"–apparently Sayama, Nishimura, and Honda are dead. You were friends with them, weren't you?" The question makes Yūji scowl as she stays perched on the bench near the two she was watching. The curse was already flying towards them–at an incredibly slow pace–and all Yūji had to do was wait.
"The flyhead will attempt to attack Yoshino. After you recapture it, question him about the incident." Yūji stands up and starts walking towards the adult and Junpei. The wretched feeling came off of the boy, but only as a residual. The knowledge of that made Yūji sigh in relief.
"They spent a lot of time with you when you had no friends, right? Yet you didn't even attend their funerals..." Yūji scowls even more at the amount of hatred and anger coming off of Junpei. "Honestly, what is wrong with you? You should go light some incense for them. I'll even go with you. Come on."
"He's just like them," Yūji snarls as she walks closer. The flyhead charges forward, breaking the young teenage boy out of whatever thoughts he was having.
"Stop." Yūji easily grabs the flyhead and squishes it, exorcising it easily. She notices Junpei widen his eyes slightly, staring at her clenched fist.
"He can see them, then."
"Excuse me? Me and Yoshino were having a conversation, kid," The adult states rudely with a frown.
Yūji focuses on Junpei and gives him a smile. "I have a few things I need to ask you about. Would you be willing to come with me?"
"Don't ignore your elders, brat! You're rude." A dark look flickers past the pink haired teenager's expression before fading to an impassiveness as the teacher shoves her away.
"It's an important, private matter. Could you please leave?" She asks, placing a hand on her hip. The teacher scowls and scoffs with a narrowed glare.
"Where are your manners? Didn't your parents teach you to be a lady? And what kind of uniform are you wearing? You're just asking for it–" Yūji interrupts the teacher with a mischievous grin and a sudden squat. She easily pulls down the teacher's pants, causing a few moments of shock.
"What are you doing, you bitch?!" The teacher grabs at Yūji's arms, trying to force her to pull up his pants. "Stop! Stop this!"
Yūji just chuckles and takes off running down the street with the pants in one of her hands. "Don't run off with them!"
She quickly runs an entire lap around the block and stops beside Junpei, making him jump.
"W-wait!" The teacher doesn't look behind him as he gets up and starts running the way Yūji ran.
"Okay, now let's go!" Yūji exclaims brightly as Junpei continues to stare up at her in shock.
"H-how'd you get here so fast?! Did you already run that entire lap?" Junpei exclaims in his shock. Yūji hums in affirmation, placing a hand on her hip.
"Yeah."
"...you didn't have to go through all that, miss. You could've just dragged me away," Junpei states while shyly looking down at his feet. Yūji blinks before smiling softly.
His hair was brown instead of black, and he had forest green eyes. He was incredibly thin and was definitely no older than 14 or 13 years old.
"I could've... but you hated that adult, yes?" Yūji points out with a head tilt. Junpei stares up at her in shock, his mouth slightly open.
"How did you..."
"I hate adults too." Yūji smiles awkwardly. "Eh, was I wrong? Sorry."
"N-no, you weren't wrong. I–thank you," Junpei says softly, making Yūji's bright smile come back tenfold.
"That's good! Let's head over there! We don't want that man to loiter in front of your home when you hate him." The pink haired teenager points down the street as she starts walking.
Junpei stares after her before quietly nodding with wide eyes. "Sure."
"Hm. The ground shook," Yūji points out, looking down at the ground. Junpei makes a small noise of affirmation.
"Mmhmm. Intensity 2, I think."
"No fucking shit, slut. So hard to see the obvious," Sukuna taunts with an eye roll. Yūji ignores him.
Yūji looks down at her phone and sighs in disappointment when Kiyotaka doesn't answer. She doesn't know if she should be the one to ask Junpei about the incident... oh well.
"I'm with an organization investigating the incident that happened to those boys at the theater. The one you were at too. Did you see anything? Something that looks similar to the thing I squished, maybe a little more terrifying?" She asks calmly, making Junpei stare at her with wide eyes.
"No, I didn't," He answers immediately. "I only just started to see those things clearly."
