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"Me~~~Gu~~~~Miiiiii~~~~~~~~"
Satoru wrapped his arms around the shorter man from behind, burying his face in the crook of Megumi’s neck, inhaling the comforting scent. He barely got five seconds to indulge in it before a book smacked him on the head.
"It’s Professor Fushiguro to you," Megumi said flatly.
Satoru pouted. "Ouch.... that hurts, Megu— uhh,, I mean, Professor Fushiguro~" Satoru corrected himself quickly to avoid getting another hit.
"What do you want?"
"Mmmm~ do I need a reason to visit my beloved mentor~?"
Megumi rolled his eyes, still focused on the book in his hands.
"Did you finish reading the books I asked you to?"
Satoru gave a sheepish grin.
He took a seat beside Megumi. They sat in silence, their hearts speaking where words failed to do so. Both knew that this calm moment wouldn’t last forever, especially now that everyone knew the truth about this world.
"Megumi," Satoru broke the silence. His voice serious.
"I... I still don’t understand why you did it." His jaw tightened, referring to what had happened that morning. "You knew it was an act of blasphemy. You knew it meant a death sentence for you. And yet… you told it anyway. In front of everyone."
Megumi listened quietly, saying nothing.
"If you wanted to tell everyone the truth," Satoru continued, pain creeping into his voice, "you could’ve hidden how you discovered it. You didn’t have to throw yourself to the wolves."
"I know that your soul was already corrupted because of that, but at least..." Satoru’s voice faltered. "At least you’d still have a few days left... we would still have a few days left."
A bitter laugh slipped from his lips.
"And there’s one more thing I don’t get," he turned to face Megumi fully. "If what you said during the assembly is true, then doesn’t that mean the things reforged from memory aren’t the same as the originals? Doesn’t that make all of it pointless? Doesn’t that make everything that we’ve done... everything we’ve lost... useless...?"
His gaze dropped. "I know. I know we’re out of time. This world doesn’t give people like us a chance."
They both knew what wasn’t being said.
Some loves weren’t meant to survive. Some were only meant to be remembered.
Megumi finally closed the book he was reading and turned to face Satoru.
"Human souls are like seeds, Satoru. They might grow differently depending on their environment, but they still carry the same essence. The same core. A peach seed will always become a peach tree, no matter where it’s planted. What we're doing now is necessary. It plants the truth for the ones who’ll come after us. Someone needs to break this loop."
"But you’ll forget. You’ll lose all your memories. You won’t even remember me. And I don't know how I'm supposed to continue living with that," Satoru's voice trembled, feeling frustrated and helpless.
What's the point of getting all the powers and ascending as a mighty being if he couldn't protect and be with the one person he loved the most?
Warm hands cupped his cheeks and gently turned his face.
For the first time, Satoru saw Megumi smile. Not his usual crazy smile or a fake polite smile, but something rare. Soft. Genuine. Real.
A smile meant for him, and him alone.
“Did you forget I’m smart, Satoru? I’ll definitely find a way to get my memories back.”
“And besides... I have you, don’t I?”
That was all it took.
The dam in Satoru’s heart broke, and everything he had been holding back all this time came crashing out at once. It hurt—gosh it hurt how much he’d buried these feelings just to keep going.
Please. Just this once, he didn’t want to be strong. He didn’t want to be the hero. He just wanted to be selfish. He just wanted Megumi.
He leaned in, grabbing Megumi’s face as their lips crashed together. It wasn’t a gentle kiss. Desperation, years of longing and pining, regret, love, all colliding into one kiss.
Satoru kissed him like the world was ending—because for him, it was.
Satoru pulled his mentor closer, and Megumi responded with the same desperation. He had nothing to lose anymore. His hands wrapped around Satoru's neck, his lips parting to deepen the kiss.
It was their first kiss.
And their last.
A farewell kiss.
When they finally pulled apart, their foreheads rested together.
Megumi whispered softly,
"May we meet again in the new world, Gojo Satoru."
Then, without hesitation, he reached into his chest and tore out his core before handing it to Satoru.
Bright light enveloped him, and just like that, Megumi was gone.
All Satoru had left was the last piece of him— this burning flamecore.
"I'll find you, Megumi," he promised.
"Even if I have to burn the world down again and again, I'll search every lifetime, every cycle, every world until you're mine again."
“██████.”
