxing on identical lounge chairs the boy was sitting on, a bowl of their preferred flavor in their hands. Each had sunglasses and a matching smirk. 

The man in his twenties pouted, but left the ‘podium’. “Fine, but I’m gonna be the announcer! You suck at it, Megs!”

“I do not!” Megumi shouted, holding the megaphone to his chest. 

“Yeah! Fushi is the best announcer!” Yuuji defended his friend without hesitation. He pointed his messy spoon at Gojo with a frown. “Don’t be a meanie!”

“See! Yuuji said I’m better, so go away!” Megumi made a shooing motion with his hands.

Gojo shook his head with a frown before disappearing. He reappeared behind Megumi’s chair with a microphone in hand, causing the preteen to seemingly jump out of his skin. Wrapping an arm around his son’s shoulder, Gojo smiled devilishly. “We’ll be a tag team then! I’ll do the cool stuff and you do the boring stuff.”

Knowing that Gojo would not take no as an answer, Megumi just rolled his eyes. “Ugh. Fine.”

“Aw, you’re so sweet, Megs!” Gojo cooed before kissing his son’s cheek with an obnoxious ‘MWAH!’ 

Megumi looked like he had been stabbed. When he touched his cheek, his pale skin adopted a twinge of green. “You got ice cream on me, you jerk!”

Instead of responding, Gojo just stuck out his tongue cheekily. As Gojo approached the podium that was really two tables stuck together with a cloth on top, he raised the microphone to his lips. When he spoke, he sounded identical to a sports announcer. “Welcome folks to the most intense competition you will ever see! We pitted several champions against each other to determine who has the Toughest Brain in Japan!” He turned to his son with a flourish. “My fellow commentator, Megumi, will inform us on the rules of the game!”

For a moment, Megumi stayed silent while glowering at Gojo. Eventually, he caved in with a sigh and began to speak in a monotone voice. “You have to eat ice cream until the timer runs out or we run out of pints. Whoever gets a brain freeze is out. The person who lasts the longest without getting one is the winner with the thickest head, I guess.” 

“Indeed! Let’s look at our leaderboard. Tied for dead last are Nanami and Shoko! Who quit after one round to laze around like old people!” Gojo pointed at the aforementioned forfeiters. Neither reacted to their friend’s overdramatics. However, Shoko flipped the taller one off without looking away from her bowl. After Gojo finished teasing the two, he approached the table. He leaned down to the man sitting next to Yuuji. “It seems that Ryomen is the closest to being out! How are you doing, champ?”

The only answer Gojo got from Ryomen was a groan. His head was pressed against the surface on the table. Beside his head was a bowl of melted ice cream. “Trying to drink it was a mistake.” Ryomen’s muffled voice slurred. His hands were wrapped around his stomach in pain. Groggily, he lifted his head to try eating more, but gave up. “Yeah, I’m done.”

Yuuji patted sticky hands around his father’s broad back. “Papa, you gotta keep going! You can do it!” 

“Honey, if Papa keeps going, Papa is going to hurl.” Ryomen said, face still planted on top of the table. However, his words did not placate his son. It had the opposite effect. With determination in his golden eyes, Yuuji shook Ryomen harder. The boy’s inhuman strength accidentally made the entire table shake. 

“You can do it, Papa! I believe in you! You’re super duper strong! Your fire powers can just go FWOO and then HYOI! BRAIN FREEZE HAS NOTHING ON THAT, PAPA!” Yuuji said encouragingly. And loudly. Very loudly. “DO FWOO HOI, DAD! FWOO, HYOI!”

From her seat, Shoko cackled. “Kid’s gotta a point! Fwoo, hyoi is the way to go!”  

Gojo and Getou sent her a withering glare. 

Shoko grinned.

Ryomen groaned. “Yuuji, honey, not so loud. Inside voice-”

“But we’re outside?” The pink-haired boy cocked his head, confused. 

“Then use your Don’t-Make-Papa’s-Ears-Bleed voice.” Ryomen pleaded. He willfully ignored the mocking laughter from the four armed curse next to him. 

Finally noticing how terrible his father looked, Yuuji quietened. “Okay, Papa.”

“Thank you, son.” 

“Does your tummy hurt?”

“Yes, Yuu.”

“Oh! Do you need the orange tea that you give me when my tummy hurts?”

“Not right now, hun.”

“What about hot cocoa? It makes me feel better because it’s so yummy!”

At the thought of consuming another sweet, Ryomen sprang out of his seat with a hand on his mouth. He breathed deeply for a few moments until his stomach settled. Looking like he had completed a marathon, Ryomen panted. “Papa is gonna join the loser’s spot. Beat your uncle for me, alright?” 

Fortunately, his request halted any further questions Yuuji had. Without Ryomen in between them, Yuuji and his uncle could see each other. They locked eyes.

The curse with four arms and similar pink hair bared his sharp teeth in a challenging grin. He had eaten the most out of the group with a tower of bowls wobbling precariously. “So you think you can beat me, brat?”

“Yeah! I’m going to beat you and make you give me piggyback rides every day!” Yuuji replied with the same glint in his eyes that his uncle had. Both were competitive to a fault. “I’m gonna win, Uncle Kuna!”

“That a challenge, brat?” Sukuna leaned towards the boy, his predatory smile growing wider. 

“Yeah!” 

“Good luck, brat. You’re really going to need it.” Sukuna ruffled Yuuji’s hair, his hand large enough to palm Yuuji’s head. 

“Hey! I’m gonna beat you even more ‘cause you did that!”

“You mean lose?”

“Nuh-uh!”

“Yeah-huh!”

“Nuh-uh!”

As the uncle and nephew playfully bickered, Gojo slunk to the opposite end of the table. His grip around his microphone tightened as he bore his piercing gaze into a smug curse manipulator. “With Ryomen out of the competition, it seems that we are down to our final three. I wonder who our next loser is.” 

Getou smiled like a snake that had just caught its prey. He batted his eyes innocently at Gojo. “May I ask why you’re staring at me in particular, announcer?” 

“Because dry ice is next!” Megumi answered before the taller sorcerer could. His bored expression turned malicious. It was a look Getou and Gojo knew well. It was the look their children had before turning into goblins of mischief and mayhem. All the confidence Getou had been feeling vanished as Megumi grinned like the evil miscreant he truly was. “We’re entering the Sudden Death Round!” 

The moment the words left Megumi’s mouth, a screech sounded from the leaves of the largest tree in the backyard. Twigs and leaves fell as the creature inside climbed down. Snow white fur, colorful feathers, and a hooked beak twisted in amusement. It was Infinite, the being who loved tricks more than anyone. Infinite’s talons dug into the bark of the tree as he descended vertically. When he reached the soft ground, the draconic bird trotted to Megumi with a pleased trill. The group of cursed souls that Infinite belonged to did not react to his antics. Similar to Shoko and Nanami, the other cursed souls were sound asleep across the land. Two of them, a demonic canine and feline, had smaller bowls of their own that had been licked clean. The larger of the two, Boogie, was laying belly-up with a full stomach and snores. Supernova, the feline, had hopped onto Ryomen’s lap before promptly falling asleep in the perfect imitation of a loaf of bread. Due to not having mouths, Resonance and Chimera watched underneath the shade of a tree. It was up to Infinite to stir up things!

With his beak, Infinite reached into the cooler that Megumi had hidden and procused three bowls of ice cream. Each bowl appeared to be steaming like a boiling pot. However, the vapor was caused by the chunks of dry ice inside the innocuous container. There was only a small scoop in the bowls, small enough that it could be eaten in one bite. Which was exactly what Megumi had intended. Seeing the surprise on his parents’ faces, Megumi revealed his plan. “I knew that Gojo would want to take over the announcer role. That’s why I accepted the role and did it as lifelessly as possible. It would ensure a 100% success rate of Gojo taking my role.” 

“We really shouldn’t get on his bad side.” Getou softly uttered to Gojo, who nodded solemnly. However, Megumi had heard him.

“Too late.” Megumi deadpanned. 

From his seat at the table, Yuuji raised his hand instinctively, the motion ingrained into him after the many lessons he had had with the preteen. “Fushiguro?”

“Yes, Yuuji?” The older boy replied without a hint of the vengefulness he had shown his parents. 

Yuuji spoke in a small voice, curling in on himself. “Am I on your bad side?”

The sharp features of the ravenette softened. Megumi shook his head. “No, you’re not. You can be dumb sometimes, but you’re not stupid.”

While the adults were confused and slightly insulted by his response, Yuuji nodded sagely with complete understanding. “Got it. They’re idiots, but not morons.”

