The heels of Junpei's shoes pound the pavement as he sprints. His lungs are burning and he's gasping for air, regretting dearly that he cut through this side street on his way to school. His bullies were waiting for him to round the corner, giving chase the moment they made eye contact. It sounds like an entire mob is after him! Their footfalls are thunderous as they echo off the brick alley walls. He can hear the acidic shouts of the boys chasing him, plotting their amusements out loud for him to hear.

"There he is! Grab him!"

"Don't let him get away!"

"Break his legs so he can't run!"

He sprints through the familiar streets leading to his neighborhood. There should be an opening ahead, but…why does it seem like this alley is getting longer? With each step, the walls stretch further on either side. It feels like he's running in slow motion, his feet are heavy and fail him little by little as the sounds behind him grow louder.

"Please…Please no! Why won't you leave me alone!?" he screams in desperation for anyone to hear him and come to his rescue.

He can feel hands pulling him now. So many hands! Pale and stitched together at the wrists and elbows, springing up from the ground all around him. They're too strong for him to resist pinning him to the asphalt cruelly.

"Stop it! Let me go!" he shouts in terror.

Another phantom hand with no body attached grabs his face, forcing his mouth open with two thick fingers wedged between his back teeth to prevent him from closing. Junpei pulls his tongue back, already knowing what's coming next. He shakes his head from side to side, trying to loosen the grip without success.

Please! No!

There's a high pitched chirping piercing its way through the maniacal laughter of his tormentors. He recognizes the sound of cricket wings and screams around the vile fingers prying his mouth open impossibly wider to shove the insects down his throat.

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A strong tug around his midsection rouses Junpei from the horrible nightmare. He sputters, panting and trembling but heaves a relieved sob when he realizes none of the awful hallucinations are real. He's lying on his side, and slowly recognizes his surroundings as he steadies himself. What woke him? It felt as if someone pulled him back into reality quite literally. Reaching down he feels unexpected warmth…and fingers. Someone has their arm draped over his waist.

His panic surges again and he rolls over, peeking over his shoulder. In the light of day, he recognizes you lying next to him.

Now fully startled awake, he springs up from the futon and scrambles backward. His back hits the closest wall with a loud thud. He freezes. Did you hear that? All he can do is hold his breath as you mutter something in mid-sleep. Placing a shaky hand over his mouth, all he hears is his own erratic breathing and…

And crickets chirping outside. Their song must have triggered his nightmare.

He hugs his knees to his chest, stifling the sounds of his ebbing panic. You toss over again, moaning lightly. When did you lie down beside him? When he was last awake, Sukuna was the one controlling your body.

A few sparse bars of afternoon sunlight filter in through the gaps of wooden boards nailed into the wall, streaming over your face. Junpei swallows nervously, allowing himself to creep closer for a better look. Other than bearing the same black markings of your Curse, you look just like a normal person.

No stitches… Junpei reassures himself with a hand over his chest until the empty stillness unnerves him.

It's odd seeing you like this, sleeping like a vagrant with no other place in the world than futon in a forgotten attic. Although your hair and skin are oddly clean for living in a place without hot water or soap. Your nose whistles lightly with your breathing. Forgetting his original apprehension, Junpei leans in, studying your face carefully. You don't have any scars that he can see. He doubts you ever lose any of your fights. Not surprising. He also notices the glint of a golden chain half-tucked into the neck of your shirt.

Beneath your lashes, the eyes of Sukuna are closed as well. Does your Curse sleep when you do? Maybe, this is a trap and Sukuna is alert and merely toying with him? Growing more uncomfortable by the latter thought, Junpei decides to retreat from the attic, not wanting to risk waking either of you again. It feels like an eternity as he descends the ladder extending down to the main floor in slow motion to make as little noise as possible.

He retraces his steps from the night before to find his way to the washroom. Seeking out the comfort of his old morning routine, he turns on the faucet at the sink to wash his face. He has to wait several minutes for the water to clear up as it's only coming out in vile rusty spurts. Junpei's nose wrinkles in disgust. How old is this place exactly? Even the fixtures look ancient. Once certain the last of the rust has washed out, he resumes his task, taking extra time to cup water over his hair as well. He doesn't have a brush, so he has to comb his fingers through it carefully to get out all the tangles. Sheepishly he peers up at his reflection in the mirror, again reveling in the smooth skin where his old scars used to be. He pauses.

