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1.
The first time it happened was also the first time Nobara got to officially meet the infamous King of Curses, Ryoumen Sukuna, who inhabited Itadori's body for approximately three weeks at that point.
It had been a rare easy, lazy day with no missions due to Gojo-sensei being away on a mission of his own. While they could easily be escorted on shorter missions by another experienced sorcerer or even a "window", the Principal was, apparently, still a bit reluctant to leave Sukuna's vessel without proper supervision ... Proper supervision, apparently, being the supposedly most powerful sorcerer of their generation. So Nobara and her two classmates were stuck on campus for the day with nothing in particular to do but train, chat and complain about their utter boredom. The training at least helped them understand what to expect from each other on future missions, but there was also only so much they could do without cursing each other into a sorry state.
"Man, I'm bored," complained Itadori when they all finally gave up on it and sat down under the shade of a tree with some onigiri and soda cans between them. "Why couldn't Gojo-sensei take us with him? Even if we can't fight, wouldn't we learn a lot more by watching him at work instead of just sitting around here, doing nothing?"
"Gojo-sensei's missions are too dangerous for anyone below grade 1," replied Fushiguro as he picked up a rice ball and started snacking on it. "Even if they're just sitting on the sidelines to observe. It's either because of the ridiculous numbers he has to deal with, several special grade curses in a relatively small territory or the curse users or curse user organizations that spring up every once in a while. No first years, no matter the talent, power grade or prior experience, can accompany Sensei for the sake of their own safety."
"Eh, sounds fun," Nobara commented. "I agree that it would have been great to see Sensei in action. Now that I think about it, I've never seen Gojo-sensei fight." She said pointedly, staring intently at her teammates. Fushiguro, predictably, shrugged and mentioned that he'd seen him fight a few times and that it's best not to have newbies witness it until they have some of their own individual experience so they wouldn't get too discouraged. Apparently, the man is that good.
Itadori, though, had a slightly different answer. "Oh! Yeah, I didn't exactly see him fight from the sidelines, but I'd really want to. From what I've seen last time, Sensei seems to be super strong!"
The only girl in their group perked up. "What do you mean, last time? And how did you watch 'not from the sidelines'?"
The pink haired boy rubbed the back of his head bashfully slash thoughtfully. "Well, uhm, it kind of happened after the first finger. Sensei had me give control to Sukuna for ten seconds and he seemed to be, like, just playing with him and Sukuna is pretty strong, from what I've seen so far."
"Don't take my name into your pathetic mouth, brat," snapped a new voice, causing the two boys to stiffen while Nobara just flinched in surprise. "And don't presume things. The sorcerer only did so well because I at that time only had the power of one of my fingers. At my full power, I'd squash that bastard like a bug."
"I don't know. Sensei said he'd win even in that case," Itadori argued while Kugisaki stared in a mix of surprise, disgust and curiosity at the single eye and a whole damn mouth that had opened up on Itadori's cheek.
"The sorcerer has no idea what he's saying."
"Gojo-sensei isn't the type you're used to fighting," Fushiguro surprised them all by commenting, but didn't elaborate.
Nobara couldn't hold her tongue back any longer. "Maa, is he as ugly as that thing on your face suggests? It looks disgusting."
That actually got quite a reaction out of the already irritated curse. He started yelling profanities and spouting cusses left and right, only growing louder each time Itadori tried to cover his mouth after he had relocated it to another place on his body. Fushiguro's Divine Dogs got a bit anxious and annoyed by all the noise and started whining or growling. Ieiri-san at one point popped around the corner to check on them but turned on her heel when she saw Nobara trying to choke Itadori in futile hopes of getting the curse to shut up, while Fushiguro tried to calm his shikigami so they'd let him dismiss them instead of agitatedly pacing like wolves in too small zoo cages. Sukuna switched it up with very vivid and very detailed descriptions of what he'll do with their innards if he ever gets his hands on any of them and at one point even Fushiguro got involved, trying to suffocate the second mouth with a rice ball or attempted pouring some soda in Sukuna's eye, but actually ended up getting some in Itadori's. This only caused the vessel to cry out in pain while Sukuna started cackling, making it all the more annoying and loud.
Nobara had not thought it possible to hate one single particular curse, but she seems to be wrong, because she definitely hates Sukuna.
What was worse, even after they managed to calm down a little, Sukuna didn't retreat into his inner world or whatever he'd built within Itadori's head or soul. Instead, he continued throwing annoying comments and increasingly gory threats until nearly midnight, ruining their attempt at a peaceful movie night.
That's how Gojo-sensei found them: Kugisaki and Fushiguro with pillows stuffed with curse energy trying to suffocate Sukuna's mouth that kept cackling and taunting them as he manifested it all over his vessel's body, while said vessel seemed far too willing to let his friends suffocate him to death with their weapons of choice. "Yo! What are my precious students doing at this time in the evening? Hey~! Don't waste the popcorn by throwing it on the floor!"
"Gojo-sensei!" Came the trio's, quite frankly, relieved and thoroughly desperate synchronized cry at the sight of their teacher. They were all losing their damned minds after hours of trying to deal with Sukuna. It didn't help that the bastard would occasionally let his presence slip through, despite never being fully in control of the body he shared with Itadori. It really made the horror movie they were watching too intense, making it impossible to enjoy it even if they managed to ignore his comments on the 'proper way' of eviscerating a person's insides. They did not need that, they will see enough of it in the career path they've chosen. "Please help!"
Gojo-sensei actually lost a bit of his cheer when he noticed that the three of them were actually mildly upset. "What's the matter?"
"The brats can't handle a bit of gore," mocked Sukuna and, despite him wearing a black blindfold, they could all tell the second Gojo-sensei zeroed in on the curse's mouth that had once again manifested underneath Itadori's eye, one of his own red eyes also opened.
