This manuscript was written by a NONBINARY trans person. I purposefully wrote this in gender neutral verbiage so anyone of any gender can enjoy it. 33 check out my Spotify Playlist for this story under the same title Tempo Rubato
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You keep your arms crossed tightly over your stomach, waiting for your thrashing shikigami to lie still. With eyes tightly closed, you focus Sukuna's energy, summoning it at will. The heat overtakes you, boiling over all of your other senses. Then with one final shudder, Stolas moves no more.
"It's done." Ryomen says flatly, devoid of any emotion.
With trembling fingertips, you gingerly reach down and pull the feathers from between his teeth, wincing at the way Ryomen's lips retract back to allow you access. You cover your mouth in an attempt to suppress another sob, but feel the stickiness of Itadori's blood on your face. You freeze.
Oh, God. On your tongue… the copper taste.
Ryomen forced you to swallow each of his disgusting fingers straight from the boy's stomach. The residual bitterness of stomach acid and bile still remained, making you gag violently. You cough, choking on the vileness of your crime as well as the salt of blood. You spit on the stone floor repeatedly, wishing you could throw everything up.
"Please, don't sicken yourself," Ryomen chides in a soft voice. "Push the thought away for now. We need to act quickly… for your friend."
You bite the inside of your mouth to control your rage, but choose to play along for the time being, swallowing more anger than pride to quiet your storm. You wipe your mouth again with your palms then rub them on your pants. The swell of Stolas's cursed energy within you subsides, settling at last.
"Now… See." Your curse commands.
You open your new eyes. A small shroud of pulsing light, like a fine golden mist that refuses to hold its shape, wraps around you. It circles, glowing and shifting to stay as near to you as possible.
Yuji.
Your eyes sting and you laugh with a nearly hysteric hiccup. The light embraces you tighter.
It's so dark where Yuji is, and cold too. He's aware that he's weightless, but feels nothing else beyond the bite of a single conscious thought: this is death. The absence of sound, smell, and sight, combined with his memory of the pain in his stomach that no longer bothered him… it spelled out his demise so clearly. He barely had the consciousness to recognize your voice when he heard you screaming in the void. The desperation of your cries pinned his spirit like a butterfly, and pulled him from the shadows in the current. His refusal to leave your side is the only thing tethering his soul to the reality of the prison cell. When Stolas spied him in the shadows, he made no indication that the boy had been seen, but his demon eyes identified the soul. He paid the ultimate price for keeping it to himself. His feathers still float loosely around the floor like cinders.
As your new eyes finish adjusting, an odd energy overtakes you. Your breathing feels deeper, more robust, as if you'd just had a shot of adrenaline straight to your chest. The dim lighting from the burning torches is suddenly much brighter than they've ever been.
You extend your arms wide. "Come, Yuji. Let us undo this foolishness."
Steadily, the energy streams forward, wisping around your fingers. The second mouth of Sukuna splits open in your right palm, stretching wide. With an audibly deep breath, you inhale Yuji's spirit, cradling it in your palms as he seeps into you.
Operating on autopilot, you kneel to take his limp body in your arms, and carry him up the steps. You've had enough of this prison.
Grimly, you note that the last streaks of the sunset are staining the sky red. You lay your friend's body out on the grass, wiping the last of his blood from his face.
"You're going to be alright. Just wait and see." You promise with a quivering smile. Leaning down, you smooth his hair back then kiss his forehead.
Rocking back on your knees, you regard his lifeless body one last time from head to toe. "Okay, Sukuna, let's do this."
"You will need an object of purity. Any precious stone or purged metal." Sukuna instructs, ignoring that you've switched to using his honored title as if you're strangers again. It still cuts him.
Precious stone? Purged metal? You don't have anything like-Oh, wait… you do.
Absently your hand floats to your neck, caressing the gold chain Itadori gave to you. It sat so delicately light on your throat, you'd forgotten you're wearing it.
"Yes, good. Place it between your teeth, and keep it there. Cycle your breathing over it to imbue it with your life energy. It will tether you to this plane as you reach into the next."
It fits into your mouth without undoing the clasp luckily. The metallic taste over your tongue only reminds you of blood. It's impossibly hard not to think of that.
"The next steps are... complicated. But follow them thoroughly." Sukuna continues.
Anything, You think desperately. Anything to bring him back.
Ryomen's molten energy ripples through your body. Giving him control, you allow him to settle your body over Yuji's, resting yourself on your knees. Leaning down, he brings your face closer to the boy, resting your chin on top of his head. You breathe in deeply, inadvertently bringing in the sour scent of death once again. Your chin quivers and you try to squeeze your eyes closed, but he keeps them open.
"Courage, my love. You can do this." He whispers.
Ryomen lowers your head, brushing your lips over Itadori's. They're cool against yours. Sukuna exhales, long and slow, emptying your lungs. Then, with purpose, he pulls the air back to you. It's shockingly cold. He repeats the action, holding the boy's head in both your hands, rubbing lightly with your fingertips to warm his skin. Again you breathe for him. And again. The bracing chill tastes so bitter alongside the gold chain across your tongue. The piquancy of death is far from a delicacy to be relished.