What's that? Peeking up from the collar of his shirt, his shoulders rise in a way they never used to. That's odd. He didn't exactly get a good look at himself the last time he was here in the middle of the night. He removes his shirt to inspect his body.

"Whoa.."

He traces his hands over his shoulders, which are much fuller than he remembers. His neck too. And his chest, and…yes, even other places.

With growing confusion, he realizes that his entire body seems to have changed. All his life, he'd always been thin, waifish even. That's certainly no way he'd describe himself now. Running his palms in shock across the new bulk beneath his skin, an odd sensation overcomes him. He feels….

Strength.

This is too weird. He turns away from the mirror and puts his shirt back on, hiding his arms under long sleeves with relief. He'll have to ask you about this when you wake up, though that seems like it would be an embarrassing conversation to have with a stranger. Junpei's face flushes at the thought.

Not knowing what else to do while on his own, he steps out the back door and into the garden. It's been so long since he's experienced the sun's warmth, and the brightness of the daylight stings his eyes causing his eyes to tear up. When his vision clears, he covers his mouth with a shocked hand.

"Oh!"

His jaw drops as he's welcomed by the garden in full daylight. Even abandoned for years to the overgrowth of weeds, it's still beautiful to behold. There are numerous trees, bearing both flowers and fruit, circling the property within the stone walls. White roses climb resiliently, proving themselves to be the most invasive tenant in the garden beds between sprays of hydrangea and lilacs.

His mother loved lilacs…

Striding closer to the nearest shrub, he falls to his knees, leaning in to inhale the strong scent of the light purple blossoms. They smell wonderful. His mother would have enjoyed them. His eyes sting again suddenly. Distracting himself from his emotions, his hands reach into the weeds, pulling at their roots and loosening them from the garden bed. It takes several minutes for him to clear it, but the repeated action is strangely soothing and keeping his sadder thoughts at bay. Okay, he can do more of this, he tells himself. He'll be okay if he keeps working.

He moves on to the next area, slowly making steady progress freeing the earth around each tree and shrub of old weeds and dead grasses. The sun is pleasantly warm on his back shoulders as he busies himself. He has no reason to be taking this task upon himself, other than enjoying the mindlessness of it. If nothing else, maybe you'll be happier if the place looks a bit better.

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"Hey, stop lazing about. Get your ass up," Sukuna buzzes into your ear. He's grown listless as you've been resting for several hours now.

You attempt to roll over, ignoring him quite deliberately while pulling up the thin curtain you use as a blanket. The shocking slickness of a tongue against your ear startles you upright.

"Aaauughhh!"

"Good, you're awake."

"You're the fucking worst! What's wrong with you?!" you demand, wiping at your face frantically.

"You've been lying around all day like a corpse. I can't take it anymore!" he complains from his place on your cheek. He purposefully avoided possessing you to wake you up, attempting a more subtle approach. Or at least as subtle as your Curse could manage.

"Asshole!" you swear again angrily. You're definitely done with trying to sleep. Your curse delights in torturing you in these miniscule ways.

The sound of someone outside in the garden grabs your attention. You make your descent down to the ground floor, yawning and stretching your arms in an attempt to shake away the soreness that comes from sleeping so poorly. Your boots had been left by the back door, but you walk past them, wanting to feel the grass beneath your bare feet instead.

Right away you can tell someone has been hard at work out here. There's an enormous stack of fallen limbs that had been gathered at the back wall of the property. Next to it, a growing pile of dead grasses and weeds was steadily catching up. Someone has been landscaping for hours.

"Whoa! Junpei, have you been at this all day?"

He turns at the sound of your voice, cautiously evaluating you from a distance. It doesn't sound like Sukuna is the one speaking to him, but he should still be careful just in case.

"I couldn't sleep," he offers simply.

"So you weeded the entire garden on your own? You don't have to earn your keep here or anything like that. You can stay without breaking your back."

"It's fine. I just thought it would look better this way. I mean, the building itself is pretty much a lost cause, but at least it's nice out here. Right?" He sits back in the tall grass, running his hands over the wispy tickling blades with a smile. He'd never played outside much as a child.

You join him on the grass, sitting cross-legged. "Was I dreaming earlier, or were you in the attic with me?"

"Yeah… I was there," he confesses. It would probably be a bad idea to lie to you.

You bite your lip, dreading the answer to your next question. "Did I…do anything to you?"

"No. Why?"

