Gojo opens the front door to the apartment. The door hits the wall with a loud bang. He winces. That is for sure going to leave a hole in the wall that someone other than him will have to fix. He snaps his fingers, turning around to look at Kagome and Yuji. Kagome shakes her head and mutters under her breath.
"I've got the perfect mission for you, Yuji-kun!"
"Mission?" Yuji sputters. "What about the exchange event?" Yuji sets his bag down and gives Kagome the puppy dog face.
"No, no. Gome-chan can't save you." Gojo huffs, his resolve crumbling away like the sugar cookies he snuck in for breakfast. "Aw, c'mon. I haven't even said what the mission is." What a traitor his student is turning out to be. As if getting Kagome on his side will change Gojo's stance.
"If it involves fixing the wall, then you can do it. Yuji-kun shouldn't have to clean up after you." She brushes by him; the scent of lavender consumes him. Well, fuck. Alright, he muses, perhaps Yuji getting Kagome on his side was the way to go.
"Yeah!" Yuji fist pumps the air and skips past. "I can't wait to see everyone again!"
"You can't just walk up," Gojo says, kicking the door shut, "it has to be a surprise!" He claps his hands at the excitement painted on Yuji's face. "Everyone will fall out on the floor, seeing you–their long-lost comrade back from the dead. It will be enough to–"
"Stop world hunger!" They both exclaim out. Yuji launches himself at Gojo, rubbing his face along his. They crackle. Yuji lets out a couple of snorts that only send Gojo into another laughing fit. His stomach aches from laughing so much. Gojo bends down and grabs a hold of Yuji's leg, flipping him upside down as he levitates them both in the air.
"Kagome-san, are you going to watch?" Yuji asks upside down as Gojo swings him back and forth with one hand.
"Of course, she'll be there! First, we have to get the introductions out of the way and then the event will actually start this afternoon." Gojo tosses Yuji onto the couch and floats back down. He thrusts his arms open. "Jealous? I can swing you around too." He walks forward, pokes Kagome with one long finger on her cheek. She puffs her cheeks out and grabs ahold of his hand. Warmth blossoms in his chest. The loud sound of Yuji clearing his throat breaks the trance. Gojo takes a step back. He should ask her sometime when she started wearing Lavender scented perfumes.
"I'm gonna go lie down for a bit. You two have fun," Kagome says, picking up their discarded suitcase. Her skin is a tad bit too pale for his liking, though that could just be from the lack of sleep. Deep down, he knows that it's silly, and Naoya clearly repulsed Kagome. But when they got back to the hotel room, all he could think about was how he needed more from her–more of her.
He'll have to send Ijichi to pick Kagome up later in time for the event to start. Or he could just wrap and pick her up himself. It would be more dramatic if he just popped up with her on his arm, then having Ijichi drop her off. Gojo waits until she disappears from his sight and he hears the bedroom door close to address Yuji.
"Before we go, and I put you in a box," Gojo says, reaching into his pocket and grabbing a hold of the newly wrapped cursed finger. He wanted to come up with an elaborate: Oh, there's a curse over there, go exorcise it Yuji. And then bam, Yuji would find the cursed finger. A sound plan if he had the time to put it into motion.
"Why are you putting me in a box?" Yuji asks, leaning back on the couch. "Oh! Is that how I'll make my entrance? We could wrap it up, and I could jump out."
"Yes! But first, the foxes gave me a little present for you." He holds out the wrapped finger. Yuji scrunches up his face but takes the object anyway.
"The last time you got me a gift, I nearly died," Yuji says, unwrapping the sutras. "Nooo," he bemoans.
"It's not that bad. Are you saying you'd rather eat the ones that are all angry-looking?" Gojo crosses his arms. He tilts his head, listening to what sounds like the shower going. Maybe he should go check on her before he heads out?
"Uh yeah, these pale ones burn on the way down," Yuji says, taking a deep breath and swallowing the cursed finger. "Why?" Yuji asks, his hands grip his throat as he bends over. His skin flashes with Sukuna's markings and then fades away. His skin pales and then flushes red, as if his body can't decide on how it wants to handle what it just digested. Yuji coughs and struggles to right himself.
"Ayy, you didn't die though!" Gojo snaps his fingers and pretends to shoot at the glaring red eye of Sukuna on Yuji's cheek. A minuscule amount of guilt brews in his gut over how the purified fingers are causing Yuji pain, but the more rational side of him reminds him that every finger Kagome can purify is a win for them.
"Sensei, you're the worst."
Gojo waves a hand in the air, brushing off the accusation. "Ready to get in the box?"
Yuji falters under the glare of Megumi and Nobara. He isn't sure what to make of the talking panda–though after spending time with a bunch of fox demons over the weekend, a talking panda really isn't that far-fetched. The white-haired boy that only speaks in onigiri ingredients, though – that, that is a little weird. "How long do I have to hold this?" he asks, slinking further down as he holds the board up.
"I can't believe you've been alive this whole time," Nobara says, her fist-shaking. Yuji tries to melt into the flooring. Maybe if he could just disappear quietly, she won't hit him. "I mean, I almost shed a thug tear." She pretends to wipe a tear from her eye. Panda pats her back and Yuji still can't get over the talking panda.
"Salmon," Inumaki says, nodding his head.
"Have you been with sensei this whole time?" Megumi speaks up. At least he isn't glaring anymore. Yuji would take Megumi's indifference any day.
"Kagome-san too. I lived with them." Yuji sets the board down and stands up. The green-haired girl–Maki regards him coolly. Her indifference is colder than the special chocolate chip supreme brownie rush sundae he had on the trip.
"Who's Kagome?" Panda asks.
"Sensei's girlfriend," Megumi replies.
"Girlfriend!" the others shout. Yuji blinks. Is it really that crazy for Gojo-sensei to be in a relationship? Maki looks disgusted, Nobara is indifferent, Inumaki is scratching his head, Panda–well he just looks like a…. panda, and Megumi just looks over it all.
"Kagome-san is coming by later to watch the event," Yuji says. Megumi looks behind him. "Do you not want Kagome-san to watch?"
"He just doesn't want to give Buyo Jr back," Nobara says, tucking some stray hairs back behind her ear.
"That freaky cat thing belongs to Gojo's girlfriend?" Maki scoffs.
"He isn't freaky."
"Pandas are better."
"Salmon."
"Guys," Yuji starts, but they ignore him, leaving him to trail after them. The sun is bright, and the weather is just perfect. Now if only he could get the gang to get off the subject of how freaky Buyo Jr is. "Shouldn't we come up with a game plan? I don't actually know what we're doing."
"Sensei never told you?" Megumi asks.
"No, not really."
They all let out a series of groans and bring him into a huddle. Happiness fills him, and he can't stop smiling. He can't wait to go all out with his friends and show sensei and Kagome-san how far he's come.
A/N: Thank you all for the kind reviews! I am feeling much better this week. We're finally at the exchange arc. I'm pretty excited to see how everyone fares with demons in the mix :)