Chapter Text
Itadori Yuuji had never seen the mountains before.
They stood serene, guardians of some ancient secret geologists would never uncover. Snow tipped peaks, and gentle rolling forests wrapped around its base, like a hand-knit blanket. Yuuji stood breathless for a moment, just breathing in the thick, petrichor-and-pine laced air of the range. He shifted his weight on the gravel road, craning his neck for a better look at the towering hills of stone.
Yanbaru, the field of trees and mountains. A national park seemed like a strange place for a curse to manifest, but then again, the nature of cursed energy was a strange and disgustingly convoluted concept.
Somewhere, deep within the mountains, lay the target of his mission. Part of him was disappointed that his first taste of such grandeur would be overshadowed by the presence of something so horrible, yet he was grateful all the same just to bask in the mountain's glory.
Yuuji wondered absentmindedly, whether or not it would be the animals’ first time seeing a human. At least he could share the feeling of surprise.
He remembered how his grandfather used to tell him that he needed to stop and smell the roses every once in a while, and stop breezing past everything, too excited to get to the next point.
If only gramps could see him now.
“Heyyo-! Earth to Yuuji-kun!”
A sudden hand obscured his vision, and Yuuji startled back, his train of thought interrupted. He smiled awkwardly, the expression spreading subconsciously along his sun-kissed face. Right. He was on a mission with Gojo, not a vacation.
“You alive?”
Gojo questioned, a hapless grin on his face. He had bent forward slightly, to be eye level with Yuuji. Yuuji frowned, rolling his eyes at the motion.
“Ha ha, yeah. I’m still kicking!” Yuuji responded, rubbing the back of his head and exhaling the breath of air he hadn’t known he was holding. He glanced at Gojo, searching for approval or something else, he didn’t know. “I was just spacing out.” He added in a low mumble.
Gojo stood near him for a moment, the dying rays of sunlight casting a fermented golden glow over his hair, dying it a strange pale-orange color. Yuuji wished Gojo wouldn’t wear his blindfold all the time- there was no way that he could really appreciate the sunset if he had a blindfold on, six eyes or not.
Sometimes, Yuuji caught himself staring, like he couldn’t focus on anything else. He’d been around his sensei for a while, but he still couldn’t help but be startled on occasion. Gojo was almost ethereal- a tall, subtly muscled body contrasted to angel soft white hair. Yuuji was starting to think there was never any getting used to him. Especially that cursed energy of his- every time he let it loose, or even just activated infinity, the intense pressure that radiated off of him was damn near suffocating.
“Right. No more time for daydreaming then, we’ve got a job to do!”
Gojo announced with an uncanny amount of cheer, not unlike the cat who got the cream. He led the way, his brown scarf bouncing with each step. It was a strange article the man had insisted he acquire before setting out, of course leading Yuuji without any gear or backup equipment.
He didn’t think it would be too much of an issue- he’d always been told he had the stamina of a horse. He thought that was a bit ridiculous, but seeing himself now he supposed it was true.
I mean, not every teenager could punch through a brick wall. Right?
He looked forward at the path ahead of him, which seemed like a messy deer track. It was muddy and hard to follow, but it wasn’t impossible to see where it was going for the most part.
The squelching of the mud was uncomfortably close to the sound of meat on flesh, leaving him wincing. The heavy sludge of Sukuna stirred, laughing in the back of his mind as if this were some comedy show. He-it, was hungry.
Yuuji was immediately reminded that he needed to focus. To focus and suppress the gnawing beast that ravaged the inside of his skull, demanding sacrifice and bloodshed.
”Aaand, for today's lesson we’re learning something very important! Perseverance! Since these mountains are almost completely untouched, we’ll be doing some bushwhacking.” Gojo announced, clapping his hands once as he perched atop a stone. Yuuji looked behind him at the brush and pine, and braced himself with a slight smile. Gojo was already using his lecture-voice, which probably meant this would be a long, long hike. At least he had the chance to spend time with his teacher…
“Sensei, are you sure this won’t take too much time?”
Yuuji asked, giving Gojo a pointed look. He fully prepared himself for Gojo to say something along the lines of “let’s hope so!” Or the dreaded “why don’t you take a guess, Yuuji-Kun?”
Gojo tilted his head slightly, hair falling with it, and hopped down from the boulder with a light crunch.
“It’ll be fine,” He said with a wide smile, reaching out to ruffle Yuuji’s hair. Yuuji couldn’t stop the smile from falling on his face at that contact. Like everything was okay, and he wasn’t afraid.
“You trust me right? Then understand this: I wouldn’t make us walk if I didn’t believe we would get there in time. We’re plenty strong enough to get there on our own.”