"What about Sukuna? Did he do anything?" you press.

"No," Junpei fibs lightly. "I promise, I'm fine."

You exhale in relief. That's a load off your mind.

"Well, I'm sure he must have at least scared you."

"Mm. Just a little." Junpei plucks a few blades of grass and breaks them up between his fingers.

"I'm sorry. It's rare that he has full control over me anyway. I just needed rest today after using so much of my energy lately. Speaking of which, how are you feeling?"

He shrugs. "Fine, I guess."

"You should be doing alot better than fine. You must still be run down from yesterday, but it was only your first fight. You'll grow into your power over time," you reassure him as you stand and approach a nearby tree. There are lots of plums this season. The weight on the branches brings them lower for you to reach.

"Try this, you'll like it," you promise and toss one lightly to him.

"Thank you," he mutters, rubbing his thumb across the dark-skinned fruit until it shines.

You take one for yourself and bite into it, letting the juices run down your chin.

"One of the only perks to living in this shithole is that the ground is good. Except for the mushrooms, help yourself to anything within the garden walls, but don't eat anything else from the outside. Your new body doesn't need food the way it used to. Seriously, avoid the mushrooms. I mean it."

"Wait...Mushrooms?" Junpei doesn't understand. He's also too self conscious to eat in front of you, deciding to tuck his snack away in his coat pocket for later.

"Trust me. I don't know if you liked them before but you definitely won't like them now. Your new body can't digest them. Or anything else for that matter. The fruits within the barrier here are different, but you should generally avoid eating all mushrooms. They'll just spread like crazy inside you and they're a real pain to get rid of. Horrific stuff."

You toss the pit of your plum over the back wall of the churchyard and reach for a second one.

"Did that happen to you?" he asks in full alarm.

"Sure did! It was shitty. I got bored and curious one day, and I found some of those psychedelic ones that make you see stuff. It was fun for a while until they started growing through my skin. I realized that part wasn't a hallucination and spent the rest of my trip freaking out trying to scrape them all off me."

"That was such a stupid decision!" Sukuna comments, recalling the horrors of the experience.

"You were the one who talked me into it in the first place! You said you were immune to all poisons so it wouldn't be a big deal," you remind him.

"It was your wretched human vessel that allowed them to root! If I was in my own body it wouldn't have happened."

"Yeah, well it still only happened because of the shit your energy has done to my body. It doesn't even know if it's alive or dead," you grumble.

Clearing his throat to get your attention again, Junpei leans forward with interest. "So? How did you get rid of the mushrooms?"

With a sheepish laugh you shrug. "Funny story…I drank some bleach I found lying around. They died within minutes and fell off!"

He gapes at you in shock. "Oh my god! Wouldn't that have killed you?"

You shrug. "Sukuna protects me from all poisons, even though he's a fungus on his own, but either way I figured the bleach would cure one of my ailments."

"That's crazy! You're crazy!" This time Junpei laughs for real. So you are special after all. There's no way a normal human could survive something like drinking bleach.

You smirk at him, taking no offense that he's laughing somewhat at your expense. It's nice seeing him in a lighter mood. Hmm. That gives you an idea.

"Hey, Junpei! Do you like movies?!" It comes out as more of a demand than an inquiry.

He stumbles back at your sudden enthusiasm. "Uhh, yeah? Sure I do. That is, I started a film club at my school once."

"That's perfect! Come with me, I wanna show you something!" Excitedly, you grab Junpei's hand and pull him to his feet before he can argue. He allows you to tug him along behind, following dutifully as you lead him inside. His gaze is transfixed on your fingers clasped around his wrist the entire way.

It's then he remembers feeling your hand around him as he was being woken up from his nightmare earlier. Much too delicate of a motion for it to have been Sukuna.

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The basement of the church is hands down the coldest and darkest space. Needless to say this is reason enough to avoid it, however it also is home to one of your few defeats since moving in. Upon exploring what the depths of an abandoned church could possibly have in its basement, you came across a real treasure, but when it proved too complicated for you to master, you'd left it to its fate in the dark.

"Watch your head, it's pitch black down here. I didn't want to try moving this thing until I got it working again," you explain as you pull a tattered sheet from its place over a looming shape in the center of the room. When you'd first discovered it, you mistook it for a sewing machine at first until your eyes finally adjusted and let you inspect it closer.

"Check it out!" you announce with pride.

"Um. What is that?" Junpei scrunches his nose. It smells stale down here.

