Chapter 28

Fushiguro was working hard once more on his technique, lately, who has returned is the shadow Itadori he accidently created. When he tries to strength himself, he goes into a deep meditation and enters a dark world where his shikigami live. Yet every time he enters now, shadow Yuuji is waiting for him.

"Hey Fushiguro!" he would say cheerfully.

Half the time Megumi tries not to cry. It's the only way he sees his friend now. "Hey… Itadori…" he said gently and cleared away his tears. "How have you been?"

He paused to consider his answer. "Well, I can't complain, I mean, this place is nice and I still get to hang out with you." He said and smiled warmly. "So, what are you going to try today?" he asked innocently enough.

"I know I don't have full control over Mahorage, he only agreed to cooperate with me to protect Itadori… but since… since he's gone… I know I have to inform him and explain the situation…"

Shadow Yuuji appeared confused. "But, he already knows." He said. "In fact, Mahorage took it rather hard too when he no longer sensed him…"

"What?" Megumi whispered. "I should have explained myself, that was the agreement we had. Until I am strong enough to prove…"

"But, you did,"

He paused. "What do you mean?"

"Well, I talked to the other shikigami, and they spoke with Mahorage, he is still going to test you, however he has acknowledged your growth and how you did much of this on your own. Something about when you two fused, it said it understood you a lot better than before…"

He wished he could talk to his shikigami like shadow Yuuji does. But this is the next best thing. "I miss my friend…" he suddenly said.

Shadow Yuuji paused, but then he nodded. "I mean, if I am here, he meant something to you right?" he asked offhandedly. "But, Fushiguro… just remember everything else about him too. The good times you had, and although many of them haven't been good or memories worth saving on to. Just take into factor you took on difficult challenges head on with him, he shared your pain and burden as you tried to share his… it's quite admirable."

"Why do you make so much sense?" Megumi muttered.

Shadow Yuuji shrugged his shoulders. "You made me, so you should know the answer to that right?"

Megumi sighed aloud, but then paused. "I… still feel like he's around, same with Suiryu… but… I can't see them." He said offhandedly. "I never told anyone else this since they would think I'm crazy…"

"I don't,"

"I'm talking to a shikigami of my friend, and that's not crazy?" he asked.

"Sometimes, crazy works, doesn't it?"

He forced a small smile and sighed aloud. "I don't know why I am training so hard anymore… I know there are curses to fight, and our battle isn't over yet with the elders, let alone Sukuna…" he paused as he turned to the shadow version of his friend once more. "Why am I training so hard?"

Shadow Yuuji paused. "Well, you learned who your father is, right?"

He sneered at the notion. Toji Fushiguro… is his father, but the two of them barely even talk. Let alone give each other eye contact. He has a lot on his mind about that, at the same time, he wants his father to take the first step in reuniting with him. But no such move has been made yet.

"Fushiguro?"

"Sorry, what?"

Shadow Yuuji smiled. "You are able to stay here a lot longer than before, right? You're growing in strength!"

He nodded. Ever since he got the hint a while back, ironically from shadow Yuuji, Megumi learned how to stay in the shikigami world a while longer. Each time he comes here, he can feel his power growing. At the same time, it's strange since he has to train Nanami at the same time on this ability. Apparently, during the reincarnation process, he, Yua and Muta all got a chance to choose from one of the three great families' blood line abilities.

"Oh, so you train here as well?"

Megumi shot to his feet as he saw Sensei Nanami lingering near by. "Sensei…"

"I come here often too… one of the few places Satoru cannot follow, I get quite a bit of my reading done here…"

"That explains the books!" said shadow Yuuji.

Nanami paused as he stared at the shadow of his former student, it waved rather politely to him before trying to speak with Fushiguro once more. "Perhaps I'll head off then, I don't think you are going to work on your abilities today. Besides, you need to take a break too. Don't push yourself too much, okay?"

He merely nodded as Yuuji melted into the darkness and vanished once more.

"He… came about on his own," he tried to explain.

"There's no need for that, I understand. Quite frankly… it's rather comforting to know a bit of him still lives here." Nanami said offhandedly. "Despite him being but a child when I met him… he has gone through more hardships than any other I have known."

"Yeah…"

They fell silent to one another. "Fushiguro. I heard you question why you are training so hard. You and I both know the answer to that. We no longer have him to help us, we can only depend on ourselves now…"

He merely nodded in agreement. He had depended on Yuuji to back him up, even Suiryu too. But, since they are both gone, he has to depend on himself now more than ever. "I just wish I knew what to do next…"

"I think you know what to do next, it's just doing it," Nanami said rather bluntly. "I told Itadori this before. Work is shit, being a sorcerer is shit. But when you are good at what you do, and have the means of doing that job, you do it." He said. "However, I don't believe this is the kind of advice I should offer you. I made peace with my choice, as well as the first time I died. This time around, I am determined now more than ever. To bring the change, Yuuji and Suiryu wanted to the jujutsu world. Their methods are strange, and yet, I cannot complain about the results."

He agreed with him on that. They have young children learning about their curse ability. When Megumi was young, he had no one to learn from but Gojo who happened to have gotten to him before the Zenin clan. Which also makes him wonder… why was his father so willing to sell him to the family that despised him so for having no curse ability?

He wants answer to that, sooner than later.

"Fushiguro…"

He snapped out of his train of thought. "We should return, or people will worry. I know things are difficult now, but we need to keep pressing forward."

"Yes Sensei,"