Your tears fall into his eyes, which only stare dully back at you. It takes you several moments to register that the air you are sharing is gradually warming, just a few precious degrees. The chain links on your tongue are heating up too. The burn of the links is becoming the only other thing in the world besides you and Itadori.
"It's almost time." Ryomen announces, manifesting his second mouth in your palm. "When his soul re-enters the body, you will need to invigorate it with your purified energy, not cursed. Understood? Only draw from your positive emotions."
The bite of the gold chain across your tongue burns white hot as you exhale for the final time. When Ryomen's second mouth replaces yours, sealing your hand over Yujis face, you fight the sickness that rises within you from the familiar sight. This is exactly how you'd held Inumaki.
"Don't let yourself get distracted, focus your mind. Unclench your jaw, don't break the chain," Your curse chides you. He knows how terrified you are, and is doing his best to provide the support you need. Your fear is intermingling with the smell of blood. "You can do this. Positive energy. Purify it."
You channel your power, making sure not to pull anything from your dark emotions clamoring to drag you down.
Your heart beat slows with each aching second, then it ceases entirely.
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It's been months since the last time Fushiguro had to face off against Aoi Todo. Back then the meathead had thrown him like a ragdoll, but only because Fushiguro showed restraint while battling another Jujutsu Sorcerer. This time he'll give the asshole the fight he deserves.
"Nue!" He chants, folding his hands to summon his bird shikigami.
The beast materializes from his shadow, springing up into the air with a great flap of its wings. Megumi is going to need someone watching over him with this opponent. With one of his dogs out on the search for Itadori, he's down an ally, but he'd rather know that you're both safe. He forms his hands again, but before he can form the words to summon, a stiff backhand across his face sends him flying for the treeline. Megumi hits the trunk of a tree dead on, knocking the wind from his lungs. Fuck! He forgot how fast Todo is, despite his lumbering stature. That wasn't even his cursed technique, either—it was a warning.
Todo crows in mock amusement, "On your feet! You're supposed to be entertaining me, remember? What kind of example are you setting for your class?"
Fushiguro's vision is swimming, his lungs burning from the blow. He shakes his head to steady himself as he coughs, drawing a gasping breath as he scrambles to his feet, clumsy fists at the ready as Todo stalks menacingly toward him. Thankfully, Nue swoops down to block his opponent's second advance, flinging its body in front of its master to absorb the shock of another staggering punch. The screech of agony from his winged shikigami fills Megumi with grief, the mirror of the blow echoing through him despite being absorbed by the creature. Nue's after effect takes hold now. Soaring into the air and spreading its wings wide, the bird strikes his attacker with cursed lightning stored in its wings, stunning his master's opponent instantly.
Todo clenches his teeth, too belligerent to cry out in pain. With no way to avoid it, he takes the brunt of the voltage. It's difficult for him to spot where Megumi is while the lightning racks his body, temporarily robbing him of his senses.
Fushiguro stacks his hands together and curls his fingers, hiding the signal with his back turned.
"Cowering suits you, Fushiguro," Todo called out, shaking his massive head to clear it. "I knew you'd cop out with your shadow tricks, just like last time. You're so. Fucking. Boring." He says, each word emphasized by a thundering step as he narrowed his sights on his target with the precision of a predator.
Megumi can't help but smirk at the accusation. Let's see how boring Todo finds his next attack. "Rabbit escape!"
In a flash, a multitude of rabbits come thumping from Fushiguro's hunched shadow, elongated by the moonlight behind him. They scurry past in a snowy blur, tripping Todo into their masses and carrying him away in a tsunami of white.
"What the hell-!? This is some real bullshit!" The third year sputters, tripping and tumbling, ultimately being swept back against his will amid the swarm of tiny shikigami.
Standing back to his feet, Megumi forms his hands for his next beast, smiling much wider than he normally does when he fights. It feels good to see Todo on his ass for once. "You said you wanted something more exciting. You really should forget about your orders, Todo. I'm not going to let you get past me."
Todo calls out, "Why are you protecting this nuisance? From what I've been hearing, all they do is cause mayhem and destruction. Seems like a bad choice to be siding with someone like that. Though judging by this display, maybe you two are more alike than I thought..."
Todo leaps into the air, slamming a fist into the ground as he lands, sending the rabbits around him scattering. He glares at Megumi from across the distance, a solid mass of muscle and malice heading straight for him.
"You're wrong. They're capable of so much more than what you've heard. I know the Kyoto school has more than likely withheld information to paint them as the enemy. What else could be expected?" Fushiguro demands, dropping into a defensive stance.
"You're making a big mistake," His opponent repeats. "This target is more Curse than human, which means you're turning your back on your fellow man to protect them. That was two shikigami you summoned, but last time you barely were able to get out one against me. You're quick to use excessive force now for some reason. Why is that, I wonder?"
Todo drew back his fist, swinging squarely for Megumi's face. Megumi feinted, jerking himself out of the way, anticipating Todo's other fist intercepting him, and ducked under the incoming strike as he slammed his fist into Todo's exposed rib. Megumi skirted back from Todo's brute force, he's seemingly unphased by the blow to his torso, but it's enough of a distraction for Nue to swoop in, snatching Todo up in his talons and flinging the man away from Megumi.