“Exactly.” Megumi nodded in approval. His voice immediately hardened as he looked at the others. “Now. Here’s how Sudden Death works. You have to eat the scoop in one bite and hold it there for at least five seconds. Try to eat it if you can, though I wouldn’t recommend it. You’ll probably break your teeth. Anyways. The one who can hold the scoop for the longest wins. Infinite?”

The cursed soul chirped in agreement. Within his durable beak and talons, the ice cold desserts did not injure him. He would place a bowl, fan it with his tail, screech, and repeat. When Infinite reached Yuuji, he cooed instead of shrieking, preening the boy’s mussed hair. The remaining contestants each had differing expressions. Suguru looked at his bowl with apprehension. Sukuna looked at his bowl with mild intrigue. Yuuji looked at his bowl like it was a hero to be admired. The contestants that had lost looked on in anticipation with Gojo cackling at the sweat beading down Suguru’s neck.  

Infinite retreated to Megumi’s side and chirped three times. The boy patted the cursed soul on the beak, which Infinite leaned into. Once everyone was settled, Megumi raised his megaphone for the last time. “You will begin eating in…Three…Two…”

Megumi stopped.

The remaining three were as taught as the string on a bow. Copying the technique that Gojo often did to annoy others, Megumi let them stew in the heavy silence. He would have made them wait longer, but Yuuji was actually vibrating with how hard he was trying to stay still. Placing the megaphone down, Megumi cupped his hands over his mouth to yell the loudest anyone had ever heard him. “ONE!” 

Instantly, Getou, Sukuna and Yuuji snatched their spoons. They all had a moment of hesitation as they stared at the plain vanilla ball. Deciding to risk it, Getou took the first bite with Sukuna following suit. Yuuji enthusiastically popped the ball in his mouth like a squirrel snatching a nut. 

“OWOWOW! NO! THAT HURTS! THAT REALLY HURTS!” Getou spat out the chilled scoop after half a second. His mouth felt numb all over. He thought his gums and upper palate were frostbitten. Somehow, it was so cold that it burned. He could hear triumphant cheers of Satoru and the quiet snickers of his other friends. 

Sukuna tried to appear nonchalant with the ice scalding his mouth. He had handled much worse. A little cold could not beat him. He made it to four seconds. The cold became too much, and he spat it out with a painful cough. The curse began using his reverse cursed technique to return blood flow to his numb and tingling mouth. Sukuna had been so distracted by the relief he felt to after being rid of the deadly dessert that he barely heard Ryomen’s worried shouts.

“WAY TO GO YUUJI! NOW, SPIT IT OUT!” Ryomen did not know if he should feel proud or terrified for his son not succumbing to the impossibly cold ice cream. So cold that Yuuji could develop irreversible frostbite. Okay, he was definitely terrified. “YUUJI! SPIT IT OUT! YOU WON!”

Taking Ryomen’s pleas as another challenge, Yuuji shook his head. The little boy went to bite down on the ice cream. He wanted to brag about eating the ball to his uncle, so he did not think twice about the consequences. As his jaw clenched, there was a loud CRACK . 

The air went deathly still.

Yuuji finally spat out the ball of ice cream. However, there was a tinge of red to the vanilla. He turned the ball around in his hands and saw his front tooth lodged into it. The boy yanked his tooth out of the scoop, waving it around excitedly to his father. “PAPA! I LOST A TOOTH! CAN WE PUT IT UNDER MY PILLOW?!”

Ryomen gave a shaky thumbs up.

Then he fainted. 

-

“Pencils?”

“Check!”

“Paper?”

“Check!”

“Crayons?”

“Check!”

“Folder?”

“Check!” 

“Snacks?”

“Check!”

“Water?”

“Check!”

“Lunch?”

“Check!” 

“Supernova?”

“Check!” Yuuji giggled, holding his beloved cat in the air. His Papa was so silly! He carefully placed a shrunken Supernova into his backpack. He gave his father a salute that he had seen in one of the movies Gojo had shown him. “Onii-cat is secured!”

“Then it seems that my little cub is ready for class.” His father sounded happy but sad at the same time. He carded his hand in Yuuji’s hair with a happy-sad face. Saddy? Ha-ad? 

Everyone else had given Yuuji hugs and well-wishes yesterday, but not Ryomen. At first, Yuuji thought his Papa was mad at him, but Uncle Kuna told him to not worry. Uncle Kuna said that his Dad was just sad, comparing his feelings to his guardians because they couldn’t come to class with Yuuji. 

He loves you, brat. So do your guardians. Don’t you think they’d be bummed if their favorite person was somewhere they couldn’t follow?

His Uncle Kuna was really smart. Fushiguro was smart too, but his uncle just knew things that Yuuji could never understand. 

All of the other kids had said their goodbyes except for Yuuji and Ryomen. Yuuji really wanted to go to his class, but his Papa still looked sad-happy! An idea popped into his head, and Yuuji wanted to pump his fist in the air. He stood up on his tiptoes and pressed his forehead against his Papa’s. It was a good thing that his Papa was kneeling. He was too tall!

“I’ll be okay, Papa. I pinky promise!” Yuuji stuck out his pinky. 

His Dad blinked several times before the sad-happy just became happy. He linked his larger pinky with Yuuji, a smile on his face. It made Yuuji feel all warm and bubbly inside! He liked it when his Papa smiled.

“Alright, Yuu. It’s a promise.”

“A pinky promise!”

“Yes.” Ryomen kissed the top of Yuuji’s head. “It’s a pinky promise.”

When his father left, Yuuji turned to finally enter his class. It was so colorful! His classmates were running around with toys or drawing on construction paper. He was so excited! Mister Getou had been teaching him how to draw, and Yuuji knew he needed to draw something for each member of his family. 

“Hello, little one. I take it you’re my last student?” A sweet voice spoke from behind Yuuji. He turned around and saw his kindergarten teacher. She had dark hair tied back with a pretty yellow headband-scarf thing. It had flowers all over and it matched with her yellow shirt and blue skirt. She had her hand out, waiting for Yuuji to take it. Remembering what Nanami had taught him, Yuuji took her hand and shook it as hard as he could. Doing it harder meant more respect, right?

His teacher laughed. “It’s nice to meet you too, Itadori Yuuji. I’m Miss Kenko and I’ll be your teacher from now on.”

“I can’t wait!” Yuuji squealed. He already wanted to run around, his legs were screaming for it! 

“Neither can I.” Miss Kenko said. She smiled at him, and it made Yuuji feel warm again. And cold. The nice lady pointed towards the cubbies. “You can place your backpack over there, little one. There won’t be any need for notes. Today is all about introductions!”

“Okay!” Yuuji couldn’t help but squeal. His first day was going to be cool! Not boring! He ran to place his backpack on a hook and took off his shoes, placing it in the nearest empty cubby. He put on his school shoes and grabbed his crayons. He heard Supernova meow worriedly, so he kept the zipper open. “Miss Kenko said we aren’t doing anything today! You can explore if you want! I love you, Nova! Bye!”

He saw an empty desk and headed towards it. There were four pages from a coloring book, just waiting to be filled! The first page was a volcano with spots, the second page was a forest with lots of roots, the third page was a beach with a big squid, and the fourth page was of a funky-looking cube. Yuuji began coloring in the first page when he felt a hand on his shoulder. 

“If you need extra coloring pages, let me know.” Miss Kenko smiled at him again. 

“I will! I’ll show you when I’m done!”

“That sounds great, Yuuji! I’m looking forward to seeing your skills.” With that, Miss Kenko left as fast as she came. It made sense. There were a lot of other students she had to keep an eye on. 

He got so absorbed in his drawing that he completely forgot about the question weighing heavily on his mind. 

The surname his father had given him was Ryomen. Ryomen Yuuji.

So…

Who was Itadori? 

"who knows what they still do on tumblr"

us:

INFINITE AND CHIMERA FANART: Shenanigans Edition by the wonderful @n0bluev!!!

*annoying chirp noises* IS SO HILARIOUS! Infinite is just as annoying as Gojo Satoru in canon ;) Perhaps more so because Infinite can screech like a banshee unprompted. This made me giggle so much to see Chimera do the classic Megumi Move: "Fool me once, I kill myself".

I adore the blob Chimera in this! Blob Chimera is best Chimera. He does use this form in the story, and this really makes me want to include it more! Besides Overtime, Infinite definitely enjoys targeting Chimera the most. Some things never change, even if the world is reset from the beginning <3

Thank you so, so much @n0bluev for all this wonderful fanart! It's an honor, and it reminded me as to why I started writing in the first place. Bit cheesy, but it's true. I love writing stories that people will enjoy or make them happy (despite all the angst I include aha) It's one of the best compliments for a writer to receive. However, I treasure each kudos, comment, like, bookmark, etc. from my readers. Y'all are the best!