Gojo said, with a casual confidence that Yuuji acknowledged. He could trust his sensei on this.
“Alright, let’s get going then.” Yuuji said, matching his energy to Gojo’s. Gojo laughed, and hit the top of Yuuji’s head. Yuuji yelped, jumping to do the same- and finding himself pleasantly surprised when he could make contact. Without a moment to waste, he took advantage and elbowed Gojo’s gut as hard as he could.
The impact was solid- meat folded under the jab, and Yuuji grinned in his success.
The man stumbled backwards, regaining his balance just as quickly as he’d lost it.
Gojo let out a startled exhale, and smiled as he flicked Yuuji’s forehead.
“tone down that teenage testosterone a little eh?” Gojo reprimanded, not forceful or angry in any way. He leaned over to Yuuji, pushing up his lower lip and using what Yuuji could only describe as puppy eyes- though it was difficult to tell considering the blindfold.
“What, can't you take it old man?” Yuuji challenged, feeling emboldened by the fact that he could actually make Gojo falter, even if it was hardly real. He shifted his stance, fully ready to deflect any attack.
Gojo’s smile shifted slightly, but he didn’t move to touch Yuuji at all.
“No, I’m worried I’ll send you flying.” Gojo replied evenly, mimicking a small explosion with his hands. Though Yuuji couldn’t see his eyes, he could tell they were trained on him directly.
“Whatever, chicken.” Yuuji said, turning his head away to hide his smile.
—-
Climbing a mountain was definitely not as easy as those Free Solo TV shows made it look. It was less about strength, and more about sense of direction. And despite Gojo’s six eyes, he’d somehow managed to get them lost.
It seemed harder to be lost than to find the way there. Yuuji looked at Gojo, making no attempt to hide his annoyance.
”Are you kidding me?” He asked incredulously, clenching his fist. “You’re seriously telling me that we’re lost?” Yuuji ground out, getting antsy from the lack of progress.
“Lost? Nah. we’re exploring uncharted territory!” Gojo chirped, “you trust your sensei right?” He asked, reaching out to grab a leaf mid-air.
“We’re in the middle of a mission! People’s lives are in danger!” Yuuji exclaimed, golden eyes flashing with impatience . Gojo shrugged, his posture lax and unbothered.
“Answer the question.” The sorcerer said, smiling.
“… yes, but-“ Yuuji started.
“Everything is fine.” Gojo said firmly, placing his hands on his hips as Yuuji paced around.
“I trust you, but-“ He began again.
“Ah tatata- nope! We’re fine.” Gojo tutted, giving Yuuji a disappointed look.
Gojo was the adult here, he knew what to do, no matter how eccentric he seemed.
Yuuji grunted in annoyance at Gojo’s nonchalance, but followed him anyway. They'd been hiking up the south side of the range for about three hours now, and Yuuji was starving for progress.
The farther they walked, the more the landscape changed. The trees were thick together, but too thin to climb, and they had yet to find any trace of the village. Strangely , there was less and less bird song or really any animal sound the farther they hiked.
It felt like they were stepping closer and closer to the gates of hell, with even the mountain holding its breath.
Yuuji found himself sticking closer to Gojo, who had been babbling on for the past half hour about how some poor employee at a fast food restaurant had given him the wrong meal a surprising five times in a row.
“That must really suck, sensei.” Yuuji empathized with a light frown.
”You have NO idea, Yuuji. And then, you’ll never believe what happened….” Gojo continued, his words blending into background noise as the oppressiveness of the mountains grew.
Slowly, the brush was beginning to lighten up. Yuuji felt his heart rate quicken- were they nearing the site?
Gojo’s shoulders blocked Yuuji’s sight of the path ahead, and he attempted to get ahead of him and scout out whatever was ahead.
“Enough of that guard dog, we’re here.”
Gojo chuckled, a single hand in front of Yuuji’s chest. The teen shot him a look, trying his best to look as annoyed as possible.
“I’m not a dog.” Yuuji grumbled, before turning to face their target.
The town wasn’t anything like a town. It was a shallow, crumbling settlement surrounded by yellowed, sickly brush. It was hardly even a home, consisting of a single well and three rotting buildings. Yuuji was reminded of those documentaries about old witch trial towns in America.
That wasn’t what Yuuji noticed first. It was the fear- the permeating stench of it, that infiltrated every pore of his body. It was a hungry fear, one that immediately attracted Sukuna to add his (unwanted) commentary.