"When you first met me earlier this year, you asked what my type was. I told you that as long as a person had a kind and unwavering spirit, I would be satisfied!" Megumi yelled after him, circling as he prepared for another attack.
"Of course I remember! It was one of the worst memories of my entire life to hear such a dull answer," Todo grunted, pushing himself back up from the ground.
"But did it ever occur to you that my own spirit would also be unwavering for the ones I love?" Megumi raises his fists. "I'm done playing with you. Now you've pissed me off."
He gestures with both hands, forming the sign for his next summoning. From the open night sky his largest shikigami, the Max Elephant, comes trumpeting down from the heavens with all the vengeful fury of an ancient god.
Todo smirks up at the falling beast. "Finally, a real challenge."
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Satoru Gojo recognizes the familiar vibration of Fushiguro's shikigami technique from the moment the impact rattled the ground. Very few things feel like a pachyderm swan diving into the earth, and even fewer elicit such a tug on the senses of his cursed energy. He had returned earlier to the wreckage of the sorcery library to continue his research on the Vena Amoris or any Sukuna-related research that may have survived the Curse's ransacking. He wasn't having much luck. Sukuna did well to ruin nearly every useful record. Instead the sorcerer was rocking back in a chair with his feet up, flicking through an interesting study on tantric sorcery when the stacks of texts in front of him suddenly hopped into the air as a deafening explosion accompanied.
He swings his long legs down from the table, knocking the chair over in his hurry. His research will have to wait.
His feet pound down the hall as he makes his way to the exit. When Nanami Kento opens his office door, curious to investigate what the outside commotion could be, Gojo's arm reaches inside and plucks him out into the hallway immediately.
"Come on!" He says urgently, pulling his friend along with him. Nanami shakes his hijacker's hand off, following him without question. The dire tone of his coworkers' voice communicated the severity of the situation.
"I have a suspicion this disturbance is related to our school's current plight." Nanami points out a bit unnecessarily.
"You gotta admit, there's been a lot more excitement since our newest addition." Satoru counters, leading them from the building.
"Excitement at a high price." Nanami says dryly, unsheathing the cleaver at his back as they run.
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Throwing an elephant at one's opponent may sound like overkill to some, though it seems appropriate to Megumi that Todo has someone his own size to pick on for a change.
"Please, stay down." He whispers to himself, praying for this fight to be over soon. He needs to know you're safe, but there's no way he can lead this obvious threat right to you.
He can't summon anything else without risking a more serious injury. Even in combat, Fushiguro is keeping in mind that he and Todo are still technically allies.
Todo rushes the raging elephant, ducking under the swing of its trunk and jumping to slam his fist squarely into the beast's forehead, driving it back amid the swirl of dust from its dragging feet. Nue swoops in for another aerial attack, but Todo, who is growing wise to the bird's patterns now, drops his body out of reach of the snapping talons, rolling away. Before he can get fully back onto his feet, the elephant trumpets its fury as it stomps straight for him, aiming to trample the man beneath its thundering feet. Todo keeps rolling until the creature draws close enough, and spears himself up into its chest, punching the lumbering beast's sternum. The elephant shudders, taking the hit and using the opportunity to wrap its trunk around Todo, hoisting the man in the air and flinging him into the sky for Nue to snatch up. The avian soars higher into the air and Todo swings to strike the vulnerable underside of the bird. There is a screech of pain as porous bones meant for flight fracture at the force of his fist. Nue drops the third year, and both plummet toward the reflection pool. Megumi panicked, the water wasn't deep enough to absorb the impact of his fall from such a height, would Todo be able to withstand it? He ran alongside the pool's edge.
"Nue!" He cried.
Knowing his shikigami is injured, he is still unable to reconcile letting his fellow student sustain life-threatening injury, despite Todo's clear intention to harm him beyond that point. Nue tucks his wings in and barrel rolls to intercept Todo's falling form. Instead, Todo uses Nue's back as a stepping stone to launch himself above the bird, lancing his fist downward into Nue's spine. Megumi can only look on in horror as Nue tumbles from the sky along with Todo, both crashing to the ground as Megumi runs toward them, no longer caring if Todo suffered from the impact as he watched his shikigami struggle to rise.
"Stop it, Todo!" He screams as the other student advances on Nue, fists raised to finish the job and destroy the bird. "I'm not your enemy, goddamnit!"
Megumi brings his hands together, orchestrating his elephant to come to Nue's rescue. Todo's distraction at the thundering of the earth beneath them is enough for Nue to weakly flap his wings, successful in getting back into the sky but his faltering pattern and inconsistent strokes of his wings indicate how badly he is injured. Nue struggles to flap to a nearby rooftop, and Megumi's eyes widen when he sees Gojo and Nanami come tearing into the clearing from between two buildings.
Shit!
They skid to a halt, Gojo's head turning from Megumi to Todo scrambling back from the elephant shikigami. Even from this distance Megumi can see his sensei's lips below his blindfold drawn to a thin, hard line.
"That's enough!" Gojo shouts, advancing on the students.