BOAT YAKKO BOAT YAKKO BOAT YAKKO

As someone who has dealt with severe childhood trauma. Let me say, the way Steven is acting is valid. He’s angry, lonely, emotional, clingy, and more violent. Having your psyche be completely shattered will do that.

He doesn’t know what to do with himself anymore. All of his support systems are gone. With childhood trauma, you don’t KNOW you’ve been traumatized. You deny it at times when people tell you. And when you FINALLY come to terms with it, shit hits the fan.

Things will get worse before they get better.

That’s a saying my therapist told me. And it’s true. Dealing with trauma is not easy and will take a very long time. Steven is at his lowest right now. He’s acting out.

I really related to that moment Steven confronts Greg. As a teen who now KNOWS he’s been traumatized as a kid, robbed of his childhood, the anger Steven has at Greg is so real it hurts. At times, you wish SOMEONE was there for you. To protect you and prevent the trauma from happening in the first place.

Greg didn’t have the best childhood either. But he had a childhood. He went to SCHOOL, had a HOUSE, and lived with his PARENTS. That’s what Steven probably focused on. The normality of it all. He never chose to be a crystal gem. Steven rarely knows how to be a human. And he wants to be.

He may have been acting uncharacteristically rude (considering Greg built the temple, raised him alone, and was poor) but there’s still a reason. Steven could have lived a normal life free of war.

Sometimes you want to blame others for what happened to you. Other times you blame yourself.

The Gems finally show up again. What do they do? Tell Steven off for his new powers. Wanting him to suppress it. Saying how it’s dangerous.

They haven’t shown much support for Steven for the longest time. The boy had to help Pearl overcome her own trauma and heartbreak. Then he almost DIED trying to do that and Pearl really did nothing. He helped Amethyst with her self-worth. And they have got the best relationship imo. However. She did SHIFT INTO HIS DEAD MOTHER. Garnet was more stable and showed Steven the love he needed. However, she still has her own problems. Ruby and Sapphire ruined the trip Steven wanted so badly during the Keystone Motel episode. I didn’t see much of an apology. Plus there is the part where the Gems ALL made that fake simulation.

When a child grows up in an unstable household it isn’t healthy for them. It’s damaging. They see what’s going on. All of the negativity and pain is sucked up from them like a sponge. A child needs stability. Which Steven doesn’t have.

That’s why Steven now doesn’t want to tell anyone of what’s happening. For so long he’s been dealing with the gems problems that he doesn’t want to deal with his. He doesn’t know how to. When Steven said why he can’t tell Pearl anything, it really hurt. He says he’ll have to pick up the pieces. Even though it really isn’t his job. But kids that live like that for a while probably think they do.

I’ve live in a household like that. I tell my mom my real personal problems and she will get angry, cry, or breakdown.

You’ve been dealing with your families problems for so long that you feel like your feelings matter far less.

I think that’s why Steven wanted to be with Connie so much. She is one of the only people that can be the rock he desperately needs. Someone he can actually talk to and confide in. He doesn’t want to lose her.

Steven has not gotten any form of therapy and it’s is hurting him severely. The latest episodes make sense to me. It’s gotten too much for Steven. He’s in a lot of pain.

Some people who have suffered a lot WANT to cause suffering and pain to other people. Make them feel what they feel. And now Steven is hurting people. He shattered Jasper. KILLED her. And we all saw him smiling and laughing as he attacked her.

The corruption theory is at its strongest. It could be a message of how someone lets their pain be who they are. That their trauma is all that they are. Or maybe about death. Lots of people say “that person is gone” when talking about their old self. In the promo, they were showing clips of Steven as a kid. The kid who took the worlds problems on his shoulders with a smile and didn’t get much back. Sure he saved the universe and got lots of new friends but what else? Was there anyone to help him in the same way he helped Peridot, Lapis, Pearl, and so many other gems. Steven was basically a therapist when he shouldn’t have been.

Trauma manifests in many, many ways. And these episodes have surely been showing it.

(This was just me rambling. I’m not an expert and just speak from personal experience. Much love to everyone out there!)

Cursed Guardians (A JJK Fic)

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There was something truly comforting in a well-made dessert. It was easy to tell that there was clear effort put into the sweet treat. Skill too. Experienced bakers could create the most delicious of  foods with the simplest of ingredients. They can make any dessert look beautiful as well, so beautiful it hurts when you have to take a bite. Candy was not as much of a labor of love, but it brought memories of happier times with its burst of sugary flavors. Additionally, it was a great way to get a quick energy boost when your curse technique burns through energy like a steam train. All in all, sweets had never been associated with anything negative. 

So why…

“Why am I crying?” Satoru spoke with his mouth full of the pastry he just bit into.

He had never been a person with manners. No matter how many times his clan elders or Yaga or even Suguru reprimanded him for his total lack of respect and etiquette, Satoru remained the least polite person on the planet. His tears streamed down his face, causing the teen to taste a slight saltiness when his tears reached his mouth. 

“Beats me. I only teared up when I tasted it for the first time.”  A man in a blindfold with stark white hair replied as he leaned back in his chair with a grin. He was dressed in a black shirt and white pants. The outfit’s resemblance to the man who had nearly killed Satoru had made the younger boy shiver. When the elder explained why he wore the ensemble, all of Satoru’s worries were mostly put at ease. He was a tall man that made Satoru feel like a toddler in comparison. Scars littered every inch of pale skin visible. It looked like the older one had been put through some shredding machine and lived. Despite his scarred skin, the man didn’t seem to be in any pain as he stretched his broad arms over his head. “You’re just a cry baby.”

Quick to forget the sadness Satoru was feeling, he dropped his fork to slam his hands on the small table. “I am not, old man!”

“Hey! I am not old!”

“Says the man with gray hair.”

“We have the same hair color, kid.”

“Nope. Mine’s more of a snow-white. Your’s is definitely much duller ‘cause you’re old.”

“...I think I finally understand Yaga now.” 

“Because you’re both old?”

A lollipop was thrown at Satoru’s face, no Infinity to prevent it from touching. However, the teen didn’t care. It felt nice to be a normal teen with normal teenager capabilities. Even if temporarily, the perpetual weight on Satoru’s shoulders was lifted, and he relaxed further into his own chair. Wiping his eyes with his hand and placing his fork down, Satoru picked up the fallen lollipop and began unwrapping it, only to find that the candy had been broken from the throw. He frowned. “You’re a dick.”

“That makes you one too, little shit.” 

Gojo Satoru looked at his apparent alternate self with a raised brow. It was hard to believe the man considering he had been a monstrous entity who had terrified Satoru hours ago. Well, it felt like hours had passed, but Satoru had no idea as to how much time had passed in the real world. One moment he was fighting for his life and the next he was at a bakery eating with a man who shared too many similarities with him. While the reprieve from battle was appreciated, Satoru knew that Nanami was still missing and Suguru was likely panicking with him out of commission. When he had first appeared in this strange mindscape, Satoru was horrified to find that all his powers were gone. Even his Six Eyes had disappeared. Before he could panic, the man currently eating with him had popped out of nowhere. 

“Kid, I know this is really confusing for you, but I need you to listen to me.”

“I can’t let you leave until I’ve shown you what you needed to see.”

“There’s no need to be scared, little me, you’re with the strongest sorcerer in the world! Gojo Satoru, the original! Just call me Infinite, ‘kay?”

It was quite difficult to believe that Infinite was not who he said he was, but Satoru knew better than to trust anyone’s word besides his own…Or maybe Suguru’s and Shoko’s. Whatever. No one else’s opinion mattered to Satoru. However, this older version of him was hard to ignore. Especially since the man had taken Satoru on a tour of the best bakery he had ever seen. Infinite had shown the teenager this place, which somehow served all of Satoru’s favorite treats. Even the more obscure desserts that Satoru had tried on a whim and loved. For example, the manifested bakery served the strange crunchy, fluffy thing that was covered in powdered sugar that Satoru had tried in a sketchy convenience store a while ago. He did not even know what the treat was, but it appeared in the strange bakery all the same. No one knew about Satoru’s more random sugary finds. Listening to Satoru’s rants about regular desserts was more than enough, so nobody wanted to learn about Satoru’s odder adventures in satiating his infamous sweet tooth.

The evidence was on Infinite’s side, but Satoru was nothing if not stubborn. 

Not having his Six Eyes was the main reason as to why Satoru was so hesitant to trust the man. If he had his ability to see the unseeable, Satoru would not have had this many doubts. However, the pastry that Infinite had just given him only proved he was telling the truth even more.