Yūji smiles and tilts her head. "I see."
"Liar liar~" Sukuna says in a sing-song tone. Yūji giggles and turns her head with her eyes closed, basking in the setting sunlight.
"The one who did this, you want to protect it," Yūji states to herself softly before leaning back on her hands. She sighs softly as the wind gently blows through her hair.
"I have nothing more to ask you, then." Yūji opens her eyes with a gasp and turns back towards Junpei. "Oh, wait! What movie did you see at the theater?"
Junpei instinctively leans back with tense shoulders when the older teenager leans forward. He stares at her with a suspicious gaze before slowly relaxing.
"It was a repeat screening of an old movie. I doubt you'd know it if I told you."
"Movies are a past time of someone I once loved dearly. He loved to watch them with me. It won't hurt to tell me!" Yūji urges the younger boy, making him flush.
He stares at the older teenager. "Human Earthworm 3."
"That one's so boring. Even Atsu-chan slept through that movie and he could watch a documentary about infrastructure without a single blink!" Yūji immediately comments with a small frown.
"Honestly, it was. But it's just a splatter film, so maybe it's our own fault for asking it to deliver more than that. But 2 was–"
"2 was so good, wasn't it?" Yūji interrupts the younger boy in her excitement. Junpei turns his head and smiles for the first time in the pink haired teenager's presence.
"Yeah! Yeah, it was! It was the only one with a way you could enjoy it!"
"Oh? A way to enjoy it?" Yūji tenses heavily and turns her head. "Have you seen the entire series?"
Fightorflightfightorflightfightorflight
She spots a hooded man standing on the bridge a few meters away. Her eyes narrow as he stares right back at her. He continues walking not even a moment later.
"At first, 2 looks like it wouldn't be any different from 1 or 3, but it actually captures the changing emotions of the perfectionist who abandons everything." Yūji focuses back on Junpei, smiling as if nothing happened. Junpei didn't mention it, or didn't notice.
"Really? Maybe that's why I was able to watch 2," Yūji comments brightly as Junpei turns to stare at the small river they say beside.
"At first, I couldn't understand what was good about it, so I made myself watch it three times. It had the most effective gory scenes too, so it wasn't easy to rewatch," Junpei states before sighing. Yūji tilts her head and laughs softly.
"You would have loved to meet Atsu-chan! Only a movie fanatic would go so far to correctly analyze a movie." Yūji looks up at the setting sun and smiles.
"Do you like movies, Itadori-san?" Junpei asks quietly. Yūji hums and gives the boy a side-glance.
"Not really, but my children do. And my best friend did. We only watched them in movie theaters because–"
"The emotional impact of finding a good one at the theater is huge," The two teenagers speak at the same time. They glance at each other before Yūji giggles and Junpei flushes with a small smile.
"The last time I saw one in theaters... wow, it's been almost three years," Yūji says with a small, wistful smile before facing Junpei. "Next time you find a movie you're in to, would you take me with you?"
Yūji pretends not to notice the younger teenager's shocked expression. She blinks in realization and takes out her phone.
"Here, could you put your phone number in here? I'll tell you mine afterwards!"
"Oh, Junpei?" A woman's voice calls out, making Yūji and Junpei look up. A beautiful woman stood at the top of the steps with a bob of black hair, fair skin, and black eyes.
"Kāsan!" Junpei exclaims in surprise.
"It's unusual to see you out here. Is this a friend?" The woman smiles softly at Yūji. A small flush appears on Yūji's cheeks and she smiles back.
"We just met, actually," Junpei answers back.
Yūji raises a hand with a bright grin. "We may have just met, but I think we can be friends! Your son is really nice!"
"Thank you. I hope you get along well, then," The woman states brightly, holding up a lit cigarette.
Junpei makes a terrified noise, his eyes going wide. "Kāsan! I asked you... to quit smoking..."
"Oh, sorry, Junpei. I did promise not to smoke in front of you anymore." The woman puts out her cigarette as she starts walking towards the two teenagers. "What's your friend's name?"
