Chapter 20

"Huh, I swore I bought a new bathrobe…" Gojo was going over his belongings and found various things missing. One, his custom made oodie sweater with digimon on it, second the terry cloth bathrobe he just bought himself last week and lastly, a new set of bed sheets he was saving to use. They were the Egyptian cotton kind!

Then again, there have been odd takings going on around here. The second years mentioned that they themselves are missing items. Panda swears something was groping him in the middle of the night a few days ago!

"What was stolen?"

"My cashmere sweater," Mika stated. "The one I just got with Suiryu's credit card for going along with his torture idea for that body thief."

'My scarf' said Inumaki.

"Something keeps grabbing me as I sleep" Panda muttered. "It's unpleasant."

Soft things huh? Gojo sighed and nodded. "I'll get to the bottom of this." He announced.

We went through the first year dorms. He paused as he looked about but found they too were missing various items. Towels, blankets, even Nobara has wanted posters placed about the halls on various articles of clothing that have gone missing from her wardrobe.

Normally solving this would be simple, he merely follows the residual energy the thief left behind. However, the mystery was still solved rather quickly. After all, out of all the students, Itadori has not claimed to have anything stolen.

But, he also isn't the one to take things unnecessarily either. Yet, it was odd that has been taking other people's clothing.

It was time to see if he was right. Gojo went to his dorm room and gently knocked at first. "Itadori, you in there?" he called.

No answer.

He opened the door with caution and peered into the room. On the floor was a rather organized pile of various and missing objects from around the school. There were women sweaters, his bathrobe, blankets, towels, basically anything someone would find soft and comfortable was in this pile.

"What the hell Itadori…" he muttered. Gojo was about to retrieve the items until something smacked his hand!

"OW!" he protested.

To his right was Kitsune and her fan at the ready to do it all again. "Don't touch," she ordered him.

Picking himself from the ground he looked between her and the pile. "It's our stuff, I am just taking it back." He explained.

"NO!" she stated and pointed her fan mere inches before his nose. "You will not touch it, or there shall be consequences!"

She was dead serious on that too. "What do you mean I can't touch it? That's OUR stuff he has!" Gojo protested. "I wouldn't have mind if he asked, but I never even got a chance to use that bathrobe yet…"

"You touch his nest, you take anything from it, and he will start to feel unsafe," Kitsune explained. "You cannot allow a young, growing dragon to feel that way, if they do… they search for a new place to live and build a new nest"

It took him aback, he didn't realize it was that serious for Itadori to have such items. "So, we disrupt it, he thinks someone is going to attack him… so he leaves?"

"His mind is slowly going to that of a baby dragon. He has already lost interest in fighting, I have seen him cower when his two friends argue, so he is non confrontational right now. Also, a baby dragon mainly seeks out its own comfort and food. Both are provided for him here and now, but if one of the two is disrupted or he feels unsafe in any way, it's a massive risk to him."

He sighed aloud to it all. "So, tell everyone to replace their stuff huh?"

"I would suggest you don't buy anything soft for a short while, he is still building." She explained. "I have materials coming for him to select from and see if he wishes to include into his nest."

He nodded to it all. "Okay then, speaking of Itadori…"

Kitsune merely smiled. "Baby dragons seek comfort, at the moment, he has entered a phase where he wants to be held." She said and snickered.

"Who the hell would do that for him?!"

#

It was oddly satisfying.

No one said anything as Choso sat on the couch yet at the same time, holding Yuuji like a baby in his arms.

It was a strange start to the day, Yuuji came to their door in the late morning. There was this desperate look on his face that no one could understand. His arms were curled into himself, almost fearful to the world around him. "What has him upset?" Sho asked.

Choso didn't know, but he pulled Yuuji into his arms. "Come here brother, let's try and help you." He said.

It was that hug that led to this, Yuuji braced Choso close to him, and then gave off this strange and yet resonating purr! He couldn't explain it, yet Choso felt himself fall into a trance himself. The next thing he knew, he was on the couch, Yuuji resting up against him before Choso leaned over and wrapped him in a blanket only to nestle him into his arms. When he held him, the purr returned to Yuuji as he lulled himself to sleep once more.

"Whoa… is he… okay?" Junpei asked as he saw the odd sight.

"He's fine… he needs a blanket," Choso said gently. They gathered what they could and found something suitable for their brother. Since then, Chose has not moved from his spot. At the same time, he felt his connection to Yuuji strain a little. He could sense his emotional state, and right now that was bliss. But earlier, it was more of a desperate panic.

"You just wanted to be held…" Choso whispered. "Such a strange little brother you are becoming… but I don't mind it."

The others would come and visit throughout the day. They kept track and made sure Choso didn't need anything or would want a break from Yuuji. In fact, he was enjoying it… a lot!

It would be mid afternoon when Gojo came to see them. The moment he noticed them on the couch, a small smile escaped his lips. "Ah, that's where he's been… also, our thief of everything soft and fluffy."

