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Megumi didn’t think he could ever hate silence, but today was different.
They had been sitting in the backseat of Ijichi’s car completely silent for the past half hour, just taking in the sights that passed them by behind the tinted car windows. Yuuji rested his head against the window, eyes darting back and forth, following all the street lights they came across. Beside him, Nobara sat stoic, looking straight ahead, her arms crossed and her foot tapping impatiently against the carpeted car floor. Megumi, occupying the seat directly behind Ijichi, drummed his fingers against the arm rest as he tried to focus on the view outside. It was the only sound that echoed throughout the small sedan. Megumi thought it was odd, how quiet everyone was being. Just a few days ago, his two friends wouldn’t stop talking about all the things they wanted to do in Shibuya—all the places they wanted to go, the food they wanted to eat, and the souvenirs that they had to buy. But there was none of that today, today was shrouded in a thick silence, so thick you could almost touch it; and the excitement of Shibuya was hidden somewhere else, along with all the people that inhabited it.
It was Ijichi who had to break the silence, “This is your location, Itadori-san.” He looked at Yuuji through the rear-view mirror, brows furrowed and eyes shining with concern, now a signature look of his. “Mei-mei and her brother will be waiting for you down at the station.”
“Eh?” Yuuji scratched his head, looking at Ijichi weirdly. “Never thought she'd have any siblings..she seems more like an only child to me.”
Megumi couldn’t resist the audible sigh that escaped him. “That’s really what you’re thinking about right now?” It was Nobara who voiced his thoughts, coupled with a strong elbow to Yuuji’s side—an incredible feat for such a tiny space, Megumi mused.
"Ow!" Yuuji squealed, more as a reflex than from feeling any actual pain. “You didn't have to hit so hard! Felt like you were trying to hurt me.”
Megumi scoffed. That’s probably exactly what she was trying to do, he thought to himself.
“A lady doesn’t do things half-assed.” Nobara says, snorting as she tucks her hair behind her ear. Her hand fell to the seat between her and Megumi, but she jerked it away as it grazed his leg. Megumi raised a brow at this but didn’t comment, not willing to be on the receiving end of one of her blows. He could tell that she was trying to act like her normal self, but he knew her better than that. There was a stiffness in her actions, a forcefulness behind her words. She tried to hide it but it was as clear as day to him. She was on edge.
“We don't have all day, Itadori! Fushiguro and I have somewhere to be too y’know.” Nobara crossed her arms in front of her, careful not to hit either of the two boys as she did. She was anxious and she hated being too close to anyone when she was anxious. Megumi guessed that she just wanted Yuuji out of the car to regain some of her personal space.
He shook his head to clear his thoughts. Now was not the time to be worrying over Nobara, she hated it when he did that anyway.
Yuuji waved her off as he opened the door. “Alright, alright, don’t get your panties in a twist.”
Once he was out of the car, he turned to them to wave goodbye, smiling sheepishly as he did. “See ya later! Message you when I'm done; we still have to check out that sushi place while we’re here!”
Nobara rolled her eyes, but smiled as she waved goodbye. Megumi gave a curt wave before Ijichi rolled the windows back up. They were headed to Nobara’s drop-off point next.
Silence quickly engulfed the two passengers again, Nobara scooching over to the seat Yuuji had previously occupied. Megumi was thankful for the light-hearted exchange, though he didn’t show it. Somehow, it felt like it would be a while until they could banter playfully again.
“Wonder what Gojo-sensei is up to...” It was Nobara who spoke, probably tired of the heaviness that filled the car. Megumi turned to her slightly. She was picking at her nails again. He let his eyes flicker to her face before turning back to his window.
“Probably nothing he can’t handle.” He said, mostly to himself, just to reassure him of that fact. His fidgeting leg betrayed the confidence in his voice though, and he rested his hand on it just to remind it to stop moving. Nothing was stronger than Satoru Gojo, he reminded himself. He was the strongest jujutsu sorcerer alive, he thought again just for good measure.
“Yeah, you’re probably right,” Nobara said quietly, a little too quietly for his liking, but he stopped himself from thinking about it too much.
They both knew early on that the situation was serious. Thousands of people were trapped in a veil with Gojo and an unknown number of curses and curse users. That was the very brief brief Ijichi gave before he stuffed them in the car. He and Nobara shared a look right before they entered the car. They were already listing off all the possibilities and impossibilities in their heads, quietly pondering over the strange circumstances they were about to encounter. The severity of the situation only seemed to dawn on Yuuji once he noticed the streets gradually empty, Shibuya becoming a ghost of what it usually was.