"Itadori Yūji, miss. You're really pretty, but green onion doesn't suit your look," Yūji compliments as she stands up.
"Oh, you can tell? I'm trying to be a woman who doesn't look good with green onions," The woman plays along seamlessly while holding up her bag of ingredients.
"What are you even talking about?" Junpei asks quietly to himself.
"Yūji-chan, care to join us for dinner?" The woman asks brightly, making Junpei tense.
"H-hey! You're just bothering her!" Junpei exclaims, making his mother look down at him with wide eyes.
"Huh? Are you saying my cooking is a nuisance?"
Yūji flushes a bit when her stomach releases a loud growl. She clears her throat and averts her gaze.
"And then? And then?" Yoshino Nagi, the mother of Junpei, asks curiously as she holds up a beer.
"Ogiwara-san says, full of confidence... "It's an assassin! Ichiki-sama, get down! Everyone take cover!" So then I walked over to the shrub and picked up a baby alligator that escaped!" Yūji exclaims while holding up a piece of food with her chopsticks.
Nagi bursts out in loud laughter. "Wait, an alligator? It was an alligator?! You're funny, Yūji-chan!"
"Kāsan, you've had too much to drink," Junpei says quietly with an exasperated look.
"Here, do something funny with these!" Nagi doesn't hear her son and holds out a tray. Junpei sighs in defeat and takes a sip of his drink.
"Wilson! Wilson! Forgive me Wilson!" Yūji shouts loudly, crouching on the floor while holding the tray with a face taped on it. Junpei spits out the sip he took.
"Idiotic slut. What are you doing?" Sukuna asks with a small sneer of disgust.
"That's from Cast Away, isn't it?" Junpei states before coughing to the side.
"You got it!"
"I don't get it. Is it a movie reference?" Nagi asks, leaning forward with a confused expression.
"Fire!" Yūji shouts while holding a green onion in her hands. She bursts out laughing, making Junpei laugh. They both don't notice Nagi's soft smile as she watches the two.
A half hour passes and Yūji watches her new friend gently pull a blanket over Nagi's sleeping form. She smiles softly and leans her hip against the table.
"You're mother's really nice," Yūji says softly, mind flickering back to the barely visible memories of before.
"Yeah." Junpei stares down at his mother with a small smile. He looks up and his smile widens slightly.
"What's your mom like?" He asks brightly. Yūji's smile falters slightly and her eyes grow dark.
"...hopefully dead. Haha's not a... kind person, especially not to me. But Okāsan... Okāsan is amazing. She took me in and named me her own daughter. She's kind to everyone, and only punishes those who ever truly deserve it," Yūji says quietly. She blinks away the darkness in her eyes when she feels her phone vibrate.
"I'm sorry. I have a call." Yūji takes out her phone and walks a few steps away.
"Hello, Ijichi-san?"
"Itadori-kun! Are you alright? Nothing happened?" Kiyotaka asks in relief through the phone. Yūji giggles and looks up at the ceiling.
"Yes, I'm fine Ijichi-san!"
"That's good. Please tell me the address so I can come pick you up. Nanami-san has some important information," Kiyotaka says, making the pink haired teenager pout.
"Sorry, but we're about to watch a movie! I'll send you the address two hours from now!"
"Two hours–" Yūji ends the call. She turns around as she puts up her phone, noticing that Junpei has moved over to the TV.
"You're a jujutsu sorcerer, right?" Junpei asks for clarification. Yūji smiles and nods her head with a hum.
"Yes. You know what did that two those boys, right?" Yūji tilts her head and walks forward. Junpei still doesn't turn around, opening a movie case.
"Have you... ever killed someone?" Junpei asks quietly.
Yūji smiles and sits down on the couch, crossing her ankles. "Yes, but not as a jujutsu sorcerer. Yet."
Junpei freezes. He slowly turns around and stares at the older teenager with wide eyes.
"You..."
"Itadori is an incredibly old, and a widely known name throughout politics, history, and even has a presence the... underground." Yūji leans her head back with a soft smile. "Most people try to suck up to the name, many run and hide. The rest wait to attempt a strike against my family. With how many attempts on my life and on the lives of those I consider mine... I've lost count of how many I've killed."