On the outside, the pastry did not look like the perfectly constructed desserts Satoru was used to buying. It was a simple apple pie that had definitely seen better days. The crust was golden brown, but it was quite uneven and lumpy. An attempt at a lattice was on top, asymmetrical and torn in some areas. Despite how rough it looked, the taste of the pie itself could only be described as comforting.  The pie was warm like it was just taken out of the oven and was stolen before it could completely cool because someone had gotten tired of waiting. Besides the literal warmth of the pastry, the delicious taste made Satoru delightfully warm inside. It was cheesy to say, but the boy didn’t care. Saturu was someone that could not emit heat of his own. His peers always joked that he could make a snowman shiver or freeze water if he touched it. No matter what he did, his coldness never went away. People would flinch when his cold hands touched them suddenly. He couldn’t provide the comfort his friends gave him. Compared to Satoru, Suguru was a living heater with his constant heat. Whenever Suguru embraced him, Satoru melted into his hold. Satoru could never do the same for his best friend. Or anyone. 

But he was warm right now. 

The gooeyness of the apple filling caused memories of gentle touches and lullabies to appear. All the spices and sugars mixed wonderfully to produce a taste so comforting that tears spilled from Satoru’s eyes the moment he tried it. While the crust and lattice were not pleasing on the eyes, its buttery flavor made all the tension in Satoru’s body dissipate. 

There was an additional element to this pie, however. It was delicious and comforting and so warm…yet there was a sadness that permeated each tiny crumb.

“I’m sorry that you can taste his feelings in the pie. I know he would have hated that, but this place is made of my memories, so I can’t change it.” Infinite sighed and placed his chin on one of his palms. There was an untouched slice in front of the older man with steam gently rising from the fresh pastry. 

“He?” Satoru let his surprise show. He did not have his glasses either to shield his expressive eyes, so the teen had all of his reactions on full display.

“Yup. He. I know that Yuna-san had made it for us when we were children, but someone very dear to me tried to replicate it.” A raspiness made its way into Infinite’s voice, revealing how difficult it was for him to talk about this cherished person. The elder cleared his throat and offered a soft smile. “I told him about it one day, but I was surprised that he remembered it…It tasted just like her’s.” 

“Yuna-san…” Satoru whispered.

 The woman had been his primary caretaker after his parents died. He had been too little to remember the short time his father had been with him before sickness took him. Yuna was part of the staff that specialized in caring for Satoru’s needs as a young boy. The others treated it like a box to be checked, but Yuna treated Satoru with so much love that he had genuinely thought she was his mother. After a harsh scolding from an elder, Satoru stopped trying to call her ‘Mama’ or ‘Kaa-san’ entirely. Still, he adored Yuna and was uncooperative to anyone that was not her. It got to the point that Satoru refused to listen to his tutors during lessons, his martial arts teachers during training, and especially his instructors meant to teach him about everything surrounding jujutsu sorcery. All because they were not the only maternal figure Satoru ever had. Evidently, the elders were not pleased with the little boy’s worsening rebellious behavior and presented the child with an ultimatum. Either he obeyed and behaved like a respectable person or they would never let Satoru see Yuna again. As any five-year-old would when told such upsetting information, Satoru had a complete meltdown and sobbed for his favorite caretaker. Despite the child’s heartbroken wails, the elders treated it like a tantrum from a spoiled brat. They had simply dragged the crying child to his room and ordered that he could not leave until he apologized for his horrid behavior. Unbeknownst to Satoru, the elders had also commanded that all staff, including Yuna, were not allowed to enter Satoru’s room for the rest of the day. If they went into his room, then the elders would see it as treason and offer a punishment fitting for such a crime against the clan. Without anyone to comfort him, Satoru cried and cried and cried until he ran out of tears. He nearly made himself pass out when his sobbing grew into hyperventilating. He wailed for Yuna over and over again, becoming more upset the longer that he was left alone. 

At some point, Satoru had fallen asleep on the floor and woke up to see that it was night. The child felt sick to his stomach, dizzy, thirsty, and very hungry. His dried tears and snot were uncomfortable on his face and his head pounded from his breakdown. Satoru tried calling for Yuna one last time and started to cry all over again when she didn’t show up. Before his sobbing could transition into ear piercing wails, a gentle knock stopped him. Yuna had finally appeared with a soothing smile on her face. At the time, Satoru was too young to notice the fear and despair hidden in the woman’s dark brown eyes. All he knew was that she hadn’t abandoned him and immediately ran to hug her legs tightly. Her warmth washed over Satoru’s body as her gentle voice chided him to be more careful. Yuna gently pried Satoru off and revealed the steaming pie she had in her gloved hands. She had two objects in a pocket in her still messy apron. With his focus on the dessert, Satoru stopped crying and smiled widely with his stomach rumbling. He tugged on her apron, and Yuna let out a warm laugh as she sat down. She took off her apron and placed the pie on top of it, taking off her oven mitts to take out a fork and a water bottle she had swiped. Unsurprisingly, Satoru clambered into her lap and begged for his dessert. When the child usually did this, Yuna would remind Satoru that he needs to eat properly. However, she allowed him to sit in her lap, knowing how horrible Satoru’s day was…and how it was her last day with the energetic boy. In her soothing voice, she spoke of how this dessert was from America and that it was her favorite guilty pleasure growing up. The pie itself was gorgeous with its perfect crust and braided lattice. She told Satoru that she wanted to apologize for being so late and that she wanted him to eat however he wanted tonight. Satoru, too happy to be with his caretaker, did not see Yuna’s watery eyes and quivering lips. He agreed and stabbed his fork into the pie unceremoniously, scooping it into his mouth. When he asked if Yuna was going to eat, she shook her head and said this was all for him. It was delicious and made Satoru forget the trauma he had experienced at the callus hands of the elders. The rest of the night, Yuna told stories that made Satoru giggle and sung lullabies until Satoru fell asleep. 

When Satoru would wake up, Yuna was gone. 

Forever. 

Satoru bit his lip to stop it from quivering. He never spoke of his clan for a reason. His disrespect towards the elders and other clan members was very intentional. When Yuna disappeared, Satoru got quieter. At first glance, it seemed like an improvement to the others. They would be proven wrong as Satoru would spend the rest of his childhood being angry and aggressive towards everyone. In fact, the young boy ran away often, ignoring any attempts at punishment with a scowl. When the elders tried threatening him after his twelveth time running away, Satoru threatened them back and told them how they had no right to boss him around. The preteen spoke about how he would kill them without remorse if they tried reprimanding him again. He said how he would make their deaths as slow and painful as possible because that’s what ‘old, useless geezers like you deserve’. With his piercing, murderous gaze, Satoru successfully managed to terrify the elders enough that they left him alone.

He had gotten used to being alone. 

After Yuna’s death, the members and staff of the Gojo clan feared Satoru, and Satoru never bothered to change their perception of him. In fact, he threatened them often growing up as his strength grew exponentially by the day. The disconnect that formed between Satoru and any other human being made befriending others impossible. Satoru had to treat the world around him as if it was more fragile than glass. A simple high five from him could break someone’s wrist if Satoru was not careful. It was not worth the effort in Satoru’s opinion to restrict himself at all times if he wanted to play with weaklings. Though, labeling others as weaklings was his immature way of dealing with his lack of friends growing up. In actuality, an aching loneliness permeated every waking moment of his childhood, something Satoru hid with a cheeky smile and even worse personality. Spending most of his time by himself caused Satoru to become an arrogant egomaniac. Who wouldn’t? No one had the power he had. No one could best him in a fight. He was leaps and bounds above his own teachers and sorcerers.

 Everything changed when he met Suguru for the first time. As a fellow special grade, Suguru understood Satoru on a level no one else did. He, Suguru, and Shoko were the only first-years and would become quick friends from spending every single day together. Suguru and Shoko spoke to him like a person, not a god to be feared and revered. It did wonders in weakening the god-complex Saturu had begun forming. He had been truly happy with his friends. 

Then there was Riko’s death by Toji’s bullet. 

Then there was Toji nearly killing Satoru and Suguru.

Then there was the devastating loss of Haibara. 

And Satoru had been alone again. 