Megumi’s brows furrowed. Whatever this was, there was something sinister behind it—not just another curse in the wrong place at the wrong time, something cold and calculated, something that probably took years of planning, and something that they were not able to prepare for in turn. That made him uneasy. The last thing they needed now was to be caught off guard.
Nobara broke his train of thought again when she whipped around to face him, almost crosslegged on the seat. They were only a few blocks away from her drop-off point, so whatever she wanted to say she had to say quickly. Megumi raised an eyebrow, but nonetheless turned his body to face her, arms crossed and head leaning against his headrest. He waited for whatever it was she wanted to talk about.
“I—“ She faltered. That was weird, she didn't usually stutter, he thought. Her eyes were trained on his face, observing him and his reaction. When she saw nothing out of the ordinary, she inhaled swiftly and let out a huff, turning back in her seat and facing the front. Megumi scrunched his eyebrows in confusion, lifting his head and cocking it to the side as if to ask her if she was alright. He stayed quiet, waiting for her to speak, knowing that it was probably important.
Suddenly, Nobara moved forward into the space between the driver and the passenger seat. Craning her head to look at Ijichi, she said in a chillingly sweet voice, “Ijichi-san, could you drive a little slower?”
Odd, Megumi thought. She wasn’t one to delay things, unless it was serious. The bubble of worry in his chest began to grow as he thought of all the reasons she could have had to make such a strange request. Did she forget her weapons? Did she lose something in the backseat? Was she looking for a restroom along the way?
“K-Kugisaki-san, you must know that my orders were to get you to your destination as soon as possible,” Ijichi stuttered, quite fearful of the petite girl himself.
“Yes, and right now, it’s simply not possible for you to drive any faster,” Nobara said in a matter-of-fact. She moved back to where she was sitting, crossing her legs and smoothing out her skirt. “Don’t worry, we won’t tell anyone if you don’t.”
A moment passed before Ijichi let out the sigh he was holding, knowing that she was beyond reason. Begrudgingly, he slowed down to a turtle’s pace, looking at her through the mirror as if to ask if he was driving slow enough.
She grinned. “Thanks Ijichi!”
Megumi had been quiet all this time, but he couldn’t help but ask, “What’s this about, Kugisaki?”, annoyance lacing his tone with a hint of concern peaking through. His mind was racing and he was frazzled, though he tried his best not to show it.
Nobara sighed and turned to look at Megumi, giving him a sheepish smile. She sank back into her seat, closing her eyes before taking a deep breath. She had something to say, but she wasn’t sure how to say it. Megumi wanted to be patient but there simply wasn’t enough time.
“Is it something about this mission? Did you get any information?” He honestly didn’t know what he was asking. He was pretty sure that Kugisaki wouldn’t hesitate to share any pertinent information with him or Yuuji the moment she found out. He just needed to fill in the silence, to speed things up so to speak. The faster he gets her talking, the faster they can get out there and finish this mission. They could talk about it all she wants once the mission was over.
“Did Principal Yaga ask you the same thing before you became a student here?” Nobara had said finally.
Megumi was grateful she finally spoke up, but couldn’t understand why she was asking this now of all times.
He didn’t bother to respond because she already knew the answer to that. They were all asked the same question, and they all probably answered him correctly since they were all here. Megumi stayed quiet and waited for her to continue.
“I told him that I was too stubborn to die with any regrets,” she gave him a wicked smile as she said this, mirth coloring her amber eyes. She let out a short chuckle before shaking her head. “Then I told him that regret was waste of my time, since I always do the right thing in the first place.”
Ijichi cleared his throat, as if to question her last statement. Nobara shot him a glare, but ignored him otherwise.
Megumi glanced at her, then shared a quick look with Ijichi through the mirror. He wondered if she was hit by a stray curse on their way to Shibuya. She had always been talkative, but never without reason, and the way this conversation was going so far seemed anything but reasonable.
“You and I both know that this isn’t some normal mission.” She grew solemn, her eyes downcast. “Something in my gut tells me that something big is going to happen and I won’t be able to do anything about it.”
Megumi continued to remain silent, not really sure where this conversation was going and why she felt the need to do this now. If he was being honest, he felt the same way and it was eating him inside. The one thing any jujutsu sorcerer wants in every situation is control, over their opponents, their surroundings, their techniques, but Fushiguro felt like had none of that now.