"...would you ever kill a bad jujutsu sorcerer?" Junpei asks in an even quieter tone, turning back to put the movie into the DVD player. Yūji hums in thought, running a hand through her hair.
"If they harm or kill what's mine, yes. Other than that, I don't really care," Yūji answers and smiles brightly.
"I'll kill anyone and everyone if it means protecting what's mine and making sure they continue to live life freely."
Junpei pauses slightly and turns his head. He goes back to fixing up the movie as Yūji starts to hum a small tune under her breath.
Yūji startles awake when she feels the wretched feeling appear. She keeps her head on Junpei's shoulder, pretending to sleep. Her eyes gleam in the light of the movie when the wretched feeling disappears and a familiar one is replaced.
"Hmph. So the curse is a child. Pity. He has such a unique technique," Sukuna states with slight disappointment. Yūji looks at the still sleeping Nagi through her peripherals and immediately spots the finger.
"I'll tell Gojo-sensei when I see him. About this finger and the second one." Yūji pretends to yawn and stretches her arms.
"Oh! 'm sorry Yoshino-san... How long was I asleep?" Yūji asks, rubbing her eyes. Junpei smiles softly and helps the pink haired teenager sit up more.
"The movie's almost over. I didn't want to wake you, so it's fine," Junpei says quietly, making Yūji pout. The credits start playing.
"I didn't mean to sleep through the whole movie... next time, wake me up if I ever fall asleep." Yūji stands up and stretches her back.
She turns and gives Junpei a bright smile. "I have to go, but I'll make time to hang out if you ever want to! Oh, and if you ever need help... just call, okay?"
Junpei looks up at her with wide eyes. His face turns pink and he averts his gaze, nodding shyly.
"...thank you, Itadori-san..." Junpei speaks up with genuine sincerity. "You... I–just, thank you."
"We're friends now! Call me Yūji! Oh, tell Nagi-san that I loved her food!" Yūji leans forward and gives the brunette a kiss on his head before walking towards the front door. As she passes the kitchen table, she quickly grabs Sukuna's finger.
"You've grown attached to the brat." Sukuna leans forward with a smirk. "Even going so far to ask your little servants for information on his past. You're a bit obsessive, don't you think?"
Yūji ignores the curse's taunt, walking out of the house. She sees Kiyotaka nervously sitting inside his car in front of the house and gives a wave.
"He's mine now. That's enough of an answer for you, is it not?" Yūji retorts calmly as she makes her way over to the car.
"The complexities of your shattered mind... Okāsan truly favorites you above all others." Yūji smiles and glances at the curse in her mind.
"Okāsan favorites you too," She points out, getting into the car.
"Itadori-kun... what did you learn?" Kiyotaka asks seriously as Yūji puts on her seatbelt. She smiles and holds up Sukuna's finger, making Kiyotaka squeak in terror and surprise.
"That thing that caused the incident at the theater... It planted this right before I left. I think it's manipulating Junpei." Yūji turns the finger over in her hands. She sighs softly and tosses it into her mouth.
"I-ITADORI-KUN!" Kiyotaka almost screeches in terror. Yūji winces slightly as her heart skips a beat. She rolls her eyes at Sukuna's dark chuckle before giving Kiyotaka a bright smile.
"We should head back. Where's Nanamin?"
Hey! Hope you all like the new chapter!
Alright, before anyone says anything, yes the meeting with Junpei and Yūji is very similar to canon. I didn't really find it necessary to change it. It's leading up to the changes.
ALSO, AHH. I had completely forgot that Jogo's fight with Satoru happens first and ugh. It sucks, cause I have a lot of plans for that. So, IMPROMPTU CHANGE! it'll happen after Junpei mostly because Yūji never died and continued to pretend to be dead.
And thank you all for the wonderful comments and for all the love! I really do appreciate it!
I hope you all are enjoying the story so far! Also, sorry for the shorter chapter. Next chapter will more than likely be longer. Bye!
WhovianWhoudini