Fascinating, I didn’t know curses like these still manifested…
Sukuna’s voice whispered from the back of his mind, a sort of manic glee behind his words. Getting used to hearing a second voice in your head was damn near impossible, as yuuji was coming to discover. Especially when the commentary was less than helpful.
“Sukuna says he’s surprised by this curse, sensei. Is it some sort of heian era one?” Yuuji asked, inching a bit closer to Gojo. He knew that no matter what attacked them, Gojo could fight it. He was the strongest.
“Oh ho! I didn’t realize his memory was so good.” Gojo teased, much to Yuuji’s mortification as Sukuna’s mouth ripped open on his cheek.
“Shut it, sorcerer. The moment I take over this brat I’ll-“ Yuuji quickly slapped a hand over the mouth, which proceeded to lick his hand in retaliation and reappear on the other cheek.
“Ew! dude that’s nasty!” The teen exclaimed, waving his hand frantically. He wasn’t even sure if it was his saliva, or the curses’.
“-Kill you.” Sukuna finished, before retreating back and closing his mouth.
Yuuji grimaced, deciding to wipe his hand off on a rock, slimy trails following after.
“Sorry about him. He’s always more annoying when you’re around.” He said bashfully, standing back up to face his teacher. Gojo had an amused , thin smile, and shrugged it off.
“No worries, Yuuji-kun. Come now, it’s time to explore this lovely little community .”
Gojo started, patting his leg as if to summon a pet. Yuuji followed anyway.
“So what do you think happened here…?” Yuuji asked, scanning the ruined buildings warily. He could still feel, and almost taste the intense aura of whatever curse resided here. It seemed to have drenched the entire town so thoroughly it was difficult to discern where the source was.
“Mmm, glad you asked. Lets try something else though: focus. What do you see happened?” Gojo replied, coming to a standstill in front of the crumbling well.
Yuuji walked over to where Gojo was stationed, and peeked over the edge. He immediately recoiled in shock, honey eyes wide.
His throat caught, and he stumbled backward. He trembled in place, eyes fixated on the well. It couldn’t be real- it couldn’t possibly be real it couldn’t-
“Focus.” Gojo chided, his demeanor entirely unaffected by the horrors within the well.
“There’s… there’s a man.” Yuuji choked out, trying to breathe and calm himself. He hadn’t made it in time- he couldn’t save this person. His stomach clenched, a heavy sense of failure settling in his gut.
“Yes. And he’s been dead for three months, by the looks of it. It’s not your fault. Now tell me how he died.” Gojo affirmed, sitting on the edge of the well and crossing his legs. Yuuji’s chest clenched, and he held back the bile threatening to spill out of his mouth. He had to get a hold of himself- find out whatever did this and exorcize it. He could save people.
He took a step forward, bracing himself as he looked down the well again.
Inside the water- bucket, was the man. He’d been… cut to pieces. Dismembered, and shoved into the bucket. His head was up on top of the rest of the pieces- revealing his still face. Rigor mortis had trapped his expression into one of quiet agony.
Blood had rusted the iron of the contraption, and on second glance it was clear he’d been dead for a while.
“It’s horrible.” Yuuji whispered hoarsely as he clenched his fists, a familiar hotness rising in him. “He…” Yuuji squinted, trying to focus.
Back when he was with Nanamin tracking down Mahito, what had he said about seeing cursed energy? He took a deep breath, reaching for whatever trace of cursed energy was around.
He didn’t search long. Seconds after reaching out, he could feel the heavy, oily goo sensation of cursed energy coming from the body. It was spreading rapidly towards him, sending him pictures and ideas he’d thought only Sukuna capable of.
I need to let go-
“Special grade killed him- a special grade. It didn’t eat his body though, just his… soul.” Yuuji exhaled, quickly releasing the connection he’d made with the energy.
“Bravo! Muy bien, Yuuji.” Gojo applauded, making Yuuji light up immediately.
“It’s likely this curse manifested from the villages fear of the unknown. Being surrounded by mountains makes it hard to keep up with the news- their fear of new technology and forced adaptation likely summoned the curse. Plus, they probably couldn’t get much food up here.” He continued, gesturing toward the worn and primitive huts. Yuuji grimaced in sympathy for the village, his mind helpfully supplying him with more images of the man’s mangled corpse.
“That’s horrible…” Yuuji murmured, more so to himself as he observed their surroundings.
“Next step! Now that we’ve identified the curse's signature, what should we do?” Gojo asked, crossing one long leg over the other.
“We find it and exorcise it.” Yuuji said with growing conviction.
“Plus two points! There's my favorite student.” Gojo praised, procuring a cheap gold star sticker from his pants pocket and pinning it to Yuuji’s jacket. It didn’t stick particularly well on the finely woven fabric, and the corners were dented.