"What do you mean? You don't know what it is? I thought you were into movies. Anyway, it's an old film projector. See this reel on top? That's where the film for the movie would go. There's actually a few lying around in a box somewhere down here too, but I never figured out how to get the rest of this going to make it work."

You pick up a loose, ripped cord that once had been the power source, squeezing it tightly in your palm and focussing a trickle of your cursed energy into it. The empty space inside glows with a red pulsing light. The empty film reels begin to turn.

"This is as far as I can get it on my own. My energy overloads it and makes it short out."

"Oh," Junpei pieces together that you were about to ask for his help with this dinosaur technology. He looks as confused as you are.

"I don't really know about this sort of stuff. The movie club I mentioned was mostly just talking about them. We only got to meet a few times before it kinda fell apart."

You try not to sound too disappointed, but your hopes of having some entertainment around here have been quite dashed.

"It's okay. I shouldn't have assumed you'd know how this piece of junk works. It just would have been nice to have something new to do."

He kneels to look under the main body of the projector, unsure of what he's looking for. He runs his thumb across a serial number for the model and reads the words Toshiba 1989.

"I've only seen one of these in school. There's supposed to be a place for a little lightbulb inside, and then I think there's a mirror inside that reflects the light through the film strips."

"Ah! See? I knew you could figure this thing out! "

"I'm just stating the obvious. I don't know what's actually wrong, but I remember ours used to jam when the teacher tried to show us anything. The tracking speed was always off slightly."

"You already know more about this thing than I do. We can probably fix it!"

"Who knows? It may not even have sound."

"Anything is better than nothing. You'll go crazy looking for something to do here."

Junpei appears thoughtful for a moment. "What do you do most of the time? When you're not working, I mean."

"Usually I just hang out here."

"Sounds boring," he comments.

You give a weak laugh and fiddle with the power switch again, flipping it uselessly back and forth.

"You get used to the boredom eventually. You'll replay songs and movies in your head for hours on end before you even realize you've wasted an entire day sitting in one place. You'll fantasize about foods you loved to eat and things you always wanted to try but never got to. Just recently I was thinking of caramel apple lollipops. I can't recall if I ever had one before I was possessed or not, and I definitely wouldn't like it now, but God I wanted one so bad I could practically taste it. It drove me crazy for days until I put my fist through a wall before I realized what I'd even done. Sukuna likes to piggyback onto my rage and act out whenever he can. He thinks it's funny."

Junpei smirks at the ridiculous thought of your Curse joining in your rage over something as trivial as candy. That must've been some tantrum.

"So if there's anything you actually think of that you want to do, I'm dying to hear some new ideas. Okay? Literally I will try to do anything that sounds even a little bit fun. You can imagine how insane I've been driving myself here," you sigh, re-covering the film projector with its sheet.

"Sure. I'll let you know," Junpei promises.

"But in the meantime, you could benefit from some training. That miserable human you fought shouldn't have been able to get a single hit on you. You should learn to use the energy inside you properly."

"You're one to talk," Sukuna interjects, manifesting his mouth at your cheek with a snarl.

"You allowed one of those disgusting lowlife underlings to touch us."

"Well, we can't always be perfect. How about you, Junpei? Have you ever been in a fight before?"

He looks down at the floor, scuffing his shoe through layers of dust. The lump in his throat returns.

"Yeah..." he whispers in a small voice.

The poor guy looks so miserable again that you instantly regret asking, easily recognizing shame when you see it. Maybe it's best if you don't pry too much. He's entitled to a little mystery if he needs it. You aren't exactly eager to talk to him about your own past either so it's just as well.

"Junpei, whatever you went through before… I want you to know that it's all over. Whether it was good or bad, you have a chance at a new future. With that said, sometimes it's better to just forget anything that happened before your old life ended. Sorry if that sounds super harsh, but otherwise you'll only be making yourself depressed mulling over all the 'what if's?' and you deserve to find happiness now more than ever."

Feh. Hypocrite. Why don't you take some of your own advice sometime? Sukuna comments silently.

Junpei looks down at his shoes, taking your words to heart. You're probably right. Each memory he had was painful. Everyone he ever knew was gone now, and he could never truly return. He isn't even sure he'd want to. There had been so much suffering, and he was far from blameless. At least he isn't alone anymore. Even if you are a bit unsettling and frightening at times, you're much better company than he typically had before. Friendships were fleeting for him, always being an outsider to the majority of his classmates. It was rare to find anyone who wanted to spend time with him.

