Chapter Text
"Itadori." Megumi called from behind. Yuji was slumped by a makeshift fire that Okkotsu had made, and for once in his life, he didn't say anything.
"Itadori" Megumi called again, this time making Yuji look over his shoulder.
"Fushiguro." he said in response, and Megumi had never heard such hopelessness in his voice
"We need to go- the barrier around jujutsu high is weakened...we can get you back in there- speak to Tengen-"
"Fushiguro." Yuji interrupted. His voice stern for once. "Please don't pretend like nothing happened...like-like people aren't dead because of me."
Megumi's eyebrows furrowed and he huffed. "It's not your fault Yuji-"
"Fushiguro..."
"Its our fault. None of this would have ever happened if I didn't let you eat that finger...but it happened...and we need to move on."
Yuji went silent. Megumi sighed and sat down next to him on the floor.
"mistakes happen Yuji...all we can do is move on and...try and prevent things like this in the future...it was out of your- no...anyone's control"
Yuji stayed silent, and Megumi mirrored him. They stayed in an uncomfortable silence, warmed by the fire until Okkotsu returned.
-Yuta Okkotsu, the special grade sorcerer who had absolutely made Yuji's long week a lot longer. Okkotsu had been ordered by the higher-ups to carry out Yuji's execution after the Shibuya incident, and carry it out he did. However, when Yuji lay lifeless in front of the makeshift fire he created, and he had reported the death, Yuta remembered Gojo's wishes to protect the kid to his full extent. Yuta sighed, and used his reversed curse technique to bring Yuji back to life.
Now, the entirety of Jujutsu society believed Sukuna's vessel was dead. That may not be the case, but the light in him had faded, leaving a shell of the once bright boy.
Silently, Okkotsu joined the two boys sitting around the fire, the three of them surrounded by rubble. "I brought some food to warm up...will you two be eating?" Yuta asked, holding up a bag of food he had obviously just taken from an abandoned supermarket.
"I'm not hungry" they said in sync.
The awkward silence continued while Okkotsu heated up a can of Tomato soup, and ate it straight out of the tin, when a fourth person joined them. Choso Kamo, eldest of the death paintings, and Yuji's new found older brother.
The four of them sat beside the fire, idle chatter and talks of what they plan to do next ensuing. Yuji faded into the background, not contributing, and not really listening either. The next thing he knew he was lying down to sleep with the others.
His dreams were filled with what Sukuna saw when he had gotten in control, the fire, the screaming, the blood, the unnecessary deaths. It's safe to say Yuji didn't get much sleep that night.
The next morning, Yuji found himself sitting amongst a pile of rocks, staring aimlessly at the crater that was once Shibuya. He was there for what felt like hours, until he once again heard that familiar voice calling his name.
"Itadori" Megumi murmured from behind him, moving to sit beside him in the pile of rubble, he placed a cautious hand on Yuji's back. "You should eat something"
Still beating himself up about the whole tragedy, Yuji just shook his head gently and remained quiet. Megumi sighed. "Yuji..." he began, testing using his friend's first name to actually get his attention. "Yuji please...It's not your fault...you were fed 10 fingers...there was no way you could've resisted Sukun-" Megumi was cut off by a pressure against his chest, and the soft sound of Yuji crying. He paused in surprise briefly, looking down at his best friend, sobbing and hiding his face in his chest.
"Yuji...what are you...?"
Yuji's cries were partly broken by his words, muffled by Megumi's chest. "Fushiguro...please...I just...I need...I'm sorry..."
Megumi had frozen, but he melted back into the moment, he wasn't one for emotions, but after everything they had been through, Megumi let out a soft sigh and wrapped his arms back around Yuji, with a slightly restrained tone, he spoke:
"It's Okay Itadori...I'm here..."
Yuji sobbed harder, his tears splashing onto the rubble beneath them and the sound attracting Choso, who had kicked into full-blown older brother mode upon sensing his brother's distress. Choso peeked out from behind a wall, observing the interaction between the two boys. His first initial instinct was to run to Yuji, but upon seeing him hiding himself within Megumi, Choso knew he was in safe hands, and stepped away.
Around 30 minutes of crying later, Yuji had exhausted himself, and fell into a well needed sleep, his head resting on Megumi's shoulder.
Megumi stared into the distance, watching the sun rise over what should've been Shibuya, but was instead a dark, empty crater. He noticed how the faint pink glow was a similar hue to the hair of the boy providing a comfortable wait on his shoulder, and for some reason, unknown to Megumi, that made him conjure up a soft smile.
An hour later, Megumi gently nudged Yuji awake, it pained him to interrupt his peaceful sleep, but they had plans to make, curses to exorcise.
"Itadori...come on...wake up" Megumi murmured softly, smirking when he whined. Upon still refusing to wake up, Megumi's stern demeanour returned, and he pushed him off his shoulder forcing Itadori awake.
"Come on Jackass...wake up! We've got stuff to do.." He grumbled.
"Damn...you really can be mean sometimes huh Fushiguro?" Yuji smirked, sitting up and rubbing the back off his neck. He stood, his bubbly attitude half-restored. He groaned as he stretched his arms above his head. "Come on, I bet Choso and Okkotsu are up by now" he gently tapped Megumi's arm and headed off back towards their campfire.
"How do you switch between emotions so easily..." Megumi grumbled as he followed Yuji back to the campsite.
"We have a problem," Choso announced when the two of them returned.
"Noritoshi Kamo...the ancient sorcerer who is currently in possession of Suguru Geto's body has announced a culling game."
"A culling game? What's that?" Yuji asked in his innocence.
Megumi spoke up, "It's hard to explain...but I imagine for one, that if we don't participate then we will die?" Okkotsu confirmed the question with a nod, and they spent the next hour going over the rules of the game.
After some time spent planning and strategising, the four came to a conclusion. They would make sure to hide Yuji, return to Jujutsu High, where they would meet up with Maki and Yuki Tsukomo. From there...they would find Master Tengen.