"He's been insufferable all day," whined Itadori, truly desperate for his unwanted tenant to just leave him alone for a while. Nobara wondered if hammering her nails through Itadori would stop the curse from manifesting again. But then maybe Itadori wouldn't survive that. However, if they don't do something about that annoyance soon, she's prepared to shed a few tears and move on. Besides, Itadori looked close to taking her hammer and finishing himself off by his own hand. "We tried everything to make him go away, but nothing worked!"
"So pillow suffocation was your next best bet?" The white haired man asked in half amusement, half bafflement, though he clearly found the situation more hilarious than surprising. Nobara likes to think it's because Gojo-sensei is nuts and not because they are, too.
"Well, strangulation definitely didn't work," bitches Fushiguro and Sensei gets this look of understanding on his expression that suggests he must have run into Ieiri-san before coming to check up on them.
"Did you try threatening him?"
"As if these brats could scare me, Gojo Satoru!" Huffed an offended Sukuna which, rude! Just because they aren't godtier - yet; Nobara has plans - doesn't mean they can't come up with some nasty revenge to make Dukuna regret ever reaching immortality. They were teenagers; they'd think of something.
"He's mostly been the one throwing threats around," says a dejected Itadori. "I may need therapy."
Gojo-sensei seems to frown at that for a second before a disturbingly gleeful expression overtakes what they can see of his face. "I think I have an idea that might work!"
"Really?" Asked Nobara and Itadori hopefully, while Fushiguro voiced the same question with a heavy dose of skepticism. However, the boy's been just as tortured as they have so he's clearly desperate for any form of relief from Sukuna's cures for his own demonic boredom.
"Yup!" The man popped the P with a big grin.
"Ha! Do your worst, sorcerer! I'm stayin'!" Challenged the curse and, really, you should never challenge Gojo-sensei. That night they went to get sushi, Gojo-sensei ordered two whole cakes for them to enjoy, though Fushiguro revealed most of it will probably end up in Gojo-sensei's stomach. Nobara and Itadori hadn't believed him and had challenged an amused Gojo to a cake eating contest. Itadori managed to keep up with him throughout the first cake while Nobara had quit on her fifth slice. Gojo-sensei finished off the whole second cake by himself save for one piece that was left aside for their third teammate. Gojo-sensei then proceeded to take a lollipop out of a pocket and suck on it like an excited five year old. Itadori had barfed up most of their dinner almost immediately upon seeing the sweet and Nobara had not been able to think of sugar for the next few days.
Gojo-sensei, apparently, had an insane sweet tooth. How a man who ate so much sugar had such perfect teeth and not an ounce of fat on him, Nobara will never know and forever envy.
"Okie dokie! Yuuji-kun, I just need you to stay real still for a moment."
"Slapping doesn't work!" Blurted out the curse vessel in a panic, clearly not wanting to get a Gojo™️ slap. Nobara was now really interested to see the guy in action.
"Relax! I won't hurt you!" Assured the only adult and Itadori nodded reluctantly, before closing his eyes and staying as perfectly still as a ray of sunshine could ever manage. "Alright. This will take just a second."
"Do your worst, Gojo Satoru," repeated Sukuna cockily and then the most amazing and shocking thing in the entire world happened right before Nobara's and Fushiguro's eyes.
Their teacher leaned down until he was eye level with their classmate, leaned in and kissed the smugly smirking second mouth mounted on Itadori's left cheek, causing Itadori's eyes to fly open in surprise while Sukuna's one eye bugged out in a comical way, all the while the King of Curses was screaming, muffled by the mouth covering his.
And the craziest thing?
It worked like a charm!
The additional mouth melted back into smooth skin in no time at all and Gojo-sensei pulled away with his signature dorky laugh that he uses whenever he acts like an utter idiot. "Figures a curse would be allergic to any form of affection!" Chirps the white haired man as though he hadn't just kissed the boogeyman of every jujutsu sorcerer's nightmares. "Well, anyway, now that that has been handled," Gojo says dismissively, bringing up a souvenir bag into their line of sight. "I brought gifts! I was going to give them to you tomorrow, but I guess now is as good a time as any, since we're all awake."
Sensei continued to prattle on while his students still stared at the cheek that had previously housed an additional eye and mouth belonging to Ryoumen Sukuna himself. Silently, to themselves and no one else, not even on the pain of death, they concede that, perhaps, in his own weird way ...
Gojo Satoru might indeed be the strongest.
2.
The second time it happened, Ijichi had the misfortune to be there, waiting in the car with a newly resurrected Itadori Yuuji, just two weeks after the boy came back to life and a little over one week since Gojo-san faced down two unregistered special grade curses and came out without a scratch as though it was no more than a stroll in the park. As expected of the strongest sorcerer in the world, really, but Ijichi would have preferred a bit less damage that he has to report every time Gojo-san decides he just has to be that bit extra than he already was just by existing.
The mission they were on was supposed to be a training and learning experience for Itadori-kun, with Gojo-san, of course, supervising and assisting if necessary, and Ijichi acting as a glorified chauffeur, like he always did whenever he was assigned to Gojo-san, which was pretty often as he was one of the rare few people who weren't completely out of their minds from fear or fanboying around the man. The objective of the mission, however, shifted when Gojo-san detected a strange stirring in the natural energy of the long abandoned cemetery - no one uses it anymore since it was supposedly haunted (not impossible) and most of the population from the nearest village decided to use the new cemetery just outside of it, as it was easier than to traverse miles of mountain roads - caused by an interference by intense curse energy. Gojo-san thought it was either a special grade curse or a special grade cursed object.
Either way, given how things had turned out the last time Itadori-kun - or any first year - had been near a special grade, it was perfectly logical of Gojo-san to completely take over the mission and instead have Itadori-kun waiting with Ijichi in the car, even if the boy got a bit pouty about it. Apparently, Gojo-san had a new super-fan, ever since Itadori-kun saw him fight a few days ago. Ijichi wasn't even surprised: it's how things are in life, once one meets and witnesses the natural disaster known as Gojo Satoru.