Except for that one time….

He swallows the pain already beginning to well up in his chest again. You were right. The memories before his death were too much for him. It would be a relief to let them all go. Most of them anyway.

You might've been a bit too heavy-handed. Regretfully you try to turn the conversation more positive.

"I'm sorry to get serious like that. I don't want you to dwell on the past. We should focus on more exciting things, like your bucket list!"

"My …what?" he asks.

"It's a list of things most people want to do before they die, but you and I get to do whatever we want now. So what were the things you wanted to do in life? What was on your list?"

Junpei shrugs after thinking about it for a minute. "I guess I never aspired to do much…I didn't like school. I never even daydreamed about a career."

"I think that's a good thing. Your life is more than how you make money, especially now that you don't even need it. How about this? Whenever you think of something you think you want to do, let me know and I'll see if I can make it happen," you promise.

Sukuna, sensing your implication that he was to assist as well, voices his disagreement with a rude outburst.

"I in no way agreed to be this little pipsqueak's caregiver, much less take any special requests to entertain him!"

"You'll do as you're commanded and fucking like it," you remind him and give your cheek a stinging slap, but he switches sides at the last minute.

"Ooh! What a privilege!" he swoons with sarcasm, then retches loudly as your fingers push between his teeth to gag him. That does it for your patience. He's been pushing his luck too far.

"I have heard enough out of you for one day. I'm trying to have a nice conversation for fuck's sake-Ow!"

His teeth nip the edge of your finger. Though it's not his full strength, it still hurts. Rotten little pest!

"Yeah, well while this is simply riveting stimulation for you, it's nearly 6:30, in case you need a reminder."

This disarms your anger immediately. There's only one reason why Sukuna cares what time it is.

"Is it Thursday already? Shit! I lost track of the days with so much going on."

You turn back to Junpei, who is once again staring with concern as you fight with yourself.

"We should go upstairs!" you suggest excitedly.

"Hm? You mean back to the attic?" he asks.

You're brimming with excitement as you grab his hand again to tug him along behind you.

"I mean all the way up!"

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Fushiguro has been gone for too long. His little detour with Keigo Takami took much longer than expected, and seemingly all for nought. He'd risked his life on a wild goose chase, but at least he isn't coming away empty handed.

Hawks had dropped a few of his own feathers behind him.

With a sample of the man's scent, his dogs would have no trouble tracking him in the future. If Hawks was lying about knowing where you are, Fushiguro will find out soon enough.

He pulls out his phone, frowning when he sees only a single bar of service, but that's to be expected from this altitude. Pressing the contact listing for Itadori, he selects dial. The line rings only once before a frantic voice picks up.

"Hey! Where are you?!" Yuji demands at once in a hushed whisper.

"I'm on the roof of the downtown Tokyo shopping mall. I just made contact with our guy…"

"And?"

"It's a dead end, for now anyways. He's keeping his mouth shut if he knows anything. Played it off like he's clueless, but I seriously doubt he's as dumb as he acts. We can track him now at least. He's bound to slip up if he knows anything."

There's a pause before Itadori responds, this time sounding incredibly stressed.

"Fushiguro, you haven't checked your messages, have you?"

"Hm? Messages?" His phone hasn't downloaded any notifications in a while. Of course he's still on the borderline of the cell service area.

"They found something. Yuta called it in. You'd better get back here quickly. Everyone is looking for you right now."

"Hold on. Are you with him?" Fushiguro demands. His heartbeat is in his ears. He knows Yuji doesn't work alone these days.

Itadori's tone is grave, confirming what he knows his friend is already dreading.

"Yeah. And so is Gojo Sensei. We got Yuta's call and responded first."

The shadow user swears into the receiver, hanging up without saying goodbye. He summons his bird shikigami Nue, and leaps from the roof's edge to be snatched up by the beast.

He'l have to come up with an excuse for his absence on the way. Hopefully Yuta hasn't spilled his guts already.

Not blaming his comrade for the sudden disconnect, Itadori pockets his phone. He turns his attention back down the alley where his sensei and Yuta were investigating cursed energy traces in the cracked pavement. Where he was not permitted to tread….