"̷͔̞̟̘̺̰̪̄̈́̇̆̀̍͠͝T̸͓͎͈̃̈̀͑̿̇ͅḧ̶̯̰́̿̏̍̍̅̉͐̕͜i̴̫͑͒̈́͒̽̕s̷̢̹͍̜͒̒̉̐̈́̍͑̿͠ ̶̣̠͖̖̪̇͊̈́̄̇̔́̌̚ẇ̵̢̤̯̄̑̈́̏̈́̈́̿͑͝o̵̡̨͉̘̭̜̙͑͒̂̋̂̽̓͝͝ŗ̸̩̬͔͇̪̗̰̬̀̃͑ͅl̷̢̤̱̼̣̖͍̦̆̓̃̽̚͜d̶̨̤̩̬̥̻̜̼̎͜͠ ̶̣̞͓̭̋̆̎͛̓̀́̈́̚͠ď̶̡̨̺͖̖͓̹͙̙̓̈́̽͆̀͝o̵̳͚͙̭̎́͋͜͜e̴̖̹͙̜̮̟̐͐̄̓̊ș̶̿̐̕̕ň̷̨̜͔͓̝̠̺̎͒͒̒̒̓̌̀’̴̢̛͓̹̘̲̳̪̟͐͆́̚ͅṯ̴̯̪͇̝̈́̍̔͝͝ ̷̛̗͍̰͍̜̭̹̤̳̯̄̋̋ģ̴̧̰͓͉̺̭͆̋͂̓͂̈̄i̴̤̐͒̈͘͜v̵̰̥̬̯̝͓̪̌̕ẻ̵̢̱̦̝͚̜̤̦̥̻͗̂̆͐̔́́͝ ̴̰̱͓̱͍̭̰̀̑̄̏̊͌̉͜͠ͅp̴̨̢̙̞͍͇̕͜è̵̢̢̹̝̲̖͇̈̓̓͆̏̋ơ̴͔̭̓͊̈́͆̀͛̂̽͝ͅp̸̨̻͇͇͙̌͂̄̎͒̚l̴̳̔́̿͛͆̇͘ȩ̵̨̣͈͚̤̳̜͒͒̊ ̵̧̻̦̏l̵͉̮̖̖͔̪͒́̄̂͑̽i̶̛̩̒̋́̈́̕͠k̶̛̻̰̓́̀ͅè̷̖ ̷̬̜̫̰̫͖́̉̂͊̿u̶̺̝͚̖̪̠̒̃͒̄̈́͑s̸̨̘͖̺̱͒̓̃̆͗̋̾̄̑͝ ̸̧̡̜͚̼̼͔̗̦̻́̋͌̓͌͝a̸͔̙̹͔̓̌̓̈́̚ ̵̧͓͖̭̻̘͇̫̣̍̃̊͆͐̊̀͘͜͝͠c̷̩͕͐͛͒͋̌̈́̽̎ḩ̵͍̹̱͎̝̪̱̊͒̈̋̉̿͘ạ̷̧͖͔̥̱̹̑̉͐͗̕̕͜͝n̶̢̟͉͓͕̜͔͖̹̤̾͑̍̾̽͂͘͝c̸͍̭̍̏̍ȩ̷̳̊ͅ.̸̨̠̫͎̳̝͔͓̂̍͒͌̉̾̑̔"̵̡̟̩͖͇̣̘̥̈́̈́̍̑̚͠
“̴Y̴o̴u̴’̴l̴l̴ ̴l̴o̴s̴e̴ ̴a̴l̴l̴ ̴y̴o̴u̴r̴ ̴m̴e̴m̴o̴r̴i̴e̴s̴.̴ ̴Y̴o̴u̴ ̴w̴o̴n̴’̴t̴ ̴e̴v̴e̴n̴ ̴r̴e̴m̴e̴m̴b̴e̴r̴ ̴m̴e̴.̴”̴
"ʞɔɒd ████████ ʏm ƚɘǫ oƚ ʏɒw ɒ bᴎiᎸ ʏ|ɘƚiᴎiᎸɘb ||’I"
"̵̢̭͎͙̝̻̓I̴͔̪̥̞̖͒̓...̵̡̣̩̮͕̗̪̹́̇́͐͛̈́̏͌ ̸̫͉̙̙͖̗̬͖̳̰͐́̈́ḣ̵̞͎̱̤̳̠͗a̵͉̱̜̳͈̦̩̓͆̉̈́͂̏v̷̫͔̮̲̩̥̪̞̤͗̏̉̆͋́e̶̬͉̫͂̃͑̇̀ ̷̨͈̞̤͛̈́̉y̷̛̖̭̗̆͛͗̾͝o̷̢̨̥͓̘͕͎͋̆ų̷̨̖̟̲̥̗̯͕̰̄̐̍̽̈̕,̸̨̬̺̼͖̉̾̊́̄͝ ̴̡̫̤͇̠̥͔̗͗̍͜ͅd̷̨̡̨̠̯̗͋̔̏̎̑ò̷̤̞̻̝̍͂̍̏̀̑͆͝n̸̒̕ͅ’̴̡͇͔̗͍͗̍͜ͅt̷̛̘̩̲̤̹͎̳͓͙̏ ̶͉̞̺̖̔̕͠I̶̢̱͖̲̺̙͛̈́͆?̴̺̭̩͍͕͍̓"̸̡̧̞͛̽͊̑̕
“"̶M̶a̶y̶ ̶w̶e̶ ̶m̶e̶e̶t̶ ̶a̶g̶a̶i̶n̶ ̶i̶n̶ ̶t̶h̶e̶ [data corrupted], ███████████.”