What was surprising, to both him and Itadori-kun, was for Sukuna to make an appearance and be just as huffy about missing seeing the Strongest in his element. The Curse King had a great time doing his best to scare Ichiji once he realized how spooked the Window was by his presence by describing what he would do to Gojo-san once he is fully reincarnated and seizes Itadori-kun's body for his own. Ichiji did not like much the reminders of that one day when Gojo-san died a powerful mortal and awakened a vengeful, mortal god in a human guise, nearly a decade ago, covered in blood practically from head to toes, some very disturbing splotches in some very disturbing places that spoke, indeed, of his temporarily dead status.
Now that Ijichi thought about it, of course one of Gojo-sensei's students would go through something similar as he himself had.
That thought wasn't enough to drown out Sukuna's rants.
"Ugh, can you please turn on the radio, as loud as it can go?" The teen asked from the back seat, looking about ready to un-alive himself again just so he can get the curse to shut up.
"Of course," the man replied, fiddling with the controls before some preppy pop song blasted through the speakers. It was annoying, but at least it was enough to drown out Sukuna's voice. For now.
"Oh, thank goodness," said the vessel as Sukuna actually shut up for a second while glaring at the annoying device. "Sorry about this, Ichiji-san. I wish it was a quiet day, but Sukuna can be an ass at the most random of times."
The window was about to reassure him that it wasn't his fault and that he was already somewhat used to it after having dealt with Gojo-san for many years so far, but before he could, the loud song ended and, to their dawning horror, My Heart Will Go On came on, considerably lower in volume due to it being a ballad.
Itadori-kun and Ijichi expected Sukuna to start ranting at them again, or throw out a few truly disturbing threats or even recount one of the many mass murders he'd committed in his time, but Itadori-kun's unwanted inhabitant did neither. He stayed quiet, if present, and Ijichi had an insane thought of questioning whether Sukuna liked Celine Dion enough to not terrorize their already fragile sanity despite the clear chance he just got.
Then he realized he had hoped too soon as Sukuna did something much, much worse than start yelling threats.
He started singing.
And was it godawful, it sounded like someone was grating a cat over a cauldron of boiling lava and enjoying every second of it. Then again, knowing who it was, Ijichi wouldn't even be surprised to hear that Sukuna might have, indeed, done something like it before. Hell, Ijichi would hand him a kitten right then and there, if only he would shut up. Itadori-kun trying to shut him up or insult him into shutting up only made matters worse.
They are going to end up attracting curses their way if this continues.
Fortunately, that's when Gojo-san warped into sight a few steps away from the car, only to flinch and take a step back when he registered Sukuna's 'singing'. Given that Six Eyes grants him the ability to process everything he sees and hears and senses on a level unimaginable to other humans, Ijichi wonders if he'll have to make a migraine medicine run in the middle of the night again. All the local pharmacies no doubt think him to be some junkie addicted to pain meds.
Was Gojo-san addicted to pain meds?
"What the hell happened here?" Asked the incredulous special grade sorcerer, eyeing the additional mouth on Itadori-kun's palm with distrust. Ijichi has never before believed in a god as much as he does now in Gojo-san, because clearly the white haired man is a divine being of some sort if he came at this time of peril. For Ijichi's and Itadori-kun's ears, that is.
"It would seem Ryoumen Sukuna was bored and displeased that he could not see you fighting, Gojo-san, so he decided to, uh ... sing along to the music."
"Sensei, can you maybe fast forward my execution to tonight?" Asked Itadori-kun in a worryingly serious manner as he stuck his head out of the back seat window, looking up at the ridiculously tall man. "I don't think I'm ready for this after all. Let's just end Sukuna tonight."
"Don't even joke about that, Yuuji-kun!" Scolds Gojo-san in a moment of surprising seriousness.
"Are you an idiot, brat? I'll still live on. My soul is fragmented, which means that I'll still be alive as long as the other Fingers exist. This would be a foolish, pointless sacrifice-"
"Yeah, but there's no one else who can eat your fingers and survive, so you won't have a vessel to manifest in, therefore my sacrifice wouldn't be meaningless, because I'd be saving the world from your fuck awful singing voice," counters the teenager and Ijichi is actually tempted to applaud him for that one, because, indeed, it would be salvation of a different kind. Not to mention that Sukuna would forever be weakened for the missing fingers. Even one less finger meant one sorcerer was more likely to survive a rampage by Sukuna other than Gojo-san. Really, their standards were so low these days.
"Well, just for that, when I finally take full control of your body and proceed with my plans to kill everyone so I may rule over this world as I see fit, I'll make sure to give them all my best rendition of all your favorite songs! And I'll keep your soul alive so I can torture you every single second as I rip you apart limb from limb while singing Halle-fucking-luyahmmmmfffhhhh!"
The muffled enraged screaming had Ijichi turning back around to look to his passenger, only for his glasses to fall off his nose and his eyes to bulge out at what he saw, because on the list of things he'd thought he'd never see in his entire life, Gojo Satoru kissing the additional mouth on Itadori Yuuji's cheek was right up there, next to seeing Gojo-san defeated. The white haired man pulled back after only just a couple of seconds and Sukuna's enraged screaming echoed uncomfortably through the car, wordless noises of pure, unadulterated fury, before the curse suddenly withdrew, as if afraid Gojo-san might give it a repeat performance if he kept at it.
And while Ijichi gawped at the scene, Gojo-san only straightened up with a pleased hum while Itadori-kun released a relaxed sigh and promised his teacher a delicious dinner and the sweetest dessert he knew how to make as thanks.
Maybe Gojo Satoru really is some kind of mortal god.
3.
Ijichi had been kind enough to warn Nanami Kento about Sukuna's annoying tendencies when the King of Curses god bored and Gojo-san's baffling method of making him shut up, but it was not enough to stop him from being shocked when he got to witness the scene for himself.