“If this is the last time I’ll see you in a while,” Nobara bit her lip, growing quiet yet again. Megumi couldn’t resist nudging her, his way of saying ‘don’t say things like that.’
Nobara let out a breath before continuing, “If this is the last time I see you, I want to make sure that I thank you.”
“So, thank you.” She looked at him in the eye as she said this, giving him a smile he’d only seen a few times but never directed at him. “For everything.”
Megumi cocked his head to the side, brows furrowed and thoroughly confused. He wasn’t entirely sure what she was thanking him for, so he waited for her to explain.
“When we thought Yuuji died…” Nobara paused, not really sure what she wanted to say or how she wanted to say it. She turned to the window, resting her cheek against her palm, in an attempt to hide the slight blush coloring her cheeks. “Thanks for being there,” she managed to mutter out after a few seconds.
Megumi nodded, not really understanding but he was trying. His ears began to heat up against his own accord, trying to think of what he wanted to say in return. “You were there, too,” was all he could manage, knowing that she would understand.
This was the first time the two of them ever outwardly addressed those two months that they had clung to each other. It was natural after losing a friend. Although they had only known Yuuji for two weeks then, they mourned all the things that would have been: trips to the countryside for curses that needed to be exorcised, day-long shopping sprees sponsored by Gojo-sensei, goofing off with the second years after 5 minutes of intense “training”. In those darkest of times, Nobara clung to Megumi as much as she could, fearful of having to lose another one of her friends. And the same could be said for him, always quietly seeking Nobara out, never letting her walk alone, never letting her out of his sight just to be sure.
Training together, going on small assignments together, having meals together — often with the second years but sometimes just themselves — their bond had grown stronger with each passing day. It was a quiet comfort to have a constant in a profession that took people from you so easily. The fear of losing that constant was never more prevalent that it was today.
“Would you cry if I died, Megumi?” He whipped his head towards her, looking at her as if she just spouted a second head. Even Ijichi couldn’t help but glance at her through the mirror, worried about her state of mind. The question made his heart pound loudly in his ears. The thought of another friend dying — no, Nobara dying was something he dealt with every time they had a new mission and she was swept away by God knows what. It was something that creeped up on him at night when he couldn’t sleep. Losing her or Yuuji (again), that thought made his stomach churn.
Shaking his head, he told her what he told himself whenever those unwanted thoughts came to the forefront of his mind, repeating the words she had just said a few moments ago, “You’re too stubborn to die.” He said it like it was a fact.
She blessed him with her airy laugh, lifting his spirits with the light sound. His mind continued to worry but at least in this moment everything was alright. “Oh, for sure,” she said, flipping her hair. Thoughtful, she remarked, “And I’m sure that when that time comes, I’ll go out on my own terms.”
Megumi huffed, something out of character for him. He couldn’t understand why he was so angry. He hated that they were having this conversation, and he hated that she was the one who brought it up, and just a few moments before they dropped her off for their very dangerous mission. He tried to calm himself down, taking deep breaths and fiddling with his hands.
He regarded her for a moment, wanting to say something but deciding not to. Nobara was capable, he thought. She could protect herself from most things, she could handle anything that was thrown at her, she was tough. He kept repeating that in his head, almost like a mantra, to drive any thoughts of her dying away from his mind.
By now, they were only a few meters away from Nobara’s drop-off point. The car ride extended by only a few minutes, 10 at best, by Ijichi’s masterful driving. Nobara straightened in her seat, smoothing over her skirt and fixing her hair. Megumi observed her from his side of the car, much calmer than he was a few moments ago. Looking at her helped him relax, knowing that she was here, alive and well and that there was nothing to worry about for now. She sent him a wicked smile before saying, “Gotta look my best if I’m gonna get promoted today. Heh.”
This image of her, with her wide grin and mischievous eyes, he felt the need to etch into his memory. This is Nobara, happy-go-lucky, crazy and strong, and this is the same Nobara he’ll see again soon once this was all over. He rolled his eyes, making sure to show her but thankful that they were somewhat back to normal. Even he could only take so much angst in one day.
The car came to a stop at another empty station. Ijichi cleared his throat and addressed Nobara. “This is your location, Kugisaki-san.”
“Thanks for the ride, Ijichi-san!” She gave him a bright smile, though this time she meant it—not a wide-toothed, shit-eating grin, but a genuine smile that took Ijichi aback. He nodded and gave her a soft smile in return.