“Uh, thanks sensei.” Yuuji said with a smile, his cheeks flushing. He was a sucker for stupid stuff like this.
“Well then, we should-“
Black.
Yuuji’s entire vision vanished, the air in his lungs escaping along with his sight. He tried to scream, but he couldn’t hear anything besides the ringing in his ears.
His whole body was numb and tingling; His nerves dull and unresponsive, the control he held over his body gone.
What? Did I…die? No. Gojo sensei was with me, it’s not possible…
Oily void seeped into him, and an animal panic overtook him. He writhed in midair, biting and thrashing in desperation to get out.
His teeth met the darkness, and he tore at it with all the momentum he could get in zero gravity. the silence wavered and warped, it’s attempts to drown him in nothingness interrupted as he clawed for light.
whatever darkness had held him released, and he fell into his own body with a rush of breath.
Momentarily blinded, he fumbled around, his fingers scratching at the dirt for purchase.
I must’ve passed out. I have to get up.
“Sensei!” Yuuji called out, his voice sounding foreign to his own ears. Everything was blurry and uncoordinated, he felt like a newborn deer trying to learn how to walk. He rose to his feet, wobbling as he looked around with unsure eyes. His ears rang, and he pinched his inner palm in an attempt to focus.
There. Gojo was-he was trapped. The curse was holding him hostage, having bypassed his infinity and drawn blood along his neck. Yuuji felt his breath catch; his sensei was… hurt?
Panic.
Gojo, the strongest sorcerer, was hurt. Yuuji’s image of the man as being completely untouchable shattered.
The cursed spirit holding him hostage was a horrible, massive creature. It walked on three misshapen legs, each ending in an upturned hoof. It stood like a sentinel, alert and covered in matted brown fur. It’s two heads creaked as they turned to face yuuji, mismatched mouths opening in a guttural smile.
Gojo was sweating, his expression tight as he held absolutely still. Even his cursed energy was bated, as if it were waiting. He was dangling above the well, the curse breathing down his neck. Yuuji had to remind himself that Gojo could regenerate.. he just… needed to save him.
“S-sensei?” He asked hoarsely, trembling in place. He had to move, he had to move now.
“Yuuji.” Gojo replied cheerily, flashing a strained grin. “I underestimated this little guy! Guess you’ll have to come save me now. I’m just a damsel!” He swooned.
The curse let out a mixture of a child’s screech and the angered roar of an alcoholic; seems Gojo’s antics weren’t appreciated.
“Okay just… hold still!” Yuuji managed out, taking a deep breath. The curse turned to face him, a wave of deep, unrelenting anger hitting Yuuji square in the chest. He stood his ground, fighting the urge to vomit as he clenched his teeth.
This thing wasn’t too different from the cursed womb spirit. He could beat it, he was sure of it.
“Like hell, brat!” Sukuna mocked from his mind. Yuuji grit his teeth, that little spark of rage growing. He wouldn’t let this thing free, especially after it had mangled his sensei like that.
He would make Gojo proud, and prove he was worth something in this world.
Deep in his soul, he could feel his own cursed energy rear its head, and manifest itself within his fists.
This curse would die.
Satoru Gojo wasn’t afraid of dying.
He was the strongest, nothing in the world could make him afraid.
It wasn’t often he found himself feeling nervous.
The cursed spirit holding him hostage was special grade from his estimates. Yuuji didn’t have any good chance at defeating it, especially when only one hit of cursed energy had knocked the kid out.
He’d used infinity to stop the curse’s attacks from cutting his head off, and was currently at a stand still. That second before Yuuji was attacked, his barriers had been down as he went to his student- when the spirit leapt forth and dug its claws into his sides.
His uniform was stained now. It was a shame, he’d liked this one.
“C’mon Yuuji-Kun! we don’t have all day!”
Satoru groaned, giving Yuuji a pointed look through his blindfold. He would try his best to reassure Yuuji everything was fine. Really, Satoru could break himself out of this before he could say Mississippi, but he decided now was as good a time as ever to test his precious student.
Yuuji stood about five feet away, and he looked a mixture between horrified, annoyed, and determined. His honey brown eyes were narrowed in focus, like the single minded focus of a dog. Perhaps Satoru should stop comparing Yuuji to a canine, it might give the poor boy a complex. Nevertheless, Yuuji stood firm even when it was clear he was nervous.
It was one of those things that made him a great sorcerer, he was willing to throw himself into conflict with a blatant disregard for his well being that made Satoru cringe. He knew the system- the elders would be eating him up if he wasn’t the vessel of Sukuna. They preyed on his willingness to die.