The whole thing transpired after the disastrous mission involving one Yoshino Junpei, the curse known as Mahito and, at the center of it all, Itadori Yuuji, who had to watch his new, young friend die in the most horrifying way Kento had ever seen before in all of his years of being a Sorcerer. Neither Nanami nor Ijichi, who were supposed to be there to watch over the Jujutsu Tech student, could do much to help in regards to the deaths of the small Yoshino family but hide from Itadori-kun the fact that one of Sukuna's Fingers had been found in their house, nor could they help in regards to Itadori-kun killing a human for the first time, even if those poor creatures could barely be registered as humans anymore.
And they certainly couldn't help when, just as they dropped off the disfigured bodies at the morgue, Sukuna manifested one eye and an additional mouth on Itadorikun's cheek.
Now, Nanami had been briefed by Gojo-san about the nature and status of Itadori-kun as the infamous Curse King's vessel, and he had even handled one of Sukuna's Fingers previously, but this was definitely his first time meeting Ryoumen Sukuna himself and the presence emitting from the curse even from within his vessel was disturbing. Despite Itadori-kun wielding the same cursed energy as the curse he housed, Nanami had not felt like prey when he was near the teenager when he used it, but now, even when Sukuna showed no hostile intent besides to rile them up, he felt like crawling out of his skin just to get away from him.
Despite knowing Gojo-san for as many years as he did and knowing his character would, indeed, give him the impulse to kiss the King of Courses just to shut him up, Nanami wondered how Gojo-san hadn't felt the need to run and never look back.
Then again, he figured being the Strongest eliminated a lot of Gojo-san's common sense and survival instincts.
Trully, a perfect Jujutsu Sorcerer.
In the end, it probably didn't even matter what Sukuna was saying, given Itadori-kun's overall mood ever since he woke up after being healed and facing the aftermath of the fight with Mahito. Nanami knew the two didn't get along - how could they, when Sukuna openly fantasized about killing all those Itadori-kun held near and dear, starting with the very man who ensured he was even still alive despite practically the whole jujutsu world being against it - from Gojo-san, but he also knew Itadori-kun had a high tolerance for Sukuna's bullshit unless it was a bad or boring or tiring day. Today, it was two of those options, on top of still fresh grief and the shift Itadori-kun went through regarding his view of the world after he'd killed three former humans.
There was nothing Nanami could do to stop the curse from spilling poison into Itadori-kun's ears, no matter how much he wished it. And the boy himself was too lost to attempt to shut the curse up, trembling in blind rage and paralyzing grief.
"It was so fun to watch that pathetic human die! Oh, to witness so much pain and despair in his eyes in those last few moments as his weakling body gave out on him! He never did have a strong soul, if he broke so easily. But even funnier was the way you actually expected me to be the good guy and help him! Man, you almost sounded like a whore, offering your everything just so I would heal one measly human not worth the air he breathes! If I knew it was that easy to make you bendmmmmmmmgggggghhhhh!"
And, just like Ijichi had described to have happened the last time, Gojo-san seems to have appeared out of nowhere at just the right time, perceived the situation as it was in no time at all and acted recklessly, kissing the most dangerous curse the world has ever known of, making Sukuna scream in rage against the taller sorcerer's lips. When the curse tried to take control of one of Itadori-kun's arms in an attempt to shove the man away, Gojo-san caught it and drew the teen's body against his own, holding him tight and continued kissing the additional mouth until Sukuna gave one final outraged roar before retreating deep into his own domain within Itadori-kun's mind.
Gojo-san did not let go, but Itadori-kun seemed oblivious to his presence even as the man now gave him a proper hug and started carding comforting fingers through his pink hair. The way the student sagged against his teacher told Nanami that he was witnessing something precious and fragile and far too intimate. Of course, Nanami knew Gojo-san was ridiculously soft on all of his students, especially this year's first years, according to Ieiri-san and Ijichi. It honestly reminded Nanami of the whole Okkotsu Yuta ordeal, especially when Itadori Yuuji was involved.
Of course Gojo Satoru would be the best equipped to deal with the vessel of a powerful cursed spirit.
Except Kento's pretty sure Gojo-san has never repeatedly kissed Rika before.
But Ijichi had definitely been right about one thing.
It was a weird and weirdly effective method.
'Figures.'
4.
Growing up raised by someone as eccentric as Gojo Satoru after having been left behind by his own parents with only his sister who was technically a stepsister, anyways, was sure to leave one Fushiguro Megumi desensitized to most of the weirdness that made up their world, even without factoring in the weirdness surrounding the life of a Jujutsu Sorcerer. Now, Megumi may complain and glare at his legal guardian most of the time, but he was still genuinely grateful to the man for everything he'd done for him and his sister. And he may be used to Satoru's antics more than he let on, but there were still plenty of times when the man still managed to surprise him.
Gojo Satoru is a very peculiar individual and very few people get used to, let alone understand his antics. And even fewer people remain forever unsurprised by what the man can and will do, be it for their job or for his own entertainment. The man is the Strongest for a reason, but that also meant there was nothing and no one to challenge him, which meant he easily got bored. The one person who had ever come close to at one point being Gojo's equal was now a year dead, but that, in the end, didn't really matter. Fushiguro had never met Geto Suguru, but he still felt he would not have overly liked the man, based on what he'd heard. Satoru was rarely ever vulnerable with people, yet the very first person to be given such a privilege had thrown it in Satoru's face. Ieiri-san - who insisted he should call her Shoko - had told him what she knew about their last interaction and Megumi had never disliked a person he had never met more than back then. Neither of them ever told his guardian that Megumi knew about Suguru, but nothing can stay hidden from Satoru for long. He wasn't mad, he even explained some things, and Megumi never asked again because the sorrow in those incredibly blue eyes was something he didn't want to see again.