Shoko had become buried in her studies in medicine and healing, so she never had time to do anything anymore. Any time spent with her was short and silent as Shoko smoked countless cigarettes or fell asleep mid-conversation. The following months after the failed Star Plasma mission were a blur for Satoru as he spent many sleepless nights mastering his techniques and being sent on endless missions. He lost count of the amount of nightmares Satoru had. He would wake up screaming more often than not, but nobody came to comfort him. In the past, Suguru would break down Satoru’s door the second the black-haired teen suspected something was wrong. This time, Suguru never came. Suguru rarely spoke after the incident, no matter how hard Satoru tried. It was like talking to a wall. Any words Suguru did say were quiet and empty, nothing like his usual lively and smooth voice. When Haibara died, Nanami had locked himself in his room for days and refused to interact with anyone outside of missions. It was a loss that hit the group hard. Satoru, Shoko, Suguru, Nanami, and Haibara had been a tight-knit group for a long time. Despite this, they spent no time grieving together. Satoru would try to go to Suguru when the grief got too great, but the other was somehow even more unresponsive than before. At that point, Satoru gave up. The higher-ups sent Satoru on more missions with the loss of Haibara and Nanami being ‘unavailable’. Words were not enough to describe the agony that Satoru had felt when he was no longer allowed to be sent on missions with Suguru. He had noticed the decline of his best friend first-hand. Suguru never smiled anymore and his usual neat hair grew tangled and greasy. Even with the presence of his remaining friends, the loneliness that Satoru had thought he had forgotten about crept up behind him like a spider about to entangle its prey. 

“Makes you think a lot, huh?” Infinite’s voice broke Satoru out of his whirlwind of thoughts and memories. For a moment, Satoru had genuinely forgotten about what he was doing. With a knowing smile, the scarred man stood up and pointed to the endless land before them. “Now that I’ve let you reminisce for a bit, it’s my turn to walk down memory lane. Come on, I’m on a time limit here.”

Satoru could barely mumble a response before Infinite warped them to an unfamiliar house. It looked like it was straight from a magazine. While decorated, the place held no sense of warmth or coziness. Based on the pristine state of the white couch, carpet, marble, everything , it was obviously not lived in. Infinite towered over Satoru, a feat most could not accomplish with Satoru’s own lengthy limbs, lips pressed into a thin line. Infinite gestured his head to the side that led to the kitchen, expecting Satoru to follow without a word. Which he did. There was a heaviness in the atmosphere that was preventing the chatty teen from saying anything. Once they reached the kitchen, the reason for the heaviness was apparent.

A boy with pink hair was sobbing next to an open oven. He was curled up in a fetal position, his legs being hugged tight by trembling arms while his face was buried into his knees. Still without his six-eyes, Satoru could not pinpoint the nature of the crying boy or the place he was in. Based on Infinite’s earlier words and the blurred edges of the house, this was a memory of his older doppelganger. However, the painful sobs of the boy made any attempts at analysis halt in Satoru’s mind. Upon getting a closer look, Satoru saw the broken remains of an apple pie on the floor. The pan was metal so it was not broken, but the pie itself was damaged. The identity of the ‘he’ Infinite had mentioned earlier clicked. Satoru could see why Infinite had sounded so pained when speaking about the boy. Even Satoru was feeling an ache in his chest as the boy continued to sob uncontrollably. He was younger than Satoru, which made the ache even worse. The warmth of the open oven was overshadowed by the sheer devastation the pink-haired boy was emitting. At first glance, it could be seen as silly for someone to be so broken over dropping a pie. However, Satoru knew better than to assume the boy was crying for that one reason.

Footsteps from behind Infinite and Satoru alerted them of another presence. Infinite was stone-faced with his fists clenched tightly. Glitches seemed to occur in Infinite’s body, reminding Satoru of a faulty video game. However, the new arrival prevented any further questioning. A man that looked exactly like an unscarred Infinite ran into the kitchen. The crying boy did not react to the man’s gentle nudges at all. 

“ Yuuji-kun, what’s wrong? We’ve been looking for you all day, and you haven’t responded to anyone’s calls or texts. ” After closing the oven door, the man knelt down in front of the boy, carefully taking the boy’s trembling hands into his own. He kept his movements slow and gentle, treating the younger like a spooked animal. A soft sigh escaped the man as the boy’s cries continued. Eyes identical to Satoru’s own held a mixture of grief, pain, and anger. It was a look that Satoru had had when he had learned of Haibara’s death. Clearly, this boy meant a lot to Satoru’s second look-alike for the man to have such a reaction. Without hesitation, the man embraced the shaking boy, hands soothing over his back. “ We were so worried, Yuuji-kun. You know how dangerous it is to travel alone with Sukuna and Kenjaku out there .”

The name of the most feared entity in the world caused Satoru to jolt. Sukuna was supposed to be a thing of the past, no chance of him ever appearing in the future. Satoru glanced at Infinite again, but could gather nothing from Infinite’s expression. The glitches, however, had gotten more frequent. Satoru ignored the unease in his gut to observe the two on the floor. Besides sharing the same eyes and hair, the man held a similar cadence to Satoru’s voice. It was deeper, but all the other tells were the same. He simply sounded and looked like an older Satoru. On the other hand, Infinite looked more like a broken copy of Gojo Satoru. 

Satoru decided to call the man hugging the pink-haired boy Gojo. Infinite had his own name, and no version of Satoru would be left nameless! Additionally, he hated being called Gojo as it made him feel old. Thus, making the name choice perfect for this older version of him! Said version was speaking quietly to the boy, continuing to rub the poor child’s back. Eventually, the sobs turned into sniffles, and Gojo leaned back. Yuuji, which is what Gojo seemed to call him, was reluctant to let go. Gojo held the boy’s hands again to supplement the absence of his hug. As his thumb soothed over smaller ones, Satoru noticed how Yuuji’s hands were covered in scars. The skin of his knuckles was worn and bore heavy scarring. What caught Satoru off guard was the missing pinky on his left hand. Based on the gruesome scars left behind, it was likely that the appendage had been ripped off.

With a worsening feeling of dread building within him, Satoru had no choice but to watch the broken exchanges between Gojo and this ‘Yuuji-kun’ he cared so much about. The words they spoke to each other in comfort had the complete opposite effect on Satoru. Mentions of Sukuna, Megumi, someone named Kenjaku, something happening in Shibuya, the ominous Culling Games, the date December Twenty-Fourth, and so much more that Saturu did not understand. He felt especially sick at the talk about saving Megumi, the little boy Satoru had unofficially adopted last year, from Sukuna’s grasp. Countless apologies flooded from Yuuji’s lips, which were met with gentle reassurances from Gojo. From what Satoru had heard, Gojo was Yuuji’s teacher. It seemed ridiculous to imagine himself as a teacher, but Gojo acted like helping his distressed student was as easy as breathing. The clear adoration and trust Yuuji exhibited for his teacher only disproved Satoru’s doubts. 

“Is that why you ran off to this safehouse? To make this for me?”

“...Yeah. Your fight with Sukuna is tomorrow, Sensei, so I wanted to make the pie you told me about. Do something good… But I messed up…”

“Nonsense, Yuuji-kun! Your cooking has always been the best, and I bet your baking is just as good! The pie isn’t unsalvageable! The stuff is still in the pan, so let’s bake that stuff! We wouldn’t want it to go to waste!”

“But Sensei-”

“But nothing! We’re going to bake this pie, it’s gonna be delicious, and then we will go to eat dinner with the others, okay? Choso will probably refuse to let you go for the remainder of the day, but no one is actually mad at you. Everything is going to be alright, Yuuji-kun. Your Sensei will win, and this mess will finally be over. Does that sound good, Yuuji-kun?”

“Yeah…Yeah it does.”

Yuuji uncurled completely and lifted his head. Before Satoru could see any other features besides the boy’s golden-eyes, the surroundings around them disappeared into a void of black. All the dread that had been building up within Satoru reached its peak as he saw the glitching form of Infinite towering over him. His mask was still on, but Satoru could still feel the other’s gaze boring into him. 

“Do you finally believe me?” Infinite tilted his head like a curious bird. His arms were behind his back, further increasing Satoru’s unease. 

“Huh?” His sudden fear had clouded over Satoru’s more rational mind. He was frantically trying to remember what Infinite was talking about, but his chaotic thoughts offered no answers.

A giggle left Infinite. “Do you finally believe that I’m Gojo Satoru? I’ve made the effort to prove that I am telling the truth. I’ve shown you things that no other soul is supposed to know. I was generous enough to show you a memory of mine to prove that I’m not a mindless curse. It was even a memory that held information that will be useful to you in the future.” 

The question unsettled Satoru. It reminded the boy that the pleasant bakery Infinite had shown him and the memories Infinite had resurfaced and shown was not done out of kindness. Taking away his Six Eyes and Limitless technique was not done to give Satoru the reprieve he desperately needed. No. It was all done for Infinite’s benefit alone. He had been foolish to even entertain that such a monster could be his alternate self. His guard had been let down from the painful memories and nostalgic sweets. 

This was all an illusion conjured up by a twisted abomination. 

Nanami and Suguru still needed him. 

“No. I don’t believe you. You were pretty damn convincing, but it wasn’t enough!” Satoru readied his body for a fight, lifting his fists. His powers weren’t back, so Infinite had the advantage in a potential battle. Even so, Satoru was not going to let this monster continue to manipulate him any longer! “You’re not me!”