Megumi tries to recall his creatures. Nue is more than willing, but the elephant… Fresh panic floods through him. Its fury is much too great, and the beast is deaf to his master's command to return.
Gojo turns to Nanami beside him. "We have to get Todo out of there, Megumi's no longer in control."
Nanami nods once, flipping his cleaver to face its dull side out for striking. Without hesitation, he sprints toward Todo. The rampaging elephant throws its head back, wild eyes rolling and screaming to the sky in challenge at the incoming threat.
"Get back!" Nanami barks at Todo, expertly dodging the elephant's swinging trunk to put himself between the beast and its initial target. His eyes narrow behind tinted glasses as he leaps, launching himself into the air with a blast of cursed energy to put himself above the elephant. Using its limited mobility against it, he aims the flat of his blade at the creature's skull.
"Megumi!" Gojo's urgent voice breaks through Megumi's wavering concentration. "You have to call it back, we can't risk letting it get beyond this area."
Sweat beaded along Megumi's brow as he panted, squeezing his hands together with all his might as he tried to force the shikigami to come to heel.
"I can't!" He cried forlornly, pressing his clasped hands to his forehead as he tries in vain to control the elephant. "I used too much curse energy, I can't bring it back." Gojo laid a hand on his ward's shoulder.
"Focus, Fushiguro, yes, you can." He said, opening his senses to his student to assess how low he really was on curse energy, and how likely it would be that he would have to destroy the beast himself to stop it.
Megumi grit his teeth in frustration, desperately trying to drown out the chaos entirely of his own making unfolding before him. He has to call his elephant back, he can't lose him! Megumi tunnels down to the depths of his well of power, scrabbling for any cursed energy left to regain control of his shikigami. His heart aches for the blind rage that overtook the elephant, he can feel the panicked need to protect overriding his voice within the beast, driving it to this berserking stampede. Because of you, he realizes forlornly. His will to keep you from harm had been fueling his anger, and it still raged on.
Gojo watches Megumi as he struggles, willing his student to find the strength, but beginning to fear it may come to losing the shikigami. Only Megumi can reign the creature in.
"It's no use!" Megumi cried out, launching himself forward toward his shikigami. "I need to calm him down!"
Gojo cries out for him to wait, unsure what Megumi was planning as he runs after him.
Nanami slides to the ground and kicks out one of the elephant's feet, forcing the beast down on one knee, and is immediately back up again and circling to its other side. He is trying to dizzy it in an attempt to at least slow it down. No matter what he did, it still raged toward Todo, ignoring the new assailant entirely. Megumi runs straight toward his elephant, waving his arms to try to get its attention. Todo sees him coming and changes his direction toward Megumi. In his distracted state, the first year is caught off guard and receives a solid punch to his face. His head rocks to the side, the momentum throwing him to his hands and knees.
"This is your fault, Fushiguro!" Todo follows through by kicking him hard in the gut, forcing the breath from his lungs. "If you're not conscious, that thing can't be on this plane, right?" He grabs Megumi by the back of his hair, jerking him upright as he draws his fist back to pummel him.
"Stop!" Nanami cried as the elephant's attention fell on Todo, murderous intent glazing its eyes as it charged. Nanami follows alongside the beast, his cursed energy building as he launches himself, striking the base of its skull with a precision only he could achieve. The raging elephant goes limp, a freight train of unconscious muscle plowing through the ground aimed directly for Todo and Megumi. Todo's eyes widen and he leaps out of the way with Megumi just as the elephant's form ground to a halt where they had been only a moment before.
"Let him go, Todo, that's enough." Gojo says, his long strides carrying him the rest of the way toward the two.
Todo shoves Megumi away with a disgusted sound, unwilling to challenge the senior sorcerer. His orders were to decide any action of his previous orders should he be caught anyway. He would have to report his failure to headmaster Gakuganji.
"Megumi, you have to recall it, he's in bad shape," Gojo urges quietly. "Your emotional state needs to be controlled too. I know you're angry, but everything is alright now."
Megumi coughs, his chest burning as he wills his lungs to function from where he lay on the ground. He closes his eyes, struggling to calm himself enough to summon the cursed energy he needs, he can only think of you. His brow furrows in concentration, reaching for the strength to recall his shikigami, and slowly reopens his eyes as he feels the ghost of your presence. He's confused at first, but as warmth slowly spreads through his chest, he feels the bloom of a flame of curse energy shyly tugging at him. Megumi greedily latches onto it, willing the shining light to envelope his shikigami, cradling the spirit to himself as it fades into him.
"Well done." His sensei praises, resting a hand on the boy's shoulder.
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"Well done." Ryomen remarks to you. He removes his hand, giving you a precious glimpse of the soft light of the boy's soul vanishing down his throat.
Wind whips the trees furiously and the trembling earth beneath you begins to still. It had rattled your concentration, but the sting of the burning chain on your tongue helped to refocus your mind. You didn't have the time to waste on curiosity. Several minutes pass. You sit up, spitting out the chain along with a mouthful of your own blood that had pooled from the long cut across your tongue.
"Did… Did it work?" You ask tentatively.