“Sensei, I’ll save you.” Yuuji said with an air of finality. This little test was probably pushing the limits of Yuuji’s tenacity, but it was necessary. This whole mission was about resolve- it’s not that Yuuji lacked resolve, it was that he didn’t have it in the right areas. He needed to learn self preservation.
“Go ahead.” Satoru yawned, sounding as bored as he possibly could. Behind him, the curse let out a low chattering sound, and his six eyes saw the build up of cursed energy in its legs. A jumping attack then?
In a blur, Yuuji had leapt forward to meet the curse as it propelled itself forward. Satoru felt a bit weird just getting carried around like luggage, but that was the life of a hostage he supposed. The air whistled in his ears as Yuuji gathered cursed energy into his fist, preparing to strike.
Satoru felt the impact the moment it hit- it shuddered through the cursed spirit so hard even his infinity vibrated in warning.
From there, the fight really began. Satoru decided to be of no help at all, letting Yuuji pound the curse with borderline beastial focus.
Punch, block, kick, dodge-
Satoru watched on, letting his six eyes feed him information on movements and attacks. the curse’s claws dug in tight to his gut, and small rivulets of blood slowly turned to a river. The curses matted, coarse fur scratched his back, its unruly stench overwhelming infinity.
It was certainly uncomfortable to say the least.
A shift.
The curse was changing strategies, beginning to use Satoru as a human shield to block Yuuji’s punches. Yuuji’s eyes narrowed further, and his cursed energy burgeoned into a blaze.
The teen was in a rage-and-fear driven adrenaline rush, leaving him narrow minded, and his cursed energy flaring.
”Great job! It’s important to channel emotions like that into your attacks.” Satoru commented as he was unceremoniously whirled into the muddy ground by the curse. The air in his lungs vacated itself, and Satoru found himself gasping for air.
His student was improving.
“Hold on sensei!”
Yuuji shouted, a bead of sweat falling from him as he bared his teeth and readied his fists.
black flames overtook Satoru’s six eyes, and the curse let go in its shock. Excellent. Yuuji had really improved after the goodwill incident- where he’d shattered the record for consecutive black flashes.
Satoru fell on his ass with a dull thump, and moments later he was wrapped in a comforting warmth. Yuuji had picked him up like he weighed nothing, slinging Satoru over his shoulder like a misbehaving child.
One of his calloused hands was keeping Satoru firmly in place, bending his middle over his shoulder with ease.
“You’re not planning on fighting the curse with your poor sensei over your shoulder, are you?”
Satoru asked with a hapless grin, to which Yuuji’s hand tightened on his back.
”yes. Hold still.” Yuuji said flatly, his intent so focused he wouldn’t even indulge Satoru; much to the sorcerer’s dismay.
The curse exhaled a thick sludge, its deformed legs raising it up from the slurry ground. Yuuji’s black flash had completely blasted off a portion of its side, leaving it off balance and reeling. It growled, grinding it’s rusty maw of misshapen teeth together as it tried to stand.
Yuuji dashed forward, taking advantage of the curses momentary confusion to land a brutal kick to the head.
Yuuji drew his fists back, tensing his muscles as he lunged forward.
It was bloody. Hedonistic, in the way Yuuji’s eyes burned with thrill. The way he fought was too similar to the curse he held inside him.
Enraged screeches and gurgled hisses filled his senses as Yuuji kept the spirit on defense. He’d nearly killed the thing already; Satoru had underestimated his student’s strength.
Or perhaps his devotion.
“Just- fucking-“ Yuuji grunted, his shoulder digging into satorus stomach as he swung his leg into another kick. The curse’s exoskeleton fucking shattered, shards of bone and lumps of flesh raining out of the impact point in a mockery of a rain shower.
“Keep it up.” Satoru commented, to which Yuuji gave no acknowledgement as he stomped the curse down with cursed energy laced blows.
The clearing vibrated with every impact, the sparse trees leaning away in hesitance.
Scary.
He may have taught his students a little too well, he mused.
-
By the end of it, Yuuji was left panting.
He unceremoniously slid gojo off his shoulder, setting the man on the well.
He could feel the stinging blood of the curse drying on his skin and irritating it, leaving him uncomfortable and itchy. His limbs twitched with the afterglow of a fight, burning as the paltry lactic acid left in his body leaked out.
Gojo was watching him from behind his blindfold. Yuuji could tell. The full brunt of his teacher's attention was hard to ignore on a good day.
“Sensei… what grade do you think that was?” He asked after a moment, desperate to break the silence. He didn’t want to be left alone with the ravenous beast in his mind.