When the call came for Yuta Okkotsu requesting backup, Itadori and Gojo were close enough to the cross streets reported to arrive within minutes. It's too bad Yuji is still prohibited from aiding in the investigation where Sukuna was involved. He'd been left at the entrance by his sensei to keep watch. A paltry job since no one passing by had any interest in an empty alley to begin with. No one was even looking in their direction.

This sucks! He's close enough to actually sense your energy seeping through the brick and tarmac, but this is as close as he's allowed to get.

"Goddammit!" he swears and lets his head fall back to thud against the brick wall.

Hearing the exploit, Gojo looks up. He knows how frustrated Itadori must be feeling. There can be no denying that the Curse user responsible for leaving these traces was wielding Sukuna's power. This is the first sign of you anyone has seen since your disappearance a year ago, and judging by the evidence left behind, there was a terrible fight last night.

"See, look here. That's blood right, Sensei?" Yuta points to the darkest area of the pavement.

"Indeed, it would appear so. Probably from more than one victim. Looks like someone had a rotten night," Gojo agrees.

Yuta kneels to look closer at the flashes of red energy trapped in long jagged cracks snaking from the ground up the building walls.

"So these energy traces, are they from the Curse user everyone is looking for?"

"Most likely. Although it's much different from when they were last seen. They've gotten much stronger."

A shadow swoops across their path from above, directing their attention skyward. Fushiguro! Finally returning from his strange and sudden absence after being gone for nearly an hour.

"Hey! We found something!" Yuta waves excitedly, but cuts himself short as he senses the disapproval in his partner's expression as he drops to the pavement and recalls his flying beast Nue.

"I heard. I gathered you already reported it without me too," the shadow user snipes.

"I…waited as long as I could. Sorry," Yuta apologizes meekly.

Satoru Gojo claps a hand amicably on Fushiguro's shoulder, giving him a light jostle.

"And where have you been, 'gumi?"

"Pursuing a person of interest related to our case, but it didn't lead anywhere sadly," he supplies vaguely.

"Ooh, cryptic! You're becoming a real man of mystery lately. Good for you! Did you come to get a gander at our crime scene?"

Megumi takes a deep breath, preparing himself mentally for the worst. His eyes dart toward the mouth of the alley entrance where Yuji stands obediently at his post, casting concerned glances over his shoulder.

"What have we got?"

Gojo pulls out his phone and kneels to take a few photos of the grisly scene. "Blood. Mostly blood. Lots of energy left behind. Oh, and some feathers too."

"Feathers?"

Fushiguro's stomach plummets as he watches Gojo spin a single black plume around in his fingertips.

"Odd isn't it? Identical to the ones found left behind in our prison cell back on campus. Sukuna's vessel most likely summoned their shikigami at some point down there, though it's unclear as to why they'd do that. I recall their union being one based on the exchange of knowledge, not fighting in battle. Isn't that right, Megumi-chan?"

"Something like that," he mutters, trying to keep himself together. On the inside, his panic is rising. He kicks himself mentally for abandoning his duties to chase after Hawks. If he'd only stayed with his partner, he could have found the scene first and gathered the feathers before anyone else arrived.

Yuta, still none the wiser to his partner's plight, volunteers his own theory. "Do feathers mean the Curse user might be airborne?"

This earns him another poisonous glare from his partner. Yuta feels like swallowing his tongue. Why is Fushiguro so angry with him for doing his job?

"It's looking like more than a possibility. It would explain why there's been no recorded sightings if they're keeping off the ground. So that's one mystery solved, I suppose," Gojo muses aloud, pretending not to notice as Fushiguro takes his leave to check in with Itadori. He has his own suspicious notions regarding his gloomiest student. He makes a mental note to pull him aside later to address them.

Itadori attempts to sound casual as he asks a frantic "What's up?!" but the grim set of his friend's mouth is enough to confirm his worst fears.

"It's not good news," Fushiguro whispers.

"It looks like the last advantage they had to keep out of sight may have just been blown. It won't be long until our superiors start sending out aerial scouts. There's a few sorcerers who come to mind already that could probably find our friend before us."

"So what are we going to do?" Yuji demands anxiously.

"I don't know, but we'll figure something out."

"And just what are we figuring out?" a familiar voice asks.

Startling in place, both boys turn around to find Nanami Kento approaching. They'd been too engrossed in their conversation to hear him walking up behind them, though that was somewhat intentional on his part.

"Nanamin! Did you get Yuta's call too?"

"I did. I'm surprised to see you here on the scene, Itadori."