So Satoru had many facades he showed to the world, all slightly differing from each other based on who is the intended recipient. Megumi has seen many people be on the receiving end of Gojo's teasing, just as he himself had been in their place as well. He thought he knew what his guardian was capable of, how far he would go, which jokes he would make with whom. He was mostly right. He was rarely surprised.
Gojo-sensei teasing Ryomen Skunu by kissing him whenever the curse got too persistently annoying that it was genuinely bothering Itadori was one of those rare things that even surprised him anymore.
The first time it happened could easily be written off as a one off thing, but Itadori did not hesitate to tell them about the two new times it happened while he was 'dead' to the world. Megumi really wished Sukuna had a body of his own so he could let his shikigami slowly devour him piece by fucking piece after Itadori told them about Junpei and the last time Sukuna was truly insufferable, including Gojo-sensei's save. After that, Kugisaki became Nobara and Itadori became Yuuji, just as he was no longer Fushiguro but Megumi, even though Gojo-sensei stayed Gojo-sensei. They were closer than ever after Megumi opened up to them, after they defeated three special grade cursed spirits all by themselves without anyone dying. They spent a lot more time together, as well as with the second year students, and even Gojo-sensei did his best to spend more time with them.
This led to Nobara and Yuuji seeing Sensei's eyes properly, for the first time, as well as messing with his glasses and playing hide and seek with them on throughout the game. It had been fun watching Nobara and Yuuji discover that blindfolds literally mean nothing to their esteemed Sensei, though how the two had not already figured that out since the man literally walked around with a blindfold all day every day is a mystery to the Ten Shadows user that he figured he probably shouldn't waste time trying to solve. A brief explanation about Gojo's infamous Six Eyes and the Limitless had Sukuna opening an eye and listening in, but a single wink from Gojo had the curse retreating without saying a word.
If only getting rid of him now would be just as easy.
It should have been a simple mission, but when was anything ever simple for their group? Megumi wasn't sure if their string of shitty luck was a result of Gojo-sensei being a magnet for it or if it was Sukuna's doing. Either was possible, given the practically impossible nature of their strength and powers. Yuuji and even Nobara were oblivious about how the Jujutsu world had shifted with Gojo Satoru's birth and then again with Sukuna's incarnation within Yuuji, but Megumi had grown up with Gojo, so he'd been within certain social circles and knew a lot more than his classmates. So, really, if he had to bet, it would depend on the day.
Today, though, seemed to be a mix of both.
First, they had been separated. Then, two special grade cursed spirits appeared. Now, neither of these things would have been a problem, as they had recently taken down a special grade each without any adult help or supervision, but this time it was different. As in, one of the special grades was almost on the level of that plant-like cursed spirit that had attacked them during the Good Will event, thanks to one of Sukuna's Fingers, and it had gone straight for Yuuji in foolish hopes of getting more. It had been young and drunk on the boost it had gotten from the cursed object.
It had pierced Yuuji's heart in a terrifying mimicry of Yuuji's previous death and Sukuna had been forced to take over lest their shared body die when the curse attempted to continue tearing into it with the intention of ripping it to consumable shreds.
Nobara and Megumi had reunited - his remaining Divine Dog having led them to Yuuji's location after Nue and Nobara contributed to exorcising the other curse - and headed straight for their friend's side, worries and still too fresh memories plaguing their minds, only to find a thoroughly bloodied Sukuna tearing the spirit to shreds out of spite for the thing having even dared to target him (and Yuuji by extension).
Of course, the King of Curses was just the slightest bit stronger than he was before with yet another Finger added to his power, so Yuuji was struggling to get back in control and Sukuna was, once again, bored, now that there was little left of the spirit to shred. This was the first time since Yuuji's 'death' that the curse had made an appearance and the first time Nobara saw him in control of Itadori's body, so she was actually stock still in surprise.
Fushiguro didn't even think, dismissing the Divine Dog and summoning his newest shadow to distract the King of Curses as he grabbed his teammate and fled.
'Confronting Sukuna will only lead to him 'taking Yuuji hostage' again. And if either of us gets seriously hurt, Yuuji himself might ask for a forwarding of his execution. The best we can do is try to escape and call Gojo-sensei.'
Of course, when he'd been forming this 'plan' of sorts, his mind had been leaning more towards the first night of Sukuna's return and the little showdown between the Strongest and the King of Curses, not the more recent way of 'dealing with Sukuna' that Satoru had developed.
Sukuna had given chase - because he's bored - but he had, surprisingly, not made one attempt at truly hurting them. Sure, both first years had plenty of shallow cuts - and one deeper cut, because this is Sukuna and he is kind of a bastard - but they were definitely not in danger of bleeding out or suffering from severe, lasting damage. He laughed at too-close-calls of his bigger attacks, cooed at them when they made impressive moves and mocked them about their inability to save their friend and ridiculed them - a lot more gently than they were used to from the crass and cruel King of Curses, admittedly - for not being able to exorcise him despite being Jujutsu Sorcerers, all the while he laughed and mocked Yuuji within himself for not being able to break to the forefront and save his friends from the chase.
"Geeze, he's acting like a spoiled kid with a nuke in his hand, demanding attention," Nobara huffed and puffed some twenty minutes into the intense race, both of them getting tired now. They all just wanted to go home, all three of them, and not deal with asshole curses, but given that Sukuna seemed to be having a blast, that probably won't be happening any time soon.
"We just need to make it out of this weird no-signal area and call backup. Gojo-sensei's pretty adept at dealing with him by now, anyway."
"We're in the literal fucking nowhere right now, Megumi. We haven't had any signal all day!" Cried the girl, exasperated. "And I'd rather not let that piece of shit chase us all the way to the nearest settlement! It might give it the impression that it can play this game any time it wants!" Sukuna, somewhere behind them, gave an indignant noise at being addressed as an 'it', but didn't get a chance to reply when, suddenly, a second grade curse sprang out of nowhere and nearly plowed them over. "What the fuck was that!?"