“A super special one!” Gojo responded with a cheeky smile, hopping off the well and stretching out his arms. “Now that that’s wrapped up, how about we take a nice hike around here? Maybe there’s some more curses we can exorcise.” He proposed, slipping right into the role Yuuji needed. This was easier than… anything else.
“A hike? Seriously? You were just on my shoulder the whole time, you didn’t do any work. Try and consider how I feel, sensei.” Yuuji grumbled, rolling the offending limb once and wincing at the pop in his joints. The curse had taken so many blows to kill, that by the end, the thing was as bloody and raw as his fists.
“It was very difficult balancing on your shoulder.” Gojo responded solemnly, an arm reaching around to tug Yuuji towards their bushwhacked trail.
The two walked in a somewhat comfortable silence, Gojo being considerate enough to use infinity to avoid them getting hit in the face by branches.
The rage he’d felt earlier seemed more like a foggy memory than a recent incident, leaving his body shaky and mind numb. He’d enjoyed that fight, enjoyed the bloody sacrilege.
Yuuji’s muscles burned and protested, forcing his mouth to move for some form of distraction.
“… it’s kinda crazy that the strongest sorcerer had to be saved by a high schooler.” Yuuji commented after a while, his eyes shifting upwards to look at his teacher, who had a somewhat bothered expression on his normally unreadable face.
Gojo sighed, rubbing his forehead as Yuuji snickered at the non-answer.
“You really think you’re stronger than me then?” He responded, his tone probing and teasing at the same time.
Yuuji was left to consider how to respond to that without getting thrust into a world of teasing.
“Well, no, I’m just saying like… you’re still strong and stuff, it’s just cool that I’m catching up.” Yuuji stumbled out, and Gojo laughed indulgently. Yuuji had a hard time telling sometimes whether or not the man took more pleasure out of his failures or his success.
He glowered, shoving his bloodied fists in his pockets as Gojo prodded at his side with a single, pale finger.
“You think so? I estimate it would take…” gojo hummed thoughtfully. “Thirty Yuujis to maybe take me down.” He settled confidently, and it was Yuuji’s turn to laugh.
“It would only take one! Besides, if you had thirty yuujis… you’d probably bully one of them or something.” Yuuji winced, eyes crinkling in sympathy for a hypothetical third Yuuji.
Gojo shrugged, branches bending out of the way for him as he trekked forward.
“You think so little of me… I’d choose whichever one liked me best.” He added slyly, his sharp grin widening when Yuuji flushed and glared at him.
“You make that sound weird.” Yuuji retorted, giving his teacher a hard shove to the back. Or, tried to as his hands were stopped by infinity.
“Hey! No attacking your poor old sensei. I’ve been through enough.” Gojo whined, traversing around a fallen tree with the ease one wouldn’t expect from a supposedly hard worked man. Yuuji grinned despite himself, and followed after.
-
Nitta waited for them at the bottom of the mountain, her face drawn into a bored, agitated frown as Satoru and Yuuji walked up. She stood in the gravel of the mountain road, phone in hand.
“Heyyyy!” Yuuji waved, smile wide. Satoru snickered as Nitta winced at the sight of the teen’s bloodied fists, her eyes narrowed and nose upturned.
“Yuuji. You’re safe, right?” She questioned, walking forward to meet Yuuji as he bounded towards the car. She patted down his sides, her gaze searching and worried before turning to Satoru.
Well, Satoru would always stand by his word. Women were scary. Especially angry women.
At least Nitta knew better than to try and actually scold him, Satoru didn’t give a crap about what most of the lower ranked sorcerers had to say anyway.
“Gojo.” She greeted with a frown, not even putting in the effort to hide her displeasure. This was why Gojo preferred Ijichi as a driver; the man was too nervous to show any trepidation among other things.
“Alright, get in the car. Do you have a destination in mind?” Nitta asked, gesturing for the two to get inside the black Corolla.
“Ramen would be nice.” Yuuji put forward hopefully, turning to Satoru with a pleading gaze. Who was he to say no to his student? Never mind boundaries , or what was ‘normal.’ He could treat the kid to some ramen.
“Sure.” Satoru found himself agreeing, getting into the car after Yuuji and settling into the seats. He opted to sit in the back, in favor of being closer to Yuuji than talking to Nitta. His student was smiling, and chatting eagerly with Nitta, but he could see it.
He didn’t need six eyes to know Yuuji was bothered.
The clench of his jaw and the dullness in his eyes, the way he curled and uncurled his fists in a mechanical pattern, it was depressingly easy to read.