“Is that your final answer?”

“YES! You’re making me hallucinate because you’re a fucking monster!”

“Ugh. I knew you were going to be stubborn, but I tried to give you the benefit of the doubt. Sorry, kid. I don’t have the time to convince you any further, so we’re gonna do things my way.”

“Wh-”

In a blink, Infinite grabbed Satoru by the throat and lifted him into the air with one hand. His blindfold had vanished, revealing eyes that caused terror to surge through the teen. The grip on his throat was too strong for Satoru to escape from but not tight enough to suffocate. However, Satoru was only capable of extremely shallow and painful breaths, making his remaining strength dissipate. He had no choice but to stare at Infinite’s crazed face. Each glitch that appeared on Infinite’s body revealed the true nature of the creature slowly strangling him. The eyes of Gojo Satoru had always been his most well known feature. Seeing his eyes on this imposter was more unsettling than Satoru wanted to admit. While the striking color was the same, Infinite’s pupils were a cloudy white. It was the cloudiness that marked the end of a life. The eyes of a corpse. Not to mention, there were six of them. The main pair was staring at Satoru like a piece of meat. The upper pair of eyes were completely black while the lower pair was fully clouded over with blood leaking from them. Satoru tried to thrash around to escape, but the appearance of claws stopped him. This was it. This was the monster that had tormented Nanami and made Satoru feel weak for the first time. 

“I’ll make this quick. I am the cursed soul of Gojo Satoru, a sorcerer who perished in a world that no longer exists. It’s like resetting a computer. All the information is gone, so you gotta start all over again. Us cursed souls are like some random codes that stuck around. Make sense?” The squeeze to Satoru’s throat did not allow the teen to answer. Infinite’s hand did not budge even with the frantic clawing and thrashing from Satoru. “Codes can get corrupted, though. So corrupted that there is no resemblance to what they were prior to said corruption. That’s a cursed soul. We are what little remains of an erased world. We’re a sliver of a whole. So you can imagine that we’re not all there.” Infinite used his other hand to tap at the side of his head. His crazed expression grew into something dangerous as the grip on Satoru’s throat tightened so suddenly that Satoru’s vision went black for a moment. 

When the grip eased, Satoru felt tears prick at the corner of his eyes. Black spots were still in his vision, and his chest was in agony from the lack of oxygen. All of his struggles proved futile in Infinite’s iron grip. His words were swirling in Satoru’s head. While it was there, it wasn’t sinking in yet for him to form a coherent thought about it. Wheezes escaped Satoru’s lips and his hands tried to claw at Infinite for the umpteenth time. His lungs ached, yet his heart was pounding in his ears. Fear surged through Satoru as Infinite suddenly squeezed harder. His grip tightened and tightened and tightened until Satoru could feel his eyes bulge out of his head. The black spots grew, and the ache within his lungs turned into an inferno of pain. His body was screaming at the boy to take a breath, but Satoru’s windpipe was currently being crushed. Tears of pure terror flowed down Satoru’s throat. His mind was blaring alarm bells, telling Satoru that he would die if he did not take a breath. It hurt . Satoru’s chest spasmed with the desperate attempts at taking in a breath. He could not stop his body from trying to get air, causing indescribable agony for the poor boy. Fuck. He was going to die. He was going to die and there was nothing he could do about it this time. Suguru and Nanami still needed him! He couldn’t die! But his brain was fuzzy and his chest hurt too much to care. Satoru felt a wave of exhaustion hit him. His eyes were fluttering and his limbs had gone slack. 

Then Satoru was released.

Immediately, Satoru inhaled deeply to get as much air as possible. He held his throat as a coughing fit overwhelmed him. All his prior dignity was shattered as pitiful sobs shook Satoru’s lean frame. His resolve to defeat Infinite was gone. The mere thought of the other made Satoru scramble frantically to create distance. Infinite was staring at Satoru like the teen was an animal in a zoo exhibit. His body had grown long and spindly as Infinite slowly stalked towards Satoru’s retreating form. Even with his slow gait, Infinite reached Satoru once more. When he was close enough, Infinite crouched down and stared at Satoru, who had stopped trying to get away. 

“My bad. I lost myself for a bit there. This stable state doesn’t last that long, ya know? That’s why I’m in a bit of a rush.” Infinite grinned at the shaken teen. Sweat covered Satoru’s heaving form, caused by the fear and strain from being strangled. “I intended to show you everything slowly. Ease you into it. But convincing you to believe me took more time and effort than I thought, so you don’t have that luxury anymore.”

“Show me what.” Satoru spat with a raspy voice. 

“Everything I suppose.” Infinite sat down with his legs crossed. Though, it looked more like a snake coiling itself up to strike. “We’ve always been the strongest. It’s our burden to bear that cannot be shared with anyone. Afterall, we have something no one else has. Our Six-Eyes are much more powerful than you think. It transcends time. We can perceive something as long as we want and no time would have passed in the real world. Currently, seconds have only passed. Suguru has not realized what is going on. I’ve already shown Nanami what I need him to know and I will soon talk to Suguru. The aftermath of showing you three such things will be much more time consuming in reality than the act of speaking with you in the first place. Don’t worry though! Suguru and Nanami will be alright! I’m not as sure as to what will happen to you, though.”

The mentions of his friends caused Satoru to tense. Is that why Nanami suddenly disappeared? If Infinite had been aggressive and terrifying with Satoru, then who knows how unstable he would be with Suguru. What had Infinite shown Nanami? What information does Infinite need to show him? Satoru gritted his teeth. He was sick of Infinite’s vagueness. “If you’re in such a rush, just spit it out already! I have never been very patient with ugly pieces of shit!”

His nasty remark only elicited a laugh from Infinite. “Spicy! I forgot about how bratty I was as a teenager!” In seconds, Infinite’s jovial tone disappeared. His constantly switching moods were disorienting for Satoru, but he knew he was slightly similar in that regard. The air grew impossibly colder as Infinite stood and walked a good distance away. Despite his glitching form, Infinite had no problems with moving. His arms spread wide as the glitches took over his body. Where a man once stood, there was no the same beast that had terrorized Satoru. A shriek of laughter left the beak of the creature as Infinite crawled on all fours to the horrified teen. Somehow, his talons left gouges in the empty void as if he was walking on a real floor. Infinite’s tail spread out to the fullest, countless eyes staring at Satoru with the intensity of a thousand suns. 

All of Satoru’s limbs were paralyzed. Despite his desperate desire to run, Satoru could not make a single finger twitch. His body was not listening to his brain's frantic commands.

A distorted voice filled his ears, and Satoru felt his heart stop.

You’ve been a pain to deal with, kid. You’re lucky that I need you alive or else I would have killed you long ago. 

Listen. This world is a new, altered copy of an old one. What occurred in the old world we cursed souls are from cannot happen again. This is why I need to show you and your friends certain pieces of information. I’m sorry for attacking you. I’m not supposed to be able to speak or think this clearly in the first place. It’s a secret that you have to keep. My awareness is underestimated, and I’d like to keep it that way. So no telling. Especially Sukuna! 

And if you do tell, no one will believe you because I will revert back to a beast the moment I’m done speaking with you boys. This may be the last time I’ll ever get to be lucid again, so you better shut your trap and listen.

I know that you don’t deserve this, but I don’t have any other options. We’re the strongest in every world, kid. I was hoping that you would be able to live a more peaceful life than mine, but the world is a cruel place. Listen very carefully, okay? Sukuna has returned. His allegiances and goals are much more beneficial than before, so I highly suggest gaining his trust. You have the chance that I never did of having a better world, but you will need Sukuna’s help. A much greater evil will emerge, and you will lose without Sukuna. If he thinks for a second that you or the other sorcerers are a threat, then he will kill everyone. 

If you are going to listen to anything, listen to this. Sukuna’s sole purpose in life is to protect Itadori Yuuji. It’s my and the other cursed souls' purpose as well. We will not show mercy if Yuuji is harmed by any of you. That is a promise. Got it? Good. Moving on.

As an inheritor of the Six-Eyes and Limitless, your brain is capable of handling vast amounts of information without imploding in on itself. What I showed Nanami and will show Suguru is miniscule compared to what I am going to show you. 

You will receive twenty-nine years of information in the span of twenty-nine minutes. The memory I showed you earlier was real, and you will see many memories like it. I don’t care if you don’t believe me anymore. It’s your funeral if you don’t.

If you are idiotic enough to ignore everything I have said, then I will take matters into my own hands to ensure that Yuuji is safe and cared for. Trust me when I say that you do NOT want that to happen. You may be my alternate self, and I do want you to live a good life, but Yuuji’s happiness is my number one priority. 