Holding his face in your hands, you lean back down and put your ear to his lips. At first, there's only silence, then the sound of air! A long deep inhale fills his chest. Then another, and another. Each one, the sweetest sound you've ever heard. You lose track of time, counting each miraculous breath. What you wouldn't give to lie here forever in the tranquility of this moment. If only.
There's a rustling behind you, then a low and menacing rumble. Turning your head, you can easily make out the familiar white shape of Fushiguro's demon dog, cautiously creeping up while you are distracted. The beast's teeth are exposed and both ears are pressed flat against his skull in a show of aggression. It's as if he doesn't even recognize you.
"Hey… Come here, boy." You cautiously hold out a hand for him to sniff, but it only entices the dog to growl and snap at your fingers with a clear warning.
The hackles along his back rise in alarm. He lunges at you, causing you to stumble backwards, and taking a protective stance over Itadori, lowering his body over the boy and resting his weight on his chest. The dog's eyes stare at you, unblinking in the moonlight, two spots of amber demanding that you give him space. When he's satisfied that you're far enough away, he licks the boy's cheek. This is what his master wanted, to make sure this human is safe. He points his nose to the sky, sounding the completion of his task.
"Good dog." You mutter, feeling a swelling ache in your chest at being chased away. At least Itadori will be found soon.
Again, Ryomen urges, "We have to go. Now."
You nod, knowing how true his words are. There is no prison here at Jujutsu Tech that can hold you at this power. That only leaves one option for them. Listening again to the sweet rhythmic sound of Yuji's breathing, you slowly turn away, wiping tears from your eyes.
"Goodbye, Itadori," You sob one last time. "I hope you live a long and wonderful life. I hope you know… I really do love you."
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"Aoi Todo… There had better be a reasonable excuse for this intrusion. I trust you'll have no issue with making your statement for Masamichi Yaga when we get to his office." Nanami crosses his arms across his chest as he addresses the third year.
"I have my orders," Todo repeats cryptically, as if that excused his intrusion. "And your principal has had ample time to prevent this little animosity from becoming the nuisance it has–"
"Don't talk about them that way!" Megumi growls, wiping away the blood stinging his eyes. It makes no difference if Nanami and Gojo and here, Fushiguro is more than willing to keep his fight going.
"That's more than enough, thank you, Fushiguro." Nanami keeps his tone neutral once more, not wanting to incite any further outburst from either boy.
Temperaments are volatile, and the air is still crackling with remnants of Megumi's cursed energy. Satoru follows Nanami's lead, speaking gently to keep his ward calm, trying to get his mind on a more positive focus.
"Nanami can escort our guest to the main office to meet with Masamichi. Why don't we go check on your classmate?"
Megumi nods, a grim expression on his face. "Yeah. Itadori went looking in the woods. I… told him where to find them."
Gojo recognizes the seriousness of his meaning right away. "We should hurry."
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Despite being fatigued from his fight, and sporting more than a few good-sized bruises all over, Megumi doesn't fall behind his sensei leading the way through the forest path to the underground cell. Every bad scenario that he can imagine is playing in his mind at once in a gruesome montage. When Yuji's body finally comes into view, lying eerily still on the forest floor beneath his shikigami, icy panic grips Fushiguro's chest.
"Itadori!"
They reach his side, regarding with horror the amount of blood staining the ground beneath him. His uniform is completely soaked in the front, but he does at least appear to be breathing. The steady rise and fall of his chest dictates that he is still alive despite the grisly scene.
"The cell door is open." Satoru remarks grimly, noting the gaping wide hole that leads down to the stairwell. "I'll check that out. You wait here."
As his teacher descends the steps, Fushiguro unbuttons Itadori's jacket to check his friend's wound. Much to his relief, he finds unmarred skin. It's as if he was bleeding from nowhere.
When Gojo reappears from the cell, he shakes his head gravely.
"They're gone." He says.
"No! They can't be!" Fushiguro rises back to his feet. "You can take Itadori back, he's unharmed. I'm going to find them!"
"Wait! Take this," his sensei tosses the box containing Sukuna's empty finger.
Fushiguro tucks the cursed object into his coat.
"Good luck." Gojo murmurs, watching as the boy turns and disappears from sight, running with his demon dog through the open clearing and deeper into the woods.
As he kneels back down to scoop Yuji into his arms, the sorcerer pauses, studying the boy's face again more closely.
"Well now… this is most unexpected, Itadori."
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The night air is cool and clear. It's so soothing to dissolve into the silence of the indifferent sky, staring up at the stars and wishing you could be as far away as they are. You hear the beating sound of footfalls rushing toward you from behind. The wind carries a heavy sweet scent across to you, signaling who is coming.
"Megumi." Ryomen rumbles.
You stiffen without turning around, hearing the panting gasps of your friend growing closer. You know you should do it now before he gets here. He may try to stop you. Part of you wants to be stopped. Standing here precariously at the edge of an overhanging cliff with a beautiful view of the city down below. It's beautiful, though you can't bring your eyes to look at the human world right now. Not after the ugliness of what you've done.
You wish you could leave it all behind you.
The sound of your name makes you turn your head.
Fushiguro…
He's visibly shaking, his body is pushed to its limits from his earlier altercation. There is a dark smear of blood on the side of his face. When he regards you, his eyes widen when he finds you covered in the same.
