Chapter 48

In the soul subspace.

Yuuji paused as he tried to take this all in, he was trapped and yet not trapped at the same time. "I'm to be kept here for a reason… but why? Also if this was ill intent, I doubt Ryujin would keep me in a place I was comfortable… maybe that's why… so I wouldn't try and take over!" he decreed.

Still, he was a little unnerved to all of it. "He could have just asked…" but sighed aloud. Yuuji wondered about the house and found everything was where it should be. Yet it was missing something. "It's just like grandpa's house… just without grandpa… I miss him…" he sighed.

He went to sit at the kitchen table to think of what to do next, when he heard. "WHY THE HELL AREN'T YOU AT YOUR CLUB!"

He jolted to the voice, but when he saw him, Yuuji couldn't hold back his tears. "Grandfather!" he cheered. He jumped out of his chair and hugged him whole heartedly, only to be shoved off.

"What's with you boy!" he demanded.

"Grandfather… I… I…" he began to stammer.

"You don't have to say a word, I already know!" he protested, there came an odd look on his face but then a sneer followed. "You take what I say too literally, you do know that?"

He nodded his head as he cleared the tears from his eyes. "I know, but… it was those words that kept me going… wait… are you really here? Are you really…"

"You kicked that Sukuna guy's ass and tamed a dragon, how could I NOT see it?" he demanded.

Yuuji smiled, he then looked about once more. "I… don't know where I am…"

"Hmph, figures as much. This is your retreat in a sense, a place for you to come and feel safe. I suppose… but mainly I think you are to come where when that lizard has something to do and you cannot interfere…"

"Dragon, grandfather, he's a dragon,"

"Whatever,"

"That would make sense though. Ryujin told me that I cannot mix two energies together… or I could blow up and take a lot of people with me."

"Makes sense…" suddenly, a small quake came.

"What…"

"Looks like you are waking up. Now listen here Yuuji… you maybe a big shot out there, but come visit! Also… keep your promise to that Tooru woman, you have my permission."

He paused but nodded. "Okay," he whispered.

#

He snapped out of bed once more.

This time he was back at the dorms.

Checking over himself, Yuuji found nothing out of place, he didn't have the speck embedded in his chest. Yet he was back to his 'cursed' form in a sense.

He sighed aloud to it all until he felt hungry!

He ventured out of the room, and wondered into the dorm kitchen. He paused as he saw his friends and Gojo sensei waiting for him. Yet once they saw his face, their conversation came to a stop. "Hey…" he said meekly.

Nobara suddenly threw her arms around him. "YUUJI!" she cheered.

He returned the embrace as Gojo sense was laughing it up. "Oh man, if you could have seen the look on Sukuna's face! It was magical!" he decreed. "I have never seen him so terrified before!"

"Huh?" Yuuji asked with confusion. He admits, the battle that took place was all hazy in his mind, he couldn't really remember what he did or how he survived. "Sensei… I can't remember…"

"It's okay, you won, and that's what matters!" Gojo stated. "But… do you remember ANYTHING at all?" he asked curiously.

He paused to think about it. "Ryujin," he whispered.

This made the room pause. "Oh?" asked Gojo. "What do you remember of Ryujin?"

His arms drifted, the lower ones went over his stomach, his dominate right arm went on the left side of his chest. "I have Ryujin in me, I'm its vessel." He said. "But it isn't out to possess me! I don't think," he explained. "It's strange, I never felt it like I did Sukuna, he was always rattling around in my head, but… Ryujin is different…"

"Can we trust it?" Nobara asked.

"Sensei…" Fushiguro said. "How can we trust it?"

Yuuji felt he may have made a great mistake, but he kept remembering Yua's eyes, how happy she was that her efforts weren't in vein. "I trust it," Yuuji whispered. "I mean, there's just… something different about this, I can't explain it."

Gojo sensei however was more curious than anything. "It's a first," he announced. "But to my knowledge, anyone who could have done that to Sukuna, is good in my books."

Itadori smiled and nodded. "Yeah, mine too,"

Nobara sighed. "You just keep getting weirder and weirder!" she protested. "Well, you may as well join us, we were about to eat"

He peered at the table and saw a nice layout of food. "We ordered in, these two can't cook," Gojo said with a grin.