Now, then. Are you ready?

“N-No…” Satoru gasped out. He wasn’t ready. He didn’t want to be ready. Ever . What Infinite had just told him was already frying Satoru’s brain. How the hell would he manage to handle over two decades of information?! Having the constant input of his Six Eyes was one thing, but such vast amounts of data, memories, and whatever else is too much! The past year has been so horrible already. He didn’t want to know anything that Infinite had to show him! So what if he’s the strongest?! He’s just a teenager! 

Are you scared?

The strangely gentle tone spooked Satoru. He still could not move, but he was able to grit his teeth in frustration. “I’m not! I don’t want to listen to your bullshit!”

It’s not bullshit. I know this year has been hard. I went through the same thing, only it got even worse. 

“You’re not me for fuck’s sake!” His angry shout sounded more like a choked sob. A quiet hum came from Infinite in response. Satoru’s head pounded from the stress while his lungs continued to ache fiercely. He hated him. He hated Infinite so much. “JUST SHUT UP ALREADY!”

Suguru was supposed to defect today. 

Satoru froze. 

This very night, Suguru was supposed to leave Jujutsu High in secret. He was supposed to leave on a train, get assigned a sudden mission to a village whilst on the train, go to the village, and slaughter every civilian in it. Over a hundred died by Suguru’s hand in a single night. This night. If I hadn’t intervened and caused trouble in Sendai, you would have never been sent on this mission with Nanami. Neither of you would have called Suguru. And Suguru would have done the same thing he did in my world. Because I intervened, Suguru is with you instead of that train. 

“Suguru was going to…” The teen trailed off before he could finish such a terrible sentence. His desire to defend his best friend was competing with the many worrying signs that Suguru was going down a dark path. Satoru had seen the emptiness within Suguru grow by the day. He noticed Suguru’s lack of scolding when Satoru would say something rude about non-sorcerers. He is aware that with Satoru and Suguru being assigned separate missions, Suguru has spent more time alone than ever before. He has heard Suguru mutter to himself time and time again when the black-haired boy thought he was alone. He remembers Yaga’s concerned eyes when Suguru stopped participating in class. He knew that Suguru had been distancing himself from everyone the day after collecting Riko’s corpse from the Children of the Star facility. Satoru’s denial was completely shattered with his last thought.

The few times that Suguru spoke, it was always about getting rid of the ‘monkeys’.

His mouth went dry at the realization that Infinite was trying to help Satoru. The person who benefited the most from Suguru’s presence is Satoru. Losing Suguru would be too devastating for Satoru to handle. If Infinite, this crazed monster, was telling the truth, then he had to experience the loss of his one and only today. 

It’s in the world’s best interest if Suguru does not become a curse user. You’ll need to stop him from such a fate. If you fail and Suguru commits to his plan of massacring all non-sorcerers, then you must do everything you can to keep him alive. His abilities are greatly sought after by an entity named Kenjaku. No matter what, Suguru cannot come under Kenjaku’s control. Kenjaku takes over the body of his victims by switching their brain with their victim’s body. They can mimic the behavior of their victim perfectly and they can copy the cursed technique and cursed energy of the body they inhabit as well. The only way that you can detect Kenjaku’s presence is a scar that appears on the forehead of whoever they’re possessing. The scar looks like stitches. 

If all else fails, kill Suguru and make sure to burn his body immediately. Don’t let your feelings get in the way. Having Suguru live is the best choice. I don’t want you to have to go through what I did, so please listen to what I have to say.

Tears burned behind Satoru’s eyes, but he refused to let them out. The images of his future self killing Suguru mercilessly invaded his mind. He didn’t want that to happen. 

He would make sure it never happens.

“I’m ready. Show me everything.” Satoru steeled himself for the influx of information. His mind was cycling through the names of the people Infinite had mentioned. Sukuna. Yuuji. Kenjaku. He repeated the names in his head to commit it to memory. “You said we’re the strongest, right? The strongest is supposed to protect the weak. Heh. That’s what Suguru used to tell me.”

And he would be right. Despite what he did in my world, my Suguru always had more sense than me. It’s likely that the overload I’m about to give you will cause a degree of brain damage. It won’t kill you, but it will have an effect on your sanity. Hell, you might be stuck in a mindless state for a few months. In my opinion, as a fellow Gojo Satoru, you’ll wake up in a couple days with some screws permanently loose. You’ll have Suguru to help you, so I see no future problems with your diminished sanity. Sound good?

Satoru let out a wet laugh. He pushed down all his worry and dread with a harsh swallow. The boy smiled widely with a cocky look in his eyes.  “Well, we’ve always been the strongest, not the sanest, right?” 

Right! Good attitude to have, kid. I know I’m making you sacrifice a lot and not giving you a choice to say no. You’re still so young. You should be enjoying your youth with your friends. 

“Yah don’t say.”

Let me finish brat. It’s likely that Kenjaku is going to be an even bigger threat than before. You’ll see why that’s super bad really soon. 

“Ooo! Lucky me!”

I deserve that, I’ll admit. Anyways! I’m sure that Kenjaku will take ten years to stir up trouble like they did before. You’ll have a decade to prepare. Take care of Megumi and keep an eye on Suguru and Nanami. I might even pop in for a visit during those years. Who knows? Maybe I’ll let you see Yuuji. 

“To be honest, I do want to meet the kid.” A much more genuine tone made its way into Satoru’s voice. 

As would anyone else! Now, I need you to remember not to tell anyone. Use these years to grow stronger and develop a bond with Yuuji. If Yuuji likes you, Sukuna and his vessel Ryomen will…tolerate…you. The higher-ups cannot know about any of this. They won’t believe you and will try to send you to the loony bin anyway. Just talk about it with Suguru and Nanami. Shoko and Yaga are trustworthy, so do as you wish with that. Utahime too. However, you cannot trust Mei Mei or Gakuganji. The old geezer is obvious as to why he’s trustworthy. I can’t remember how Mei Mei is at this age, but the Mei Mei I know only speaks in cash. Maybe try to change that? It’s not a priority but it’ll be a relief for your wallet!

“Huh. Thanks for the tip.”

You’re welcome. And, kid?

“Hm?” Satoru locked eyes with Infinite, who was now centimeters away from his face. The birdlike creature gave the boy a musical trill. The mask around his face disappeared and Satoru saw Infinite’s six eyes again. This time, they were clear, no cloudiness in sight. They each held immense relief and gratitude in them. Satoru took a deep breath, knowing that the banter was over. “So…You gonna do it?”

Infinite cooed in response, getting even closer. He was so close that Satoru could feel the white fur and colorful feathers tickling his chin. The scent of the beast was strange as well. It was like breathing during winter. The air was crisp but it made your nose feel cold. It was an even odder sensation to feel the beast’s fur when Infinite wrapped around Satoru. It was soft and dense with the occupational fluffiness of a feather. Additionally, the outer layer of Infinite’s white fur was cold, yet Satoru could feel the warmth of the bird’s core. It took Satoru a few moments to relax in Infinite’s grip, but he eventually caved in with the lack of attacks on Infinite’s end. It was like being hugged in all directions. Satoru could not help but think of the penguin documentary Megumi had forced him to watch two nights ago. He remembers how Megumi, who was normally grouchy and quiet, lit up as he explained how emperor penguins huddled together to preserve warmth during arctic storms. 

Satoru definitely felt like a penguin at that moment.

It was nice. 

The tip of Infinite’s sharp beak suddenly pressed against Satoru’s forehead. On instinct, the teen closed his eyes. His thoughts all came to a stop as Satoru solely focused on the warmth on his head. Of all things, Infinite’s beak was the warmest part of the bird’s body. It somehow made Satoru relax even more. Warmth was always good in his mind. Infinite spoke once more within the teen’s mind, his voice much more subdued than before. 

You will experience all my pain, all my anger, all my loss within moments.

It’s gonna be agonizing, but you’re strong. Stronger than anyone. 

You’ll be shattered, repaired, and shattered again. 

But you’ll come out stronger. Stronger than me. 

You may feel more alone than ever before after this.

But eventually…

You’ll be happy. So, so happy. I promise you that, kid.

No matter how tough it gets, just remember that everything will turn out amazing in the end. 

I know that you’re going to suffer, but I also know that you’re going to be loved. Megumi may not show it now, but he loves you so much, kid. Yuuji has barely been in this world, but I can already see the endless love he’s going to have for you. 

Suguru is going to love you if you give him the chance to.  Don’t miss that chance.

You’re a good kid. A real good one. Remember that, okay? 

Satoru’s Six-Eyes and Limitless technique immediately returned in full force. 