"What are you doing?" He asks tentatively. "S-Step back from the edge. It isn't safe."
You don't budge. It's unnecessarily touching for him to express concern for you even after everything, but that isn't something you feel that you deserve. Not anymore.
Too impatient for you to step back, he moves to approach you.
"Don't!" Your voice cracks on your scream, the word tearing desperately from your throat. "Don't come near me, Fushiguro!"
Megumi falters, confusion clear on his face while he favors a wound on his side. "Why are you acting like this? I thought... I thought you-"
"Don't you get it?!" You stumbled backward, clutching your arms until you could feel the blood welling beneath your nails. "My love for you is the reason you can't come near me! Look at you! You're already hurt and for what? I'm not worth this. You don't know what I've done, who I am now–"
"That doesn't matter to me." Megumi takes another faltering step forward, tears wetting his eyes, but stops when you vigorously shake your head.
"I'm a monster. I hurt everyone that I care about just by being near them. You're in danger just being this close to me! I'm not in control anymore. I'm not… human… anymore. I don't want to hurt you, but I might if you don't leave me alone!"
"No, no, we can still fix this," Fushiguro pleads, begs. "It's not too late!"
You meet his gaze, your heart breaking without a single beat. A ripple of energy spreads up your back, and the sound of your skin splitting open makes Megumi's eyes widen in alarm. Wordlessly, you unfurl the black wings of your shikigami, spreading them wide behind you. The wind ruffles through each feather, already beckoning you to the night sky.
Megumi's face flashes with recognition immediately. "Stolas..?"
"I have to go." You repeat sorrowfully.
Fushiguro feels faint, his chest going numb. Your tears stream from your face as you tilt your head and try your best to smile. It looks as broken as you feel. "Take care of Itadori, okay?"
He runs to you, both arms capturing you by your bare shoulders. He cries loudly, shaking with each sob and clutching to keep your feet on the ground just a little longer. Nue is too badly injured from his fight with Todo. There is no way for him to follow you.
"You have to let me go." You say sadly, although your own hands find themselves tangling into his raven hair.
"I can't," He pleads."I… I just need you a little while longer. "
Despite his words, he releases his grip, surrendering you into the sky. Warm droplets hit his cheeks like rain.
"I love you, Megumi. So much."
His face twists in pain as if you've just slapped him. "I… Y-You can't say that and just leave me!" He sobs again.
But he's already shrinking away beneath you as your wings flap to carry you higher.
He stares long after you've vanished, tears streaming down both cheeks. The only thing that reaches your ears over the night air rustling your wings is the forlorn howl of his shikigami.
When Megumi finally lowers his gaze away from the sky, he sees that his palms are stained with blood.
.
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Satoru knew he should be walking back to campus, especially with Yuji mysteriously still unconscious, but he waited for Megumi. Something told him this time was particularly precious to his students. There was definitely something more than camaraderie at play here among them, and he'd missed it completely.
He was so wrapped up in his theories and proving himself right to Masamichi that he never stopped to realize how entangled you had become in the sorcerers in training. Not to mention your curse. That was an inclination he never should have ignored. There were enough signs that he should have been able to see it before any of this happened. But what could have happened differently? He'll never know.
Slow steady footfalls reach his ears. He turns to find Fushiguro, looking down at his shoes as he walks back into the forest clearing.
"So… Did you find them?"
"Yeah." The boy chokes, as he sits on the grass next to his teacher. His eyes are red and the sleeves of his uniform are damp with tears.
"What happened?" Satoru presses gently.
Fushiguro can only shrug helplessly. Pained by loss, he brings both hands to his face, stifling another shuddering breath. His sensei pulls him closer, offering as much comfort as he can. The torture of losing the one you love this way is something Satoru knows all too well.
"I'm so sorry, Megumi."
.
.
There's a decent crowd gathered in Masamichi Yaga's office. Kento Nanami stood over a seated Aoi Todo, who looked more than a little pissed off at having been interrupted with his classified mission. He would have to answer for his failures eventually.
"How long am I being detained for? There's a livestream podcast of Takeda at midnight and I am not missing it for anything." The third year fidgets in his seat with annoyance.
"Forgive me if I'm less than understanding, but you aren't leaving without me reaching Gakuganji first so he can answer for this complete disregard of my leadership." Masamichi growls dangerously.
He isn't particularly fond of being undermined and told deliberations were still being made regarding your fate. In reality, it was decided without his consideration whatsoever that you were to be executed. The multiple reports of arson and the illegal act of disrespecting a corpse cannot go unpunished seeing as you were enrolled in Jujutsu Tech when it was discovered. Your life will be forfeit upon sight to every Jujutsu sorcerer in Japan who will no doubt be told to be on the lookout for you. Though with the collaborative power of the fingers of Sukuna and your own innate abilities, which still were very much unstudied, it won't be an easy task to locate you.
The whole ordeal is giving Masamichi a migraine from hell.
"As I said," Todo rocks back in his chair. "The old man passes out early. There's no way you're getting him 'til morning. And I'm not staying the night in one of your pathetically tiny rooms either."
There's a gentle knock at the door.
"Come in." Masamichi sighs.