Maybe he felt bad. Maybe Satoru felt some bit of guilt, taking away so much from Yuuji that the teen could never hope to have a normal childhood. He’d never have a first romance started by a school play, never graduate from a normal high school, never get a usable degree and never achieve any of his real dreams. He was stuck in the shitty life of a sorcerer.
It was the role some bullshit fate chose for him, and the role he’d play till he died. And the worst part was that Satoru knew Yuuji would die gladly in that moment, if he felt some sense of worth in himself.
“-Sensei? Hello?” Yuuji asked, waving a red dyed hand in front of his face. Satoru blinked, realizing he’d been staring at the back of Nitta’s head.
“Hello.” Satoru replied smoothly, keeping his face impassive. He was grateful for his blindfold in times like this, where he knew his eyes showed more than they should.
“I was asking you what your favorite type of ramen was.” Yuuji filled in the blank helpfully, leaving Satoru to smile internally. He wondered if Yuuji subconsciously did that, or if he put in the effort to read him.
“The spiciest stuff in the house. You know, like the Jin stuff?” He supplied, his taste buds tingling with the memory of capsaicin down his throat. He leaned back in the seat, crossing his legs and exhaling.
“The Jin stuff? Are you kidding me?” Yuuji snickered, his eyebrows raised almost teasingly.
Was he getting made fun of?
“That stuff's nothing! I bet you’ve never even touched Karamiso.” The teen laughed, face bright as he taunted Satoru in his least favorite field. Spicy food may not have been his strong suit.
“Eh, I’m not into those trendy foods.” Satoru defended, waving Yuuji off with a flick of his hand. In response, Yuuji pouted and reached over to tug on his cheek.
“It’s not a trendy one, you old fart-“
-
The ramen shop was a traditional hole in the wall, half a mix between an old house and a restaurant. A neatly painted sign hung above the door, the name of the place inscribed in delicate kanji.
Itadori Yuuji hadn’t ever gotten that good at writing. He’d wanted to, even found the prospect interesting. He remembered when he was a freshman, he’d asked his grandpa for money (it was the first and last time he wanted to.) The old man had grumbled and handed it over, and just like that he was enrolled in a writing course after school.
He remembered how the paper seemed to fight back against him, making his pens and pencils snap no matter how gently he’d tried to write out his feelings. He remembered his guilt after he gave up, and admitted to his grandpa it hadn’t worked out. The old man wasn’t upset, just giving him a pat on the back in a rare moment of vulnerability.
The guilt remained even afterwards, that feeling he’d wasted money his grandpa could’ve spent on his medical bills. It still plagued him, the idea that the old man could still be around if he hadn’t taken that chance. It was ridiculous, and he knew it, but the “what if’s” remained.
Could he be somewhere else right now? Maybe at the occult club, laughing over dumb conspiracies. he wasn’t sure if he even liked where he was, but by this point he couldn’t consider it. This was what he was meant for now.
“Yuuji, c’mon.” Gojo prodded him, gesturing for him to follow.
“Alright.” He gathered himself, walking after the white haired man without a second thought.
The moment he crossed the threshold, umami and pork hit his nose in a dizzyingly enticing wave. He'd let gojo choose the ramen shop, assuming the man knew all the better spots around here. That was probably a mistake, considering the man would go to the most expensive spot in Sendai without a second thought. He had no idea how his meager food allowance would pay for his appetite.
“This is my favorite spot.” Gojo filled the silence as he considered the menu; and holy shit that was probably more expensive than anything Yuuji had ever seen in his life. Even more than that stupid white shirt he’d spilled coffee on.
“How is it- this seems expensive for a small restaurant.” Yuuji mumbled out loud, his mouth watering at the rich blend of aromas marrying themselves with his nose.
“Eh, not too bad… oh right, you’re broke.” Gojo noted helpfully, relaying his order to the server succinctly. Yuuji furrowed his brow, considering his options. He may as well treat himself…
“A rice bowl and some of the beef ramen would be nice.” He settled.
The server bowed curtly, holding the delicate white frock of her dress with the motion. She walked off after, leaving them to find a table. Yuuji scanned the area, the faces of the customers blurry as he searched.
He walked forward automatically , taking a seat at the corner of the restaurant in a small booth. The decoration was minimal, simple Buddhist decals and rattan cushions. Gojo slid in after him, giving him minimal foot space as he unfurled those stupidly long legs.
“… is something wrong, Yuuji-Kun?” Gojo questioned mildly, his blindfolded gaze intense on Yuuji’s face.