Everything turned into a blinding white. 

Your life will turn out so much happier and longer than mine could ever hope to be. 

__________

The first thought that went through Suguru’s head was simply: OW .

It felt like every inch of his body had been battered and bruised. Even the tips of his fingers ached. Normally, Suguru would try to sleep off any ailments that he had, refusing to go to Shoko more often than not. As a special grade sorcerer, Suguru was strong enough that most curses were not able to place a scratch on him. The only injuries he ever sustained on missions were the occasional bruise or cut. Sore muscles were not a new thing for Suguru, but the aching within him felt different than a strained muscle. 

All his energy had been sapped away. Suguru’s body desperately wanted to go back to bed, but his mind was too active and chaotic to allow him any opportunities to rest. Reluctantly, the teen opened his eyes with the grogginess of an elderly man. Once he managed to sit up, Suguru wiped the crust from the corners of his eyes and tugged on his cheeks to further wake up. After a few minutes, Suguru was awake enough to notice the strange room he was in. 

He was in the infirmary.

“I see you are awake, Getou-san.”

The quietness of Nanami’s voice caused a jolt of adrenaline to shoot through Suguru. He was startled, sure, but most of his shock came from how beaten Nanami was and the memories that came with his wounds. 

Nanami and Satoru’s terrified pleas. A shriek of laughter. Six monstrous entities. Eyes. Too many eyes. A baby. A bloody man with white hair. The existence of cursed s-

In an instant, Suguru jumped from his bed to kneel next to Nanami’s. His legs were too unstable to keep the older teen upright, so his short journey to the younger caused several things to crash. He grasped the white sheets of the infirmary bed tightly. His breathing turned heavy as he bored his tired eyes into Nanami’s surprised ones. Suguru analyzed every part of the blonde’s face. Once he was sure that Nanami was not a hallucination and was actually a living breathing person, he sat back on his heels with a sigh. 

Never one to beat around the bush, Nanami broke the silence quite bluntly. “You’ve been unconscious for nearly six days. Yaga-sensei and the higher ups are looking into the entities we encountered on our mission. There has also been a halt on all missions for the three of us until Yaga deems us fully recovered.” His left arm went to rub his injured right arm, which was currently in a sling. The hospital gown he was wearing did little to hide the countless bandages wrapped around the boy. There were more than a few burns across Nanami’s pale skin as well. When the younger noticed Suguru’s staring, he sighed like he had aged ten years. Nanami, someone who made sure to look everyone in the eye, was currently glancing anywhere but at Suguru. In fact, the underclassman was staring at the ceiling like it was the most interesting thing in the world. “Gojo-san is currently being held in one of Tengen-sama’s strongest cells. He woke up a day after I did and immediately tried to attack you. I tried to intervene, but he did not hesitate to attack me as well.” Nanami numbly gestured at his injuries. 

“Satoru attacked you?” Suguru felt like he was in an alternate dimension. The Satoru he knew would rather live without sweets than live in a world where he hurts the ones he cares about. Moreover, Satoru was disrespectful to the higher-ups, but he was smart enough to play along with their cowardly orders. He was strong enough to get away with his behavior, so to hear that his best friend was imprisoned did not sound real. What’s worse, Tengen’s barrier was being used to contain Satoru and Satoru alone. Those barriers were strong enough to keep all curses in Japan, preventing them from spreading into other countries. The fact that one of those barriers is now holding Satoru like a dog in a pound made white-hot anger flow through Suguru. 

“It was done to prevent Gojo-san from killing you.” As if sensing Suguru’s incoming rage, Nanami was quick to respond. Once more, the blonde sighed heavily, his exhaustion evident from the sickly paleness of his sin and the dark bags beneath his eyes. “We were all given hallucinations of some sort by the entity that resembled a draconic bird of prey. Shoko-san said that it’s likely that Gojo-san’s Six-Eyes caused him to experience a much worse hallucination than us, thus causing him to be in an altered state upon waking up.”

“That damn bird.” Suguru snarled beneath his breath. When he tried to remember what the shrieking menace had shown him, Suguru’s head immediately grew fuzzy. It was shocking to hear that Satoru had been restrained for Suguru’s sake, but that was not what was weighing on his mind. What concerned him most was Nanami’s mention of Satoru’s Six-Eyes causing his best friend to suffer intensely. No matter how hard either tried, Satoru could not explain his ability to Suguru and Suguru failed to understand the poor explanations Satoru provided. It was something that could not be put into words, something Suguru hated. To put it simply, Suguru liked knowing things. He refused to be left in the dark about anything, so he often went out of his way to gain any knowledge he lacked on a mission or lesson. This included going to forbidden areas to learn the stories Yaga was forced to omit during teachings. 

And Suguru knew just the place to get the knowledge he needed right now. 

“Shoko-san warned to not exit the infirmary without her permission.” Nanami said monotonously. Though, the boy did nothing to stop Suguru from shakily exiting the cramped room. 

“You got hurt. Satoru’s imprisoned and not acting like himself. I don’t need to know anything else.” While stern, Suguru made sure to keep any anger from his voice. His mind was still reeling, but time was of the essence. He could not afford to waste time being shocked or waiting for Shoko or Yaga to inform him on what happened. Satoru was still in that awful trance, and Suguru did not trust the higher-ups or the Gojo clan elders to not take advantage of his best friend. Every second wasted was a second added to the torture Satoru’s mind was going through. Despite his greasy hair and messy hospital gown, Suguru felt stronger than he has in months. He nodded reassuringly at Nanami. “You need to rest much more than me, Nanami-kun. I’ll take care of things from now on. I apologize for making you take on the work I was supposed to do, I have been weak for far too long. Thank you for carrying that extra burden, but it is now my turn to take it back.”

To anyone else, it would seem that Nanami had not reacted whatsoever to Suguru’s words. However, Suguru had known Nanami long enough that he knew all the tells of the stoic boy’s body. Nanami’s eyes, albeit slightly, had a watery tint to it. His right hand, the hand that Nanami used to carry his blade, twitched. It showed just how much Suguru’s words had meant to him. 

The edges of Nanami’s lips twitched up in a ghost of a smile. “Thank you, Getou-san. Though, to me,  your strength was not diminished in the least. It was simply redirected to something else.” Nanami returned Suguru’s nod. When the underclassman looked up, there was a knowing spark in his eyes. “Be careful with your studies.” 

“I will.” 

.

.

.

After stumbling into his room for proper clothes, Suguru found that there was a fresh uniform left for him on his bed. The suitcases he had packed prior were tucked into a corner, which nearly made Suguru pass out from panic. However, he quickly calmed down when he read the note attached to his uniform. 

If you’re reading this, then I assume you lost enough brain cells to go after Satoru despite being unconscious for several days. Dumbass. 

Here’s one of the uniforms you packed up. You better tell me about those suitcases or else I’ll cut off all your hair and burn it. I’m sure Satoru will help me hold you still. Dumbass. 

Satoru’s meant to be the idiot of the group, so do some magic true love gay shit to bring him back. I can’t handle more than one dumbass at a time. 

Good luck, lover boy.

-Shoko

Suguru had simply pocketed the note, ignoring how his face felt like it was about to burst into flames, and changed into his clean uniform. It was almost pitiful how eager Suguru had been to leave Jujutsu High and the Jujutsu world in general just days ago. Yet, his entire plans had been put to a screeching halt by a loud-mouthed white-haired boy he cared too much about. No one was stopping him from leaving. Hell, Suguru’s suitcases were still fully packed. It’d be easy.

But the thought of leaving now only caused bile to rise in Suguru’s throat.

With one last look at his suitcases and empty room, Suguru made his way to his destination with no further hesitation. 

The Catacombs of the Disgraced Ones

No one:

Patton in the latest episode:

Cursed Guardians (A JJK Fic)

AO3 LINK

NEXT

Sukuna loses control after regaining his true form. As a result, the entire planet is devoid of all forms of life. The only person left is Itadori Yuuji, his former vessel who he let live as a form of revenge. Even so, his defeat weighs so heavily on his soul that Sukuna finds himself questioning everything.

An old presence resurfaces from his soul, causing Sukuna to feel guilt for the first time. It pushes him to reverse what he had done to the world. Only, Sukuna has no clue how to manipulate time, so the new world he created is...different.

Yuuji's protection would be ensured, but his protectors are far from normal.

His meddling with time causes fundamental shifts in the world. People that should be dead live. Old enemies appear, but so do new ones.

Hopefully, Sukuna did not fuck up too much.

Gojo would be an absolute menace on tumblr 😭

Satoru booped Suguru and isnt letting him boop back (insufferable evil brat : [infinity mode])

Bonus: Catoru