Megumi cursed. "Sukuna's little playful rampage seems to have attracted the attention of other nearby cursed spirits." Judging by the size of it, this one was one of the rare traveling curses and it had probably made quite a journey to see what all the commotion was about, drawn by the cursed energy Sukuna was throwing around left and right during their 'game'. "We should expect a lot more curses showing up. We'll be lucky if only pseudo first grades appear. Neither of us are in the position to fight off a special grade right now."
And, of course, as soon as the words were out of his fucking mouth, a new special grade materialized, literally, in front of them from the shadows of the trees and Megumi was mighty pissed that he hadn't noticed. Shadows were his thing, after all. Sukuna was still playing around with the halfwit second grade curse so he hadn't noticed their predicament yet. Nobara had no more nails and he himself was too exhausted for even his Divine Dog, let alone Nue, who would be a must for this thing.
'But I can still do something!' He thought as he let his cursed energy gather the shadows that were meant to create a cloaking veil over him and whoever he chooses. He used to do this whenever he saw a dangerous looking curse near his and Tsumiki's home, using it as a signal and a beacon for Satoru that something was wrong and telling him his location. Satoru said this technique made his cursed energy pulse in a weird and telling way, easily drawing his attention, so he told Megumi to use it whenever he may need to 'summon' him if he finds himself in a sticky situation. It always worked. Even when the man was out of the country on a mission.
After all, the Six Eyes range was the whole world. He always saw and he always came, no matter what.
His mere arrival had the new special grade spooked and Satoru made quick work of it. No surprise there. The man also showed obvious worry for their cuts-littered states, but before either of them could reassure him that they were mostly fine, Sukuna made a repeat of his first attempt at sneak-attacking Gojo-sensei, though he didn't end up being used as a chair this time.
The white haired sorcerer gave an over dramatic sigh when he caught up to what was going on. "Seriously, Suku-chan~? If I didn't know any better, I'd think you have started liking us and just want us to keep you company!"
"I'm looking forward to your head mounted on a wall keeping me company after I gutt every sorcerer and then every non-sorcerer and curse in the world, for no particular reason," replied Sukuna, but unless Megumi really was suffering from blood loss or a concussion from being thrown around like a rag-doll, he would swear that the usual malice wasn't present in Sukuna's tone, despite him most probably still meaning to go through with that plan.
"Maa, maa! I knew you liked my face!" Chirped Gojo as he dodged Sukuna's first slashing attack and then continued dancing around the trees and bushes of the forest casually while avoiding other attacks, even if he really didn't need to, given his Infinity was always active. Megumi wasn't sure if Sukuna knew about it, though. The Gojo were a younger clan than the Zen'in and even the Kamo, but no one knew exactly when the Six Eyes and the Limitless came into being. It's likely they'll never know, too, given how reclusive and secretive the Gojo are with their techniques. They don't explain their techniques even when it meant that they would work better.
Fushiguro felt Nobara relax next to him now that they were no longer in charge of 'entertaining' Sukuna but he himself couldn't really calm down. This was too much like all the other times Sukuna had been a nausience and Satoru had used his peculiar 'solution' to solve the problem, but it was also considerably different. Sukuna was out loose this time so there's no telling what he'll do if Gojo goes for his usual tactic.
Then again, Gojo-sensei might just go for using his Domain Expansion to overwhelm him into inactivity and then knock him out as gently as possible, herding Yuuji into a seal-covered room so he can regain control of his body. But he and Kugisaki were far too close for Gojo-sensei to risk drawing them in, too.
The 'fight' kept going for nearly a minute longer, resembling more and more these two's first meeting. You'd think Sukuna would try to keep a cool head after having witnessed what Satoru was capable of, but the King of Curses apparently can't fight his own blood lust long enough to control the urge to lunge at Gojo-sensei as though he still thought him to be an ordinary sorcerer. The more excited Sukuna became, the less it resembled the terrifying calm Megumi had witnessed during the whole Cursed Womb incident and resembled all the more that first time he'd seen these two face off. Gojo-sensei, of course, noticed, because that man always does, so he even reverted back to the same teasing, playful fighting and showing off from that fateful night.
Only difference?
He never sat on Sukuna this time around.
Instead, at one point, he appeared right in front of the curse, leaned in like he had when he'd inspected Yuuji's merging with Sukuna, stayed there for a second, before the predictable happened.
Gojo-sensei leaned in the rest of the way and kissed Sukuna.
And this time, it felt different. For one, this was a completely, utterly direct kiss, because Sukuna was now fully in control of the body he shared with his vessel, meaning Gojo-sensei had had no other target to kiss but the ... 'main' mouth. And as if that wasn't already too fucking intimate, the white haired man had quickly grabbed onto both sides of Sukuna's face and held him in place when the curse went to jerk away. The parasitic side of Yuuji kept trying to hit and shove the sorcerer off of him, but Infinity was doing it's damned job like it was supposed to, so there was really no point. It didn't matter how much he trashed, Sukuna won't be able to escape Satoru's grip.
Finally, after what felt like forever - but it couldn't have been longer than one or two minutes - Itadori's body went limp, the markings receded and the presence of Sukuna faded. Megumi and Nobara still hadn't picked their jaws up from the ground when Sensei leaned away just as Yuuji opened his eyes, looking so dumbfounded and confused, like they've never seen him do before, and that's a feat.
"What happened? Why does my mouth taste sweet? I don't think I ate any cake recently ... And why is Sukuna trashing his skull mountain inside my head? Like, he's so loud," complained the boy before he brightened up when it fully registered that Gojo-sensei had joined them. "Oh! Gojo-sensei, when did you get here?" Megumi and Nobara could only stare. Sukuna had never blocked Yuuji's awareness of the outside world when he took over. He used it as a means to torture the too kind boy by making him watch the carnage and destruction he left in his wake.
Yet, this time, Yuuji had remained completely oblivious. Did he not remember the whole thing? Or just the last part?