"Glad to see the party's still going." Gojo jokes meagerly as he saunters into the room. While his words match his usual mood, he seems less energetic than normal. Something is weighing him, but he manages to keep his confident smile.
"I have an announcement that may please everyone. Itadori? Can you come in here please?"
The first year meekly steps through the doorway. "Hey."
"Look who it is!" Todo crows loudly, rising to greet his best friend. "You're looking well!"
"He is," Gojo agrees. "Take a closer look. Notice anything different about him?"
It takes several seconds before the realization settles over the room.
"Yuji! Your curse is gone!" Aoi practically explodes as he notices the slits of Sukuna's eyes had completely vanished from his best friend's face.
"How did this happen?" Nanami inquires.
"The hard way, I'm afraid." Gojo gestures to Itadori's midsection.
Raising up the hem of his uniform jacket, the first year displays his stomach for everyone to see the raised, jagged scar marking where he had been eviscerated. He doesn't look bothered by it. And stranger yet, doesn't look very celebratory considering the elation of everyone else around him.
"This is outstanding!" Nanami exalts.
"A miracle." Todo agrees
"Is it?" Masamichi challenges right away. "Because from where I sit, it appears that Sukuna has escaped through his rogue vessel. And also with the fingers that your student was supposed to be responsible for. We'll have to pull their student record and black it out."
Yuji doesn't even flinch. His emotions haven't quite returned yet. The experience of waking up from death is strangely numbing. Nothing feels real to him, it's as if he's in a lucid dream. Only if he was dreaming, then you would be here with him instead of having the worst sentencing for a jujutsu sorcerer issued. Having your file blacked out meant having your record as a student erased. You would be treated as a rogue curse user, though labeled under a special category because of Sukuna.
Satoru chooses to focus on the positivity of the moment. His student needs him. "Itadori has been successfully exorcised. He no longer houses the spirit of Ryomen Sukuna. Therefore it should be up to him to decide if he wishes to remain enrolled here at Jujutsu Tech."
That grabs the boy's attention. "I… What?"
"You wouldn't really go would you?" Todo asks incredulously.
"It… never crossed my mind." Yuji admits, scratching the back of his head in thought.
From the open doorway behind him, he hears light footsteps. "You should do it."
Yuji whirls in shock. "Huh? Fushiguro?"
"Leave." His teammate repeats. "It's clear that the sorcerer way of life isn't suitable for you. It's too dangerous. You've already died twice."
"I got better!" His friend protests, outraged that Fushiguro is being so brash.
Nanami, the realist of the room, speaks his mind. "It's not unheard of, leaving the sorcerer way of life. Even for a while. Maybe it could do you some good to reevaluate where your priorities stand."
With his fists clenching at his sides, Yuji shakes his head. "No. I don't need to reevaluate what's important to me." He raises his eyes to meet Fushiguro's. "I know what and who I want to fight for."
Megumi purses his lips and lowers his gaze. Damned fool. He thinks to himself. There's nothing he can say to Itadori once he's set his mind on something. He decides not to hang around any longer, shaking his head as he leaves.
Yuji furrows his brow with annoyance. What's his problem?
"So you're staying?" Masamichi clarifies.
The boy straightens his shoulders and faces his headmaster again. "Yeah, there's no way you're getting rid of me that easily. I still want to fulfill my promise I made when I came here. Nothing else has changed. And if Sukuna is still loose…" His voice falters unexpectedly. He clears his throat and tries again. "People are still going to die because of him, aren't they?"
Masamichi nods gravely. "Whether it be by his hand or by the curse users who are working to resurrect him."
"Right… Mahito." Yuji clenches his fists even tighter.
"Not just him, but others as well." Nanami reminds him. "We don't have an exact estimate on how many curse users are working to reincarnate Sukuna, but luckily we still have a few of his fingers locked away safely. At least we know those aren't going to be taken by any simple means."
"Then… There's still a chance," Itadori murmurs to himself.
Satoru smiles at the bravery of his student. "Of course there is. As long as there is hope, there's always the opportunity for change."
Remembering something else, he adds thoughtfully, "I'm going to enlist the assistance of someone I think may be perfect for helping us locate Sukuna. Someone who may empathize very much with your friend's plight."
"Who is it?" Yuji asks.
"You'll meet soon enough. You should be more focussed on continuing your training in the meanwhile. Your cursed energy is the same strength regardless of Sukuna's absence. That power is all your own. You will need to master it."
"Right," The boy nods, trying his hardest not to cry again. "I'll do whatever it takes to get stronger!"
And to find you again, He vows to himself. You aren't going to end up as another victim of Sukuna. Not while I'm still alive.
"You've got me here, too! I'll help you with your cursed technique some more." Todo offers. "We never get to do anything together!"
Turning to Gojo, Nanami arches a brow in disbelief. "It's truly astonishing which side these students choose to be on. They can't decide if they want to be friends or enemies."
The older blonde watches as his oddly sober coworker exits the office. "That's just the way it is, Kento. That razor's edge of love and hate cuts into us all the same."
.
.
"Fushiguro! Hey, Fushiguro, wait up!" Yuji calls after his friend.
With his hand on the door of his room, Megumi pauses. "What do you want?"