"Pft! I'm not. Gojo-sensei won't let me get any closer than this," the boy sulks, crossing his arms.

"I'm sure there's not much to see," Nanami offers as he steps past his coworkers' students to assess the damage himself.

"Yeah, right. If there's not much to see then why not let me back there?" Yuji fires back heatedly.

The sorcerer ignores this outburst, taking note that Fushiguro is purposefully avoiding whatever had been found. That can't be a good sign.

"Well, look who decided to join the party!" Satoru Gojo crows, opening his arms expectantly for a hug that never comes from Nanami.

"With any distress call, it's normal for it to raise an alarm. However when the one requesting backup is our own special grade sorcerer Yuta Okkotsu, I'll admit I wasn't sure exactly what I'd be getting myself into. Good to see things are quiet here." Nanami notates as he appraises the cracks in the pavement and brick walls around them.

"I was showing Gojo-sensei the blood. And he found some feathers he thinks are from the curse user," Yuta offers.

"Interesting. How far up do the energy traces go?"

"There's cursed energy all the way up to the rooftop. This whole area was bombed with it," Yuta reports.

"Good work. You're dismissed to clear the area now. Feel free to join your comrades. I'll call Ijichi to bring a car and take you all back to campus."

Yuta doesn't try to hide his disappointment. "Oh. We're going back already?"

"We need to complete this sighting report. With this recent development, we should assume there will be another division of labor to make sure we have adequate sky cover from here on out. Masamichi will have to alert our superiors once we finish processing the scene."

Gojo gripes from his seat on the scorched pavement. "What's there to process? This was a waste of manpower. You can finish it alone, Nanami."

"I could, but you might as well do your job since you're here too."

Yuta fidgets in place. He feels like he's only in the way here. Maybe he didn't need to call for backup after all. That's probably why Fushiguro looked so cross when he came back. He probably thinks Yuta was behaving helplessly without a partner, but what choice did he have after discovering the scene on his own? Their orders were to report all Curse activity no matter how miniscule, with any special grade detection being top priority.

Glancing over his shoulder, Yuta confirms Fushiguro is still boring holes through the back of his head. His discomfort is quickly blossoming into annoyance. If Fushiguro was going to ditch him without warning, he shouldn't have the right to be upset when Yuta gets their job done alone.

Yuta takes a few steps backwards, leaving the Jujutsu teachers to finish documenting the scene without him. He tightens his grip around the strap of his katana as he approaches, winding his fingers around the leather in a nervous habit.

"Did you end up catching up to that guy you were after?" he asks Fushiguro pointedly while keeping his voice low.

His partner's annoyed expression is unwavering. "Yeah, I did. Sorry you had to cover for me in my absence."

"All I said was that I lost sight of you. I didn't tell anyone what actually happened. You can lie for yourself."

"I wasn't planning on it," the shadow user states.

"Good. Because I'm giving myself an ulcer worrying about whatever it is you're up to, Fushiguro."

He only shakes his head in dismissal. "You don't have to be worried. If I get my ass handed to me, that's my business."

"Yeah, well you're not the only one being affected by your actions. You've been dragging me along with you this entire time while you do this side work too! The least you could do is fill me in, seeing as we'll probably both be punished for whatever it is you're doing. You trust me that much. Right?" Yuta argues.

Fushiguro's brow knits with irritation.

Yeah, right. I've all but had my cover blown thanks to you, he grates quietly.

He has to remind himself it's not Yuta's fault. He's been intentionally leaving his teammate in the dark. There's no telling how the special grade sorcerer would react if he found out Fushiguro had zero intention of capturing you.

He isn't the only one either.

"Sorry. That's not any of your business," is all he says.

The two stare in silence at one another, neither one willing to relent and give in. Itadori looks back into the alley again, his nerves already beginning to unravel at the possible outcomes from all of this. He closes his eyes, trying to focus on the faint traces of your energy he can sense from here. Your name is clenched behind his teeth and he fights the lump rising in his throat.

What would make you leave behind a grisly scene like this?

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At the precipice of the church roof sits a bell tower. The yoke upholding the bulk of the bell's weight is partially rotted, discouraging any movement to make its clapper sing against the tarnished copper. One wrong move could send the entire structure crashing straight down through the already collapsing belfry. You and Junpei have to tread lightly as you ascend the creaking staircase, climbing up to a sunset sky streaked with pink and orange. It's been a long time since he's seen something as beautiful as this.