Finally at her destination, Nobara turned to open the door. She pushed it open all the way but turned to face Megumi, looking to the side in thought. Megumi raised a brow, waiting for her to say something.
“Be careful and don’t die.” She said, one hand on the car door and the other pointing in his direction. “I can’t be worried about you while I’m out there worrying about myself.”
Megumi scoffed and shook his head. Not like she’d be the only one multi-tasking like that either. She was looking at him expectantly, like she was waiting for his affirmation. He could only roll his eyes as he replied, “Got it.”
She gave a curt nod, satisfied that he answered. She let out a big breath as she started to get out of the car. Her one foot was already on the pavement, but she was still taking her sweet time leaving—almost like she was stalling.
“Got anything else to say?” Megumi prompted, knowing he and Ijichi had to get to his drop-off point soon. Nobara wasn’t one to delay a mission, but he knew better than to point that out. There was still something bothering her and that in turn bothered him. He never usually had to ask because she’d have already said it about three times by now if it were any other day, but she was uncharacteristically thoughtful today, keeping her own musings to herself and at a minimum. Megumi hoped it wouldn’t be anything to serious; the last thing they needed now was another distraction.
“I like you.”
Megumi blinked, making sure he heard her right. Now that wasn’t what he was expecting, far from it actually. It wasn’t even the last thing he'd thought she would say—he wasn’t expecting that at all. He cleared his throat and managed to stutter out a “What?” as he felt his cheeks start to heat up, eyes wider than they had ever been his entire life.
She shrugged, as if she had just asked him for a pen or something. Her expression was calm, nonchalant, and completely and utterly unphased by what she had just revealed. In a passive tone, she said, “Just wanted to let you know in case anything happens to me.”
She shot him a sheepish smile, before continuing on her way out. However, her smooth exit was stopped in its tracks by someone tugging on her wrist. Megumi’s large hand enveloped her small wrist easily, and his warmth spread through her quickly. The contact made both parties blush. They’d held hands before, on missions when someone was thrown over the edge of a cliff or something, or when Nobara would accidentally trip and she needed to regain her balance; but her revelation just a few moments ago made this contact much more foreign.
Nobara’s cool facade was suddenly replaced by a look of panic. “Oi, I don’t need you to reply or anything, “ she started. Megumi thought he could hear a tremble in her voice. If it were any other time, he would have teased her for it; but he wasn’t in any position to make fun of her at the moment, not when he was refusing to talk himself in fear of his own voice giving up on him.
“Look, Fushiguro, it's—“
He decided he had been silent for too long. Though he didn’t really know what to say and he knew any other person would take his words at face value, he knew Nobara, of all people, would understand. “Nothing’s going to happen to you, idiot.”
Finally, he looked up at her, his cheeks and the tops of his ears tinted red. “But still be careful, please,” he said earnestly, not really knowing how to say how he was feeling. Nobara wanted to squeal. This wasn’t a side of Megumi she saw too often and she was glad she could see it before they parted ways.
He let go of her hand, looking down at his palm where her warmth still lingered. “And don’t die,” he muttered quietly, not sure if she heard him.
Nobara beamed down at him, seemingly back to normal. She sat back down and linked her pinky finger with his, a childish move that endeared him to no end. “You got it! No messing around here,” she said, pinky still laced with his. She lingered for a moment before finally making her way out of the car. A giddy giggle escaped her lips as she straightened her uniform out on the sidewalk. Megumi let out a sigh, the tension in his head moving to his chest as it began to throb, though not in an unpleasant way.
Nobara closed the door behind her, but motioned for Ijichi to roll down the window.
“See ya!” She was waving frantically, and Megumi couldn’t help but smile as he raised his hand in a wave. "Call you when I'm done!" She shouted as Ijichi rolled up the windows. He continued to look at her even after Ijichi finished rolling up the window, even as they made their way down the street and turn the corner. He saw her skip towards the station where she was assigned.
Megumi turned back to face his window, leaning his forehead against the cool glass and covering his face with one hand in hopes of fighting off the deep blush on his pale cheeks. He shook his head as the last few minutes replayed in his mind. He tried to calm himself down, tried thinking of other things to help take his mind off his racing heart, but Nobara’s voice saying I like you wouldn’t stop ringing in his ears. He sighed, closing his eyes before slumping back against his seat. He could feel Ijichi’s eyes glancing at him through the mirror.
“If I may be of any help—“
“Not a single word.” He decided that silence was the only thing he wanted for the remainder of the car ride.