"What… What was that all about back there? Telling me I should give up?"
"That isn't what I said actually. I told you to leave."
"Yeah! What the hell? Why did you say that?"
He doesn't respond at first, hanging his head and staring at the space between their feet.
Yuji sets his jaw stubbornly, slamming both hands on the wall behind Fushiguro. "You tell me now! Why?"
The brunette shuts his eyes, his features collapsing with grief. "Because… I'm tired of seeing you get hurt. I'm tired of failing and seeing everyone I love get hurt. I've had to see your corpse two times now. Don't you agree that's really fucked up?"
He meets Yuji's gaze, his ocean eyes overflowing. "And you want to do it to me again? No, you should just leave. So I can stop losing everyone I care about. You can all just be gone and stay gone. So you can stop finding different ways to leave me!"
Understanding his friend's pain at last, Yuji wraps both arms around his shoulders, pulling him in close. "Fushiguro… is that how you really feel? Abandoned?"
The only response he gets is sniffles. The brunette sobs into his shoulder, crying out loudly with anguish.
"I'm not going anywhere. I'm here for you, I swear. We… We have to hold it together for our teammate, right?" His voice cracks.
Megumi nods, returning the embrace with force.
The door to Toge's room cracks open a few inches. Nobara peeks her head out. "Are you two having a lover's spat in public? How cute."
"Kugisaki, did you hear?" Yuji asks.
"Yeah," She replies softly, chewing her lower lip between her teeth. "So… They're really gone?"
"Yeah… And they're blacklisting their student file." Yuji adds.
"Fuck." She breathes. Blacklisted sorcerers are hunted for bounty. There's going to be a lot of people looking for you.
"How's Inumaki doing?" Megumi asks.
Turning around to look over her shoulder, she gives them a glimpse of the boy still tucked into bed beneath a mountain of blankets. "Still resting. He woke up for a little while."
"Did he say anything?"
She shrugs, "Nothing he wanted me to understand. But he seems okay."
"Good. Thanks for checking on him."
"Hey, what are friends for?" She smiles at Fushiguro as she closes the door to grant them their privacy once more. Though they should really find a room.
Looking down, Fushiguro sees Itadori's hand clutching his. It doesn't feel strange to be holding it publicly, even though Nobara must have seen it. Usually they keep their displays of affection private.
"Come on," Yuji urges him, pulling him into his dorm. He opens the door and lets it click costly shut behind them.
They leave the lights off, sitting down on the bed and collapsing together in the dark.
Reluctantly, Yuji pries his question loose. "How did they leave?"
"...I…I think they ate Stolas." Megumi whispers. "I saw wings…and…"
Itadori squeezes him tighter, both to comfort his friend, and himself. He's quiet for a while, building his resolve carefully.
Fushiguro sidles in closer, tucking his head beneath Yuji's chin. For the first time since his friend enrolled, he doesn't worry about Sukuna manifesting to harass or assault him while his guard is lowered. The peace of finally being held brings him to tears. He shakily brushes his thumb over the smoothness of Itadori's skin. His palms are soft and warm. He finds himself clinging to them needily, pulling them to his chest.
"Tell me that we're going to find them…" He demands, twisting their fingers together tighter.
"We will… I promise." Itadori rests his head softly against Megumi's. "I've got you."
There's a soft sob before he hears a reply.
"I love you too, Itadori…"
.
.
You're sure the air must be below freezing. Small particles of ice form on your skin, frosting it in patches. You don't care. Nothing physically hurts right now.
Feeling something jostling in your pocket, you absently reach inside. Your fingers brush over the smooth surface of a wooden box. You withdraw it carefully, looking closer. Sukuna's ring finger. Megumi must have slipped it into your pocket when he grabbed you. Staring down at the cursed object, you can't help feeling that it had done its job perfectly. What better way to describe yourself than cursed?
Your wings flap tirelessly over the specks of light that make up the city down below. For a precious second, the awe of seeing the road map of your life, your problems all laid out in this perspective, so tiny and meaningless from this view. . . . The gap is teasing. How easy it would be to drop, and let mortality have a go at you one last time.
"Stop that." Ryomen scolds you. "I don't like when you think like that…"
"Hey, I can dream, can't I?" You joke darkly. Then you remember that isn't exactly true. He can control your dreams too.
"I've got you. I'm going to keep you safe," Sukuna promises, his voice rumbling through the caverns of your mind. "I promise."
You bring a hand to your chest, pressing over your motionless heart.
"I wish you wouldn't."
.
.
The
End…
For Now.
Notes:
Coming later this spring, the thrilling sequel to Tempo Rubato:
En Fortissimo will showcase a world beyond the realm of life and death. The return of familiar faces will bring about heart pounding new transformations, unexpected love connections, and the self exploration of what it truly means to be human.
With your mortality stripped, and a path of destruction left behind at Jujutsu Tech, the sorcerers are faced with the task of hunting you down. An order of immediate execution upon sight is declared for you as a rogue vessel dubbed with the name of Blackwing Sukuna.
Friends forced to become your enemies will have to face off against you and the frightful new comrades who come to your rescue.
When love is the only law, you will pay with your life.
