It wasn't supposed to end this way.

At Jujutsu High, one of the first things taught to you in class is how to think under pressure, and make split second decisions. In the battlefield, every second counts, and hesitation could mean the death of an innocent person, or a colleague. The issue with this, however, is that there's no time to consider a trap, or any sort of scheme that's hidden below the surface. You don't think about whether a fact you've seen is misleading or can change. You observe, register, and act. As I felt Mahito's cold hand grazing my face, a shiver ran down my spine. Yuuji was yelling for me, Mahito had a shit-eating grin, though that wasn't far from the usual, and my face burned.

I was going to die, wasn't I? I always thought I would, one day. Every Jujutsu sorcerer knows that. It's not uncommon for friends and colleagues to be there one day, then gone the other. So far, Yuuji, Megumi and I have been very, very lucky. There was nothing I could do except admit that. We survived Grade 1 Curses, Yuuji was able to contain Sukuna inside him, we fought off curse users and were able to perform a Black Flash while at it, and survived a raid in a competition where Yuuji was the main target. The list only went on. Admittedly, I had once considered us immortals. Like the exception to the system, us three had consistently broken every sorcerer safety guideline and still we came out on top.

Well, one of us had to slip someday. I just always thought it was going to be Yuuji.

I was waiting for my entire life to pass before my eyes, but that's not exactly what happened. I had linear glimpses of the old me, the things I did and the people I knew, but it wasn't exactly a vivid flashback. I saw familiar faces fade in the darkness, and a myriad of feelings assaulted me with each person I remembered in the miasma. It was all happening very fast, at least I think it was, since I was still falling, but it all felt like an eternity. I saw Saori, the older woman was brushing my hair, and a warm sensation overwhelmed my senses. I wasn't sure if that was nostalgia or a last fight my heart was putting up to avoid what was to come.

Soon after, I saw Fumi, and my body went cold. Again, I wasn't sure if that was sadness or death creeping up. Fumi was crying while I hugged her. Thinking back now, she had such a shy posture. She was far from the energetic girl I used to be, and always walked one step behind, almost as if afraid to be in the same space as I. Could I have done something to have broken that wall earlier? What else could I have learned from Fumi? Would we still have kept in contact?

Even Yuuji had a friend to remember him. Someone that worried. Where were my friends? Why did I only start worrying about this now, of all times?

I remembered Satoru, no professor could be more childish than him, and I wondered if everyone would be able to help him without me. They better, or else I'll have to drag myself out of the grave to sort their mess. Yuuji and Megumi came to mind soon after, and I felt like closing my eyes to avoid what I wasn't sure were tears or cursed energy trying to spill out. Despite the occasional fights we had, we've gotten unarguably close. Even if Yuuji had moments that definitely tested my patience, he was kind, and he was always there when I needed him. Megumi was colder, but loyal and reliable, and those months where we trained together really helped strengthen our bond.

Our bond... but what use was it now? Did I spend all that time with them for nothing? It just wasn't fair. Other people would get to go on with their lives, and I would have to stay here. I hate being left behind, or out of the loop, and I'll forever haunt Yuuji and Megumi if neither of them visit my grave to tell me the latest gossip. I know I was very rude to them on my first day in Tokyo, and still they tried to get to know me. I wanted to push them away, but they only kept coming closer.

Should I have done the same to Fumi? Was I a bad friend? Was I a bad person? I knew Jujutsu sorcerers were meant to be a little bit mad, but this isn't what I wanted to become. Someone that forgot, and that didn't get far enough for someone I cared about.

I don't want to be remembered for my shortcomings, and I certainly don't want to leave before thanking my friends for everything they did, and saying goodbye. My grandmother and I had fought regarding coming to Tokyo, but I have to admit it was worth it, despite being the thing that killed me in the end. I could hear Yuuji yelling while Mahito laughed in the background, but all of that was drowned out by a loud ringing in my ears that wouldn't go away. Oh yeah, I'm dying. I have to say it, and I have to say it now, before it's too late.

"Hey, Yuuji", I started, fighting against the lump in my throat trying to keep my words from coming out. "Tell everyone that... It wasn't so bad." I tried to smile, but now that I spoke, my whole body flared up in pain. I wasn't sure if I was smiling naturally, or if there was anguish mixed in. I hope not. I really don't want my friend's last memory of me to be of suffering.

Then, my face bubbled up. It feels like all of the horrible burning sensation in my entire body decided to converge in a single spot. The sun had nothing compared to my heat, I tried to joke to myself, but it didn't alleviate the pain. I wanted to say I was sorry to Yuuji, sorry to Megumi, sorry for leaving this in their hands. But I trusted them. My face exploded. I could feel my eye flying off, at least I think it was my eye.

My body fell to the floor, and I saw nothing but darkness.

Funny how slow time passes when you're in a moment like that. If the adrenaline in my body did that just a few seconds earlier, I wouldn't be dead now. Maybe I'd have seen Mahito switching bodies. Maybe there was something I'd have been able to do. Humans are a mystery, and their brains even more so. Ugh, that's why I hate that sort of stuff. I shouldn't have to worry about that, no one should! But I guess that's just how life is.

Hmm, my inner monologue is taking a while to fizzle out. I thought I'd be gone already, or at least in some form of paradise. Maybe this was Hell? Just darkness? That would suck. There has to be at least something to do here! Right?

That wouldn't be a worry for long, as I slowly started to flick my eyes open.

Wait, I what? My what?

I looked around the room. My room. My bedroom, not the one in Jujutsu High, the one in my house. I jumped from the bed, heading straight for my mirror, still instinctively knowing where it was.

The appearance reflected on the surface was me. A younger me, yes, but me nonetheless. I was probably 2 years younger? There should be a calendar in the kitchen, I could check. Well, I would, if my body allowed me to move.

What was this? Is this real? Is this just a dream? Am I actually back here? Is this happening?

Overwhelmed by emotions and the memories of everything that had just happened, I did something I'm admittedly not very proud of.

I screamed.