Anaxa jolted awake, drenched in cold sweat. His chest rose and fell rapidly. His head throbbed violently, as if something inside was trying to claw its way out.
That strange dream again.
A world that felt too vivid, too real, to be just imagination. Bright azure skies that looked painted by gods, a colossal monument carrying a floating globe on its back, and people with garments like something out of Ancient Greek.
He remembered being there. Living there.
And he remembered himself —wearing a black and teal long jacket, an eight-pointed star faintly glowing in the center of his chest. A man with an eyepatch over his left eye — not like that annoying person and his blindfold. This felt like a price paid or traded with something he couldn't recall.
He couldn’t remember the details in that dream, but every time he woke from it, his chest ached with longing —for something… or someone he couldn’t even name.
Eyes the color of a clear cyan sky. Hair white as winter’s first snow. A smile that shone like the morning sun, warm and radiant, and always — always— looking at him like he was the most precious thing in the world.
And that last ████ they shared...
He winced, clutching his head as the pain spiked again.
"Hey, are you okay?"
Anaxa turned slowly. Glowing blue eyes stared at him under the dim light, filled with concern and tnederness.
He wondered if it was crazy to say that those blue eyes somehow reminded him of the cyan eyes in his dream.
"Just... a nightmare..."
The man pulled him close, wrapping his strong arms around Anaxa's small frame. The embrace was warm, comforting.
"Shhhh... It's alright. I'm here. You're safe with me, okay? Let me chase those nightmares away."
Gentle kisses were pressed against his cheeks, his temple, his nape, his eyes and Anaxa indulged himself in those kisses.
“Feeling better now?”
“…Yeah. Thanks, sensei.”
A low chuckle pressed against his skin. “We’ve been together a whole year now, and you still call me that when it’s just us?”
Anaxa flushed, ducking into the oversized shirt collar that clearly didn’t belong to him. “It’s just… habit…”
“Mmmmm~ You’re so cute, my little Anaxa~”
A hand slipped under his shirt—only to be intercepted before it could wander further.
“W-we should go to sleep!! You have a mission in the morning,” he blurted, quickly rolling over to face the other side, his cheeks burning.
"No goodnight kiss..?"
Anaxa could already imagine the long pout that would no doubt last until the next morning, so he leaned in and gave a quick peck on the man's lips before lying back down.
“Goodnight, Phainon-san.”
Phainon watched the boy drift into slumber, his gaze soft, but behind those blue eyes lay something dark, something deeper than just a simple affection.
“You were right,” he whispered, fingers lightly tracing over the messy strands of Anaxa’s black hair.
“Human souls... are indeed like seeds.”
He pressed a kiss to Anaxa’s forehead.
“No matter how many times you’re reborn, no matter what name you go by... your core remains unchanged. You always find your way back to me, even after hundreds of cycles.”
His fingers lingered on the boy’s skin, the touch familiar—just like the last time he held him close before their first and only kiss.
Fushiguro Megumi.
Even if the name was forgotten, even if the memories were lost, even if fate tried to tear them apart,
Phainon, no. Gojo Satoru would always find him.
Always.
Some cycles were shattered beyond repair. Others erased like they never happened. And some—obliterated, wiped clean from the fabric of reality.
But none of that would ever matter.
Because no matter how many times the world tried to pull them apart, he would rewrite this world's story over and over again.
He would tear through time and space itself, defy the Aeons themselves if he had to.
Because in every cycles, in every lifetime... Fushiguro Megumi is his.
And Gojo Satoru will never lose him again.