"What's the last thing you remember?" Demanded their female teammate. Itadori got this thoughtful look on his face as he rubbed his chin in thought.
"Hmmm ... I think that the last thing I remember is Sensei sending Sukuna through that row of trees. Everything after that is a blur and then a complete blank. I ... didn't hurt anyone, right?"
Satoru, thankfully, waved him off, carefree as can be, smiling like an idiot. Then he told them it was time to go home and escorted them back to Jujutsu Tech, chatting with Yuuji like nothing had happened most of the way back, while Nobara and Megumi observed, perplexed. Even when the girl was eventually dragged into their antics by promise of an expensive brunch tomorrow, Megumi was not distracted.
He wasn't the best with feelings and he was probably somewhere on the aromantic specter himself, but he could recognize that something had been different about today. About how Satoru had acted around Sukuna and how the curse had reacted. They had still fought with the clear intent to win, to prove themselves better, stronger, the strongest. Neither had hesitated. But neither had aimed lethal blows, either. For Satoru, that might be the norm, as he wanted to save Yuuji probably even more than Megumi did - Satoru never talked about it, but Megumi knew; he'd overheard, about the Star Plasma Vessel, and he knew Yuta's case personally, having met the older boy. Gojo Satoru will always do his best to save a vessel. Yuta had been his first success. Satoru planned on making Yuuji his second of many - but Sukuna had never hesitated to go for the kill, be it against humans or curses.
Something had been different tonight. Something had changed, between that first playful kiss to this latest one. Even actors, who can kiss a person several dozen times in the making of a movie or a TV series, catch feelings, if mutual respect is exercised. And Ryoumen Sukuna did not acknowledge anyone else but Gojo Satoru as a potential threat to his claim of being the most powerful user of cursed energy. Similarly, Gojo-sensei would not take anyone else as seriously in a fight as he would Sukuna. The question was only at which Finger would the white haired man stop playing.
There was mutual respect.
And there had to be a sense of ... something not unlike empathy between them, since they are the strongest in their worlds. Ryoumen Sukuna changed the course of Jujutsu history. Gojo Satoru did, too. Did they share something like comradeship? Could a curse, even a formerly human one, feel as such? Then again, given their most recent experiences since Sukuna's awakening ...
Megumi, no matter how much he wants to and how much his instincts were urging him on to, would not interfere.
His guardian was strong enough to deal with whatever this strange little thing between him and the King of Curses might result in.
+1
It had been a harrowing several days, but it was finally over. Mahito was dead. Volacnohead (also known as Jougo, apparently) was dead. Creepy plant dude (Hanami) was dead.
Kenjaku, who was occupying Geto Suguru's deceased body, was dead.
The elders were cowed, as was the rest of the Jujutsu world and the curses they hunted and exorcised.
Why? Because Gojo Satoru had managed to defeat the Prison Realm, despite it supposedly being impossible.
Apparently, just like the trapping mechanism worked based on the perception of its newest inmate-to-be, so did the sentencing, regarding the passage of time. After Kenjaku had managed to seal him by paralyzing him with a nasty surprise, Satoru had, admittedly, needed several minutes - in the outside world, since there was no passage of time within the Prison Realm itself - to figure out how to get out of that damned box. It hadn't been easy. He'd had no access to cursed energy. He'd been in a state of distress, sort of, and he'd been worried for his students, his comrades. He'd been worried Jougo might try to release Sukuna, because that fucker had never made it a secret that he thought Sukuna was the curses answer to standing as the dominant species of the world, clearly not understanding that, within a few years, without human presence - their fears and regrets - all the curses would just die out.
It had been embarrassing when he realized just how easily he could escape.
Within an hour, he'd managed to figure out how to manipulate his own mind to perceive time at a fascinatingly fast pace. Really, just like with Fushiguro nee Zen'in Toji, Kenjaku lost the second he didn't outright take off his head. The Gojo family had dwindled down to practically nothing. There would be no Six Eyes for at least the rest of the century, if the family even survived that long without him.
The Six Eyes was an internalized power. Six Eyes was him. As long as he lived, their power remained with him, cursed energy or not. And while he couldn't see outside of his prison, he could still perceive infinity.
So he'd used his Six Eyes to make time go by and within an hour, he was out, just in time to stop many tragedies. Just in time to prove, once again, why he was the Strongest.
In the end, they did have some casualties. Muta Kokichi, or otherwise known as Mechamaru, who'd tried guiding Yuuji to help him free Satoru, had been one of them. Satoru hated nothing more than seeing a young life end too soon. It reminded him too much of one of his biggest failures from when he was young.
At least the war was over now and everyone had a chance to get some rest. How, given that Jujutsu Sorcerers were always so short on hand? Satoru had so throughly terrified curses and any remaining curse users that only those truly idiotic dared to even make a peep, and when they did, it was Satoru himself who descended upon them in seconds. He figured it was only fair, given how much upheaval even his one-hour absence had caused.
All that he'd had left to do was cow the elders, which was fucking easy after they all learned about his latest feat.
Why are people even surprised anymore? He's Gojo Satoru. He's the Strongest. Throughout Heaven and Earth, I alone am the Honored One. That wasn't just nonsense he'd spouted while high on endorphins or whatever else had had him in that state during his last confrontation with Toji.
Anyways, the good thing about getting to terrify the elders is that he finally got them to fully back the fuck off from Yuuji-kun, dropping the matter of his execution altogether. They even managed to get Sukuna a body of his own, even if he had to sacrifice fifteen of his Fingers in order to have cursed energy to live in it. That old Ogami sure had a tricky technique, but there were so many things that could create irregularities. Gojo was glad that she and her grandson had never had a chance to revive Toji, as had been their plan.
Was it moral to force someone to become Sukuna's new flesh bag so Yuuji can live? Nobody cares; they're Jujutsu Sorcerers, not heroes, as his darling Megumi likes to point out every so often.