“I’m fine.” Yuuji responded curtly, because there was nothing else to say. He was fine. He’d been in a weird funk after pummeling that curse, but it wasn’t anything bad. He could just exercise it out, lose whatever vicious emotion had injected itself into him with the sweat and burn of movement.
“I should be asking you that. You never ask me if I’m fine.” He shot back after a moment, schooling his face into an accusatory expression as he stared up at the man. Gojo’s mouth remained an impassive smile, his face unreadable. Yuuji hated that blindfold.
He popped his fingers individually, bouncing his foot as he stared ahead at the wall.
“Jeez. Gumi’s been rubbing off on you huh? You used to be so friendly.” Gojo groused, one of his hands rubbing his temples pointedly. Yuuji couldn’t help but smile a bit; the strongest sorcerer was a bit of a princess.
“I’m still friendly, sensei.” Yuuji huffed, reaching out to punch against Gojo’s shoulder. He couldn’t help touching sometimes- especially when Gojo would reciprocate. It felt nice.
Gojo caught his fist and acted surprised as Yuuji did mock punches at him.
The man lowered Yuuji's hands for him, extending a single finger over his own lips.
”don’t make such a scene in a restaurant. It’s bad luck.”
He warned, and Yuuji could vividly picture the way Gojo’s eyes were crinkled in mischief behind his blindfold.
Yuuji stuck out his tongue, crossing his arms and turning his head away from the man
”says you.” He scoffed, picking at the dried blood on his hands.
In the car, Nitta had handed him some water and tissues, wishing him luck to get the stains off his shoes and uniform. He’d managed to get most of the obvious gory bits off his face and front, and the navy cloth absorbed the rest of the purple blood to some extent, leaving Yuuji looking like he’d had a bucket of purple Koolaid thrown at him.
Gojo’s gaze rested heavily on his face for a moment, searching for something Yuuji wouldn’t show. It felt a bit cathartic, having the strongest sorcerer in the world even look at him, let alone sit next to him in a ramen shop and joke around.
The food arrived quickly, bowls of steaming ramen and a small rice bowl placed delicately before them. The heady aroma filled the air, making Yuuji’s stomach growl audibly. Gojo grinned, raising an eyebrow at him.
“Didn’t realize you were starving, Yuuji. You should’ve said something,” he teased, picking up his chopsticks and digging in.
“Let me enjoy my food.” Yuuji bit back, breaking apart his chopsticks and immediately digging in. The first bite was heavenly—fatty, savory broth coating tender noodles, with the sharp bite of pickled bamboo shoots and peppers cutting through the broth in a coital glow.
Gojo watched him for a moment, amused, before turning his attention to his own bowl. He slurped loudly, entirely unbothered by the sideways glances from other customers.
“This is good,” Yuuji mumbled between bites, already halfway through his bowl. “How’d you find this place, Sensei?”
“Oh, you know. I have my ways.” Gojo replied cryptically, grinning through a mouthful of noodles. To that, Yuuji raised an eyebrow. His best guess was that the man had gotten lost and stumbled in.
As Yuuji reached the bottom of his bowl, Gojo leaned back in the booth, resting an arm along the top of the seat. He looked relaxed, but Yuuji could see the way he bit the inside of his cheek in some strange nervous tick.
“You know,” Gojo began, his tone uncharacteristically soft, “you did good today, Yuuji.”
Yuuji blinked, momentarily caught off guard. He set his chopsticks down, tilting his head to meet Gojo’s blindfolded gaze. “Huh? I mean… thanks, I guess. But it wasn’t anything special.”
“Sure it was.” Gojo leaned forward slightly, his grin subdued but still present.
The server returned to clear their bowls, but Gojo waved her off when she asked if they wanted dessert. “Just the check, please.” He requested as he passed her his card.
Yuuji’s chest tightened, and he blinked at the servers retreating form. Gojo paid for him. It was fine, Gojo was stupid rich, but Yuuji’s gut coiled and stiffened anyway. He watched silently, rolling his thumbs as Gojo waited for his card back.
“Uh, thanks.” He muttered as the server returned with Gojo’s card. The man turned to him, his mouth an unreadable, thin smile as he nodded. He stood up, walking ahead and gesturing for Yuuji to follow.
“C’mon Yuuji,” Gojo called, already halfway out the door. “Don’t fall behind!”
Yuuji jogged to catch up, the cool night air hugging his face as they stepped onto the quiet cobble street. The warm lights of the ramen shop glowed softly behind them, fading as they made their way down the road.
“Try and take care of yourself.” Gojo advised quietly, extending his arm in invitation for teleportation.
“I will, sensei.” Yuuji affirmed, even if he didn’t believe it.