"He… isn't in trouble for that, is he?" Choso asked.

"Well, with the girls, perhaps, but at the moment, I was told not to mess with what he is taking. Kitsune insisted upon it. Whatever he put into his nest, has to stay or he will feel threatened."

Choso nodded. "We can always get more towels and blankets." He explained. "Little brother's comfort right now trumps that of an older brother."

"Such a mature one you are," Gojo snickered.

"Umph… umph…" came out of Yuuji.

His eyes opened up, at first he appeared confused until he looked about. When he peered up, and saw he had been sleeping in Choso's arms, he snapped up and lowered his head apologizing!

Choso chuckled to it all. "Oh it's okay, Yuuji, it's fine, really. I didn't mind at all…" he said gently.

But there was a scared look on his face, he turned to Gojo, almost in tears and trembling. "Little brother?"

"I think he's scared to what happened… you don't remember how you got here, do you?" Gojo asked.

Yuuji froze and then shook his head no. He suddenly grabbed the sides of his head as the tears began to fall.

He has no control over himself anymore.

"Itadori… Itadori… listen to me…" Gojo spoke so gently to him, Choso appreciated it as he tried to talk some sense into him. "Yuuji, you can't help it. It's understandable right now. Kitsune told me the whole story. You just have to relax and go with the flow of this okay?"

"Umph…. Umph…. Um…" His voice trailed off as he appeared defeated to it all.

Choso reached over and pulled him back into his arms. Yuuji was taken aback, but suddenly came to settle, resting against him. "It's okay little brother, if you wanted to have company, we don't mind. Not in the least bit…"

He felt Yuuji wrap his four arms around him, bracing Choso closer.

His heart melted to it all.

"You're really enjoying this aren't you?" Gojo teased.

"Hush, leave him be,"

"I would but Kitsune wanted me to find him. Apparently there are some gifts for him back at his room, new, soft, fluffy blankets and he gets to pick from them."

Yuuji released Choso and looked to Satoru. "Mph?" came out.

"Yes, I think they are gifts for you, wanna go see? They do look soft and fluffy…" Gojo teased.

There was a hesitation.

Yuuji peered back at Choso, who merely smiled. "I'll go with you if you want?"

His eyes sparkled, Yuuji snapped off the couch and was quick to get Choso to his feet.

#

"Now this one is a favorite among the divine…"

He sat there and watched on as Yuuji began to pick out his new blankets. Choso smiled to the offerings, yet wondered where they came from and how this woman named Kitsune got her hands on them. The latest blanket had Yuuji purring, it was white, soft and had a nice fluff to it. "What is this made from?" Choso asked curiously as Yuuji presented him with the same blanket. His hands gently stroked the material. If anything it felt like chinchilla fur.

"Fenrir fur" she said proudly.

"Fenrir? Is that not a great wolf?" Choso asked. "Also, was it killed to make this?"

Yuuji suddenly froze. He was stroking one of the other Fenrir blankets realizing that could be the case. Kitsune however laughed aloud. "Nonsense! We don't kill anything for the sake of one item let alone a great creature such as them. No, this fur was gifted to us. It's the sheddings from the Fenrir that are given to our greatest craftsman who weave it into blankets and other warm objects." She explained.

Yuuji then went back to smothering his face into the blanket. Whoever processed the fur did an amazing job. "I do believe brother likes those ones the best." Choso said and smiled a little. "May we have some of them?"

"He can take them all… oh wait… I still need a few for the other master…"

Choso paused. "Other… master?" he asked.

"Umph?" came out of Yuuji.

Kitsune paused but sighed aloud. "My family, we serve the dragons of the human world and spiritual world. The ones in the spiritual world are plentiful and more powerful than you could imagine… to them, Sukuna is merely an infant."

Choso froze to the news as did Yuuji. "So… they don't consider him a threat?"

She shook her head no. "There is a dragon in that realm… one you do not wish to anger the least bit. They are the most powerful out of all of them, but I cannot speak their name. However… they do adore the Fenrir fur blankets…"

There came a pause over the brothers. Yuuji peered about and gathered them back up before passing them to Kitsune. She was stunned to his gesture. "Young master, there are plenty, you can still take a few for yourself" she insisted.

But he was hesitating.

Choso pondered the situation. "How about two then, take only two. One for the bed, and one to put on top of yourself as you sleep?"

Kitsune nodded. "Wonderful idea, that way he will still have comfort and I will have plenty to offer the great master." She stated.

Yuuji agreed as well as he took two for himself. Instantly, they were added to his nest. The blanket was massive as it covered the whole thing rather instantly. The other he would keep as Choso suggested to put over top himself at night.

With that, he nestled in, and started purring again.

"Oh… he's adorable when he is comfortable…" Kitsune whispered as she tried to contain her smile.

Choso smirked and nodded. "He has that charm about him, doesn't he?"

Yuuji was quick to fall back asleep once more…