Now, Satoru and Jujutsu Tech have four first years - and oh, did Sukuna rage at being put at the bottom of the food chain - to worry about, but the constrictions of a biding vow surrounding just about everything regarding Sukuna and his new body ensured that the King of Curses can't kill, maim or seriously hurt anyone besides curses. Or just cause disasters or chaos in general. Sukuna will get used to it, or he will be killed as soon as they find the rest of the Fingers and make him consume them. Simple as that.
But Sukuna, while displeased, surprisingly enough also didn't seem too displeased. He made it no secret that he plans on reincarnating as a curse again when he dies, that he'll die somewhere where Sorcerers can't curse his body, and then they can begin their dance anew, but for the time being, he was content to mock the students and annoy Nanami and bitch at Shoko and Yaga and scare poor Ijichi. Also surprisingly, everyone took to his presence like ducks to water. Then again, everyone aiming to be Jujutsu Sorcerers have to be at least a bit crazy and hanging out with Ryoumen Sukuna like he was your regular high school buddy was definitely the pinnacle of crazy. And stupid, but whatever.
Really, at this point, Satoru just wants to finally get in a good nap and relax for a little while. He's worked enough for the past few weeks, it was break time. He may be revered as the mortal god, but he was still very much human. (As far as he knew, anyway.) But before he can do that, he has to check up on his dumbass students, especially as he could hear even from the gates how Aoi-kun was shouting challenges at Sukuna and Choso - a new addition, and a story for another time - for the position of Yuuji-kun's brother and asking them about their type of woman. Honestly, he blames Yuki. That woman gives shit life advice, when it comes down to it.
Still, he's kind of grateful that he could stumble upon the hilarious scene of Toudo looking aghast when Choso, in full seriousness, asks him what a woman was while Panda decided to be a troll and prevented the actual females of the group to introduce the confused man-curse to the fairer, often times more competent sex. Yuuji seems to be having fun. Toge seems to have joined in on the trolling. Megumi and Sukuna looked to be down with life, but were currently in different stages of grief. The others were just laughing or adding in on the joke. It was good to see them acting as kids. He'll have to go visit Tsumiki. He heard she was recovering splendidly after waking up from her curse. He'd go now but he really was tired.
Unsurprisingly, the first to notice him just standing there and observing their fun was none other than Megumi, turning his head and gaze Satoru's way in mild curiosity before he realized who was there. Satoru will never get enough of the small welcoming smiles Megumi has started bestowing upon his nearest and dearest as of late and he will forever be thankful that he was one of those. Megumi had actually finally fully opened up to him upon his return from the Prison Realm. Apparently, his sealing had shaken up the axis on which Megumi had based his world upon while growing up without even realizing it. Now that both older sister and guardian/parental figure/big brother were back, he was finally a little less uptight and just seemed to be enjoying the little things in life that he'd used to scoff at. Tsumiki must be eager to meet the friends who'd made her grumpy brother open up like this.
"Gojo-sensei!" Yuuji was the first to greet him, having noticed him not much longer after Megumi. The call of his name had everyone focusing on him and Satoru gave them all his signature grin, though it was far more genuine than it had been in years. Looking at Megumi ... Looking at Yuuji and Yuta ... At Maki and Mai ... At all of them, really, all so unique in their own ways ... So young ... Just a year older than Riko had been ... He was glad that he'd managed to protect them, even if one is forever missing. He'll do even better in the future.
For now, he just grinned at them and held up the two shopping bags he had with him. "I brought souvenirs~!" His two happy-go-lucky countryside bumpkins immediately descended upon him, excited chatter already filling his ears even as the rest all sighed in exasperation or just watched on in amusement.
Really, it was routine, at this point. Let down Infinity because Itadori Yuuji was a tactile being and Kugisaki Nobara had her moments, too. He did it every time, despite not having let down Infinity once until Yuta, not since Toji. He had much greater control of Six Eyes now, so at least no one can truly sneak up on him again, because he'd learned how to identify even those like Maki if he focused on the place were natural energy should be but isn't. Nothing like Toji should ever happen again.
And yet he found himself in a bit of a pickle when, suddenly, his students were roughly pushed away from him before a black-manicured hand grabbed the high collar of his uniform, the other snatching his blindfold off and throwing it heavens know where. He didn't exactly get the chance to worry about it before there were lips pushing firmly against his.
Oh.
Right. This was the first time he'd been near Sukuna since the other had gotten a body of his own. And apparently, the curse had been waiting for this, given how perfectly the maneuver had been executed. Gojo would give him a 10/10. Excellent, really. A 100/10 for the kissing skills, too. Damn, but that curse knew how to kiss. But they were being watched by Satoru's poor, precious, already-far-too-traumatized students who really didn't need to see the two strongest beings of their world liplocking after the latest traumatic events from just mere days ago.
Which is why he was a bit frustrated when he tried to lean back but Sukuna sank his strong fingers into his snowy hair and tugged, keeping him in place. The curse tugged, clearly trying to get him to gasp or open his mouth, but oh! Satoru was going to make him work for it!
He wrapped his arms around the curse without actually touching his body and clasped his fingers together, feeling the world shift in that familiar way that meant he'd just teleported. He landed a few feet away, running a hand through his mussed hair and glaring at the hand still keeping his dear blindfold hostage. Sukuna spun around to where his 'prey' had disappeared, a scowl on his face. Their audience was left gawking, unable to produce a single sound, because clearly they had not been expecting this any more than he had.
Megumi, though, looks that special kind of pained that only kids manage when they see their parents being disgustingly mushy and oh, will he have to revisit that thought later and maybe finally have several very important conversations with his ward, including a special fatherhood-related one. He finds it only fair.
For now, though, he had a curse to tease. "Did you honestly think it would be that easy~?"
The King of Curses glared harder, nails extending and sharpening into claws. "Get back here, Gojo Satoru. I still owe you several more kisses."
"I guess you'll just have to catch me then~!"
OWARI