"Whoa," he breathes in awe.

"Yeah. The view is always nice from here this time of day, but it gets better. Listen carefully," you instruct him, already closing your eyes.

There were many gifts bestowed upon you when your body absorbed Stolas, your loyal shikigami. As bitter as the memory is even now, there is much to be said about your new capabilities. Your wings, instincts for both plants and the stars, and the ability to see supernatural things your old human eyes couldn't have proved to be more than useful for your new way of life. Another unexpected change is an impressive sense of hearing. Junpei may not have inherited all of these things from your energy resurrecting him, but maybe he can do this with you.

"Do you hear anything?" you urge him anxiously.

He wraps an arm around a support beam to better steady himself, still having a problem with how high up you both are. What is it with you and heights? It's hard for him to hear anything over the wind rushing past his ears. He follows your lead and closes his eyes, trusting that you must have brought him up here for a good reason.

Through the white noise of the evening breeze another sound sings through sweetly. Junpei's brow knits together as he tries to pinpoint where he's heard this before. It's so familiar…

"Is that…a violin?" He's guessing, but hope's he's right.

"Yes! Yes, it is! What else?" you press, already beaming with excitement.

"Um. A deeper sound? It's like a violin, but…different."

"That's a cello!"

"Hah! Okay. Wow. It sounds so far away, but still clear somehow?"

Junpei smiles as memories of music and familiar notes return to him little by little, setting his mind at ease. He hadn't noticed before but the churchyard is incredibly quiet being this far away from the actual city. He could get used to the natural peace even despite the gruff living conditions.

"It's nice up here…" he comments, brushing his bangs out of his face to feel the breeze blowing by.

Leaning closer to him, you point directly across from where the two of you sit towards the tiniest cluster of buildings visible beyond the treeline.

"There's a music school south of where we are. Every Thursday at this time their orchestra meets for practice and we come up here to listen."

"We?" Junpei repeats. This is the first time he's heard you refer to yourself and your Curse as a pair. He assumed you both hated one another.

"Yeah. Music puts him in a better mood. It makes things more tolerable. Sometimes…"

Junpei notices the way your voice trails off, but says nothing else. Your expression turned suddenly sorrowful in a way that made him regret asking. Although you're still smiling, it doesn't reach your eyes. He knows that look very well. The strained smile that hides swallowing your own suffering. He used to do that all the time for his mother so she wouldn't worry about him.

"I'm really glad that you can hear the music, too. I was afraid you wouldn't, but your new body seems to carry a few of my abilities. You're amazing!" you beam with a genuine smile.

He gulps nervously at the unexpected compliment. "I am?"

Sick of the interruptions for the evening, Sukuna manifests on your cheek to cut between the two of you. There's clear irritation in his tone as he shushes loudly.

"How about you both shut up? You're ruining the overture."

"So what? It's not like we haven't heard this one before. They've been playing Tchaikovsky all season long." you point out.

"I like this one," he grumbles.

You snort derisively, having a hard time holding your criticisms back since you know the piece playing. It's the first movement of the Swan Lake ballet. Junpei must recognize it as well, judging by the way he's glancing over at you and obviously suppressing an amused smirk.

The three of you sit in silence, enjoying the faint melody together. It's the only thing you have to look forward to between every day oozing into one another. There's always work to be done between the overwhelming infinite curse activity in Tokyo and the general disgusting nature of humans. It's so easy to forget there are good things in this world too.

Junpei is still smiling when you glance back over. Bringing him up here was definitely a good idea. Classical music was never his favorite, but the sound of something familiar is still reassuring. There are so many things he never got to do in life. He can't even recall if he's ever listened to music with a friend before. Seeing you sit on the edge of the tower and make yourself comfortable, encourages him to do the same, carefully leaning his back against the dry wood. He feels a lump in his pocket and pulls out the plum you'd given him earlier. Junpei doesn't feel particularly hungry, but it does smell good. Do plums have a smell normally? He can't remember. Maybe his senses are heightened because of you?

He takes a small bite and the overwhelming sensation of taste springs tears to his eyes unexpectedly. It's much sweeter than he remembered plums ever tasting. He never really cared for them before.

There's so much he missed about being alive.

Quiet sniffles demand your attention and you catch Junpei wiping his eyes. You extend your hand carefully, placing it on his shoulder.

"Everything is going to be alright," you reassure him with confidence.

He says nothing and takes another bite.

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To Be Continued…